SF music geek club?

[Le Communard]

It's a pretty album, although I'm not sure how much I really have to say about it--I'm not very good with insturmental music. It was nice to sort of get swept up in the music and not really think about anything praticular. Like most soft insurmental music, it inspiried a vague sort of meloncholy which is condusive to contemplation. I liked it.

It seemed to me to really be a medidation on the sea, not so much as a object in the natural world, but more as a cultural object--hence the refrences to blind Captains and Moorish slaves. It's tapping into the emotions that we assosiate with these stories of Journeys by boat (the parting, the ill-starred adventure, the mutiny), and trying to paint a picture of them in sound.

I'm looking forward to the next one.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Le Communard

[SirBrickingtonCrushworthy]

Anyway, whether this will scare you or not depends on how adamantly against contemporary indie you are.

But, this is basically my music taste in a nutshell, and if I were you I'd expect an album that I've listened to a whole bunch off of here: http://www.last.fm/user/NESkimoFan12

Also you can go down the list and see that I did in fact listen to all the songs from the album that Death suggested.

[Nanami Touko]

Just getting around to listening to this, gave the first song a go, and I'll give the rest of them a go tomorrow; have to go to sleep now.

As the sea swells she bleats and moans like a goat in heat:

So, this is some good music. Definitely not my taste, but it's still really good. I can see myself coming back to listen to it later, maybe if I need to calm down, or if I just need to relax. And, omg, Nighty was so right, the violin and strings in this song MAKE this song. I love it when Violin is done right, and this song does it RIGHT. I like how it starts off calm and then gets more serious as it goes along, like most good songs Yay bland statements, but the entire string use in the later part of the song is just beautiful, and then when they brought the drums in, I fucking melted into happy land.

A blind captain, a whispered portent, an infirm navigator:

I love how everyone else is getting stuff from the music and I'm just blathering on about how I like the tempo shifts Which is pretty much all I got out of this one, and I liked the slow start, quick rise, back to slow, and then sudden jolt before it crashed. Judging from what the album's about, maybe the ship did crash at the end, and that's why the music stopped.

A Moor slave dreams of a beautiful woman he will never meet - Mutiny and rebellion ensues aboard the good ship Tecora:

So slow @ ~ @ Good, but slow, and I think the speed of the song is what made it boring for me. I still love that violin, and I can follow what the song's tryin' to convey in the title, and how it does that in parts, but... kinda felt like skipping through it to the next song, honestly xD

Like hares they mistook confidence for capacity...:

I liked this one a lot more than the third, less than the first two. It was more... constant, with how it moved - the music - and, again, they've got that amazing violin playing throughout this entire thing, and that just made it all the more pleasing. The ending was kinda... funky, though.

This is Water:

This kinda just felt like more of the same, and, even though I enjoyed it, I wish it was more than it is. The whole "chanting", if you can call it that, at the end kind of ruined it for me, especially when one of the guys in the "chanting" laughed a bit. Kinda ruined the vibe.

Opinion overall:

It... was decent music. I probably won't come back to the entire thing for a while, but I really liked the first song, and I might listen to that some more.

Edited April 25, 2011 by seph1212

[Defeatist Elitist]

As the Sea Swells - started out nice and ambient, became a lot more interesting a little before halfway through. I really liked a lot of the stuff they started doing near the middle, especially some of the build up and the sampling, I think it was pretty well done.

A Blind Captain - not bad, but I didn't really notice much about it, not that that's necessarily a bad thing

A Moor Slave - pretty good, some of the less eventful parts felt like they were dragging a bit, but I liked it overall, though I still preferred As the Sea Swells

Like Hares - intro was pretty nice, but it almost felt like it didn't actually end. Kind of like the whole song was just the intro going on and on. Again, nice and ambient, and not unlikeable, though I was fond of a lot of the violin near the end

This is Water - managed to keep my interest going throughout, and had some pretty enjoyable bits. It got better and better as it started to approach the end, and then it sort of mellowed a bit and went back to being less interesting, though the chanting definitely brought me back in.

Overall I found this album to be fairly enjoyable, if a bit too ambient for my tastes. It wouldn't really be something I would just sit down and listen to, which sort of hurt it, despite the fact that there is plenty to examine in it. It's not repetitive or boring by any means, I just wasn't really able to get super engaged. I definitely liked As the Sea Swells She Bleats and Moans Like a Goat in Heat the best of all the songs, probably because it seemed the most active, though I also rather liked This is Water. The rest was not unpleasant, but simply isn't something I would actively listen to, and I'd prefer it as a background thing.

EDIT: Also, I felt they had mixed success with the sampling, sometimes it worked really well, other times it contributed to the over ambience I was feeling.

Edited April 25, 2011 by ZXValaRevan

[Original Alear]

without downloading them to my computer illegally of course

Of course, of course! *Wink wink nudge nudge*

[Mikethfc]

Anyway, whether this will scare you or not depends on how adamantly against contemporary indie you are.

But, this is basically my music taste in a nutshell, and if I were you I'd expect an album that I've listened to a whole bunch off of here: http://www.last.fm/user/NESkimoFan12

Also you can go down the list and see that I did in fact listen to all the songs from the album that Death suggested.

Nah I'm fine with indie, you have quite a few of the bands I like there but different songs, I was expecting Cosmopolitan from Nine Black Alps and Hate to say I told you so from the Hives.

As far as the Flophouse Sessions goes its a good album, whilst I'm not a huge fan of the vocals at the end of this is water their melodies are top notch, particularly the violin in as the sea swells, probably going to nab it off play in a bit as its only £2.50 there and I've found I managed to get a lot of work done whilst listening to these guys.

[Strawman]

Mmmmk, listening to it now.

As the sea swells: Surprisingly I really liked this song. Not a fan of how long it takes to start really though. Loved the violin and piano. The background noise gets a little too loud and annoying for me though. LOVE the ending.

A blind man: At first I really liked it. Then I kind of liked it. Then I kind of forgot I was listening to it. I think the problem I have with it is that when it starts to speed up it gets kind of distorted and screechy. Not a huge fan of that. Otherwise its actually a really awesome song.

A moor slave: A little long and drawn out but definitely another awesome instrumental. So far this is my favorite song.

Like hares: Its pretty but a little too mellow and slow.

This is water: Pretty much the same as the last one.

Overall: I would really like listening to this when I'm in a music listening mood, which is not right now haha. Its actually quite good. I'm surprised.

[SirBrickingtonCrushworthy]

Nah I'm fine with indie, you have quite a few of the bands I like there but different songs, I was expecting Cosmopolitan from Nine Black Alps and Hate to say I told you so from the Hives.

As far as the Flophouse Sessions goes its a good album, whilst I'm not a huge fan of the vocals at the end of this is water their melodies are top notch, particularly the violin in as the sea swells, probably going to nab it off play in a bit as its only £2.50 there and I've found I managed to get a lot of work done whilst listening to these guys.

Both of those are loved tracks in my library.

But seriously, Headlights and Everbody Is > Cosmopolitan.

[Phoenix Wright]

As the sea swells she bleats and moans like a goat in heat: I think I'm the only one so far that was not interested in this particular instrumental. It started out slow, and ended with not a big enough "bang" for my tastes. The violin was an awesome touch, though.

3/5

A blind captain, a whispered portent, an infirm navigator: This is my favorite song on this album. This is a song that I felt I could "connect" with, if you will. I even imagined a story with an exposition, climax (interestingly around the two-minute mark), and resolution. I am not a fan of this genre, however I can't deny how well-done this song is.

4.5/5

Like hares they mistook confidence for capacity and A Moor slave dreams of a beautiful woman he will never meet; mutiny and rebellion ensues aboard the good ship Tecora: I have the same feelings for both of these songs. They're slow and quite boring to listen to, despite their talent...

2/5

This is Water: Another song where I can at least create a story for myself. It sounds to me like a lamentation or regret for past choice or something, I'm not sure. The babbling at the final thirty seconds kinda annoyed me.

3/5

Band: I'm not a fan of lyric-less music unless the artist is a solo guitarist, for some reason...

3/5

[WeaponsofMassConstruction]

I liked it. Favorite parts were the introduction piano part to build up and the ending violin part. Didn't really pay attention to the tracks as individuals, so I'm grading it more as a whole. It works very well on that level, with beautifully layered melodic lines along alluring progressions dividing time over motion in its waxing and waning. It's one of those pieces after which silence endures for a while because playing something else seems inappropriate.

I'm not one for needing lyrics or concepts, and give it a 9.5/10. Great atmosphere and musicality, though I think I might prefer a cleaner violin tone. Similar to Chopin's Raindrop Prelude.

[lolDeath]

Close enough to everyone. REVAN'S TUUURN.

[Esau of Isaac]

Didn't get a chance to talk about the tracks, but I will say that I much enjoyed the vocals at the very end of "This is Water". It was a perfect cap to the album, and actually had me smiling when they finished. They gave it a much more personal feel, like the album was all a work of close pals that'd just been showcased.

Anyways, I found it terrific.

Edited April 26, 2011 by Esau of Isaac

[Fenrir]

Is it to late for me to join?

[lolDeath]

there is no too late

[Fenrir]

Awesome, i'll do this then. : )

[SirBrickingtonCrushworthy]

Morgan Freeman has now joined the brawl.

[lolDeath]

Seriously. We get to find out what God listens to now.

[Defeatist Elitist]

Alright guys, I've given this quite a bit of thought, and I've chosen

Challengers, by The New Pornographers.

Find it as you will.

Edited April 26, 2011 by ZXValaRevan

[lolDeath]

This sounds like an adult Hanson.

[Esau of Isaac]

So apparently I was somehow viewing an older copy of the thread or something. Because like half a page of content popped out of nowhere after I posted. >__>

Edited April 27, 2011 by Esau of Isaac

[lolDeath]

Happens to the best of us, brocaine

[Nanami Touko]

So Death mentioned Hanson, and I don't know who Hanson is, is that bad?

Twelve songs, weeeeeee, so, just gonna give my opinion on the whole album:

So, I'm 4 songs in, and I like the music. It's got a good tempo, it's got some good lyrics, some good instruments, but... Iunno, just felt like something was missing to make it perfect. Kinda sounds like something I'd listen to on the radio if I forgot my MP3 player at home, or something. Not bad, just, not my kind of music.

Really liked Entering White Cecilia. I liked the speed of the song, lyrics, and whatever was making that waving-esque sound (I don't know my instruments) made the song really enjoyable. The maracas in the background were a nice touch.

Failsafe... Was nice to listen to, kinda dragging on, but I felt myself tapping my foot along to the beat, so it wasn't all bad.

Argh, I really don't know what to say about this album @ ~ @ I liked it, and the music was good. The lyrics were decent (to me) and the instruments playing in the back were still good, but... I just never found myself really getting into the music. I'd follow along, tapping with my foot, listen to the music, enjoy it, but never really get some sense of story from it.

Myriad Harbor was the one song here that drew me in, gave me a sense of story in the music as I followed it along. I think I'll listen to that one some more, later.

I wish I could have gotten something more out of this, because the music is pretty dern good And now I'm gonna look like a silly goose, because I'm sure tons of people are gonna post huge posts about this music, but I just didn't.

I'm gonna give the whole thing a 8/10, because I did enjoy it, just wish I could've enjoyed it more.

[Mikethfc]

Alright I've just finished listening to it,

despite being a complete bugger to find entering white Cecilia ranked in pretty high, along with Mutiny I promise you and Go places, although the did seem to be drowned out by the instruments

Edited April 27, 2011 by mikethfc

[SirBrickingtonCrushworthy]

The text within the spoiler tags is basically me taking notes while I was listening to the music.

Judging the band by the name I was expecting it to be... somewhat heavier, though not a hard rock or metal album. But quite frankly I wasn't expecting the first song to come on so slowly, so, bad song? No, but it was a minor disappointment. The second song keeps the same style, but comes on a bit stronger near the beginning. It's still good, but it's simply not quite getting me... yet. The third song has a bit of a darker tone to start the intro, but you know, still stays true to the feel that I've become used to from the first two songs. It quickly pans out though and starts to sound similar to the other two. By this point I'm beginning to feel a little boredom. Fourth song takes a little different approach, but the folk style doesn't REALLY appeal to me all that much. I'm enjoying the change of tune a little bit, but it's still nothing special in my book, but, sadly for me to say, this track is thus far my favorite. Now, the fifth track's beginning has my interest. I'm hearing an influence by 'The Cure' in there, which is something I like. It also keeps a bit of its folk elements, but now I think it's sort of taken a back seat, thank God. I was beginning to fall asleep. Anyway, now THIS song is quite good. 'All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth' is pretty good. Sixth track, hanging in there. The intro grabs me, but as soon as the vocals kick in I'm disappointed again. There's a good rock sound that's just taken a backseat to that damn folk-rock, which by now is REALLY getting me frustrated. I look at the seventh track. I don't think I can last six and a half minutes if it's more of the same. (Again, this stuff on its own really isn't that bad, but I just don't like this style enough to stick with it). I start the track, and hey it actually has a nice pleasant sound, all the while it hangs on to that same style that I was introduced to about twenty minutes or so ago. The rhythm and instruments just combine for that sound that makes you go "YES". This track really is nice, sounds kinda like Feeder combined with the Red Hot Chili Peppers if they both went acoustic. The results are nice, and then the Seventh track has become my favorite so far. Coming off of that awesome track, I think it kinda makes the next track seem worse in comparison unless it somehow tops what was offered, and so the intro is losing me. But then once I hear the electric guitar riffs I'm sucked back in. The vocals are slowly losing me, until the drums start to really kick in, and I'm caught again. This song is a real love-hate relationship with me. I like it a bunch and at other parts I feel like it could be better. Not the worst song on the album, but is not the best. Okay, ninth time's the charm. Hey, nice intro! When the vocals kick in, it doesn't feel out of place or simply sub-par, it works. The simplicity really just meshes, especially the piano. Once the guitar makes its presence heard, this song has won me over. Not as good as track seven, but hey, it's pretty good too. Tenth track brings on a different feel, and I'm liking it so far. Has an American '80s-meets-britpop (Think Kaiser Chiefs sort of britpop) vibe. It can't really match the beginning, but this song isn't awful. Next one. Eleventh track, almost done. Slow, soft, and decent. Not too much to say about this track. For the record, I do kinda like it. The last song... GOD THAT GUY'S SINGING AGAIN?!?! I really HATE whoever that dude is. He just feels out of place in all of his songs.

All in all this album's nice soft rock, very strong and quite enjoyable at its best, and passable at worst. Unfortunately it's biggest downfall is the monochrome flavor of the album which makes it somewhat boring at times. I wouldn't buy this album, but I would buy the few songs in it that I did like. Strangely enough it's the songs being within the album itself that makes them worse rather than listening to them separately. 5.5/10

By the way, I listened to all the songs in the order set by the album, if you want to identify what it is that I mean when I say 'fifth track' or 'seventh track'.

Edited April 27, 2011 by SirBrickingtonCrushworthy

[Nightmare]

I don't feel like writing up a lot this time, but I want to get this going so I'll just say that this was a nice album, if not exactly something I would listen to. The third track (Challengers) bored me a lot though. And at least now I know why Revan listens to this.

[more thoughts] etc.