Forum Member Album Reviews

[Trollheart]

You know that's weird. I can't write for toffee as you all know (those of you who have been unfortunate enough to suffer the so-called music I wrote) but I did write a song and called it "When everyone has gone home", very like the title on that song on your album. Yours is no doubt a thousand zillion percent better of course, but still, it's interesting...

[YorkeDaddy]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Do you want me to link mine too (they're bloody huge though!)?
The album reviews are quite large too...

Do it man! If every review of a members' work is in this thread that would be awesome. Maybe at some point I could compile an index as well.

You know that's weird. I can't write for toffee as you all know (those of you who have been unfortunate enough to suffer the so-called music I wrote) but I did write a song and called it "When everyone has gone home", very like the title on that song on your album. Yours is no doubt a thousand zillion percent better of course, but still, it's interesting...

Well in both cases it's a great song name, so even though you might not have been graced with songwriting talent you certainly have a way with words and conveying a thought or meaning

[Key]

I did a pretty impressive review of 4 of Mondo's albums (I like them at least). I'll post them here once I have access to my PC.

[Key]

Originally Posted by Ki

I did a pretty impressive review of 4 of Mondo's albums (I like them at least). I'll post them here once I have access to my PC.

---



Besvær Salat / Fuzz / The Source of All Monsters / Disgust: The Soundtrack
Member: Mondo Bungle

I want to start off by saying that even though i've only listened to these 4 albums and the one I've mentioned in my previous post, this guy has got some serious talent. I'm not saying that because i'm his friend, I would still say the same thing if I were someone random who didn't know him at this forum and I ended up stumbling upon these albums. Seriously, this is some seriously awesome stuff. I started off by listening to Fuzz because honestly...the album art was intriguing, and man was I not disappointed. Coming in at only 3 tracks, you can tell right off the bat and by the song lengths that Mondo isn't going to short us out of anything. The album starts off with a 26 minute track titled "Overboard" and it just gets right into things and continues to be powerful throughout the 26 minutes. Mondo has once again discovered how to keep someone interested in the music without it dragging on too much. When I was listening to this album this morning, I was waiting for my bus, and I suddenly felt the world stop around me and all I could feel was the music. It's definitely a rare occasion for the to happen to me where all I can see, feel, and hear is the music in my ears. When you continue throughout the album, you get another fantastic track titled Begin The Ritual coming in at 21 minutes. Again, i'm speaking from personal experience, don't let the length of the song scare you, Mondo has definitely found a way to make a 21 minute drone filled song sound interesting and fantastic and never once do I get bored. I was very happy with how I ended up liking Fuzz. It's not my favorite of his, but it's definitely up there with being an album that I will listen to for a long time.

Moving on, we have an album by the name of Besvær Salat. This album comes packed with 4 tracks, with all the songs either at the 3 minute mark and the 6 minute mark. Instead of going with the lengthy approach, Mondo instead went with the short and sweet approach, and it works. While we already know from listening to Fuzz that he can fit a lot of interesting sounds into a long track, this album also showcases the fact that if you give him just a few minutes, he can still manage to blow you away with something amazing. Out of the 4 albums that I listened to, I found that this album in particular was my favorite. I think it was a mixture of the short tracks mixed with the ambient / synth sounds that really sold me on it. He does have a tag on this album that's considered "coldwave". I'm not entirely sure what that means, but if he's referring to temperature, I can definitely feel a sense of coldness throughout this album. Not necessarily a bad thing, it's just interesting to take into consideration how an album can make you feel, temperature wise. Every track on this album is great to amazing. All of them seem to be a little different, but all manage to use a synthesizer to it's greatest ability. A remarkable 4 track album that is definitely up there with being one of my favorite albums of the year.

The Source of All Monsters is up next, and I honestly have no idea how to describe this album. At first I found a lot of similarities to the first album I heard of his, titled "We Are Animals, We Eat Meat EP" where he used distortion and noise to it's advantage. Although I really did enjoy that album, this album was much....much better. He uses a variety of sounds and experiments with a lot of different things on this album, but the thing is, it works. It really does work. Some might find it annoying and untalented, but I can hear that it does take some serious brain power to come up with things like this. I don't really know where i'd place this album in terms of ranking the albums, but I don't really want to rank the albums because I already have my favorite, and the rest are still great if not amazing. But, if you're heavily into that drone / ambient type of thing, I'd strongly recommend listening to this album as it does the genre justice. Of course, that's coming from someone who still isn't too familiar with the genre, but I stand by the fact that Mondo has got some serious talent when it comes to this genre. Certainly a great album, and I will be listening to it some more in the near future.

Last but certainly not least, we have Disgust: The Soundtrack. This album, is seriously so beautifully made, that it made me question whether or not I should put Besvær Salat as my favorite, but a few things made that happen. Instead, I made a compromise and I said to myself that if not for Besvær Salat, this one would be my favorite. I don't really know what it is, but i'm just a big fan of that more ambient-ish sound that he seems to have a beautiful grasp on. It's got a lot of my favorite qualities. It's very post-rock-ish, it's quiet, and it's got certain things to it that take a few listens to hear. It comes in at 7 tracks, but none of the tracks are boring or lame. All of them are great, and I certainly don't know which one I'd say is the best, as they all have their own unique qualities which allows the album to shine in the way that it does. If I were to choose a track that stood out, I would definitely go with But If I Go First. It's a very cool and unique track that takes certain sounds that you wouldn't think would work, and Mondo manages to make them work in the best way you could possibly imagine. Again, this and Besvær Salat are definitely competing for my number one favorite album from this guy, but Besvær Salat still takes the trophy on that.

In conclusion, this has been one of the coolest rides of dove into when it comes to discovering a new genre that I had absolutely no knowledge of. Honestly, I had no idea where to start with this type of stuff, but listening to these albums from someone that I know definitely had a positive impact on what I think of the genre as a whole. Mondo has definitely got some unique and special talents up his sleeve, and I still stand by the fact that even if I didn't know him, i'd still think these albums were nothing short of amazing. A lot of these albums are in my list of "favorite albums of the year" and will most likely remain there for years to come. I will also say that I am following / looking forward to more music that this guy releases, as I've grown sort of attached to the albums I've heard already. I'll definitely be giving the rest of the albums that I haven't heard yet a listen and will do a review just as I did here. I hope this comes off as positive as I tried to make it, but if it didn't, well I tried. To wrap things up, give these albums a listen, and let Mondo know how great of a musician he is. He's got some remarkable talent, and it's definitely not going to waste.

[Pet_Sounds]

Here's one I did of WWWP's band's demo awhile ago....

Originally Posted by Pet_Sounds

The Music of MB:

Snake Walk - Snake Walk Demo
the band of wolverinewolfweiselpigeon

I kick off my series of reviews of the music of Banterers with a look at the band of a member with whom I had previously never had the pleasure of exchanging pleasantries: Miss wolverinewolfweiselpigeon, formerly Junkyard Donner, and perhaps better known to you as Steph.

I have literally no idea what to expect going into this - WWWP and I have never spoken about music before, and I don't know what she's into. But if the rest of the album sounds anything like the opening track, Bed And Breakfast, it should be a fun ride. The vocalist has a pleasant, almost nasally sound, and I love the way he says the r's on the ends of words like "former lover".

Percussion opens the next track, Cheap Cream. This one has a real hip-hop vibe to it, which I'm not a fan of, generally. But the way Snake Walk performs it feels different. WWWP informs me it's "folksy arthop". I'll take her word for it. By the end of this relatively short song, I'm tapping my feet.

Rain Gallery has some nice guitar lines - almost a country feel to them at times. I think I hear a female vocal in there too, which I'm guessing is our WWWP. While listening to this, I had headphones on, and there was this voice in the left channel that made me spin around, thinking someone was behind me. It segues into

Fresh Toffee Apples, which has some weird spoken word about apples being stuck at the bottom…? There's also a bit of what sounds like half of a telephone conversation. According to WWWP, her bandmate recorded it at a party - someone was giving him advice. The lyrics remind me of one of my all time favourite poems, Robert Frost's After Apple Picking.

And now I'm onto the closer, For Lulu, a Shiv to the Gut. This sounds like a mix of hip-hop, country, folk, rock, and a bit of something else. Over seven minutes of shifting beats, great grooves, and really awesome vocals. Apparently Lulu needs a "shiv to the gut". Whatever that is, it doesn't sound like a pleasant experience, and I pity the poor girl.

Snake Walk Demo really wasn't anything like I've heard before. The mixing was great - stereo effects were used tastefully and the sound quality pristine. If I had to sum the album up in one word, I would pick "subtle". There was nothing invasive - just awesome, laidback folksy arthop, great for relaxing with on a snowy afternoon.

Note: this is not inspired by Trollheart's thread in any way. Just an unfortunate case of two of us having an idea at the same time. But I have the first review up!

[Pet_Sounds]

... and here's Krill, from Plankton. (IMO, this is the best review I've ever written--the album deserved it!)

Originally Posted by Pet_Sounds

The Music of MB:

Plankton's Odyssey - Krill
the project of Plankton

It's been a long time since I visited the Scrap Heap, and even longer since I began this project, but what better way to revive both than a review of an album by one of MB's most valuable members? Naturally, I speak of Plankton, friendly guitar wizard and the forum's unofficial dad. He's released three albums, which you can listen to and download here. I'll be reviewing my favourite, Krill, released in 2013.

I must confess to feeling some apprehension before I listened to Krill. I don't listen to much instrumental music other than classical and jazz, and Trollheart's admirable review compared it to Iron Maiden several times. I'm not really a fan of metal, with some exceptions, and they're not one of them. Still, perhaps instrumental heavy metal might appeal to me. Only one way to find out…

The album kicks off with "Flustraxion" (try pronouncing that), and my fears are relieved. This is great! There's some interplay between what I believe are two guitars. As someone whose guitar knowledge consists solely of the chords to "Edelweiss", I'm impressed.

"Waiting Impatiently" is next. It's not quite as heavy, and there's a nice solo that reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb". And then… holy cow. Plankton simply explodes.

All the music so far has been contributed by Plankton alone, but he's joined a guest on "Shoveled"--Dr. Martin Luther King. When I asked him (Plank, not MLK) about including this excerpt of a speech, I was informed that he wanted a dramatic feel. It certainly provides that, and appeals to my experimental tastes.

"Lights of an Unknown City" is next. It's my favourite track, building from a proggy intro to a powerful middle, then ending with some beautiful acoustic guitar, which gives me chills. I have limited experience with progressive metal, but that's how I'd probably describe this track.

Plankton's only living collaborator on Krill (his friend Keith, from Canada) enters the scene on the appropriately-titled "Canadian Mist". It's slower, with some lovely keys, played by the aforementioned Keith.

I consider "Son of Soothsayer" Plankton's signature song. It's the first one I heard (he played it in plug, I believe), it's the track I've seen him talk about the most, and it's also the epitome of his sound. Catchy, swaggering, and a real headbanger.

"Here We Go Again" is breathtaking. Although I wouldn't call it chaotic--everything has a definite direction--"wild" is definitely a word that comes to mind. It's probably the best example of Plank's skill.

"Xphereblotish" (whatever that means) continues the incredible guitar work. I'm picking up a bluesy vibe from this one--almost like a caged animal that can't quite break out, but you damn well that you're toast if he does.

Even with my ignorance of metal, I can hear Black Sabbath in "Screaming at an Empty Canvas". It reminds me a bit of "Paranoid"--a crushing representation of artistic frustation. This is also the first time the bass has really caught my attention.

The title track is next, in two parts. Some jangly acoustic begins it--reminds me a bit of The Byrds or even Boston. Then the drums and lead guitar come in. Despite its heaviness, it seems almost melancholy. It fades into Part 2, which follows the same general pattern, but more slowly. It creates an interesting effect of changing gears.

The last track, "Fields of Youth (For Hanna" is the calm following the storm, Plankton's tribute to his daughter. Despite the many fantastic solos on other songs, the guitar work here impresses more than anything else on the album. It's the perfect way to end a journey. The picture that came into my head as Krill came to a close was of Jonah waking up on land after being spit out by the great fish.

Plankton informs me that there is no intentional concept or storyline behind the album, but its songs mesh together so perfectly that as you listen, it's impossible not to feel that you're on a journey. Where it leads you is your decision.

[Trollheart]

Yorkie, do you want us just to link or post the whole thing? Like I said, most of mine would need two or three posts per album....

[Plankton]

Originally Posted by Pet_Sounds

... and here's Krill, from Plankton. (IMO, this is the best review I've ever written--the album deserved it!)

Thanks again for that outstanding review. New album is in the works, but won't be available until next year. Professional mastering and all the fixings included this time around.

[WWWP]

Yeah, seriously Pet Sounds. I had forgotten how rad your review was. I can't remember if I ever shared it with my band mates or not, but I'm going to now.

[YorkeDaddy]

Hey Plainview, sorry for the delay. I'm ready to listen and will be brutally honest. I liked the format you used for the review of my album so I'll go with the same format here.

Plainview's The Deaf Aids - Soft Heat
https://soundcloud.com/the-deaf-aids/sets/soft-heat

1. Soft Heat
Very interesting psychedelic, crunchy guitar opens up the title track. The sound keeps getting developed and layered with more guitars and there's an almost funky sound to it. The production is really nice for the opening part but I might've lowered the gain on the lead guitar a little bit, but what I really like is the transition around the 1 minute part into a softer sound. I really like the subtle transitions that keep the track moving along in interesting new directions. The ambient synths at the end are lovely. Overall a solid opener.

2. Urge To Merge
Love the start of this. All the percussion is really really nice and creates a sweet vibe to this track. The lead guitar that comes in to add melody is really cool. There's not quite as much going on in this track as the first one, and this one favors slower buildups and gradual additions of new layers, honestly this is just a great song. Will probably end up being one of my favorites but we'll have to wait and see since it's still early on.

3. Dark Hearts
Starts off with a deep, droney bass that I like. Goes along with the title very well. Nice atmospheric guitar, but I'm not a particular fan of whatever the instrument is that comes in after the guitar, but the dissonant chords are interesting. The synth solo is cool and well played but not mixed well and a little too high-pitched, it hurt my ears honestly.

4. Lucid Dreamer
Really sick riff to start off, and some nice shredding but some more high pitched twinkling that I didn't enjoy much. Some arpeggios come in that kind of remind me of a song from Super Mario World lol, I'll look for that on Youtube later. This track is kind of all over the place so far, all of a sudden there's some ravey dance synths before it reverts back to the original sound. Kind of hard to evaluate a track like this, it sounds like a molding of a bunch of interesting ideas with little cohesion but the individual parts themselves are generally cool on their own. I love the transition to strings which is starting to go along with the track's title a little better. I would've preferred developing the nice ambiance you had going there rather than throwing in the heavy dance beat, it just seems out of place in the scheme of the album so far. Awesome ending, overall a bizarre track that I quite liked in the end.

5. Like Liquid
Damn very cool abrasive synths there and the accompanying synth really does sound "like liquid". I'm noticing a distinct pattern of 4/4 whole note loops of four measures which are very tried-and-true and generic, I'd recommend exploring different time signatures and combinations to create more variety in the rhythms. Not a bad track at all though.

6. Talisman
Love the opening to this. No idea what these sounds are but they are very cool, almost kind of sounds like someone banging on a tin can or something. Pretty nice transition over to the heavy distorted guitars. Definitely a good track right here.

7. Restless
Damn are you playing that bass? That's a sick line right there and the organ-like synth is a nice touch. I love the melody of the main riff, this song develops very nicely throughout the first half and the brief transition in the middle is great. Love this track, it's up there with "Urge To Merge" for me so far.

8. Midnight Complex
The title had my hopes up for a slower song and it sounds like that's what I'm gonna get. Nice aquatic sounds and reverb in the beginning. The atmosphere to this is very nice. As with most of this album your transitions are generally on-point and generally come at the right time to keep things interesting. Really like the synth around 2:30, especially the way it kind of rises and falls sometimes. The ending is great. Just overall a job well done with this track.

9. Puzzle the Will
Nice chill beat and guitar here. Seriously love when the guitar comes back in with a slightly different sounding melody in the middle. Not a whole lot else to say about this track, some very solid work here. One of the highlights.

10. Phasing Out
Trippy stuff to start this one off. Not a fan of those high pitched beeps but I've already voiced my dislike of stuff like that so it's a personal thing. This is one of the more experimental tracks on this album that's for sure. I like the guitar that comes in, but the phasey synth in the background that serves as the central meat of the track goes on for a bit too long and kind of loses its effectiveness. Kind of hard to figure out what's going on at the end to be honest, some very trippy psychedelica going on there. I dig most of this but some of particular layers are miss rather than hit for me.

11. Canned Light
Pretty cool groove for the first part of this. Digging the guitar playing for sure. The slowly unraveling phasers are an element that might be overused throughout the entire album, there might only be like one or two tracks that I don't remember hearing it utilized. The transition in the middle of this is wonderfully executed. Overall just a solid track but it didn't blow me away or anything.

12. A Different Alloy
Let's see how you finish things up. I like how this wailing synth weaves in and out seamlessly. Definitely some serious experimentation going on in this track and I like it a lot. Very nice textures at work when these multiple layers are working together. Extremely cool track and an interesting choice to make it the closer of the album.

Verdict:
Definitely a good album, no doubt about that. The production is generally great, the physical instruments are all piloted masterfully and some of the tracks seriously stand out. Going through some of them again and I'm convinced "Urge To Merge" is the top track of the album, that's just a really fantastic piece you made there so bravo for the whole thing but especially that track. There really wasn't a track I disliked and the variety was very fun, it's awesome when an album keeps me on my toes and I have no clue what could be coming next.