Trollheart

Sorry man. Rule 11:
11. In general, if I get a rec for an artiste I really don't want another, from that member or from another. This is all about listening to new music, not the discography of a few artistes.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Ilistentoeverything

Yep, I totally forgot about that one.

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In war, not everyone is a soldier.

Frownland

You can always pretend that you're a music enthusiast by listening to other albums by artists recommended to you that you like.

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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.

The Batlord

Trollheart never listens to the same album or artist twice. He's got too much on his queue for that nonsense.

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Frownland

.

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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.

Trollheart

You'd be surprised how some of yours turned out.

But as I say, I'm trying to get to hear NEW artists, to me anyway. Doesn't mean I won't listen to other albums from ones I like, but not here, because that's not how this thread is supposed to work.

FYI: just a sample of the workload in front of me at the moment (self-imposed yes but still)

Finish this thread (nearly there for the current selection) and re-open recs, rinse and repeat

Do more on the Listening List

Do the Discography journal thing (going great guns at the moment)

Bring back The Couch Potato

Get the Progressive Rock History journal moving again

Update Trollheart's Futureshock

Begin new journal

Get back to updating the Journal Update thread

Breathe occasionally

(to be continued)

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Frownland

Oh? A true love for Tunnel Canary?

I know you have to stick to the itinerary or your threads will melt, that's why I used the word "pretend".

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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.

Trollheart

No, that's just a small example.
Stranger things have happened. No, wait: they haven't.
I never quite understand you, my friend. Just because I work hard at my threads and have a certain way of working shouldn't mean I'm not a music enthusiast. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be bothered doing theses threads. Actually, if I wasn't, I wouldn't even be here.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Title: The Lonesome Crowded West
Artiste: Modest Mouse
Genre: Indie
Familiarity: Zero; heard a lot about them though
Recommended by: Machine

Expectations: Not really sure. Indie band so maybe some sort of mix of acoustic rock and uptempo numbers. I do worry that there's a ten-minute track on this album, so I hope I like the music by the time I get there!

1. Teeth like God's shoeshine: Don't like the vocal from the off, very rough and sort of angry. Guitar's not great either; sounds a little punky to me.
2. Heart cooks brain: Just too aggressive in the vocal department, and I can't take any comfort from the music either. This is going to be a long one.
3. Convenient parking: This at least is a little better. More restrained, with a nice sort of rolling guitar, a much gentler vocal with some nice vocal harmonies. Some scratching going on too, but it works pretty well.
4. Lounge (Closing time): This is an improvement too, sort of hypnotic bass line. Bit repetitive but I enjoyed it. Like the fast guitar but the vocal is again shouted for the most part. Good instrumental passage, but overall I think this is way too long for a song of this nature. At least it goes through an impressive number of changes over its seven-minute run.
5. Jesus Christ was an only child: Nice folky acoustic feel to this. Fiddle adds to its ethnicity.
6. Doin' the Cockroach: This is actually very good, even given the raucous vocal. It works well and it's a real rocky little number. Starting to like this. Maybe.
7. Cowboy Dan: Not sure about this one. Kind of made no real impression on me.
8. Trailer trash: Yeah I like this one though. Lot of kind of pent-up energy in it. Great guitar outro.
9. Out of gas: This is very repetitive, but somehow, it's also very good.
10. Long distance drunk: I love the really low-key nature of this; the percussion is great, almost tribal in a way, and the bass is excellent.
11. Shit luck: Nah, back to the frenetic music and the shouted vocal. First part of the title is very appropriate.
12. Trucker atlas: And this is the ten-minuter. Could go either way I guess. Meh, it's okay but I don't see how they're going to stretch this to ten minutes. On the back of an extended guitar instrumental, it would seem, as we reach the sixth minute. Yeah, good admittedly, but totally unnecessary for the track to be that long. Just gets boring after a while.
13. Polar opposites: This on the other hand is quite good. Sort of a folky guitar with some sort of dreampop vibes too. Again, a really good guitar outro.
14. Bankrupt on selling: Nice rolling, swaying acoustic ballad. Very nice. Ending is a bit abrupt though.
15. Styrofoam boots/It's all nice on ice, alright: Another acoustic folky one, but faster, and then kicks into a full-fledged rocker about halfway (the second part of the song, I assume). Good closer.

End result: I started this album off thinking it would be terrible. I hated the first two tracks, then began to see it wasn't so bad, warmed to it and in the end was quite impressed with the music. I wouldn't place any money on becoming a fan of Modest Mouse, but I certainly hate it less now at the end than I did at the beginning.

So, Love or Hate? I think in the end it's earned its Love.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018