Love or Hate?

DwnWthVwls · 11-02-2015, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

90% if it's mostly like this.

Glad you liked, but I don't think you'll like the album. He's pretty diverse and while the lyrics are always there, the sound you heard in that song is not. I'd never rec you an album by him, but I'm sure there are other songs you'd like.

Still might be worth skimming if you're feeling up to it some time.

Edit: Just checked out that No Bravery song btw, I've never listened to him. *Thumbs up*

Trollheart · 11-04-2015, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DwnWthVwls

Glad you liked, but I don't think you'll like the album. He's pretty diverse and while the lyrics are always there, the sound you heard in that song is not. I'd never rec you an album by him, but I'm sure there are other songs you'd like.

Still might be worth skimming if you're feeling up to it some time.

I kind of thought that alright. TBH it was a heartbreaking song and video, for which I give him major props, but I don't think I'd really want to find myself in that emotional space again any time soon.

Quote:

Edit: Just checked out that No Bravery song btw, I've never listened to him. *Thumbs up*

Everyone hates Blunty, so I'm surprised and impressed that you liked it. It's a really good album mostly, though everyone is right to hate "You're beautiful"...

Trollheart · 11-04-2015, 07:00 AM

Title: Kirikyogen
Artiste: Kuni Kwachi and Flower Travellin' Band
Genre: Doom/Psych/Prog Rock
Familiarity: Zero, but have heard of them, mostly through “Pounding Decibels”

1. Kirikyogen: Very seventies hard rock indeed; like the organ giving it a nice touch of prog rock too. No idea what's being sung as it's all in (presumably) Japanese but it's not bad. It's a little repetitive, but that's probably because I don't know what's being sung.
2. Music composed mainly by humans: Love the title! Sort of crooned chant in the vocal, almost like a prayer. The piano work here is dark and excellent.
3. Time machine: This is quite creepy in a good way. Goes through too many changes for what it is though. Harmonica, eh? Nice. Hey, is he singing in English here? More great piano. This guy's good. This one is catchy: while making dinner I found myself singing “Time ma-shee-an!”

4. To your world: This one is great, kind of a blues ballad. Really like this one.
5. Graveyard of love: Another slow track, oddly, with I think a sitar or maybe a ****ing kazoo, and the vocal very low for most of it. Cool.
6. Classroom for women: Just conjures up the wrong (read: right) kind of images, doesn't it? Especially as this is a Japanese album. From the seventies, yeah, but still, if there's one thing Japanese love it's sexy schoolgirls. Of course, I don't know if the title is completely innocent or even allegorical because (anyone?) the only Japanese I know is “kinichi-wa” and “Sayonara”, so they could be learning how to cook rather than having hot, steamy ... where was I? Oh yeah. Um, great acoustic guitar intro anyway and I feel the harmonica may make an entrance soon. Ah, no it didn't. Boo.
7. Scientific investigation: This is a really nice ballad --- no it isn't. It just picked up in tempo. Still sweet though.

End result: Very seventies of course, but I like pretty much everything on this album. Keyswork is fantastic, vocals are great even if I don't know what the guy is singing, and yeah, really like it.

So, Love or Hate? Give this one a Love.

Oriphiel · 11-04-2015, 09:53 AM

Glad you liked it! That was indeed a Sitar that you heard. Hideki Ishima, the guitarist, learned how to play it after a trip to India. In fact, he liked it so much that he eventually created his own Guitar-Sitar hybrid years later.

Trollheart · 11-05-2015, 05:29 AM

Title: Silver Apples
Artiste: Silver Apples
Genre: Experimental/Electronic
Familiarity: Zero

1. Oscillations: Oh I'm really digging this! Funky with a big helping of electronica and the vocal is great too. Somehow I thought it was going to be an instrumental. I read the guy who plays the synth here made it himself. This is 1968 after all, so you have to respect the sounds he can get out of it. Aw, it's over.

2. Seagreen serenades: Another great beat, very catchy, love the percussion. Oh man! Whistle! Superb! Love this.
3. Lovefingers: This is slower, with a sort of Daft Punk feel to it. Yeah, decades before those two guys came on the scene! Hear vestiges of Ultravox in there too.
4. Program: Love the carnival style that opens this, then it settles into a really nice groove with a great vocal and what sounds like violin. Synth-created, sure, but it sounds great. Sampled classical music and speech works very well, and would have, I think, have been pretty revolutionary for that time period.
5. Velvet cave: I have to say I wasn't totally taken with that one. Not sure what it was, but the album seemed to take a sudden dip in quality.
6. Whirly-bird: This one's okay, but again, oddly, just ok. Bassline is nice.
7. Dust: This has a very bleak, atmospheric feel to it. Almost doom-ish. Sweet. Percussion again is excellent and really adds to the atmosphere created.
8. Dancing gods: Based on a Native American dance, it's good for what it is but a little boring.
9. Misty mountain: Much better. To close, we get an early attempt at techno, and it's a blast!

End result: Another undiscovered gem for me. Enjoyed pretty much all of it, and again, have to give great props to the guy for creating a synthesiser almost before they were in vogue and making it sound almost like something out the seventies.

So, Love or Hate? This gets a Love.

Trollheart · 11-06-2015, 05:29 AM

Title: Holy Land
Artiste: Angra
Genre: Power/Progressive Metal
Familiarity: I've heard one or two albums by them.

1. Crossing: Anyone not expecting a Love already doesn't know my tastes very well! This is called an instrumental but there are choral vocals, very classical sounding, quite religious in theme. Nice opening.
2. Nothing to say: Good fast powerful rocker, as expected. Love the keys.
3. Silence and distance: Thought this going to be a ballad, and for nearly a minute and a half it was, then it kicked up and is really rocking along nicely now. Ends on a lovely piano piece.
4. Carolina IV: Sounds a bit tribal to me. Kind of reminds me of a mixture of Yes and It Bites. Changing completely now, rocking out. Now into a kind of eastern thing. Interesting, and considering it's ten minutes long there needed to be some variety. There is. It certainly never gets boring. Slowing down now on piano and bringing in cello, then back into the main theme, and we're still only slightly more than halfway through. It really does remind me of Yes though; singer even sounds like Anderson.
5. Holy land: Another low-key opening, with some really nice flute and piano, then it gets more intense
6. The Shaman: Great power rocker, with again that real sense of Jon Anderson in the vocal. Some sort of spoken words, possibly (probably) in Portugeuse, though given the title it could be some obscure native tribal chant or ritual. Great solo from Bittencourt, sounds like a didgeridoo there at the end?
7. Make believe: Sweeping organ and rolling drums, slower song (ballad? Sort of). Love the piano.
8. Z.I.T.O: Weird orchestral intro then it powers up into a fast power metal anthem. What does it stand for? Checked the lyric, haven't a clue. Good song though. Slows down a little in the middle for a bit, then picks up again. Some very neoclassical guitar.
9. Deep blue: Gorgeous ballad with orchestral backing and I think a full choir. Just beautiful.
10. Lullaby for Lucifer: And despite its rather odd title, another ballad, almost acoustic and with I think sea sounds (though that could be the rain outside) and a really accomplished vocal. Lovely.

End result: No surprise to anyone I'm sure to hear I loved everything about this album. Oddly enough, I wasn't that taken with their latest, but this is, to put it in Dublin parlance, savage. Shade too close to Yes for my tastes, but it's a great album, and its being a concept sets the seal on it.

So, Love or Hate? Compared to the other Angra albums I've heard, this is far superior and so I award it a True Love.

Trollheart · 11-06-2015, 01:46 PM

Trollheart · 11-06-2015, 01:54 PM

Title: Emotion
Artiste: Carly Rae Jepsen
Genre: Pop
Familiarity: Zero, though I have heard of her

1. Run away with me: Nice catchy pop song. No autotune which is nice, and the bass is supercool. Pleasant song, nice beat. Her voice is very sexy indeed.
2. Emotion: This one's a little more Janet Jacksonesque when it opens, but it changes into a more solid melody when it hits the chorus. Kind of reminds me of acts like Johnny Hates Jazz and Curiosity Killed the Cat, only, you know, better. Yeah, I'm that old. Touches of Kylie in there too.
3. I really like you: This sounds very like early Miley, but has a nice sort of semi-rock backing. It's cute. Oh cool: she writes her own songs. Good for her.
4. Gimmie love: Ballad? Got a slower feel to it, nice synth, very sort of dark. But not a ballad. Slower certainly than the other tracks. Sort of a marching beat. Catchy if a little simplistic.
5. All that: This is the first ballad. And it's pretty damn beautiful. Sense of 70s soul in it. The descending keyboard riff is cool.
6. Boy problems: The spoken bit at the start is cringeworthy; song's a bit throwaway. Is that brass?
7. Making the most of the night: This one's a lot better. I like the juxtaposition between the verses (soft and laidback) and the chorus (pumping and dancing)
8. Your type: Almost a striding, swaggering, rocky beat to this. Interesting guitar work. Like the lyrical idea too, quite refreshing. Yeah, went downstairs after this track and it was playing in my head, and not in a bad way.
9. Let's get lost: Started out quite lightweight but then kicked up. This may be another blue. Yeah it is. Wolves at the end?

10. L A Hallucinations: Oh god no! I don't like this at all. The kind of almost videogame pop song I hate. Make it stop!
11. Warm blood: Yeah, don't like this one either. What's the ****ing vocoder bit? Jesus. This album has taken a terrible turn at the end. Yuck.
12. When I needed you: Well the final track rescues it. Assumed this would be a ballad. Was wrong. Good closer, quite powerful.

End result: A decent pop album, and I'd probably listen to her other stuff now. I have a sort of inbuilt distrust of and disdain for X-Factor/Idol pop stars, but I could be persuaded to listen to this one some more, and she certainly seems to be finding her own identity and existing outside of and independent of the powerful forces of manipulation many of these often one-album-wonders end up struggling under.

So, Love or Hate? Give this one a Love.

11-04-2015, 07:00 AM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Title: Kirikyogen Artiste: Kuni Kwachi and Flower Travellin' Band Genre: Doom/Psych/Prog Rock Familiarity: Zero, but have heard of them, mostly through “Pounding Decibels” 1. Kirikyogen: Very seventies hard rock indeed; like the organ giving it a nice touch of prog rock too. No idea what's being sung as it's all in (presumably) Japanese but it's not bad. It's a little repetitive, but that's probably because I don't know what's being sung. 2. Music composed mainly by humans: Love the title! Sort of crooned chant in the vocal, almost like a prayer. The piano work here is dark and excellent. 3. Time machine: This is quite creepy in a good way. Goes through too many changes for what it is though. Harmonica, eh? Nice. Hey, is he singing in English here? More great piano. This guy's good. This one is catchy: while making dinner I found myself singing “Time ma-shee-an!” 4. To your world: This one is great, kind of a blues ballad. Really like this one. 5. Graveyard of love: Another slow track, oddly, with I think a sitar or maybe a **ing kazoo, and the vocal very low for most of it. Cool. 6. Classroom for women: Just conjures up the wrong (read: right) kind of images, doesn't it? Especially as this is a Japanese album. From the seventies, yeah, but still, if there's one thing Japanese love it's sexy schoolgirls. Of course, I don't know if the title is completely innocent or even allegorical because (anyone?) the only Japanese I know is “kinichi-wa” and “Sayonara”, so they could be learning how to cook rather than having hot, steamy ... where was I? Oh yeah. Um, great acoustic guitar intro anyway and I feel the harmonica may make an entrance soon. Ah, no it didn't. Boo. 7. Scientific investigation: This is a really nice ballad --- no it isn't. It just picked up in tempo. Still sweet though. End result: Very seventies of course, but I like pretty much everything on this album. Keyswork is fantastic, vocals are great even if I don't know what the guy is singing, and yeah, really like it. So, Love or Hate?** Give this one a Love. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-04-2015, 09:53 AM	#4 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,354	Glad you liked it! That was indeed a Sitar that you heard. Hideki Ishima, the guitarist, learned how to play it after a trip to India. In fact, he liked it so much that he eventually created his own Guitar-Sitar hybrid years later. __________________ ---------------------- \|---Mic's Albums---\| ---------------------- ----------------------------- \|---Deafbox Industries---\| -----------------------------

11-05-2015, 05:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Title: Silver Apples Artiste: Silver Apples Genre: Experimental/Electronic Familiarity: Zero 1. Oscillations: Oh I'm really digging this! Funky with a big helping of electronica and the vocal is great too. Somehow I thought it was going to be an instrumental. I read the guy who plays the synth here made it himself. This is 1968 after all, so you have to respect the sounds he can get out of it. Aw, it's over. 2. Seagreen serenades: Another great beat, very catchy, love the percussion. Oh man! Whistle! Superb! Love this. 3. Lovefingers: This is slower, with a sort of Daft Punk feel to it. Yeah, decades before those two guys came on the scene! Hear vestiges of Ultravox in there too. 4. Program: Love the carnival style that opens this, then it settles into a really nice groove with a great vocal and what sounds like violin. Synth-created, sure, but it sounds great. Sampled classical music and speech works very well, and would have, I think, have been pretty revolutionary for that time period. 5. Velvet cave: I have to say I wasn't totally taken with that one. Not sure what it was, but the album seemed to take a sudden dip in quality. 6. Whirly-bird: This one's okay, but again, oddly, just ok. Bassline is nice. 7. Dust: This has a very bleak, atmospheric feel to it. Almost doom-ish. Sweet. Percussion again is excellent and really adds to the atmosphere created. 8. Dancing gods: Based on a Native American dance, it's good for what it is but a little boring. 9. Misty mountain: Much better. To close, we get an early attempt at techno, and it's a blast! End result: Another undiscovered gem for me. Enjoyed pretty much all of it, and again, have to give great props to the guy for creating a synthesiser almost before they were in vogue and making it sound almost like something out the seventies. So, Love or Hate? This gets a Love. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-06-2015, 05:29 AM	#6 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Title: Holy Land Artiste: Angra Genre: Power/Progressive Metal Familiarity: I've heard one or two albums by them. 1. Crossing: Anyone not expecting a Love already doesn't know my tastes very well! This is called an instrumental but there are choral vocals, very classical sounding, quite religious in theme. Nice opening. 2. Nothing to say: Good fast powerful rocker, as expected. Love the keys. 3. Silence and distance: Thought this going to be a ballad, and for nearly a minute and a half it was, then it kicked up and is really rocking along nicely now. Ends on a lovely piano piece. 4. Carolina IV: Sounds a bit tribal to me. Kind of reminds me of a mixture of Yes and It Bites. Changing completely now, rocking out. Now into a kind of eastern thing. Interesting, and considering it's ten minutes long there needed to be some variety. There is. It certainly never gets boring. Slowing down now on piano and bringing in cello, then back into the main theme, and we're still only slightly more than halfway through. It really does remind me of Yes though; singer even sounds like Anderson. 5. Holy land: Another low-key opening, with some really nice flute and piano, then it gets more intense 6. The Shaman: Great power rocker, with again that real sense of Jon Anderson in the vocal. Some sort of spoken words, possibly (probably) in Portugeuse, though given the title it could be some obscure native tribal chant or ritual. Great solo from Bittencourt, sounds like a didgeridoo there at the end? 7. Make believe: Sweeping organ and rolling drums, slower song (ballad? Sort of). Love the piano. 8. Z.I.T.O: Weird orchestral intro then it powers up into a fast power metal anthem. What does it stand for? Checked the lyric, haven't a clue. Good song though. Slows down a little in the middle for a bit, then picks up again. Some very neoclassical guitar. 9. Deep blue: Gorgeous ballad with orchestral backing and I think a full choir. Just beautiful. 10. Lullaby for Lucifer: And despite its rather odd title, another ballad, almost acoustic and with I think sea sounds (though that could be the rain outside) and a really accomplished vocal. Lovely. End result: No surprise to anyone I'm sure to hear I loved everything about this album. Oddly enough, I wasn't that taken with their latest, but this is, to put it in Dublin parlance, savage. Shade too close to Yes for my tastes, but it's a great album, and its being a concept sets the seal on it. So, Love or Hate? Compared to the other Angra albums I've heard, this is far superior and so I award it a True Love. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-06-2015, 01:46 PM	#7 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	__________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-06-2015, 01:54 PM	#8 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Title: Emotion Artiste: Carly Rae Jepsen Genre: Pop Familiarity: Zero, though I have heard of her 1. Run away with me: Nice catchy pop song. No autotune which is nice, and the bass is supercool. Pleasant song, nice beat. Her voice is very sexy indeed. 2. Emotion: This one's a little more Janet Jacksonesque when it opens, but it changes into a more solid melody when it hits the chorus. Kind of reminds me of acts like Johnny Hates Jazz and Curiosity Killed the Cat, only, you know, better. Yeah, I'm that old. Touches of Kylie in there too. 3. I really like you: This sounds very like early Miley, but has a nice sort of semi-rock backing. It's cute. Oh cool: she writes her own songs. Good for her. 4. Gimmie love: Ballad? Got a slower feel to it, nice synth, very sort of dark. But not a ballad. Slower certainly than the other tracks. Sort of a marching beat. Catchy if a little simplistic. 5. All that: This is the first ballad. And it's pretty damn beautiful. Sense of 70s soul in it. The descending keyboard riff is cool. 6. Boy problems: The spoken bit at the start is cringeworthy; song's a bit throwaway. Is that brass? 7. Making the most of the night: This one's a lot better. I like the juxtaposition between the verses (soft and laidback) and the chorus (pumping and dancing) 8. Your type: Almost a striding, swaggering, rocky beat to this. Interesting guitar work. Like the lyrical idea too, quite refreshing. Yeah, went downstairs after this track and it was playing in my head, and not in a bad way. 9. Let's get lost: Started out quite lightweight but then kicked up. This may be another blue. Yeah it is. Wolves at the end? 10. L A Hallucinations: Oh god no! I don't like this at all. The kind of almost videogame pop song I hate. Make it stop! 11. Warm blood: Yeah, don't like this one either. What's the **ing vocoder bit? Jesus. This album has taken a terrible turn at the end. Yuck. 12. When I needed you: Well the final track rescues it. Assumed this would be a ballad. Was wrong. Good closer, quite powerful. End result: A decent pop album, and I'd probably listen to her other stuff now. I have a sort of inbuilt distrust of and disdain for X-Factor/Idol pop stars, but I could be persuaded to listen to this one some more, and she certainly seems to be finding her own identity and existing outside of and independent of the powerful forces of manipulation many of these often one-album-wonders end up struggling under. So, Love or Hate? Give this one a Love.** __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018