Myself and @edisnfg have swapped. I am reviewing a band called Piebald and their album "We Are The Only Friends We Have". He will be reviewing Martha's album "Love Keeps Kicking".
Nope! Might be one of those things where they never made any impact over here in the UK. Checking Wiki they were about in that period where it was more common for bands to not make an impact in certain territories and not others. Also I was 9 when they released the album I am reviewing so that could be it too haha.
Yeah, they had a weird trajectory. Started out screamo in the same scene as Cave In and Converge and then transitioned to Emo/pop punk. Very good band though.
It’s probably a bit of both. Like I wouldn’t have know them over here if it wasn’t for AP back in the day but it could also be that Sam’s not ancient like us either haha.
Myself and @disambigujason have decided! They will listen to Future Teens - Breakup Season and I will listen to Pine - Pine. Looking forward to this one
Me and @nickyeatworld have settled on our trade for this week. They will listen to The FAIM- State of Mind and I will listen to The Cab - Whisper War.
Forgot to write a review of The Guest by Phantom Planet, which I listened to a few days ago. It's shockingly good. I knew "California", obviously, but it's wall-to-wall with killer songs. It's got a very classic power-pop feel, with the guitars crunching just enough but keeping that melody at the forefront. "One Ray of Sunlight" really jumped out as a meticulously-assembled little gem. I also was really into the title track, which is apparently not part of the original album, oddly enough.
Last week, @Michael Schmidt gave me High on Tulsa Heat by John Moreland. I'm a little late with my review because I've been pretty busy this week (ok, I've been playing Pokemon Sword all weekend). My first listen of this album was not in the right conditions. It is a really chill Americana album and it didn't help at all on my workout. It is more the type of music I enjoy more while relaxing at home or on a roadtrip alone at night. My early favorite on the album was Heart's Too Heavy. I've had the chorus lines in my head all the time. "You try to keep going but the ride won't steady. You try to get high but your heart's too heavy." This songwriter knows how to make a relaxing catchy song. Overall, I really enjoyed this album even though it ain't a genre I listen to really often. Maybe this will make me listen more. Favorite tracks: Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars, Heart's Too Heavy, White Flag, Sad Baptist Rain, Losing Sleep Tonight, High on Tulsa Heat. 8.5/10 Thanks for the recommendation!
Glad you enjoyed it! I always think it's interesting when the title track ends up not making the album for one reason or another. "The Guest" is a great track and I'm glad it was added to the re-release. I agree with "One Ray of Sunlight" being a standout, definitely one of my favorite PP songs. Pretty sure I've tooted this horn in the thread before, but the evolution of this band's sound from album to album is remarkable. After The Guest they released a bombastic garage rock record with their self-titled, and then their (as of yet) final album Raise the Dead was a Fueled by Ramen release and definitely has that mid-00's FBR sound. All three albums do what they do exceptionally well. Hoping we finally get a new record in 2020 (though the two singles they released this year haven't really piqued my interest).
Hi all! I will be posting my review of Waterparks' FANDOM soon and @Chase Tremaine will be reviewing James Blake's "The Colour in Anything"
@summertimejesus assigned me The Colour in Anything by James Blake. Until now, I hadn't ever listened to a James Blake album (including his modern classic Overgrown), but I'd been meaning to for a while -- so thanks for the shove! At 17 tracks and 76 minutes, this album proved to be a LOT to take in (so much so that my first listen took me 3-4 sittings). But when this album hits, it's a thing of sheer beauty, with such an odd mixture of old school and new age. Blake's work as both producer and songwriter is on point, so much so that there's hardly a difference between the songs he co-produced with Rick Rubin and those he produced by himself. The songs that sunk their teeth in most immediately were "Radio Silence," "Waves Know Shores," and "Two Men Down," meanwhile the title track -- the closest thing this album has to a "piano ballad" -- was a lovely way to switch up the pace. There were a few songs I didn't care for (my strong distaste for Bon Iver came through loud and clear on his featured track "I Need a Forest Fire"), and I would probably prefer to make a 10-track playlist out of these 17 songs rather than listening to the whole project again (which, to be fair, is often true of albums with 15+ tracks); but it was still an absurdly beautiful journey to go on. And it gets me excited to hear Blake's other material!
Glad you enjoyed it overall! "Radio Silence" is one of my favorites and all of his other albums are under 50 minutes so don't be daunted if you'd like to check out his other work.
Been working on my AOTY spreadsheet because I'm a fuckin' nerd. Realised only a few albums really, really spoke to me this year. I have three 9's and four 8's, and everything else I really enjoyed is a 6/7. (I consider 5 as "average" so 6 and above is something I enjoyed, 8+ is something I'll probably return to regularly - just for future score reference in here!) Anyone wanna recommend me some stuff from this year and I will listen to it and hope I find something to add in.