Key

If it's a review of the one I liked, I'm excited for the review as well.

Trollheart

Now we come to the album of a member with whom I'm not that familiar. Everyone up to now whose music I've reviewed has been, if not a friend of mine, at least someone I've spoken to on occasion and know fairly well – Frownland, Mondo, Plankton of course, Tristan, Xurtio – but I know very little about 1blankmind. People seem to rave about his music though, which is certainly a good start. And I know he's waiting for my review.

And here it is.


Stuck Between the Parallels of Man and Monster – Son of Abbot (1blankmind) – 2016

Well, it's certainly a catchy title and an interesting cover. I could probably have done with another colour scheme for the tracks (dark red on black don't work too well for me) but anyway, off we go with “Waste of space”, and a very Peter Gabriel meets Queen muted percussion with a low, sort of chanting vocal then some sound effects and taped thingies, the percussion fading into the background as the effects take over the track; reminds me a little of Floyd on Dark Side. Now there's a loud moaning, sounds like a didgeridoo but probably a synth sound, that buggers off and the effects are left. Sort of a hollow, echoing effect and now I can hear the slow percussion (almost a heartbeat though too fast for that); perhaps it never went away but was just drowned out by the other sounds. Appears to be coming full circle as it approaches its end, with that chanting voice returning and on into “Words can't hurt you” with the title repeated as it opens and a rising synth line with attendant piano notes. Breaks into something of a funky melody then, grooving along nicely, joined by a guitar groove too. Very nice. Kind of an odd ending, very abrupt and segues into “Meaningless control” with what sounds like a metronome going.

Interesting aside: if a dwarf travels on the subway is it a metro-gnome? Sorry. Back to the review. Not a whole lot happening at the moment, which is why I filled up dead air with that gnome joke. Oh wait, a voice is talking in an echoey, creepy way now. Some feedback maybe but no music. Ah, there's some guitar coming through now. Nice. Repetitive, but nice. Another strange ending but I can forgive that when “Whatever happened to Alan Smithee?” opens with a harmonica! Ooh yeah! Some nice picked guitar then a totally slowed-down voice which sounds like the sort of thing you hear when someone kidnaps your daughter and phones you. Not that I have a daughter. Or have ever kidnapped anyone's. So far as can reasonably be proven in a court of law, anyway. Voice is very offputting; clever yes but annoying. Meshes well with the guitar and now there's percussion coming in too. Quite a bit happening after so little.

“Yellow” features, I think, Chula Vista, and opens with what could be a synth or a guitar, not to sure which. That dark slow-down voice is back, unfortunately for me. Really don't like that. Now we have a definite guitar break and indeed a solo, very cool. Militaristic drumbeat taking in “Sugar and cocaine”, which I believe may feature Tristan Geoff (and as he told me he's a drummer, and this seems to contain only drumming, then, yeah, I think that may be the case but blank can confirm). Actually I think there's a guitar humming softly there in the background but it's very much backup sound only. Not crazy about this one I have to say. “The pope lick monster” is chock-full of guitar, and rocks nicely in a slow kind of groove; seems to stop and start a little. I suppose that's intentional but it's a little distracting. Yeah, I'm not a fan of this fragmented approach, sorry.

There's a dark, almost doomy feel to “Sorrow filled masturbation”, with a lonely guitar playing what appears to be the same riff over and over (symbolic?) and a dark synth or feedback or something that soon drops away leaving the guitar on its own, very sparse but now it's being joined by again maybe synth, the former fading out while the keys take over. Touch of drone perhaps. Now it's either a child's voice or a ludicrously sped up vocal effect. Either way it sets my teeth on edge, not least the idea of having what may be a child's voice on a song with the word masturbation in the title. Hmm. Not a fan of that one, no siree bob. “Why?” asks the next track, with an echoing but distant vocal and then a grinding guitar, but it's a little too much like someone praying in a church for my tastes. “Soryu” is a much louder, angrier sound and again if I've read this right features Ki. It's very experimental, which of course is code for I don't like it. Well, not so far anyway. Very abrasive, no real melody I can follow. Not since she took out the injunction, anyway. And that leaves “Are you there God?” with what sounds like an approaching helicopter and a guitar riff. The helicopter sound seems to be some sort of synth effect that goes through most of the track, through my head, and we're out at the other side.

Track listing and Ratings

1. Waste of space
2. Words can't hurt you
3. Meaningless control
4. What ever happened to Alan Smithee?
5. Yellow
6. Sugar and cocaine
7. The pope lick monster
8. Sorrow filled masturbation
9. Why?
10. Soryu
11. Are you there God?

Yes, well, definitely not my cup of tea I'm afraid. Interesting to see some other MB members involved, but for me, the album has some good ideas that never quite seem to go anywhere. Unrealised potential or a missed opportunity? Probably neither; I'm sure most of you love this. But it's the “e” word and that always makes me a little skittish. I'm sure a lot of work and thought went into this album, I just don't seem to be able to reap the reward that should be there. But then it just probably isn't for the likes of me.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

The Batlord

Uh, maybe you should reread your review, bro.

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Key

Ouch

Mondo Bungle

What's wrong with it

Also mad stoked that I'm next omg

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Trollheart

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

The Batlord

Pretty much everything.

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Frownland

I still don't see it and don't care enough about blankmind's music to scour the review.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Blank.

Well, interesting review. Sorry you didn't like it.

Key

How about being specific dumbass.