ulver: the assassination of julius caesar (2017)

yeah I mean I called it as djmartian's desert island record but really this is for us all

"opens onto really proggy pockets" sounds promising. I'm more half-hoping for a spiritual successor to Kayo Dot's Coffins on Io .

I did like "Nemoralia" though...

There was no better direction to get me interested into them again. They should really go uptempo and do a post-disco album next (sincerely), their solemnity is holding them back (as much as it's made them) but I really like this so far (third track).

the susanne sundfor collaboration is surely approaching

The last part of Rolling Stone is pretty cool, some of the rest of it is all right. I mostly found this rather dull and enervating, but I don't really expect anything better from them now.

After Kayo Dot as well, I wish these stylistically restless groups would just fucking leave synth-pop alone; but I guess everyone likes that stuff more than me. If the next These New Puritans album sounds like this I'm going to be seriously fucked off.

I mean I don't even mind the idea of pop Ulver since I'm one of the few people who actually enjoys Wars of the Roses

I liked WOTR too, the key change in the opening track gets me every time

saxophone parts are courtesy of Nik Turner from Hawkwind iirc

and yeah if the noisy bit of Rolling Stone is the only real thing that grabs you then this def isn't an album made with you in mind

I much prefer this to Kayo Dot's synthpop efforts tbh

xp You're probably right, but I feel I should spend a bit more time with this to see if it clicks. I will say that it is an excellent sounding record at least.

really, really love this—it's so funny to watch the proggy stuff pop up, both structurally and vocally? it's always funny to see synthpop made with aesthetic impulses that are pretty contrary to those of OG synthpop. i obviously get the Depeche Mode thing, but the sense of drama is so much more rawk than it is dance, to me.

maybe that's just what happens when you come into dance by way of krautrock and metal, without having the dancefloor as a space in mind—the approach to masculinity, especially, feels less ironic or reflexive than depeche mode (not that that's a bad thing, it's weirdly refreshing)

the cover appears to be bernini's rape of persephone for whatever reason

after living with this for a bit, I will allow that the last two songs are a bit of a letdown given how incredible the rest of this is, "1969" in particular is a bit lackluster. but most of this is AOTY material

also Youth's mix of "Nemoralia" is really nice and I might actually prefer it to the original

the penultimate song is my favorite! and the last track is really weird but i love it

helter skelterrrr!!!!!

I think 1969 is the only good song on this thing lol

Needless to say, it didn't grow on me. Ah well

This is good, I think. I like it better than War of the Roses, maybe even better than Childhood's End. I tend to like the idea of Depeche Mode better than actually listening to them, and this album is a pretty good realization of what a particular idea of Depeche Mode is like. The lyrics are every bit as pretentious as you could ask for.

I'm really enjoying having no idea who these people are or why they did this album.

New EP out this week, featuring two outtakes and an incredible cover of "The Power of Love"

https://ulver.bandcamp.com/album/sic-transit-gloria-mundi-ep

Loving this album. Happened to pick it up and had no idea what to expect - I only have the first three LPs. Have since got the ep mentioned above as well.

It's great. I'm a little dismayed to discover from this thread that it's apparently unique in their catalogue, I was looking forward to more heavy synth-pop

This album of theirs isn't synth-pop really but anyone who hasn't heard it seriously needs to:

https://ulver.bandcamp.com/album/blood-inside

yep

Perdition City is kind of synth-pop

Yeah I think you're in a better location if you're a fan from the "end" rather than the beginning (or of course one can love all of it). Despite their reputation for changing their style every album, the second part of their career is aesthetically consistent. Perdition City is amazing, and I had every reason to think I'd grow out of it, having discovered it 14 years ago.

Thanks for the recommendations

Just got Perdition City. Great stuff. Blood Inside is on its way. I'm also tempted by what I've seen/ heard of the Norwegian National Opera live CD / DVD

Nattens Madrigal is the rare album that actually lives up to the hyperbole in that it really does sound like getting your eardrums blasted by a power sander

if I listen to it at a decent volume my ears ring for a while after. so I'm kinda scared to listen to it unless I turn the volume down in which case what's the point?

Those high frequencies!

Getting into Blood Inside. Can't get my home surveillance device to recognize when I'm asking to play this band.

New song "Russian Doll" very much in the same mode as Julius Caesar. Anyone know if this is a one-off?

https://ulver.bandcamp.com/track/russian-doll

can't say I love it. sounds really old fashioned

i like the song! a little more discursive than the julius caesar stuff but maybe that's good! the video is awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8QwxdF_oMQ

xpost to simon: the press release i got today suggests an album is coming out this year

nice video, cool t-shirt