Forum Member Album Reviews

[Mondo Bungle]

let's see what's up with it


https://daydreamsociety.bandcamp.com/album/deconstruct

that cover is nice looking even if it's so simple.

I've reviewed the newer albums but have listened to them all, and I wasn't well acquainted with this one, but it sound cooler already than I remember. The first track assembles itself into a pillow of light drone that's already on the cool side so you don't need to turn it over. Frankly it sounds so pleasant and it's more textural than a lot of the other stuff I've heard. Then the album moves into percussive territory with the next one. I hear dissonance beneath the scattered drum hits which I wouldn't have expected. It sounds nostalgic light Boards of Canada lite. Once again texture rules me, and over a repeating synth melody and bass line the sounds of forgotten dreams fold and unfold.

The envelopment of hazy textures just continues, and cool drones like heatwaves rising from asphalt to wrap around you. Quite nice, again. Verbed out synthesizer give every little blurb a resonating existence, and when coupled with every other layer a dreamy sense of indeterminacy. After about 2:40 of Loner there's an amazing bit of of paradoxically shrill yet comfortable noise to carry it out. Great track there.

Track 5 has an exotic feel to it with the cool percussion that is actually quite varied if you really listen. So far the album has not stopped with the sublimation of great drones in a light ambient setting. Glimpse doesn't have as much to it but I figure it's a little interlude track. Still sounds nice though. Afterward the climbing melodies are back to blend with the soft noise canopy. Then another short, more melodic and less drone than the other one we've heard. There's some kinda organesque bit to begin the next track, and it sounds so dreamy. The last song is the loudest on the album, and a great closer.

So I always thought the project had drone elements but this album brings it way up front (at least I think so). It was surprising, not that I think the other stuff I've heard is lame (actually it was mostly nice, just not the hugest fan of the style), but this parade of gazing noise was very compelling. It succeeds as an ambient album as well as a drone album, with a constant nebula of blissful tone and timbre.

I'ma say 8/10

[YorkeDaddy]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

let's see what's up with it


https://daydreamsociety.bandcamp.com/album/deconstruct

that cover is nice looking even if it's so simple.

I've reviewed the newer albums but have listened to them all, and I wasn't well acquainted with this one, but it sound cooler already than I remember. The first track assembles itself into a pillow of light drone that's already on the cool side so you don't need to turn it over. Frankly it sounds so pleasant and it's more textural than a lot of the other stuff I've heard. Then the album moves into percussive territory with the next one. I hear dissonance beneath the scattered drum hits which I wouldn't have expected. It sounds nostalgic light Boards of Canada lite. Once again texture rules me, and over a repeating synth melody and bass line the sounds of forgotten dreams fold and unfold.

The envelopment of hazy textures just continues, and cool drones like heatwaves rising from asphalt to wrap around you. Quite nice, again. Verbed out synthesizer give every little blurb a resonating existence, and when coupled with every other layer a dreamy sense of indeterminacy. After about 2:40 of Loner there's an amazing bit of of paradoxically shrill yet comfortable noise to carry it out. Great track there.

Track 5 has an exotic feel to it with the cool percussion that is actually quite varied if you really listen. So far the album has not stopped with the sublimation of great drones in a light ambient setting. Glimpse doesn't have as much to it but I figure it's a little interlude track. Still sounds nice though. Afterward the climbing melodies are back to blend with the soft noise canopy. Then another short, more melodic and less drone than the other one we've heard. There's some kinda organesque bit to begin the next track, and it sounds so dreamy. The last song is the loudest on the album, and a great closer.

So I always thought the project had drone elements but this album brings it way up front (at least I think so). It was surprising, not that I think the other stuff I've heard is lame (actually it was mostly nice, just not the hugest fan of the style), but this parade of gazing noise was very compelling. It succeeds as an ambient album as well as a drone album, with a constant nebula of blissful tone and timbre.

I'ma say 8/10

Noice, appreciate the review. I think that album was the turning point for me when I finally started to narrow down my style into something that was satisfying and actually worked. I think that album has a couple bland sections that, if I were making it today, would have been improved. But overall I'm quite proud of that one, and I expanded on the style I developed there throughout the next few albums.

Now onto your album in the next post:

[YorkeDaddy]

I'm going to start by saying I have no idea how you made some of this. Are you that awesome of a guitar player? Or were those samples too? There are some solos that absolutely shred on this thing.

Overall this is one of the most pure fun albums I've heard in a long time. Your usage of sampling is exquisite throughout and consistently thematic and impressive in its integration. I love that you brought back the wrestling samples from the previous album. I don't care at all about pro wrestling but it fits so well with the style you're working with here.

It's basically impossible to predict what is coming next, but what you do know is that it's going to be fast, aggressive, and in-your-face...but not in an unpleasant or dissonant way. This isn't a harsh noise album or anything like that, it just goes hard and it goes hard for the entire runtime. There are occasional tracks that change up the whole vibe, like Blaze Runner which is a highlight, but it does it without lowering the tempo which keeps the album flowing with the same intensity throughout.

I can't comment too specifically on many of the individual tracks as I was seriously zoning out while listening to it, but overall this project is so incredibly inventive and exciting that I would recommend it to most of the members here. This is genuinely one of my favorite albums of the year that I have heard. Also, the closer is ****ing perfect.

[Key]

Foleyisgod - Blazestation

I've always enjoyed Mondo's music, and this one is certainly no exception. There's a lot of stuff going on in this album but god damn it's fun to listen to. It literally takes you for a ride from the get go and you just let your imagination do the talking. Each track is brought with something fresh and interesting to keep the interest brewing. I'd say it's definitely one of the most fun albums I've heard this year. It may seem all over the place but I feel like that's done on purpose. But we'll touch on that later.

Going in your met with a couple spoken introductions, and it's mixed in with some pretty sweet mixes of tracks that have probably been heard before. I enjoy the concept though. I've done it myself.

At first it feels like the album doesn't really have much direction but it actually flows together nicely. Although I will say that it is a pretty long album to get through. 19 tracks to be exact. But as Yorke said, this is an album you can space out and just enjoy. Each track will bring something new to make you enjoy it as a whole much more.

I'd say this reminds me of one of the other albums you've released before where you took certain songs and mixed them into a "mess" and put it on the album. I loved the album but I can't for the life of me think of the name. You probably know what I mean though.

Definitely one of my favorite recent releases from Mondo. Nicely done man.

[Mondo Bungle]

it's my shortest full length album I think

[The Batlord]

Not a knock on you specifically but 30 minute albums are the top for anything not punk, grindcore, or powerviolence (then it's 20 minutes).

[Key]

My recent one is about 22min I think. I don't like to make them too long.

[Mondo Bungle]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Not a knock on you specifically but 30 minute albums are the top for anything not punk, grindcore, or powerviolence (then it's 20 minutes).

what about all the 30+ minute albums you like that aren't punk, grindcore, or powerviolence

which I'm willing to bet is the majority

[Mondo Bungle]

come to think of it that doesn't even make any sense

so the genres that specifically go for short albums are the only ones allowed to exceed 30 minutes?

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

what about all the 30+ minute albums you like that aren't punk, grindcore, or powerviolence

which I'm willing to bet is the majority

They tend to lose me at some point, or at least my attention span starts to wander. 45 minutes is generally my high point. Albums that restrict themselves to 30-35 minutes also tend to condense themselves to their best points without self-indulgent songs. It helps if they have less tracks. One of the things I love most about Deep Purple is that they have shorter albums that don't even have 8 songs. If you have 10+ tracks and an album over 50 minutes then maybe it's time to ask yourself if you're ignoring quality control. TBH MB artists don't seem to ask themselves that question often enough.