MOJO PIN Presents…

Mojo · 02-04-2010, 07:58 AM

Thanks very much.

Buckley was quite popular over there though, wasnt he? I know he was reasonably popular here too, even though he was never the household name anywhere but I was used to talking about him and the majority of people not knowing who I was talking about. Quite recently thats changed somewhat. When I went to Australia (and your university stalkstalkstalk) though it just seemed like far more people there already knew who he was and I was able to talk about him and his music which I loved.

Mojo · 04-15-2010, 07:39 AM

"THIS WEEK I HAVE BEEN MOSTLY LISTENING TO..."

1)

ALCEST - ÉSCAILLES DE LUNE (2010)
After their previous effort and first full length release SOUVENIRS DUN AUTRE MONDE quickly became one of my treasured acquisitions I had high expectations for a follow up. This didn't disappoint. While this album is somewhat removed from the previous, it retains alot of the same qualities and so in many ways becomes Souvenirs II. However the powerful shoegaze, dripping with long, gorgeous ambient post rock-esque passages is paired very effectively with aggressive yet still rather ambient black metal and luckily this variation hasnt hurt the outcome at all. This record has become a serious addiction and solidified Alcest's place as the greatest addition to my music library that I can credit to this message board and more specifically Jackhammer.

2)

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - BABY 81 (2007)
A record I havent played for quite some time and so recently reminded myself how much I like it. I was a huge fan of their debut self titled record when it was released which is still potentially their favourite release of mine. I've heard some far from flattering reviews of this record here which could have a lot to do with the shift from the touches of shoegaze and psychedelica that were present on the first record, in place of a much cleaner and produced garage and even in places blues sound on this one. Tracks like Berlin, Weapon of Choice and Need Some Air however make this album more than worthy of a good listen and this could even be my favourte release of theirs, despite my recent statement regarding their debut. I do have gaps in their discography though. A good album to crank the volume up and have a few beers to.

3)

LOOP - A GILDED ETERNITY (1990)
Probably the most accessible of Loops albums. It offers a much more produced and polished sound than their other albums and as much as I adore Heavens End for being neither of the above, I cant fault this record. Moody, repetitive drone-gaze that just seems to hit the spot at times. Such a stellar, talented band that when im in the right mood I could listen for hours and never get bored. I can only imagine what kind of live experience these guys gave due to the fact I was very young when they disbanded but im fairly sure id give alot to see it.

Arya Stark · 04-15-2010, 01:27 PM

I love the way you write, you always have the perfect balance of emotion and information.
I'm listening to the first Alcest link you posted right now and I can see why you've been listening to it so often.
Keep writing, your journal is my favourite.

NumberNineDream · 04-15-2010, 05:35 PM

Oh yeah he's back!!

I wasn't surprised much by you opening with ALCEST - ÉSCAILLES DE LUNE (2010) after sharing your eargasming experience of the album so openly, for the last month.

Thank you for reminding me, for the 4th time, to download the Alcest discography already...

Mojo · 04-16-2010, 08:29 AM

@Sugar - Thanks alot for that. My writing is somewhat limited and im hoping to continue to improve on it. I like the way I write but i often struggle to find the right words or to write something different and avoid repeating myself.

@NND - Definitely get on those Alcest albums. Did you check out those videos? Does it sound like something you could get into?

jackhammer · 04-16-2010, 01:35 PM

Great call on Loop. I had the pleasure of seeing them live when that album came out and although there wasn't more than a 100 people there it was a great night with the band dragging tracks out (in a good way) for over 10 minutes at a time.

Apart from Isn't Anything (MBV) it's probably my favourite Shoegaze album.

Mojo · 04-16-2010, 06:22 PM

To my shame ive never really given MBV a go yet. Ill start with that album.

My favourite Loop record is probably Heavens End but its such a tough call. Im immensely jealous of the fact that you saw them live, and that it was such a small gig.

Also, im not sure if you know what i meant in my Alcest write-up but the first I heard of them was on your shoegaze comp so thanks for that!

jackhammer · 04-16-2010, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojopinuk

To my shame ive never really given MBV a go yet. Ill start with that album.

My favourite Loop record is probably Heavens End but its such a tough call. Im immensely jealous of the fact that you saw them live, and that it was such a small gig.

Also, im not sure if you know what i meant in my Alcest write-up but the first I heard of them was on your shoegaze comp so thanks for that!

Well there is two offshoots of shoegaze with the original progenitors of the sound. So we have MBV, Loop, Slowdive, (early) Ride, Swervedriver etc who based their sound on a dischordant melodious structure. Which meant Female vocals and a fairly easy to digest sound and then the scene has been appropriated into more extreme genres such as Black Metal whereby the distortional qualities have been appropriated to add melody to an already distorted sound.

Shoegaze songs are almost Pop songs in disguise in that they generally follow a set pattern of verse, chorus, bridge etc so this has gave us some absolutely fantastic bands that maybe won't get the recognition due to the abrasive sounds they employ.

This is from Isn't Anything (MBV) and despite the glorious feedback, it's structure is almost Pop song sensibility:

and this is pure gorgeousness from MBV:

Arya Stark · 04-16-2010, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojopinuk

@Sugar - Thanks alot for that. My writing is somewhat limited and im hoping to continue to improve on it. I like the way I write but i often struggle to find the right words or to write something different and avoid repeating myself.

I know what you mean, I'm self-conscious about my writing.

Bulldog · 04-24-2010, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojopinuk

JEFF BUCKLEY

I know I'm getting back to this really late, but great post here. It's just great to be able to call a handful of albums your unequivocal favourites - something to get back to and just see as head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, no matter how many other albums we might have.

Also, thanks for reminding me to get that BRMC album sometime very soon

Looking forward to the next update mate.

02-04-2010, 07:58 AM	#21 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	Thanks very much. Buckley was quite popular over there though, wasnt he? I know he was reasonably popular here too, even though he was never the household name anywhere but I was used to talking about him and the majority of people not knowing who I was talking about. Quite recently thats changed somewhat. When I went to Australia (and your university stalkstalkstalk) though it just seemed like far more people there already knew who he was and I was able to talk about him and his music which I loved. __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

04-15-2010, 07:39 AM	#22 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	"THIS WEEK I HAVE BEEN MOSTLY LISTENING TO..." 1) ALCEST - ÉSCAILLES DE LUNE (2010) After their previous effort and first full length release SOUVENIRS DUN AUTRE MONDE quickly became one of my treasured acquisitions I had high expectations for a follow up. This didn't disappoint. While this album is somewhat removed from the previous, it retains alot of the same qualities and so in many ways becomes Souvenirs II. However the powerful shoegaze, dripping with long, gorgeous ambient post rock-esque passages is paired very effectively with aggressive yet still rather ambient black metal and luckily this variation hasnt hurt the outcome at all. This record has become a serious addiction and solidified Alcest's place as the greatest addition to my music library that I can credit to this message board and more specifically Jackhammer. 2) BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - BABY 81 (2007) A record I havent played for quite some time and so recently reminded myself how much I like it. I was a huge fan of their debut self titled record when it was released which is still potentially their favourite release of mine. I've heard some far from flattering reviews of this record here which could have a lot to do with the shift from the touches of shoegaze and psychedelica that were present on the first record, in place of a much cleaner and produced garage and even in places blues sound on this one. Tracks like Berlin, Weapon of Choice and Need Some Air however make this album more than worthy of a good listen and this could even be my favourte release of theirs, despite my recent statement regarding their debut. I do have gaps in their discography though. A good album to crank the volume up and have a few beers to. 3) LOOP - A GILDED ETERNITY (1990) Probably the most accessible of Loops albums. It offers a much more produced and polished sound than their other albums and as much as I adore Heavens End for being neither of the above, I cant fault this record. Moody, repetitive drone-gaze that just seems to hit the spot at times. Such a stellar, talented band that when im in the right mood I could listen for hours and never get bored. I can only imagine what kind of live experience these guys gave due to the fact I was very young when they disbanded but im fairly sure id give alot to see it. __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust Last edited by Mojo; 04-18-2010 at 06:45 PM.

04-15-2010, 05:35 PM	#24 (permalink)
NumberNineDream Blue Bleezin' Blind Drunk Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: The land of the largest wine glass (aka Lebanon) Posts: 2,200	Oh yeah he's back!! I wasn't surprised much by you opening with ALCEST - ÉSCAILLES DE LUNE (2010) after sharing your eargasming experience of the album so openly, for the last month. Thank you for reminding me, for the 4th time, to download the Alcest discography already... __________________ Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats?Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Do bats eat cats? Welcome to the Black Lodge

04-16-2010, 08:29 AM	#25 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	@Sugar - Thanks alot for that. My writing is somewhat limited and im hoping to continue to improve on it. I like the way I write but i often struggle to find the right words or to write something different and avoid repeating myself. @NND - Definitely get on those Alcest albums. Did you check out those videos? Does it sound like something you could get into? __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust

04-16-2010, 01:35 PM	#26 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Great call on Loop. I had the pleasure of seeing them live when that album came out and although there wasn't more than a 100 people there it was a great night with the band dragging tracks out (in a good way) for over 10 minutes at a time. Apart from Isn't Anything (MBV) it's probably my favourite Shoegaze album. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

04-16-2010, 06:22 PM	#27 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	To my shame ive never really given MBV a go yet. Ill start with that album. My favourite Loop record is probably Heavens End but its such a tough call. Im immensely jealous of the fact that you saw them live, and that it was such a small gig. Also, im not sure if you know what i meant in my Alcest write-up but the first I heard of them was on your shoegaze comp so thanks for that! __________________ Last.FM \| Echoes and Dust