The Doghouse v.II

Bulldog · 08-09-2010, 06:39 PM

I was gonna hope to have another album-centric post for you lovely folks to have a look at by now but some shit or other happened so I didn't bother in the end.

Anyway, it's been a few days now since the last update, so I may as well give you something while I think about the next proper entry.

Basically, I'm sure a lot of you are wondering what the hell I'm on about when I ask if you've ever wondered what sheer bliss and happiness sounds like. I did too for quite a number of years, and it wasn't much more than a few months ago that I found out that I could pin that label on this video;

^ To put it simply,

Just crank up the volume and let it all soak in. I'll be back here with a proper update in the near(ish) future...

jtwilliams · 08-11-2010, 12:56 AM

I must say I really dug that track! This weeks music post really got me thinking about jazz and instrumental music. I think it is time for me to venture in fully.

Bulldog · 08-11-2010, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtwilliams

I must say I really dug that track! This weeks music post really got me thinking about jazz and instrumental music. I think it is time for me to venture in fully.

Isn't exactly the worst idea

It took me years to properly get into any kind of jazz, no matter how much respect I'd had for it. Try getting Round About Midnight by Miles Davis - it's basically the album that sparked me off properly in that direction. It shouldn't be too hard to suss out where to go from there.

I can't be bothered to post about another album yet, so here's another track I'm digging at the moment...

Johnny Cash - Sam Hall

...as I think about which one of the American series I'm going to mull over in a post (...if any).

This little ditty - evidence that honky tonk is indeed the shizz - is from American IV: The Man Comes Around, which is probably the best-known one of the bunch, at least for its having Cash's covers of Hurt, Personal Jesus and In My Life on it.

jtwilliams · 08-11-2010, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bulldog

Isn't exactly the worst idea

It took me years to properly get into any kind of jazz, no matter how much respect I'd had for it. Try getting Round About Midnight by Miles Davis - it's basically the album that sparked me off properly in that direction. It shouldn't be too hard to suss out where to go from there.

It has taken me a while too but I think I am finally there. And I will grab that album thanks. I was also told to check out Kind of Blue. And John Coltrane's Giant Steps.

Any good Sonny Rollins albums out? Or is it mostly covers of his standards?

Bulldog · 08-13-2010, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtwilliams

It has taken me a while too but I think I am finally there. And I will grab that album thanks. I was also told to check out Kind of Blue. And John Coltrane's Giant Steps.

Any good Sonny Rollins albums out? Or is it mostly covers of his standards?

Coltrane's Blue Train makes for a good laugh as well.

As for Rollins, check out Saxophone Colossus - check a few pages back in the weekly trade thread if you want a second opinion

niknik · 08-15-2010, 10:32 PM

Thank you Bulldog i was just reading you reviews and i i really liked your Frou Frou review .... i was a great review ... so im checking the album out now and it's amazing I am really digging it. I love her voice and im really digging "Breathe' and 'Must Be Dreaming'

Thanks again

jtwilliams · 08-16-2010, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bulldog

Coltrane's Blue Train makes for a good laugh as well.

As for Rollins, check out Saxophone Colossus - check a few pages back in the weekly trade thread if you want a second opinion

Will do this shortly. Thanks!

Bulldog · 08-30-2010, 06:09 PM

It's almost a month since the last album I flagged up here, and I was going to have a new bunch of related words, pictures and embedded videos for you to look at today but some things, in this case the first draft of my dissertation, are more important, so no dice

Instead, I'm gonna chuck you a 10-track mixtape of a bunch of loosely connected songs. Just so it's that much zanier than it would be though, instead of putting anyone who may or may not be interested through all that clicking a link, waiting a while for it to download and all that rubbish, I'm just gonna make it a whole lot more convenient and make a video mixtape instead.

So, without further ado;

A Random Bunch Of Oldies You May Or May Not Like As Much As I Do Myself

1. Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat
2. The Hollies - Look Through Any Window
3. Hoodoo Gurus - Tojo
4. Nick Cave - Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart
5. Sam Cooke - Twisting the Night Away
6. The Pogus - Haunted
7. The Style Council - Have You Ever Had It Blue?
8. The Rolling Stones - Hide Your Love
9. The Temptations - I Could Never Love Another After Loving You
10. The Saints - See You In Paradise

Album-related update(s) coming up as soon as I can be bothered to get round to it.

Bulldog · 12-06-2010, 09:48 AM

It's been a while, so I may as well get this one back on the rails too...

Ashram
Silver Shining Skies
2006

genre: new age, gothic
1. 5 Steps - 3:07
2. Maria and the Violin's String - 2:58
3. Sweet Autumn (Part II) - 2:53
4. Lullaby - 2:19
5. Il Mostro - 3:26
6. All'imbrunire - 2:27
7. Last Kiss - 3:35
8. Elizabeth - 2:32
9. For Each and Every Child - 4:24
10. Tango Para Mi Padre Y Marialuna - 3:32
11. Lady - 3:11
12. Shining Silver Skies - 3:35
13. Rose and Air - 2:32
14. Ultimo Carillon - 3:50

I know you're pretty much wherever you are as you're reading this and, hey, I'm basically on the other side of cyberspace from you as well. Nevertheless, I can just see that blank expression of yours as you look at that lovely white sleeve art wondering what the bloody hell I'm rambling about this time. Hell, I might as well not even know myself half the time. By the way, if all that doesn't apply to you and you do in fact know who these guys are, congratulations - you're alright

Un-knowing and curious to get rid of that 'un' part? Here we go...

I don't know if you're familiar with Hinduism at all, but if I'm gonna quickly sum up what all this stuff sounds like, it's worth me telling you that an ashram is a remote, isolated place where Hindus go for spiritual instruction and/or meditation. Combine that with the words 'neoclassical', 'gothic' and 'ethereal' and I'm sure you can hear this album chiming through your noggin already. To go into it a bit deeper, this album is a 50/50 split between songs with a vocal track slapped over the top of them and instrumentals, each song of either kind being fleshed out by a violin/cello/piano combo, with the odd augmentation of an acoustic guitar.

Meditation music? Possibly...although simply dismissing it as that and therefore any boring, knockoff new age tripe would be doing this album a real disservice. I won't deny that if you like to dabble in such things as I do then, yes, this music is pretty useful for that purpose, although I'd be telling you a big nasty fib I told you that that was the sole reason I got this album about a month ago. It was actually through RateYourMusic that I found out about this album as one of the most highly-rated neoclassical albums ever (I think it's top 10, 20 or something similar), and upon listening to Dead Can Dance's Spiritchaser for the umpteenth time, I was on the lookout for similar things. True, this album lacks the tribal, world-wise percussive elements that help make Dead Can Dance one of the most grossly overlooked artists of all time, but I loved it all the same on the first listen, to the extent that it's among my most listened to albums of recent weeks.

First off, this album was quite the educational insight for me as to how varied the neoclassical/new age moniker can be. I won't go into much more detail than I already have about that, but if you want to find out for yourself I've got an assignment for ya - get youtube up in a seperate tab and find Nierika by the aforementioned Dead Can Dance, and ye shall be enlightened! Secondly, to me this album sounds infinitely for dark and wintry than fucking Enya. Just a quick look out of the window on my immediate right gives me a beautiful view of the centre of Bolton in a now-fairly thin mist, snow on the ground and tiny white icicles on the limbs of the tree some five metres away from me and, with this album on the go, it's quite an atmosphere.

Thirdly and finally, I couldn't really recommend it enough to anyone who, like me, feels the need to have more of a look around the classical music that the modern world has to offer. Although the vocals can grate and perhaps come off as a little cliche at times, this Ashram's second (and, to date, last album) is certainly a lot better than their nevertheless ok self-titled debut, and well worth your time. It just unravels with repeated listens quite majestically too, which is always cool. I wouldn't quite put it up there with my absolute favourites in the 4.5+ bracket, so the following rating's pretty fair in my eyes. Very filmic music.

jackhammer · 12-12-2010, 06:15 PM

I'm not to keen on the vocals as you pointed out that some may not like but I like the fact that you equated it to how you were feeling at the time and that's what it's all about for some of us hopeless romantics!

I am sure you are familiar with Saltillo which is similar but with a little more emphasis on Electronica and the same for Craig Armstrong who is probably most familiar for his work on Massive Attack's Protection album. He does have an album out called The Space Between Us. He has composed a few film soundtracks and this track which is simply gorgeous:

Also have heard Ludovico Einuadi at all? He is a an Italian composer who has done a lot of work for the film director Shane Meadows regarding incidental music, although this is from one of his solo albums.

08-11-2010, 12:56 AM	#22 (permalink)
jtwilliams Lost In A Purple Haze Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Middle Of No Where Posts: 433	I must say I really dug that track! This weeks music post really got me thinking about jazz and instrumental music. I think it is time for me to venture in fully. __________________ Dirty Life & Times - Warren Zevon Rate Your Music Ramblings & Musings

12-06-2010, 09:48 AM	#29 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	It's been a while, so I may as well get this one back on the rails too... Ashram Silver Shining Skies 2006 genre: new age, gothic 1. 5 Steps - 3:07 2. Maria and the Violin's String - 2:58 3. Sweet Autumn (Part II) - 2:53 4. Lullaby - 2:19 5. Il Mostro - 3:26 6. All'imbrunire - 2:27 7. Last Kiss - 3:35 8. Elizabeth - 2:32 9. For Each and Every Child - 4:24 10. Tango Para Mi Padre Y Marialuna - 3:32 11. Lady - 3:11 12. Shining Silver Skies - 3:35 13. Rose and Air - 2:32 14. Ultimo Carillon - 3:50 I know you're pretty much wherever you are as you're reading this and, hey, I'm basically on the other side of cyberspace from you as well. Nevertheless, I can just see that blank expression of yours as you look at that lovely white sleeve art wondering what the bloody hell I'm rambling about this time. Hell, I might as well not even know myself half the time. By the way, if all that doesn't apply to you and you do in fact know who these guys are, congratulations - you're alright Un-knowing and curious to get rid of that 'un' part? Here we go... I don't know if you're familiar with Hinduism at all, but if I'm gonna quickly sum up what all this stuff sounds like, it's worth me telling you that an ashram is a remote, isolated place where Hindus go for spiritual instruction and/or meditation. Combine that with the words 'neoclassical', 'gothic' and 'ethereal' and I'm sure you can hear this album chiming through your noggin already. To go into it a bit deeper, this album is a 50/50 split between songs with a vocal track slapped over the top of them and instrumentals, each song of either kind being fleshed out by a violin/cello/piano combo, with the odd augmentation of an acoustic guitar. Meditation music? Possibly...although simply dismissing it as that and therefore any boring, knockoff new age tripe would be doing this album a real disservice. I won't deny that if you like to dabble in such things as I do then, yes, this music is pretty useful for that purpose, although I'd be telling you a big nasty fib I told you that that was the sole reason I got this album about a month ago. It was actually through RateYourMusic that I found out about this album as one of the most highly-rated neoclassical albums ever (I think it's top 10, 20 or something similar), and upon listening to Dead Can Dance's Spiritchaser for the umpteenth time, I was on the lookout for similar things. True, this album lacks the tribal, world-wise percussive elements that help make Dead Can Dance one of the most grossly overlooked artists of all time, but I loved it all the same on the first listen, to the extent that it's among my most listened to albums of recent weeks. First off, this album was quite the educational insight for me as to how varied the neoclassical/new age moniker can be. I won't go into much more detail than I already have about that, but if you want to find out for yourself I've got an assignment for ya - get youtube up in a seperate tab and find Nierika by the aforementioned Dead Can Dance, and ye shall be enlightened! Secondly, to me this album sounds infinitely for dark and wintry than fucking Enya. Just a quick look out of the window on my immediate right gives me a beautiful view of the centre of Bolton in a now-fairly thin mist, snow on the ground and tiny white icicles on the limbs of the tree some five metres away from me and, with this album on the go, it's quite an atmosphere. Thirdly and finally, I couldn't really recommend it enough to anyone who, like me, feels the need to have more of a look around the classical music that the modern world has to offer. Although the vocals can grate and perhaps come off as a little cliche at times, this Ashram's second (and, to date, last album) is certainly a lot better than their nevertheless ok self-titled debut, and well worth your time. It just unravels with repeated listens quite majestically too, which is always cool. I wouldn't quite put it up there with my absolute favourites in the 4.5+ bracket, so the following rating's pretty fair in my eyes. Very filmic music. Last edited by Bulldog; 12-13-2010 at 05:00 PM.

12-12-2010, 06:15 PM	#30 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	I'm not to keen on the vocals as you pointed out that some may not like but I like the fact that you equated it to how you were feeling at the time and that's what it's all about for some of us hopeless romantics! I am sure you are familiar with Saltillo which is similar but with a little more emphasis on Electronica and the same for Craig Armstrong who is probably most familiar for his work on Massive Attack's Protection album. He does have an album out called The Space Between Us. He has composed a few film soundtracks and this track which is simply gorgeous: Also have heard Ludovico Einuadi at all? He is a an Italian composer who has done a lot of work for the film director Shane Meadows regarding incidental music, although this is from one of his solo albums. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

08-09-2010, 06:39 PM	#21 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	I was gonna hope to have another album-centric post for you lovely folks to have a look at by now but some shit or other happened so I didn't bother in the end. Anyway, it's been a few days now since the last update, so I may as well give you something while I think about the next proper entry. Basically, I'm sure a lot of you are wondering what the hell I'm on about when I ask if you've ever wondered what sheer bliss and happiness sounds like. I did too for quite a number of years, and it wasn't much more than a few months ago that I found out that I could pin that label on this video; ^ To put it simply, Just crank up the volume and let it all soak in. I'll be back here with a proper update in the near(ish) future...

08-15-2010, 10:32 PM	#26 (permalink)
niknik Groupie Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 17	Thank you Bulldog i was just reading you reviews and i i really liked your Frou Frou review .... i was a great review ... so im checking the album out now and it's amazing I am really digging it. I love her voice and im really digging "Breathe' and 'Must Be Dreaming' Thanks again

08-30-2010, 06:09 PM	#28 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	It's almost a month since the last album I flagged up here, and I was going to have a new bunch of related words, pictures and embedded videos for you to look at today but some things, in this case the first draft of my dissertation, are more important, so no dice Instead, I'm gonna chuck you a 10-track mixtape of a bunch of loosely connected songs. Just so it's that much zanier than it would be though, instead of putting anyone who may or may not be interested through all that clicking a link, waiting a while for it to download and all that rubbish, I'm just gonna make it a whole lot more convenient and make a video mixtape instead. So, without further ado; A Random Bunch Of Oldies You May Or May Not Like As Much As I Do Myself 1. Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat 2. The Hollies - Look Through Any Window 3. Hoodoo Gurus - Tojo 4. Nick Cave - Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart 5. Sam Cooke - Twisting the Night Away 6. The Pogus - Haunted 7. The Style Council - Have You Ever Had It Blue? 8. The Rolling Stones - Hide Your Love 9. The Temptations - I Could Never Love Another After Loving You 10. The Saints - See You In Paradise Album-related update(s) coming up as soon as I can be bothered to get round to it.