hop along: painted shut

yes, quietly odd. the verse melodies in particular evoke When I Pretend to Fall, which is a good thing for me.

NPR piece

really recommend seeing them live, they were incredible last night. played basically every song off the new one

this just clicked for me, really good

I really can't get enough of the sounds on this album, but the lyrics don't always grab me, e.g. on 'Waitress.' but that's fine. it's still really good.

'i saw my twin' is my fav

the lyrics are all great though! *argues*

ha, I'd be happy to read a case for that! It would only enhance my daily listening of this album.

I like this album a lot, too. "Serrated" is a great description of the singer's voice. At first I thought her voice was all this band had going for it, but I'm starting to like the guitar playing on this too. The writing, to me, seems almost there, to the point were I think their next album could be truly great.

I will admit that, by the end of the album, the Rilo Kiley affectations (loud shout-y part followed by a single very quiet word) started to grate on me a little. Still, a very interesting band, I think. Anyone heard any of their earlier stuff? How does it rate?

ha, I'd be happy to read a case for that! It would only enhance my daily listening of this album.

i think she's just very very good at telescoping in on small moments. she shows but doesn't tell. almost nothing happens in "waitress" and what does happen is probably meaningless but the way the protagonist processes the dread of being recognized is just very very rich. also "i call you enemy cause I’m afraid of what you could call me / the world’s gotten so small and embarrassing" is such a great line

the songs on here that are basically straight biographies of actual people are really impressive imo, bc she inhabits their perspective so deeply. from "horseshoe crabs," about jackson c. frank:

woke from the dream and i was old
staring at the asscrack of dawn
walk these streets up and down
looking for paul simon
all i found was myself lost in time
i tried singing my songs but i lost my mind

Anyone heard any of their earlier stuff? How does it rate?

get disowned is a great record but the songs are way more discursive, and as you get further back into the hop along, queen ansleis stuff the songs get more and more fractured. i really think everything came together on painted shut

I had avoided this bc I hate pretty much everything Ian Cohen reviews positively but it's pretty good. Makes me think of Tanya Donnelly bands for some reason.

mike powell reviewed it

Oh. Maybe I'm confused because Cohen wrote the blurb for the Overlooked Records feature. I had slotted Hop Along with the nu-emo/pop-punk stuff that seems to be Cohen's beat.

lol i also first heard of this record through emo/pop-punk channels

Can't stop listening to this record, her voice is so amazing, cuts straight to the bone

Saddle Creek quietly had a pretty good year

i revisited this record last week and it is still stunning

ditto. Played it for a (indie rocker) friend who hadn't heard it, he loved it too.

not sure why this band didn't blow up (or do the 2015 equivalent of blowing up)

A FORTY FIVE

8:45 a.m.*

good alb

haha oh is that what she sez

i am just gonna keep imagining that part is about records somehow

this album

i've had a very BradNelson year

we ALL WILL remember things

brad = 2013-2015 ilm mvp imo and we should like to take the opportunity to thank him for being so

agreed

so, uh, thank you, Brad

Saw them at Bowery Ballroom last night and they brought the house down.

brad = 2013-2015 ilm mvp imo and we should like to take the opportunity to thank him for being so

― Tim F, Thursday, December 3, 2015 2:20 PM (nine months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm

This is the best album ever thx brad

BradNelson mvp voters plz go listen to Pinegrove's Cardinal

check out pinegrove and also the big thief record. neither are as good as this one but they come close

can we poll album threads started by BradNelson 2013-2016

Cardinal > Painted Shut, but I know I'm in the minority on that

both albums are incredible. haven't heard big thief, but if it's at all similar to the other two i'll be ecstatic

What i like about this album is it isn't really Math Rock/Emo (which i'm generally aesthetically averse to) but it has the sick chops of one of those album and some of the tricks, deployed to play, like, an Alanis album or something

to me, the Big Thief album is like the midway point between Cardinal and Painted Shut, tbh.

i never super-connected with Painted Shut and i don't really know why. i listened to it several times and saw them live once. they're good and she's awesome. just didn't totally take over my brain like i guess i expected it to.

yeah this never clicked for me either, dunno why because on paper it should be my favorite record of 15

Cardinal though. man.

you guys got me listening to Cardinal again for the 8 billionth time since February

and i'm in tears, partially because THOU didn't place a single record in the metal thread poll but also because OMG THIS ALBUM

The Big Thief album didn't do anything for me and Pinegrove are just OK imo, this is still godhead tho

I hated seeing them live though cause the weirdly thrashy bro crowd drowned out every word by screaming along. i really just wanted to hear Frances, dudes

I'm not sure if there's been discussion of Mannequin Pussy (I know, I know...), but their vibe is the closest thing I've found this year to Hop Along--a bit poppier, and the vocals aren't as impressive, but still bad ass. They're from Philly, too.

https://mannequinpussy.bandcamp.com/track/denial -- this one has a mini-"Sister Cities" vibe

Did I say poppier? Scratch that, much of the album is brutal, but the melodic moments SOAR

big thief is filling the hop along shaped hole in my heart quite nicely post od-ing on painted shut. but it's not AS good imo. PS is my favourite rock album of decade so far for sure

i listened to this album for the first time in at least a year today. it is a remarkable achievement

god, it's so good

^^

So hard to pick a favorite track, Powerful Man is probably the catchiest (or Well-Dressed?), Happy to See Me is the most poignant, but Sister Cities is just a fuckin jam

I.....do not think the average indie rock vocalist, male or female, is equally noteworthy/distinctive, and I listen to an embarrassing amount of contemporary indie rock. it's not just the sound of her voice, it's her phrasings and lyrics, too.

like is it sexist more generally that male voices don't receive as much scrutiny, yeah, but I don't know how you can write about these guys and not bring up the subject

I generally enjoy J@yson Greene's reviews, but I'm not hearing Rod Stewart here – yet.

yeah that review was good, this isn't subtweeting it, it's just every single piece I've read

i idk why i'm so mean each time i come to visit

drummer in this band is so good that i miss him when he's not playing

i find her vocals way more interesting than diamanda galas tho

although tbh the best thing i've _read_ about it is the word 'serrated' in the op of this thread

not ready to say whether this is better than painted shut, but it's certainly excellent, some curveball productions and the band has improved to the point that frances can save her more dramatic vocals for the most emotional parts of the song. tho i do kind of miss her softLOUDsoft acrobatics.

scratch "productions," write "arrangements" instead

"one that suits me" just kills me

this album sounds great!

I think "Prior Things" is the standout for me. They have a knack for closers.

Wow the Nina Nastasia vibes are otm

one that suits me, somewhere a judge, what the writer meant are the standouts.

also the other songs.

Nina? Ok gotta check this out than silently judge everyone who stans for this but doesn't support the Divine Ms. N

not striking me as as good as painted shut SO FAR but i will persevere

Ums it's not overt but I was definitely hearing it at some point midway through the album.

still digesting this. the singles really pop in the context of the album. i was a little underwhelmed with How Simple when it first came out, but now I really appreciate the melody and i've been singing it to myself since listening to the album this morning. Prior Things is a badass closing song that's gonna kill live, and it's the only song on the record that has a "holy shit" vocal moment like the "common kind" refrain in Waitress" or the chorus of The Knock.

how can I explain it?
having been seen,
what would that mean?

i can’t explain it,
having been seen!
what would that mean?

at first i was like "this isn't as good as painted shut" but as with that album i cry literally every time i hear it so who can say

new thread imminent

it would be fun if it included a poll imo

i thought it might be too early, but i'll set the date for a few months from now!

+1

we need a painted shut poll tho

hop along: bark your head off, dog

also lol i thought about that right before i made the new thread vc

we have a great wanting in common
common common
but none of this is gonna happen to me
none of this is gonna happen to me
within my lifetime!!!!

great tune!

this new Frances Quinlan album is beautiful

feels like the opposite of Joanna Newsom's work post-Mender, where by singing more "nicely" she lost (imho) a lot of her transcendental force
Quinlan's never sounded "better," in scare-quotes, but the prettiness of the way she's singing gives these songs a tenderness and openness i appreciate a lot

In my 15-odd years of semi-lurking and occasional content-free posting, one of the most consistently rewarding parts of visiting this site is getting to see Brad's enthusiasm and passion for music. So many bands/songs that I probably wouldn't have given a second thought to that have become mandatory listens based on the Brad stamp of approval. :)

Anyway, this record is the latest. "Texas Funeral" in particular. Holy shit. But yeah, also in general, just wanted to say thanks to Brad for being the best stranger on the internet.

otm.

agreed.

brad = 2013-2015 ilm mvp imo and we should like to take the opportunity to thank him for being so
otm

In my 15-odd years of semi-lurking and occasional content-free posting, one of the most consistently rewarding parts of visiting this site is getting to see Brad's enthusiasm and passion for music. So many bands/songs that I probably wouldn't have given a second thought to that have become mandatory listens based on the Brad stamp of approval. :)

still listening and loving this band