Listen to what?

I'm going to rec something that I think you may like, or you may not.

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Sigur Ros - Valtari

Icelandic post-rock.

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Valtari by Sigur Ros
Recommended by: Ki

I told Ki that I've listened to this, but I actually think I was wrong. I've heard Sigur Ros' first four albums (with ( ) being my favourite.) I do like post-rock if it's done well, so I'm hoping this is on par with their earlier stuff. Also, post-rock is obviously a slow genre so my track by track review might not be all that fruitful as I'm going to surf the web and troll blank while listening, because otherwise I would probably find myself getting bored rather quickly.

Eg anda: This is a great way to kick of the album. The same angelic chants you expect from the band, and the tracks keeps building until about 3 minutes in were they start incorporating what I believe is a sample of waves crashing on a beach? Definitely a beautiful start to the project. Near the end of the track, things take a bit of a darker turn, and it sounds as if the track is being recorded under water. Nice to see a post-rock band try something a little different, because it's easy for a post-rock album to become stale and boring if it remains stagnant for too long.

Ekki mukk: I like this track a fair bit, maybe a little bit less than the first but it's another beautiful bit of song writing and the band don't seem to have slowed much since their earlier records which is obviously a great sign.

Varuo: The piano that kicks off this one is amazing. I would say this is probably the most "epic" of the tracks so far, although the opener is still my favourite. There's something so soothing about their sound, and the way they incorporate small noises while moving each track along fairly quickly is excellent. The building around the 5 minute mark is phenomenal, and when the track hits it's climax (inb4 sex jokes) they make sure not to dwell on it too long before quieting back down again.

Rembihnutur: Another track that opens up with some feint piano keys in the distance. I think the best part of this album so far is the production quality, as they manage to incorporate elements to make the sound seem very distant and muddled before bringing in a much crisper and clearer sound as the track becomes fuller.

Dauologn: You know, the opening of this song kind of rubs me the wrong way. It reminds me of a church choir. It did improve as it went on, but this was easily the least exciting of the tracks so far. I wouldn't say it's bad but it's just a little boring and monotonous

Varoeldur: This one is truly stunning. I kind of bashed the last track for being so simple and uneventful but this track proves that an approach like that can work at times. I would say this is the second best track on the album so far, it's so dreamy. The piano outro to this thing is the perfect finish (inb4 another sex joke.) I honestly think I could listen to an album of just their piano bits.

Valtari: On to the title track now. Only two tracks remaining and this album really hasn't let me down yet. The only track I could do without is would be the fifth one, but 5/6 is pretty good if you ask me. The chimes in this song are wonderful. I think they picked the perfect album cover for this release because these songs fit into it perfectly. Obviously it was intentional with the sampling of waves crashing in the opening track, and the earlier bits of "under water" muddled production, but it goes beyond that. It's kind of like the same certain black metal albums have that sort of cold winter sound, or some a more like spring or fall. For this album, I think it can be tied to water, or being seaside, or something along those lines. Certainly creates a lot of images to say the least.

Fjogur piano: Time for the closing track. It opens with some light piano keys again, perfect. This is probably my 2nd favourite album to come from this thread, the first being Bob's Drive-In, although this isn't all that far behind. 3 minutes in and it's basically been a strictly piano piece. This rounds out my favourite 3 tracks from the album. The opener is still the best cut on here imo, but Varoeldur and this one here are certainly up there as well.

Final Verdict: This is the group's second lowest rated album on RYM (behind only their debut) and because of that I expected to be a bit of a let down in comparison to their early releases. I was totally wrong however, and I would go as far as to argue that while this might not be quite the same experience as ( ) or Ágætis byrjun, it's still up there and I would put it in the same class Takk... What a great album, I think it goes without saying it's a pass. Thanks for the rec, Ki.

Happy to see you enjoyed it. It's funny, Dauologn is my favorite track on the album, but I totally agree with your overall sentiment. Valtari is easily my favorite album of theirs, but that's not to say their other releases are bad by any means. Sigur Ros have the unique ability to turn anything they do into gold. Truly masters of their craft.

That's the great thing about the album though, it had such a wide variety for a post-rock album that I think it has something to offer anyone who is open to the genre. It doesn't quite rival my favourite two release of theirs, but it's not far behind them.

I listened to Ágætis byrjun and ( ) earlier this week and forgot how much I loved those album. No idea how I would rank their albums since there's so much diversity. But Takk.. was the first album I ever heard of theirs so I'll always have time to listen to that one.

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Huun-Huur-Tu - Ancestor's Call
Recommended by: Frownland (2/3 on good recs thus far)

So this is like, Tuvan throat singing or whatever. I honestly have no idea whatsoever as for what to expect going into this. From what I can gather through Google searches, they seem to be highly regarded within the genre, I think. Here's hoping I can enjoy it...

Mazhalyk-Ta: So in case it wasn't clear by the song titles, the vocals in these songs aren't in English. All the instruments featured seem to be rather unique, and their throat singing features prominently in their music as well. This song doesn't grab me immediately, as it's fairly slow. Definitely not what I expected, although I'm sure it will get weird sooner than later. Oh wow, a second vocalist is in now, or it's the first one employing some strange technique, it kind of sounds like he's forcing out a huge **** if I'm being totally honest here.

Kozhamyk: The pace is picking up for this one. A fun little bit of music here, nothing that blows me away but I can certainly enjoy it. The other vocalist is back and still ****ting himself. Oh damn, we're getting some throat singing I believe. That was super cool, he held that for a long time and the way it has a sort of droney almost didgeridoo kind of sound certainly fits their style.

Eki Attar: Very nice tribal drum beat behind this one. I know very little of both whatever this genre is, and music from... Russia? I don't know. RYM says Russian Federation so we'll go with that. Anyway, this song is just as good as the one that came before it. It has this strange 'dancibility' to it, I just want to tap my foot and nod my head. I'm a little bit nervous for the 8 minute track coming up, but if it stays like this all should be fine.

Orphan's Lament: A very cinematic opening to this track. It's much slower, I guess I would compare it to the opening cut. It hasn't been bad so far, but I have to say I prefer when these guys are taking a more upbeat approach to their sound. For an 8 minute track, there really isn't much else to say about this.

Eerbek Asky: Awhhh yee, we're picking the pace back up. I like to imagine this song is the outlaw country of Tuvan throat singing. This album is just so weird and fun, I love it.

Remembering Ulaatai River: This one opens with... holy ****, are they doing that with their voices? It sounds like a flute. It's definitely his voice though, that's amazing. This track seems to be just one member, he's singing and, well, throat singing too.

Konguroi (Sixty Horses in my Herd): Beautiful strings/guitar work to open up this track. There's a very vivid soundscape behind this one. I feel like these guys would put on an astonishing show, just because of the atmosphere of their music. This one is very folky, another great track.

Saryglarar: Another 8 minute track. A very slow start, I'm hoping to see things pick up a little bit more throughout the track. I don't dislike this one, but it is one of the least interesting cuts so far. A lot of very pretty moments though, especially near the end.

Chyraa-Khoor (Yellow Pacer): Wow, this one is great. This is another song that I feel would translate very well to a live setting, just because there's so much going on at once. Is it a violin I keep hearing, or some sort of equivalent?

Odugen Taiga: Wonderful use of strings at the beginning of this one. This almost sounds like something you could hear playing in a coffee shop... maybe like, a very well cultured and foreign coffee shop or something. This is easily my favourite of the 8+ minute tracks, the little bit of ambience and nature sounds at the end is a great addition.

Prayer: Just a standard vocal only track. Nothing worth noting after what I've already heard this album.

Ancestors: Definitely a strong way to finish the album. There's a certain element of repetition behind this song. As it progresses it almost becomes trance like.


Final Verdict: What a ****ing album. I went into this hoping that I wouldn't hate it, and came out of it loving it. Obviously I lack any sort of familiarity with the genre, and that makes it hard to go into an album and know what you're hearing. With this thing though, the sheer beauty of the arrangements won me over, not to mention the remarkable vocal ability. For any of you uncultured ****s like me who never even considered checking out anything to do with throat singing, I would highly recommend giving this thing a chance. It's a definite pass for Huun-Huur-Tu.

Yes.

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Wax Fang - LA LA Land
Recommended by: 1blankmind

Can't say I've heard of these guys before blank joined the forum. I know he holds them in fairly high regard so hopefully this album delivers so that I don't feel the need to roast him for liking ****ty music.

Majestic: Kicks off like a soft acoustic ballad. Kind of boring, to be honest. I can respect a pretty soundscape, but this is a little too basic and straight forward. SUDDENLY, Freddie Mercury rises from the grave and this band turns into a total Queen cover act. Totally meh so far, and the guitar solo was pretty basic to be honest. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. The country twang brought into the mix near the end is kind of neat, I suppose.

World War II (Pt. 2): Decent riff to start this one off. Indie rock vibe, but I can totally get down with that. Oh no, **** this vocalist. I thought he was just trying some weird Freddie Mercury bs on the first track, but he actually just has an annoying ****ing voice. I don't know if Great Big Sea are a thing in the US, but that's what his voice reminds me of and that makes me want to hang myself as soon as physically possible. I do like the guitar work though so all hope is not lost.

At Sea: This one also kicks off with some ballad-y acoustic guitar, but it kind of works. It does drag on a little too long though, as far as I'm concerned. Oh wait, there's some synths being added, where is this going? Not really anywhere... okay then.

Cannibal Summer: Smooth transition between tracks, shame they're both hella boring. I liked the guitar work on the second track so much, I was hoping for more of the same so I could ignore the ****ty vocalist... OH WAIT, there it is. A little generic on the guitar riff, but it's immensly better than the acoustic bs so I'll cope.

The Doctor Will See You Now: I think I hate the singer's vocal melodies more than his voice, tbh. It just flat out annoys me, man. This kind of sounds exactly like the first song, just with acoustic guitar instead. This just isn't my cup of tea, mate.

Can You See the Light: This one is... totally okay. I like it more than most of what I've heard, but I'm still quite indifferent towards it.

Avant Guardian Angel Dust: Sometimes I find myself liking their guitar work (the layering here is especially nice) but it always ends up going somewhere I'm not into. Dude how much ****ing longer is this going to build up? I guess it's going for a post-rock crescendo type deal, but it's not very exciting or atmospheric in the least. On the bright side it appears to be an instrumental track.

Oh, Recklessness: Great, is this an acoustic track? I swear... Dude seriously? **** these guys. That was some generic ass singer songwriter bs with enough post-rock influence to seem like they put a slight hint of effort into it... but it still sucks.

Black & Endless Night Revisted: I don't really have anything to add about this song. These guys just bore me to tears really, there's nothing exciting about what they're doing, and the fact that they're listed as experimental and psychedelic on Wikipedia make me angrier than a JGuyGrungeman.

Wake Up Sleepyhead: Last song here, fingers crossed I don't fall asleep. This bitch is 10 ****ing minutes long. Oh. My. God. SNOOZEFEST. Finally around the 3 minute mark things pick up, but they don't get much better to be honest. It sounds like a crossover of a Smashing Pumpkins song and something you'd hear in the Sims.


Final Verdict: Like I said at the start, I wanted to like this album. Maybe it just wasn't my "thing", I don't know. What I do know, however, is that I was left very unimpressed by the band, and found myself far more often than not anticipating the end of every track. This one is without a doubt, a fail.

Sorry you don't like it. I really dug that album. Always felt like they were Pink Floyd but with Synthesizers.