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I'm throwing all of my album reviews into the first post I made in this topic. That way I can avoid derailing discussion.
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Well said. Finished my listen earlier, and I was struck by how easily they incorporated different voices throughout the album. "The Gates" feat. Tonedeff was probably the best example of that, with absolutely seamless back-and-forth between two perspectives. "America Loves Gangsters" feat. Tim Means also employed the guest star to wonderful effect, expanding the themes of the first two verses into full geopolitical reality. And I listened to Immortal Technique a lot in college, so great to hear him as well.JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:45 pm A Piece of Strange is one of my favorite albums in hip hop, perhaps as high as the top two or three. I'm glad to be able to bring it to SAW to continue the recent trend toward diversifying the set here after the likes of Drake and even the Charlie Brown jazz album. This album is very much aligned in the conscious, political portion of the hip hop spectrum, and though it does at times embrace the harsh lyrical nature that some people struggle with -- it's a necessary component of the passions being expressed here in my opinion. Moreover, alongside Outkast these guys are the best evidence I know of that hip hop music need not be perceived as a battle of the American coasts. These are southerners, and they're fantastic.
Good plan, Jay.JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Mon Dec 25, 2017 8:41 pm I think we should give Rishloo another week. It was interrupted by the holidays.
I may have to make a comeback for this one.MovingPictures07 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:20 am Submission: MovingPictures07 - Ryoji Ikeda - dataplex / 2005 / Microsound / 20 tracks / 55:31 / YouTube and Spotify
This one should be interesting.
I agree with this.Boomslang wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2018 8:35 pm Just dropping in to say I'm a huge Goat Rodeo Sessions fan. To my mind, Chris Thile's work with Punch Brothers has always been about breaking down the classical/bluegrass boundary — "Another New World" and "The Blind Leaving the Blind" are the best examples of that. Partnering with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Duncan makes that trend even more explicit. I think the album could have benefited from more time spent composing, but that's what you get when you have a supergroup trying to work together.
And first?speedchuck wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:26 pm Somewhere to Elsewhere is actually my second favorite Kansas album. Which is high on up there.
I'm a normie for saying this, but Leftoverture. Magnum Opus and Miracles out of Nowhere are a couple of my favorite songs.Epignosis wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:31 pmAnd first?speedchuck wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:26 pm Somewhere to Elsewhere is actually my second favorite Kansas album. Which is high on up there.
"Miracles Out of Nowhere" was the song that made me go, "I want to play music like that."speedchuck wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:40 pmI'm a normie for saying this, but Leftoverture. Magnum Opus and Miracles out of Nowhere are a couple of my favorite songs.Epignosis wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:31 pmAnd first?speedchuck wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:26 pm Somewhere to Elsewhere is actually my second favorite Kansas album. Which is high on up there.
That's fantastic.Epignosis wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 10:10 pm "Miracles Out of Nowhere" was the song that made me go, "I want to play music like that."
Nothing wrong with Leftoverture at all.
Somewhere to Elsewhere is my favorite Kansas album for a lot of reasons. First, it was a reunion of the original members. Second, Kerry Livgren wrote all the songs (and that's no offense to Steve Walsh- he's a great songwriter too- see Smackin the Clowns), but Livgren to me was always the creative genius in the group.
What may interest you is that I have read Livgren's biography, and some of these musical passages were written AGES ago- in fact, the middle section to "The Coming Dawn (Thanatopsis)" was performed by the original Kansas band (known now as Proto-Kaw) here:
Such a rich album with a lot of history in it.
Steve Walsh didn't used to sound like that.