Forum Member Album Reviews

[YorkeDaddy]

Album: Jesus Loves You
By: Jesus the Carpenter (Frownland)

1. Broken Spirit Raga: I wish I knew where some of these song titles came from. Do you just use whatever random name comes up first? Honestly I have no idea. Regardless this is some fun guitar improvisation and I like it quite a lot, it's actually quite beautiful yet cacophonous simultaneously. Was this just one long take? There's some parts that sound fairly intricate.
2. The Return of Shiva: Kind of a cool atmosphere developed by the heavy twang of the low guitar string mixed with the wails of what I'm assuming is the Bradley Pate fellow. Suddenly halfway through it sounds like there's a discernible rhythm and chord progression for a few seconds but then we're back to whatever we were doing earlier. I mean either way though I enjoyed this track.
3. Bridge Hopping: Some neat guitar playing to start this one. I'm guessing this entire album was improvised? To what extent did you plan out the general feeling of each song beforehand, or was none of that done at all? I've messed around with a guitar in a fairly similar fashion before but you make it sound a little cleaner in the execution than I did. This one bored me later on but I'll keep it green because there was still cool little runs happening every now and then.
4. Water Waltz: Can't hear much for like thirty seconds, but then we get some very slow chords. Not really much happening at all, you do hit some pretty chords in a nice order but a ****load of people can do that. Not impressed much by this one at all, I think it would've been loads better if you had added more instruments like some ambient sounds to fill the space while the guitar continues to do those little things here and there. I understand the style of this album is pure guitar improvisation but there was a lot of potential with this one that I think you missed out on.
5. Ruminations: Bit more going on in this one, we're back to the more interesting stuff from earlier on the album. Pretty cool in general
6. Experienced Cleaning Training Sessions: Super cool stuff on this track, I really don't know how you're making some of these sounds. What kind of tool are you using? This is probably my favorite on the album, just some really nice stuff overall. Whoa did you just drop the tool right at the end? Nice touch honestly.

Verdict: I dug it pretty much the whole way through. I definitely wish there had been more going on at certain points but overall you can do some really cool **** with a guitar and I'm assuming some drugs. My favorite I've heard from Frownland for sure.

[Frownland]

Ja, the only thing that I planned before these were the tunings. On the last track I was using a screwdriver that had ridges on the handle, and dropping that was a happy "accident" (I put that in quotes because there are no accidents). Glad you enjoyed it, it seems to be my most accessible one to date.

For the song titles
1. My kind of girlfriend lady at the time broke up with me and I recorded that right after.
2. Brad is the other member of Queens of Shiva, and that recording was from our first time jamming together in months since he graduated last semester.
3. Just fit imo, the change ups and tapping to be more specific.
4. That song was inspired by Cage's song Dream in a way, and I liked the pun on his song Water Walk.
5. Sounded right
6. I liked the "ing ing" thing going on in that title, but that one was just off the top of my head for titling that track.

I'll get the Daycream Society review up soon.

[Plainview]

Fervor – Daydream Society





Amazing
Great
Good
Ok
Bad
Yuck

1. Mysteries From a Newly Repaired Heart Like this guitar (?) build up/feedback, eerie but enticing. And those hihats coming in now. The mixing is cool and immersive. More percussion layers adding in, and a soft synth. Like the pureness of that and the juxtaposition with the guitar. Very emotionally resonant this. And the tempo building now, love the way the synths and percussion dance around your eardrums. And a big meaty synth hit crackles into life. Really warm tone. Soothing actually. The whole thing is, like riding a wave. And we slowly pull to a stop. Nice track.

2. Daring to Deceive You Meaty distortion, always a good start. That chirpy melody is great with the crackling synths. Like the staccatoness of it. And ooooh this layer is cool. You manage to create strong warm ambience and emotions out of inherently artificial sounds, which is great. Almost Ambient Shoegaze here, with those layers of synths coming into play. I love way the way they snake and hiss. One criticism is the ones mixed to the front are maybe a little too harsh, slightly hurt my ears. Enjoyable again though.

3. Fate or Fiction Pt. 1: Light Pillars Another cool little melody, different accompanying octaves come in. And now those plodding notes taking dominance. And suddenly that wash of arpeggio which is brilliant, really comforting sound. This whole piece could definitely play soundtrack to a film, I reckon. Great build-up of layers, that’s something you execute well. Like the ending note.

4. Fervor This feels pretty unsettling. Those warped strings blending with that lower chord hit. And some bass arpeggio too now. And I love that whirring sound, subtle and atmospheric, really great texture. And the chord hits have that lovely sparkle sound to them, sort of like wind chimes. Best textures so far right here. Some of the instruments dropping out, which is always a nice effect, gives some space to things. And that string sounding synth, which is cello-esque, really adds variety and drama here. Great addition. Good pick for title track, definitely my favourite so far.

5. Waiting Game Unexpected but cool acid synth, love the ripple and crackle, more strong textures. And that guitar/bass sound undercutting it is ****ing cool. Those pops and clicks are a nice touch too. Holy **** the textures. Brilliant. A dark track, it seems, raw and edgy. But wait, I hear something more angelic underneath, a brighter synth part in the mix. Wow this is amazing. The track has a nice sense of progression without a lot changing. And there’s that synth I heard before! Chilled way to close things, very sweet. Another top track, thoroughly enjoyed.

6. Fate or Fiction Pt. 2: Snow Drifts Sort of house sound to the arpeggio melody. Rad bit of distortion now, love the way you blend the smooth stuff with the edgy, manic sounding synths/guitar. Again, very shoegaze. Definitely visualising the idea of snowdrifts, it actually feels like a flurry of snow falling around me (apt because it’s snowing here). This is really masterful stuff, something both melancholic and hopeful to this, like braving the blizzard outside to reach a loved one. Lots of kineticism to this track. And it pulls back again to a soft resolution. Made it out of the storm.

7. Level-Headed Reminds me of Bjork, the techno/trip hop blend. Mangled high synth plays around nicely with the lower notes. This is quite a swirl of sound here, I certainly don’t feel level headed (that may be the point). Wow, this is pretty manic and claustrophobic sounding now. Actually reminds me of Coil now I think about it. Great dissonant tones. This whole track is a nice change up into darker and more intense territory. And it comes juttering to a halt.

8. Agony and Atrophy The synth part that rolls along is cool, but it clips a little bit, slightly irritating. And that’s a lovely bit of wonky synth work there. Segues into a quieter synth part. And now some mad dissonant chord stabs. Definitely feel the pain in this one. Again, makes me think of Coil. There’s a lot of heat and energy to the sound on this track. And now a fizzy wash creeps into the background behind that ominous off kilter synth part. It’s like being on a Ghost Train waiting for the exit. And I’m through the doors.

9. Fate or Fiction Pt. 3: The Archeologist Instantly a more vibrant, positive start. Flute like synth is neat. Like the weird chord progression, catches you off guard slightly. Sounds a bit like something by Japan. Understated percussion is good, pitched percussion adds a great dynamic to the sound without being overpowering. Pretty psychedelic now with that slicey, spacey curtain of sound. Quite transcendental. Also sounds like some of the ambient stuff off of Low, which is a big compliment (Weeping Wall?). And it slowly spins out of control, nice. Another diverse track which adds a lot to the album’s whole journey. Great reverb at the end.

10. The Best Dream of Your Life Dark but floaty synth to open up the final track. More 60s psychedelia tinge. A bit Canterbury Scene sounding. Again, it’s that mix of uplifting and ominous which really hits hard. Definitely captures the confusing, contradictory nature of love. A loud synth part now. It’s alien sounding, but comforting and nostalgic as well. And the warmer, lower synth taking its place, makes things feel more safe. That slightly jarring note in the progression is a nice touch. That makes way to the soft arpeggio synth that tickles your ears, like it a lot. And the hazy ending minute is really relaxing and a solid way to end the journey.

Overall, I thought this was a strong work, the best stuff I’ve heard from you so far. You brought together those elements of dark ambient, shoegaze, psychedelia, and house in a convincing manner. The whole album executes its concept very well. Definitely felt like a journey, which isn’t easy to pull off with purely instrumental stuff. As I said earlier, your use of textures is really a stand out point; I think you should go further with that as you continue moving forward. I also thought the way you captured contrasting moods and emotions within individual songs was totally brilliant, and was very much a sonic embodiment of the feelings we go through when in love. The slight flaw I have, as I mentioned, is some of the mixing. At times, some of the high parts cut through a little too much, and become uncomfortable to listen to. It’s a small thing, and the skills needed to sort it just come with mastering your mastering (ha). Maybe a tad more variety in the song progressions would be desirable at times, too; but I don’t want you to lose the subtlety and space you have already harnessed.

As you can tell, I very much enjoyed it. Keep it up.

8/10

[YorkeDaddy]

I'm absolutely thrilled that you liked it. I can't wait to post my full thoughts on your hip hop album man, I know you're gonna be really happy to read what I say.

[Mondo Bungle]

Still wanna do my new album?


I kinda wanna do a Cloudcover review

[Plainview]

Originally Posted by YorkeDaddy

I'm absolutely thrilled that you liked it. I can't wait to post my full thoughts on your hip hop album man, I know you're gonna be really happy to read what I say.

Ace, look forward to it. Imma listen to your other release too so I'll let you know what I make of that.

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Still wanna do my new album?


I kinda wanna do a Cloudcover review

Been meaning to review Rejsekammerat, I'll get on that too.

[YorkeDaddy]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

Still wanna do my new album?


I kinda wanna do a Cloudcover review

Absolutely, and I'd be fascinated to hear your thoughts on Frownland (the cloudcover album, not the member lol)

[Plainview]

Originally Posted by YorkeDaddy

Absolutely, and I'd be fascinated to hear your thoughts on Frownland

That guy? He's a twat.

[YorkeDaddy]

Artificial Death in the West by The Cartridge Family (Plainview)

Sorry it took a bit to get this out, I wanted to make sure I get a couple strong listens in before reviewing since this is a pretty long and varied album.

1. Childhood: Maybe could've cut that intro a little bit but overall it's fine. Really interesting use of the Bjork sample, it fits excellently with the string synths and beat. Are the drums a sample or did you record them in-person or did you map it out electronically? Regardless it sounds great and fits perfectly in the mix. I love the subtle development over the next couple of minutes. Really a beautiful track and a great use of sampling for sure. It definitely feels like it's made with a sense of childlike wonder. Very nice jazzy piano near the end which leads into a seriously sick piano riff at the end that I absolutely love and I think you should've utilized more. I think you could base an entire track around this, it'd sound great with a beat and some vocal samples. Sucks that I don't get to hear it for long, it's really nice. Overall you start off with a blue though.
2. In Love (With a Feeling): Absolutely love the jazzy piano on this track mixed with the hip hop influence. This is a style of music I ****ing adore from artists like Nujabes and some of Kendrick's recent work. This one just really works the whole way through, so have another blue.
3. Happiness Inc.: Name's a lot like Feel Good Inc. Is that an Animal Collective sample? Oh **** fam I'm seriously digging that droney synth mixed with the beat here, I could listen to this all day. Pretty awesome when that leaves and is replaced by some horns that sound a little more hopeful. The six minutes of this one just fly by, I really love the whole track. Probably the best so far.
4. Breeze/Morning: Really interesting sounds here, the sort of Asian sounding influences are pretty cool. Frantic drums come in and this feels way, way different from the previous three tracks. The end is pretty cool, it's awesome what the simple sounds of some boys playing basketball can do for you. Great imagery there.
5. All I Wanna Do: Definitely some strange trip hoppy stuff going on early here. The style and mix is much more in-your-face than the subtlety of the earlier tracks, and I was liking those more. I definitely like this one but I don't love it, not much else I really have to add.
6. On My Way/Divine Stylings: Interesting use of the Fragment Two sample by These New Puritans. It works fairly well as the focus of a song, I never would've considered that really. There's kind of an underwater cavern-esque sound to the little drips and kind of echo-y beat. This one has a very unique flavor to it. It's hard to figure out what the vocal sample is, but that might be a good thing honestly. Really nice track here.
7. memory's faaaade: One little note is that I think this album is kinda quiet over all, you could afford to turn basically every track up a little bit. I don't often have to have my laptop's volume maxed out to feel like I'm hearing all the details. Anyway this is a really interesting vocal sample, I like it a lot but it does get played a bit too much over the course of the track I think. Pretty solid one again though
8. i WiSH i WiLL: Interesting dark ambient which leads into a cool beat with some twisting and turning sounds that I like a lot. Oh damn I really love that little riff being played on strings, is that a sample or what? It's beautiful, and some bass is used really effectively in this one. Not a huge fan of the abrupt change around 2:30 back to exactly what we had heard earlier, I wanted those darker sounds developed more. It's interesting to create a sort of dichotomy within the song though. Kind of a spooky ending. This one's real close to a blue but doesn't quite get there I think.
9. Unearthling: I love the little flute in the background and the beat is pretty nice. Cool sense of atmosphere to start this track. Very interesting piano and bass section that kicks in sort of suddenly. Pretty solid one overall but nothing mind-blowing.
10. Celestial Architect: Cool song title. Kinda ballsy to sample Sunday Morning I feel like, I'd probably tend to stay away from Velvet Underground. That might be some weird personal bias and I shouldn't use it as a knock against the song. There's some sorta faint sax going pretty crazy in the background here and there, but a lot of this is sorta boring and playing the xylophone from Sunday Morning too much. Things get more interesting in the second half and I like it a lot, but then we go back to the same thing from earlier which wasn't doing a whole lot for me. Overall this has to be an orange.
11. Take My Freedom: Nice soft little jam going on in the beginning here but then I start hearing a cacophony of some spooky sounds. Pretty neat effect there having it kind of in the background. Suddenly I'm hearing a Radiohead sample which is sorta interesting, and Thom Yorke is still in there way back in the mix. This section doesn't feel different enough from the Radiohead song to me which isn't a great thing. The rest kind of bores me to put it simply, so I think this end up an orange as well.
12. Dead Flag Greens: The sound of a gun? Kind of cliche. This one starts off pretty weird but gets quite soothing when we have those slow guitar strums that are sort of ambient. Cool track overall, we're back to green.
13. Turiya/An Exit: Cool choir sound at the beginning, I like that a lot. Kind of an interesting end track. It's pretty short but seems to pack a lot in at the same time. Pretty nice fairly emotional seeming ending but I think it ends kind of abruptly too. Still a nice track to end things.

Overall I think the first half of the album is quite a bit better than the second but I liked the whole thing quite a lot overall. You seemed laser-focused on those first few tracks and that is reflected by the fact that my three favorites are the first three tracks. Is it a great thing to pack the best of the album so early? I'm not sure, maybe spreading those out would've made for a greater overall listen. Still though you show a huge amount of potential in this genre and this was a real pleasure to listen to, so thank you Plainview.

[Plainview]

Originally Posted by YorkeDaddy

.

I appreciate the in depth review immensely, glad you enjoyed it overall. I can see what you're saying about the first half being stronger, I guess that's due to me putting the longer tracks first and the shorter vignettes together near the end. I will say however that some of my favourite tracks are ones you liked least, which is interesting. And yeah, some of the sampling (the In Limbo and Sunday Morning example) was probably a bit too heavy handed in hindsight. The drumming is a mixture of recorded and sampled. That opening sound on Dead Flag Greens was meant to be a tape or something, but listening now it does sound a bit like a gun. Thanks a lot, I'll be sure to continue with this kind of stuff.