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Post by ScottsyII on Nov 27, 2005 3:14:46 GMT -5
I think Warnings / Promises has actually been given a fair bit of harsh treatment. I hear a band evolving rather than in decline, perhaps there are a few missteps on the album, but that's bound to happen when a band or artist steps in a different direction...
But hey, I listened to 100 Broken Windows, The Remote Part and Warnings / Promises in a row today, and yeah... if you loved 100 Broken Windows, you could conceiviably HATE the living shit out of Warning Promises... they are barely the same band.
Whether they are a better band I guess is a subjective issue - but I can't fault Warnings / Promises as much as the harsh critical venom it has received - its not the greatest thing the band will ever do, but it's transitional in my opinion.... always bound to yeild varying results.
Perhpas even the album's title itself is an indicator... :-)
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Post by Weeping_Guitar on Nov 27, 2005 9:08:02 GMT -5
And in the interests of gender equity, I'll note that the latest Springsteen has garnered even less play from me than Extraordinary Machine. I was so pissed off over the issues of getting the damn thing to play and rip to my Mac, that I just haven't heard the damn thing enough to be able to judge it at all. As I said to my friend at the record shop, "I'd pay MORE for a standard cd of this album, just to be able to play it in my car, computer, etc. I'm pissed at both Springsteen and Sony for putting it out only in this bastard format that doesn't even comply with the standards for compact discs that Sony largely wrote!" I can get it to play on my computer, but not in my walkman, which caused me headaches as well. I eventually just ripped the thing and burnt a regular CD disc so I could listen to it whenever I wanted. I appreciated the added content, but I would guess it's just as economical to add a second disc DVD to the package than to make these complicated Dual-Discs. Still, worth my copying effort because this is still my favorite album of the year and really made me interested in the Boss. Ken, did you pick up that Born to Run 30th Anniversary set a few weeks back? I've never owned that album and decided I had to have it and man am I impressed with the album and that re-release. Just fantastic. It's the only Springsteen individual record I now have besides his last two. I really want to get more, but I've heard the quality leaves something to be desired. I'm wondering if this album's remastering may lead to the others as well. |
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Post by rockysigman on Nov 28, 2005 1:56:02 GMT -5
Since I don't think there are any more 2005 releases that I'll be picking up, I went ahead and made my year end comp CD already. Definately found myself including way more things that I don't actually own this year than usual, so I guess less new stuff really struck me this year. Still, I think the mix is pretty solid:
1) Queens of the Stone Age - "Little Sister"
2) Sleater-Kinney - "The Fox"
3) The White Stripes - "Take Take Take"
4) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Weight of the World"
5) The New Pornographers - "The Bleeding Heart Show"
6) My Morning Jacket - "Wordless Chorus"
7) Wilco - "Panthers"
8) Sufjan Stevens - "John Wayne Gacy, Jr."
9) Antony & the Johnsons - "Hope There's Someone"
10) Beck - Qué Onda Guero"
11) Nine Inch Nails - "Only"
12) Thunderbirds Are Now! - "Eat This City"
13) The Sights - "Circus"
14) Big Star - "Best Chance We've Ever Had"
15) The Knitters - "Try Anymore (Why Don't We Even)"
16) The Mars Volta - "The Widow"
17) Danny Elfman - "Augustus Gloop"
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Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on Nov 28, 2005 3:52:33 GMT -5
Good idea Rocky. Off the top of my head here's a few recent singles I don't own, that would make my year end compilation:
The Dead 60s - Ghostfaced Killer
Hard-Fi - Hard To Beat
The Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
I think I'll work on a proper mix.
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Post by Dr. Drum on Nov 28, 2005 7:24:38 GMT -5
Ken, you should check out the latest Bunnymen disc, Siberia. Sounds about where you’d want them to have ended up 20 years down the line, albeit with a couple of original members no longer with them (or in the case of Pete de Freitas, no longer with us).
So the problem with that Springsteen disc is Dual-Disc format then, not this nasty copy protection fiasco Sony’s gotten themselves in recently?
Always respected Springsteen without ever being able to get into him much. Kind of wanted to give him another shot after his work on the election last year, so I downloaded Devils and Dust when it was released, as a preview to a possible purchase but unfortunately I really did not like it at all. Heard a few cuts off the remastered Born to Run at a disc store the other day, though, and that did sound impressive. I was really getting swept up in it, up till the point when Clarence turned up for his first sax solo anyway. Don’t know what it is but I have to say, even with the very occasional exposure I have to the E-Street Band, I’ve developed a real distaste for his style of playing.
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Post by luke on Nov 28, 2005 9:28:45 GMT -5
Sony can go fuck themselves. I'll never buy another copy-protected album again, period.
Stole the new Madonna last night. Listening to it now...may be a guilty pleasure...and may actually end up making some sort of top ten list, if only because I decided that the Wolf Parade album was, after repeated listens, basically crap with one good song ("Modern World"), I hate the new Sleater-Kinney, don't really like CYHASY (didn't dig Hindu Love Gods the first time around), Illinoise is over-bloated and kinda sissy, Russian Futurists sound like Christmas music, and Kanye West is a douche.
Still, though, even with all that slowly piling up against them, I doubt Madonna will make my list unless I really can't remember a few albums I heard this year. I already have a very, very solid top five.
As for Hypnotize, not as good as Mezmerize, but still pretty good. WAY too much of Malakian singing. His voice works better for parody. Doing things like shouting "SUGAH!" or his mocking Fred Durst sounding bit in "Cigarro."
Still have Darkness to buy tomorrow (yes!), will probably get that new Bunnymen, and I'm going to try and see if I can't sneak $16.95 past the wife to get that Sproutts album.
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Post by Kensterberg on Nov 28, 2005 10:45:26 GMT -5
Weeping -- I haven't picked up the reissued Born to Run yet, mainly b/c I'm kind of reserving it for my birthday present (for somewhat sentimental reasons, as I got this on vinyl for my 17th b-day). All the reviews I've heard are absolutely glowing, and frankly I'd pay the forty bucks or whatever just for that live DVD.
The problem with the rest of the Boss's catalog isn't that the sonic quality is "bad" -- it's that it just doesn't sound any different than the vinyl issues did. I've had The River on both formats for ages, and (back when I had a turntable) could flip between the two and couldn't hear a difference! (Aside from pops, etc. inherent in vinyl).
As for Devils and Dust ... Yeah, the problem that I've had with it has nothing to do with copy protection, it has to do with the dual disc format. Two out of the three Macs I use have slot loading cd/dvd drives, as does my car. Dual discs are thicker than the cd standard, which can cause problems with the rollers on the drive, and the cd side simply refuses to be recognized in any of them! Additionally, I've got a several years old Sony DVD/CD changer (one of the carosel types, not a slot or magazine loader), and it won't even recognize CD-Rs because Sony said that they wouldn't support "non-standard" formats. I could play the DVD side in that player, or in my Powerbook (why the hell would the DVD side play but the CD wouldn't?), but I couldn't get it into iTunes, where I do most of my listening these days.
So ultimately, I made use of an older iMac w/a tray loading CD/DVD drive, and that one recognized the CD side. So I ripped it and transferred the songs to my Powerbook ... and have barely touched it since. The whole thing left a very sour taste in my mouth. I'll be very wary of any future dual disc offerings from anyone, and probably won't buy another if I can help it.
I've heard the latest Madonna disc a few times now, and I'm quite impressed. For a straight-forward dance record, it's a hell of a thing. Absolutely no "substance" to the lyrics, but that's not the point, is it? Sounds fantastic -- and I certainly would never have guessed back in '84 that Madonna would still be making relevant music (and some of the best stuff of her career) in 2005. My take (as a devout non-fan) is that this is Madonna's best record not named Ray of Light.
Drum -- I'll have to pick up that new Echo disc, and the new Sleater-Kinney.
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Post by pattentank24 on Nov 29, 2005 12:55:56 GMT -5
Oh I'm nearly finished with my best of 05 lists
I can't make up my mind which number of albums I want to list though
couple listens holding the whole ranking system off right now
but it will be at least 50 I'm guessing
Late Entries into the Sweepstakes
-The Clientele- Strange Geomentry
-The Exit - Home For An Island
-Neil Diamond- 12 songs
-Metric-Live It Out
-System of a Down- Hypnotize
Idlewild wasn't the same band after Hope is Important but at least 100 broken windows is one of the best albums of the double 0 decade
I'm a fan of the Remote Part,but Warnings ahhhh uhhhhh ehhh not sure how I feel about it being a fan
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Post by Thorngrub on Nov 29, 2005 13:02:35 GMT -5
the new korn leak'd - - i gave in to temptation & listened - - the album is a stellar achievement, sonically, musically, and Kornily. It is a landmark recording. The last track is as blissfully beautiful as anything NIN has delivered, I can safely say its "korn's hurt", and mean it is a compliment.
Next Tuesday, bitches
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Post by ScottsyII on Nov 30, 2005 7:47:33 GMT -5
I decided after a listen again last night I really like Warnings Patten... I wasn't a fan of the band from the start I gotta say, so maybe this is my point of difference...
Now whether its one of my best for the year is another matter...
But I found another contender last night during my listening... The Panics - Sleeps Like a Curse - a darn fine disc by a fine and upcoming Aussie band.
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Post by luke on Nov 30, 2005 9:00:14 GMT -5
Got the new Darkness today. About to spin it, and then I'll almost have my final list. Some limey bloke I know from some other message boards is supposed to be getting me a leaked copy of the new Richard Ashcroft sometime this week, though, so maybe I'll rank that, too.
Oh man I love the title track to this album...yeah...
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Post by pattentank24 on Nov 30, 2005 11:09:04 GMT -5
Got the new Darkness today. About to spin it, and then I'll almost have my final list. Some limey bloke I know from some other message boards is supposed to be getting me a leaked copy of the new Richard Ashcroft sometime this week, though, so maybe I'll rank that, too. Oh man I love the title track to this album...yeah... Different than Permission but still funny as hell I think " seemed like a Good Ideal at the time" is the highlight so far,how many songs can you write about hair an drugs though Oh wait I forgot about that lost decade WAY TOO EARLY TO EXPOUND |
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Post by pattentank24 on Dec 5, 2005 12:34:30 GMT -5
OK I've decided being an odd year it will be the best 55 albums of 05 but before that list I had to show some love to those late 2004 releases I've been listening to all this year Top 5 End of 2004 Releases 5. Sufjan Stevens- Seven SwansClassic songwritters who express joy are few and frankly out of style in indie rock. He maybe a poltical activist one song and then a underdog and break your heart the next. This is his 2nd Complete masterwork and yes Michigan/Ill. are better,but this is his most personal work so far. For all the critics who claim his production is overlaping,this is a Rick Rubin esque style with some memorable choruses from a talented banjo player. #4  Hope of States- The Lost RiotsAlbums that forsake hype and image are becoming more rare. that doesn't mean the story of the death of lead guitarist Jimi Lawrence doesn't add to the drama of this being a final statement. This is the sound of the world coming to an end, BUT you will find peace of mind listening to this in the destruction. #3 The Go Team!- Thunder,Lighting,StrikeI never joined any clubs in High School I always found enthusiam was just a product of low self-esteem and ego. Damn if I don't want to join the Go Team. The debut is a neverending pep rally of energy and quite simply the best recorded mixtape since the Avalanches in 2001 #2 The Dears- No Cities Left3yrs in the making 4 different versions of his vision Murray Lightburn was somewhat satisfied with his debut album then really upped the ante into dramatics with No Cities Left. He married his female keyboard player who had his first child earlier this year. He promised in an interview a much MORE optimistic HOPEFUL 3rd album but cautioned our sound will always be EPIC Epic is the word for an album dedicated to the pusuit of romance and despair. a masterful live act with a singer whose voice range reaches past his torture of exposed emotional turmoil But man, Can You feel the passion it contains. #1 Death From Above 1979- Your A Woman,I'm A MachineLove is Violence.... that's according to DFA 79. The Best duo since Jack/Meg in rock music right now(sorry Black Keys) prove it's dancable. Industrial Song Structures and Synth Melodies it shouldn't work this just be a god-awful marriage of Ministry and New Order... then why can I not stop singing these songs Sebastien Grainger/Jesse F Keeler write songs about -Being friends just for benefits -Having an affair behind company time SEX being the main theme in all their work Open door policy this is dangerous and honest. Maybe the first album of the decade that focuses on the obsticles that sex presents Music made for people who still get busy to "Closer" or you can just freak out your friends who have never heard anything this infectious and noisy Not bad for a band who bathe in fake blood for fun Alright Next Up The Top 55 albums of 2005 |
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Post by melon1 on Dec 5, 2005 13:12:06 GMT -5
Hey Pattentank,
Which Dears album has "We Want It"? This is probably my favorite song that Glenn burned for me and he burned 7 discs for me. I love that song.
Hopefully those CDs will land in my mailbox today. I'm so ready for some more great music I've never heard.
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Post by skvorisdeadsorta on Dec 5, 2005 14:05:54 GMT -5
 Deerhoof-The Runners Four  Rah Brahs-Whohm  Love Is All-Nine Times That Same Song Late entries into the great in '05 list. |
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