MB GENERAL ALBUM CLUB: Pg.Lost - Key

debaserr · 10-15-2011, 12:27 PM

I'm downloading a FLAC copy of this, if anyone needs help finding any version of this, I'm your man.

bob. · 10-15-2011, 01:03 PM

thanks eric....i found a 320 pretty quick.....finally an album i voted for wins

just by the song titles i love this album......looking forward to this one for sure

Zer0 · 10-15-2011, 03:17 PM

What are this albums' strengths?
The main thing that I like about this album is that it invokes the feel of the undersea world so well. The band were asked to score a series of undersea documentaries and they came up with these eight instrumental tracks. The documentaries themselves are certainly worth watching and their music goes so well with the videos, but the music also stands up remarkable on their own. Even when you're not watching the videos you can imagine all these creatures floating around in their beautiful underwater environment. I also find it really amazing that Yo La Tengo recorded this music, they've proved themselves to be an incredibly diverse band with their sound ranging from noisy alternative rock to mellow ballads, to ambient music.

What are its weaknessess?
At 78 minutes the album can be very demanding to listen to. I do admit that my attention tends to wander at times throughout this, but there's plenty of variety to keep you hooked in most places. It's also a bit inaccessable compared to the band's regular albums, perhaps even coming across as self-indulgent. One of the things that make Yo La Tengo such a great band are great songs and confessional lyrics and this album is a big departure from that.

How does it compare to the artist's other work?
It's certainly a lot different than other Yo La Tengo albums. Yo La Tengo are one of the greatest American indie rock bands of the past 25 years and although they've had the odd ambient track on previous albums this is the first album I've heard from them that is completely instrumental ambient music. I think it's amazing that they were able to pull off such an album.

Favourite songs?
My favourite would probably be the opener 'Sea Urchins'. The hypnotic bass and percussion creates a nice easy and relaxing atmosphere and the tracks itself contains many twists and turns and features a nice variety of instruments. A great opening track and also goes really well with the accompanying video

What feelings did this album evoke?
The feeling of swimming with the fishies. As I mention before the album does a really great job of invoking the wonder of the undersea world and all the various wildlife that live under the sea. It's also a very relaxing album to listen to in general.

How does this album fit into your regular rotation?
It's probably not an album I'd listen to too often but I would give it a spin sometimes. I'd rather listen to their regular alt-rock albums to be completely honest. But if I'm in need of an ambient fix this will hit the spot.

How does this album represent the chosen theme?
Well it's a completely instrumental album so I guess it represent the chosen theme pretty damn well.

How does this album compare to other albums nominated for this theme?
The only other album nominated for this theme that I've heard is The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw by Pelican since it was my nomination. The chosen album is a lot more ambient and relaxed compared to the epic post-metal of Pelican. The Yo La Tengo album however lacks the dynamic of the Pelican album which sometimes builds and build into huge walls of heavy guitars yet can also be beautiful and mellow in other parts.

Can you recommend similar albums to this?
I'm not really that familiar with instrumental ambient music, but one artist people could check out would be Natural Snow Buildings. They have a lot of albums but all of them are meant to be very good. I have their last album Waves Of The Random Sea and I'd definitely recommend it.

What does this album's artwork say about it? Is it well paired with the music?
The album artworks gives you a good idea of the theme of this album and itself has a nice soft feel to it. The colour scheme reminds you of the greens, blues and twinkling lights that are present in the undersea world. Overall a perfect match for the music on the album.

bob. · 10-17-2011, 10:36 AM

wow.....just finished my first listen....this album is amazing....by far the best in this club yet....more to come

Paedantic Basterd · 10-19-2011, 12:00 AM

I have a very typical problem with ambient albums, in that I'm rarely inclined to listen to them more than once. They're frequently repetitive and overlong, and asides from invoking a pleasant, sleepy mood, don't often offer much to remember them by. That said, this is a diverse album with plenty of memorable moments, and while it's longer than I prefer my albums to be, it's one of the few such albums I'd be keen to hear again.

My relationship with Yo La Tengo generally isn't that great. I've also heard I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One and I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, and they were both pleasant, but a bit dull. Yo La Tengo is one of those artists I feel I should enjoy a lot more than I actually do. The Sounds of the Sounds of Science is probably the most intriguing album I've heard from them so far, but I'm determined to find something in their discography I'd listen to regularly.

My favourite tracks were Shrimp Stories and How Some Jellyfish Are Born. On the whole, this is my favourite club album so far as well. Great piece of album art to go with it.

EDIT: Pretty much put me to sleep at my computer, but in the best possible way. I ought to get into the habit of listening to ambient music at night before bed. I feel like it would help me fall asleep at a more reasonable pace than the hour+ it takes me as is.

Lisnaholic · 10-21-2011, 05:10 PM

First listen, I felt as enthusiastic as bob about this album: it`s a lot livelier than many ambient albums I`ve heard, and all the tracks have something going on, a relaxed beat or something else to hold your interest. There is even some powerful, distorted guitar playing on Love Life of an Octopus, which makes it my fave track.

But after listening some more, I began to share some of Pedestrian`s misgivings too; there are some slow, repetitive parts, and worse, peeping through the whole album, were various sections that felt as if I`d heard them before. One bit could`ve been by Edgar Froesse ; when I heard Liquid Crystals I thought I`d put on the Ummagumma live album by mistake, while a couple of other tracks reminded me strongly of this album from 1972 :-

As I`d never come across Yo La Tengo before, Zero`s detailed analysis was very interesting to read, especially the part about how the album was conceived as a soundtrack. That certainly explains its rather un-assertive quality.

So, summing up, I`d say that this band have done a really good, but rather unambitious job. Apparently content to make an album of more-or-less background music, and to recycle the sounds of earlier innovators, they`ve produced a very agreeable album. I`m sure I`ll listen to, and enjoy it again, but I`ll probably only play it when I have something else to occupy my attention !

Paedantic Basterd · 10-22-2011, 11:09 AM

The themes are now up for voting!

If you're starting to get bored of these themes, then you've got to remember: SUBMIT SOME NEW ONES. I've only had one person submit anything for the last two months, and not a single suggestion for this current round!

If we get a big enough pool of themes, then we can really rotate them every month.

How do we feel about doing genres as themes? I'd like to get a bigger pool of themes, and I think this could be fun as long as we don't end up with a theme like twee pop where everybody submits Belle and Sebastian and half the club doesn't join in.

Paedantic Basterd · 10-23-2011, 03:43 PM

Starting next month, themes are going to be handled a bit differently. I've got a list of an absolute crapload of potential themes, which will be randomized, and the first 6 options will be put up for voting. Themes will still be accepted from users, but this way you won't see the same 5 themes every month when nobody submits any.

It should add another element of surprise to the club.

Electrophonic Tonic · 10-25-2011, 09:29 PM

I've been busy with school, but I did get to listen to this album.

I thought it started off a little bit slow and boring. I don't exactly remember the tracks at the time, but the first 15ish minutes was an example of when ambient can be done wrong. There was too little variation, and it was bordering on boredom. After that, I really thought it picked up. I remember once it got a little bit noisier, I really started to notice the textures and found the album really interesting. That continued till the end, and overall, I was left with a very comprehensive ambient album that won't get regular rotation in my music library but will be something I plan on coming back to in the future.

bob. · 10-28-2011, 09:58 AM

so again....i did vote for this one.....and was very pleased with the results....by far the best album i've reviewed in this thread

1) What are this albums' strengths?
there is a wonderful sense of whirling ambiance all through this album....while at the same time sticking to certain good rock elements.....i feel this album is great for driving as much as it is for just relaxing and reading

2) What are its weaknessess?
i suppose some of the tracks can be a bit repetitive....but then the purpose here is to create ambiance.....so its understandable

3) How does it compare to the artist's other work?
i have no idea never really looked into this band.....i suppose at this point it could go either way with me

4) Favourite songs?
like Lisnaholic....Love Life of an Octopus is by far my favorite track on the album.....it really has all the great elements ranging from floating to jarring guitar.....just a stellar track

5) What feelings did this album evoke?
i think they did a great job capturing the concept of the ocean and in many ways it did feel like i was listening to a documentary soundtrack

6) How does this album fit into your regular rotation?
it will stay in my rotation for some time

7) What stood out to you about this album's themes, musically/lyrically?
i really feel without being painfully obvious they were able to create an instrumental rock album that fits perfect with their underwater theme

8) If you've had any noteworthy experiences with this album, what have they been?
driving over donor pass at 2am with a full moon and this album blasting was damn near religious.....a great listen

9) What do you know about this album's creation? Any interesting facts or anecdotes?
nothing except what was posted here

10) How does this album represent the chosen theme?
this one is pretty simple.....no lyrics and or vocals

....they did great in that

11) How does this album compare to other albums nominated for this theme?
well....i'm not a big fan of jazz....so those two were out for me....i nominated the Earth album....and feel it would have been received well....the Pelican album is very good.....and The Sinking Of the Titanic is one of the few pieces of music that has put me in tears.....i suggest all of you to listen to it if you have not....it really is an incredibly moving example of modern minimal composition

12) How does this album compare to others in its genre?
i suppose quite well

13) Can you recommend similar albums to this?
not like this one no

14) What does this album's artwork say about it? Is it well paired with the music?
quite well

View Poll Results: What would you like to see for the next ALBUM?
Yeasayer - Frargrant World	2	18.18%
Normal Love - Survival Tricks	1	9.09%
EL-P - Cancer4Cure	3	27.27%
Diamond Terrifier - Kill the Self That Wants to Kill Yourself	0	0%
Pg.Lost - Key	4	36.36%
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave	1	9.09%
Voters: 11. You may not vote on this poll

10-15-2011, 12:27 PM	#261 (permalink)
debaserr eat the masters Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 5,467	I'm downloading a FLAC copy of this, if anyone needs help finding any version of this, I'm your man. __________________ Last.FM

10-15-2011, 01:03 PM	#262 (permalink)
bob. Still sends his reguards. Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trying to get out of the cat town.... Posts: 5,039	thanks eric....i found a 320 pretty quick.....finally an album i voted for wins just by the song titles i love this album......looking forward to this one for sure __________________ A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism. Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose.

10-15-2011, 03:17 PM	#263 (permalink)
Zer0 ∞ Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 3,792	What are this albums' strengths? The main thing that I like about this album is that it invokes the feel of the undersea world so well. The band were asked to score a series of undersea documentaries and they came up with these eight instrumental tracks. The documentaries themselves are certainly worth watching and their music goes so well with the videos, but the music also stands up remarkable on their own. Even when you're not watching the videos you can imagine all these creatures floating around in their beautiful underwater environment. I also find it really amazing that Yo La Tengo recorded this music, they've proved themselves to be an incredibly diverse band with their sound ranging from noisy alternative rock to mellow ballads, to ambient music. What are its weaknessess? At 78 minutes the album can be very demanding to listen to. I do admit that my attention tends to wander at times throughout this, but there's plenty of variety to keep you hooked in most places. It's also a bit inaccessable compared to the band's regular albums, perhaps even coming across as self-indulgent. One of the things that make Yo La Tengo such a great band are great songs and confessional lyrics and this album is a big departure from that. How does it compare to the artist's other work? It's certainly a lot different than other Yo La Tengo albums. Yo La Tengo are one of the greatest American indie rock bands of the past 25 years and although they've had the odd ambient track on previous albums this is the first album I've heard from them that is completely instrumental ambient music. I think it's amazing that they were able to pull off such an album. Favourite songs? My favourite would probably be the opener 'Sea Urchins'. The hypnotic bass and percussion creates a nice easy and relaxing atmosphere and the tracks itself contains many twists and turns and features a nice variety of instruments. A great opening track and also goes really well with the accompanying video What feelings did this album evoke? The feeling of swimming with the fishies. As I mention before the album does a really great job of invoking the wonder of the undersea world and all the various wildlife that live under the sea. It's also a very relaxing album to listen to in general. How does this album fit into your regular rotation? It's probably not an album I'd listen to too often but I would give it a spin sometimes. I'd rather listen to their regular alt-rock albums to be completely honest. But if I'm in need of an ambient fix this will hit the spot. How does this album represent the chosen theme? Well it's a completely instrumental album so I guess it represent the chosen theme pretty damn well. How does this album compare to other albums nominated for this theme? The only other album nominated for this theme that I've heard is The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw by Pelican since it was my nomination. The chosen album is a lot more ambient and relaxed compared to the epic post-metal of Pelican. The Yo La Tengo album however lacks the dynamic of the Pelican album which sometimes builds and build into huge walls of heavy guitars yet can also be beautiful and mellow in other parts. Can you recommend similar albums to this? I'm not really that familiar with instrumental ambient music, but one artist people could check out would be Natural Snow Buildings. They have a lot of albums but all of them are meant to be very good. I have their last album Waves Of The Random Sea and I'd definitely recommend it. What does this album's artwork say about it? Is it well paired with the music? The album artworks gives you a good idea of the theme of this album and itself has a nice soft feel to it. The colour scheme reminds you of the greens, blues and twinkling lights that are present in the undersea world. Overall a perfect match for the music on the album. __________________ Last FM \| RYM \| The Final Sound

10-17-2011, 10:36 AM	#264 (permalink)
bob. Still sends his reguards. Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trying to get out of the cat town.... Posts: 5,039	wow.....just finished my first listen....this album is amazing....by far the best in this club yet....more to come __________________ A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism. Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose.

10-19-2011, 12:00 AM	#265 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	I have a very typical problem with ambient albums, in that I'm rarely inclined to listen to them more than once. They're frequently repetitive and overlong, and asides from invoking a pleasant, sleepy mood, don't often offer much to remember them by. That said, this is a diverse album with plenty of memorable moments, and while it's longer than I prefer my albums to be, it's one of the few such albums I'd be keen to hear again. My relationship with Yo La Tengo generally isn't that great. I've also heard I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One and I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, and they were both pleasant, but a bit dull. Yo La Tengo is one of those artists I feel I should enjoy a lot more than I actually do. The Sounds of the Sounds of Science is probably the most intriguing album I've heard from them so far, but I'm determined to find something in their discography I'd listen to regularly. My favourite tracks were Shrimp Stories and How Some Jellyfish Are Born. On the whole, this is my favourite club album so far as well. Great piece of album art to go with it. EDIT: Pretty much put me to sleep at my computer, but in the best possible way. I ought to get into the habit of listening to ambient music at night before bed. I feel like it would help me fall asleep at a more reasonable pace than the hour+ it takes me as is.

10-21-2011, 05:10 PM	#266 (permalink)
Lisnaholic ...here to hear... Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: He lives on Love Street Posts: 4,444	First listen, I felt as enthusiastic as bob about this album: it`s a lot livelier than many ambient albums I`ve heard, and all the tracks have something going on, a relaxed beat or something else to hold your interest. There is even some powerful, distorted guitar playing on Love Life of an Octopus, which makes it my fave track. But after listening some more, I began to share some of Pedestrian`s misgivings too; there are some slow, repetitive parts, and worse, peeping through the whole album, were various sections that felt as if I`d heard them before. One bit could`ve been by Edgar Froesse ; when I heard Liquid Crystals I thought I`d put on the Ummagumma live album by mistake, while a couple of other tracks reminded me strongly of this album from 1972 :- As I`d never come across Yo La Tengo before, Zero`s detailed analysis was very interesting to read, especially the part about how the album was conceived as a soundtrack. That certainly explains its rather un-assertive quality. So, summing up, I`d say that this band have done a really good, but rather unambitious job. Apparently content to make an album of more-or-less background music, and to recycle the sounds of earlier innovators, they`ve produced a very agreeable album. I`m sure I`ll listen to, and enjoy it again, but I`ll probably only play it when I have something else to occupy my attention !

10-22-2011, 11:09 AM	#267 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	The themes are now up for voting! If you're starting to get bored of these themes, then you've got to remember: SUBMIT SOME NEW ONES. I've only had one person submit anything for the last two months, and not a single suggestion for this current round! If we get a big enough pool of themes, then we can really rotate them every month. How do we feel about doing genres as themes? I'd like to get a bigger pool of themes, and I think this could be fun as long as we don't end up with a theme like twee pop where everybody submits Belle and Sebastian and half the club doesn't join in.

10-23-2011, 03:43 PM	#268 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	Starting next month, themes are going to be handled a bit differently. I've got a list of an absolute crapload of potential themes, which will be randomized, and the first 6 options will be put up for voting. Themes will still be accepted from users, but this way you won't see the same 5 themes every month when nobody submits any. It should add another element of surprise to the club.

10-25-2011, 09:29 PM	#269 (permalink)
Electrophonic Tonic Your Ad Here Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: The Twilight Zone Posts: 876	I've been busy with school, but I did get to listen to this album. I thought it started off a little bit slow and boring. I don't exactly remember the tracks at the time, but the first 15ish minutes was an example of when ambient can be done wrong. There was too little variation, and it was bordering on boredom. After that, I really thought it picked up. I remember once it got a little bit noisier, I really started to notice the textures and found the album really interesting. That continued till the end, and overall, I was left with a very comprehensive ambient album that won't get regular rotation in my music library but will be something I plan on coming back to in the future.

10-28-2011, 09:58 AM	#270 (permalink)
bob. Still sends his reguards. Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trying to get out of the cat town.... Posts: 5,039	so again....i did vote for this one.....and was very pleased with the results....by far the best album i've reviewed in this thread 1) What are this albums' strengths? there is a wonderful sense of whirling ambiance all through this album....while at the same time sticking to certain good rock elements.....i feel this album is great for driving as much as it is for just relaxing and reading 2) What are its weaknessess? i suppose some of the tracks can be a bit repetitive....but then the purpose here is to create ambiance.....so its understandable 3) How does it compare to the artist's other work? i have no idea never really looked into this band.....i suppose at this point it could go either way with me 4) Favourite songs? like Lisnaholic....Love Life of an Octopus is by far my favorite track on the album.....it really has all the great elements ranging from floating to jarring guitar.....just a stellar track 5) What feelings did this album evoke? i think they did a great job capturing the concept of the ocean and in many ways it did feel like i was listening to a documentary soundtrack 6) How does this album fit into your regular rotation? it will stay in my rotation for some time 7) What stood out to you about this album's themes, musically/lyrically? i really feel without being painfully obvious they were able to create an instrumental rock album that fits perfect with their underwater theme 8) If you've had any noteworthy experiences with this album, what have they been? driving over donor pass at 2am with a full moon and this album blasting was damn near religious.....a great listen 9) What do you know about this album's creation? Any interesting facts or anecdotes? nothing except what was posted here 10) How does this album represent the chosen theme? this one is pretty simple.....no lyrics and or vocals ....they did great in that 11) How does this album compare to other albums nominated for this theme? well....i'm not a big fan of jazz....so those two were out for me....i nominated the Earth album....and feel it would have been received well....the Pelican album is very good.....and The Sinking Of the Titanic is one of the few pieces of music that has put me in tears.....i suggest all of you to listen to it if you have not....it really is an incredibly moving example of modern minimal composition 12) How does this album compare to others in its genre? i suppose quite well 13) Can you recommend similar albums to this? not like this one no 14) What does this album's artwork say about it? Is it well paired with the music? quite well __________________ A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism. Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose.