Music Banter - View Single Post - MB GENERAL ALBUM CLUB: Pg.Lost

Paedantic Basterd · 01-11-2012, 10:03 PM

1) What are this albums' strengths?

Asides from some generally great songwriting and arrangements, I think the most outstanding quality of this album is Feist's voice. I can't say I've heard a voice like hers before, light as air, fragile and birdlike, and that kind of unique character is very important to a female vocalist for me. I tend to find female singer/songwriters dull, because their music relies so heavily on their voice, and tends to neglect the instrumentation beneath it. I don't find this problematic in Metals, in fact it's probably my favourite album released by a woman artist. It's a very balanced and complete feeling album.

2) What are its weaknessess?

If I'm being honest, the downfall of this album and primary reason I feel disappointed that it won is that it doesn't break any new ground or bring anything brand new to art/indie/chamber pop. It's just a very good album of its kind in what I generally consider a poor year.

3) How does it compare to the artist's other work?

The most superior album of the four she's released, and she's improved on each one of them. Monarch and Let it Die are pretty much throwaway releases; its only competition would be The Reminder, which is the album that put her on the map with the ipod theme song 1234. Personally, I think Metals takes the best moments of the Reminder and expounds on them. In comparison, the Reminder is an overlong, patchy, and top heavy album with a few outstanding tracks. Unfortunately, most people will remember her for the Reminder instead.

4) Favourite songs?

The Bad in Each Other, A Commotion, Anti-Pioneer.

5) What feelings did this album evoke?

It's generally a warm and uplifting album with some moments of cool autumn gray.

6) How does this album fit into your regular rotation?

50 spins accumulated since its release, which is pretty hefty for the year, easily the most played 2011 release. I'd call that regular, but I don't see it staying there.

7) What stood out to you about this album's themes, musically/lyrically?

I appreciate that the title Metals can be drawn from the tinny guitars and the brassy saxophone sections present in the album. I think that was a smart observation.

11) How does this album compare to other albums nominated for this theme?

When it came to my selecting an album, it came down to Metals, or Snowman's Absence. While I generally find Absence to be the more creative and intriguing album, I've also already done my best to recommend it to everyone participating in the club, and as such, I thought that Metals (which I find an easier album to put on, and excellent in a simpler way) would be a better choice for the club.

12) How does this album compare to others in its genre?

This is my favourite singer/songwriter release by a woman. Compared to chamber pop influenced indie such as Broken Social Scene, Grizzly Bear, Other Lives, etc. I think it holds up very well; it just came at the end of a trend in indie music.

14) What does this album's artwork say about it? Is it well paired with the music?

I think the artwork is a good match in terms of colour palette; the gray skies and silver reflections match the melodies and instrument timbres to me. I only recently realized that Feist is actually on the cover, so that was kind of a neat easter egg.

01-11-2012, 10:03 PM	#399 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	1) What are this albums' strengths? Asides from some generally great songwriting and arrangements, I think the most outstanding quality of this album is Feist's voice. I can't say I've heard a voice like hers before, light as air, fragile and birdlike, and that kind of unique character is very important to a female vocalist for me. I tend to find female singer/songwriters dull, because their music relies so heavily on their voice, and tends to neglect the instrumentation beneath it. I don't find this problematic in Metals, in fact it's probably my favourite album released by a woman artist. It's a very balanced and complete feeling album. 2) What are its weaknessess? If I'm being honest, the downfall of this album and primary reason I feel disappointed that it won is that it doesn't break any new ground or bring anything brand new to art/indie/chamber pop. It's just a very good album of its kind in what I generally consider a poor year. 3) How does it compare to the artist's other work? The most superior album of the four she's released, and she's improved on each one of them. Monarch and Let it Die are pretty much throwaway releases; its only competition would be The Reminder, which is the album that put her on the map with the ipod theme song 1234. Personally, I think Metals takes the best moments of the Reminder and expounds on them. In comparison, the Reminder is an overlong, patchy, and top heavy album with a few outstanding tracks. Unfortunately, most people will remember her for the Reminder instead. 4) Favourite songs? The Bad in Each Other, A Commotion, Anti-Pioneer. 5) What feelings did this album evoke? It's generally a warm and uplifting album with some moments of cool autumn gray. 6) How does this album fit into your regular rotation? 50 spins accumulated since its release, which is pretty hefty for the year, easily the most played 2011 release. I'd call that regular, but I don't see it staying there. 7) What stood out to you about this album's themes, musically/lyrically? I appreciate that the title Metals can be drawn from the tinny guitars and the brassy saxophone sections present in the album. I think that was a smart observation. 11) How does this album compare to other albums nominated for this theme? When it came to my selecting an album, it came down to Metals, or Snowman's Absence. While I generally find Absence to be the more creative and intriguing album, I've also already done my best to recommend it to everyone participating in the club, and as such, I thought that Metals (which I find an easier album to put on, and excellent in a simpler way) would be a better choice for the club. 12) How does this album compare to others in its genre? This is my favourite singer/songwriter release by a woman. Compared to chamber pop influenced indie such as Broken Social Scene, Grizzly Bear, Other Lives, etc. I think it holds up very well; it just came at the end of a trend in indie music. 14) What does this album's artwork say about it? Is it well paired with the music? I think the artwork is a good match in terms of colour palette; the gray skies and silver reflections match the melodies and instrument timbres to me. I only recently realized that Feist is actually on the cover, so that was kind of a neat easter egg.