Random Music Talk CXXIX: Gump attends a concert

[LemonMelon]

I'm glad they're not intending to go out with that last garbage album of theirs.

 

[DeVaul]

I'm glad they're not intending to go out with that last garbage album of theirs.

Just wait til you hear the new pandering shit they’ve got percolating…

 

[lazarus]

Maybe there is a god after all.

 

[lazarus]

1. Announcing your retirement 4 years in advance in such a public fashion is pretty tacky.

2. Assuming U2 stays together, this will finally be something Coldplay did before them.

3. What a glorious day this is, though I would have preferred they stop immediately.

4. Sure hope they fail to win an sympathy Album of the Year Grammy before they're done.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

They didn’t announce their retirement. Clearly.

 

[DaveC]

lol. i'd bet a large sum of money that in 2027 they'll announce "coldplay is back" and it'll just be chris martin and a macbook.

 

[cobl04]

Another example of American exceptionalism for you freaks who lose your minds when one of us non-Americans points it out: In Australia nearly every Christmas carol, every bit of Christmas film or imagery, is of a cold, white, snow-filled Christmas, despite the fact that half the world has hot Christmases.

 

[cobl04]

Re Coldplay, that's all a load of shit. It contradicts with his anti-climate change stance too, he said like a couple years ago we'll never tour unless we can do it sustainably. He's also been on record saying he'd stop at 33, he's 44 now.

 

[DaveC]

Another example of American exceptionalism for you freaks who lose your minds when one of us non-Americans points it out: In Australia nearly every Christmas carol, every bit of Christmas film or imagery, is of a cold, white, snow-filled Christmas, despite the fact that half the world has hot Christmases.

"half the world" 87% of the world's people live in the northern hemisphere where it's winter now but lol okay christmas carols are american exceptionalism

 

[DaveC]

the vast majority of contemporary christmas carols are based on old german and english folk songs but that's just american exceptionalism.

 

[Hewson]

Another example of American exceptionalism for you freaks who lose your minds when one of us non-Americans points it out: In Australia nearly every Christmas carol, every bit of Christmas film or imagery, is of a cold, white, snow-filled Christmas, despite the fact that half the world has hot Christmases.

Sounds like an Australia problem.
If Aussies can't figure out how to properly represent their own Christmas, how is that an American issue?

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Imagine being so exceptional that Google returns a result not only for “Australian Santa” but also “kangaroo sled”




Australian exceptionalism once again

 

[lazarus]

Friggin' Christmas, everyone.

 

[mikal]

American Exceptionalism isn't a thing....it's an idea....

 

[gump]

I had totally missed that Chromatics have broken up. Not that their recent output had been either great or sufficient to justify their continued existence, but sad regardless.

This, however, is a bonkers story about Dear Tommy: https://pitchfork.com/news/did-chromatics-album-dear-tommy-ever-exist-in-the-first-place/

 

[cobl04]

Fascinating. I'd like a greatest hits record from them. When they were on, hooooo boy.

 

[lazarus]

Am I the only one here still on Team Misty? I'm digging the retro lushness of the new track.

Father John Misty Announces New Album, Shares Video for New Song “Funny Girl”: Watch

 

[Jerry Dunk]

I thought God's Favorite Customer was a really nice bounceback from the disappointment of Pure Comedy. "Hangout at the Gallows" is maybe my favorite song of his now. First listen to this didn't do much for me, but will certainly give it a few more spins and will be interested in the new album.

 

[bono_212]

I had totally missed that Chromatics have broken up. Not that their recent output had been either great or sufficient to justify their continued existence, but sad regardless.

This, however, is a bonkers story about Dear Tommy: https://pitchfork.com/news/did-chromatics-album-dear-tommy-ever-exist-in-the-first-place/

I'll stand by their last album being fantastic. I'm glad I have that.

This story is just nuts. So it sounds like Johnny Jewel just really wants to be an enigma and created a non-existent, unreleased album and built up a story around it in hopes that in 10 years he could have a Chinese Democracy. No wonder the band broke up, since he inserted himself into it in the first place.

 

[LemonMelon]

Ohhh shit this new Weeknd album is good.

Abel, Max Martin and Oneohtrix Point Never make a surprisingly great team.

 

[phanan]

I really enjoyed most of After Hours, so looking forward to this.

 

[lazarus]

According to an article on Pfork, CD sales are up from the previous year for the first time since 2004. They're chalking it up to releases from Adele and Taylor Swift. But good to know there's still some life left in the format.

I bought less than usual myself in 2021 (around 5-7, not including cheap used CDs), but last night I just ordered Vol. 2 of the Joni Mitchell Archives, a series I hadn't even been aware of. 5-disc set with extensive liner notes for under $40. It covers 1968-1971, up to when Blue came out, and it's exclusively unreleased demos, outtakes, and live performances, including one show recorded by Jimi Hendrix on his own tape deck(!!). I'll be more excited for subsequent volumes but it should be very interesting hearing her material take shape. There's a good review up on the aforementioned site.

 

[iron yuppie]

One thing I'll say about the CD format is the box sets could be significantly more creative and aesthetically pleasing than those on vinyl. I now regret selling my Blur and Talking Heads CD boxes; those were both excellent designs.

 

[iron yuppie]

Also, I wouldn't call myself a Taylor Swift fan, but I came across this promo LP for Red on a Discogs blog of expensive records. I think the cover is significantly better than what eventually came out:

https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/4943900?ev=rb

 

[phanan]

My youngest daughter is a huge Taylor fan and has gotten into vinyl. She's got the Target red vinyl edition of Red and it's pretty sweet.

Like Laz, I'm still big into CDs. I still have two iPods and listen to them every day while working. For me, I'm big on sound quality, and with older artists, their classic albums have been released numerous times, and sometimes the latest remaster isn't the best one, or a domestic release isn't as good as say one in Japan. For those types of things, I like to control which one I listen to. With streaming, you don't necessarily always get that.

Case in point - I just finished a workout and went old school today; I listened to Escape by Journey. Yes, it's been remastered in the U.S. and sounds ok, but in Japan they had their own remasters of the Journey catalog, and they just sound cleaner and crisper to me. Is it a nitpick thing? Maybe, but I like having that choice available to me.

 

[bono_212]

I need to move somewhere with a huge basement or something to hold all of the physical media I've been buying recently. Disney+ has scared me out of not owning movies in a physical, unchangeable format.

Also, Laz, I heard about that Jimi Hendrix concert, that is WILD.

 

[iron yuppie]

Anyone listen to the Japanese band Fishmans? Long Season is the album I see hyped a lot, but the follow-up (pictured below because I can't reproduce the Japanese characters here) has been my favorite. Really great dream pop, leaning more toward the pop side of it.

 

[gump]

Fishmans are amazing. I know LM likes them too. You should check out this live show, iyuppie, especially the live version of Long Season: https://open.spotify.com/album/5K4YFkTizFoMOyN5Khfp7G?si=Wo1UDfw9TJCvw9QswepkTA

It was recorded just a month or two before the lead singer passed away.

Orange is also very good, but less dream pop-oriented and with dub influences. 空中キャンプ (Kūchū Camp) has a similar sound, a bit more dub, and is very solid.

That said, Long Season is my favorite, and a masterpiece in my opinion.

 

[iron yuppie]

Lowest price for Uchu Nippon on vinyl is $300.

 

[bono_212]

Well, the new Weeknd album finally got me to go back and visit his older stuff for the first time since...probably those albums came out. Just relistened to Kissland and damn, that is WAY better than I remembered.