What Are You Listening To Right Now? II

grindy · 01-13-2016, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Nice to see you on the Ubu train. I still need to listen to their later albums, but "30 Seconds to Tokyo" is one of my all-time favorite alternative songs.

Hit me up if you need Ubu rec's. That's something I really am a huge nerd at.

The Batlord · 01-13-2016, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

Hit me up if you need Ubu rec's. That's something I really am a huge nerd at.

I'm really only familiar with their early singles and first two albums. Would love to know what top albums to check out next and what vaguely to expect from their discography.

I never understood why people like the Dead Boys. As far as I'm concerned, the Dead Boys were just the boring, generic-punk chaff that David Thomas and Peter Laughner dropped to form a much better band than Rocket from the Tombs.

Black Francis · 01-13-2016, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Nice to see you on the Ubu train. I still need to listen to their later albums, but "30 Seconds to Tokyo" is one of my all-time favorite alternative songs.

The only full album ive heard from them so far has been dub housing but ive been listening to a couple individual songs from other albums.

The Batlord · 01-13-2016, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Francis

The only full album ive heard from them so far has been dub housing but ive been listening to a couple individual songs from other albums.

I'd highly suggest The Modern Dance. It's pretty much the buildup to Dub Housing. It's more accessible and garage rock, but it's still plenty weird. Their first few singles are also excellent, but like I said, "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" pwns all (I believe it was their first single, and the song that basically inspired the creation of the band). It's like if Black Sabbath were an art rock band. You can check that **** out on their Terminal Tower comp.

**Frownland** · 01-13-2016, 03:55 PM

New Picnic Time and The Art of Walking are just as good as the first two (although Dub Housing is my fave).

grindy · 01-13-2016, 04:06 PM

Absolutely share your opinion about the Dead Boys.

So...
Pretty much all their albums before their disbandment in the early 80s are good and worth a listen.
They get progressively more whimsical and experimental and less punkish, a development you no doubt already noticed between The Modern Dance and Dub Housing.
Their reunion album The Tenement Year isn't as highly regarded as their early stuff, but I really love it. The synthesizers are wilder than ever, there is some great guitar there, there are two drummers, one of them the amazing Chris Cutler. A lot of the songs are more conventional, but the arrangements and the overall craziness still make them fun and typically Ubu.
Cloudland and World In Collision, the two albums after that, are their poppiest. It's alternative rock, nothing special. I listen to them now and then, but it's certainly not required listening.
The phase between "Story Of My Life" and "Why I Hate Women" is significantly better, they get weirder again, although the songs aren't as deconstructed as their early work, the mood is mostly darker.
If I'm in the mood for this phase, I usually listen to the live album "A Ghost Town Goes Where You Want To Go". Great selection of songs, cool performance, good sound.
Long Live Père Ubu! is an unusual album even for them, it's based on the Jarry play they took their name from. It features vocals by Sarah Jane Morris. I really like the play and the music is damn cool, Morris also does a great job. The lyrics and music are darkly humorous and often creepy. Pretty good, but possibly not an album for the casual fan.
The two newest albums have an electronic and often minimalistic, calmer sound. They are refreshingly experimental for a band that late in their career and pretty good as well, but I'm not that excited by them. I have to admit though, that I've listened to both only a couple of times.

The Batlord · 01-13-2016, 04:44 PM

How about a Top 5 non-first two album list for me to sink my teeth into for starters?

grindy · 01-13-2016, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

How about a Top 5 non-first two album list for me to sink my teeth into for starters?

New Picnic Time
The Art of Walking
Song of the Bailing Man
The Tenement Year
A Ghost Town Goes Where You Want To Go

**Frownland** · 01-13-2016, 04:52 PM

I really liked Lady From Shanghai as well.

grindy · 01-13-2016, 05:04 PM

If Batlord feels that the three oldest albums are becoming to disjointed and unrocky for his taste, this would be certainly one to check out.
I'll have to give the their two last albums several more spins as well.
Once I finished binging on Bowie, which might take a while.

Edit: Although now that I think about it, Lady From Shanghai is pretty unrocky as well.

01-13-2016, 03:55 PM	#15695 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	New Picnic Time and The Art of Walking are just as good as the first two (although Dub Housing is my fave). __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

01-13-2016, 04:06 PM	#15696 (permalink)
grindy . Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: . Posts: 7,201	Absolutely share your opinion about the Dead Boys. So... Pretty much all their albums before their disbandment in the early 80s are good and worth a listen. They get progressively more whimsical and experimental and less punkish, a development you no doubt already noticed between The Modern Dance and Dub Housing. Their reunion album The Tenement Year isn't as highly regarded as their early stuff, but I really love it. The synthesizers are wilder than ever, there is some great guitar there, there are two drummers, one of them the amazing Chris Cutler. A lot of the songs are more conventional, but the arrangements and the overall craziness still make them fun and typically Ubu. Cloudland and World In Collision, the two albums after that, are their poppiest. It's alternative rock, nothing special. I listen to them now and then, but it's certainly not required listening. The phase between "Story Of My Life" and "Why I Hate Women" is significantly better, they get weirder again, although the songs aren't as deconstructed as their early work, the mood is mostly darker. If I'm in the mood for this phase, I usually listen to the live album "A Ghost Town Goes Where You Want To Go". Great selection of songs, cool performance, good sound. Long Live Père Ubu! is an unusual album even for them, it's based on the Jarry play they took their name from. It features vocals by Sarah Jane Morris. I really like the play and the music is damn cool, Morris also does a great job. The lyrics and music are darkly humorous and often creepy. Pretty good, but possibly not an album for the casual fan. The two newest albums have an electronic and often minimalistic, calmer sound. They are refreshingly experimental for a band that late in their career and pretty good as well, but I'm not that excited by them. I have to admit though, that I've listened to both only a couple of times. __________________ *A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.*

01-13-2016, 04:52 PM	#15699 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	I really liked Lady From Shanghai as well. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

01-13-2016, 05:04 PM	#15700 (permalink)
grindy . Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: . Posts: 7,201	If Batlord feels that the three oldest albums are becoming to disjointed and unrocky for his taste, this would be certainly one to check out. I'll have to give the their two last albums several more spins as well. Once I finished binging on Bowie, which might take a while. Edit: Although now that I think about it, Lady From Shanghai is pretty unrocky as well. __________________ *A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.* Last edited by grindy; 01-13-2016 at 05:11 PM.