[Saturnine Clown]

http://vimeo.com/m/74214612
I'd really like to know how other people are responding to Arcade Fire's new album Reflektor right now... So far, a part of me likes it, another dislikes it, at any given moment.
I'd say it's probably the only album that's in any way intrigued me thus far, but it hasn't completely seduced me.
What are your thoughts?

 

[metalsonata]

http://vimeo.com/m/74214612
I'd really like to know how other people are responding to Arcade Fire's new album Reflektor right now... So far, a part of me likes it, another dislikes it, at any given moment.
I'd say it's probably the only album that's in any way intrigued me thus far, but it hasn't completely seduced me.
What are your thoughts?

 
I think it's a little too long and overblown, and it definitely lacks the cohesion and great track sequencing of their previous albums. That said, it's also by some distance the biggest and most interesting stylistic shift they've gone through (albeit still a relatively minor one in the grand scheme of things), and I think there's a lot here to love, particularly lyrically and thematically. It's a bit of a lopsided beast, but I do enjoy it quite a lot. It'd get a strong 7 or 8 outta 10 from me. 

 

[JIGF]

 

[Textfeud]

Some good albums this month. Arcade Fire and Linkin Park for example, but I have to give it to this girl. Eliza Doolittle.
 

 

[metalsonata]

The release of Arcade Fire's Reflektor had me reflecting on other similarly bloated, lopsided, and lengthy albums that managed to be a hell of a listen in spite of all the fluff that seems to be concealing their core strengths. The Clash's Sandinista! seems to me to be the epitome of this: there is a masterpiece of an album buried here--another London Calling. But where is it? You hear it here and there and then lose it just as quickly again (oftentimes within the same track)--but do you really mind? There is so much interesting, unique, bizarre material here that even when I'm fully aware that it's lost the plot I don't really care. Its counter-intuitive, inward-looking sprawl is fascinating to consider and to lose yourself in, and the way it gathers musical tics from all across the globe is almost entirely unmatched in rock music. The only other album I can think of to compare it to is M.I.A.'s Maya, which almost feels like a spiritual sequel to this album. Listening to the two back to back is great experience--maybe not a terribly enjoyable one, but certainly a fascinating one. Sandinista! has a pretty bad reputation these days, and it's not too difficult to see why. Still, it's a great album to revisit when you've got the time for it--every time I listen to it I come away pleasantly surprised, and more than a little confused. I want more albums that leave me confused. 

 

[TexasBuck]

This is my album of the month:  DIIV - "Oshin".  Picked it up a few weeks ago.  I can't believe I missed it, when it was released last year.  There is some fantastic two guitar interplay, reminiscent of the Cure.  I think it's kind of a mix between Post Punk and Dream Pop.  The Dream Pop influence is most evident in the vocals.  The thing I love most about the album is the flow.  Each song is very good but the sum of the parts are much greater than individual songs.
 

 

[TJ Elite]

​

Rebecca Brandt - Numbers & Shapes​

https://rebeccabrandt.bandcamp.com/album/numbers-shapes​

 

This month's selection was an easy one. Numbers & Shapes is composer and musician Rebecca Brandt's debut album and it mixes together various acoustic, electric and synthetic instruments. The album blends a variety of genres, with each song sounding unique and ranging from a solo piano piece to the post-rock-esque cut à la something like Godspeed You! Black Emperor at the album's conclusion, featuring a 32-piece orchestra. Numbers, patterns and different concepts of music theory were large inspirations in writing this album, as were the ideas of shapes, contours, and builds.

 

At times melodic, sometimes dissonant, the music conveys a variety of moods and seldom fails to capture with its beauty. I find the album easy to get into, but the music's seeming simplicity often hides its actually quite complex nature beneath the surface. I've heard this album being compared to video game soundtracks (in a positive sense), and in a way I can see why someone would draw such a comparison, although in my eyes the music is still much closer to certain branches of contemporary classical. The sound is OK, but in some places during louder sections I hear what I assume to be digital clipping. This is unfortunate, but hardly a deal breaker.

 

And let me tell ya, this album is a really sweet deal. Like most things on Bandcamp, you can stream it for free in its entirety on the site, but in addition to that this particular album is a name-your-price release. This means if you enter zero as the price you can download it for absolutely free in the format of your choice (Apple Lossless, FLAC, AAC, Ogg Vorbis or MP3). If you do enjoy the music however, I do recommend donating even a nominal amount to show the artist your support and to give her warm fuzzy feelings by letting her know you appreciate her work. In addition a CD release limited to 500 copies is also available for the minimum price of $5 plus shipping. I have the CD myself and it is easily more than worth its asking price even when you factor in the shipping costs.

 

Hope you enjoy. See you in December!

 

[JoeDoe]

​

Rebecca Brandt - Numbers & Shapes​

https://rebeccabrandt.bandcamp.com/album/numbers-shapes​

This month's selection was an easy one. Numbers & Shapes is composer and musician Rebecca Brandt's debut album and it mixes together various acoustic, electric and synthetic instruments. The album blends a variety of genres, with each song sounding unique and ranging from a solo piano piece to the post-rock-esque cut à la something like Godspeed You! Black Emperor at the album's conclusion, featuring a 32-piece orchestra. Numbers, patterns and different concepts of music theory were large inspirations in writing this album, as were the ideas of shapes, contours, and builds.

At times melodic, sometimes dissonant, the music conveys a variety of moods and seldom fails to capture with its beauty. I find the album easy to get into, but the music's seeming simplicity often hides its actually quite complex nature beneath the surface. I've heard this album being compared to video game soundtracks (in a positive sense), and in a way I can see why someone would draw such a comparison, although in my eyes the music is still much closer to certain branches of contemporary classical. The sound is OK, but in some places during louder sections I hear what I assume to be digital clipping. This is unfortunate, but hardly a deal breaker.

And let me tell ya, this album is a really sweet deal. Like most things on Bandcamp, you can stream it for free in its entirety on the site, but in addition to that this particular album is a name-your-price release. This means if you enter zero as the price you can download it for absolutely free in the format of your choice (Apple Lossless, FLAC, AAC, Ogg Vorbis or MP3). If you do enjoy the music however, I do recommend donating even a nominal amount to show the artist your support and to give her warm fuzzy feelings by letting her know you appreciate her work. In addition a CD release limited to 500 copies is also available for the minimum price of $5 plus shipping. I have the CD myself and it is easily more than worth its asking price even when you factor in the shipping costs.

Hope you enjoy. See you in December!

+1 to this album of the month. I share your thoughts exactly. Actually, I'm pretty sure you turned me onto this album through the free Flac thread. Many thanks!

 

[metalsonata]

Comus: First Utterance
 
I wouldn't be awfully surprised if this is actually the second time I made this my album of the month (too pressed on time to go back through and look), but it's just that good of an album. The lovely thing about it is that most people I've played it for absolutely hated it upon their first listen--yet within a year after that first listen they've all acquired their own copy. Freak folk at its absolute finest--deserves to be much more widely known than it is. Just make sure that you find the right version of it: you're going to want all 12 minutes of The Herald, not the severely truncated 5:30 it is on a lot of versions.

 

[JIGF]

 
I picked this one up after watching Before Sunset for the third time, mainly due to the song Just in Time.
 
The surprise was that the whole thing is indeed The Great Show, hands down one of the best live albums I've heard. Play this late at night, warm lighting, warm company (fictitious or otherwise), a liquor of choice, and you will be in for a treat. Although this is but a little window to what the night of the performance was like, just use your imagination to fill in the blanks, the material is there. 

 

[JoeDoe]

 
I've had this album for years, but haven't given it a real listen until the last few weeks or so. Damn. Just from a pure talent standpoint, Lauryn's got some pipes! On top of that, everything she does is just... cool. Her inflection, her pronunciation, her content, her vocal runs, everything: cool. Plus she can rap! It's like combining the real-world consciousness of someone like Rakim and mixed em with the vocal prowess of John Legend. Just awesome. 
 
Favorite tracks are To Zion, I Used to Love Him, Every Ghetto Every City, and Everything is Everything.

 

[TJ Elite]

​

Sea Hive - Lunar Grain​

https://seahive.bandcamp.com/album/lunar-grain​

 

I better post my album of the month now, because I am likely to forget to do so between Christmas and New Year's. Anyway my last selection for 2013 is an album I only listened to for the first time today, but know already to be without question my pick for this month.

 

Lunar Grain is the debut album of Brooklyn-based dark ambient / drone metal project Sea Hive. I'm not sure what I should say to describe the music, because I feel anything I could possibly say would fail to do justice to this album. If you've ever listened to dark ambient you might have some idea what to expect, but even if you think ambient isn't your kind of thing, I implore you to give this one a try. You can stream it for free on Bandcamp via the link provided.

 

Quality-wise this music is absolutely top-notch in my book, and the sound quality leaves nothing to be desired at least for me personally. I might be jumping the gun a bit here, but at least for now I believe this might be one of my favorite albums of 2013 so far. Listen for yourself, and if you like what you hear I'm sure you will find the modest asking price of $5 more than reasonable.

 

[chronos1]

Symphony 4 - Brahms

 

[tru blu]

 
Angelica Sanchez / Wadada Leo Smith - Twine Forest (Clean Feed)
 
Intermittently spacey and biting improvisations between a pianist (Sanchez) and a veteran trumpeter…they're at home with sound and silence… 

 

[JoeDoe]

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