Steady on. I like Bossanova quite a bit but Doolittle's a work of art.
Steady on. I like Bossanova quite a bit but Doolittle's a work of art.
I've recently rediscovered Surfer Rosa and I'd say that's their best, only just beating out Doolittle. There's this manic intensity and punk(-ish) energy to songs like Something Against You, River Euphrates or Oh my Golly! that I really love. Not a bad album among their first four, though.
New Slipknot album lesssgooooo
This is pretty blah isn't it? The other single doesn't do much for me either
I did say the same about the last album though and there's still bits of that I go back to.
Blah like everything they did after the first album
I quite liked the last album, and this sort of feels like a similar kind of thing. AM is one of my all time faves though.
It's sort of annoying that they're trying to be a 60's LA lounge bar band instead of just writing the songs I want them too, in a kind of Radiohead way where they disappeared into tedious dance wibbling rather than just writing The Bends Pt. II
I really like that. Tranquility Base is my favourite Monkey's album to date though, so I'm all for them continuing with some variation on that direction.
I feel like the last two albums are just what Alex Turner wants to do so they're only Arctic Monkeys in name for the publicity boost.
If we're all honest with ourselves it's total bollocks.
New Will Sheff / Okkervil River out today. Very promising on first listen. Here are the highlights for me:
Powfu covering Taylor Swift is something I didn't know I needed to hear so much. What a lad.
Also I hadn't seen CJ's post but I've listened to Black Sheep Boy about four times this week. Weird.
I'm a twit
It’s an all-time great album. Didn’t have you as someone who would listen to Okkervil River though. Not sure why.
Low's Mimi Parker is dead.
As good a time as any to dive deeper into their catalog, I only know the debut/Things We Lost in the Fire/Hey What.
I stand by this but the new album is actually pretty tremendous. If you can separate it from the perception of what you think the Arctic Monkeys are, or should be, and just appreciate the music, it's excellent. Really polished music all round, which I suppose was the problem with the previous album in that they wanted to go this new direction but didn't have it all nailed down.Originally Posted by Ben
Very sad. I was going to see them in the summer but they had to withdraw because of her treatment, they put quite a positive spin on it at the time (I mean I guess you always would though, wouldn't you) so I was hoping she would recover.Low's Mimi Parker is dead.
As good a time as any to dive deeper into their catalog, I only know the debut/Things We Lost in the Fire/Hey What.
I can't claim to be the most knowledgable about them. I think I own maybe two or three on record and have sort of dabbled in the discography overall which, as you point out, is very deep. Seemed to be one of those bands that effortlessly managed to maintain relevance and quality over a very long career.
I think you've summed it up well here. I really love their recent work but I do agree it's sort of about putting their work as a band prior to it almost behind you, and just appreciating Turner's surprising u-turn into one of the preeminent crooners of his generation.
The only thing I disagree on is I think it arrived fully-formed and brilliant on the last album. The two records together make a great pair. And, to be fair to him, I do think he has let the band "back in" a bit more on this one.
Their new stuff is Quite Excellent. Put this in your ears when you're out for a walk.
Having to nominate my three fave tracks of 2022 for our yearly thing we do, where we all rate them and discuss em in a big boozy evening.
I'm struggling this year lads. Currently going with the new April base version of 4th of July by sufjan which feels a bit borderline in acceptability, after the earthquake by alvvays and then I've loads of maybes. Pencilled in currently is fucking action bronson. Any great songs of the year I should check out bois?
How do you rate Blue Rev? Very much on my to do list.
It's been an incredibly mid year overall. Couple of 7-8/10 records like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rosalia, Pusha T, Vince Staples, Big Thief (probably the best of the lot).
Little Simz drop this week is a sneaky late contender, with some of my favourite tracks of the year:
This is the best one on the Big Thief record, but I think it technically dropped in 2021:
They played Little Things when I saw them live, and at the end of the song she said it was shit and they never get it right on stage. Had to disagree with her on that. It's a super track, simultaneously energetic and chilled.
Yeah I noticed before seeing them at Prima that they very rarely played it live.
Saw them Friday last week, and I've just checked the setlist for Friday vs Saturday, and feel a bit gutted to see I missed out on Paul and Mary which they played Saturday but not Friday. They didn't play Little Things on either night.
Either way, I only know them from a post in this thread somewhere 3 or 4 years ago, so thanks whoever that was.
In fact, I had held onto those gig tickets for about 3 years (2x COVID cancellations). Great to have live music back.
Did you listen to Arcade Fire’s album? Bit meh overall, but The Lightning (I & II really should be taken as one track) and Unconditional (Lookout Kid) are brilliant.
Will always plug Okkervil River of course. The Spiral Season is a great track.
I was really into Do It For Your Country by Belle & Sebastian earlier in the year.
Dried Roses, Change and Spud Infinity were my favourite Big Thief tracks.
Hot Chip - Broken is my left field choice. Or maybe that’s not really left field.
Phoebe Bridgers just released a new song called So Much Wine. It’s lovely.
Some of that is a bit barrel-scrapey so yeah poor year. Sorry for that lack of links.
Punk not usually my bag but I think this is my SOTY/AOTY.
Last edited by -james-; 18-12-2022 at 12:16 PM.
Song of the year is Numb Little Bug.
I'm a twit
I know I'm a bit late at the advanced age of 35 but after mostly (for no real reason) ignoring them for my entire life I've got really into Pink Floyd recent. I mean really, too. I'm not listening to a lot else. I've just been collecting the catalogue in chronological order over the last month or so.
I'm up to Animals, which I stuck on the turntable early this afternoon and have just been flipping over and back since. I think I've listened to it six times in a row. Not a particularly festive listen I guess, but there you go. What a record.
I thought I only had a few gaps in their discography but I've missed a ton of their stuff. I forget how much faffing about they did during the psychedelia age. And the hanging around they did long after their peak.
I saw someone compared Harry Styles to Pink Floyd on Twitter.
I'm a twit
Doesn’t get any better than Animals.
Wish You Were Here (the album) just, but only just, pips Animals for me. Neck and neck for best Floyd album.
I'll be the boring bastard that says Dark Side of the Moon, although that and Wish You Were Here go hand in hand.
I'm definitely leaning towards this. It's just got a great "mood" to it the whole way through. They obviously like extended ideas/motifs and albums that work as an entire piece and it just seems to be the pinnacle of that.
The step up when they arrived at Dark Side is remarkable. I mean there was good stuff before, don't get me wrong. Meddle in particular. But Dark Side, Wish You Were Here and Animals is just an astoundingly good three album run to put out. Relatively far into your career too, to just arrive at this new, fully formed sound and start churning out work at that level is pretty remarkable. It's hard to split them.
Anyone like Oliver Tree?
Certainly seems like a future wrongun (I saw something today saying he was born the day after GG Allin died, if you’re into that sort of nonsense) but his music kept me entertained in the car today.
I'm a twit
Good song, nice house, good video, terrible miscarriage of justice.
Absolutely. Obviously I’m very biased but his high school bands’ discography is better than most professional musicians.
I'm a twit
just randomly remembered the Chris Morris song parodies, they're great fun. I like how they don't follow the weird Al model of reworking a song with different lyrics, but instead are pretty convincing pastiche/mish mash. the effort into getting the sound right is well impressive considering they're just throw away things made for some radio show.
Clearly not legit but fair play to someone trying to piece a full track together.(It's Fur Q. Thanks, youtube)
You have to kill people to have respect for people
Is it acceptable to go to gigs on your own?
Specifically, Powfu in Manchester in October, where I’d likely be the oldest person in the room by at least ten years.
I'm a twit
Totally unacceptable imo and I'm surprised there hasn't been legislation brought in yet to prevent it.
The Jai Paul set was amazing. I can't believe he actually came through.
Sick rendition of Scientist here @ 51ish mins. Seething to have missed out on tickets for the Glasgow date next week (again).
It's been out for a few days now, but the new Sleep Token album really is very good.
I know it's a bit of a delayed reply, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna end up doing this. I've not been actively avoiding them, but I think part of me knows when I properly delve I'll be obsessed for a few months, so I've sort of been putting it off. I really got into Porcupine Tree and selected in absentia at album club, and one of my mates was like "it's just Pink Floyd but not as good", which sort of stung but I'm pretty sure I'll end up agreeing.
I would've probably never got into Pink Floyd if it wasn't for the old board.
I think the reason I haven't so far is partly just timing. Plenty of stuff my dad made me listen to when he was pissed and I was a lad I bloody loved, like What's Going On, and the Waterboys, and even fucking Big Audio Dynamite, but I think he made me listen to Wish You Were Here when I was just a bit too young to get it. Turn this boring old bastard music off Mick, I want to listen to a proper band like Dirty Pretty Things. Oops. Oh well.
I can appreciate Floyd but I've never really loved it. Little bit on the nose. I also have a real blind spot for rock guitar solos, especially the massive churning ones beloved of Gilmour. I just put Animals on after the post above, 2.5 minutes in here comes Dave again and we're done.
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