What album are you listening to?

Lazenby. wrote:

Sharky wrote:

Lazenby. wrote:

ambler wrote:

Sharky tells me that Technique is criminally underrated.

I wouldn't really call it underrated, as it's always been very highly regarded.

It's an in-joke Lazers. Criminally underrated, Fleming-esque, and even yes Mr. Khan's once entertaining neologisms - Haggfish, Miccoli et al.

Forgive me, it's been a long day.... :oops:

Sharky wrote:

The newspeak of the Bond fan community. Overused by you, myself and others while we were on mental autopilot.

I call it Octopussy-speak. It was valid until he started using it in every post.

Octopussy was a good guy, but he should have a restraining order from the italic button. Enough is enough.

8)

For an album whose lead-off single positively hammered home it's message of being yourself (in itself quite bizarre coming from the most blatantly face-altered pop star since Michael Jackson, not to mention the track in question being slammed as a blatant act of thievery from Madonna's Express Yourself), it's disappointing that this album's influences and re-treads are often so transparent they'd convince Kasabian they'd never heard Primal Scream.

The infamous title track here is merely the beginning of an unhealthily blatant clutch of Madonna-isms scattered throughout; Government Hooker's "Put your hands on me, John F. Kennedy" and Scheibe's "If you're a strong female, You don't need permission" spoken sections positively smack of faux-Madgeness, likewise Bloody Mary's chorus vocal.

Yet there's far more sinister influences at work across these fourteen tracks; Anyone suffering the misfortune to have heard Goldfrapp's recent stinker Head First could testify to just how much the world could live without shiny-surfaced yet redundantly edgeless updates of cheesy 80s workout tunes, yet Born This Way judged on bookends alone could leave anyone oblivious to Gaga's existence convinced they'd just heard a Bonnie Tyler comeback album, while closing track The Edge Of Glory is only a Peter Cetera short of a Karate Kid anthem. This is Born This Way's most glaring weakness; The artist supposedly at the forefront of pop's future so blatantly re-treading it's past, to the point where even the indifferently-received single Judas actually stands out as a highlight, it's thumping contemporary beats narrowly offsetting the track's occasional self-plagiarism.

Yet, when one can overlook these flaws, Born This Way does have a relentlessly unstoppable pop assault mindset which piledrives one pop banger on top of another (and some of it welcomely futuristic), though whether this works to the album's advantage is debatable. While her first album The Fame had plenty of breezy pop charm to offset the floorfilling fare, Born This Way lacks such levity and, even when we finally get something resembling a ballad as late in the day as thirteen tracks into the set, it sounds more like Shania Twain guesting on a tossed-out Queen track.

Still, even if to many ears this may not exactly sound like the future of pop, there's a big fat unstoppable PR machine at work here which will batter most of us into believing otherwise. The sooner Robyn's voice can be heard over it the better.

5/10

Amazed that the guy has made it to 70. This is one of my favourites, particularly Not Dark Yet.

Meh. I don't think even Moby himself really knows what he wants to do anymore. The last album (Wait For Me) had more than a hint of "I want my underground/artsy-fartsy credibility back" about it (if he even ever had such to begin with), yet still contained a couple of outstanding tracks, despite mostly sounding like he wished it was 1999 all over again and Play had never happened. This new album goes back even further to the point where I'm now stuck thinking I've heard all of this stuff before. Moby can knock out b-side standard "atmospheric" instrumentals in his sleep, and has padded out the last few tracks of most of his albums with them for long enough to the point where, if anything, we need less of them from him, not for them to become the dominant force on his albums, which is exactly what they threaten to become on Destroyed.

The lead single The Day sticks out like a sore thumb, a nice enough slice of "sell the album" warmth which is completely misrepresentative of this album on which it probably doesn't belong. Elsewhere, After had the potential to become something pulsingly anthemic along the lines of Extreme Ways, but it's stifled by Moby's "I want to be 16 and angry at my father again" mindset and never takes off to it's full potential, instead becoming symptomatic of the miserable search for cred he's again trying to employ on this album. A couple of the instrumentals on Destroyed are nice enough, while there's a couple of presentable yet predictable and forumulaic guest female vocal ballads, but it's just not enough and I feel like I've heard practically everything on offer here from him before, and done better.

The man himself describes Destroyed as "an album to soundtrack abandoned cities at 2am" which, in the case of a few of the passable instrumentals here, could evoke such a scenario. But, as Moby himself should know, most people aren't gonna be wandering through an abandoned city at 2am through fear of being jumped by a crackhead, let alone wandering through an abandoned city at 2am with f***ing i-pod earphones stuck in their ears. This "pitch" feels more like an excuse for Moby spending much of this album going over old ground, given that most Moby albums close with two or three tracks which could "soundtrack an abandoned city at 2am". It's the abandoned fanbase he should be concerning himself with, if he's still at all bothered.

4/10

Childish Gambino - EP.

I'm not a big rap fan, but I do like Kanye. Childish Gambino is actually Donald Glover, which means this guy is in the Derrick Comedy group, does stand-up for College Humor, writes for 30 Rock, acts in Community and has several rap albums that are all pretty damn good. That's a damn sight impressive for 27.

Jerry Goldsmith's GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH since yesterday. I just dig it. Too bad the first flick never got a proper soundtrack release.

Lazenby. wrote:

Body Talk
jam-packed with cracking, techno-savvy and emotional pop gold

I have Robyn's third Body Talk album. One of your posts on the old board got me interested. Good stuff.

Louis Armstrong wrote:

Lazenby. wrote:

jam-packed with cracking, techno-savvy and emotional pop gold

I have Robyn's third Body Talk album. One of your posts on the old board got me interested. Good stuff.

Yep, while the third Body Talk (the compilation of the first two with about 5 new tracks added) is obviously a compilation of great individual pop songs, the only letdown (besides the obvious fact that BT3 wasn't an individual album as promised) was the running order, in which the BT1 & BT2 tracks don't compliment each other as well as they do in their positions on BT1 and BT2.

My advice to anyone else wanting this stuff would be to pick up BT1 & BT2 individually (BT1 was £2 in HMV the other week, a f*cking steal), then just download the five new tracks from the BT3 compilation, as it's the best way to listen to this stuff. It was never intended as a compilation, there just aren't enough variations in pace to break the whole thing up as a long-player, thus songs which sounded really great on BT1 or BT2 suffer through being stuck in the wrong place on BT3. This stuff is really just two eight-track albums (which both work superbly) and a five-track unfinished third album. It's still kinda possible to ultimately whack together a decent compilation of the material, or at the very least a better compilation than BT3 was, which was compilationally retarded from the off when someone had the thick-headed idea to stick Don't F*cking Tell Me What To Do in any slot other than track one, a problem compounded by then leaving all of the ballads off the compilation, which predictably results in disco overkill.

Good to see others checking this stuff out though. How it wasn't massive is still beyond me.

I think Part 2 is definitely weaker than Part 1. I don't know, it just doesn't tickle me the way Part 1 does. If I had to pick between Robyn's emotional side (eg. 'Dancing on My Own', 'Call Your Girlfriend') or her ironic/goofy side (eg. 'Criminal Intent', 'U Should Know Better'), I'd always go for the former. Only track missing from Part 3 that should've been included IMO was 'Cry When You Get Older', and even then, the only part of that song I really like is the pre-chorus.

Lazenby. wrote:

It's still kinda possible to ultimately whack together a decent compilation of the material, or at the very least a better compilation than BT3 was, which was compilationally retarded from the off when someone had the thick-headed idea to stick Don't F*cking Tell Me What To Do in any slot other than track one, a problem compounded by then leaving all of the ballads off the compilation, which predictably results in disco overkill.

Do you prefer the acoustic 'Indestructible' or 'Hang With Me'? I find them too syrupy. I think the techno shimmer of the electronic versions makes a nice counterpoint to the rather naked emotion on display in those songs. I also prefer BT3's version of 'Dancing on My Own', because the added layers make the song feel less one-note.

I thought I'd give my sister some Robyn, so I made this version of Body Talk for her:

01. Don't F*cking Tell Me What to Do
02. Love Kills
03. Call Your Girlfriend
04. Dancing on My Own
05. Fembot
06. Time Machine
07. None of Dem
08. Indestructible
09. Get Myself Together
10. U Should Know Better
11. Hang With Me
12. Dancehall Queen

I tried to set it up as kind of a narrative, establishing the dancefloor setting, then moving on to the whole idea of loneliness with songs concerning the deterioration of a relationship. Then provide some sense of reconciliation at the end. It's the tracklisting I listen to, as well. Normally I wouldn't go in for things like 'Fembot' and 'U Should Know Better', but I've really warmed to the grooviness of the former, and the latter really helps to lighten the mood on Side B. You should try it out, Lazzers.

Jazz Goes to College

Louis Armstrong wrote:

I think Part 2 is definitely weaker than Part 1. I don't know, it just doesn't tickle me the way Part 1 does. If I had to pick between Robyn's emotional side (eg. 'Dancing on My Own', 'Call Your Girlfriend') or her ironic/goofy side (eg. 'Criminal Intent', 'U Should Know Better'), I'd always go for the former.

Definitely agree with all that. Part 2 is great compared to most other stuff out there, but Part 1 not only had the novelty of being the first BT release thus had a greater sense of freshness in introducing Robyn's next phase, but also IMO just had a stronger collection of songs overall; there's nothing as comparatively disposable as Criminal Intent or We Dance To The Beat on Part 1, while the opening trilogy on Part 1 is pretty unstoppable, especially blasted out on a good set of headphones, while None Of Dem was instantly my fave track on Part 1 and possibly still is. I also think Part 1 is the closest the BT collection gets to creating a fully-functioning, everything in it's right place perfect album.

BTW, on the CD-R I had of BT1 prior to it's UK release, I'd placed Robyn/Royksopp's The Girl And The Robot (a BT1 bonus track in some countries) in between the final two tracks and it works brilliantly as a last blast of dancefloor heaven whilst breaking up the double hit of lovely but too subdued ballads (which, when back-to-back like that, make the end of Part 1 sound a bit premature). I also prefer Robyn's emotional side over her fun/quirky side, but I still love stuff like U Should Know Better and Fembot because she's equally convincing in either of her modes (check out Konichiwa Bitches from her previous album for further proof).

Louis Armstrong wrote:

Only track missing from Part 3 that should've been included IMO was 'Cry When You Get Older', and even then, the only part of that song I really like is the pre-chorus.

I agree there too, the track's a bit too straight ahead in places, especially the chorus, though it still works in it's given place on the Part 1 album.

Louis Armstrong wrote:

Do you prefer the acoustic 'Indestructible' or 'Hang With Me'? I find them too syrupy. I think the techno shimmer of the electronic versions makes a nice counterpoint to the rather naked emotion on display in those songs. I also prefer BT3's version of 'Dancing on My Own', because the added layers make the song feel less one-note.

If I'd heard the later pop versions of Hang With Me and Indestructible at the same time as the acoustic versions, I'd probably prefer the pop versions, but the melodies of both had unavoidably worn off slightly on me during the couple of months waiting for Part 2 and then Part 3 to hear the later pop mixes. I remember saying in my review of Part 1 when it came out last year that Hang With Me would be awesome if given a With Every Heartbeat shimmery pop makeover, then next thing I hear she's doing exactly that (though the backing track on the pop version is still a little bit too rote for my liking TBH, though it's still good enough). I do wish both of the original acoustic tracks had a bit more electro going on in the background though, as they're both a bit too naked for my liking (and that's the first and last time I'll say that about anything, mark my words). I love both versions of Dancing On My Own pretty much equally.

Louis Armstrong wrote:

I made this version of Body Talk :

01. Don't F*cking Tell Me What to Do
02. Love Kills
03. Call Your Girlfriend
04. Dancing on My Own
05. Fembot
06. Time Machine
07. None of Dem
08. Indestructible
09. Get Myself Together
10. U Should Know Better
11. Hang With Me
12. Dancehall Queen

I tried to set it up as kind of a narrative, establishing the dancefloor setting, then moving on to the whole idea of loneliness with songs concerning the deterioration of a relationship. Then provide some sense of reconciliation at the end. It's the tracklisting I listen to, as well.

Yep, that's a good tracklisting, and it probably skirts disco overkill by narrowing it down to twelve tracks, broken up excellently by None Of Dem in the middle and opening with Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do. I've made three BT compilations since the compilation-anyway nature of "BT3" forced me to do so and, while I can't recall off-hand the exact running order of each, all of them opened with Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do, all of them wound down the first half with None Of Dem, followed by the beautiful In My Eyes (the only track I'd hugely miss in your tracklist) as a "Side 2 opener", while stuff like U Should Know Better, Stars 4 Ever and one of the two acoustics would be placed nearer the end. And Indestructible (pop version), Time Machine and Call Your Girlfriend would probably be my preferred tracks 2,3 and 4 (or maybe Fembot as track 2). Dancing On My Own works either early or late in the album, early due to it's poppiness, late due to it's lyrics. Just wish there were a couple more slowies or mid-tempo tracks to choose from though, which is IMO why releasing Part 3 as a compilation wasn't the best of ideas, especially when she was only about three new tracks shy of being able to release it as a genuine new 8-track album to satisfyingly round out the trilogy as originally planned.

Her previous album Robyn was good as well, definitely worth checking out if you haven't already....

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois.

I've had it on repeat (I rarely do that) and I'm currently obsessed.

x

x

Avarice wrote:

1234 - Propaganda

The greatest Krauts since Kraftwerk, but 1234 was a disappointing swansong. Still worth getting for this blinding Morricone rip off, La Carne, la Morte E II Diavolo.

Magnifico...

Great call. I'm not normally prone to music nostalgia but, in a rare moment of such, I found Duel on a jukebox the other week and just couldn't resist. Still a perfectly produced piece of pop heaven. Wish more had come of Claudia Brucken.




:3*:

I like it. Not a bad track on there, though not quite any classic ones either. But it's solid, and an album I can't help taking the positives from, given the departure of John Frusciante. Could maybe use a slight re-jigging of the running order in places, but it's still an album which never forces me to compare it with their previous work, instead eliciting a sense of pride at their survival and a hope that the new line-up, now established, can now push some of the fresher moments on I'm With You further on the next record. Poor choice of lead-off single though, given some of the better stuff on here. But overall I'm fairly content.

Guest wrote:

Sharky tells me that Technique is criminally underrated. Personally, I think Dream Attack is Fleming-esque.

"Dream Attack" is one of New Order's best songs. I saw them at Reading 93 (the last ever gig with the "classic" Sumner/Hook/Morris/Gilbert lineup, if I'm not mistaken) and it was one of the highlights of the set. "Mr Disco" is another overlooked-by-the-general-public gem. TECHNIQUE their best album? Maybe, maybe not. Neil Tennant once made a remark to the effect that, while New Order were a great band, their greatness lay in singles rather than albums, and I agree. In which case, I'd say SUBSTANCE (1987) is the most essential New Order purchase - yes, it's old, and, yes, it's the first of what became an endless stream of compliation albums.... but damn is it good (it also has the full-length version of "Perfect Kiss", whereas the LOW LIFE album only has an edited version for some ridiculous reason)..

BTW, New Order have just announced that they're reforming for a couple of charity shows. Peter Hook won't be joining them, but long-lost keyboard player Gillian Gilbert will be. Talking of Hooky, last year's Freebass album was surprisingly good (much better, I say, than the last New Order album), and his book about the Hacienda ("How Not to Run a Club") is terrific.

I didn't care for the Bad Lieutenant album, although the first two Electronic albums are timeless classics.

Re: The Smiths, their albums will shortly be re-released, remastered by Johnny Marr. I was very tempted to buy the New Order remasters of a couple of years ago, but I heard that there were serious sound glitches with them so didn't bother.

Albums I've either listened to or tried to.

U2-Achtung Baby: Awesome
U2-Pop: The first and second half of the album are at complete odds with each other.
U2-Under A Blood Red Sky: Awesome
The Alan Parsons Project-Eye In The Sky: Came for "Sirius", stayed for everything else.
The Doors-L.A. Women: The good kind of mellow.
The Notorious B.I.G-Ready to Die: Gave up after Biggie raps about how big his dick is. I didn't need to know that.

New Order are the best band ever, and while their singles are justly acclaimed, I actually think that their albums are better, especially P,C&L and Technique.

Great to see some appreciation for Bark Psychosis, Ambler. :)

Currently working my way back through some of Pink Floyd's 'lesser works', namely The Final Cut and Atom Heart Mother. Not really a fan of the latter, really but Final Cut produced a few gems.

Brett Anderson - Black Rainbows

Brett's surprisingly fine 2009 album Slow Attack was always going to be difficult to top. Having burdened himself with stale hangovers from his previous bands on his debut solo album, then encountering "right concept, wrong execution" problems with follow-up album Wilderness, Brett finally found the perfect collaborator in Leo Abrahams to produce the beautifully wintry Slow Attack, during which concept, execution and solo identity all fell into place very satisfyingly to yield perhaps Anderson's best work since the halcyon days of Suede fifteen years earlier.

So how would Anderson follow up an album consisting mostly of icily evocative ballads? Well, he was never gonna make an electroclash record, nor was he ever likely to go all unconvincingly dubstep on us. So it was always likely to go back to rock. Black Rainbows should sound like the disappointing album it comes across as being in it's released running order, an album bookended by the only two real ballads on the album, a move which gives the album very little room to breathe or flourish, and a move which gives way to moments of tiredness as one mid-paced rocker gives way to the next.

The opening stretch of the album is an uncomfortable path to navigate, which shouldn't be the case when an album opens with a song as strong and beautiful as the sublime Unsung, which picks up the baton right where Slow Attack left it. But then, at only two tracks in, the terrible placement of the two most cliched tracks on the album lead us back into the tired MOR territory of his debut solo album, where lazy metaphors and similies reign as only Anderson can deliver them, from the "ashtray eyes" and "antiseptic skies" of box-ticking lead single Brittle Heart to the equally Radio 2 friendly tired mechanics of Crash About To Happen. These more lackadaisical moments should have been binned off to the second half of the album where they'd much better serve as preludes to the winding down of the record, yet instead we have grabbing rockers like The Exiles and Actors pushed into the middle when they should really be standing at the front with Unsung to follow as a breather.

There's a good album hidden away here, and each track (even the more lackadaisical ones) would contribute to a satisfying whole had the running order been more thoroughly considered, highlights being the aforementioned Unsung and it's uptempo blood brother In The House Of Numbers, the gnarly rock chorus of The Exiles and the Suede-worthy This Must Be Where It Ends.

With Brett having found his footing as a solo artist on these last two albums and having finally again found a collaborator to inspire quality output, the upcoming Suede reunion album really could go either way and, if it goes the wrong way (basically anything anywhere near as disappointing as their last album), then I for one will be really disappointed if Brett's solo momentum is broken as a result.

:3*:

I found the subject header rather odd because the term "album" is almost archaic, but I guess it's just me. I haven't listen to an "album" since I started downloading individual songs from I-Tunes and Napster (the legit version) in the early 00's. The term "album" conjures up memories of vinyl records and having to pay full price for an album of songs when you really only wanted the 2 or 3 great songs off of it.

I still buy "albums" at a musicstore or secondhand cd's at fairs. What I do like is how you sometimes get a better feeling at what an artist is capable of by listening a whole album which more often these days are a concept in total.

Currently listening to cd1 of a Guided tour of Madness (2cd's and one dvd with Madstock)

after

Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - No Quarter (bloody brilliant album)

after

Muse - The Resistance (great album)

saint mark wrote:

Muse - The Resistance (great album)

I have 10 songs by MUSE, which ties them with only a few other artists on my Ipod: Boston and Electric Light Orchestra.

UPRISING is the #1 song on my Ipod by a wide, wide margin.

ELO is well worth listening. I have a the best of ELO on my iPod.