Music Banter - View Single Post - Glenn Branca - The Ascension (1981) [SAA Album Club discussion thread]
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Old 02-28-2011, 01:36 PM   #2 (permalink)
clutnuckle
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I've been listening to this album for such a long time that I suppose any of my objective opinions are masked by the utter joy I get upon hearing it. I mean, you take an album like this, that not only was a huge inspiration on No Wave groups that followed (Sonic Youth among them, who are one of my all-time favorite bands), but also was fun to listen to? All I get out of is joy and interest, and I can barely analyze the music on account of that.

I don't know how anybody can listen to tracks like "The Spectacular Commodity" and "Lightfield (In Consonance)" and not feel the adrenaline rush from the slow and steady crescendos into utter Hell. Parts of it sort of feel a bit bare, empty or unrefined, but in general it's so lively and visceral that 'no wave symphonies' (a term I see applied to the album a lot) are a really good description for the passages. It took its time on me, that's for sure. I originally thought Sonic Youth outdid this album to death on Confusion is Sex in terms of guitar sound, but this album has definitely climbed its way up my list.
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