"Middle" is fantastic.
― We make bouquets that fade immediately. (Turangalila), Monday, 28 March 2011 16:22 (thirteen years ago) link
"lady luck" is much better in album context
― lex pretend, Monday, 28 March 2011 19:19 (thirteen years ago) link
Yes
― We make bouquets that fade immediately. (Turangalila), Monday, 28 March 2011 19:35 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZfDbEQAfOY
Old version of 'Spirits', which is kind of awesome. Curious if the live show leans more towards this kind of thing or if the backing tracks just get played over the soundsystem.
― Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill The Radio Star (Alex in Montreal), Monday, 28 March 2011 20:29 (thirteen years ago) link
he has a full live band, if that helps?
― ilxor you've listened to one odd future album once (ilxor), Monday, 28 March 2011 20:43 (thirteen years ago) link
something about it sounding like Phil Collins at his most new-agey
finally someone is selling this thing
― plax (ico), Monday, 28 March 2011 21:40 (thirteen years ago) link
I'm not sure I'm feeling this. It definitely has its moments, 'Night Air' obviously, 'Middle' and 'Spirits' but as a whole it feels kinda tepid and gloopy. The production is nice enough (although the "tasteful dubstep wobble" can fuck off now, especially when paired with acoustic guitar) but I'm not sure the songwriting is really consistent throughout.
Biggest problem is his voice though - he sings almost everything in the same way. Which is forgiveable in technically limited voices but Jamie can sing. Maybe "being able to sing" isn't enough if you don't really have much conception of phrasing or dynamics, but I'd like him to reach for something more than "pleasant" most of the time. No tension or drama. It's not even that he's 'tasteful', I listened to Maxwell immediately afterwards and it sounded elemental, and that's not JUST because Maxwell is a superior singer technically, he knows how to phrase and deliver a lyric for emotional impact, and Jamie Woon on this evidence doesn't.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 09:21 (thirteen years ago) link
comparing him with maxwell is stacking the deck a bit
― they reminisce over dayo (D-40), Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:08 (thirteen years ago) link
not that i might not end up agreeing overall
― they reminisce over dayo (D-40), Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:09 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah I think I've acknowledged that in saying that Maxwell is obviously a much better vocalist technically (and most vocalists would suffer in comparison) but my issue isn't with the quality of Jamie's voice but the use he puts it to - like I said phrasing and dynamics.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:20 (thirteen years ago) link
haha i think my point remains
― they reminisce over dayo (D-40), Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:21 (thirteen years ago) link
Okay he'd suffer in comparison to a Ne-Yo or someone as well. I'm not saying "the problem is that he's not as good as Maxwell", I'm saying "on this evidence the problem is that his voice has limited emotional range".
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:24 (thirteen years ago) link
That's what I like about Woon's singing - he avoids hollerholler emoting and goes for a beguilingly streamlined take. This simple legibility is part of the reason why he rings through the slightly muffled and distorted backing so well.
― Jedmond, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:48 (thirteen years ago) link
ne-yo and maxwell are hardly hollerers!
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:49 (thirteen years ago) link
True, that was carried over from a discussion I was just having in real life.
― Jedmond, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:53 (thirteen years ago) link
Maxwell doesn't holler, he's fusspot instead - not that I don't love him.
― Jedmond, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:56 (thirteen years ago) link
It's not about hollering, it's about phrasing. It really feels like Jamie Woon phrases most of what he sings in basically the same way, and as a result he feels weirdly slippery and insubstantial as a vocal presence.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 15:45 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah he reminds me of a lot of trip-hop vocalists in that respect
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 29 March 2011 15:51 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah i agree that his phrasing is a huge part of his appeal. i keep getting hung up on how he says 'lady luck,'it's just so great.
― borntohula, Saturday, 2 April 2011 15:56 (thirteen years ago) link
Enjoying this somewhat, but not feeling the love everyone else seems to be. Am disappointed. Wanted an album of 'Night Air's and 'Wayfaring Strsnger's.
― You're fucking fired and you know jack shit about horses (James Morrison), Monday, 4 April 2011 00:18 (thirteen years ago) link
i like this album after a few spins but yeah, "night air" by far the best thing on here
― hey ilxor, thanks for contributing, glad you stopped by (ilxor), Monday, 4 April 2011 15:02 (thirteen years ago) link
There's an album called Channel Pressure by Joel Ford and Daniel Lopatin coming out that is going to knock all this fey, blue eyed R&B, blubstep into a cocked hat.
― Chap With Wings... Five Rounds Rapid (Doran), Tuesday, 5 April 2011 10:18 (thirteen years ago) link
This album made complete sense to me when I read about how much he loved Lewis Taylor. There's something very 90s about it.
― Pop is superior to all other genres (DL), Tuesday, 5 April 2011 10:26 (thirteen years ago) link
ha i just listened to that. i prefer jamie woon!
xp re: ford & lopatin
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 5 April 2011 10:27 (thirteen years ago) link
ford & lopatin, based on one listen, is kind of...like if junior boys dude sang over icy knifelike synths? i enjoyed it but for some reason it didn't grab me and make me pay attention like those did
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 5 April 2011 10:28 (thirteen years ago) link
That description makes me want to hear it!
I've not felt the urge to go back to this at all. Wish he'd aspire to something other than a kind of lukewarm niceness and the production choices exacerbate that rather than compensating for it.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 5 April 2011 11:34 (thirteen years ago) link
i can't get into this even a little bit...but i found night air sort of annoying and histrionic also.
― Packie Bonner (Local Garda), Tuesday, 5 April 2011 11:41 (thirteen years ago) link
Have you heard Games/Ford & Lopatin's "Strawberry Skies" Lex? It has Laurel Halo on vocals, and I think you'll prefer her to whoever sings on this album.
― Jedmond, Tuesday, 5 April 2011 11:55 (thirteen years ago) link
i discovered "strawberry skies" in the ILM EOY poll - i love it!
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 5 April 2011 11:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Glad to hear, the anthemic surge 2 minutes in is fantastic. Considering that track's far more worked out song structure I have a sneaky suspicion Halo did more than just sing - we need a Halo, Ford & Lopatin album stat.
― Jedmond, Tuesday, 5 April 2011 12:09 (thirteen years ago) link
the hud mo mix of lady luck sounds like idm timberlake
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 12 April 2011 12:43 (thirteen years ago) link
Haven't heard Mirrorwriting yet, but I know I'm looking forward to Ford & Lopatin (aka Games) a LOT. Doran and others, did you hear the album by VHS Head from last year?
― Evil Eau (dog latin), Tuesday, 12 April 2011 13:33 (thirteen years ago) link
The guy I most associate Jamie Woon with is Ben Westbeech though - they both even look kinda similar.
― Evil Eau (dog latin), Tuesday, 12 April 2011 13:35 (thirteen years ago) link
i fucking love the hudson mohawke remix of "lady luck" - i'm not even a huge hudmo fan but his LAYER CRASHING WAVES OF EVERYTHING OVER EVERYTHING tactic works so well here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0JBXfSbvZM
― lex pretend, Monday, 18 April 2011 19:51 (thirteen years ago) link
I like me the sound of that.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 18 April 2011 19:52 (thirteen years ago) link
the album itself gets the mood spot on but the stickable songwriting stuff less so
― lex pretend, Monday, 18 April 2011 19:52 (thirteen years ago) link
"middle" is my shit
― johnny crunch, Monday, 18 April 2011 19:56 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah "middle" is definitely the best song on the alb i hadn't heard before
― lex pretend, Monday, 18 April 2011 20:03 (thirteen years ago) link
i went back to the hudmo lp recently after enjoying so many of his remixes. it's still hilariously unlistenable, except for a few amazing tracks ("fuse" is still a perfect track). i bet his next record is going to be killer.
― adult music person (Jordan), Monday, 18 April 2011 20:19 (thirteen years ago) link
i think i love Gravity, Waterfront and Street just as much as Night Air. I'm still extremely keen on this record!
― jed_, Monday, 18 April 2011 21:33 (thirteen years ago) link
this record is absolutely gorgeous
― ciderpress, Tuesday, 26 April 2011 01:28 (thirteen years ago) link
this album is terrible. i loved night air, but the rest sounded like jason mraz (never actually heard this guy, but just assuming) or some other fratboy singer songwriter w/electronic backings. or like jamiroquai or early robin thicke.
― jaxon, Tuesday, 26 April 2011 01:39 (thirteen years ago) link
^ This is what I thought even way back when everyone was digging Night Air...but this week I gave the album a chance and now I'm listening to it over and over again. He's working in a Radio 1-friendly vein that I am predisposed to dislike but the lush production and I guess the subtle songwriting manages to transcend easy "James Blunt heard the kids like dubstep" snark.
― Lidl Monsters (seandalai), Tuesday, 26 April 2011 01:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Lady Luck and Gravity are my jams fwiw.
cant understand not liking 'night air'
― geeks, dweebs, nerds & lames (D-40), Tuesday, 26 April 2011 04:30 (thirteen years ago) link
Got to admit I found this a big disappointment...not that it's a terrible album more the fact that it's influences(namely the 1st Lewis Taylor album) are so admirable and this has none of it's lysergic blurring of the edges...he sounds more like a some bland r&b singer(the kind that sings over some shit jungle DJ in a club in Slough)...it needed to have a much more out there production and it kind of reeks of record company interference to make it more acceptable to a dubstep?? audience...having said that the final couple of tracks are more interesting than the rest of the album...Shame
― sonnyboy, Tuesday, 26 April 2011 04:59 (thirteen years ago) link
i think that 'reeks of record company interference to make it more acceptable to a dubstep?? audience' sounds like total bull imo fwiw ymmv
― geeks, dweebs, nerds & lames (D-40), Tuesday, 26 April 2011 05:30 (thirteen years ago) link
I'd never tell someone they should like an album when they don't want to (well, maybe I would say that as a joke), but some of the complaints in here are really unjustified and flimsy.
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 26 April 2011 05:32 (thirteen years ago) link
Perhaps but it sounds so ordinary...really wanted it to be better
― sonnyboy, Tuesday, 26 April 2011 05:36 (thirteen years ago) link
Come on, he may be many things but fratboy, really? If anything he comes over as irritatingly nice and eager to please.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 26 April 2011 08:58 (thirteen years ago) link