Biggi from Gus Gus produced the new John Grant album, or at least the electronic tracks, and it sure sounds like it. Great unexpected alliance.
― Deafening silence (DL), Monday, 21 January 2013 00:44 (eleven years ago) link
Does the recent 4ad book have anything interesting to say about them?
― djh, Saturday, 23 November 2013 19:47 (ten years ago) link
Okay I had no idea about the connection to the John Grant album, no wonder how much I loved it
― deX! (DJP), Sunday, 24 November 2013 00:27 (ten years ago) link
Trying to compile a home-made "best of". Heavily weighted to the first two albums, so far.
― djh, Monday, 25 November 2013 20:23 (ten years ago) link
I hope you're considering "David" and "Call of the Wild" from Attention
― deX! (DJP), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:25 (ten years ago) link
also "Hateful" from 24/7
― deX! (DJP), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:28 (ten years ago) link
Was thinking "David", "Desire" and "Attention" from that album, I think. At least one of those is likely to end up edited off a CDR-80 though.
― djh, Monday, 25 November 2013 20:30 (ten years ago) link
obv not "David" tho
― deX! (DJP), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:32 (ten years ago) link
"over" from arabian horse for sure
― adam, Monday, 25 November 2013 20:41 (ten years ago) link
There's a bit about Gus Gus in the 4AD book but the writer obviously thinks the label had lost its way by that point and I can't remember any interesting revelations.
― Deafening silence (DL), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:42 (ten years ago) link
btw adam is completely OTM re: "Over"
― deX! (DJP), Monday, 25 November 2013 21:57 (ten years ago) link
I was ambivalent about it when it came out (or not in the Gus Gus zone) but Arabian Horse really is very good.
― djh, Monday, 25 November 2013 22:27 (ten years ago) link
Fairly certain nothing from "Forever" will make it onto this best of. A surprising amount of Arabian Horse might, though.
Not delving into remixes and alternate versions too much (as am on a time schedule - a holiday) but the GiGi Galaxy version of "Barry" and the Roy's Lady Soul mix of "Ladyshave" will be on there.
― djh, Tuesday, 26 November 2013 22:43 (ten years ago) link
CDR80 - DraftPolyesterdayGunBelieveBarry (GiGi Galaxy)Remembrance Ladyshave (Roy's Lady Soul Mix))DavidOver Very Important PeopleSelfossWithin YouChanges ComeDesireBlue Mug (Demo)
― djh, Thursday, 28 November 2013 23:22 (ten years ago) link
Good selection. I'd add this remix from Forever
http://youtu.be/tATWv_jU400
― Rotating prince game (I am using your worlds), Friday, 29 November 2013 00:09 (ten years ago) link
Loving Arabian Horse so much that I'm bemused that I owned but didn't get into it when it came out.
― djh, Thursday, 12 December 2013 22:30 (ten years ago) link
Mexico is out today and it's sounding great. Haven't noticed Earth much so far though.
― Rotating prince game (I am using your worlds), Monday, 23 June 2014 10:07 (nine years ago) link
Read somewhere that Arabian Horse is Gus Gus's and Kompakt's best-selling album. Does that seem plausible?
Any thoughts on Mexico?
― djh, Sunday, 29 June 2014 16:15 (nine years ago) link
I want to listen to Mexico. I will pick up a physical copy soon. Can't imagine Arabian Horse selling more than The Field, Gui Boratto or the first Immer. They all seemed to have a lot more exposure than AH. Unless there is a market I'm not familiar with.
― mmmm, Sunday, 29 June 2014 16:48 (nine years ago) link
arabian horse is a masterpiece imo but mexico didn't grab on first listen, must try harder
― adam, Sunday, 29 June 2014 19:21 (nine years ago) link
yeah mexico owns too. seeing them week after next, i hope it is exactly like that youtube of "believe" that is the best video on the internet
― adam, Thursday, 25 September 2014 14:28 (nine years ago) link
Mexico is missing something, for me.
Enjoyed this though:
http://boilerroom.tv/recording/gusgus/
― djh, Monday, 24 November 2014 20:24 (nine years ago) link
I've been playing Mexico quite a bit. A few songs aren't all that me but Obnoxiously Sexual, Another Life, Crossfade and God Application are all pretty good. Looking forward to seeing them on Friday.
― mmmm, Monday, 24 November 2014 20:50 (nine years ago) link
Anyone keeping up with them? There was a new album this week, apparently.
― djh, Monday, 26 February 2018 20:02 (six years ago) link
Feel it's been downhill from Arabian Horse. I've listened to the subsequent albums, but never a second time. I wonder whether they changed or I did.
― It's because I'm human, isn't it?! (Sanpaku), Monday, 26 February 2018 21:38 (six years ago) link
Ha, yes. I've had that thought.
― djh, Monday, 26 February 2018 22:06 (six years ago) link
New one is OK but the vocals are all Daniel I think and they're better with a bit more variety of voices as on AH.
― nashwan, Monday, 26 February 2018 22:16 (six years ago) link
i listened to Mexico a lot when it came out but find i rarely want to come back to it. Arabian Horse remains a masterpiece though, not a single weak track (even Magnified Love has some redeeming qualities).
i'm liking the latest (Lies Are More Flexible) a lot. it seems more subdued? like it's a winter album while Mexico was a summer album. and while some tracks are closer to Mexico (continuing the tradition of using perhaps the most boring track as the title track) Featherlight / Lifetime / Fuel would all fit on AH. Featherlight is beautiful, in the same manner Seamoss is but with vocal.
agreed on variety of voices! - while John Grant can replace Högni there are times on Fireworks and Lifetime where you can almost hear Earth bits here and there.
― scanner darkly, Tuesday, 8 January 2019 22:45 (five years ago) link
ha, Selfoss, not Seamoss!
― scanner darkly, Tuesday, 8 January 2019 22:47 (five years ago) link
bumping this because "Gun" is a really, really great song
― Totino's Fortnite Training Room (DJP), Monday, 4 January 2021 20:05 (three years ago) link
Oh, I do love Gus Gus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3mwdn0rYjA
― djh, Sunday, 23 May 2021 19:00 (two years ago) link
Siri, show me a video indebted to "Windowlicker" that is more restrained but more unsettling
― 80's hair metal , and good praise music ! (DJP), Monday, 24 May 2021 13:49 (two years ago) link
Yes, that.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 17:15 (two years ago) link
the album must be getting close! iirc correctly, Biggi said in an interview they were going to release 5 or so tracks before the album, and we now have:
HigherStay The RideOur WorldLove Is Alone
loving all the new stuff. my comment above about Lies being a winter companion to summer Mexico - Biggi said something very close in the same interview, they had a bunch of more introvert / darker tracks, and Mexico (he didn’t name it but that’s what he likely was referring to) was the extrovert stuff they decided to release at the time.
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 17:32 (two years ago) link
and this collab with Bjarki is beautiful!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjMyzCIe3PY
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 17:33 (two years ago) link
Strange. I love Gus Gus but feel like I've completely lost touch. Turns out that I've only missed "Lies ... ". "Love Is Alone" has sucked me back into their world.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 17:48 (two years ago) link
i still regard the Attention - Forever - 24/7 run as aimless experimentation that resulted mostly in misses (with a few really great tracks), but feels like once they crystallized their sound on Arabian Horse, they’ve been following it to great results.
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 19:27 (two years ago) link
that's funny--arabian horse felt like a peak to me with diminishing returns after, but maybe i just never found a way into those later records. "love is alone" is great tho.
― adam, Monday, 24 May 2021 19:31 (two years ago) link
AH is still their greatest album, but Mexico and Lies are both very coherent and listenable albums, which can't be said about Forever / 24/7 which feel like half baked demos at times
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 19:57 (two years ago) link
Just playing Selfoss/Arabian Horse/Over and, yeah, that was an incredible version of Gus Gus.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 20:15 (two years ago) link
Drunkenly re-reading this thread and ...
"I really thought they were going to be the new Underworld."
Yeah, this. I thought they were going to be fucking massive.
I also enjoyed reading this:
"I doubt I'll hear another album as obsessively designed as Arabian Horse from this year. Every surface is sandblasted aluminium, with but a few cues to the listener that mnml/tech house is another shape of folk music. Highly recommended for fans of Luomo."
And pleased to have found my old best of track list. Had forgotten about that.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 20:33 (two years ago) link
was there a poll on AH? if not we should do one!
― scanner darkly, Monday, 24 May 2021 20:55 (two years ago) link
That playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/56sbweOgHClknuVP4utGw8
Hadn't quite realised that I was so pro-Polydistortion and then Arabian Horse.
Likely to have been compiled while messy and open to the idea that other tracks are better.
― djh, Monday, 24 May 2021 21:33 (two years ago) link
I only discovered Arabian Horse this year but it's probably my most played album of 2021. Really incredible sound design and tunes and vocals. All-around wonderful album
― Vinnie, Monday, 24 May 2021 23:35 (two years ago) link
the new album is out! https://gusgusiceland.bandcamp.com/album/mobile-home
― scanner darkly, Friday, 28 May 2021 16:14 (two years ago) link
Thanks! Good album but my God I've danced to "Simple Tuesday" all three times I've listened to it.
― willem, Friday, 28 May 2021 21:29 (two years ago) link
surprised it wasn’t one of the lead tracks!
― scanner darkly, Saturday, 29 May 2021 02:49 (two years ago) link
some interesting bits in this interview: https://www.tanzgemeinschaft.com/gusgus-a-trip-down-memory-lane-14486
― scanner darkly, Saturday, 29 May 2021 17:58 (two years ago) link
and this is a great behind the scene look album by album: https://grapevine.is/mag/feature/2020/08/19/gusgus-the-impossible-band-25-years-of-intrigue-drama-and-music/
lots of interesting details there. daníel was in eurovision?!
― scanner darkly, Saturday, 29 May 2021 19:27 (two years ago) link
The Grapevine feature is, um, a curious thing. It's interesting, though.
― djh, Saturday, 29 May 2021 21:22 (two years ago) link