I will judge an album by the cover. (lyrics, soundtrack)

jackhammer · 04-21-2009, 02:42 PM

To be fair I did recently download this album because of the cover (it is also a post metal supergroup of sorts-but it was sadly lacking):

**Janszoon** · 04-21-2009, 02:46 PM

I find that a lot of times a whale or dolphin on the cover doesn't bode well for an album. Tortoise's Millions Now Living Will Never Die is the only exception to this that I can think of.

Roygbiv · 04-21-2009, 04:36 PM

i agree. i find the overly saturated colours the main offender in the above.

jackhammer · 04-21-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roygbiv

i agree. i find the overly saturated colours the main offender in the above.

In janszoons avatar? I know exactly what you mean

sidewinder · 04-21-2009, 06:56 PM

I find the above album cover quite nice.

And I think Mastodon's Leviathan is a good album with a whale.

**Janszoon** · 04-21-2009, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder

And I think Mastodon's Leviathan is a good album with a whale.

Shit, I forgot about that one. That's a great album.

Roygbiv · 04-21-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

In janszoons avatar? I know exactly what you mean

oh LEE

4ZZZ · 04-22-2009, 08:36 AM

Drei Gesellen by Liederjan. Release (Help)

Hows this for a cover!?

Some of you can laugh all you like but I like it. I am a bit of a lover of history and this kinda stuff gets me thinking. It is medieval for a start and with a saint, a musician playing 2 flutes and another musician playing a lute, it has an attraction that portrays, to me at least, the minstrel, the pious troubadour, that story teller who came to the village and entertained the peasants with tales/songs of warrior kings and damsels and castles in Bavaria. Of course one look at the cover text made me realise that it was German. Interesting. Could this be baroque and if so in the manner of Micheal Nyman's fabulous soundtrack to The Draughtsmen's Contract?

Well no! In fact I got a rather strange surprise in that on first listen I got what I would consider a folk album of songs, that if sung in English could have been any number of British/Irish folk groups. After a 2nd listen I had to go back to the blog that I found this on a read up on what was said. And a very interesting read it was. To quote the blog

Quote:

After the 2nd world war any German musical tradition was discredited. Tradition means that something considered valuable is passed on from one generation to the next. From this point of view it is obvious that the thread of continuity was broken in 1945. This does not mean that peoples’ memories were wiped blank. But the reputation and musical standard of “Volksmusik” wasn’t very high, little to interest young musicians.

Younger musicians flocked to Classical, Jazz and later Folk. We all of course know the impact of "Kraut Rock"

To quote the blog further

Quote:

There were of course efforts to reestablish some German-language singing. In West Germany the political Left used songs of the democratic movement of 1848.

Following the '68 student revolution in Western Germany, Germany saw the rise of the different folk song: Critical political songs, songs reflecting the sorrows and real life of the folk. These songs were partly traditional, partly newly written.

Protest songs of oppressed farmers and labourers were re-discovered. A lot of research was done in the Seventies. Some folk groups like Fiedel Michel and Liederjan were successful by adapting German songs and tunes in the international “folk” style.

Here is "Drei Gesellen" by Liederjan with traditional songs like "Herr und Knecht", "Die Weber", "Die Moorsoldaten", the jewish classic "Es brennt", "Ballade von der Unzulänglichkeit des Lebens" by Weill and Brecht and many others.

Now that chicken drinking song with the oom pah band this ain't. In fact, as the blog says, it is "international" in style and I suspect that if this was sung in English it may have had a following among the bearded pint drinkers of real ale but it is not. It is beautifully played, in fact some tracks are live and we are treated to a tight folk group with deep male harmonies and even a capella's. I have genuinely enjoyed the album on my now total of 4 listens and have even read up on German folk on wiki.

BUT, and it is a huuuuuge but, I have not a bloody clue what they are singing about and the truth of the matter is that when it comes to folk tales of "Protest songs of oppressed farmers and labourers" you gotta know what the heck they are protesting about.

So great cover for me but not the style for the music though. Be that as it may I am a happier man for the experience of having my knowledge of German Folk music enhanced via this crazy idea of judging an album by it's cover.

~~coryallen2~~ · 04-22-2009, 08:39 AM

Hows this for a cover =]

4ZZZ · 04-22-2009, 09:06 AM

Not my type of thing cory. Kinda thing that may have appealed to me when I was 15 and that was a looooooooog tiiiiiiiiiiiiime ago.

04-21-2009, 02:42 PM	#21 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	To be fair I did recently download this album because of the cover (it is also a post metal supergroup of sorts-but it was sadly lacking): __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

04-21-2009, 02:46 PM	#22 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	I find that a lot of times a whale or dolphin on the cover doesn't bode well for an album. Tortoise's Millions Now Living Will Never Die is the only exception to this that I can think of. __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

04-21-2009, 04:36 PM	#23 (permalink)
Roygbiv marquee moon Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 759	i agree. i find the overly saturated colours the main offender in the above. __________________ Roygbiv's Review Revue LATEST REVIEW SILENT SHOUT BY THE KNIFE

04-21-2009, 06:56 PM	#25 (permalink)
sidewinder Engorged Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,536	I find the above album cover quite nice. And I think Mastodon's Leviathan is a good album with a whale. __________________ last.fm \| my collection on RYM \| vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

04-22-2009, 09:06 AM	#30 (permalink)
4ZZZ Forever young Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Brisbane Posts: 608	Not my type of thing cory. Kinda thing that may have appealed to me when I was 15 and that was a looooooooog tiiiiiiiiiiiiime ago. __________________ Terra Music Est Non A Vitium.

04-22-2009, 08:39 AM	#29 (permalink)
~~coryallen2~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: lorain,ohio Posts: 909	Hows this for a cover =]