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Ian
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« on: September 13, 2008, 03:34:49 PM » |
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This album is great. It's very recognizable as TVotR, but they try a lot of new things. I'm hearing touches of LCD Soundsystem, Of Montreal, Coldplay and more in here, and it all fits really well. It's not quite the comprehensive whole that RtCM was, but song for song this is stronger. This is also much more accessible, and a bit funkier. It's probably going to be in my top ten, and I'll definitely be snatching up the hard copy when this drops for real.
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Josh
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« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2008, 02:58:00 PM » |
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Yep, it's a stunner-- one of the two best things I've heard this year, for sure.
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Josh
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« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2008, 01:03:34 PM » |
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My review of my favorite album of the year.
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bloop
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« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2008, 02:02:44 PM » |
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Josh
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« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2008, 02:20:51 PM » |
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Is that surprising? Return to Cookie Mountain was, I think, #5 on my list in 2006. (Maybe not in my music journal here, but in the final list I posted on my Web site.)
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bloop
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« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2008, 03:26:02 PM » |
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I didn't remember that. I'm pretty sure it was my #1 in 2006, and it's impressive that TVotR is up there again (granted, we have several months left, and I have quite a backlog of albums).
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spacebrat311
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« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2008, 06:31:01 PM » |
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I'm really into this as well. I don't know how it will pull together as far as placement, but it's definitely top tier as far as this year's releases are concerned.
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sup.
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Ian
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« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2008, 07:24:43 PM » |
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Nice review Josh, except for not talking about Family Tree, the best song on the album.
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bloop
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« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2008, 08:10:21 PM » |
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I played "Family Tree" for my wife today. She loved it, too.
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murlough23
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« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2008, 01:43:39 PM » |
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Dammit, you guys are starting to make me curious about this one. Stop that!
NP: "Blackbird", Alter Bridge
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bloop
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« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2008, 01:55:42 PM » |
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Yeah - I was thinking "When's murlough coming in to say 'meh, B/C maybe'
I'm kidding, of course, but universal praise tends to get anyone's attention.
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« Last Edit: September 18, 2008, 01:57:44 PM by bloop »
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Aaron
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« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2008, 07:21:30 AM » |
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It's good. It's a contender. However, I just listened to the new album from The Dears and I am more addicted to that one than this one.
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murlough23
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« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2008, 12:43:09 PM » |
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Yeah - I was thinking "When's murlough coming in to say 'meh, B/C maybe'
I'm kidding, of course, but universal praise tends to get anyone's attention.
It's not just the universal praise; it's the things that are being described about the album that make it sound like it would interest me stylistically. People's descriptions of their previous album didn't make me the slightest bit interest even though that one got a lot of praise as well. |
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bloop
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« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2008, 05:51:11 PM » |
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Hmm...strange. I don't see a lot of description here of this album or their previous one, other than assessments on how good they both are. You must be talking about Josh's review (great read, btw, Josh).
I think you would like both of them, actually, so I kind of wonder what put you off the Cookie Mountain trail.
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« Last Edit: September 19, 2008, 05:55:04 PM by bloop »
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murlough23
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« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2008, 06:44:12 PM » |
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I think you would like both of them, actually, so I kind of wonder what put you off the Cookie Mountain trail. Maybe it wasn't here, but I remember a number of folks saying it was rather inaccessible. Someone made a comment about how "I think TV on the Radio is good music, but I don't enjoy TV on the Radio" or something like that. Opinions are like A-holes, everyone has one, but I seem to recall these points coming from trusted sources. But whatever. I'll start with their new one, and if I like it enough to work backwards, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. |
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Ian
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« Reply #15 on: September 19, 2008, 10:22:47 PM » |
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This one is far more accessible than RtCM, if you're worried about that.
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Josh
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« Reply #16 on: September 22, 2008, 09:26:31 AM » |
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Pitchfork: 9.2
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bloop
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« Reply #17 on: September 22, 2008, 02:08:33 PM » |
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Pitchfork: 9.2
It's nice when they get it right. |
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Josh
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« Reply #18 on: September 22, 2008, 03:57:44 PM » |
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And they're not alone: 4 1/2 stars from AMG's Heather Phares, 9/10 from Popmatters.
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bloop
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« Reply #19 on: September 23, 2008, 04:34:10 PM » |
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In that neighborhood almost everywhere. 90 metacritic score.
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Josh
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« Reply #20 on: September 23, 2008, 05:19:15 PM » |
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In that neighborhood almost everywhere. 90 metacritic score.
91 right now-- making it the top-rated album of 2008. And who am I to argue? |
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valleycat
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« Reply #21 on: September 27, 2008, 06:52:49 AM » |
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This album makes my head swim. I'm not getting into it yet. But their last album took months before it sank in for me, after which I loved it. Maybe it will be the same for this one.
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murlough23
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« Reply #22 on: September 29, 2008, 06:17:10 PM » |
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I enjoy it, but for an album that's getting such massive amounts of critical acclaim, it doesn't seem as wildly different as I expected it to be. Basically it's indie rock with hella catchy drum programming. And I really like that sort of thing, but other than the occasional side trip like "Family Tree" or "Lover's Day" where the instrumentation is notably different, it starts to feel like a repetitive gimmick after a while. The lyrics appear to be thoughtful and have a lot to say, and the music's fun, so I'm enjoying it, but I'm not totally engrossed in it or anything.
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bloop
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« Reply #23 on: September 29, 2008, 07:41:22 PM » |
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I don't know - I think the genre-bending going on in this album (and TVotR in general) may just be a little lost on you, mur. I'm catching a bit of indie rock, but also jazz, soul, doo wop, even some hip-hop influence. I know I'm not naming them all here.
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murlough23
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« Reply #24 on: September 29, 2008, 07:43:41 PM » |
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I don't know - I think the genre-bending going on in this album (and TVotR in general) may just be a little lost on you, mur. I'm catching a bit of indie rock, but also jazz, soul, doo wop, even some hip-hop influence. I know I'm not naming them all here.
I can see how all of those influences are there, and don't get me wrong - that is a great thing. But the template that makes one such song great for doing that seems to be applied to a great many of the songs, which is why it starts to feel gimmicky after a while. It's like eating the same exotic meal 5 days a week. |
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bloop
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« Reply #25 on: September 30, 2008, 06:47:27 AM » |
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You can go with "gimmicky", I'll go with "seamless".
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Josh
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« Reply #26 on: September 30, 2008, 07:11:01 AM » |
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I'm with bloop.
Also, I'd say it's less indie rock, more dance rock.
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murlough23
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« Reply #27 on: September 30, 2008, 11:03:32 AM » |
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I'm with bloop.
Also, I'd say it's less indie rock, more dance rock.
I don't think the two descriptions are mutually exclusive (it's very Do-It-Yourself and very danceable), nor do I think that either of those descriptions are a bad thing. |
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bloop
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« Reply #28 on: September 30, 2008, 11:31:33 AM » |
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Yeah, I can see what you're saying there. Plenty of genre labels just confuse me to define them.
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Josh
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« Reply #29 on: September 30, 2008, 11:37:20 AM » |
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I certainly don't think there's any other band in the world that sounds like this one. They've got an identity all their own, built from equal parts art-rock and Prince-style funk but theirs just the same.
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murlough23
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« Reply #30 on: September 30, 2008, 11:52:40 AM » |
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Yeah, I can see what you're saying there. Plenty of genre labels just confuse me to define them.
It's the kind of thing that I would usually love - I'm a big fan of catchy, syncopated beats when there's something melodic to go along with it, and TVotR has a ton of that stuff going on for them. I guess you guys just led me to expect something more "out there". |
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bloop
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« Reply #31 on: September 30, 2008, 08:24:08 PM » |
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Well, don't blame us. The first post: This is also much more accessible |
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murlough23
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« Reply #32 on: September 30, 2008, 08:46:56 PM » |
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Well, don't blame us.
Hey, I'm the last guy to complain about accessibility. I like that this record is accessible. But, I thought the group was getting a lot of accolades for this one because it was still a pretty experimental rock record - not as baffling as Cookie Mountain apparently was, but still something that would be different enough to make me go, "Wow, that's weird". I need to listen more, because it's tough for me to explain what's holding me back from saying this is a great record. I still think it's good. I enjoy it. So it may be pointless for us to split hairs over how much each of us likes it. |
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bloop
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« Reply #33 on: October 01, 2008, 11:08:54 AM » |
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I need to listen more, because it's tough for me to explain what's holding me back from saying this is a great record. Are you open to the possibility (even probability, given the consensus) that it really is a great record? |
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« Last Edit: October 01, 2008, 01:41:26 PM by bloop »
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murlough23
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« Reply #34 on: October 01, 2008, 01:17:33 PM » |
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Are you open to the possibility (even probability, given the concensus) that it really is a great record?
Absolutely. If I wasn't, I probably wouldn't have taken a chance on a band that was off of my "beaten path" in the first place. A bunch of other people think it's a great record; I'm trying to see why that is rather than just assuming I should call it that because everyone else does. I have to be able to hear that for myself if I'm going to be honest about whatever rating I end up giving it. My jury's still out. |
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bloop
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« Reply #35 on: October 01, 2008, 01:37:35 PM » |
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Oh, goodness, don't talk to me about juries (I had jury duty on Monday).
I understand that you need to be in some way honest with yourself.
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Josh
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« Reply #36 on: October 10, 2008, 12:53:23 PM » |
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Still my favorite damn record of the year.
I'm interested, btw, in how everyone I talk to about this album has a different favorite song. Ian mentioned "Family Tree" early in this thread, my wife's favorite is "Dancing Choose," my friend Gavin prefers "DMZ," and I alternate between "Shout Me Out" and "Halfway Home."
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murlough23
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« Reply #37 on: October 10, 2008, 01:15:12 PM » |
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Still my favorite damn record of the year.
I'm interested, btw, in how everyone I talk to about this album has a different favorite song. Ian mentioned "Family Tree" early in this thread, my wife's favorite is "Dancing Choose," my friend Gavin prefers "DMZ," and I alternate between "Shout Me Out" and "Halfway Home."
My favorites so far are "Dancing Choose", "Golden Age", and "Love Dog". "Crying" is working its way up the list as well. I know I like this record, but I still haven't figured out how to letter grade it. I'm kind of dreading the accusations of blasphemy when I do finally make a decision... |
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bloop
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« Reply #38 on: October 10, 2008, 01:34:13 PM » |
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I can't choose a favorite song on this one. I've tried.
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murlough23
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« Reply #39 on: October 10, 2008, 02:15:25 PM » |
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I can't choose a favorite song on this one. I've tried.
That might have been my problem initially. Aside from one or two that stand out for not being as beat-driven ("Family Tree" and "Lover's Day" - the latter still being very rhythmic but being more of a marching band thing rather than having the electronic beats that seem to be the group's calling card), all of the songs that I liked, I liked for the same reason, and they all started to grow on me equally, but without a clear favorite standing out and saying, "THIS is an awesome song." So at first it was, yeah, this is a good sound, can't complain about anything, but I can't find enough that stands out about the individual songs. Now individual songs are standing out more to me, but I still can't say I'm thoroughly amazed by any of 'em. I still haven't found the thing that would push me from "like" to "love". |
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