Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release

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(I'm perfectly willing to give the album the benefit of the doubt though)

― Matt DC, Thursday, 10 May 2007 14:47 (sixteen years ago) link

i don't think i heard any of his 2006 singles!

― lex pretend, Thursday, 10 May 2007 14:48 (sixteen years ago) link

I like it. It's chunky and colourful but I'm listening to it as a pop record and not a house record at all.

Absolutely, if this were a collection of 12's it would probably be just ok, but as a bunch of 7's it works beautifully.

― Billy Dods, Thursday, 10 May 2007 14:57 (sixteen years ago) link

"too many sharp edges and squealy treble"

I don't have a problem with this and I think it's deliberate. That's what it's supposed to sound like. Just about everything else out there is lush, deep and lenghty. Bring on the changes, I say.

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 16:37 (sixteen years ago) link

sounds like they need more bass. at least a lot of early 00s breaks stuff has good bass.

― blueski, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:00 (sixteen years ago) link

Maybe "good bass" = old fart music? Perhaps it's a deliberate attempt to distance themselves from Bassment Jaxx etc. I gather that in the UK this is a very young scene.

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:13 (sixteen years ago) link

i'd guess they are almost as old as jaxx they've been around as SIMIAN for almost as long.

― pisces, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:16 (sixteen years ago) link

Nah. The Jaxx first records came out in 95. Chemistry is What We Are is from 2001.

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:18 (sixteen years ago) link

haven't heard it but if it's anything like "it's the beat" it's fucking awful

― Ronan, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:19 (sixteen years ago) link

See, I don't get that. To me "It's The Beat" is great. What's so awful about it?

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:20 (sixteen years ago) link

Maybe "good bass" = old fart music?

lol, please to stfu.

― jim, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:20 (sixteen years ago) link

if I wanted to hear trebly quirky shit I'd make it rock music so I could get paid for it

― Ronan, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:26 (sixteen years ago) link

'Tits And Acid' is the one i rly like but it could be better.

― blueski, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:32 (sixteen years ago) link

It's Attention Defecit Disco.

― Scik Mouthy, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:34 (sixteen years ago) link

do you think the lack of bass that everyone complains about in blog house could have something to do with modern music programs? i read similar complaints about the field album lacking in bass and sounding "too ableton"

― creme1, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:35 (sixteen years ago) link

compression is one of the big factors. everything is dulled. but the trend has been to move away from heavy or dominant basslines in other genres too (everything rap orientated inc. US hip-pop and grime derived stuff in the UK).

― blueski, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:37 (sixteen years ago) link

It's the fact that it's designed to be listened to on laptop speakers rather than in clubs / on decent hi-fis. This is the tipping point when all the shit I've been wailing on about for the last 18 months that you lot have been ignoring starts to effect you in negative ways and you all realise I was right. We will hoist Dangermouse on the gallows before the month is out.

― Scik Mouthy, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:38 (sixteen years ago) link

but i'd say the centre of much of this music is those huge distorted bass guitar lines

xp

― creme1, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:38 (sixteen years ago) link

Yeah, but depending what you play those huge distorted bass guitar lines on, they don't actually exist.

― Scik Mouthy, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:39 (sixteen years ago) link

This is the tipping point when all the shit I've been wailing on about for the last 18 months that you lot have been ignoring starts to effect you in negative ways and you all realise I was right.

Oh yeah? Well I'm still gonna watch movies on my laptop gramps

― blueski, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:48 (sixteen years ago) link

"Complaining" about the lack of bass in modern music such as The Field or SMD is like "complaining" about 303s being too bleepy. It's the nature of the medium and people are exploring it to find what can be done with it. At the very least, it gives the music a distinctive sound that is very "now". Looking back on the history of popular music, that's generally a good thing.

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:52 (sixteen years ago) link

The Field doesn't have bass because it's a home listening type thing. The tracks he actually plays out, e.g. Over the Ice have bass. Presumably because he's not enough of a douchecanoe to inflict bassless dance music on people.

― jim, Thursday, 10 May 2007 17:56 (sixteen years ago) link

oh god, the field, we saw him live last week and everyone fucking stood round the dj booth in a semicircle motionless like they were at some sort of laptop indie gig. dreadful.

― lex pretend, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:17 (sixteen years ago) link

What exactly does he do though? Play records?

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:18 (sixteen years ago) link

― Ronan, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:31 (sixteen years ago) link

the field and simian mobile disco are a medium now? or even any way similar to each other?

― Ronan, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:32 (sixteen years ago) link

CUT THE MIDRANGE
CUT THE BASS

― strongohulkington, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:33 (sixteen years ago) link

i think "tinny, overcompressed 'dance music' that sounds best on low-res mp3s" is almost certainly a genre at this point

― strongohulkington, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:34 (sixteen years ago) link

neither the field nor SMD sound remotely "now". if we're comparing bassless music then cassie's 'me & u' beats both of them hands fucking down.

What exactly does he do though? Play records?

well, yes, but when dance artists play dance records people are generally meant to dance.

― lex pretend, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:34 (sixteen years ago) link

jess that sounds like you're describing MIA

― lex pretend, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:35 (sixteen years ago) link

wait, which MIA?

― strongohulkington, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:35 (sixteen years ago) link

http://www.americasveterans.org/gif/pow-tall.gif

― jim, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:36 (sixteen years ago) link

anyway beyond the facile bass/no bass red herring, the reason this sucks is that it sounds like the bad bits of electroclash, which first emerged about 5 years ago.

it's electrohouse minus the dance music, braxe minus the disco, just a big messy load of crap for the "omg electro rock! i am a cool indie now!" audience.

― Ronan, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:38 (sixteen years ago) link

bird flu MIA

― lex pretend, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:41 (sixteen years ago) link

i would lump her in there too, yes!

― strongohulkington, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:45 (sixteen years ago) link

I gotta say I like the fact that it's somewhat sloppy/messy. There's tons of micro-managed ultra-sleek music around, expecially dance music, so why not make room for some of this?

As for the indie fan thing, I don't know or care about that.

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:47 (sixteen years ago) link

Yeah, there's too much of that "music that doesn't sound like shit" going about. It's a real bummer.

― jim, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:48 (sixteen years ago) link

x-post nobody's stopping them from making it, people can like what they want.

dance acts like this make albums when they've stopped being interesting and have to milk their sound to ads and people who want to like "all types of music". in SMD's case I never found them interesting anyway.

― Ronan, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:51 (sixteen years ago) link

"so much good music around! why not make room for some crap?"

xp!

― lex pretend, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:51 (sixteen years ago) link

fwiw i think a big reason this shit gets hype and other better dance music doesn't is because they have really good PRs

― lex pretend, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:52 (sixteen years ago) link

That's a good one!

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:54 (sixteen years ago) link

God Ronan, you're such a snob, hating on this supposed audience. I don't care about who their audience is. I'm unlikely to ever see them in a live setting anyway. I've only ever listened to this on laptop speakers myself and it sounds just fine.

― everything, Thursday, 10 May 2007 18:58 (sixteen years ago) link

The Southall baiting continues unabated!

― jim, Thursday, 10 May 2007 19:00 (sixteen years ago) link

shut your blab and dance, you faggots

― elmo argonaut, Thursday, 10 May 2007 19:03 (sixteen years ago) link

qed

― Ronan, Thursday, 10 May 2007 22:37 (sixteen years ago) link

you guys just don't like them cause theyre white!

― somuchsomuch24, Thursday, 10 May 2007 22:44 (sixteen years ago) link

Oh boy.

― jim, Thursday, 10 May 2007 22:45 (sixteen years ago) link

It's not a house record, or even really a dance record. I mean, this stuff is explicitly designed for people who like the idea of dance music (cool bleepy noises, beats, erm that's it) without the reality (ie repetition, long build-ups, no song stuctures, tracks that last more than five minutes).

Taking it as a dance record is missing the point, this stuff has virtually no function outside being 'cool noise', which is all well and good as long as you think the noise in question is cool. I think I do, for now.

It's The Beat is rubbish though, worst thing on the album.

― Matt DC, Thursday, 10 May 2007 22:47 (sixteen years ago) link

i think the bad rap that "people who like everything" get is totally unfair.

― aaron d.g., Thursday, 10 May 2007 22:50 (sixteen years ago) link

I mean, this stuff is explicitly designed for people who like the idea of dance music (cool bleepy noises, beats, erm that's it) without the reality (ie repetition, long build-ups, no song stuctures, tracks that last more than five minutes)

these people are fucking lame then!

i think the bad rap that "people who like everything" get is totally unfair.

i like everything, i mean i probably have the most varied taste of anyone on this thread, i just like everything to be what it is rather then a horrid indecisive messy hodgepodge.

― lex pretend, Thursday, 10 May 2007 22:55 (sixteen years ago) link

Skipping 186 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

yup. dull as can be. i drifted over to Surkin which was sooooo much better but with a fraction of the crowd.

― Upt0eleven, Thursday, 12 June 2008 10:54 (fifteen years ago) link

does surkin even have an album out? i mean its not like he wont get the same full court press-press when he does, b/w when i saw kevin saunderson he dropped 'white knights two'

anyway this SMD album is so great

― deej, Thursday, 12 June 2008 11:17 (fifteen years ago) link

Max is OTM about them being so much better live than on record.

― Matt DC, Thursday, 12 June 2008 11:28 (fifteen years ago) link

smd still sucks, but there's great remixes of their tracks up on the shit robot and invisible conga people myspaces.

― etc, Friday, 13 June 2008 03:10 (fifteen years ago) link

four months pass...

I like that 'System' track from the 'Live In Japan' release. is the Clock EP any good?

― Cittaslow Mazza (blueski), Monday, 27 October 2008 14:22 (fifteen years ago) link

ADSR is alright, but the Sample And Hold ADSR remix album is better. The Joakim remix of Hustler and the Chrome Hoof remix of Clock are the best things they've released.

― Sbarrohawk (Mackro Mackro), Monday, 27 October 2008 15:56 (fifteen years ago) link

I was a bit surprised by just how hostile the Pitchfork review of S&H was... judged as a compilation album entirely on its own merits, it's not great, but it's hardly terrible, and well above the standards of most of these remix comps. And the Chrome Hoof mix really is great.

― Telephone thing, Monday, 27 October 2008 16:42 (fifteen years ago) link

hangover/apology for the good review they gave the album?

― skygreenleopard, Tuesday, 28 October 2008 06:28 (fifteen years ago) link

eight months pass...

SMD - The Audacity of Huge...

Audaciously godawful.

― N1ck (Upt0eleven), Thursday, 23 July 2009 13:29 (fourteen years ago) link

Yes. There's one or two alright ones on the new album (track 5 I think?), but overall very disappointing.

― plazzTT, Thursday, 23 July 2009 13:32 (fourteen years ago) link

am expecting album to suck even tho i really liked the first one

― Aqua Teen Cunga Force (blueski), Thursday, 23 July 2009 13:43 (fourteen years ago) link

The live show last night surprised me by actually being, like, completely awesome. Either they are just a million times better live than on record (admittedly a very strong possibility) or the album will actually be really good. Single still weak though.

― Matt DC, Thursday, 30 July 2009 08:40 (fourteen years ago) link

2nd track they did was new and seemed like the best thing they've ever done

― unban dictionary (blueski), Thursday, 30 July 2009 09:29 (fourteen years ago) link

Glad they've stepped up the live show. I think the first time I saw them was either their first or second time playing live and it lacked... pretty much everything. Seemed like they were very much still trying to figure out how to translate the record to a performable version. Hence why I didn't go last night.

― N1ck (Upt0eleven), Thursday, 30 July 2009 09:41 (fourteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

not sure if a new thread for Temporary Pleasure is really worthwhile because it's a bit of a let down (or, if you hated the first LP, more of the same but a bit worse)

i don't know if it's just that there seem to be fewer hooks or neat ideas (despite there being more songs and guest vocals on this one - the Beth Ditto one is OK but no stretch for her), or the drums are just so compressed that it doesn't sound v good unless really really loud...probably both. 'Synthesize' blew me away in the live show but that power doesn't come thru on the record quite as much (well not on standard headphones via spotify at least). i still like their 'celestial organ' type sounds but they haven't really varied or broadened the palette for this so ehh...

― unban dictionary (blueski), Wednesday, 19 August 2009 11:59 (fourteen years ago) link

one year passes...

SMD have got an album of acid bangers (mixed into a short DJ set, style mix) coming out called Delicacies and it is fucking awesome.

Loads of tweaking acid, trance and techno done on all their vintage equipment.

You can keep lame hook ups with Kele Bloc Party and all that shit (although Hustler will always have place in my heart). This is what they're ace at.

― Duran (Doran), Thursday, 21 October 2010 17:26 (thirteen years ago) link

one year passes...

no thread about the new stuff? hm seems not.

here's the new album stream on The Graun. check Your Love Aint Fair and Seraphim if you like techno-pop stuff.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/may/04/simian-mobile-disco-unpatterns-stream

― piscesx, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 15:10 (eleven years ago) link

"Hustler" still kicks ass - pleasant surprise whenever it comes up on shuffle.

― skip, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 15:56 (eleven years ago) link

yah i feel like ADSR got retroactively disowned or something. it's got a handful of great songs.

― caulk the wagon and float it, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 17:13 (eleven years ago) link

"cruel intentions" off their 2nd album is prob a top-10 song of the last 5 yrs for me

― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 17:17 (eleven years ago) link

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