Chvrches - Love Is Dead (2018)

I disagree with every word of that previous post except "charismatic front woman"

idk i don’t think they were always mediocre. “empty threat,” that’s a great pop song! and this new slog has none of its animation or charm

Their first two albums are stuffed with great pop songs - this new album will also rule.

idk i don’t think they were always mediocre.

Some decent songs crept out, but mostly they were the bottom feeders in a trending wave.

yeah this one is dreadful. Never Say Die is the only one I've liked from the new album so far but this is much worse than the others. shame that this album seems like it will be such a disappointment because the last one was quite good

both of their albums are uneven but good imo

this’ll also probably be an outlier on the record bc it’s steve mac not kurstin

still

Some decent songs crept out, but mostly they were the bottom feeders in a trending wave.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, April 25, 2018 10:10 PM (ten minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I don't think you could possibly be any more wrong about that. Best UK synthpop band since Pet Shop Boys, without a doubt.

looking at steve mac's production credits and he has a lot to answer for

xp

I didn't really understand the hype around the first album but the second was a big improvement

I agree w/ that

the fact that Turrican loves them but hates the 1975 is hilarious to learn

not really feeling this, it is just sort of there. i haven't listened to anything else and looking forward to the new album.

I didn't really understand the hype around the first album but the second was a big improvement

― ufo

Totally agree with this. The Mother We Share was the best thing on the debut by a mile. The second album was great all the way through, even the song where the guy sang. Really disappointed with all the songs from the new album so far. They're all so flat.

actually i possibly overrate the debut bc "we sink" is my favorite chvrches song. the second one is def way better

god "leave a trace" is the best song

a lot of the melodies on the debut feel kinda stilted to me

really how did they go from writing songs like Leave a Trace and Clearest Blue to Miracle though

the fact that Turrican loves them but hates the 1975 is hilarious to learn

― Simon H., Wednesday, 25 April 2018 23:39 (yesterday) Permalink

Yes, it's hilarious to learn that I like a good band and not a thoroughly awful one!

'Tether' is the best song on the debut, and not by a mile either.

turrican i'm not convinced you're not a contrarian ;)

still the best thing chvrches has done is a remix four tet did of them...

Contrarian? I'd be more than happy to agree with people in a thread about Chvrches, but that's difficult to do when everyone is being wrong on a ludicrous scale :P

:-)

i loved the first single personally

turrican, turrican, turrican, can't be wrong-ah. Every Open Eye was so good and none from these new singles has hit that high water mark for me.

figured out today that “leave a trace” is a jimmy eat world song with different instrumentation

also figured out that the new songs all sound differently tired

Turrican, I am curious about what you think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEdRhmBx8IU

(we had this conversation in the other chvrches thread)

but

the fact that Turrican loves them but hates the 1975 is hilarious to learn
― Simon H., Wednesday, 25 April 2018 23:39 (yesterday) Permalink

otm

xp - right, just saw that

Re Chvrches as a band, I am leaning to agree with Jonny Fever. I was excited because of "My Enemy" but "Miracle" is godawful. That chorus is as lazy as it gets.

*Johnny Fever

Pre ordered. Out tonight !

"graffiti" is v good, unfortunately i'm generally unimpressed but maybe it'll grow on me

thankfully nothing else is dreadful like Miracle but it's just generally ok except Graffiti which is fantastic yeah

There's nothing that for me appraoches the calibre of "Clearest Blue" or "Empty Threat"; it's all sort of...competent but forgettable.

Approaches*, oops

"never say die" was def the best of the singles but more for bombast than anything going on with the melody

"Graffiti" basically sounds like it came from the sessions for the last one.

"graves" is a pretty good "empty threat pt 2"

nothing but trouble downloading the itunes pre-order - had to contact support as it didn't actually download the whole album - wonder why i bother given i don't care much about this band but still

nothing like talking to itunes support at 6:38 AM, smoking a cig, cannot access a pre-order in my account lol

Love this record. Deliverance is so good

this album starts off so well, "Graffiti" is great you guys are right. i liked it and sounds like Chvrches, it will be interesting to see if it has repeat playing value.

Love all the
Haters. They’re a pop band duh

I didn't really like this at all, which is a shame as I thought Every Eye Open was a big step up for them. It reminds me a bit of the second Haim album. They both have a lot of the same ingredients of their previous work but are ultimately missing something with the songwriting. The songs just seems so flat making the whole thing seem forgettable. I've only listened to it twice so far, will probably give it another go. Maybe it's a grower?

I haven’t heard the whole record but I’m dreading the vocals. Just like xx - can’t stand the male singer. To think xx placed so high in the last years end list yet goldfrapp didn’t
Xx are boring as fuck

Xx making a pop record is like a corpse trying to dance

They suck

I’m sorry I got punched 4 times last week and I’m seriously sad because of it. Forgive me.

the xx are better, IMO

i think i'm with you Kitchen Person, this is not the leap forward that their least album was. it sounds like a retread instead of breaking new ground. but i have only heard once, so my view can change.

I saw Jamie XX live. He played enigma return to innocence. I rest my case. Anyways I’m taking a long break from
Ilx so I wish you all well

Nice. Love is always stuck in my head

guy singing does nothing but hold them back

Indeed

Best CHVRCHES song of 2018.

Incredible cover

guy singing does nothing but hold them back

― niels, Friday, July 20, 2018 7:03 AM (thirteen hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's difficult to agree with this when they're doing so well.

Still playing the shit out of their superb recent album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWI-VukpyTk

uh what the hell!!!! this rules way more than most of Love is Dead AND it's a collaboration with my favourite group in the world

On repeat. Might be my song of the year. Might be the best CHVRCHES song ever. I no longer feel like the world is doomed.

oh shit this song rules

I definitely thought of you Brad when I heard it since it's them at their most synth-emo

yeah otm, when it got to the first of the two (?) choruses i was like "hell yeah this is the SOUND"

Chvrches never fail to deliver the goods - no surprise that this is great!

Great band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq9uZj3tl9w

covered The Downtown Lights!!!

I have no idea who Lo Moon are, but their vocalist does a mighty fine Buchanan impression.

Lo Moon thread - Lo Moon

Will be interesting to see where Lo Moon's second album goes, but their first, particularly "Loveless" is very much in the Mark Hollis / later-era Talk Talk vein. There's also a YouTube clip out there with Lo Moon covering Prefab Sprout's "Bonny" on this tour.

Hoping that the attention spurs new Paul Buchanan or Paddy McAloon activity.

i just don't know what to think about this Chvrches album. it's good, not as good as the last two, but have no desire to revisit it. those three or four songs are really good thou, some of their best.

Album is still amazing, can't wait to hear what they do next - even if it is more of the same!

I hated ‘Love Is Dead’ so much that it’s sort of even ruined their debut for me. :(

Yeah, Love Is Dead did a lot of damage for me too. Probably my biggest musical disappointment of 2018.

they released two great songs this year (Graffiti and Out Of My Head) but the rest were mediocre to terrible, Miracle is the worst thing they've ever done

Hmm I thought the album was kinda uneven compared to its predecessor but it still had a lot of bops: Get Out, Forever, Never Say Die, Graffiti, etc.

The only song that isn't as good as the others is 'God's Plan', the rest is business as usual great stuff. This isn't because the dude sings on it, either - 'You Caught the Light' and 'High Enough to Carry You Over' are two of my favourite Chvrches tracks.

For me, it’s way different than their first two albums. They just don’t sound like a synthpop act anymore. Even ‘Every Open Eye’ made me a lil nervous, but it did have a killer lead single imo.

It’s like they decided to focus too much on shooting for “anthemic,” and the result is a bizarrely sterile EDM version of Paramore or something??

Meh, I don't think it's that different. Pretty much most of these songs would have fit snugly on either of their first two albums - they haven't radically changed their songwriting style or melodic sense and thank god for that because I'd hate them to. The biggest difference is in the production, which a little more shiny, but no less synthpop. They were always anthemic and have very little in common with EDM, which is a dreadful term anyway.

And what's wrong with Paramore!?!

Nothing, really! Just didn’t want CHVRCHES to go in that direction.

it’s ok tho because iirc, we both agree that Ladytron incl. their more recent non-‘witching hour’ albums are underrated. <3

Yeah, that's right! :D They've got a new one due out soon and about time too!