Random Music Talk CXXVII: Crickets

[lazarus]

Loved that Meddle review. It's a fucking fantastic album, and it was nice to see some love for Side 1, usually people only really talk about Echoes, but One of These Days, A Pillow of Winds and Fearless are all such stellar, top-tier Floyd tracks. One of These Days slaps, A Pillow of Winds is one of my all-time favourite calming mood songs (my ebay name is eiderdown71) and Fearless is brilliant. Those two songs in particular are a style that they almost completely abandoned from Dark Side onwards (I've never actually heard Obscured By Clouds though!)

San Tropez and Seamus are both inessential in my opinion though. Interesting enough curios but I've tried playing the album with Fearless leading straight into Echoes and it is exquisite, the YNWA chant leading into the ping. I challenge anyone to try that and feel like it's necessary to have San Tropez and Seamus sandwiched in between. Luckily, they only take up 10% of the album's runtime. (I like both songs; San Tropez has this great understated swagger to it and Seamus is a funny take on blues, but I consider them inessential to Meddle's listening experience.) Take them out and it's still 41 minutes long.

I was wondering if the issue is that you have these two gorgeous, mellow songs, followed by two that are humorous/slight, before going into another real heavy mother of a track? And that the middle seems like an unnecessary detour? What if, hear me out, the order was instead:

1. One of These Days
2. A Pillow Of Winds
3. San Tropez
4. Seamus
5. Fearless

6. Echoes

The other thing to keep in mind what that the album was meant to have a side flip in between Seamus and Echoes. So perhaps that longer pause makes the shock a little less.

Anyway, great fucking album. I love how the late section of Echoes brings back that driving bass (or guitar?) line from One of These Days for a bit, nice full circle there. And that other high guitar part is just this glorious breakthrough of transcendence after the menacing main riff.

Picking my favorite album of the year is going to be tough when Jessie, Fiona Apple, Charli XCX and Natalia Lafourcade all came through with brilliant works. Natalia's record is such a wonderful introduction to traditional Mexican music, instant comfort for the ears.

Waiting on Sufjan to either solve the dilemma or make it more challenging.

I mean, we can pretend like Fiona's isn't the best of the year because it seems too easy/obvious, or we can just acknowledge what's right in front of our faces. Still a breath of fresh air each time I hear it.

That Charli album ain't even close.

 

[cobl04]

Yes, I think it works fine on vinyl. And my issue is not really with the order, I just think both those tracks are superfluous, and I can do without them.

Ax, I finally listened to Hello I'm Doing My Best. It's not as bad as you say it is, but it's certainly well short of A Suitable Girl, which continues to rise in my estimation. It's one of those albums that maybe doesn't seem like it should rate so highly, but it's just such a fucking great rock-pop record and so many of the songs really stick with you.

On this record, I think there's an EP's worth of pretty good material, almost entirely in the back half. Yr a Piece of Shit is good fun, and January, Backseat, Are You Happy Now and This Girl are all good.

 

[Axver]

All I'm saying is I have no plan to ever listen to it again. The lyricism, yikes.

 

[david]

Anyone keeping up with the recent Burger Records scandal of bands and people involved who have been accused of grooming young girls and generally being really creepy by being predatory?


https://instagram.com/lured_by_burger_records?igshid=1j96x1ujhsq0h

 

[lazarus]

Not surprising. Men in most music scene are predatory creeps. The long Instagram post by the girl from Regrettes about Billy Joe’s son grooming her and pressuring her to perform sex acts when she was underage is disturbing as fuck, though. That guy’s gotta get the hammer dropped on him, even if he has a famous father.

 

[cobl04]

One song in to What's Your Pleasure?, count me in.

 

[cobl04]

WHAT is that song that "Save a Kiss" is reminding me of, during the "save a little bit of your loving baby" part. Or is it just a great amalgam of pop, 80s disco and modern house. It's driving me mad.

 

[gump]

Aaron Dessner producing and co-writing most of Taylor Swift’s new record is a 2020 development I didn’t anticipate.

Is GAF ok?

 

[cobl04]

You beat me to it by fucking 21 seconds [emoji31]

 

[phanan]

Looking forward to listening. Bon Iver on one song too.

 

[gump]

Apparently Bryce also did some orchestral arrangements for the album.

 

[gump]

You beat me to it by fucking 21 seconds

Missed opportunity here, cobbler.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Aaron Dessner producing and co-writing most of Taylor Swift’s new record is a 2020 development I didn’t anticipate.

Is GAF ok?

I'm on a blood buzz. God, I am.

 

[iron yuppie]

Dessner bros about to get real paid.

 

[U2inUtah]

Aaron Dessner producing and co-writing most of Taylor Swift’s new record is a 2020 development I didn’t anticipate.

Is GAF ok?

oh wow it dropped tonight? I'm gonna give it a listen right now

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

It's a good album. The production is excellent and of course I love her voice so it's nice to hear a bunch of new tunes. It's midtempo throughout, which I don't totally love but I get she was going for a certain mood/atmosphere.

There are a few songs where Dessner's playing really stands out, you wouldn't mistake it for anyone else, and they practically sound like backing tracks for National songs. And as a massive fan of both the National and Taylor that shit was honestly a little bit distracting at first! It's just kind of jarring. Not necessarily in a bad way, more in an unexpected way. Like, is this really happening?

"the 1", "exile", and "betty" were some of my favorites on first listen. Especially the latter. Excited to give it many more listens, I'm sure it'll grow on me.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

You know what, I actually can't stop thinking about the album. It might be *really* good.

 

[LemonMelon]

It would be better if there was something, anything upbeat anywhere in its 63 minutes to give it some contrast, but some great songs (Mirrorball, August, Betty) and no real bad ones. Probably my favorite by her since at least Red.

Betty really gave me Speak Now vibes and I've been wanting some of those for a long time.

 

[gump]

Cardigan has almost the same piano line as Light Years in the verses. It's weird.

 

[mikal]

I was wondering if the issue is that you have these two gorgeous, mellow songs, followed by two that are humorous/slight, before going into another real heavy mother of a track? And that the middle seems like an unnecessary detour? What if, hear me out, the order was instead:

1. One of These Days
2. A Pillow Of Winds
3. San Tropez
4. Seamus
5. Fearless

6. Echoes

The other thing to keep in mind what that the album was meant to have a side flip in between Seamus and Echoes. So perhaps that longer pause makes the shock a little less.

Anyway, great fucking album. I love how the late section of Echoes brings back that driving bass (or guitar?) line from One of These Days for a bit, nice full circle there. And that other high guitar part is just this glorious breakthrough of transcendence after the menacing main riff.



I mean, we can pretend like Fiona's isn't the best of the year because it seems too easy/obvious, or we can just acknowledge what's right in front of our faces. Still a breath of fresh air each time I hear it.

That Charli album ain't even close.

If you think Fiona’s is the best of the year, you obviously haven’t listened to Dance Gavin Dance’s “Afterburner”.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Petition to ban the terms 'Biffy Clyro' and 'Dance Gavin Dance' from this board.

 

[lazarus]

Signed.

File this under "bands Mikal is obsessed with that have dumb names and which I'll never listen to".

 

[cobl04]

I don't think I'll ever listen either but let's not be too mean.

 

[lazarus]

 

[mikal]

This place used to be much better than “I won’t even listen to music recommendations from that person “ and/or “ban certain bands from being recommended because they don’t completely match my musical taste”.

Thanks Cobl. But I’m out. Keep in touch

 

[cobl04]

Sad to see you go. I got ya back.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Petition to ban the terms 'Biffy Clyro' and 'Dance Gavin Dance' from this board.

Signed.

File this under "bands Mikal is obsessed with that have dumb names and which I'll never listen to".

Do you guys not realize how toxic you are being? You’re not obliged to respond to him, and that sucks enough for him as he wants to share his music. But you shouldn’t be busting his balls, that’s insult to injury.

 

[the tourist]

Right, what we really need on this board is less activity. Sometimes I think that’s the goal of some posters.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Seriously, just scroll past the post if you aren't into that band. This is about the only real active thread much of the time here anymore, after all.

 

[lazarus]

You folks are aware, or recall, that Mikal was spamming this thread so much with B***y C***o content that he was asked by a mod to move it to a separate thread after multiple people complained about it?

This isn't coming out of nowhere.

And it's not really a personal attack, either. I think we've all been here long enough to know what actual abusive language looks like, and should be able to handle some casual ribbing without wanting to take our ball and go home.