Desert Island VIII Master List, Part Four

[Joey788]

Sleeping at Last is an amazing band. Did you like the Kut U Up or the Bigger Lovers track?

Not as much. They were alright but didn't stand out to me. I'd be willing to hear more from each though!

 

[Axver]

Thanks for the feedback, Joey! I'm quite surprised how well-received this list seems to be.

- Loved the duo of The Go-Betweens and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Big fan of the second band, especially.
- I’ve never really been a fan of The Church and this track sadly didn’t change my mind. Didn’t really enjoy the Adorable song either.

Must admit, I'm kind of surprised you dug the Go-Betweens/Pains duo but not Electric Lash, since I think all three embody the same sort of sound.

(By the way, jangle pop fans out there reading this, if all you've heard of The Church is Starfish, go grab Seance and prepare to have your mind blown by a hideously underrated album. Then wash it down with The Blurred Crusade.)

- Although both A Place To Bury Strangers and Ceremony had a heavy, fuzzed-out feel, I thought the latter was much better. The former didn’t do much for me, although they did work well together.

Fun fact: the members of Ceremony and the frontman of APTBS began their musical career in the same band, Skywave. APTBS has gone on to get all the press and publicity (and in the case of their live shows, rightly so!), but I'm convinced Ceremony is the better band. The entire Rocket Fire album barely has a mis-step.

- “Common Reactor” was an excellent choice to close. One of the most underrated Silversun Pickups songs, in my opinion

Damn straight!

And for the record, Carnavas > Swoon.

 

[IWasBored]

trying to do rankings is eating my soul.

 

[Joey788]

Damn straight!

And for the record, Carnavas > Swoon.

I agree. Swoon has some damn catchy singles (I love "Panic Switch") but Carnavas is a much, much stronger album as a whole.

 

[Reggo]

trying to do rankings is eating my soul.

Seriously. Only three more lists to go for me, so it shouldn't be much harder, but I'm having a dilemma with the second half of my top ten.

 

[Axver]

I agree. Swoon has some damn catchy singles (I love "Panic Switch") but Carnavas is a much, much stronger album as a whole.

Panic Switch is possibly my favourite Silversun Pickups song, but yeah, outside that, Swoon is a bit patchy. Though I should give credit to Sort Of, which I'm pretty fond of. Carnavas barely puts a foot wrong, though I'm still baffled by the hype for Lazy Eye; I think it's definitely one of the weaker songs.

 

[cobl04]

thanks phan the man. i'll definitely be done by then.

 

[Reggo]

Thanks for the extension, phanan.

Axver's Out With The Old, In With The Nucleus

Favorite part: Pretty much all of it. The stretch of Crocodiles through Kyuss was a departure from the rest of the list, but it still worked.

Highlight: Tamaryn's The Waves. Good FSM, that song was gorgeous.

Other things I liked: Longtime, Electric Lash, Tough Skin, Horizon, My Fear #2, No Need For Lovers, and tracks 1-7, cause I have to mention the Tamaryn song again,

The only thing I really didn't care for was Husker Du, but I've never cared for Husker Du, which probably diminishes some of my punk rock cred.

Very cool list, Axxo. I'm now in another ranking crisis.

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

 

[Axver]

Hope people are still tuning in!

Last night I gave Cute Irish Bono's list a spin. I found it somewhat inconsistent, with some really good passages countered by some notable mis-steps. The highlight is definitely the opening seven tracks which work well together (especially the opening trio) and are all good songs. But then some of the transitions are pretty clunky; for example, London Calling is out of place, and your list (especially the VU track) confirms for me why I think live songs are a bad idea in DI entries. Easily my least favourite part was from VU to LZ, which I found awkward and uninteresting (though admittedly my heretical views on certain artists played into that). The second half did pick up after that though, especially the Jimmy Eat World/Sleeping At Last combo. Oh, and I was surprised to see somebody use Aztec Camera, and all the more surprised to see how their sound is different to the album I know, High Land Hard Rain. If the rest of the list were ordered as well as the first seven tracks and the middle of the second half, this would rate higher for me.

This leaves just the tourist's list for me and then I'm done.

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

Hope people are still tuning in!

Last night I gave Cute Irish Bono's list a spin. I found it somewhat inconsistent, with some really good passages countered by some notable mis-steps. The highlight is definitely the opening seven tracks which work well together (especially the opening trio) and are all good songs. But then some of the transitions are pretty clunky; for example, London Calling is out of place, and your list (especially the VU track) confirms for me why I think live songs are a bad idea in DI entries. Easily my least favourite part was from VU to LZ, which I found awkward and uninteresting (though admittedly my heretical views on certain artists played into that). The second half did pick up after that though, especially the Jimmy Eat World/Sleeping At Last combo. Oh, and I was surprised to see somebody use Aztec Camera, and all the more surprised to see how their sound is different to the album I know, High Land Hard Rain. If the rest of the list were ordered as well as the first seven tracks and the middle of the second half, this would rate higher for me.

This leaves just the tourist's list for me and then I'm done.

Thanks, Axver. Yes, Aztec Camera sounded a lot different in the ninities than the 80's. Frestonia and Stray are wonderful underrated albums to check out. Thanks for the feedback! Have you heard things from the Auteurs before?

 

[Reggo]

I also have CIB's list a spin tonight.

Mostly, I felt like I was listening to the radio, with some good tracks (i.e., Love Reign O'er Me, London Calling, Thunder Road), some alright stuff, and some tracks that just didn't quite work for me. The transitions are clunky in some spots, like Ramble On drool: my fave LZ track ever) into Incubus didn't sound or feel right. And it seemed like there were two or three tracks where it felt like another song was about to start and then it cut to something completely different. I'm with Axver about live tracks, even though I like The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed snapping at some dude at the end that they don't play Heroin anymore was hilarious, they really don't belong in DI unless someone is brilliant enough to try to make like a festival-style list of all live tracks. hmm: That's actually not a bad idea. *makes note*)

Anyway, it wasn't a bad list, it just felt a little generic to me, mainly because I'm familiar with almost all the bands on the list, so not much really stood out to me.

I've got tourist's as my last list for this competition as well.

P.S. 3,000 internets to whoever can tell me just what the fuck Blinded By The Light is about.

 

[phanan]

Despite the fact that I wasn't familiar with a lot on Ax's list, he as usual did not disappoint. The flow and sequencing were first rate, and I really dug almost all of the songs. The only section that I felt wasn't as strong was the stretch from Hüsker Dü to Ceremony, but that's a small portion in relation to the entire playlist. I really liked that Headless Chickens track (fantastic band name too) and thought the final part from Alpine on was superb.

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

I also have CIB's list a spin tonight.

Mostly, I felt like I was listening to the radio, with some good tracks (i.e., Love Reign O'er Me, London Calling, Thunder Road), some alright stuff, and some tracks that just didn't quite work for me. The transitions are clunky in some spots, like Ramble On drool: my fave LZ track ever) into Incubus didn't sound or feel right. And it seemed like there were two or three tracks where it felt like another song was about to start and then it cut to something completely different. I'm with Axver about live tracks, even though I like The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed snapping at some dude at the end that they don't play Heroin anymore was hilarious, they really don't belong in DI unless someone is brilliant enough to try to make like a festival-style list of all live tracks. hmm: That's actually not a bad idea. *makes note*)

Anyway, it wasn't a bad list, it just felt a little generic to me, mainly because I'm familiar with almost all the bands on the list, so not much really stood out to me.

I've got tourist's as my last list for this competition as well.

P.S. 3,000 internets to whoever can tell me just what the fuck Blinded By The Light is about.

Ok, I understand about the flow and live tracks. I see how now the live track ruin how good the VU song could of sounded and all. But I love the live track playlist idea. That's a great idea!

You said you knew most of the songs. But most people haven't heard the tracks I choose from Kut U Up, The Auteurs, Modern English, and At the Drive-in. Have you heard those songs before? What makes you think my list was generic? I am just curious.

 

[Reggo]

Well, I've heard songs by almost all of the artists you used, so it was familiar territory. I guess a little too familiar cause I felt a little like I was listening to my local classic rock station or my own iPod up through Led Zeppelin. That's not a bad thing at all, cause I love Talking Heads and Modern English and INXS and stuff, but I felt like nothing really stood out and grabbed my attention. But there weren't any songs that I disliked either.

Does that help?

And the "live" album is my idea Though I've yet to pull it off...

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

Well, I've heard songs by almost all of the artists you used, so it was familiar territory. I guess a little too familiar cause I felt a little like I was listening to my local classic rock station or my own iPod up through Led Zeppelin. That's not a bad thing at all, cause I love Talking Heads and Modern English and INXS and stuff, but I felt like nothing really stood out and grabbed my attention. But there weren't any songs that I disliked either.

Does that help?

And the "live" album is my idea Though I've yet to pull it off...

Thanks, that helps to clear things up for me. Most people haven't heard Modern English's "16 Days" prior to my list. That's cool how you beat me to it! Did you like The Auteurs, Kut U Up, or Bigger Lovers tracks?

 

[Reggo]

The Auteurs track worked well with Joy Division and New Order, perfect spot for it. The other two, I wish I could give you an opinion on them. This is going to sound worse than I mean it to, but I can't really remember how they went. I'll give them another listen later tonight and let you know.

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

The Auteurs track worked well with Joy Division and New Order, perfect spot for it. The other two, I wish I could give you an opinion on them. This is going to sound worse than I mean it to, but I can't really remember how they went. I'll give them another listen later tonight and let you know.

Thanks and let me know.

 

[the tourist]

Just FYI, I'm going to post my thoughts on each playlist after the results thread. I'm nearly done listening and these lists overall are pretty great! I am, however, interested in seeing how many people turn in rankings as my list has only been downloaded in full 8 times.

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

Well, I've heard songs by almost all of the artists you used, so it was familiar territory. I guess a little too familiar cause I felt a little like I was listening to my local classic rock station or my own iPod up through Led Zeppelin. That's not a bad thing at all, cause I love Talking Heads and Modern English and INXS and stuff, but I felt like nothing really stood out and grabbed my attention.

Reggo, one more quick question. How could you find "16 days" average just curious? "I Will Melt With You" is very average but nothing else from Modern English, in my opinion. I am just curious, Reggo, that's all. Or maybe you said average because you have heard the song before and if you have, where? I am just curious, Reggo, that's all. Thanks.

 

[Reggo]

Just FYI, I'm going to post my thoughts on each playlist after the results thread. I'm nearly done listening and these lists overall are pretty great! I am, however, interested in seeing how many people turn in rankings as my list has only been downloaded in full 8 times.

As of tonight, that'll be nine. I'm a slacker.

 

[Reggo]

Reggo, one more quick question. How could you find "16 days" average just curious? "I Will Melt With You" is very average but nothing else from Modern English, in my opinion. I am just curious, Reggo, that's all. Or maybe you said average because you have heard the song before and if you have, where? I am just curious, Reggo, that's all. Thanks.

I haven't heard the song before, but 80's pop/rock isn't my favorite type of music and, like gangsta rap, it all sounds kind of the same to me. I couldn't tell you the difference between Duran Duran, Midnight Oil, or Crowded House. And since there were a bunch of lists this time that had that type of music on them, it was a little generic to me.

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

I haven't heard the song before, but 80's pop/rock isn't my favorite type of music and, like gangsta rap, it all sounds kind of the same to me. I couldn't tell you the difference between Duran Duran, Midnight Oil, or Crowded House. And since there were a bunch of lists this time that had that type of music on them, it was a little generic to me.

Thanks, that explains a lot to me. And that's probably why you weren't crazy about my list either because I had many 80's songs. I am sucker for the 80's but I understand. Did you listen to the songs from Bigger Lovers and Kut U Up yet? Sorry to be a pest but I think it gives my playlist justice to listen to those other songs and know how you feel about the rare songs I included.

 

[Reggo]

Look, it's DI. The tastes of the people who play this game are so wide, there's no way for you to please everyone. And really, nor should you try. DI is about making a list of music you love and find interesting that you want to share with the other people playing. For instance, I thought it'd be fun to do a horror theme. Did I think anyone would fall in love with it? Hell, no. I expected everyone to hate it, I just thought it'd be fun to try to scare the hell out of people with some spooky, disturbing music. Lots of people didn't like mine. I'm okay with that. And if someone doesn't like it, that's their opinion and they're entitled to it. When you get negative feedback, you take it as constructive criticism for next time to make something better. I'm just trying to be friendly and I don't like being interrogated about liking a playlist or not. It's not going to change my mind about my rankings, which are due tonight and I have one more list to go. I'm sorry, your list wasn't my thing, and I've explained why and I'm going to leave it at that.

 

[Cute Irish Bono]

Look, it's DI. The tastes of the people who play this game are so wide, there's no way for you to please everyone. And really, nor should you try. DI is about making a list of music you love and find interesting that you want to share with the other people playing. For instance, I thought it'd be fun to do a horror theme. Did I think anyone would fall in love with it? Hell, no. I expected everyone to hate it, I just thought it'd be fun to try to scare the hell out of people with some spooky, disturbing music. Lots of people didn't like mine. I'm okay with that. And if someone doesn't like it, that's their opinion and they're entitled to it. When you get negative feedback, you take it as constructive criticism for next time to make something better. I'm just trying to be friendly and I don't like being interrogated about liking a playlist or not. It's not going to change my mind about my rankings, which are due tonight and I have one more list to go. I'm sorry, your list wasn't my thing, and I've explained why and I'm going to leave it at that.

You are right. Sorry, I will leave it at that.

 

[cobl04]

i'll post my thoughts on Ashley, Andrew, Andre and CIB's lists shortly, but i've gotta send the rankings in for now! but rest assured i will provide reviews! i've found something to like in all!

 

[Axver]

I've just finished my DI listening with the tourist's list. Got to be honest Andrew and say that although your sequencing was impeccable as usual (and helped nudge your list ahead of a couple of others in my rankings), the list didn't leave much of a mark on me. Lots of choices that just aren't my style, though by and large I didn't outright dislike them either. I'd managed to avoid that Cee-Lo Green song until now, and as usual I don't get what all the hype was all about, and including Umbrella is almost unforgiveable. With that out of the way, my favourite passage was that fron the Stone Roses to around about Girls; these competitions always remind me that I should give a Stone Roses album a proper spin. I think this was a solid list, but below your best.

 

[phanan]

9 rankings in so far - keep 'em coming...

I'd like to have all by the time I wake up in the morning, if possible. So that would be within the next 12 hours.

I'm concerned that I haven't heard or seen collapse and uv92 around. If anyone knows them, give 'em a shout that I need their rankings by tomorrow morning or else I'll have to remove their lists.

 

[phanan]

And cobbler, EST is Eastern Standard Time.

 

[cobl04]

And cobbler, EST is Eastern Standard Time.

That's just bait for the "friggin' cobbler"ers