Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
I haven't posted here in ages, so my grand reentrance will be suggesting an album, I hope I get a chance to listen to some of the backlog soon.
noise/hip-hop, image is a link to the album on bandcamp
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
thellama73 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2017 1:49 pm
If it's not too late for submissions, I'd like to submit the 1970 acid folk masterpiece First Utterance by Comus, because every time I listen to it I literally cannot believe how good it is.
Full album on youtube:
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
I already had a submission on the last poll, and also I haven't kept up basically since I moved house, although I keep really feeling I need to get back in the swing. It's just a function of time. But I still intend to keep up eventually.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
Ricochet wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2017 1:52 pm
Ok, I know I'm supposed to be a tech guy and such (:ninja:), but I just locked myself out of voting by trying to view the current tally.
Wat do
Refresh the page and see if you can vote now, Rico.
Finally starting the hamsteak album. Interesting enough sound so far (on the second track and definitely getting the Flaming Lips comparison on the synth). Also voted on the next poll, looking forward to those
Finished. Meh, there were some really fun parts of this album, but it wasn't outstanding or anything. I didn't care for the voice, but I liked a lot of the beats and synths and catchy parts. Track 3 was my favorite. Overall I think I'll give this a 2.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
I'm listening to Comus now. It's been pretty cool. The third track "Drip Drip" was excellent -- prog done right. The strings caught my ear immediately.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
Like some of the other albums that fall around it score-wise, Michael Guy Bowman's offering strikes me as a niche product. Musically, I found it to be quite good. Lyrically, it was neither here nor there. Vocally, I was pretty meh on it. Thus is the subjectivity of music appreciation.
The first, "Forever," track sets a really good, moody, ethereal tone. It feels like it's setting the album up to be far more serious than it turned out to be. Despite my enjoyment of the MacGyver-esque beat and the 2001: A Space Odyssey references, track 2, "Dawn of Man," was a bit of a letdown for me. It's a competent enough song, but it didn't carry the momentum of "Forever" like I thought it might. Track 3, "Beta Version," got me back into the groove. There's quite a bit going on with all the elements and I liked it.
The rest of the album was pretty hit or miss for me but you have to appreciate the consistency of sound Bowman accomplished. His voice does nothing for me and at times verged on irking me. I guess the nerdy sound of his voice matched the nerdy-niche sound of his music well enough not to pull me out of it. Some of the tracks have a very 80s throwback vibe to them. I liked those. Other songs just kind of meandered, to my ears anyway.
I almost feel like a jerk to say this but my three favorite tracks were the instrumentals. "Forever" is a strong piece, as is "Beta Version." The closing track, "The Deeper You Go," reminded me of some old-school Moby instrumentals, which are always enjoyable. Instrumental synth-pop/electronic music is probably a fierce battlefield for listeners, but I feel Bowman is more suited to that avenue than music with lyrics.
Overall, the album was light, easy to digest, and pleasant for the most part. My musical biases favor energy, flair, and showmanship, which don't seem to be Bowman's concern. And that's okay. For me, it's caught somewhere between memorable and forgettable but I'm not sure where exactly it falls.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
The Comus album is definitely different. I hear the folk and the prog but I also hear something at times that I want to call psychedelic. Does that make sense?
Also, the length and number of tracks on the YouTube video is different from the information listed in the OP for this album. Is there an extra song on this video a la a special edition?
G-Man wrote: ↑Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:08 pm
The Comus album is definitely different. I hear the folk and the prog but I also hear something at times that I want to call psychedelic. Does that make sense?
Also, the length and number of tracks on the YouTube video is different from the information listed in the OP for this album. Is there an extra song on this video a la a special edition?
I'd stamp it overall as weird (or wyrd) prog folk, but all those tags are fair.
Haven't checked the YT link, I have a 7-song album in my collection.
Kinda curious what constitutes "prog done right" to Jay in regards to Drip Drip, because to me it's rather "prog thrown in acid".
To be honest I am not 100% certain that was the song, because it's difficult to tell them apart in a combined YouTube video and different versions of the release have different track lengths. It could have been the very end of the second track instead. I'll listen again tonight and see if I can figure it out.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
I'm gonna try and get back into this when I get home tonight
Lunalee wrote: ↑Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:13 amQuin's ISO is full of posts that are actually trying to be helpful to the game. This doesn't look like town Quin.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
Comus is an old favorite, so I don't really wanna get into rating it, but I will say it was the standard by which I measured all other acid folk. Very few bands compared, despite my long searches through the internet (well, mostly Lizzy's searches to be fair). I am always so much more appreciative of folk rock/prog that has more folk than rock. I will give a shout out though to Lindsay Cooper and her participation in the band, who was the bassoonist on the many albums featured in MP's avy.
It seems I reviewed this album back in the day, on PA. Ten years ago, in fact, almost to the day. I have no recollection of ever doing this.
I'll go for a fresh, modern day review of it as well, uninfluenced by what I scribbled in the past, but here's the PA write-up, I suppose. Be forewarned, though, that it's written in 17-year old Rico English, which used to give the (false) impression that I was on opioids - then again, from a quick glance, this seems to have been a much milder case that the majority of mine.
[mention]Epignosis[/mention], shall I transfer your two stars for it onto the chart or did you change your impression in recent decade?
I listened to it again today and couldn't even find the moment that most appealed to me before. I am doing other things at the same time though. Anyway it was still good tunage.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
Laden with acoustic instruments and a hectic, almost chaotic nature almost unheard of in progressive folk circles, Comus is an entirely different beast. Wild, tribal-like rhythms with strange crying out can make this an almost uncomfortable listen. The female vocals are strikingly gorgeous, and a much needed contrast to the unbridled male lead singer. There are several parts to the album that have a weird appeal, but it isn't enough to keep me coming back to this creepy one.
"Diana" Discordant violin and screeching voices make up the bulk of this bizarre first song. There is a hand drum interlude and other odd musical fare. In the end, the title is repeated in a low growl.
"The Herald" Take the eerie whistling noise of Genesis's "The Waiting Room" and add gentle acoustic guitar, and that's the beginning of this track. After almost four minutes, a brief silence ensues, and more pleasing guitar returns. The violin is far more pleasant here than on the first song, as is the instrumentation in general. After another four minutes, there is another silence, and an airy, almost desolate sound rises from the nothingness. A lovely feminine voice carries on over it with other singers, like a choir of spirits in the ether.
"Drip Drip" Dobro and an acoustic guitar give this an old-fashioned swamp blues feel at first. The music is far harsher than the calm sounds of the previous song. The male vocalist is astringent with his singing over hand percussion, incessant violin, guitar, and hypnotic rhythms. The mesmerizing dance degenerates eventually, and becomes something even more unspeakable. The sound is akin to some distant tribe attempting to conjure their gods. The bass riff reminds me very much of "The Talking Drum" from King Crimson. The third part of the song begins abruptly, with gruesome vocals that are almost madness-inducing.
"Song to Comus" A repetitive bass riff, punctuated by a rhythmic striking of guitar and echoing vocals begins this bizarre track. A woodwind instrument makes an appearance from time to time, and the repetitive violin is actually a nice touch. "The Bite" Eccentric vocals and wild instrumentation make up this shorter track. The woman voices long notes in the background while, for once, the man is restrained a bit. The acoustic bass is very audible on this, and sets a good riff for the other instrumentalists to work over. The lyrics, however, are dark, describing the execution of a Christian by hanging.
"Bitten" The one short piece on the album is an avant-garde bunch of quirky noises that maintain the dark tenor of the album. A lone violin peeks through.
"The Prisoner" The conclusion of the album involves odd acoustic guitar bends and rapidly plucked chords before becoming something far more coherent than anything else present on this record. The soft, muffled vocals and lighter instrumentation make this sound like a classic acoustic rock song of the 1960s. The final part of the song, however, is one last bite from the monster of frenzy, full of tribal rhythms and peculiar voices.
If anything, I'd award "The Herald" another point. That is something I could listen to on a regular basis.
By the way, my earlier mention of "prog rock done right" was meant to be a self-depreciating jab, but I realized it sounded like I was having a go at 3J's opinion, which wasn't my intention. Being funny on the Internet is hard.
Epignosis wrote: ↑Sat Aug 19, 2017 3:24 pm
By the way, my earlier mention of "prog rock done right" was meant to be a self-depreciating jab, but I realized it sounded like I was having a go at 3J's opinion, which wasn't my intention. Being funny on the Internet is hard.
It's fine either way. I don't figure you and I would be in agreement about much in the realm of prog.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
That's a relief. All day while I was at work (yeah, I worked today) I was afraid my joke fell flat and that I came across as rude. I don't like when that happens.
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
Faces in the Rocks is not an album I would call massively important to me, or influential upon my listening habits, or even one I have revisited that frequently. It is just a simple, therapeutic folk album from a woman with a very appealing voice and sometimes that's all I need. As you may have guessed from her name, the music is heavily influenced by Native American art -- I'd call it a secondary component of the sound rather than the primary appeal. It's something a little different while also being accessible and pleasing (at least to me).
Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9 Best Scum, Maffies 3 Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9 Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9 Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6 Spirit Award, Maffies 9 Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4
Mafia Universe
Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020 Best Town Player, 2020
This was a weird album that was very broad musically. While I'm okay with a certain amount of creepiness inherent to a song, the first track, "Diana," seemed to exceed my creepy quotient. It was the song I was most torn over. I marked it as pleasant instead of a solid good. Track 2 was too long for my taste but it was pretty music. It's almost like two musical ideas put together. Pretty but not gripping or attention-getting. Track 3 is really where the album picked up for me. "Drip Drip" is probably overlong but it pays off for its indulgence. It builds well and I could follow the narrative a little better than other minstrely tunes I've listened to around these parts.
So, had I one with my three-track gut check, I'd have been in a bit of a pickle. The first two tracks didn't cut it for me but the third track would keep me invested to see what comes next. Luckily, tracks 4 and 5 are also very good. I don't know why but "Song To Comus" evoked a Tenacious D vibe for me. It's a little bit cheesy, a little bit over-serious, and a little bit awesome. I'd love to hear the D perform a cover of this one. There seemed to be a full-cycle narrative on the second half of the album that I could follow for the most part.
I don't feel that track 6, "Bitten," works on its own outside of the narrative of the preceding tracks. The closing track didn't grab me either, so this album peaked in the middle, a trajectory I found perplexing. I like albums to start strong and end strong. First Utterance starts semi-strong and ends semi-soft.
I you couldn't guess, I would take "Drip Drip," "Song To Comus," and "The Bite" with me. The rest are just either too pretty or weird for me to throw another listen at. Comus strikes me as a band that got signed because they drew crowds at concert festivals. I see little to no mass-market appeal from their genre or style but that's not to say they didn't do a good job; they're just not for the majority of music fans.
I liked the acoustic instrumentation. As my record collection is largely plugged-in, it's nice to hear something eclectically acoustic from time to time. I've no desire to talk them up or down should they come up in conversation anywhere else. I this album should ever come up, I think the best and worst I can say for it is that I found it interesting.
G-Man Scale: 3.39 out of 5 Rico Scale: 3.5 out of 5