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[Brenden]

Galactus Jack - Reality Bytes

http://www.soul-audio.com/album-reviews/07-31-2009/galactus-jack/

A christian house artist who doesn't suck? Wonders never cease.

[murlough23]

Coming back from an almost month-long review hiatus...

Doves - Kingdom of Rust

http://www.epinions.com/content_482486423172

[Ian]

Mute Math - Armistice
Mew - No More Stories

[murlough23]

Ian, regarding your Mute math review, I agree with your comment in the Mute math thread that we ultimately came to the same conclusion regarding this album. (Maybe not regarding individual tracks, but our overall criticisms are pretty much the same.)

Regarding Mew, it sounds like I'd probably enjoy Frengers, since "Hawaii"/"Vaccine"/"Tricks of the Trade" is my favorite section of the album. But I'm also intrigued by the idea of an album being one continuous composition, so I might give Kites a try someday. Only other time I've heard a band try that is the second disc of Dream Theater's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

You Sigur Ros comparison also hits the nail right on the head. When I eventually get around to my review, I'm imagining that I'll say something like "What Sigur Ros might sound like if they knew when to get the hell on with it." Both bands have a gift for transcendent melodies, but Mew, for the most part, knows how to keep something beautiful from becoming stale and repetitive by the end of the song.

NP: "Details in the Fabric", Jason Mraz feat. James Morrison

[bloop]

I think Sigur Ros just specializes in the kind of widescreen epics that are tastefully, classically well-done (but, like "proper" classical music, will necessarily leave some folks out).

[murlough23]

I think Sigur Ros just specializes in the kind of widescreen epics that are tastefully, classically well-done (but, like "proper" classical music, will necessarily leave some folks out).

I'm definitely not the most qualified person to comment on classical music, but from what little I know, isn't a common idea in classical music to establish a theme and then vary it over different repetitions of the theme? In other words, when something's repeated a lot, it might morph over time.

[bloop]

Yes.  It's pretty subtle in classical music, and it's subtle with Sigur Ros as well.  It's not literally the same waveform repeated, generally.

I enjoyed Mew thoroughly, too, btw.

[murlough23]

Yes.  It's pretty subtle in classical music, and it's subtle with Sigur Ros as well.

Depends on the composer, I suppose. I've heard more obvious implementations of the idea in both classical and pop music (though the classical was so long ago I couldn't name the composer).

It's not literally the same waveform repeated, generally.

You'd have to sample it to repeat it literally. Nothing will sound exactly the same when played through twice in real life, but I think you know what I'm talking about. (The string outro to "Andvari" might be a good example. It's so beautiful I just want to cry or something... but it's the same damn melody line with almost no variation for several minutes.)

[bloop]

I see their implemention in a far more positive way - grants a more ambient rather than a pop-oriented flavor to the music (and I do enjoy those subtle changes in the way things sounds when repeated).  It's definitely deliberate on their part, not a sort of sign that they lack ideas.  It demonstrates that their ideas are rooted in some pretty unlikely places for a modern band.

Bottom line:  Not a bad thing, but clearly limits their audience almost as much as being foreign does.

[murlough23]

It's definitely deliberate on their part, not a sort of sign that they lack ideas.  It demonstrates that their ideas are rooted in some pretty unlikely places for a modern band.

I didn't mean to imply that they do anything unintentionally or out of a lack of skill. I think the reality is that, while I definitely have more patience than your average pop listener, I might not quite have the capacity of your average classical enthusiast... I land somewhere in between, where I can appreciate a more "progressive" musical piece that falls well outside of pop song constraints, but at the same time, I want to keep moving from one musical idea to the next without lingering on any one thing for too much longer than I feel is necessary to get the point across.

So, in that sense, Mew "gets" me as a listener more than Sigur Ros does. There's a lot that Sigur Ros does that I like, though.

[Ian]

I've developed a bit of patience from listening to ambient and glitch and such, so long Sigur Ros are generally never a problem for me.  I think Mew's albums are more consistent and I enjoy having melodies that are both transcendent and catchy at the same time, so I prefer Mew.  But in any case, both are undoubtedly standout artists from the decade in my mind.

And yeah, I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy Frengers, Murlough.

[spacebrat311]

I've always found Mew kind of boring. Sigur Ros at times too, but significantly less so.

[Ian]

Here's my review for Muse - The Resistance

[TheWanderer]

Here's my review for Muse - The Resistance

Link is faulty.

[Ian]

Fixed.

[murlough23]

If they've stopped aping Radiohead, maybe I might be interested this time around. There's still the issue of the vocal histrionics. But I have the tracks from the Pub and I might as well listen to those, at least.

NP: "Cartoons and Macrame Wounds", Mew

[Ian]

Matt's actually got one of the strongest voices in rock music right now, imo.

[TheWanderer]

I like this Muse album more than previous ones.    "Supermassive Black Hole" on the previous album annoyed me to no end, probably due to the fact that it was used in Twilight DVD promos that played in the electronics section at work for a month straight. 

[Josh]

I reviewed the new solo album by Kyp Malone, aka Rain Machine.

http://thehurstreview.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/rain-machine-rain-machine/

[eatenbytehworms]

Matt's actually got one of the strongest voices in rock music right now, imo.

I disagree - not because he sometimes apes other singers' styles, but because I find his voice grating.  imho.
just because he's got a good range, doesn't mean he's that great of a singer (celine dion anyone?)

however, i think the way he sings the ending Citizen Erased is almost tear-jerking

[Ian]

I disagree - not because he sometimes apes other singers' styles, but because I find his voice grating.  imho.
just because he's got a good range, doesn't mean he's that great of a singer (celine dion anyone?)

A lot of the classic rock vocalists have grating voices.  Bellamy's is actually quite bearable compared to Axl Rose, Geddy Lee, etc., at least imo.  Actually I think that if Muse put out a couple more good albums and ever break into the American market, Bellamy's going to be one of those big names in a decade or two.

[murlough23]

Future of Forestry - Travel II EP

http://www.epinions.com/content_486020189828

[TheWanderer]

  Actually I think that if Muse put out a couple more good albums and ever break into the American market, Bellamy's going to be one of those big names in a decade or two.

If they were really concerned with that, it would have happened by now.  They've been around for over 10 years. 

[Ian]

You don't become a legendary rock singer just by being around for 10 years.

[bloop]

While it's true that you don't become a legendary rock singer just through being around 10 years, it is quite possible to be one within 10 years time, or even before that.  Would you say John Lennon was a legendary lead by 1970?  Thom Yorke by 2003?  Kurt Cobain by 1998 (OK, so death is a career move.  We all know that)?

[murlough23]

I would say that it's rare, though not entirely unheard of, for someone to be doing their shtick for 10 years without making a big mainstream break, and then suddenly have that breakthrough after that point. Usually, when you've been around for that long, you know what you want to do and who's gonna like it, and that doesn't mean you don't want to try new things and win new fans, but you probably realize you're not gonna take over the world at that point.

How critics will remember you is another story altogether. You could be eulogized for decades even if only a few hundred people liked your music; you could be ridiculed for just as long even if the entire world seemed to love your music. Most likely, if you're somewhere in between and making music critics like, you'll be fondly remembered but not elevated to "rock god pantheon" status.

[spacebrat311]

I didn't realize we were considering Muse to be in some way not huge already. They're one of the biggest bands in the entire world, guys.

I realize that they are less big here in the U.S. than they are anywhere else, but it's not like their stadium shows here don't sell out.

[murlough23]

I didn't realize we were considering Muse to be in some way not huge already. They're one of the biggest bands in the entire world, guys.

I must have been hiding under a rock, because I didn't even know they had a new album out Ian posted his review.

[spacebrat311]

Weird. I've been watching seemingly the entire internet frenzy over it for months, participating in viral marketing schemes and clamoring for 30 second song snippets.

I'm not arguing this as a fan even. I like Muse, but I'm not exactly amazed by them. I just find them inescapable, particularly in non-US media.

[murlough23]

Weird. I've been watching seemingly the entire internet frenzy over it for months, participating in viral marketing schemes and clamoring for 30 second song snippets.

I'm not arguing this as a fan even. I like Muse, but I'm not exactly amazed by them. I just find them inescapable, particularly in non-US media.

Non-US media might be the key here. I'm sure they're huge in the UK and all, and that'll generate a lot of Internet buzz, but they don't seem to have major market penetration here in the US.

[spacebrat311]

Not just the UK. Pretty much the whole word except the U.S. from what I can tell. I've taken to calling this Rammstein syndrome.

Perhaps because we've been the source of so many huge worldwide cultural icons, Americans never seem to realize that just because a band might not get pop radio play here (I won't say they don't get mainstream exposure, because that's way to arguable and subjective. I would classify them as extremely mainstream even in the U.S.) doesn't mean that they aren't bigger in terms of total worldwide audience than bands that do get that kind of play here.

Also I wouldn't say they don't have major market penetration here. They consistently chart in the top ten with each album release since Origin of Symmetry, and like I said, they sell out their stadium tours every time they come.

[murlough23]

Be that as it may, one of their own fans apparently didn't know how big they are. Seems like you'd know that if they were truly one of the biggest bands in the world and you were actively following their work.

[TheWanderer]

Like I mentioned earlier, they got a ton of exposure for being part of the Twilight Soundtrack.

Excuse me while I go disinfect my fingers after typing that.

[murlough23]

Like I mentioned earlier, they got a ton of exposure for being part of the Twilight Soundtrack.

Seriously, is that the only reason?

They've gotten buzz for being an excellent live band (which is deserved), but I'm not sure how far that goes.

[Ian]

The Twilght Sad - Forget the Night Ahead

[murlough23]

Mew - No More Stories...

http://www.epinions.com/content_486670372484

Yeah, I got a little hyperbolic. You told me so.

[Ian]

:D

Although Palace Players is actually my favorite song on here.

[murlough23]

Although Palace Players is actually my favorite song on here.

I think each song is so unique that it's very easy for everyone to have a different favorite, and for very good reasons.

[Ian]

Very true.  Btw, you listened to Kites or Frengers yet?

[murlough23]

Very true.  Btw, you listened to Kites or Frengers yet?

They're in my endless queue of back catalogues to explore.