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Josef K · 09-07-2014, 06:13 PM

And mine is definitely not one, but it'll be a fun little exercise for me.

I absolutely love MusicBanter. Really. It's a great forum with a great community, and I've gotten turned on to so much great music since I've started hanging around here. But the thought that started to sink in approximately two minutes after I made my account was, "Wow... these people know so much more than I do." (You all have much broader taste, too.) I don't love being comparatively less nerdy, but (1) it's really great to see so many people talk about albums I wouldn't hear about otherwise but turn out loving - I listened to Snowman today because bob. mentioned them, and they are incredible, but I wouldn't have heard about them otherwise; (2) I'm fourteen, so I have an excuse for not knowing quite as much; (3) it's a nice change of atmosphere from my school, where there's nobody with taste like mine (not to sound snobby or to attack the taste of my classmates - we just don't have a ton in common musically).

So I guess here is where I'll post random stuff. I'll post about albums I've just been listening to, albums I'm revisiting, music I've loved for a while, any concept that's interesting to me. Maybe some top ten lists by year or something? Those are fun. Anyway, the thing that'll be sort of interesting about this is that I'm still at an age where my music taste still has room to, and probably will, grow and evolve, so this'll hopefully be a really cool document of that.

I'll start out, I guess, but talking about some albums I've been getting into recently, with mini-reviews:

Angels of Light: New Mother (1999) and How I Loved You (2001): I'd never listened to Angels of Light before, because I've never been able to get into Swans and I figured they probably wouldn't be of much interest to me because of that. But here's the thing: I really like dark country-folk. New Mother sounds a little like Wovenhand, and I love Wovenhand. How I Loved You is more singular - it's really a monolithic work of darkness (Jesus that sounded pretentious). I like it better also because I think New Mother falls off a little after "The Man With the Silver Tongue", but I'll definitely be listening to both a lot. 3.5/5, 4/5

Queens of the Stone Age: Rated R (2000) and Songs for the Deaf (2002): I'm against guilty pleasures. I think the concept implies that music taste is in any way objective, instead of being all about subjectivity - projecting your own onto others, projecting others' onto yourself, whatever - and I think we should like what we like and not be ashamed, unless the lyrics are offensive or something. But if I had guilty pleasures, QOTSA would be one. They're a commercial mainstream rock band. I'm a hipster snob, or so say my friends (haha, friends). I'm not supposed to like them, am I? But you know what? These are both really great albums, and these guys definitely have more range than I was giving them credit for. Dave Grohl is a more than capable drummer, and even if I'm not a Mark Lanegan or Screaming Trees fan, he's got a great voice. But I really think the beginning of Songs for the Deaf shows off what's great about the band - we get Oliveri's screaming "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire" transitioning seamlessly into the taut Homme riffing of "No One Knows". I haven't listened to any of the post-Oliveri albums, and even if I do it won't be with very high expectations, because I think it's how they play off each other that makes these two albums so awesome. Will be great pump-up music for debate tournaments also. 3.5/5, 4/5

The Mountain Goats: All Hail West Texas (2002): I'm not going to pretend that you don't know what the Mountain Goats sound like, but I somehow slipped over this one and it's really good, one of their/his best. Gotta love singer-songwriter bedroom folk about hailing Satan, right? But seriously, we live in a time when there are more earnest white guys with acoustic guitars than ever before, and John Darnielle keeps us from forgetting the important lesson that people in that style can actually be good. 3.5/5

Sunset Rubdown: Shut Up I Am Dreaming (2006) and Random Spirit Lover (2007): Spencer Krug stops sounding like Isaac Brock and starts sounding like David Bowie!... is how I would put this if I were being stupid and reductive. The trouble with Bowie comparisons is that those who invite them - James Murphy, Jarvis Cocker, Krug's Swan Lake collaborator Dan Bejar - are, like the great man himself, too unique too be put in a box like that. You know Krug as the better, less conventional half of Wolf Parade even if you haven't heard his Sunset Rubdown stuff. But seriously, listen to his Sunset Rubdown stuff. It's got a sort of glammy chamber-pop feel to it, and it fits him even better than the rock-band-with-occasional-theremin Wolf Parade stuff. I think I like the first one a little better, but the second one grew on me as I listened. I'm going to say 3.5/5, 4/5.

Snowman: The Horse, the Rat, and the Swan (2008): When I listen to, say, the Pop Group's Y, or Nick Cave's From Her to Eternity, I know the historical context. And when I listen to Snowman, I also know the historical context. This album is great, but what I really have to credit it with is showing me that this kind of sort of funky post-punk is cutting-edge and challenging even now. The album is well-paced, opening with frenzied tribalistic drumming and shouty vocals, but increasing the frequency of quieter, just-as-hypnotic songs. If you're into more out-there post-punk like the stuff I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, this album really should be a must. Definitely check it out (and once again thanks to bob. for mentioning another one of their albums in the 1001 albums thread - that one is on my list, and I have high hopes based on its predecessor). 4.5/5

Tyondai Braxton: Central Market (2009): So Braxton's pedigree, obviously, is impeccable - Anthony Braxton's son, member of Battles, general Cool Person - but I'd never heard any of his solo stuff before. I'm glad I changed that. This is a sort of neoclassical album, another well-paced one. In this case, it's sort of a progression from the more conventional stuff into more envelope-pushing material. While this seems like a tough trick, Central Market completely pulls it off. If I have to pick one song that exemplifies that transition, it's the centerpiece, "Platinum Rows", where the most epic string swells on the album alternate with kazoo solos - and this seems totally natural. The album has to be listened to as a whole, and it's really cool hearing how we get from the cheerful horns of "Opening Bell" to the Krautrock chug of "J. City" and the ragged ending of "Dead Strings". It's just a really excellent album. 4/5

Starting tomorrow (maybe - I'll be more active on weekends because school), you'll see a lot more range in my ratings, because I'll be talking about a lot of what I listen to, not just what I really like. I really hope this gets approved, and (if it does) thanks for reading!

09-07-2014, 06:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
Josef K A Jew on a motorbike! Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 800	Witty Titles Are For People With Journals Worth Reading And mine is definitely not one, but it'll be a fun little exercise for me. I absolutely love MusicBanter. Really. It's a great forum with a great community, and I've gotten turned on to so much great music since I've started hanging around here. But the thought that started to sink in approximately two minutes after I made my account was, "Wow... these people know so much more than I do." (You all have much broader taste, too.) I don't love being comparatively less nerdy, but (1) it's really great to see so many people talk about albums I wouldn't hear about otherwise but turn out loving - I listened to Snowman today because bob. mentioned them, and they are incredible, but I wouldn't have heard about them otherwise; (2) I'm fourteen, so I have an excuse for not knowing quite as much; (3) it's a nice change of atmosphere from my school, where there's nobody with taste like mine (not to sound snobby or to attack the taste of my classmates - we just don't have a ton in common musically). So I guess here is where I'll post random stuff. I'll post about albums I've just been listening to, albums I'm revisiting, music I've loved for a while, any concept that's interesting to me. Maybe some top ten lists by year or something? Those are fun. Anyway, the thing that'll be sort of interesting about this is that I'm still at an age where my music taste still has room to, and probably will, grow and evolve, so this'll hopefully be a really cool document of that. I'll start out, I guess, but talking about some albums I've been getting into recently, with mini-reviews: *Angels of Light: New Mother* (1999) and How I Loved You (2001):** I'd never listened to Angels of Light before, because I've never been able to get into Swans and I figured they probably wouldn't be of much interest to me because of that. But here's the thing: I really like dark country-folk. New Mother sounds a little like Wovenhand, and I love Wovenhand. How I Loved You is more singular - it's really a monolithic work of darkness (Jesus that sounded pretentious). I like it better also because I think New Mother falls off a little after "The Man With the Silver Tongue", but I'll definitely be listening to both a lot. 3.5/5, 4/5 *Queens of the Stone Age: Rated R* (2000) and Songs for the Deaf (2002):** I'm against guilty pleasures. I think the concept implies that music taste is in any way objective, instead of being all about subjectivity - projecting your own onto others, projecting others' onto yourself, whatever - and I think we should like what we like and not be ashamed, unless the lyrics are offensive or something. But if I had guilty pleasures, QOTSA would be one. They're a commercial mainstream rock band. I'm a hipster snob, or so say my friends (haha, friends). I'm not supposed to like them, am I? But you know what? These are both really great albums, and these guys definitely have more range than I was giving them credit for. Dave Grohl is a more than capable drummer, and even if I'm not a Mark Lanegan or Screaming Trees fan, he's got a great voice. But I really think the beginning of Songs for the Deaf shows off what's great about the band - we get Oliveri's screaming "You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire" transitioning seamlessly into the taut Homme riffing of "No One Knows". I haven't listened to any of the post-Oliveri albums, and even if I do it won't be with very high expectations, because I think it's how they play off each other that makes these two albums so awesome. Will be great pump-up music for debate tournaments also. 3.5/5, 4/5 *The Mountain Goats: All Hail West Texas* (2002):** I'm not going to pretend that you don't know what the Mountain Goats sound like, but I somehow slipped over this one and it's really good, one of their/his best. Gotta love singer-songwriter bedroom folk about hailing Satan, right? But seriously, we live in a time when there are more earnest white guys with acoustic guitars than ever before, and John Darnielle keeps us from forgetting the important lesson that people in that style can actually be good. 3.5/5 *Sunset Rubdown: Shut Up I Am Dreaming* (2006) and Random Spirit Lover (2007):** Spencer Krug stops sounding like Isaac Brock and starts sounding like David Bowie!... is how I would put this if I were being stupid and reductive. The trouble with Bowie comparisons is that those who invite them - James Murphy, Jarvis Cocker, Krug's Swan Lake collaborator Dan Bejar - are, like the great man himself, too unique too be put in a box like that. You know Krug as the better, less conventional half of Wolf Parade even if you haven't heard his Sunset Rubdown stuff. But seriously, listen to his Sunset Rubdown stuff. It's got a sort of glammy chamber-pop feel to it, and it fits him even better than the rock-band-with-occasional-theremin Wolf Parade stuff. I think I like the first one a little better, but the second one grew on me as I listened. I'm going to say 3.5/5, 4/5. *Snowman: The Horse, the Rat, and the Swan* (2008):** When I listen to, say, the Pop Group's Y, or Nick Cave's From Her to Eternity, I know the historical context. And when I listen to Snowman, I also know the historical context. This album is great, but what I really have to credit it with is showing me that this kind of sort of funky post-punk is cutting-edge and challenging even now. The album is well-paced, opening with frenzied tribalistic drumming and shouty vocals, but increasing the frequency of quieter, just-as-hypnotic songs. If you're into more out-there post-punk like the stuff I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, this album really should be a must. Definitely check it out (and once again thanks to bob. for mentioning another one of their albums in the 1001 albums thread - that one is on my list, and I have high hopes based on its predecessor). 4.5/5 *Tyondai Braxton: Central Market* (2009):** So Braxton's pedigree, obviously, is impeccable - Anthony Braxton's son, member of Battles, general Cool Person - but I'd never heard any of his solo stuff before. I'm glad I changed that. This is a sort of neoclassical album, another well-paced one. In this case, it's sort of a progression from the more conventional stuff into more envelope-pushing material. While this seems like a tough trick, Central Market completely pulls it off. If I have to pick one song that exemplifies that transition, it's the centerpiece, "Platinum Rows", where the most epic string swells on the album alternate with kazoo solos - and this seems totally natural. The album has to be listened to as a whole, and it's really cool hearing how we get from the cheerful horns of "Opening Bell" to the Krautrock chug of "J. City" and the ragged ending of "Dead Strings". It's just a really excellent album. 4/5 Starting tomorrow (maybe - I'll be more active on weekends because school), you'll see a lot more range in my ratings, because I'll be talking about a lot of what I listen to, not just what I really like. I really hope this gets approved, and (if it does) thanks for reading! Last edited by Josef K; 11-29-2014 at 10:38 PM. Reason: Said Frog Eyes instead of Swan Lake - fixed!