Tubelord - Our First American Friends
It’s like a homemade smoothie with too much banana and not enough pineapple.
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I couldn't agree more
You've pretty much covered exactly how I felt about this; gave it so many listens but started drifting off after a few songs. Like a sub-standard mix of Johnny Foreigner and Biffy.
This worries me. The EP's were fucking brilliant.
I really really like this album
...because...
...it's full of little melodic hooks, ace little vocal melodies and rhythmic shifts - all the things I like in this type of music. There's a lot going on in the songs and though there are a couple of drfting numbers I'd argue Propeller is amazingly catchy, Stacey's Left Arm is an indication of a deviation from their sound and Night of the Pencils was always one of the best EP songs. It sounds like Kev gave it a really good shot and fair play for that, it took me a few listens too. Hearing the acoustic arrangements recently made me appreciate the songs even more. Yeah, so to sum up I've enjoyed this a lot, but I can see them doing far more in the future.
the little melodic hooks, vocal melodies and rhythmic shifts
are actually what i do like about this album - it's just that the whole package doesn't quite hang together. I actually found it really frustrating as those intricacies came to light, because i can SEE what they're trying to do, and i really really WANTED to like it, but it never quite lived up to the expectations that were created. a case of not seeing the wood for the trees, possibly?
ouch
was really looking forward to this, hope this is better than a 4. Loved all their previous releases.
Couldn't Disagree Anymore
It sounds to me like you have only listened to the album once, with Tubelord you have to listen to it a couple of times to fully appreciate how brilliant they are. With amazing dynamics, changing time signatures, excellent, complex drumming from David Catmur, very catchy melodic riffs from Joe, everything is layered so cleverly, you hear new things the more you listen to it. Another point is when you first listen to it you dont know which direction its heading, after a few listens you know whats coming up so your ready to know when to bang your head and when to sing along your half correctly sung lyrics. You find yourself listening to them over and over again, I've been listening to them for a year now and never get bored, and for me its been a long wait for this is album, but well worth the wait! Album of the year! 10/10
i've listened to the album 15,16 times
on the tube, at home, on my bike, in the background, actively listening to it – believe me, i didn't just give it a cursory listen then dismiss it. Every time i went back to it i went back hoping that this time it'd make sense, that i'd hear something that made me go 'YES!' this is AWESOME! But every time i ended up in the same place.
I get the complex layering, i really do, and i have no quibbles with the technical excellence of the album – as i say above, they can't half write a riff. My problem with the album is that, i suppose, it gets lost in its cleverness, and ends up being about the minutiae rather than the overall impact – which, in my view, is frustratingly bland.
I reckon they'd be blinding live though.
with everything you've just said, kev...
don't you think giving it 4/10 is very harsh?
pretty much sums up how i feel about this band in general
only i don't feel the need to feel like i should like them because they're trendy at the moment
nope.
i think it's fair – in fact, it's one of the things i'm most definite about on this review (as people who've had to edit my copy will probably tell you, i can never make up my mind about marks on albums).
Why? Because it's an album review, not a review of clever hooks. as an album, yes it's technically very good, but it's frankly disappointing as a complete piece of work and I'd say it's below average - especially when it's obvious these guys are capable of much more.. therefore, a 4*.
*let's not get into an argument about mark inflation on reviews - i know some people will mark an average album 5, some will mark it 7. That's a job for the subs to iron out. Besides, i'd personally not put a mark on these things anyway as it's so subjective - but then i see the logic in using it as a shortcut. a necessary evil, as it were.
Very harsh mark
Maybe your not intelligent enough to understand the music? They are amazing live, Azerrad gets the crowd jumping around and Night Of The Pencils has everyone singing along. Listen to halfman half amazing bet this will float your boat, my favourite track of thiers, its on itunes as an extra. Go and see them live and then listen back to the album, you will find yourself with one of their songs in your head and think to yourself, they're alot better than i wrote.
Maybe his not?
ok
it's a date. Let's go see Tubelord! Woo!
pet hate
when people use the 'have you seen them live?' argument. Sure you can compare live presence to studio output; but he's not reviewing them live, he's reviewing what's on the CD.
this a 9 for me
each to his own but the review does read like a 6 or 7
You sound like you work for their record company
or are one of their bestest, bestest friends.
If you're really going to street team, adjust your manner so that people don't see through it.
Subtlety is the key.
"They are amazing live, Azerrad gets the crowd jumping around and Night Of The Pencils has everyone singing along."
This is just D-grade shit.
this band
are sooo 2008.
Eek!
Totally love this band - can't wait to hear the record personally.
4/10?
It'd do you good to give this another listen, reviewer.
I fear for this album
I sort of knew this was going to happen, especially after the shit-heap that was This Town Needs Guns. Its to much for bands of this size to write a whole album in such a short space of time without the backing to do it full time. I've said it before, but they should defiantly have included a few of the EP tracks, especially Azzarad, Night of the Pencils & Half-man, Half-amazing.
the songs...
you just mentioned are all included...
?
i fear for you
It'd do you good to give the album a first listen
I've got nothing to do with the band, I'm at uni at the moment, and saw them a couple of times this year, and are my favourite band at them moment. The main reason i disagreed with the review is exactly how tishandfipsy put it 'the review does read like a 6 or 7' so to see a 4 was harsh. Anyway everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
'everyone is entitled to their own opinion'...
But what about this reviewer, who is 'not intelligent enough to understand the music' of Tubelord?
Is he an exception?
'everyone is entitled to their own opinion'...
What i was trying to say is that if the reviewer feels it is only a 4/10 then he is allowed to have that opinion.
what what whatify?
http://open.spotify.com/album/0n5JT1XdbOeToDIH1svnp2
Make up your own minds :)
I may well, fellow messageboarder
But not soon. I'm a little sick of it now after having had it on constant repeat for the best part of a week.
eh?
but up there ^^ you complain that my review reads like a 6 to 7? am i allowed to give it the rating that I think it deserves, or should we do a straw poll?
OK. here is my reasoning for a rating of 4, to clear up any misunderstanding. in my mind - and in most rating systems - 5 and 6 are average. 7 is good, 8 is very good, 9 is excellent, 10 is a masterpiece. 4 is below average, 3 is poor, 2 is very bad and 1 is just awful. I am off the view that this album - while technically very good - is on the whole bland, unemotive and left me cold. Therefore, i accord it a 4. It wasn't changed by DiS editorial - which they are perfectly within their rights to do, to ensure cross-reviewer consistency - so i guess a 4 is fair.
I don't even like these fucking number rating systems anyway. it's a blunt instrument that just causes trouble. When i rule the world,we'll do away with them and make people read the words in reviews, not just scroll straight to the bottom and get all aerated... :)
Hmmm. Seems to me that keveddy is getting stick as he's one of the few reviewers
who actually use ratings properly.
People seem to think that 7 = average these days. When pretty much every album reviewed by a site is being marked in the 6 - 8 range you know something's up.
Erm,
Why is everyone destroying the reviewer here? I totally disagree with the score (9/10 for me at least, probably my album of the year so far), but it's an honest review and he's not being a dick about it. Based on the comments the albums clearly quite marmite, no need to completely destroy the guy?
I do sometimes change scores to try and keep consistency
But I thought the 4 stood pretty well - he had some nice stuff to say about bits of it, but he didn't really seem to like any of the actual songs.
Sorry Ged i agree with Kev.
If I am allowed, my opinion is the same as the reviewers. I too really wanted to like this album and had been so excited in the days leading up to receiving it, but after spending a solid week of listening to it, it still just doesn't do it for me... They definitely left some of their better songs off the album... I was hoping it would be as good as the Colour Anthology(Incredible- check it), but its nowhere near...
Jus
If you have been excited about this album - some balance
I am not on the street team, my expectations were so high for this album that it was almost destined to disappoint me...
..and yet I cannot stop listening to it. Over and over. I'm finding it the kind of record where I'm annoyed when I get to my destination as it means I have to take my earphones out and press stop.
I suppose my point is, if you too have been excited about hearing it, whilst I totally respect Kev's opinion (and I feel it's a very well written review), I would suggest you definitely give it a listen before you make a judgement. You may just fall onto my side of the fence. And if so, your life will be substantially better for it.