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[murlough23]

I'd be interested in hearing what makes a melody "juvenile" or "pretentiously/comically obvious", as I wasn't aware that certain chord progressions were only for kids or amateurs. I do get tired of the usual G-C-D-E minor stuff, but that doesn't sound at all like what Thrice is doing.

I also feel that you were far to dismiss key tracks like "The Whaler" without making much of an attempt to really describe what was going on there.

[Wildcatblue7]

And you hated "The Digital Sea"?  Really?  Sad times.


I haven't made it through IV yet, but still . . . yeeowch, I didn't anticipate that review.

[spacebrat311]

I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. Is it because you had certain expectations and that they were so big for you while in high school?   When people make statements like the one I quoted above, it is usually because the band did something so totally different from previous stuff that people aren't comfortable with said band changing so much.  That's just what I've observed over the years. 

No. If anything, I wanted them to change much more than they did.

[spacebrat311]

I'd be interested in hearing what makes a melody "juvenile" or "pretentiously/comically obvious", as I wasn't aware that certain chord progressions were only for kids or amateurs. I do get tired of the usual G-C-D-E minor stuff, but that doesn't sound at all like what Thrice is doing.

I also feel that you were far to dismiss key tracks like "The Whaler" without making much of an attempt to really describe what was going on there.

Fair enough. I'm not sure how I would describe a "juvenile" melody. It's a quality that I hear in my head, but would have a hard time structuring in terms of musical theory. Would you agree that different singers have recognizable senses of melody? I.E. if Dan Heseltine was writing a vocal to go over the same instrumental track as Thom Yorke, there's certain melodic styles that each one would reach for more instinctively?

If you can track with that very general sense that I get in my head, then what I mean is that Dustin's natural sense of melody is just a little too similar to me to something like The Used or The All American Rejects.

As far as "obvious" melodies, the melody is almost always emphasizing the root of the chord on the beat the chord originates from. There's no real sense of the melody and the chord progression acting in any kind of counterpoint.

As for the Whaler, you're probably right that I did not delve deeply enough. Any other tracks that I should examine as far as detail, or was that it?

Haha, I was not anticipating this review to be as controversial as it was.

[murlough23]

Fair enough. I'm not sure how I would describe a "juvenile" melody. It's a quality that I hear in my head, but would have a hard time structuring in terms of musical theory. Would you agree that different singers have recognizable senses of melody? I.E. if Dan Heseltine was writing a vocal to go over the same instrumental track as Thom Yorke, there's certain melodic styles that each one would reach for more instinctively?

Hard to say. Both Yorke and Haseltine have pushed themselves to go against their instincts on several occasions.

If you can track with that very general sense that I get in my head, then what I mean is that Dustin's natural sense of melody is just a little too similar to me to something like The Used or The All American Rejects.

I've never heard either band, but given the variance in the music and the melodies that this bands provides, I can't say that it really bugs me.

As far as "obvious" melodies, the melody is almost always emphasizing the root of the chord on the beat the chord originates from. There's no real sense of the melody and the chord progression acting in any kind of counterpoint.

I know what you're talking about there, but it doesn't bother me, nor do I find it to be "predictable" due to all of the other varied things going on.

As for the Whaler, you're probably right that I did not delve deeply enough. Any other tracks that I should examine as far as detail, or was that it?

You didn't really bother with most of the Air disc. I just felt like at that point, you wanted to have a reason to shrug off the songs because it meant less work to get the review written.

NP: "You Oughta Know (acoustic)", Alanis Morissette

[spacebrat311]

I've never heard either band, but given the variance in the music and the melodies that this bands provides, I can't say that it really bugs me.
I know what you're talking about there, but it doesn't bother me, nor do I find it to be "predictable" due to all of the other varied things going on.

To each his own I guess. I think that the tendency towards this kind of "obvious" melody is one of the cardinal musical sins to me.

You didn't really bother with most of the Air disc. I just felt like at that point, you wanted to have a reason to shrug off the songs because it meant less work to get the review written.

I was about to get really defensive about this and talk about the fact that I have listened to the Air CD several times through and given each track way more consideration than I feel it deserves. Which would be true.

But that's not what I wrote. Because I wanted to finish the review and eat lunch.

[murlough23]

To each his own I guess. I think that the tendency towards this kind of "obvious" melody is one of the cardinal musical sins to me.

I'll concede that different things are predictable to different people. I get annoyed with certain predictable things that others don't notice. This one in particular just seemed so technical and nit-picky that I was like, "Really? Does anyone care about this other than maybe a hardcore music major?"

But that's not what I wrote. Because I wanted to finish the review and eat lunch.

You could have picked it back up after lunch. I wasn't aware that there was any sort of a deadline.

I just feel like there was a lack of consideration for the songcraft that went into the making of these discs. Every track you did discuss, it was just a brief content summary of the type of music being played, honestly. Fine, so some of the music was predictable - what about the lyrics and the story being told? I felt like you tuned out the lyrics because you were disappointed that the project wasn't as weird and out there as you had built it up to be in your mind.

Look, I don't mind if you don't like it. But it's hard to sum up such dislike briefly without sounding very dismissive and superficial. Apparently you gave these songs much more than just a superficial listen, so write in a way that shows you noticed the details.

[Josh]

The Raconteurs-- Consolers of the Lonely

[Brenden]

The Raconteurs-- Consolers of the Lonely

I'm loving this album more with every listen,k but it was really a grower for me, since its' hooks are less obvious than Broken Boy Soldiers.

[Josh]

Portishead-- Third

[murlough23]

Wavorly - Conquering the Fear of Flight

Better late than never. This one seriously grew on me.

[dgp11776]

Nice review - I love that album, especially "Madman," "A Summer's Song," and "Tale of the Dragon's Defeat."

[Josh]

Panic at the Disco-- Pretty. Odd

[Aaron]

Panic at the Disco-- Pretty. Odd

I never thought I'd see the day when Josh Hurst actually favored a damn record from this band.

[Josh]

I never thought I'd see the day when Josh Hurst actually favored a damn record from this band.

Well, honestly, this record couldn't be more different from their debut in most respects.

[Josh]

T-Bone Burnett-- Tooth of Crime

[Josh]

Phantom Planet-- Raise the Dead

[Josh]

I've blogged a double review of the new albums by Mudcrutch and Steve Winwood.

[murlough23]

Edison Glass - Time Is Fiction

http://www.epinions.com/content_429490736772

[Josh]

Scarlett Johansson-- Anywhere I Lay My Head

[murlough23]

The Myriad - With Arrows, With Poise

http://www.epinions.com/content_430983843460

I'll probably do Steven Delopoulos next if I can get Straightjacket added to the database. I also need to do Pillar and Leeland to show the folks at Provident that I'm making some sort of effort to review the free crap they keep sending me. Aside from that, is there anything else in my 2007-2008 Music Journals that anyone's dying for a review of?

[dgp11776]

If I understand it correctly, I though that "The Holiest of Thieves" was a nod to the Rapture or the Second Advent.

[murlough23]

If I understand it correctly, I though that "The Holiest of Thieves" was a nod to the Rapture or the Second Advent.

Then you're a smarter man than I am.

[murlough23]

I'm really pissed off at Epinions right now, which is why I haven't written much lately. Today I wrote a rant about my problems with the site and the basic needs of its users that they're failing to serve - like, for example, the fact that my recently posted review of The Myriad's album cannot be viewed by anyone due to the product being "unavailable" in the database. I'm afraid to post anything new because people might not ever be able to read it.

http://www.epinions.com/content_5203796100

[Ian]

Screw Epinions and set up a rym/sputnik account.

[murlough23]

Screw Epinions and set up a rym/sputnik account.

I'd like to, but I prefer having all of my stuff in one place and they have rules about republishing your content.

EDIT: I should also note that sputnikmusic.com is so awesome that the site doesn't even load. Sweet.

[spacebrat311]

Also, the quality of reviewers on sputnik is AWESOME.

[Josh]

Weezer-- The Red Album

[Josh]

Fleet Foxes

[Josh]

Sam Phillips-- Don't Do Anything

[Josh]

Aimee Mann

[RedcoatJones]

Good grief, Josh ... did you spend your entire honeymoon writing reviews? Great to see your thoughts on all these albums, though.

[Josh]

Good grief, Josh ... did you spend your entire honeymoon writing reviews? Great to see your thoughts on all these albums, though.

Heh... all were pre-written, and set up to be published well in advance.

[murlough23]

Leeland - Opposite Way

http://www.epinions.com/content_432978497156

In which I take them to task for proclaiming "Everyone has their own sound", while not having their own sound.

[murlough23]

Steven Delopoulos - Straightjacket

http://www.epinions.com/content_433063825028

[murlough23]

Delirious? - Kingdom of Comfort

http://www.epinions.com/content_434808721028

[Brenden]

I reviewed Tree63's hits album for Soul-Audio.

http://www.soul-audio.com/album-reviews/06-21-2008/tree63

[Aaron]

I reviewed Tree63's hits album for Soul-Audio.

http://www.soul-audio.com/album-reviews/06-21-2008/tree63

Can you tell that John Wofford guy that he doesn't know what he's talking about?  I'm also surprised they let him post the same review there and at JFH. 

[dgp11776]

Delirious? - Kingdom of Comfort

http://www.epinions.com/content_434808721028

Great job on that one.  Looks like we share the same favorites on the album.

[Josh]

Peter Gabriel and Friends-- Big Blue Ball