LoathsomePete

Jimmy Carter Syndrome has been album I've been really looking forward to reviewing because there's a lot to say about it. For one it's incredibly layered, very dark, and disturbing to say the least. Munly is no stranger to writing controversial lyrics, however he shows no remorse, fear, or ill intent towards the people he sings about, he just kind of says them. This is best illustrated in the song "The Denver Boot" in which he talks about how his demon spawn child lay between his true love's bloody thighs and how he needed to feed it goats milk from his "Denver Boot". Wholesome topics all around on this album.

One of the great things about Munly is that he seriously looks like the personification of death, I mean just look:


Even next to Steve Buscemi he wouldn't win a beauty contest, but besides looking the part, he plays the part quite well. His vocal delivery is varied enough from a mournful wail to a very deep drawl. Lyrically he draws a lot of inspiration from various places he's lived, Canada gets mentioned a few times, as was California and the Southern United States. You get the sense he is a well traveled man, which would make sense because he traveled quite a bit with the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club. It can also be noticed that Munly has amassed quite a wide array of musically inclined friends by the sheer number of guest musicians on this album. I haven't found an exact listing, but with the sheer number of female backing vocalists and unique instruments featured in each song, the list is quite grand.

Giving this album a genre label has also proven to be quite hard. I mean obviously it's a country album to the core, features instruments popular in that genre and the dark lyrical focus common in Gothic Country, but even then... it doesn't seem quite right. Two songs in particular, "Chant Down Cap'n" and "HaggieHennies Almost Dirty Dress" feature a quite hypnotic banjo, drum, and electric guitar combination that really draws you in, similar to the way the downbeat tempo of trip-hop sucks you in. Still the album contains elements of folk and country so for now that would be the best way to describe it, but if you harbor any disdain for either of those two genres don't let it deter you from checking out Jimmy Carter Syndrome because it really goes beyond the limitations of those two genres.

Going back to the lyrics, it can be hard to really tell what Munly is saying because of his drawl, but the lyrics are often non-secular. The two exceptions are "The Denver Boot" and "The Fabulous History of the Churchill Falls Barrel Races" which are very story driven songs, however each of the songs on the album seem to stem from a story, I just hope that none of them are based on personal experiences. The song "Censer From the Footlights" has an amusing section where Munly is singing as if he's reading a telegram, thus ending every line with "STOP". "The Fabulous History of the Churchill Falls Barrel Races" tells the story of a man who was shamed in his town abandons his family and attempts suicide by floating in a barrel of a waterfall, however he survives (much to his dismay) and attempts it again, only to inspire others to join him (minus the suicidal tendencies). Finding the lyrics have proven to be hard because nobody has felt particularly willing to transcribe them, and again his accent can make it hard to distinguish words.


Overall this is one of the more complex country albums I've heard in my life, and definitely gives you an appreciation for how well all the little instruments can make to the genre. I definitely wouldn't say Munly is the best introductory country musician, but if you have tried country and didn't like it, then this is definitely an album to check out. It's dark, eloquent, and completely unique. I had a tough time deciding between this album and Munly's 2004 album Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots, however this album is a little bit more accessible, at least in terms of sound and length.

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LoathsomePete

Just over 25 reviews and already 3 albums are from the emerging post-metal/atmospheric sludge metal/post-rock/metal-gaze/whateverthefuckitsbeingcalledthisweek genre. I have an admiration for the experimentation and the willingness to showcase metal in ways that defy the stereotypes. Not only that it makes for great study music if you let it, so that's always a plus.

If Neurosis are is the father of this bastard sub-genre then ISIS would probably be the cool uncle that would buy you alcohol and leave his porno magazines in easy-to-find places. They had a 13-year life and in that time release 5 studio LP's and a large handful of EP's, live albums, demos, and splits with other bands. Vocalist Aaron Turner also founded Hydra Head Records, a label that specializes in signing and promoting post-metal bands but also houses such notable artists as Kayo Dot (Experimental/ Avant-garde metal), Dalek (Hip Hop), and Agoraphobic Nosebleed (Grindcore).

Out of all of their albums, I feel that Panopticon (2004) does the best job at bridging the gap between post-rock and post-metal, which I think is an important step in helping the genre break out of its niche appeal. Mid '90's Neurosis can definitely appeal to to any metalhead, but if someone is unfamiliar with the genre, then it's appeal is limited. That said though, listening to early Mogwai, one can definitely hear the influence, and vice-versa with ISIS. ISIS definitely take a lot of their influence from the layered atmosphere building of Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor and I think those influences really shine through on this album, which makes it a perfect entry point from post-rockers to make the plunge into the murky depths of post-metal.

The song lengths can be a bit of a problem, especially if you go into the album intending to rock out. While there certainly are moments to bang your head, it's a very slow moving album with a lot of build up to these moments, so in most cases you would have probably stopped caring by then. This presents the hardest challenge post-metal has with finding its audience. Not everyone who listens to post-rock wants to headbang, and not every metathead wants to wait 6 minutes for the song to get heavy, however if you have the patience and an appreciation for atmosphere, then neither problem should be too much of an issue.

As is the case with a lot of post-metal albums (and ISIS albums in particular) is the running theme throughout the album. I can't say I've delved too deep into what Panopticon is about, however if Wikipedia is to believed it's a theoretical prison design that allows guards to peer in without alerting the inmates that they are being watched. It was envisioned by philosopher Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century and it's general idea was to instill discipline through psychological control. A pretty high-brow theme for a metal album, however one that would be a little hard to follow if you didn't sit down and read the lyrics and other people's interpretations to help form your own.

Panopticon is definitely in a league of its own when it comes to blending the sounds of post-metal and post-rock into something that can please (most) of both camps. It's definitely the kind of album you would put on in the background while writing or browsing the internet, but it will catch your attention again and again with heavy hooks, and brilliantly written passages. If you're looking to get into the genre or the band, I'd definitely recommend this as your first album.

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Unknown Soldier

I actually always regarded Panopticon as not being one of the better Isis albums, but after this write up, I`m probably going to go back and give it another listen.

LoathsomePete

You should definitely give it another try, but I don't think your opinion will do a complete 180. I have some strange album preferences, especially when it comes to post-metal bands. Another good example of this is preferring The Ocean's newest album Anthropocentric (2010) to their 2007 album Precambrain which is widely regarded as their best album. Still I hope it at least lets you look at it in a different light, or perhaps a new appreciation.

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Metal Connoisseur

Didn't they get a new vocalist for the newest release, though? The clean singing on Anthropocentric is done really well, sort of like a soulful Chris Cornell. Obviously the screams and harsh vocals are cool too but all in all I found the lyrical content to be the best part of the album.

Badlittlekitten

Yes lists, love em. Have to do me own album list soon. Liked the Morphine mention, will have to check that out as I've only heard Good witch is good.

keep it up.

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LoathsomePete

The lyrical content of The Ocean has always been one of their main selling points though. Definitely agree with you on the clean vocal parts too, they were really well done and I liked how they were spread out in each song. Actually I think the new singer's guttural vocals are alright, but his German accent rings through pretty well and it makes me think of Animal from The Muppets for some reason.

The grand ideas are probably one of the most attractive aspects of post-metal because they go for the lofty and complex ideas and will write an entire album about it. It does a lot to dispel the false beliefs that metalheads are nothing but violent meat heads who can't sit still long enough to form a cohesive thought. I know that same rumor is also dispelled if you read the lyrics to a lot of other subgenres, but I think post-metal is a great ambassador because they also reject the fashion, which as an anti-fashionist I can relate to.

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SATCHMO

Easily my favorite album by the band, if not my favorite post-rock.metal album of all time. It definitely falls into the prestigious group of albums that I listen to on a monthly basis. Excellent write up, Pete.

LoathsomePete

It probably was their strongest album, a blend of their old and new sounds into something that anyone can enjoy (to an extent). I'll eventually get around to finishing this thread.

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LoathsomePete

This definitely won't be the most popular addition to this list, in fact, unless you've already listened to this album I would be shocked if anyone actually did go out and grab it after reading this entry. This album is definitely polarizing in many ways, if you're not a geek or into the geek/nerd subculture you probably won't get a lot of the in-jokes or even really be interested in the subject matter at all. If you don't like the idea of geek culture expressed through hip hop, then this album definitely won't be for you, and finally if you don't like the sound of a grown man who sounds like he's 6, this definitely won't be the album for you.

Are all the losers gone? Good! I hate those guys.

mc chris is dead (2008) is nerdcore artist mc chris' 4th studio album and the first one of his that I had the pleasure to listen to. It features a wide variety of beats, a blend of pop, electronic, and rock while standing very firm in its heritage. The subject matter can best be equated to that of an adolescent teenage boy, a self-deprecating, libido fueled romp through the those horrible years. It's sometimes fun to look back on those years and laugh at the misfortunes of our youth, but in some cases the songs can hit a little too close to home for some. For me it was the song "older crowd" and the lyric "let's play Scrabble, let's play boggle" after leaving a club because of feelings of embarrassment, which pretty much summarizes my New Year's Eve. The song "freaks" definitely feels the most organic of all his songs though, as it strips away the humor and just recants the days of your fellow freaks banning together to create some semblance of normality. Sure you weren't invited to the hottest party, but there's always a large booth a Denny's where you can have just as much fun.

On the technical side the production is incredibly slick and the beats are well made and will get your body moving, even in a sitting position. mc chris definitely uses this to his advantage with his flow, creating a very natural album.

The place where you'll definitely get your money (or time if you download it because you're a horrible human being that nobody will ever love) is in the humor. The album contains 3 skits, all of them go on a bit in length, which is pretty common for mc chris. In fact in the skit "metaphor", mc chris' agent actually comments that his skits are terrible and they go on for way too long. While this is a pretty accurate description, I'm ashamed to admit that they still manage to make me laugh every time, so I guess that's some kind of an endorsement from me. Besides that, the song "on*" is shamelessly addicting and will certainly make you laugh if you like immature things from time to time.

I know this review has been kind of all over the place, it was pretty impromptu, but I really do think this album is worth your time if you're a geek or are just looking for a way into the nerdcore subgenre. Take it for what it is, don't expect it to change your life, but it will at least provide you with an hour of entertainment.

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