Bulldog

Good man List updated.

And, as I say, there's no definite date I'm gonna start the next trade on, so I'm not gonna rush anyone to get their reviews posted.

Also, anyone else up for this. Come on now, I know this is the kinda thing at least a few more of you would dig...

James

Can you use tribute albums?

Bulldog

Tibute albums are absolutely fine. So are B-side compilations or remix albums if anyone's got any of those.

gotjuice

NumberNineDream was nice enough to send me Little Flecks Of Foam Around Barking, the second album by the late 80s/early 90s British group The Chrysanthemums.

Honestly, this is album is...it's interesting. Overall it's a humorous record, fairly light-hearted, poking fun via pop culture references (most of which I didn't understand ) as well as parodying the bombast and pretentiousness of some progressive rock albums. There are cheesy song titles and lyrics that make you laugh at their intentionally over-the-topness. Take the 28 second long track "The Hygrometer Song":

Diving in the ocean
I found an instrument
for measuring the moisture content of air.
It said 82% so there could be
somewhere moister than the ocean!
Ba ba ba ba!

And yet, even though the album is and succeeds as a parody of progressive rock (and all the glory of its flute solos), Little Flecks Of Foam is a damn well done album on its own merit. It is a double album, but it's anything but boring, as it ranges the gamut from acoustic guitar and gentle British vocals to noisy solos to tracks that wouldn't sound out of place on a Beatles album. The lyrics, as I sort of mentioned already, range from hygrometers to Joan Of Arc. Thus, even though the album initially might make you chuckle, eventually it has to be appreciated as a fine representative of the brand of music it seeks to poke fun at. Thus, why it's interesting (to me at least).

Overall, definitely worth a listen. Not sure honestly how often it would crack my listening rotation, but once again: I love this trading post because it forces me to listen to stuff I probably otherwise wouldn't, and that's always good. Thanks N9!

__________________
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders...

NumberNineDream

^ Lol, I love "the Hygometer song" !

I guess the concept of this album is forcing you to listen to it to crack the references, then comes a day when you find yourself addicted to the album itself.
Glad you liked it

__________________

Bulldog

Ah, the Chrysanthemums! One of those bands my brother's pretty much obsessed with and heard a new excuse every time he asks why I haven't got anything of theirs yet. Maybe one of these days.

And, sorry Pete, I know I said I'd have a review up by now, but one thing led to another and I ended up on the town last night instead. I should be out tonight as well, so provided the hangover's as bad as it is today, I'll definitely get your review up here for Sunday

On that note, anyone else want in for the next trade? I'm gonna say we'll look to start it between Wednesday and Friday. Remember, it's an official compilation theme - tribute albums, B-side and singles collections, various artists albums and the like.

storymilo

Are soundtracks ok?

Bulldog

If they've been recorded by more than one artist, I don't see why not. Got something in mind for the trade then eh?

Bulldog

I'll take that as a yes then.

This one from the vaults from the entity we know as 'Pete'...


I had absolutely no idea who this was when I was offered it as per the trade and that, but my LastFM sources tell me that Visit Venus are a German electronic duo who are pretty much known for the same loungehall-ish, downtempo electronica that their contemporaries the Thievery Corporation and Nightmares Of Wax (among others) are. What you're basically looking at then are very slow, bass-heavy beats augmented by world-wary synthesized atmospherics and a lack of vocals. Instrumental trip-hop when all's said and done then.

I can imagine that it's a good album to get stoned to, but then again I find being stoned pretty damn boring. Not to say I didn't like the album or anything - I actually do quite like it. Very sedated kinda vibe surrounding the whole thing, and you can see the kind of sound the guys are trying to aim for. Definitely a good album for times like now, ie when I'm up fairly late, staring at a desktop monitor and making all these little words appear on it. It's also a good album to have in your arsenal when you're in one of those moods when you just don't particularly care for many other kinds of music. All in all though, it's yet to blow me away in the same sense that the Thievery Corporation and Nightmares On Wax albums I've got have done. Definitely worth having if you're into a bit of downtempo electronica though.

So, yeah, thanks for that Pete

I guess I'll start the next trade whenever I feel like it over the next week. On that not, whoever else feels up for it, just say so here eh.

CanwllCorfe

Anteater sent me:

Trist - Hin-Fort



When I first got the message, I immediately listened to the whole thing. For one, the album art drew me in and album art does that to me. The other reason is that it sounded like something I'd love.. and I do.

I've never seen a song that was an hour long and I thought that it might have been an album that someone forgot to split up into songs.. but no! An hour of dark atmosphere and you bet I listened to the whole thing, granted I kept checking how far I made it in (which seemed almost to be in even 10 minute increments). Like most atmospheric music, there isn't any "real" melodies. Things like that bother some people but as long as it creates an interesting atmosphere that I feel like I've never seen or felt in any other song/album, then I'm all for it. However there are some passages, like in Hin, that are blistering with speed and intensity which help break it up a bit. The whole album has a congruent feeling and attitude that makes me feel like the artist had a definite concept. When I listen to it I'm reminded about all these random cryptic images from when I was younger. I've always "felt" very specific responses from looking at and thinking about things in different ways; a weird orange light on the side of a building at night time, dead trees down the street next to an old bridge in the middle of a swamp, a house that in the 70s had slime coming out of the walls (and made the local news), illustrations from Scary Stories, that impending feeling you have when it's like someone is about to look through that window at you, the quiet when you wake up in the middle of the night, etc. I adore the music that makes me think of such a specific sort of imagery. This is one of those albums that completely alter your mindset and how you're feeling like a playground for the brain. 9/10

__________________
Your eyes were never yet let in to see the majesty and riches of the mind, but dwell in darkness; for your God is blind.