Lumenskir
06-18-2008, 02:28 PM
So my friend came to visit and he brought me a few new CDs. Yay! I've given each at least two full listens and I thought, hey, why not make a thread where people can talk about the new music they've been enjoying recently.
Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us
http://indierockcafe.com/uploaded_images/broken-social-scene-779148.jpg
First off, Brendan Canning has a glorious beard. The guy could literally travel to any point in time and be commended on it.
That aside, I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this. The previous BSS Presents was for Kevin Drew, who basically is BSS, and his album was exactly what I was expecting (namely, unrestricted BSS-ing). Although I have a baseline amount of respect for Brendan Canning because he's in BSS, I haven't really gone out of my way to listen to the bands he was in before, so he's kind of an enigma.
After a few listens, I came up with a rough analogy: Kevin Drew is like an established and popular webcomic artist. He has a very recognizable style, and even if he allows another artist to guest star, they still tend to warp around what he's striving for. Brendan Canning, on the other hand, is kind of like a really talented doodler, in that he sees other styles and emulates them while at the same time putting his own spin on it.
This isn't to say that Something For All Of Us is a covers album, but you can definitely hear the influences that gave birth to each track. And since those influences include Joy Division, Reverie Sound Revue, and subdued Animal Collective, it's just great listening.
Portishead - Third
http://www.djouls.com/pop/images/Portishead-Third_b.jpg
I'll admit, I judge a lot of bands based solely on their names, and it's not something I'm particularly proud of. It's not an exact science by any means, but I have been able to cobble together a rough approximation of what kind of genre a certain band's name belongs to. For some reason, whenever I saw Portishead I mentally cataloged it in the 'probably metal, possibly nu-ish' category, and since I don't really enjoy metal I had kind of resigned myself to not seeking them out.
Well, Portishead isn't metal, and I'm kicking myself for not pursuing them earlier. If I had to give a quick description, I'd probably say they sound like a gothic St. Vincent. I'm a sucker for overlayering and (over)rich production and they deliver the goods.
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/07/coldplay_viva_la_vida.gif
It was sort of tough to be an unashamed Coldplay fan after 40 Year Old Virgin came out. And it was also tough to talk to other (hardercore) Coldplay fans when you admitted that you thought X&Y was at least on par with the first two albums.
So Viva La Vida might be a rebuke to those that thought X&Y was too much much I suppose, but I don't think Coldplay pushed hard enough in the other direction to compensate correctly. On these few preliminary listens it comes across more like the main character in Freaks & Geeks during that period where she was trying to look like a burnout but clearly reacted to their actions like her old self. However, there are elements to enjoy in all of the songs, so maybe deeper forays will reveal the core that I haven't absorbed yet.
Sigur Rós - Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
WARNING: Album art features Icelandic ass.
http://assets3.pitchforkmedia.com/images/image/50793.SigurRosalbum_cover.jpg?
I like Sigur Rós, possibly almost as much as you guys since I told you that they were a foreign band you should get interested in right quick. Assuming for some reason you didn't devote yourselves to devouring all that they had to offer, now is either the worst time or best time to hop on the Icelandic equivalent of a bandwagon.
Best because this is probably their most new listener friendly album. Imagine a fun, bouncy, foreign speaking Polyphonic Spree and that's the album. However, at points I found it hard to imagine that this was the same band that did the last four mostly somber/soaring albums, so I imagine that if you take up the Sigur Rós-a-mania with this album the backlog will surprise you. Still, it's a great fun album, and the only downside is that I kind of wish I could understand Icelandic.
So, that's what I've been up to, how about your new musical findings/listenings?
Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us
http://indierockcafe.com/uploaded_images/broken-social-scene-779148.jpg
First off, Brendan Canning has a glorious beard. The guy could literally travel to any point in time and be commended on it.
That aside, I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this. The previous BSS Presents was for Kevin Drew, who basically is BSS, and his album was exactly what I was expecting (namely, unrestricted BSS-ing). Although I have a baseline amount of respect for Brendan Canning because he's in BSS, I haven't really gone out of my way to listen to the bands he was in before, so he's kind of an enigma.
After a few listens, I came up with a rough analogy: Kevin Drew is like an established and popular webcomic artist. He has a very recognizable style, and even if he allows another artist to guest star, they still tend to warp around what he's striving for. Brendan Canning, on the other hand, is kind of like a really talented doodler, in that he sees other styles and emulates them while at the same time putting his own spin on it.
This isn't to say that Something For All Of Us is a covers album, but you can definitely hear the influences that gave birth to each track. And since those influences include Joy Division, Reverie Sound Revue, and subdued Animal Collective, it's just great listening.
Portishead - Third
http://www.djouls.com/pop/images/Portishead-Third_b.jpg
I'll admit, I judge a lot of bands based solely on their names, and it's not something I'm particularly proud of. It's not an exact science by any means, but I have been able to cobble together a rough approximation of what kind of genre a certain band's name belongs to. For some reason, whenever I saw Portishead I mentally cataloged it in the 'probably metal, possibly nu-ish' category, and since I don't really enjoy metal I had kind of resigned myself to not seeking them out.
Well, Portishead isn't metal, and I'm kicking myself for not pursuing them earlier. If I had to give a quick description, I'd probably say they sound like a gothic St. Vincent. I'm a sucker for overlayering and (over)rich production and they deliver the goods.
Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/07/coldplay_viva_la_vida.gif
It was sort of tough to be an unashamed Coldplay fan after 40 Year Old Virgin came out. And it was also tough to talk to other (hardercore) Coldplay fans when you admitted that you thought X&Y was at least on par with the first two albums.
So Viva La Vida might be a rebuke to those that thought X&Y was too much much I suppose, but I don't think Coldplay pushed hard enough in the other direction to compensate correctly. On these few preliminary listens it comes across more like the main character in Freaks & Geeks during that period where she was trying to look like a burnout but clearly reacted to their actions like her old self. However, there are elements to enjoy in all of the songs, so maybe deeper forays will reveal the core that I haven't absorbed yet.
Sigur Rós - Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
WARNING: Album art features Icelandic ass.
http://assets3.pitchforkmedia.com/images/image/50793.SigurRosalbum_cover.jpg?
I like Sigur Rós, possibly almost as much as you guys since I told you that they were a foreign band you should get interested in right quick. Assuming for some reason you didn't devote yourselves to devouring all that they had to offer, now is either the worst time or best time to hop on the Icelandic equivalent of a bandwagon.
Best because this is probably their most new listener friendly album. Imagine a fun, bouncy, foreign speaking Polyphonic Spree and that's the album. However, at points I found it hard to imagine that this was the same band that did the last four mostly somber/soaring albums, so I imagine that if you take up the Sigur Rós-a-mania with this album the backlog will surprise you. Still, it's a great fun album, and the only downside is that I kind of wish I could understand Icelandic.
So, that's what I've been up to, how about your new musical findings/listenings?