Albums Thread - 2015

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

The Blanck Mass link for anyone who is interested

https://soundcloud.com/sacredbones/blanck-mass-dead-format

Saw him support Jon Hopkns and would recommend strongly.

 

[Tarpon]

This is the new track - http://pitchfork.com/news/58523-***...r-announces-new-blanck-mass-album-dumb-flesh/. It is mega.

EDIT: The link doesn't work becuse of the swear filter. I'm sure you guys can find it.

That Blanck Mass GDS gig was amazing. IIRC, it was a late night VICE thing and he came on about 3 o'clock in the morning and the crowd had thinned out. My group was still there but some of us were flagging and he played a load of the noodly, ambient stuff off his first album which isn't really what youy want to hear full of love at that time in the morning.

Aside from myself and one of the rest of the party, everyone went back to mine to continue the night. Almost as soon as they left the room he dropped this (which had just been released)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05kzylUx69E

and followed it up with

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_ZY3uSf0Hw

Me and my remaining mate went nuts for 25 minutes or so, smug that everyone else had gone. I remember it as one of the best half hours of music I've experienced.

When we got back to my house, no one believed us. I facebooked him this track yesterday saying "we'll always have The Green Door Store." And we will.

Blanck Mass - wow - passed me by & rather splendid. I thank you even if my wallet doesn't.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

****ing priceless - http://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/blog/dean-blunt-pranked-the-nme-awards-last-night

They... didn't...even....know....what...he...looked....like.

Oddly, I still subscribe to the NME. I have done so since Sounds went bust. I'm really not sure why I do this especially as it generally takes me all of 10 minutes to read; I only read a couple of regular features and see if there's any major interviews I want to read. It is a bit of a parody these days especially as during the year you are guaranteed to get: the 50 greatest albums of ALL TIME, 50 albums you need to hear, the 50 most influential artists of all time, numerous "The Day That Music Changed for Ever" articles about either The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Strokes, Oasis, Manics, an inside story on Ian Curtis by "the people that know" and numerous Manic Street Preacher articles on the anniversary of Richie going missing or a significant album.

If kids are reading it and getting into new music and older music then fine I guess.

 

[spring hall convert]

Was anyone out there a fan of Prolapse? They were a 90's Midlands band who have reformed for dates with Mogwai as part of Mogwai's 20th anniversary celebrations. They were at different times a bit Sereolab, a bit Fall and a bit Sonic Youth. The reality is nearly as good as that sounds.

They released 4 albums, got nowhere, had a devoted fanbase and are playing the Hope in June, it'll be a great gig, you should go, even if you didn't know them first time round.

Just by chance, in the same week as processing that news, I've finally found the time to listen to the Phantom Band's new one (their second in less than a year) 'Fears Trending.' Brilliant again, that's 4 great albums in a row from them now, is there a more unfairly ignored band in the UK right now? They should be playing the Concorde 2 circuit at least.

 

[spring hall convert]

If kids are reading it and getting into new music and older music then fine I guess.

I'd suggest that reading that list, they are failing at the "new music" part of that job comprehensively.

There's plenty of people that would be able to pick Dean Blunt's face out of a line up of black faces. Evidently there aren't many at the NME.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I'd suggest that reading that list, they are failing at the "new music" part of that job comprehensively.

There's plenty of people that would be able to pick Dean Blunt's face out of a line up of black faces. Evidently there aren't many at the NME.

They do have pages and pages of new bands though. I also forgot to add that to me it's like a music Metro as it has pages and pages of very short bite-size pieces.

 

[spring hall convert]

They do have pages and pages of new bands though. I also forgot to add that to me it's like a music Metro as it has pages and pages of very short bite-size pieces.

The new bands is almost too comprehensive and they let the quality control go. I'd like to see them dedicate the same amount of space but to less bands because it appears that if you are in half decent band and based in London or the South East, you are going to be in it at some point, which appears a bit money for old rope. It's heart is in the right place but I think the excecution leads one not to trust it, I get the impression it's a real space filling exercise, rather than a real attempt to find the undoubted quality that is out there.

As I said earlier, the mag has got much better in the last 2-3 years, better, more knowledgable writers with a desire to scratch a little further beneath the surface. It appears from that list that they haven't been able to take the readers with them though.

 

[Whitechapel]

The new Drake album is exactly what you'd expect. If you like Drake, you'll like it. If like me, you think he's largely "meh" apart from the odd decent song then you'll think it's an Okay album with a couple of stand out tracks.

HOWEVER, he has to get props for using what appears to be Wayne Rooney's suicide note as the album artwork. GENIUS.

 

[spring hall convert]

Has anyone been able to give The Pop Group album a listen yet?

Stream on FACT here - http://www.factmag.com/2015/02/16/stream-the-pop-group-citizen-zombie-paul-epworth/

I thought this was a bad idea from the off, I hated the lead track 'Citizen Zombie' when I heard it last year, I was genuinely worried about them tarnishing their legacy.

I'm not completely sold yet but I like it and every time I listen to it I discover something else, I have a feeling come year end I'll think a lot more of this.

 

[tinycowboy]

Has anyone been able to give The Pop Group album a listen yet?

Stream on FACT here - http://www.factmag.com/2015/02/16/stream-the-pop-group-citizen-zombie-paul-epworth/

I thought this was a bad idea from the off, I hated the lead track 'Citizen Zombie' when I heard it last year, I was genuinely worried about them tarnishing their legacy.

I'm not completely sold yet but I like it and every time I listen to it I discover something else, I have a feeling come year end I'll think a lot more of this.

I like the one track I heard Gideon Coe play - Mad Truth maybe? Sounded shiny, a little dated perhaps. Will have a go at the rest of the album. Worried it'll be a bit samey...

 

[tinycowboy]

Was anyone out there a fan of Prolapse?

I believe [MENTION=2040]Staly[/MENTION] may have an interest in this.

 

[spring hall convert]

I like the one track I heard Gideon Coe play - Mad Truth maybe? Sounded shiny, a little dated perhaps. Will have a go at the rest of the album. Worried it'll be a bit samey...

Good choice for the single, memorable and immediate. I'd say if you got on with that the rest of the album should be to your taste. It doesn't really sound samey and Epworth's production is great. It's also far more immediate and cleaner sounding than their heydey.

There are a couple of songs I think are a bit clunky though.

 

[tinycowboy]

Good choice for the single, memorable and immediate. I'd say if you got on with that the rest of the album should be to your taste. It doesn't really sound samey and Epworth's production is great. It's also far more immediate and cleaner sounding than their heydey.

There are a couple of songs I think are a bit clunky though.

Spotify is on the case - dowmloading has commenced. Blowtorch by The Go! Team is a lovely track, but a bit too similar to Buy Nothing Day, and without the peerless instrumental break. If anyone else had done it, I'd be raving about it, although probably saying they'd ripped off The Go! Team.

 

[Buzzer]

Dan Mangan + Blacksmith – Club Meds

I’m not sure how best to describe this album. Mangan is a Canadian singer/songwriter who also writes occasionally for the Guardian and previously used to do a nice line in fey folk music but now he doesn't. The sound is much stronger, I wouldn't even describe it as folk anymore and it’s moved in the direction of John Grant/Richard Hawley/singer-songwriter that doesn't fit nicely into one particular box. There’s some very good tracks on there not least ‘Vessel’ or ‘Mouthpiece’ or the album opener ‘Offred’. I do like this new found singing voice, far better than previous outings and the music reflects the new found confidence too. The songs are now more political too but in a good way and without the clichés. It’s a very good album IMO, just a shame I can't do it justice with a decent review.

And here's a taste of it, my favourite from the album:

 

[Staly]

I believe [MENTION=2040]Staly[/MENTION] may have an interest in this.

Yes indeed, Prolapse were one of my very favourite bands of the 90s. I'd noticed that they'd reformed- I hope they play somewhere near me, although my gig going possibilities are limited now that I've got two toddlers to administer.

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Lonelady - Hinterland out on 23 March.

Two singles released so far, Bunkerpop and Groove it out, the former is probably my favourite song of the year so far.

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A mixture of post punk, funk, Manchester and 80s pop.

 

[spring hall convert]

I know it's already been mentioned here but I'm really enjoying the Vision Fortune - Country Music album.

It's an absolute must for anyone into They Were Wrong.... So We Drowned/ Drums Not Dead era Liars.

Track below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw9uyFaMcS4

 

[Buzzer]

Daniel Knox - 'Daniel Knox'. This is the album that I wanted Scott Walker's Bish Bosch to sound like. He sounds a dead ringer for Scott Walker with rich, operatic tones over a piano-led band and his humour is offbeat and the music is in parts sounding a little like experimental musical theatre he always manages to have one foot on the ground. The songs are beautifully produced and deceptive in that classic Scott Walker way of sounding at first listen like it's cheesy but then revealing a sharp, satirical and extremely clever song. I've had it on loop for 2 days solid now and still not sick of it, except for the faint car alarm sound in the first track, Blue Car but even that's not really that annoying. Beautiful stuff.

 

[Buzzer]

The soundtrack to the film 'The UK Gold' is a collaboration between Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja and a long-time Massive Attack collaborator Euan Dickinson. It's being streamed in its entirety for free on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/ukgoldfilm/sets/uk-gold-soundtrack

First listen is similar to Massive Attack's 'Danny The Dog' and the more experimental parts of Yorke's Atoms For Peace side-project.

 

[Tarpon]

Loving this album. Strangely moving. They've really stepped up a gear here. Looking fwd to Corn Exchnge gig.