Urban's Never-ending A to Z

Urban Hat€monger ? · 06-22-2008, 07:11 PM

65daysofstatic - The Destruction Of Small Ideas - 2007

I think I may be in possession of this due to someone from this site telling me to check it out but I can't remember for the life of me who it was.
I'm a bit undecided what to make of this album. I didn't mind it but I began to tire of it pretty quickly. to me a huge majority of the songs just sounded like something in between Trail Of Dead & At the Drive In but without lyrics. I couldn't see an awful lot of originality on this album. There are a few electronic bits scattered around and a load of orchestral bits but they don't really do anything to add to it. To be honest the whole soft / loud /soft / loud thing bores me to death and on this album it seems to be in abundance. And why is it that virtually every track needs a minute or two to warm up?
There seems to be an abundance of this kind of Math rock / Post rock (Not my label so no genre arguments please , I really don't care) hybrid sort of thing around at the moment and to me they nearly all sound as anonymous as this does. I'm not entirely sure how you listen to this stuff. It's far too abrasive & noisy to listen to as background music but on the other hand it's a bit too dull & repetitive to actually listen to as you would say a commercial rock or pop record. Not that I can't listen to that kind of stuff like that but I need a hook or a rhythm to keep me interested. There are lots of guitars but they just seem to drone on & on. there are lots of drums too but no memorable rhythms .If fact this whole album seems to be devoid of any hooks or rhythm .
I can see why people like this stuff but it just isn't for me. The only songs that really stood out for me was 'Music is Music as Devices are Kisses is Everything' which sounded more like an epic film score than anything.And 'The Distant & Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties' was a nice little electronica song in the same vein as Radiohead's Idoiteque. If the rest of the material on the album was up to this standard of these two songs I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

2/10

eyevocal · 05-04-2009, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

The 012 - Let's Get Professional - 1984
"The 012 would like it to be generally known that they have now sold out completely, but will be doing all they can to maintain that urban guerilla pop star image in the future."
So says the album sleeve

I know very little about this band but some digging around I discovered it was recorded in 1981 but not released until 1984 on some obscure label called Flicknife Records.
Their lead singer is the wonderfully named Kif Kif Le Batter. Playing on bass on some of the tracks on this album is a guy called Granto Showbiz , and i'm wondering if this is the same guy as Fall producer Grant Showbiz.

At first this album sounds like your typical post punk album with A Certain Ratio basslines , JAMC type guitars and Fall like vocals. But it's when the covers kick in where things either really get started or totally fall apart depending on your point of view.

There's a brilliant cover of Bob Marley's Three Little Birds which sounds like it's done by an English Captain Beefheart and with no melody whatsoever. After that Funky Town by Lipps INC is massacred with vocalist Le Batter proclaiming how shit the song is at regular intervals.

The band's own material stands up very well and a lot better than you'd expect if you'd only heard the covers. There's a couple of throwaway tracks but if abrasive post punk is your thing (And it is mine) then this is well worth a listen.

Rating 6/10

Favourite Songs - Let's Get Professional , Asbestos Lead Asbestos , Live Fast Die Young , Meltdown Situation

The 012 were the band that later became World Domination Enterprises. "Asbestos Lead Asbestos" was re-recorded for the album after the name change, Let's Play Domination (if the song title rings a bell, it's because Meat Beat Manifesto covered it on their Subliminal Sandwich album). A new(er) version of "Funkytown" is also on that album, without the asides putting down the song.

jackhammer · 05-05-2009, 12:17 PM

2/10 for 65daysofstatic

. The lack of hooks are why I like them personally and I find the heavier approach coupled with the odd elctronic beats sets them apart from many other bands. When I listen to this sort of thing I imagine it as film soundtrack music that fits certain moods and scenarios and may not neccessarily be a cohesive whole. I know the review was last year but I must have missed it first time around.

I can also definitely see people being completely nonplussed with them too.

gotjuice · 05-05-2009, 05:36 PM

If that's the only 65daysofstatic you've heard, I'd recommend at least giving The Fall of Math a listen. IMO it's much better than Destruction of Small Ideas.

Shoe · 05-05-2009, 06:30 PM

I like 65daysofstatic

Am I still allowed to worship you urban?

jackhammer · 05-06-2009, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotjuice

If that's the only 65daysofstatic you've heard, I'd recommend at least giving The Fall of Math a listen. IMO it's much better than Destruction of Small Ideas.

One Time For All time is my favourite.

Comus · 05-06-2009, 07:18 AM

Haha yes I hate 65dos too.

gotjuice · 05-06-2009, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

One Time For All time is my favourite.

That would run a close second for me. Fall of Math from beginning to end though is just about perfect, I can listen to it and it'll feel like 10 minutes have barely gone by.

dac · 05-06-2009, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

One Time For All time is my favourite.

That album's never done it for me, to be honest.

06-22-2008, 07:11 PM	#31 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	65daysofstatic - The Destruction Of Small Ideas - 2007 I think I may be in possession of this due to someone from this site telling me to check it out but I can't remember for the life of me who it was. I'm a bit undecided what to make of this album. I didn't mind it but I began to tire of it pretty quickly. to me a huge majority of the songs just sounded like something in between Trail Of Dead & At the Drive In but without lyrics. I couldn't see an awful lot of originality on this album. There are a few electronic bits scattered around and a load of orchestral bits but they don't really do anything to add to it. To be honest the whole soft / loud /soft / loud thing bores me to death and on this album it seems to be in abundance. And why is it that virtually every track needs a minute or two to warm up? There seems to be an abundance of this kind of Math rock / Post rock (Not my label so no genre arguments please , I really don't care) hybrid sort of thing around at the moment and to me they nearly all sound as anonymous as this does. I'm not entirely sure how you listen to this stuff. It's far too abrasive & noisy to listen to as background music but on the other hand it's a bit too dull & repetitive to actually listen to as you would say a commercial rock or pop record. Not that I can't listen to that kind of stuff like that but I need a hook or a rhythm to keep me interested. There are lots of guitars but they just seem to drone on & on. there are lots of drums too but no memorable rhythms .If fact this whole album seems to be devoid of any hooks or rhythm . I can see why people like this stuff but it just isn't for me. The only songs that really stood out for me was 'Music is Music as Devices are Kisses is Everything' which sounded more like an epic film score than anything.And 'The Distant & Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties' was a nice little electronica song in the same vein as Radiohead's Idoiteque. If the rest of the material on the album was up to this standard of these two songs I would have enjoyed it a lot more. 2/10 __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

05-05-2009, 12:17 PM	#33 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	2/10 for 65daysofstatic . The lack of hooks are why I like them personally and I find the heavier approach coupled with the odd elctronic beats sets them apart from many other bands. When I listen to this sort of thing I imagine it as film soundtrack music that fits certain moods and scenarios and may not neccessarily be a cohesive whole. I know the review was last year but I must have missed it first time around. I can also definitely see people being completely nonplussed with them too. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

05-05-2009, 05:36 PM	#34 (permalink)
gotjuice Rose City til I die! Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 366	If that's the only 65daysofstatic you've heard, I'd recommend at least giving The Fall of Math a listen. IMO it's much better than Destruction of Small Ideas.