Trollheart

Sure, no problem. He any relation to Alan? Seriously, I know of Gram Parsons. I may do it in my other journal though, give me a chance to try on that new stetson I bought on ebay recently! (Dang! I just bet Neapolitan has a cowboy smilie!)
Hmm. I was going to look into "Harvest moon" or "Living with war" next...

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Urban Hat€monger ?

On The Beach is pretty great too

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James

Gross. Why?

Pet_Sounds

Have you heard his work with Buffalo Springfield and CSN?

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Everybody's dying just to get the disease

Trollheart

Title: New wave
Artiste: The Auteurs
Year: 1993
Chronological position: Debut album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? I ahve no idea but I keep getting asked to listen to it, so hopefully this will keep Urban and Goofle happy. For now.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Meh
One track in --- Meh
Halfway through --- Meh
Finished --- Meh

Comments:
Debut album from a band who, though associated with the nineties Britpop movement, seemed to dislike that tag and possibly as a result seem to have faded into obscurity, despite this album originally being nominated for the Mercury Prize and now being one of those “1001 albums you must hear before you die” deals. Personally, I've never heard of them, but the two boys have been so voiciferous in their attempts to get me to listen to this album that I felt it was only fair that I listened to them.

Good immediate opening with cracking drums and a nice guitar to open Showgirl, and the voice of the singer, Luke Haines, is interesting, sort of reminds me at times of Neil Tennant. Touches of Bowie in there too, oh yeah, and yer man from The Lightning Seeds. The song is a mid-paced one with a kind of marching rhythm, and stops once or twice before coming back in on the basswork of Alice Readman. Very pleasant, sense of The Adventures about it too, particularly “Sea of love” era. The second track has more of an almost Shadows feel about it with a belt of Country in there, piano from Haines adding to the appeal of Bailed out, but again it's pleasant but nothing terribly great or memorable. Hmm. Not overly impressed so far.

First instance of cello then from James Banbury, and I've always got time for cello or violin. There's quite a muddy vocal initially for American guitars but I have to say it's a bit nondescript and is over before I can really even appreciate it. Junk shop clothes is a slower song, with tinkly piano and what sounds like accordion, but still pretty boring. Tempo goes up then at least for Don't trust the stars, and it rocks along okay but again I'm not too impressed. On we go into Starstruck where the pace slackens again. I have to say, I don't really like this guy's voice; it's a bit weak and sort of wimpy. Not that I want to hear death vocals exactly, but this is just a little whiny for my tastes. Getting very bored now. Ho-hum.

Yeah. I heard a harmonica there which perked me up for a moment, but now I'm just drumming my fingers and waiting for this album to end. I just have zero interest in it. It's tedious and dull and with no life whatever, to me. There's a line in Valet parking (think it's the chorus) where Haines sings “I'm sick of parking cars”. Replace the last two words with “listening to this album” and you have a good idea of how little interest I have in this now. Well, only (checks) three more tracks to go and then I can forget it. And now I can. God, what an ordeal.

Favourite track(s): None. I didn't like any of this album. Conversely...
Least favourite track(s): I didn't hate any of this album either. I just didn't care enough about it, after all the hype, to like or hate it.

Final impression --- No real impression. Bored to tears. Nothing here interested me.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?

Definitely a B

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Trollheart

Title: Hospice
Artiste: The Antlers
Year: 2009
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? Unsure

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Great
One track in --- Great
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Other really: great does not do this album justice. It is incredible.

Comments: I know precisely sod-all about The Antlers, but Wiki tells me this is a concept album, based around the relationship between a care worker and a woman dying of cancer. The opening is very atmospheric, with the kind of doomy, bleak feel you would expect from such a subject. Some sort of loops maybe in there too. Wow! I see they have harp, accordion, banjo, even trumpet here. Sounds very interesting. The second track really gets me right in the heart: the soft, almost mournful singing, the solo piano, and then the rest of the band come in and the song acquires a whole new level of intensity. Superb. Ends on an almost gospel-like vocal, fading out slowly, and leaving goosebumps.

The soft vocal suits this album perfectly: it would have been ruined by someone roaring or screaming over it, and yet in Sylvia this is exactly what happens, but it works somehow, almost like an outpouring of emotion that can't be held in any more. When the vocal drops down to what appears to be normal for this album, it is quite hard to make out, but that ties in well with the idea of someone waiting by a loved one's bedside, perhaps praying and hoping. Talk about effective! Great bit of trumpet there, joined by I think accordion as the song heads to its conclusion. Hell, three tracks in and I'm already sold!

Soft piano then accompanies vocalist Peter Silberman on Atrophy, and in the middle there's a sort of shimmering feedback guitar that takes the tune, I guess it could be representing the loneliness of the vigil by the beside, or the hum of the machinery keeping the patient alive? Whatever, it's spookily moving. Oh man, then it all fades away and acoustic guitar slips smoothly in accompanied by the vocal, quiet and resigned. I think I'm falling in love with this album. When the tempo quickens in Bear it's unexpected, and yet somehow totally appropriate. I'm hesitant to compare The Antlers to anyone, but one band they do remind me of when they're a little more on the uptempo side is The Maccabees.

Spacey, ambient opening to Thirteen, takes up two of the three minutes it runs for then a solo piano backs guest vocalist Sharon Van Etten with a beautiful vocal harmony to take it out and into Two, with an almost ukulele sound on the guitar --- maybe that's the banjo mentioned? More uptempo, almost folky sound, very simple, plain vocal and I've made the mistake of listening to the lyric and now I'm crying like a baby. If I get through this it will be quite a feat. Shiva has a beautiful, waltz feel to it, a lovely ballad, and then, just when I thought I was managing to hold it together well, along comes Wake, with a soft gospel chorus, and those tears are in my eyes again. The massive organ (no, no childish humour is appropriate here for once) when it blasts in just tears my heart out and stamps on it. I almost feel like I'm going to die of sadness and anguish. Now a vocal harmony has vapourised what remained of my poor heart.

There's one more track, if I can get through it, which is by no means at this point certain. A soft acoustic guitar and a gentle vocal, almost like an epilogue to the story. I can only stand in amazement at the talent and the vision of this guy, Peter Silberman, who wrote the whole thing, and if it is a true story, or even partly true, he's very brave to share this with the world. I hope this served to give him some peace, to lay the ghost to rest. I know it's going to haunt me long after the album has ended. But that's okay: when music has this kind of effect on you it really stops being music and becomes something far more, far more important, far deeper and more spiritual. Albums like this come along very very seldom, and it's important they're listened to. Because they really, really matter.


Favourite track(s): There is nothing on this album I do not adore.
Least favourite track(s): Yeah, right...

Final impression --- Someone said this album had “the power to destroy listeners emotionally”, and it's true: I have been destroyed. But it's almost a welcome destruction, like tears you hold in when you can't give vent to your grief, when you have to put a face on for the world. I can honestly say I have not been as emotionally affected by an album in my entire life. This is, quite simply, transcendent and amazing in every way. It's not even an album really: it's a cathartic, terrifying, heartrending, gloriously sad and tragic experience.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits

What do you think? A massive A and I have no hesitation whatever in awarding this album the very first ever

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Goofle

You suck.

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Trollheart

So do you, for suggesting I listen to that. Ugh!
Right back atcha!

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Goofle

Listen to it a few more times. Trust me man.

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The Batlord

Yeah that's gonna happen.

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