The music thread

[Walsingham]

Do continue...

[Dragon Lord Jones]

Pantera - Metal Magic (all four entire cds ... very hard to get copies of, without paying BIG $$$$)

- Projects in the Jungle

- I Am the Night

- Power Metal

 

their first four cds the first three with terry glaze on vocals ... before Phil joined ... more glam than heavy but still not a bad listen (unless you go in expecting stuff like Cowboys, or Vulgar Display)

than you prob. wouldn't like or enjoy as much (dimebag still rips it up on most tracks) their sound does get a little heavier on each cd

[Baley]

Tomahawk - Cul de Sac.

[Kor Qel Droma]

Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker

[Dark_Raven]

Halloween 2007 from the new Halloween soundtrack.

[Guest The Architect]

Daniel Powter - Bad Day

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Fair to Midland - Dance of the Manatee

[Lord Phoenix]

Three Days Grace-It's all over

[Laozi]

Lagwagon ~ Violins

[Pop]

Geogaddi, the most anticipated sophomore full-length from an IDM act since Aphex Twin's SAW 2 in 1994, certainly looks and feels similar to the 1998 Boards of Canada debut, Music Has the Right to Children. The package design includes artful, bleached-out photos of children playing, while the lengthy track listing balances short vignettes with longer tracks. Fans will be delighted to hear that the music also reveals no great departure from one of the most immediately recognizable sounds in electronica; a pair of Scottish cottage producers apparently whiling away the hours creating music, Boards of Canada specialize in evocative, mournful, sample-laden downtempo music often sounding as though produced on malfunctioning equipment excavated from the ruins of an early-'70s computer lab. Geogaddi has a bit less in the way of melodics (the prime factor why Music Has the Right to Children was an immediate classic) and, as a result, sounds slightly less like trip-hop for fairy tales and more like the slightly experimental, but definitely produced, electronic music it is. Still, Boards of Canada surely haven't lost their touch for creating spectral machine music: "1969" is particularly lovely, with starburst synthesizer lines and disembodied vocoders trilling the chorus (the samples apparently originate from a David Koresh follower). For "Sunshine Recorder," a very fitting vocal sample -- lifted from a documentary concerning a species of dandelion found by sub-aquatic robots on the ocean floor (and yes, that is Leslie Nielsen narrating) -- prefaces the melancholy synth, vocal cut-ups, and glacier-speed basslines. It's clear Boards of Canada labored long to create Geogaddi, since only a tremendous amount of work can produce music that flows so naturally and unobtrusively that it never sounds produced.

 

Just their third missive in the past seven years, The Campfire Headphase displays Boards of Canada changing few of their methods but more of their sounds. The key difference between this record and its predecessors is the advent of unprocessed, recognizable guitars (a small heresy to portions of their fanbase). Although it smacks of a gimmick, and does occasionally remove the mysticism from their productions, it marks a good addition to their palette. Still in effect -- and still never equaled anywhere else -- is the pair's ability to make electronic music that not only evokes a much earlier period in music, but sounds as though it was last issued decades in the past as well. Intentionally aged and mistreated, the productions evoke the image of a reel-to-reel machine's 1/4" magnetic tape steadily disintegrating as it plays for the last time. The long gestation period of this material is also a hallmark of Boards of Canada, and it shows in the attention to detail. No production escapes their Hexagon Sun studio without being slaved over, and consequently The Campfire Headphase is one of the best-produced records of the year. One surprise is that, finally, a BoC track evokes another artist rather than standing alone: "Satellite Anthem Icarus," the third track, sounds like it could've emerged from the mixing desk of Nigel Godrich as he worked on Beck's Sea Change; in fact, many listeners' imaginations will be able to insert a world-weary vocal into the song and thus make the resemblance perfect. (Of course, Godrich has likely learned much from previous Boards of Canada work.) Also, while the duo have improved slightly as producers in seven years, they haven't grown as melody makers. The Campfire Headphase lacks the transcendent grace that made Music Has the Right to Children and even Geogaddi classics in their field. Working the same territory over and over again may have improved their touch, but it has assuredly stifled their innovative powers.

 

Closes Vol. 1 (includes alternate version of "Roygbiv" from Music Has the Right to Children)

Old Tunes Vol. 1 (no song titles, for whatever reason. Numbered instead.)

Edited September 4, 2007 by Pop

[Musopticon?]

Pop - giving obscure a new meaning

[Guest Accept]

Guns 'N Roses - Knocking on Heavens Door

[Gorgon]

Ellington Indigoes, a collection of remastered big band compositions, and blue in green (Miles Davis) is on my mp3 player. It's all very sunday morning.

 

Nevermind that ambient muzak, this will melt your strees right off.

Edited September 4, 2007 by Gorgon

[Pop]

Pop - giving obscure a new meaning

And what meaning would that be? I'm confuzzled.

 

Best album of the year.

[kirottu]

Paradise Lost - Christendom

[Guest The Architect]

John Butler Trio - Zebra

[Laozi]

Pop - giving obscure a new meaning

 

 

 

obsure would be really being into a jug band or something.

 

 

The Sea & Cake ~ Up On Crutches

[Kor Qel Droma]

The Cribs - Men's Needs

[Enoch]

Thelonious Monk -- Well, You Needn't

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Decency Police -Street Dogs

[Laozi]

The Sea & Cake ~ Early Chicago

[Pop]

One of my favorites:

Autechre - Tri Repetae + Garbage EP + Anvil Vapre EP

Starting with the snarling, slow machine-funk of "Dael," Tri Repetae fully confirms Autechre's evolution into electronic noise kings. If not as immediately experimental as the fractured work by the likes of Merzbow, Tri Repetae expertly harnesses the need for a beat to perfectly balance out the resolutely fierce, crunching samples and busy arrangements, turning from being inspired by Aphex Twin to being equally inspiring in itself. "Rotar" does a particularly fine job on this front, with high-pitched sounds against low, distorted bass blasts -- and this only forms part of the percussion arrangement. The basic combination of soft melody and harsh beats are here as well, coming fully to the fore and resulting in such fine songs as the synth-string/organ wheeze laden "Leterel" and the quirky, sweet "Gnit." Nearly every track has a particular edge or element to it, making it eminently listenable and distinct. "Stud," for all of its macho connotations, actually takes a gentler path than most of the album's tunes, with a flowing synth wash at the center of a stripped-down but sharp digital-drum punch; by the end of the song, the synth loops float freely in an uneasy, ambient wave. With the drowsy pulse of "Overand" and the echoing beats of "Radio" (perhaps not so ironically, the most straightforward of the album's songs) to close things out, Tri Repetae stands as a varied, accomplished album, clear evidence of Autechre's unique genius around sound. American releases included a bonus disc compiling the Anvil Vapre and Garbage EPs.

[Baley]

50 Cent- The Massacre

Following up one of the biggest debuts in hip-hop history, crack dealer turned charisma dealer 50 Cent makes some bold moves, recycles plenty of old ideas, and sprinkles in some perfect party singles for The Massacre. Crafty man that he is, 50 must have known following up the massive Get Rich or Die Tryin' was going to be extremely difficult, especially for a rapper rightfully known more for creating headlines than rhymes. To cushion the blow, 50 released an album by his G-Unit crew, made numerous guest appearances on other artist's tracks, and helmed ten mixtapes in his G-Unit Radio series. It kept the debut momentum moving and it's half the reason why The Massacre doesn't feel like Get Rich's proper successor, the other half being the album's effortless attitude. That's the most frustrating thing about the otherwise satisfying Massacre. At worst, it feels unfinished, and at best, it feels like a mixtape cobbled together from mostly choice tracks but without that overseer's polish. At a stunning, slightly overstuffed 78 minutes, it's overwhelming, too, but without a perfect flow to hold the listener's hand the whole way through, it's also a testament to 50 and crew that The Massacre doesn't test your patience until after the one-hour mark. Silly and short intro out of the way, the slinky "In My Hood" gets down to business and gives way to four tracks of the same-old, same-old bravado and beats that are still just as stunning and catchy as hell. "I'm Supposed to Die Tonight" and "Gatman and Robbin" are both great tracks from the quirky/macabre house of Eminem, but it's the Fat Joe-dissing "Piggy Bank" that steals the show. Like "Candy Shop," "Outta Control," "Disco Inferno," and on and on, "Piggy Bank" succeeds because of its serviceable rap, believable swagger, inescapable hook, and phatter than phat beats. For those who've had it with the gunshots, the Shady/Aftermath boasting, and the usual "G-G-G-G-Unit!" shouts, The Massacre has just enough surprises. Besides mentioning Kurt Cobain and Ozzy Osbourne, "A Baltimore Love Thing" is the big shocker as 50 poignantly tells the tale of a heroin-addicted girlfriend destroying all that's good. "Ryder Music" is more easygoing than expected, "Build You Up" (featuring Jamie Foxx) is actually sweet, and "God Gave Me Style" has just about the dreamiest beat in the G-Unit universe. Scott Storch, Dr. Dre, and Eminem are the only big names in the producer's chair, but everyone else serves up fine tracks, especially the great Needlz. Guest spots are kept to a bare minimum and besides the intro, skits are nonexistent. Trim a couple tracks and a couple beefs and rearrange the album and you have what sounds like Get Rich's lesser sequel, but The Massacre doesn't look back. It really just wants to challenge other rappers' albums and not its predecessor. Taken that way, it's an excellent effort.

 

Nu-huh.

 

Candyshop... uh, I guess it's a given I've had a man sing this to me.

[Pidesco]

The Ocean On His Shoulders

[Baley]

The Six Strings That Drew Blood