dope thread I want in.

spade my fav song

will post my review for your album in the am

fantastic, please submit an album that you initially disliked but are now fond of

hmmm...first thing that comes to mind might be Marvin Gaye Here My Dear.

I remember thinking the songs were a bit overbearingly depressing about divorce and in comparison to his other classic albums the songs being a bit lacklustre plus I wasn't really in the mood for middle age divorce songs at the time.

was a skip for me on first listen but theres some really strong songs here and a bit of heartbreak made these songs hit harder for me.

Hard to think of an album I straight up disliked on first listen and then came back around on

I’ve had some I didn’t “get” on first listen that i came back around on tho

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas - Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Damn we got deadlines and s*** ! Aight so to start off this album cover is one of those iconic ones that I've come across here and there but never bothered to check the album itself out till now . I've listened to it 3 times completely on different occasions to see if my thoughts would change over time and also cause it's a bit hard to assess 4 songs when each of them is an anime episode long

Overall I can't say that I've really enjoyed one individual track completely but rather each of them had specific parts that I did like such as the mid to build up section in Static, the build up in Sleep and the latter half of Like Antennas. I do enjoy my fair share of post rock with bands such as Sigur Ros/Mogwai but yea too many times there were parts where I just felt indifferent to.

I'm feeling a strong 5 to a light 6 TRAN-
SITION

@Fries

@saveme Album I didn’t initially like but came to enjoy - Alex by Gabby Start

Album I didn’t initially like but came to enjoy
Bon Iver - I,I
@saveme

Ngl I've always thought that he put this album out as some kind of B-sides to keep fans content after 22AMill Initially didn't like one single song off it but went back to it couple weeks before I saw him live and i saw the vision Hey Ma, Naeem, ImI slappers!

here is my album for this week if its not too late @op

Magma - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh

come away with me by norah jones. i was way too immature to really appreciate this when it came out but after revisiting it as i got older, i understood the acclaim. she's so dope. enjoy to whoever gets this.

Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai @High_Program

Okay, so the entire album's lyrics are in Portuguese. It didn't really matter because the production was so insanely beautiful, with the highlights being the strings and horns throughout.

8.5/10 - Great listen, will definitely be revisiting this.

Favs: Caboclo, Seriado

2017-2019 by against all logic
i thought this was a letdown from his previous release but now its one of my favorite electronic albums of all time

Mach-Hommy - "HBO"

The way I Feel by Remy Shand

This album is GROOVY and SMOOTH AF.
The best two words to describe it, this thing sounds like it's straight from the 70s. I only listened to this thing once but honestly was blown away by the smooth song writing, production and vocals.

9/10

@saveme

Wasn't too big on it when it dropped now I love it

@Echiham

Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses

I'm not gonna lie my stomach dropped when I was assigned this album. Slipknot, really? That band reeks of rude kids hogging Time Crisis in the arcade, I hated their goofy masks, their goofy vocals and the entire goofy institution of Nu-Metal as a whole. I went into this expecting tryhard edgy lyrics delivered in the kind of growl that turns me off straight away like an 80 year-old hearing a rap verse.

Then Prelude 3.0 started. I was stunned, Slipknot were actually making me smile! This subdued, bluesy sound worked incredibly well and wasn't what I expected from them at all, and the lyrics were actually good! The whole thing was so sweeping and cinematic, it turned my image of them completely on its head. I was now looking at the album far more optimistically. What struck me about The Blister Exists was that hey, these guys just love guitar noise, and I love guitar noise! The percussion is absolutely insane and while the vocals are a little too growly for my tastes, the whole thing comes together in a very satisfying way. The chugging repetition of Three Nil's opening riff reminded me of live Swans in a good way, man these guys have great guitar tones, there's something about the vocals that makes me feel like an old man though, I'd enjoy this far more as an instrumental. I really like the use of noisy static samples but the vocal delivery gives me second-hand embarrassment I've gotta be honest, it's why I don't listen to Metal for the most part, I just don't get it.

The melodies on Duality are great, I love how much there is going on, the vocals suit what's going on, the intensity feels emotionally motivated as opposed to the monotone problem I have with other tracks. I can see why this was a single, it's a lot of fun for how dark it is. Opium of the People is another track I'd love an instrumental version of, great guitars, but too much growling for my tastes. Also man Rick Rubin mixed this thing WAY too loud overall. I enjoy the more conventional melodic vocals they employ in some of the hooks, good harmonies that stand out against the guitars. Circle kicks ass, it's like a cool glass of water, the delay on the vocals has a really dreamy effect, the ending is just beautiful, I definitely enjoy their more mellow tracks way more.

For the rest of the album it follows a pattern of great Metal instrumentals, vocals that I'm not too hot on, and really fantastic non-Metal tracks. Standouts are Pulse of the Maggots, which has a really catchy melody and a great overwhelming heaviness in all aspects of its songwriting, I like how the growled vocals become one with the guitars, makes them work better for me. The guitar solo on Before I Forget is crazy. Vermillion Pt. 2 shows just how good these guys are at beautiful vocal layering. The Nameless is a great best-of-both-worlds situation. Danger - Keep Away is a fantastic closer, perfect way to drift off out of the album.

Overall I'd give it a 6/10, which for me is really high for this genre, I definitely feel like I get the appeal of Slipknot now, their violent energy is really cathartic, their drummer kicks ass, they've got really good taste in heavy guitar sounds and know when to use electronic elements and sampled noises to amplify the mood of a track. It's just those vocals man, it's not even that I'm saying they're bad, it's just a personal thing with me in the same way that an allergy is, something in me is unable to get past them, but I like a lot of what these guys are doing.

Album I didn't like at first but ended up appreciating @op

Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino

this is amazing

glad you loved it man!

The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New

I wasn't able to do a deep dive/real review this week so these are just some quick, loose notes through a first listen:

• Sowing Season: Chorus riff is strong and catchy. I like it
• Millstone: I like the vocals, especially the chorus. Could see myself listening to this outside of this context
• Jesus Christ: Depressing song. A little boring
• Degausser: Not bad. The choir is cool
• Limousine: I like it, has a "big" sound to it. Detailed. Kinda cool and atmospheric guitar at the end
• You Won't Know: I like the tempo and energy. I appreciate their heavier tracks more in general
• Welcome to Bangkok: Tom Clancy or Zero Dark Thirty vibes. I could see myself capturing Bin Laden to this. The shouting is cool and I like how it ends. Probably my favorite
• Not the Sun: Vocals are good. I like how it tries for something a little different. Catchy chorus. Standout track
• Luca: It's cool but I don't feel strongly about it. I feel like the breakdown and sudden crescendo towards the end of the song was pretty predictable, but cool
• Untitled: Nostalgic and dreamy feeling, perfect length
• Archers: Don't like the vocals at all or the drums. Reminds me a lot of some Fallout Boy type stuff and I'm not a fan of that
• Handcuffs: Gentle sounding song, kinda soothing, I like the production

Score: 6/10

Random Notes:

• Not a fan of this style of rock overall
• Not an album I'd normally listen to but seems like it would be cool in a certain context, like in a gothic or gritty action movie

@saveme @Extraterrestrial

My submission for this week:
The Way of All Flesh by Gojira

I really enjoyed reading this! The beginning had me crine teenage ol me really fw their whole aesthetic I wish I could write a review like this with such attention to detail mine pales in comparison I'm guessing you do this often? I'm glad you did enjoy it overall and appreciate the greatness in the percussion and riffs

As for the vocals, IMO Corey is one of the best vocalist in that genre but since u mentioned how you don't like metal in general I guess it would be hard convincing you otherwise

Appreciate you putting me on such a great album, thank you

This weeks pick

Didn’t hate it at first but my opinion on the album grew with every listen from confusion to eventual deep reverence

James Tillman - Silk Noise Reflex

Interesting how I keep getting album recommendations whose titles I can’t remember. Hopefully just a coincidence and not an underlying health condition. Also, unsurprisingly I am still a little hungover. Anyways this is an album review not a diary entry so imma just get right into it. Never heard of this artist or album but based off this album Spotify recommended the playlist for the movie Waves (2019) which is a film (and soundtrack) that I love so I’m predicting that this artist and their music might sound like something I would check out on my own.

Intrinsic Infinite as an opening is decent. The piano (synth? I don’t make music I just listen to it lol) melody is a definite standout as well as the philosophical pining in the lyrics about questioning life as the beginning of some new arc in your lifetime or, the end of one. Found the vocals to be a little quiet though. That transition into Ms. Urbane was so slick though, I didn’t even notice until like 30 seconds in.

Mrs. Urbane is an interesting first full track. The opening intro is really pretty, giving me Flying Lotus vibes with the electronic guitar in the mix. I also really like the theme of moving on from your past and resisting the urge to be spiteful/cynical as a result of it. Unfortunately, I’m not really big on how the song (especially the vocal melody) progresses into the chorus. The song being 4 minutes also feels a little indulgent in the second half. Maybe with a catchier melody/chorus I’d be more satisfied with the riffing that Tillman does near the end, but right now it just kinda comes off as a little unnecessary. I do like the little neo-soul percussion sprinkled throughout though.

Ms. Malaise feels like an improvement of some of the issues I was taking with the previous track, the melody of “she’s cheekboooooones and shaaaaaade” is good, lyrically and melodically. I’m starting to notice something about the lyrics though, and it’s that sometimes they come off as a little obvious or direct. What I mean is that the lyrics in the first verse (“I’ll never forget her//she was one of the first to ever love me”, etc.) come off as more clinical/cliche than poetic. It might sound nitpicky to point this out but it kinda took me out of the song, cause I was vibing and then I was like “....okay”. That being said, the percussion on this track is stellar. Production has definitely been the highlight so far on this album.

Human Behavior’s alright. Not really sure what “You push up like all the things you see// so maybe it’s best that we don’t speak anymore” really means (like…push up against him trying to help? Like all what things though?”) Again, maybe I’m devolving into a petty music critic sorry but I wasn’t really latching onto anything else. Except that middle portion. The tone shift gets a little dark and I actually really like instrumental change on this. I liked the change into introspection lyrically even if again, the lyrics are a little too direct for my liking. Tillman’s mention of NYC’s population density and how it humbles him was pretty resonant for me as the 3.5 years of college there made me feel like that the entire time. For better, or for worse. Anyways back to thee album…

I think I realized something else about how I feel about James Tillman’s music so far after hearing Self Portrait of a New Yorker. He definitely has an impressive voice being able to sing in that (falsetto? I don’t sing either) high-pitched register but I don’t really get a strong sense of power or much varying in emotion as compared to his lower register which we see at the beginning of Self Portrait. The stripped back acoustic melody, his voice sounds more somber, focused, and more overall emotive that I found myself “believing” the lyrics about isolation, social anxiety, and wanting a genuine connection. When he begins switching into this higher register for the second half, I found myself zoning out a bit. Again–impressive technically, just not as emotionally resonant, I think.

Not much to say about Tabloid Theory. Like the theme of living life on your terms, wanting something more fulfilling than what you have now, not following what other people condition us to doing…but I’ve just heard this type of song done better by other artists before. It’s not a bad song, just not very memorable to me.

Rat Race’s drums and overall instrumental are great. Again, still not vibing really much to the lyrics, but I like the concept of being so career driven that you can’t find someone to connect to.
“Slow dooooown, slow dooooown…”

Is it weird that I hope Death of a Star is about a fear of mortality? Again, I’m liking the concept more than the actual execution (mainly lyrically), but the riff at the end with the title drop is really nice and the slightly dark melody was a nice touch.

Wow, okay let’s talk about Casual Encounters. Easily the best track on this album so far. I was wondering why only this song on the album has like 5 million listens on Spotify and then Genius’ album cover for this song has Dear White People (the Netflix tv show, I think) on it and it all started to make sense. No seriously, the lyrics finally have some poetic flair with that a***ogy about dancing throughout the verse, the chorus is smoother than any other chorus I’ve heard off this album, Tillman’s voice has never been this engaging to me so far, the Erykah Badu-esque instrumental is great…seriously, where was this Tillman on the rest of the album??? Nevertheless, a solid track through and through. Only complaint would be that it’s a little long.

Speaking of a little too long, Missed Encounters! Nah jokes aside, I yet again am more interested in the themes of the song rather than the actual execution. The title and lyrics allude to someone that you almost have a connection with but you lose touch with them due to both of your lives being busy, and it feels unfair. I’ve been there, s*** I might be experiencing that right now with someone I know. Again, the lyrics just feel like the weakest part of this song, can’t find a lyric that will stick with me after hearing it. The instrumental is, yet again, pretty solid though.

Overall this was pretty fatiguing to get through after a couple of tracks. Once I noticed the issues that I started to have with this artist, it made every song feel probably twice as long as they were. Don’t get me wrong though, I think Tillman is a great producer and a good vocalist. These instrumentals kept me going through the majority of this album. I just wish the songwriting was better. It brings down most of the album for me. Can’t say I’ll revisit much of this. After clicking around his bandcamp page though (and learning that this was his debut), I’m interested in seeing his growth as an artist. Tillman’s newest album Magic City Thrill being in context of him revisiting his childhood town and learning more about the history of Gary, Indiana sounds intriguing so I might check that one out someday. So in terms of expanding my taste in music (the theme of this week right?)....I guess? I probably wouldn’t have heard this album if it wasn’t recommended and Tillman is now on my radar. Thank u for the recc!

Rating: 5/10

Favorite Tracks: Casual Encounters, Ms. Malaise, Self Portrait of a New Yorker

Least Favorite Tracks: Tabloid Theory, Mrs. Urbane

@agneyastra
@op

@op

Week (5? idk) sub: Devon Hendryx - The Ghost~Pop Tape

This is an album that I liked when I first heard it but now it deeply resonates with me in several ways that not a lot of music has or still does.