Engine

Unsurprisingly to me, I'm on the fence about a lot of these albums. Knives Out! reminds me of Acid Bath or some other Dax band so that's good but I seem to only like portions of songs that you posted.

I'm always interested in what Testament is up to and I didn't realize they had made anything new but.. I'm not sure if I need anything new from them.

Those Susanne Sundfør songs sound kind of nice, better than Fiona Apple, but Fiona only sounds sort of okay to me. In this review you insulted me for hating Yes but liking Swans. So I'm kind of offended but I haven't listened to The Seer yet. I know I don't like Yes so now I'm even more reluctant to devote time to The Seer (thank you much) but I will say that I definitely like My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky despite my definite dislike of Yes.

Also, I hate every band that you mentioned in your review of The Night Flight Orchestra (Led Zeppelin's okay) but I still like the songs you posted. (I'll take a link, please )

I'm not sure I agree that The Panic Division made a better 80s pop revival record than any of the bands that tried in the past 10 or 12 years. But maybe.

As always, your taste is intriguing and your writing is good enough to beguile me. I just don't know what to think.

Great job this year

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Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

Anteater

And a great job to you too, good sir.

First of all, that Testament record is easily the best thing they've done since they got started in the late 80's, so that's why its worth checking out even if you aren't planning on furthering your library with their material.

Also, believe it or not, I actually like Swans (and to a less extent, Michael Gira's more solo-oriented output as well) quite a bit. The point I was trying to make is that a lot of the more experimental drone and post-rock that some people around here put on a pedestal isn't all that different from a lot of the 70's progressive rock that they consider to be pretentious. Yes, there are aesthetic differences and whatnot, but I still consider it to be something of a double standard as far as genre appraisal goes.

Then again, I'm a tad surprised anyone can completely hate Yes even if you aren't particularly prog-friendly, especially on some of their more blistering and strange records like 1975's Relayer, which you might want to give a whirl at some point if you haven't done so in the past.

The Panic Division are more interesting than a lot of the other 80's pop revivalists out there because he (Colton Holliday) melds that aesthetic with more contemporary-ish hooks and arrangements. That facet isn't all that surprising considering his history as a frontman in a post-hardcore group, but it certainly sets his music apart from the majority.

But yeah, I'll be sending The Night Flight Orchestra your way. Enjoy!!

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Engine

As promised, here are my reflections on the Night Flight Orchestra album:

I'm a bit stunned at my reaction to this because I like it the whole way through, mostly. Normally I hate when rock bands base their songs on major chord progressions and match every element (guitar, bass, voice, beats) to that progression. But this album took me off guard.

It has subtle elements that make me like it and most of them are probably personal. Based on my own experiences with the music I heard as a child.

First of all, if the vocalist had made noises at a pitch that were even slightly different than he did, I would probably not be able to listen to this. But he doesn't go too far off the rails for me, never going too dramatic or falsetto. He sings like a 70s/80s rock singer that I find acceptable.

Now, before I approve any of the other current prog-esque acts that I've heard, I must note that I can barely get through this band's song entitled "Transatlantic Blues" because it goes on forever. I appreciate its lack of proggy noodlings but it's still too long. Way too long.

But there's something I like about this album so I'll try to place it. For one, a lot of it generally sounds like 80s hard rock that I like (I dunno, Dokken Lite?). Also, I like the 70s disco/rock sounds on "Internal Affairs" and while "1998" for example is almost too cheesy for me, its cheesiness manages to fly under my radar. Some of the other songs also almost turn me off completely but then end up sounding just enough like War (or some-such) that I like them.

Overall, this album sounds like it was made by a band whose 70s and 80s singles I like. I doubt I can adequately describe that with words. It's just a feeling and even the saxophone interludes don't bother me much. Essentially, almost every time that it fully turns into prog cheese, it returns to the territory of plain old 3-minute classic rock songs.

Granted, if I'm not in the mood for major chords, this turns me way off, but if I am in that mood then the album gives me a listening experience similar to that of the 'heavy' bands that were on 70s and 80s pop radio, and I like that.

__________________

Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.