Sneer's Emporium of Sound

music_phantom13 · 11-20-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stu

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone

Answer Machine Music

Any chance I could get an up for this? I'm intrigued.

Sneer · 11-22-2009, 09:52 AM

Yes give me a day or two. My next entry is going to be on The Screamers by the way, may be of interest to you

Schizotypic · 11-22-2009, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stu

16

[CENTER]Medusa Cyclone
Medusa Cyclone

Musically, it sounds at times like Can at their strangest, Faust and Five Feet Hoses - all the while emanating from the same strange planet as Syd Barrett.

Wow, Fifty Foot Horse with CAN and Faust. =/ I just can't picture it. Going to track this down asap. Thanks for the post Stu, good find.

Edit: I just wanted to add, great fuckin' journal Stu! I was really impressed, I passed over this thing for a long, long while until today... I was missing out! Keep it up man.

music_phantom13 · 11-23-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stu

Yes give me a day or two. My next entry is going to be on The Screamers by the way, may be of interest to you

Damn right. By the way, I haven't forgotten about the Part Chimp album. It appears some of my music disappeared when I dropped my hard drive

I checked a few blogs and the links were down, but I haven't searched too much... I'll get that up ASAP.

Sneer · 12-01-2009, 12:05 PM

Dr John

Gris Gris

I stumbled upon this album purely by accident, i was blog searching for a folk band called Gris Gris and this came up instead. Enticed enough to download it, i was immediately swept up in the mystical, ritualistic sounds creeping into my ears.

I say ritualistic because it sounds like the soundtrack to some esoteric voodoo ceremony, replete with eerie, ethereal melodies carried upon flutes, mandolins, saxophones and strange chanting. Listening to this is maybe the closest i can get to an out of body experience whilst conscious.

Musically it is a hybrid of rhythm & blues and psychedelia, punctuated frequently with various world music influences ranging from balkan to flamenco. It all has this smokey, demure mystique to it - seedy in a sense without sacrificing any of the beauty.

The variation between songs is also impressive. Danse Kalinda Ba Doom for example sounds like it's come straight from a rambunctious night of hedonism in a gypsy commune, whilst converssely Jump Sturdy clearly owes a lot to the black slaves of American past as it swaggers with blues and soul. Despite this variation, the album succeeds in flowing into this phantasmagoria of sound, consequently becoming 30 odd minutes of some of the most interesting, refreshingly strange music i've ever heard.

Sneer · 12-02-2009, 09:16 PM

The Chameleons

Strange Times

The Chameleons were a post-punk outfit from Manchester, initially active between 181 and 1987. They are in my view painfully underrated exponents of the gothic brand of Post-Punk prevalent in the British alternative scene throughout the decade, with Strange Times being one of the finest releases of the period.

Released in 1986, this was the signalling of an end for the band in its original carnation, a collection of experiences from over the years compressed into 50-odd minutes of brooding, atmospheric dream pop. There is a mournful, nostalgic tone underpining the dual-guitar textures and pentrative drum beats as the band embark on a sonic journey of reminiscence and introspection. The guitars meander along with an errie resonance, echoing through dark passages of isolation and regret, mercilessly propelled by a dynamic rhythm section that blasts through the speakers.

This should have been the Chameleons breakthrough into a higher, more revered spectrum of public consciousness. The production and songs were grander and more sophisticated than anything they had previously released. Swamp Thing in particular is a masterful example of how to build tension to breaking point. It's this tension that runs central throughout the album that you feel finally tore the band apart.

With themes of alienation, emptiness and isolation running concurrent with the melancholic, ominous tones central to the albums sound, it wont be a particularly uplifting, joyous listen. But then to be honest i wouldnt have it any other way, so have a listen and bask in your woes, they've rarely sounded this good.

jackhammer · 12-04-2009, 05:01 AM

Script Of The Bridge by The Chameleons is quite magnificent and each play brings it closer to my top 10 but for some reason I have never followed them up and I have only ever heard that album. A timely reminder.

Sneer · 12-04-2009, 10:34 AM

I'm yet to get that one, thank you in turn for your timely reminder.

Sneer · 12-07-2009, 12:26 PM

Archers of Loaf

Archers of Loaf

When somebody says the words 'Indie Rock', bands most likely to be spewed into the conversation will be Modest Mouse, Pavement, Guided By Voices, Sebadoh etc etc. North Carolina's Archers of Loaf merely get a nodded approval, which is slightly bewildering considering the quality of their first two releases.

For the sake of this review i'm going to attach my consideration exclusively to the debut, Icky Mettle, released in 1993. This is an album that will have you bouncing off the walls. Wonderfully accessable and sophisticated, every song is replete to the tonsils with a carefully focused energy. The band were masters in knowing when to hold back and when to absolutely explode, consequently evoking a dynamism that leaves every yell, every beat and every riff reverberating deep inside your stomach.

Musically they adhere to the standard rock template; two guitars and a rhythm section, there is nothing particularly experimental or groundbreaking about what these guys do. The majesty of the album comes in it's execution. Who needs to push boundaries and innovate when you can concocte songs like these? Web in the Front, Wrong, You and Me, Sick File and Learo Youre a Hole are all exceptional pop songs, dealing with issues such as disillusionment and resignation. They take influence from such luminaries as Dinosaur Jr, the Melvins and the Replacements, moulding a sound driven by distorted dual-leads and hardcore-punk energy to unleash an impassioned commentary on the scene that spawned them.

Amidst the slew of great albums releasedin the early-mid 90s from myriad bands labelled Indie Rock, this is a standout effort. No other band quite manages to incorporate such an impactful blend of noise rock and pop and make it as meaningful as Archers of Loaf do.

music_phantom13 · 12-09-2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stu

[CENTER]Archers of Loaf

Good call on this Stu. Sometimes I just don't really understand how some bands get popular and others don't. Archers of Loaf is pretty much the perfect example... While bands like Guided By Voices, Pavement, Sebadoh, and Built To Spill are the names that are so well remembered, I can't think of the last time I heard someone mention their name on par with the aforementioned bands. Which is sad, because they deserve to be remembered just as much as all of those bands. To be fair though, I thought they got pretty bad in their later years. Their last live album is terrible imo.

And by the way, you really do need to get Script of the Bridge. It's got to be one of my favorite post punk albums and easily my favorite by the band, though I have yet to listen to any of their three more recent releases. I don't have much hopes for them.

11-22-2009, 09:52 AM	#122 (permalink)
Sneer Let it drip Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5,430	Yes give me a day or two. My next entry is going to be on The Screamers by the way, may be of interest to you __________________ LastFM Sneer's Emporium of Sound Fright Team radio show

12-01-2009, 12:05 PM	#125 (permalink)
Sneer Let it drip Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5,430	Dr John Gris Gris I stumbled upon this album purely by accident, i was blog searching for a folk band called Gris Gris and this came up instead. Enticed enough to download it, i was immediately swept up in the mystical, ritualistic sounds creeping into my ears. I say ritualistic because it sounds like the soundtrack to some esoteric voodoo ceremony, replete with eerie, ethereal melodies carried upon flutes, mandolins, saxophones and strange chanting. Listening to this is maybe the closest i can get to an out of body experience whilst conscious. Musically it is a hybrid of rhythm & blues and psychedelia, punctuated frequently with various world music influences ranging from balkan to flamenco. It all has this smokey, demure mystique to it - seedy in a sense without sacrificing any of the beauty. The variation between songs is also impressive. Danse Kalinda Ba Doom for example sounds like it's come straight from a rambunctious night of hedonism in a gypsy commune, whilst converssely Jump Sturdy clearly owes a lot to the black slaves of American past as it swaggers with blues and soul. Despite this variation, the album succeeds in flowing into this phantasmagoria of sound, consequently becoming 30 odd minutes of some of the most interesting, refreshingly strange music i've ever heard. __________________ LastFM Sneer's Emporium of Sound Fright Team radio show Last edited by Sneer; 12-02-2009 at 08:53 PM.

12-02-2009, 09:16 PM	#126 (permalink)
Sneer Let it drip Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5,430	The Chameleons Strange Times The Chameleons were a post-punk outfit from Manchester, initially active between 181 and 1987. They are in my view painfully underrated exponents of the gothic brand of Post-Punk prevalent in the British alternative scene throughout the decade, with Strange Times being one of the finest releases of the period. Released in 1986, this was the signalling of an end for the band in its original carnation, a collection of experiences from over the years compressed into 50-odd minutes of brooding, atmospheric dream pop. There is a mournful, nostalgic tone underpining the dual-guitar textures and pentrative drum beats as the band embark on a sonic journey of reminiscence and introspection. The guitars meander along with an errie resonance, echoing through dark passages of isolation and regret, mercilessly propelled by a dynamic rhythm section that blasts through the speakers. This should have been the Chameleons breakthrough into a higher, more revered spectrum of public consciousness. The production and songs were grander and more sophisticated than anything they had previously released. Swamp Thing in particular is a masterful example of how to build tension to breaking point. It's this tension that runs central throughout the album that you feel finally tore the band apart. With themes of alienation, emptiness and isolation running concurrent with the melancholic, ominous tones central to the albums sound, it wont be a particularly uplifting, joyous listen. But then to be honest i wouldnt have it any other way, so have a listen and bask in your woes, they've rarely sounded this good. __________________ LastFM Sneer's Emporium of Sound Fright Team radio show Last edited by Sneer; 12-02-2009 at 10:34 PM.

12-04-2009, 05:01 AM	#127 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Script Of The Bridge by The Chameleons is quite magnificent and each play brings it closer to my top 10 but for some reason I have never followed them up and I have only ever heard that album. A timely reminder. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

12-04-2009, 10:34 AM	#128 (permalink)
Sneer Let it drip Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5,430	I'm yet to get that one, thank you in turn for your timely reminder. __________________ LastFM Sneer's Emporium of Sound Fright Team radio show

12-07-2009, 12:26 PM	#129 (permalink)
Sneer Let it drip Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5,430	Archers of Loaf Archers of Loaf When somebody says the words 'Indie Rock', bands most likely to be spewed into the conversation will be Modest Mouse, Pavement, Guided By Voices, Sebadoh etc etc. North Carolina's Archers of Loaf merely get a nodded approval, which is slightly bewildering considering the quality of their first two releases. For the sake of this review i'm going to attach my consideration exclusively to the debut, Icky Mettle, released in 1993. This is an album that will have you bouncing off the walls. Wonderfully accessable and sophisticated, every song is replete to the tonsils with a carefully focused energy. The band were masters in knowing when to hold back and when to absolutely explode, consequently evoking a dynamism that leaves every yell, every beat and every riff reverberating deep inside your stomach. Musically they adhere to the standard rock template; two guitars and a rhythm section, there is nothing particularly experimental or groundbreaking about what these guys do. The majesty of the album comes in it's execution. Who needs to push boundaries and innovate when you can concocte songs like these? Web in the Front, Wrong, You and Me, Sick File and Learo Youre a Hole are all exceptional pop songs, dealing with issues such as disillusionment and resignation. They take influence from such luminaries as Dinosaur Jr, the Melvins and the Replacements, moulding a sound driven by distorted dual-leads and hardcore-punk energy to unleash an impassioned commentary on the scene that spawned them. Amidst the slew of great albums releasedin the early-mid 90s from myriad bands labelled Indie Rock, this is a standout effort. No other band quite manages to incorporate such an impactful blend of noise rock and pop and make it as meaningful as Archers of Loaf do. __________________ LastFM Sneer's Emporium of Sound Fright Team radio show