The Monthly Music Trading Post

duga · 08-11-2010, 08:43 AM

Shoes - Black Vinyl Shoes

James sent me this one. With the first song, I was a bit worried since the vocals annoyed me a bit. Luckily, that only happened for the first song. I even ended up liking the first song, so I guess I'm trying to say the vocals don't really bug me after all. Anyways, this album is peppered with amazingly catchy power pop songs mixed in with some forgettable ones. A lot of Bowie influence and an obvious precursor to a lot of the new wave 80's stuff that happened, this album does sound a bit ahead of its time (when you think about how it was released in the 70's and sounds like it came straight out of the 80's). They also seem to have some 60's psych influence, which is always a plus with me. I don't think I will be hungrily devouring all of their material, though...even though the songs are catchy and well worth the listen, these songs have been done hundreds of times since. Shoes may have been the innovators here, but sadly it makes their songs sound more tired than they should. An all around solid album, I would recommend this one to people interested in power pop for sure. I may even have an urge to pop this on again as well. I give it a 7.5/10. Thanks, James.

And I just want to point out no one has done reviews for my albums. Thanks, guys.

~~James~~ · 08-11-2010, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duga

Shoes - Black Vinyl Shoes

James sent me this one. With the first song, I was a bit worried since the vocals annoyed me a bit. Luckily, that only happened for the first song. I even ended up liking the first song, so I guess I'm trying to say the vocals don't really bug me after all. Anyways, this album is peppered with amazingly catchy power pop songs mixed in with some forgettable ones. A lot of Bowie influence and an obvious precursor to a lot of the new wave 80's stuff that happened, this album does sound a bit ahead of its time (when you think about how it was released in the 70's and sounds like it came straight out of the 80's). They also seem to have some 60's psych influence, which is always a plus with me. I don't think I will be hungrily devouring all of their material, though...even though the songs are catchy and well worth the listen, these songs have been done hundreds of times since. Shoes may have been the innovators here, but sadly it makes their songs sound more tired than they should. An all around solid album, I would recommend this one to people interested in power pop for sure. I may even have an urge to pop this on again as well. I give it a 7.5/10. Thanks, James.

And I just want to point out no one has done reviews for my albums. Thanks, guys.

I'll try and write mine tonight.
Sorry

duga · 08-11-2010, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James

I'll try and write mine tonight.
Sorry

Haha, I was just being dramatic. Take your time. I am curious to know what you thought of the album, though.

CanwllCorfe · 08-11-2010, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duga

And I just want to point out no one has done reviews for my albums. Thanks, guys.

! You liar that lies! I did! You sent me Seu Jorge's album.. Cru I believe? I don't recall much of my review but I do remember thinking it was quite a sunny summer album.

duga · 08-12-2010, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanwllCorfe

! You liar that lies! I did! You sent me Seu Jorge's album.. Cru I believe? I don't recall much of my review but I do remember thinking it was quite a sunny summer album.

I remember, man...I was only talking about the last trade. I did a two way trade and neither person has reviewed my albums yet. Your review of that Seu Jorge album was much appreciated.

~~James~~ · 08-13-2010, 09:25 AM

My Little Airport-Zoo Is Sad, People Are Cruel

I have had plenty of experiences with Twee Pop, before I reset my Last fm. I had 400 plays for Belle And Sebastian for gods sake. But this is on a whole new level. My Little Airport are, from what I can tell a duo from Hong Kong. Who are so ****ing Twee I thought at first they had a six year old in the band. But that's not a bad thing, I like my music to be upbeat, to make me smile. This album certainly made me smile. The first thing I noticed (other that the cheer) was that the song titles have nothing in common with the lyrics to the song. The song titles are gorgeously cute "Leo, Are You Still Jumping Out Of Windows In Expensive Clothes?" is a funny and cute title, but has no relevance to the song which is a little strange.

I think "You Don't Want To Be My Girlfriend, Pheobe" and i shall be listening to this again on a rainy day, possible the best thing i've been sent in trades. Cheered me right up.

Bulldog · 08-13-2010, 10:33 AM

8/14 done for this swap. Good going so far people, keep them coming

As for me, I've been called into work tonight, so nothing from yours truly 'til tomorrow morning.

dankrsta · 08-17-2010, 02:32 PM

From Bulldog

Cuong Vu - It's Mostly Residual (2005)

Well, this was an interesting listen. I gave it a spin about five times throughout this past week and my initial favorite tracks and moments are still holding up. Since I'm trying to find out what kind of jazz appeals to me the most, this was a good trade. The music here can be described as a modern jazz-rock fusion, but that is to oversimplify things and not tell the whole story, because rock here is transformed after the post-rock experience and jazz is torn between Pat Metheny-esque melancholic, ambient melodies and free jazz/avant-garde iconoclastic approach. This works best when Cuong Vu, a trumpet player, the main man himself and his company that consists of a guitarist, bassist and a drummer, engage in an adventurous, intricate interplay that transforms the music in such a way that it's no longer jazz nor rock. Those are the strongest moments of the album, evident in my favorite track Expressions of a Neurotic Impulse. It starts with fast, short, repetitive trumpet riffs that drive the composition forward and are quickly accompanied by frenetic rhythm section (drumming here is amazing). When the guitar shows it infuses this linear, driving composition with abstraction and a hint of chaos. This makes for a strong tension. Eventually, the whole piece is broken and we're entering a world of guitar noise and cacophony. The improvisational interplay from all players here is great, especially when Vu's trumpet starts to scream in agony in an attempt to escape this chaos. That's the highest point of intensity, after which the composition goes back to that playful, linear drive it started with. Just great.

Another stand out for me is Brittle, Like Twigs, a funky driven track that almost sounds like something from Tortoise. There's also losing of a drive here and venturing into the free jazz freak-out and coming back again. That tension of building up and breaking is more or less present in all tracks especially when build up is made of melancholic melodies. They don't always break completely, but the tension is there. The perfect example of this is the title track It's Mostly Residual.

The only problem I have here is a rather long build up in two longest tracks that could have easily been shorter, Patchwork and Blur. The Metheny-esque ambient melodies are not compelling enough for me to listen to them for that long. I can't feel some deeper beauty there and they work best when juxtaposed against an improvisational danger. It is essentially the same problem I sometimes have with too long build ups in post-rock. In this case, there is also a feeling that the music can't always decide will it follow a more traditional fusion or will it transform itself through a total avant-garde approach. But, like I said, there are some very good moments in these two tracks too, especially in Patchwork. Oh well...

All in all, this is a very good album that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in jazz, fusion and avant-jazz. Thanks Bulldog.

Dr.Seussicide · 08-17-2010, 02:34 PM

I wanna do the next one

bob. · 08-17-2010, 04:04 PM

that album cover is enthralling....i love it

08-11-2010, 08:43 AM	#1551 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	Shoes - Black Vinyl Shoes James sent me this one. With the first song, I was a bit worried since the vocals annoyed me a bit. Luckily, that only happened for the first song. I even ended up liking the first song, so I guess I'm trying to say the vocals don't really bug me after all. Anyways, this album is peppered with amazingly catchy power pop songs mixed in with some forgettable ones. A lot of Bowie influence and an obvious precursor to a lot of the new wave 80's stuff that happened, this album does sound a bit ahead of its time (when you think about how it was released in the 70's and sounds like it came straight out of the 80's). They also seem to have some 60's psych influence, which is always a plus with me. I don't think I will be hungrily devouring all of their material, though...even though the songs are catchy and well worth the listen, these songs have been done hundreds of times since. Shoes may have been the innovators here, but sadly it makes their songs sound more tired than they should. An all around solid album, I would recommend this one to people interested in power pop for sure. I may even have an urge to pop this on again as well. I give it a 7.5/10. Thanks, James. And I just want to point out no one has done reviews for my albums. Thanks, guys. __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph...

08-17-2010, 02:32 PM	#1558 (permalink)
dankrsta ... Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,776	From Bulldog Cuong Vu - It's Mostly Residual (2005) Well, this was an interesting listen. I gave it a spin about five times throughout this past week and my initial favorite tracks and moments are still holding up. Since I'm trying to find out what kind of jazz appeals to me the most, this was a good trade. The music here can be described as a modern jazz-rock fusion, but that is to oversimplify things and not tell the whole story, because rock here is transformed after the post-rock experience and jazz is torn between Pat Metheny-esque melancholic, ambient melodies and free jazz/avant-garde iconoclastic approach. This works best when Cuong Vu, a trumpet player, the main man himself and his company that consists of a guitarist, bassist and a drummer, engage in an adventurous, intricate interplay that transforms the music in such a way that it's no longer jazz nor rock. Those are the strongest moments of the album, evident in my favorite track Expressions of a Neurotic Impulse. It starts with fast, short, repetitive trumpet riffs that drive the composition forward and are quickly accompanied by frenetic rhythm section (drumming here is amazing). When the guitar shows it infuses this linear, driving composition with abstraction and a hint of chaos. This makes for a strong tension. Eventually, the whole piece is broken and we're entering a world of guitar noise and cacophony. The improvisational interplay from all players here is great, especially when Vu's trumpet starts to scream in agony in an attempt to escape this chaos. That's the highest point of intensity, after which the composition goes back to that playful, linear drive it started with. Just great. Another stand out for me is Brittle, Like Twigs, a funky driven track that almost sounds like something from Tortoise. There's also losing of a drive here and venturing into the free jazz freak-out and coming back again. That tension of building up and breaking is more or less present in all tracks especially when build up is made of melancholic melodies. They don't always break completely, but the tension is there. The perfect example of this is the title track It's Mostly Residual. The only problem I have here is a rather long build up in two longest tracks that could have easily been shorter, Patchwork and Blur. The Metheny-esque ambient melodies are not compelling enough for me to listen to them for that long. I can't feel some deeper beauty there and they work best when juxtaposed against an improvisational danger. It is essentially the same problem I sometimes have with too long build ups in post-rock. In this case, there is also a feeling that the music can't always decide will it follow a more traditional fusion or will it transform itself through a total avant-garde approach. But, like I said, there are some very good moments in these two tracks too, especially in Patchwork. Oh well... All in all, this is a very good album that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in jazz, fusion and avant-jazz. Thanks Bulldog. __________________ Last.fm

08-17-2010, 02:34 PM	#1559 (permalink)
Dr.Seussicide FakingSuicideForApplause Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: I live in a van down by the river Posts: 1,365	I wanna do the next one __________________ I'll stay if I ever could, and pick up your pieces babe, because there's never a perfect day. Don't fret, baby, we're simply growing And my darling, I wouldn't mind to die like this.

08-17-2010, 04:04 PM	#1560 (permalink)
bob. Still sends his reguards. Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trying to get out of the cat town.... Posts: 5,039	that album cover is enthralling....i love it __________________ A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism. Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose.

08-13-2010, 09:25 AM	#1556 (permalink)
~~James~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Scotland Posts: 4,483	My Little Airport-Zoo Is Sad, People Are Cruel I have had plenty of experiences with Twee Pop, before I reset my Last fm. I had 400 plays for Belle And Sebastian for gods sake. But this is on a whole new level. My Little Airport are, from what I can tell a duo from Hong Kong. Who are so ****ing Twee I thought at first they had a six year old in the band. But that's not a bad thing, I like my music to be upbeat, to make me smile. This album certainly made me smile. The first thing I noticed (other that the cheer) was that the song titles have nothing in common with the lyrics to the song. The song titles are gorgeously cute "Leo, Are You Still Jumping Out Of Windows In Expensive Clothes?" is a funny and cute title, but has no relevance to the song which is a little strange. I think "You Don't Want To Be My Girlfriend, Pheobe" and i shall be listening to this again on a rainy day, possible the best thing i've been sent in trades. Cheered me right up.

08-13-2010, 10:33 AM	#1557 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	8/14 done for this swap. Good going so far people, keep them coming As for me, I've been called into work tonight, so nothing from yours truly 'til tomorrow morning.