The Syndicate

I'm halfway through it.

And, well... Ouch.

looking forward to dataplex, sounds like it'll be... different

still catching up on StE with a second listen, here are some thoughts
1. Icarus II: this track is 100% awesome. totally love it.
2. When The World Was Young: meh
3. Grand Fun Alley: meh
4. The Coming Dawn (Thanatopsis): lyrics are cheesy but pleasant enough melodically; I absolutely love the instrumental bridge (and parts of it strongly remind me of at least three different Muse songs lol I'm sure they took some inspiration from Kansas)
5. Myriad: nice instrumental intro, rest of the song is ok. lyrics (like much of the lyrics throughout the album) feel a lil pretentious to me
6: Look At The Time: this sounds super familiar was it in a movie or something? or does it sound a lot like a different song? anyway it's fine
7: Disappearing Skin Tight Blues: once again I love the instrumental intro but it's very separate from the rest of the song, and again the song is ok but not super special
8: Distant Vision: pretty solidly great all the way through
9: Byzantium: ehh...
10: Not Man Big: meh
11: Geodesic Dome: kinda fun but I don't really get why it's there

so... I only really liked... about two and a half tracks? Icarus II is fantastic and I like scattered instrumental tidbits throughout the album but the majority of it was just not very special. 3 stars I guess

I've finished dataplex.

That was unpleasant. Indeed, I have never struggled so much to finish a piece of music in my life. It was physically painful in the realest sense -- not because it sounded bad, but because it hurt. I can on some level respect what the artist was going for, because I am pretty sure that's the intent. He pushed the boundaries of the sound spectrum audible to the human ear and created sensations that others have not. That's fine. I didn't enjoy this though and I don't know that it's necessary to pound at it for 55 minutes when the same novelty can be achieved in 5. I don't even need to say that in terms of composition it was nigh pointless.

I gave it 1 star. The only thing preventing a lower grade is my understanding that the artist achieved what he set out to achieve. I'm going to go squeeze my head between two pillows for a few hours.

OK now I'm afraid to listen to it.

No.

Just no.

I did 13 seconds. Skipped around.

Alex, is this what you consider music these days?

Epignosis wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:23 pm No.

Just no.

I did 13 seconds. Skipped around.

Alex, is this what you consider music these days?

It's absolutely music. You may hate it or call it pretentious, but it's music. Fight me.

nutella wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:13 pm OK now I'm afraid to listen to it.

I have no issues listening to it, so as long as you're not sensitive to high frequencies or listening to it on super high volume, you'll be fine. Maybe I'm just a robot though.

I would encourage y'all to give it a chance.

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:45 pm

Epignosis wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:23 pm No.

Just no.

I did 13 seconds. Skipped around.

Alex, is this what you consider music these days?

It's absolutely music. You may hate it or call it pretentious, but it's music. Fight me.

Besides, if you skip around, you don't get to hear how the piece develops, which is pretty awesome if I say so myself. That's part of the payoff.

But I realize how unconventional this kind of thing is, so if you all hate it or don't even want to give it a chance, I get it -- but I would suggest you all give it an honest try so long as you aren't even experiencing something very unpleasant. Considering Jay's feelings for it I'm surprised he decided to slog through the whole thing; I thought it would get some negative reactions or "Wtf", but was obviously hoping not to get anything overly negative. I didn't nominate it without realizing that or without serious consideration first. Nonetheless, I wanted to offer something different with this submission, especially because it's consistently blown my mind and been thoroughly enjoyable for me. I think it's incredible.

I may have hated it, but it's still a unique listening experience. I'd recommend it to people who I think have a taste for that sort of stuff.

Also, let's get those new submissions. I'm going to just call it another open submission period with no poll.

JaggedJimmyJay - Marina & the Diamonds - The Family Jewels / 2010 / Electropop / 13 tracks / 46:22

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:22 am I may have hated it, but it's still a unique listening experience. I'd recommend it to people who I think have a taste for that sort of stuff.

Hey, thanks for giving it a fair shot.

I'll nominate another, but don't feel obligated to put me in the order early again; just add me to the end.


My nomination:

MovingPictures07 - Madvillain - Madvillainy / 2004 / Abstract Hip Hop / 22 tracks / 46:13

I'm definitely going to give it a shot

My nomination:

speedchuck - Universal Migrator Pt I: The Dream Sequencer - Ayreon / 2000 / Rock Opera / 11 Tracks / 70:14 - Youtube

This is technically a playlist for both parts of the 'two part album.'

HOWEVER!

The album in question was made in two separate parts, at separate times, with different musicians, different themes, different tones, and a different (but related sequel-ish) story. They are two separate albums.

Thus, I am submitting only the first eleven tracks of the playlist. Part I.

dataplex is probably a 4/5 imo, i should relisten. i think the first time i heard him it was because someone used one of his pieces in a skate vid that was posted to reddit.

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2018 1:18 am I'll nominate another, but don't feel obligated to put me in the order early again; just add me to the end.


My nomination:

MovingPictures07 - Madvillain - Madvillainy / 2004 / Abstract Hip Hop / 22 tracks / 46:13

i'll nominate

dunya - Pescado Rabioso - Pescado 2 / 1973 / Psychedelic Rock / 18 tracks / 73:40 - YouTube

I'm trying to catch up. I'll dump reviews in spurts at some point soon. As for the new round of submissions:



G-Man- Local H / Pack Up The Cats / 1998 / Rock / 15 tracks / 47:38- YouTube & Spotify

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2018 6:44 pm

Week 43: Ryoji Ikeda - dataplex

Submitted by MovingPictures07

Available on YouTube and Spotify

listening now based on Jay and Epi's reviews.

thought my computer was crapping out initially lmao.

data.index - weird, believed my computer was making weird noises until I realized this is what I'm listening to
data.simplex - felt the music in my throat?????? is that normal?
data.duplex - slightly easier than data.simplex, despite being duplex. sounds like a receipt being printed and never ending.
data.triplex - definitely easier on my ears, louder and feels better. a little more wholesome. but annoying as fuck with no conclusion.
data.multiplex - went back to higher frequency, I don't like this tone. My ears don't like it. pretty sure if I had my rottweiler here he wouldn't either. it tries to incorporate some of triplex, but those frequencies ruin it.

ok I need a break.

I'm enjoying this.

WHY AM I ENJOYING THIS

IT DOESN'T FIT MY TASTES

speedchuck wrote: ↑Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:39 pm I'm enjoying this.

WHY AM I ENJOYING THIS

IT DOESN'T FIT MY TASTES

ok, I've just started. there's.... not a whole lot going on so far. not a huge fan of the super high frequencies but I like the crackling and tapping sounds. I'm... okay now I'm three tracks in and I'm starting to see how it's building on patterns/getting more complex, that's interesting -- from the first track I was afraid I wouldn't really call it music lol but it's doing some stuff now that's actually pretty cool.

track 4 is very reminiscent of The Gloaming by Radiohead (which I think Lent once described as a "digital rainstorm" -- this is a little less intense than that but similar timbre and rhythm) I'm actually liking this now omg

I listened to the whole thing. And I would do it again.
Wasn't expecting to enjoy this thing. But lo and behold, I had no issue sitting through it. Even the high-frequency sounds fit the music, and I can't say that I wished they were gone.
By using the digital sounds, outside of the normal spectrum for music, dataplex has become something special. It demonstrates how you can take harsh or unpleasant sounds and link them together to make something good. The beats were what I appreciated most. They made me want to move, which is one of my 'things that I appreciate in music'. With the album moving a variety of beats along at a rapid pace, I didn't have to worry about getting bored or fatigued. Whenever something I didn't like came along, I just waited two minutes.
I put this music on in the background while working. It's surprisingly good for that. The music sounds like the way that my brain works, rapid paced, processing several different things at once, never letting up. It speaks to me.
Of course, all is not good. My praise doesn't change the fact that I would have enjoyed the album just as much at half the length. It doesn't change that I had to listen to this on headphones, so as not to have people scream at me. This is still a harsh album with an unpleasant tone, one that I wouldn't recommend to anyone. It still doesn't have many different avenues by which I enjoy it.
But dang, I could actually see myself listening to this again.
...

3.5/5

speedchuck wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:45 pm I listened to the whole thing. And I would do it again.
Wasn't expecting to enjoy this thing. But lo and behold, I had no issue sitting through it. Even the high-frequency sounds fit the music, and I can't say that I wished they were gone.
By using the digital sounds, outside of the normal spectrum for music, dataplex has become something special. It demonstrates how you can take harsh or unpleasant sounds and link them together to make something good. The beats were what I appreciated most. They made me want to move, which is one of my 'things that I appreciate in music'. With the album moving a variety of beats along at a rapid pace, I didn't have to worry about getting bored or fatigued. Whenever something I didn't like came along, I just waited two minutes.
I put this music on in the background while working. It's surprisingly good for that. The music sounds like the way that my brain works, rapid paced, processing several different things at once, never letting up. It speaks to me.
Of course, all is not good. My praise doesn't change the fact that I would have enjoyed the album just as much at half the length. It doesn't change that I had to listen to this on headphones, so as not to have people scream at me. This is still a harsh album with an unpleasant tone, one that I wouldn't recommend to anyone. It still doesn't have many different avenues by which I enjoy it.
But dang, I could actually see myself listening to this again.
...

3.5/5

...Yeah, I just finished and I agree with a lot of this post tbh. It was really interesting actually, nice in the background but I think it is too long. There were definitely some grating parts but overall I was surprised at how much I liked it. I'll give it a light 3.0.

Well, I'm just glad at least you all got something out of it, so that's cool.

speedchuck wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:47 pm On a side note, as of today, I have reviewed/listened to 25 of the 43 albums in this topic. I want to give every piece of music submitted at least one chance to catch my attention and broaden my horizons. I am going to catch up.

I'll be intrigued to hear your thoughts! Be sure to keep me updated, even if via PM to link me systematically -- if you don't want to dump into the thread.

As for my history with dataplex, I became vaguely acquainted with Ryoji Ikeda years ago, but only within the past year or so did I really fall in love with his discography. My musical journey started with prog rock way back when, but I quickly became fascinated with unconventional electronic and ambient music via Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Cluster, Brian Eno etc., and that fascination has only grown and expanded into as many realms of electronic music as possible over the years. Despite relatively eclectic tastes, if I had to point towards just one musical bucket of things that I'm most in love with these days, it's all of the electronic, ambient, and glitch stuff. More than almost anything else, I love music that sets a unique mood and takes me on a journey. So when I revisited this album last year, my mind was completely blown. Personally, I feel it is best listened to on headphones, but I've even listened to it in the car and laptop speakers and it's held up pretty well. I've never had any issue with the high frequencies, but maybe that's just me being a weirdo. speedchuck made a really cool observation that I agree with: this album in particular does something really incredible by splicing and reassembling a bunch of otherwise static bordering on unpleasant glitches and noises and creates something substantial out of it. I don't agree with the assertion that the album should be shorter, but that's perhaps a function of me loving the way the overall album builds as well as a my strange inability to be bothered by any of the frequencies.

I'd give dataplex a solid 4.5 out of 5, with the sole reason it not being a 5 because (1) I'm a stickler with my 5's and (2) I suppose I don't absolutely get absorbed into and love 100% of it literally every time I listen to it, so perhaps it is slightly mood dependent even for me. Compared to other glitch albums like Endless Summer by Fennesz, which I would give a 5 every day of the week, this one lacks just a bit of emotional connection as well. Still, I can assert with confidence that it is an absolutely groundbreaking and fascinating album that always captivates me.

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:57 pm

speedchuck wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:47 pm On a side note, as of today, I have reviewed/listened to 25 of the 43 albums in this topic. I want to give every piece of music submitted at least one chance to catch my attention and broaden my horizons. I am going to catch up.

I'll be intrigued to hear your thoughts! Be sure to keep me updated, even if via PM to link me systematically -- if you don't want to dump into the thread.

He has them all in a spoiler in his first post here

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:05 pm Compared to other glitch albums like Endless Summer by Fennesz, which I would give a 5 every day of the week,

Listening to this now and it's great so far! Definitely more... more music-y than dataplex, lol

nutella wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:51 pm

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:57 pm

speedchuck wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:47 pm On a side note, as of today, I have reviewed/listened to 25 of the 43 albums in this topic. I want to give every piece of music submitted at least one chance to catch my attention and broaden my horizons. I am going to catch up.

I'll be intrigued to hear your thoughts! Be sure to keep me updated, even if via PM to link me systematically -- if you don't want to dump into the thread.

He has them all in a spoiler in his first post here

Yep! Thanks for linking it.

Oh, sweet! I'll check that out systematically then. Thanks!

nutella wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:51 pm

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:05 pm Compared to other glitch albums like Endless Summer by Fennesz, which I would give a 5 every day of the week,

Listening to this now and it's great so far! Definitely more... more music-y than dataplex, lol

And OMG, I could gush about Endless Summer for hours. One of my all-time most treasured albums. I almost submitted it instead, but decided to go the edgier route with dataplex. I still might in the future anyway, not sure yet, just so many albums to choose from. I'm trying to do something different with each one, anyway, at least for a while until I inevitably run out of different subgenres I love to throw at you all.

Glad you're checking it out and enjoying it. It's a real grower too, just slowly revealing more and more nuances over time. It's absolutely transcendent when it wants to be; I can't ever get enough of it. I am always amazed it's the result of Fennesz chopping up and piecing together basically manipulated guitar sounds (instead of tones and frequencies like dataplex) and glitchifying them to death; he knows exactly just how to piece them all together to craft something really uniquely beautiful. Sometimes I like to think it's like a machine's interpretation of what pop songs about summers at the beach sound like except when it tries to compose them it malfunctions and the album is the result. I still can't believe how groundbreaking it must have been to hear it come out in 2001. It's simultaneously fascinating but emotionally engaging on every level, at least for me. It's a perpetual summer soundtrack. I really love everything about it so much.

I won't go on more though. Just glad you checked it out.

Oh, I should also just speak to what you actually said, lol, and say yeah, you're right, even though both albums technically fall under the Glitch subgenre (Ikeda's work also occupies Microsound, which basically just means working with super short-period tones and frequencies lasting fractions of a second), Endless Summer is definitely more musical than dataplex. So I suppose for anyone who was intrigued by dataplex but thought it wasn't musical enough, this would be probably the better album to check out.

*

Igor Stravinsky - Petrushka / 1910-11 / Classical, Ballet Music / 4 tracks / parts / 34:58 / YouTube

*not yet decided on the version, I have three in mind so far (of those on official recordings, of course), will decide till the end of the week or till it comes up in the queue

Oh man, I am such a classical noob, but I can confidently say that's a solid one. I haven't listened to Stravinsky in too long. Looking forward to it. Nice nomination.

Dataplex is such a tactile album if you listen with headphones, it's like someone is literally tapping on them at points. I like to think of it as a brain massage.

A Person wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:17 pm Dataplex is such a tactile album if you listen with headphones, it's like someone is literally tapping on them at points. I like to think of it as a brain massage.

Agreed.

MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:26 pm

A Person wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2018 6:17 pm Dataplex is such a tactile album if you listen with headphones, it's like someone is literally tapping on them at points. I like to think of it as a brain massage.

Agreed.

I used headphones as well, much to my wife's horror.

Yeah it does sound like the kind of thing that would commonly trigger ASMR (which I don't think I actually get per se but I have enjoyed a lot of the same types of sounds)

I ordered the next queue based upon when each individual's most recent album was presented, and then flipped dunya and Rico so the latter has more time to choose a preferred version.

dunya - Pescado Rabioso - Pescado 2 / 1973 / Psychedelic Rock / 18 tracks / 73:40
G-Man- Local H / Pack Up The Cats / 1998 / Rock / 15 tracks / 47:38
JaggedJimmyJay - Marina & the Diamonds - The Family Jewels / 2010 / Electropop / 13 tracks / 46:22
speedchuck - Universal Migrator Pt I: The Dream Sequencer - Ayreon / 2000 / Rock Opera / 11 Tracks / 70:14
MovingPictures07 - Madvillain - Madvillainy / 2004 / Abstract Hip Hop / 22 tracks / 46:13
Ricochet - Igor Stravinsky - Petrushka / 1910-11 / Classical, Ballet Music / 4 tracks / parts / 34:58

I object to the queue change. I am to be last.

Ricochet wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:15 pm I object to the queue change. I am to be last.

That's fine if you prefer it.

hope you all like this! Pescado Rabioso is a really cool Argentinian ((soft(er))) psychedelic rock band, that was created by Luis Spinetta if you've ever heard of him (of course you have) and while I don't speak Spanish, I have listened the shit of this album! I'll be the first to admit there are a few mediocre songs in there, but the majority of it is gold.

holy poop, was just looking at vinyl prices for this album. If you fall in love with it Rico, you're gonna go broke early in February.

ok I'm at the end of the album and it's... fine, I enjoyed it but didn't get anything super special out if it? I can understand a fair amount of the lyrics and they have some really cool imagery, and there have been some nice melodies and instrumental parts, but I'm not wowed by it or anything.