So myself and @nfdv2 have traded. I will listen to Cocteau Twins - Treasure They will listen to Fickle Friends - You Are Someone Else
Thrice Vheissu Alright, a few weeks ago @anonimito gave me a Thrice record called Vheissu. I've dug into Thrice before, but never really listened to a full album. The first track " Image Of The Invisible " is a song I'm pretty framiliar with, I believe I heard it on a video game at some point ! The second track " Between The End And Where We Lie " is another song I've heard at some point, the intro made the song pretty noticeable and it was pretty rad, I found myself singing to this tune. This song really stood out to me because of everything going on in it, I really love his guitar tone in it and that bass is super groovy. Oh, it also gave me a pretty sweet spooky vibe as well. One thing about this album is that it's super dark, and that's not a bad thing. The theme of this album is really, really cool. Lyrically it's super top notch. Is it something that hit home for me ? Not at all, but, this something I can respect and I can see why people love these guys. These dudes are super talented. I'll end up giving these guys another shot at some point !
@Kiana gave me the following a few weeks ago: Tei Shi - Crawl Space (Downtown; 2017) I've never heard of Tei Shi before @Kiana introduced me to her bedroom pop styling. Tei Shi tackles a number of different styles throughout the record and diversity is not a complaint anyone could have when speaking of Crawl Space. Tei Shi's voice isn't anything particularly unique which she uses to her advantage by pushing the variety of music she sings over. The front half of the record clicked with me much more than the back half. The 80's vibe of "Keep Running" immediately pulled me in while "Creep"'s slick bass line kept the intrigue moving forward. The record took a turn for me at "Justify" which completely lost me - the record didn't regain momentum until the final track "Sleepy" which has Tei Shi singing over heavily reverbed piano chords and shows her in a completely different light. As much as I respect the variety this record touts it is also it's ultimate downfall for me. I do feel as though she has a masterpiece waiting inside her and I will listen to future records - this effort sounds like she is just getting her feet wet. Favorite Tracks: Keep Running Creepy Sleepy 7/10
Spanish Love Songs Schmaltz A couple of weeks @bachna84 gave me a record by a new band I've never heard of by the name of Spanish Love Songs. I'm always for listening to new bands because it's important ! The first track " Nuevo " is pretty much a two minute intro, but it speaks to me because it reminds me of a young me from when I went to shows back in the day. The second track is a banger and it's called " Sequals, Remakes & Adaptions " it's short but it's so fucking sweet. " Nuevo " transitions so perfectly into it. Lyrically the song is super fucking deep with pure emotion. The third track called " Bellyache " is such a stand out ! The drums and the guitar tones is what really caught me about this track and holy shit did it punch me right in the gut with the feels. The chorus is stellar. " Buffalo Buffalo " is another stand out for me because it has that old school pop punk sound of NFG and Senses Fail. This album give me a lot of nostolgic vibes in a good way. One main influence I get with this band is a Hot Water Music influence, the production on this album is top notch, it's crisp, clean and also raw. This album is also is super punk rock too ! These guys just get it and have what it takes. I really wanna catch these guys live ! Side note, " Aloha To No One " is such a perfect closer.
@highfidelity203 and i are trading im ridiculously behind but thats okay ill catch up soon! i gave them Darkest Hour - Godless Prophet and the Migrant Flora and i got Charlie Simpson - Long Road Home
It actually went hand and hand with what I gave you in a way ! They give me a lot of Hot Water vibes actually.
ohhhhh man be prepared, cocteau twins have the best discog of any band in the history of ever. treasure is when they really started to hit their stride and from that album through heaven or las vegas they are absolutely untouchable. some of the best albums youll ever hear in that stretch.
The third record I was assigned this week by @anonimito was Future Of Forestry- Awakened To The Sound (Instrumental Version) They advised me there was also a version with vocals, but I wanted to go with their recommendation, and also I love instrumental records, so I had no issue skipping the vocals. The record begins with “On Giant’s Shoulders” whose pounding drums and intense orchestra really set the tone. The song has so much urgency, and sounds like it’d be a soundtrack to the climax of a movie. The next song “Covers You” starts off with a gorgeous piano part, accompanied with an orchestra, and light percussion. I started realizing at this point that the entire record would probably sound like it could fit in at different points during a film. The album seems to hit a more calm stretch of the album(the same way a movie does) through the next few songs “Homeward” “Turn” and “She Walks In Beauty” The song “She Walks In Beauty” is a gorgeous song with a full orchestra, and piano that really seems like a fitting song title that really paints that picture for you. The urgency in this record begins to return in the 6th track “Horses” full with a frantic orchestra, and setting the tone for the second part of the record. The track “Life Begins Today” was an unexpected song as it was very upbeat. Having said that, it does fit with the name of the song perfectly. The record closes with “The Wait Is Done” It begins quietly, but does sound like a proper last song. It builds slowly, but sounds like a proper conclusion the record and “story” My only complaint with the record is that the record does die down a little bit in the mid-section of the record. The songwriting is there, and there’s no denying the talent, it’s just somewhat forgettable at times, and tended to sound the same as other songs. I’ll echo what I said earlier, which is that this album would be a great soundtrack to a movie. It has it’s ups and downs, and high moments, and quiet moments. Thanks for the great week @anonimito Favorite Songs: “On Giant’s Shoulders” “Covers You” “She Walks In Beauty” “Horses”
Nice review! The version with vocals is pretty great too and might be a more captivating listen. FoF has a series of three Travel EPs that go for more of the mainstream pop/rock sound and there is some great stuff there. I enjoy the more melodic/orchestral direction he's gone on his recent releases and he's done some really beautiful stuff in that vein, but for me there's no substitute for an infectious chorus.
So @broken22 said he needed to be benched to catch up on his reviews, so I took his partner. Now he’s about caught up and wants back in. Anyone want to take him on for the week? Or does he wait until next week.
Lol I’m honestly surprised it’s taken this long for someone to ask me this on here/AP (I first started posting on AP back in 06). I have had this question on other sites before though. I actually hate uggs and I’ve got no idea why I’ve stuck with this username for so long. This was my gamer tag back in 2000 way before uggs became popular and I knew what they were. I can’t even remember where this username originated from lol.
Anyways I’ll hopefully post my review from last week for @bachna84 tomorrow. I had busy weekend again and saw Code Orange last night, so I’m too knackered to do it this evening.
I agree that the vocals add an extra enjoyable layer to the album! Sometimes I just need to listen to instrumental instead (having words flying around in my head can make work more difficult at times), which is why I always also listen to the instrumental version of an album if I can. But yes, the "Travel" EPs are brilliant and so catchy!
So, a month and a half ago, @Davjs recommended me Sing Me a Fiction - Hole in the Sail. Sing Me a Fiction was a band from St. Louis for who Davjs filmed a couple videos. The album starts with The Overture (Narrative 1). This song serves as an intro, with a narrator talking at the end to introduce the story and concept of the album. Actually, there are 4 narrative parts throughout the album. I have to say that I didn't quite catch the concept of the story because I couldn't find the lyrics online and I find it easier to get the concept of an album if I read the lyrics while listening. The big theme of the album is trying to find who you are, your purpose in life. Between the first two Narrative parts, we have Drifting and Bottom of the Locker (which are two of my favorites) and My Mistress the Sea (Pt. 1), which is still a good song, but maybe leaned too much on the screaming side for my tastes. There is only one song between Narratives 2 and 3, but it's also a good one. I think the best part of the album starts here with The Storm until the very last song, Anchored. The Storm is a very energetic and catchy song. My Mistress the Sea (Pt. 2) follows with a mellower sound, which made me like it more than Part 1. What I love throughout these songs is the back and forth between the male and female vocals, especially on songs like How Did You Get So Good. Another thing I loved about this album is how you could go from a big screamy moment and then fall right into a really calm moment. This album's sound changes just like the sea that is a big part of the lyrical theme on it. Sometimes it is raging, sometimes it is calm. Overall, I ended up enjoying this album much more than I thought I would at first. I will probably come back to it sometimes. Thank you for the recommendation @Davjs ! 8/10
This week I'm listening to Jome-Tunnels and @anonimito is checking out Abandoned Pools-Armed to the Teeth
Any time you and @Davjs like the same album I look forward to you guys having opposite opinions on what the best tracks are
I think this is my first official review since I moved to North Carolina! With that being said I am going to keep my reviews shorter than normal in order to catch up. @teebs41 and I traded this week and he gave me two recommendations: First up is: Al Di Meola: Opus (2018) This is a beautiful record of latin inspired jazz fusion. The guitar work is pretty incredible and when he gets going it blows your mind. With that being said, the record is all instrumental and does tend to flow together after a period. This is the sort of record that is hard to review because it is so technical but would appeal to jazz, latin and progressive music enthusiasts. It also isn't exactly a "hit repeat" album and requires the perfect setting in order to truly digest it properly. As someone who loves jazz I would recommend this to anyone who is also a fan of the genre. 6/10 The second record he gave me is: Charmer: Charmer (2018) No Sleep Charmer are an emo rock band out of Michigan that are part of the large 90's emo scene revival going on right now and bring to mind acts such as Foxing, TTNG, The Hotelier, etc. just to name a few. They even have a horn in Pretty Over College like their cotemporaries Foxing. The record is EXTREMELY short at 24 minutes in length and the production is a little "meh" but that can be ignored since the band is extremely talented and do the genre justice. I can definitely see myself playing this a lot and would love to see where it falls at the end of the year. 9/10 Favorite Tracks: Bummer Summer Nurse Joy Pretty Over College