Specifically the start of Ragged Wood reminds me of the "each day / spend it with you / yeah" bit in that Grizzly Bear song when the hammond gets going and everything notches up tempo-wise and IT'S AWESOME. Those drums make me want to run into the mountains forever and live in a delirious cabin.
― Scik Mouthy, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:04 (fifteen years ago) link
Oh Mike, btw, I think you might dig the Shearwater album if you've not already heard it.
― Scik Mouthy, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:06 (fifteen years ago) link
I prefer Grizzly Bear doing it.
How can you scratch your head at Coldplay yet savour those apnoeic cacafuegos Elbow?
― Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:08 (fifteen years ago) link
Hahahaha, I love you, Marcello.
I prefer Grizzly doing it too, just about, but that doesn't mean I don't like Fleet Foxes doing it, at least for the moment.
Elbow do everything Coldplay do but with a better singer, better lyrics, better rhythms, more interesting songs, a wider emotional palette, a better guitarist and less grade 1 piano.
― Scik Mouthy, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:10 (fifteen years ago) link
Man, Shearwater strikes me as a really dull, plodding, flat-sounding band. The :30 samples from their new disc haven't changed my mind yet. When I hear or read someone say "Indie-Schmindie," or some other snide, I think they're talking about bands like Shearwater and Okervil River. I know some people are passionate about those bands, tho. Maybe just not for my (old) ears (damn kids with their crazy rock music).
― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:12 (fifteen years ago) link
RONG (xpost)
Nothing wrong with Grade I piano when emotions demand it. If only Elbow had some Cecil Taylor piano, it might drown out the drear ramblings of Guy "Ventolin Man" Garvey.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:14 (fifteen years ago) link
Elbow are what people think Embrace are like.
Hahahaha!
Daniel, Esq., I'm not familiar at all with Shearwater pre Rook, but Rook is some pretty awesome, folk-rock-ambient shit.
― Scik Mouthy, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:16 (fifteen years ago) link
My first impressions were a bit premature, "He Doesn't Know Why", "Heard Them Stirring" and "Your Protector" are truly beautiful songs.
― zeus, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:19 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm looking forward to the Hova "Your Protector" remix: "You walk along the stream BOUNCE, BOUNCE/Your head caught in a waking dream IT'S YA BOYY Your protector's coming home and you don't STOP &c."
― Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:22 (fifteen years ago) link
Not really getting the Counting Crows thing. Light, beatific, joyous vs overwrought emotional trauma?
I just meant Counting Crows in the wearing-influences-on-sleeve/static background muzak kinda way.
― Sara Sara Sara, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:28 (fifteen years ago) link
"white winter hymnal" excepted, the album is a huge letdown after the e.p. the hype these guys are getting is a little overbearing, kind of like the obnoxious liner notes on the sleeve of the cd--a lot of positioning how we're supposed to receive and listen to them, what bands we're supposed to be hearing as influences that these fleet foxes are upgrading for us
― kamerad, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:30 (fifteen years ago) link
See, in the old days you had, say, a Buffalo Springfield album, and all you got was maybe a picture of the band on the front and another on the back plus personnel details, track listing and other relevant credits and you had to work the rest out for yourself instead of being spoonfed.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:38 (fifteen years ago) link
That's not entirely true, Marcello, is it? If anything you get less info on record sleeves these days cos it';s all on fucking Facebook.
― Scik Mouthy, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:41 (fifteen years ago) link
CD packaging is pathetic these days. All you get is a picture of the artist on the front and maybe another on the back plus track listings, personnel details (if you're lucky) and other relevant credits (not always) and so you have to work the rest out for yourself instead of being given proper information what you've paid your hard earned £16 for innit.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:46 (fifteen years ago) link
And more imaginative/adventurous arrangements/production, greater emotional acuity and honesty, a sense of genuine rather than ersatz connection with their listeners, a total lack of pomposity... I could go on!
― mike t-diva, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:48 (fifteen years ago) link
Just playing "Red Sea, Black Sea" now. Hmm, starts off like Richard Thompson, and then it all expands outwards and kind of goes WAAAA! Yes, not bad at all.
As for Grizzly Bear: I didn't like that Crystals cover at all, sorry. But hark, what's this... "Knife"... ooh, much more like it...
― mike t-diva, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 14:57 (fifteen years ago) link
Rook is some pretty awesome, folk-rock-ambient shit.
Okay, this is the new one, yes? It's on eMusic. I'll investigate.
― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Nope, I can't get with endlessly played on R2 because he's a DJ on 6Music glumdar 1974-style soft rock The Fortunes if they'd lost a fortune Ovaltine-inciting peddlers of dribbling Harvester schmindie Phil and Kirstie-approved mock-pop Elbow.
First album was quite good, though.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:07 (fifteen years ago) link
Well, you have to put "Grounds For Divorce" and "One Day Like This" within the context (i.e. loss and love) slash hem-hem Emotional Arc of the album innit. Try "Starlings" and "The Bones Of You" instead?
― mike t-diva, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:16 (fifteen years ago) link
I have no tolerance of "Grounds For Divorce," even when it was originally recorded by the Levellers under the title "Just The One."
― Dingbod Kesterson, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:17 (fifteen years ago) link
I really want to like a band that can actually, truly sing. But I'm not sure about these guys.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:21 (fifteen years ago) link
Funny, I really like Grizzly Bear but it never occurred to me to make the comparison. Mostly it just seems very Shins-like but without the hooks and with a folkier, more pastoral feel.
― jaymc, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:28 (fifteen years ago) link
And of course it was Fleet Foxes who supported Elbow at the RFH a couple of nights ago, as part of Massive Attack's Meltdown. (<a href="http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/06/meltdown_fleet_foxes_vs_elbow.html">Guardian review is here</a>.) Ooh look, a Judee Sill cover!
Just playing the album for the third (or maybe fourth) time, and really feeling it right now. Beatific, yes. "White Water Hymnal", GOD yes. But then soppy beatific pastoralism does go quite a long way with me...
― mike t-diva, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:41 (fifteen years ago) link
Bloody BBcode...
― mike t-diva, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 15:42 (fifteen years ago) link
I enjoy this band. They were really great live. Spot-on harmonies and a great handle on dynamics.
But I snickered when I saw someone call them Crosby Shins Nash and Young.
― St3ve Go1db3rg, Wednesday, 18 June 2008 16:25 (fifteen years ago) link
No 8 in the midweeks.
― Raw Patrick, Thursday, 19 June 2008 17:24 (fifteen years ago) link
This is terrible music
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Thursday, 19 June 2008 19:13 (fifteen years ago) link
The METASCORE for this disc is 88/100 on 25 reviews. Apparently, the ILXSCORE for this disc is somewhere around 32/100 on around 30 reviews.
― Daniel, Esq., Thursday, 19 June 2008 19:42 (fifteen years ago) link
with a slight diffrence in the scores, you could post yr post on 99% of the (good) indie records thread in ilx.
― Zeno, Thursday, 19 June 2008 19:47 (fifteen years ago) link
thouugh, at least in this case, im with ilx. easy come,easy go, this record.
― Zeno, Thursday, 19 June 2008 19:48 (fifteen years ago) link
This sounds like an American version of Cast.
― Raw Patrick, Thursday, 19 June 2008 21:43 (fifteen years ago) link
You're mental.
― Scik Mouthy, Thursday, 26 June 2008 15:36 (fifteen years ago) link
I like it, personally. A bit overhyped, but seriously - that shouldn't matter. People are a bit quick to hate on overhyped bands that are actually pretty good - form your own damn opinions.
Anyway, this is what I thought Grizzly Bear were going to be like when I first heard "Knife." Then Grizzly Bear put me to sleep with every other fucking song. I like these guys. And I don't even like the Beach Boys either, per many opinions above.
― skygreenleopard, Thursday, 26 June 2008 16:12 (fifteen years ago) link
grizzly bear's yellow house is pretty amazing. so is fleet fox's e.p. this album, though, snooze
― kamerad, Thursday, 26 June 2008 18:12 (fifteen years ago) link
Someone should really set up a program or app so we can do this.
― Billy Dods, Thursday, 26 June 2008 18:25 (fifteen years ago) link
I seriously do not get how someone could go for the EP but not the album, it's not like there's any sudden stylistic variation or drop-off in quality. If you swapped the EP tracks with any tracks on the album neither would be qualitatively altered for the worse or the better.
― Scik Mouthy, Thursday, 26 June 2008 19:13 (fifteen years ago) link
I've also still seen no hype about these guys which I guess helps.
― Scik Mouthy, Thursday, 26 June 2008 19:14 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm sick of Beach Boys affectations. I want people to affect you know uhhhh, something else. I don't know, what's there left to affect?
― burt_stanton, Thursday, 26 June 2008 19:19 (fifteen years ago) link
I don't like The Beach Boys much. I like these guys. I don't think they sound like The Beach Boys that much.
― Scik Mouthy, Thursday, 26 June 2008 19:21 (fifteen years ago) link
I haven't heard them, but the only thing I read about them involves the Beach Boys
― burt_stanton, Thursday, 26 June 2008 19:22 (fifteen years ago) link
nick, to my ears, the e.p. has more dynamic songs. the album is slower and more meditative. i get sick of it after a while. disappointment plays a part. also, i think they sound more like my morning jacket and band of horses than the beach boys
― kamerad, Thursday, 26 June 2008 19:27 (fifteen years ago) link
"If Assholes.." is right, this shit is awful.
― bear, bear, bear, Thursday, 26 June 2008 20:21 (fifteen years ago) link
skygreenleopard? were/are you in the band Sky Green Leopards...?
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 26 June 2008 20:46 (fifteen years ago) link
Metacritic is not a good gauge of quality at all, either in movies or music. The best music and movies, in my opinion, are typically highly polarizing and would have scores of between 60 and 80. Seriously, look up your favorite albums in there and I bet you'd find them in that section and not in the shitty 85+ section, where most everything's this "acceptable" rock shite that doesn't really offend anyone and doesn't push any sort of boundaries. The high scoring stuff is almost uniformly made up of boring "critical faves" that no one actually likes in a really passionate way.
― res, Thursday, 26 June 2008 21:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Metacritic is not a good gauge of quality at all
Actually, what I meant was that a high score is not a good gauge of quality
― res, Thursday, 26 June 2008 21:01 (fifteen years ago) link
rock shite that doesn't really offend anyone and doesn't push any sort of boundaries
why is it important for music to offend anyone and/or push boundaries?
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 26 June 2008 21:19 (fifteen years ago) link
I mean that's some seriously "rockist", received wisdom type of crap about the "purpose" of music
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 26 June 2008 21:20 (fifteen years ago) link
res kind of OTM, RECORDED music should always attempt to push boundaries, live music should instil a fucking mood. and most high-scoring Metacritic albums are kinda shite
― Just got offed, Thursday, 26 June 2008 21:22 (fifteen years ago) link
RECORDED music should always attempt to push boundaries
but... why? To a certain extent, boundaries are inevitably pushed by technology and the passage of time, no artistic/aesthetic input is really necessary. One could note that the advent of digital technology has "pushed the boundaries" - but one could also argue that its enabling of dynamic range compression has been incredibly detrimental to recorded music in general.
― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 26 June 2008 21:32 (fifteen years ago) link
I’ve been feeling the itch to return to that album, which I liked but don’t really remember aside from a few tracks. It seems to have gotten a critical reassessment already.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Monday, 2 November 2020 15:16 (three years ago) link
Still kind of baffled by the release strategy for Shore, still not out on vinyl/CD for another full month.
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 18 February 2021 18:34 (three years ago) link
It’s one of those that I keep saving for the right time to play it but that time never seems to come
― calstars, Thursday, 18 February 2021 18:50 (three years ago) link
xp think it might be as simple as Robin wanted to released it on the autumn equinox (possibly in 2020, specifically / he has a thing with numbers, iirc) and vinyl is super delayed but he didn't want to push it back?
― alpine static, Thursday, 18 February 2021 19:20 (three years ago) link
Sure, I know the equinox release strategy thing and production delays are surely a factor, but a six month lag seems to be on the extreme end.
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 18 February 2021 19:21 (three years ago) link
yeah, i'm a little confused honestly. i got a message from the retailer telling me my pre-order (plain old black vinyl) has been delayed from mid-january to now mid-march, but i keep seeing people on instagram posting photos of their copies.
seems like it was about six months turnaround time for the latest fiona apple album from when it was on streaming to to when i could hold a copy in my hands.
it's the new model and i do not like it.
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Thursday, 18 February 2021 19:49 (three years ago) link
ha, yeah, not sure I like this much of a gap. No doubt COVID and weather issues all over the country won't be helping things out much on that front.
Looks like it came out in the EU/UK a few weeks ago, so maybe that's how you are seeing people with a copy? This is according to their official store for both CD and vinyl:
EU & UK Orders: February 5, 2021. Everywhere Else: March 19, 2021.
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 18 February 2021 20:16 (three years ago) link
this is nice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTwhDOha4-U
― alpine static, Friday, 19 February 2021 07:47 (three years ago) link
Lovely new single with big red machine “Phoenix”
― calstars, Friday, 23 July 2021 12:05 (two years ago) link
I was a bit late to this album, but Shore is such a pleasure to listen to.
― o. nate, Friday, 23 July 2021 17:57 (two years ago) link
there is zero chance that i would have said this a year ago, but "i'm not my season" has defined itself as the easy highlight of shore for me. and the album overall is a lot more substantial than i gave it credit for. i was also jamming nothing but 80s and 90s r+b at the time, perhaps an influence?
anyway yeah, solid 4.5 mics in the source in 1996. great album.
― things repeat forever and there never is a remedy (Austin), Sunday, 17 October 2021 21:20 (two years ago) link
That’s my favorite track too.
― o. nate, Monday, 18 October 2021 01:01 (two years ago) link
I love this album.
― in twelve parts (lamonti), Friday, 5 November 2021 07:11 (two years ago) link
otm
― the beginning of the end of discourse. (Austin), Saturday, 6 November 2021 02:35 (two years ago) link
My second favorite track might be "A Long Way Past the Past".
― o. nate, Tuesday, 23 November 2021 18:38 (two years ago) link
Back to Crack-Up for the past couple of days and have just now put on Shore for the first time in several months. Crack-Up makes a lot more sense (and sounds better) in retrospect, but wow Shore really is a damn fine record. I've always understood their records to be the kind that will most likely get better with time and Shore definitely feels like another one of those. He really is mining that late 60s Capitol studio vibe for all it's worth and I absolutely love it. Not sure if I'd consider it their single best album, but it's definitely in contention.
― get shrunk by this funk. (Austin), Friday, 18 February 2022 21:59 (two years ago) link
For sure, Shore is great I can never revisit enough
― calstars, Saturday, 19 February 2022 00:02 (two years ago) link
Missed this. Wish there was more with the choir. The albums have become such huge productions that I've forgotten how good of a guitarist he is. Nothing revelatory, but still quite nice.
― Rest assured: the author of this post was smiling whilst writing it. (Austin), Thursday, 3 March 2022 04:09 (two years ago) link