Lucy_Faringold

but I don't necessarily agree that "you only really get into A Hawk and a Hacksaw because you like Neutral Milk Hotel and Beirut."

I've listened to Aeroplane once and heard a handful of Beirut tracks years ago but had no idea they were connected to these guys.

... and this is what I get.

Jesus.

(They've used processed vocal samples on the vast majority of their releases btw.)

... the samples on Amazon are amazing. Just placed an order for the LP version. Something tells me this will sound lovely on vinyl.

look forward to more from this writer.

... my preorder came today. Already I can tell that this is something I'm going to be coming back to for a long time. I love how 'basic' the ingredients to each track are. No fluff or flashiness at all - just totally deep sound :-)

... is indeed the only possible response to this shit.

... that image up there is from a Jega vinyl. Amazon seem to have made the same mistake too.

... wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in an idiot.

Never heard anyone who can manipulate a sequencer to make your brain feel like it's actually being reprogrammed. I was obsessed with his stuff for years but as you point out his need to drop obscene samples over much of his stuff is so fucking played out and detracts from the sheer beauty of the music.

He's shooting himself in the foot really - as much as a fan as I am I'm just not gonna buy a cd that has a track like Welfare Wednesday on it.

I reckon Cavalcade is probably his most complete work, so I'm interested to read you compare it to this... But yeah, if he grew up a bit he could produce a masterpiece - probably not gonna happen soon though.

... very much looking forward to this dropping through my letter box on the 23rd :-)

That's quite a claim! Is there anywhere we can hear any full tracks from the album? His MySpace seems to have older stuff and amazon 30 second previews are useless for this kind of stuff. I need to be sure before I drop the coin!

I loved Holden's The Idiots are Winning but I'd not heard of this guy before - sounds like it might be right up my street.

I find it worrying that Jordan J-Ham Hamilton is unable to fathom that two different people may hold two different opinions. The idea that a review should represent the aggregate opinions of every writer on a given site is complete insanity.

... people are being a tad harsh on the reviewer to be honest (although you could argue he opened himself up for it by giving the album such a pasting). Certainly I think Mike calling for him to be 'removed from the roster' is a bit much. Sure Mike, you've got better chops than this guy but your comment leaves a bad taste in the mouth and smacks of uncharacteristic self-importance.

As for the review itself, the mistakes do look really bad and it is pretty heavy on rhetoric but I think Uffie's music is actually one dimensional enough to warrant this kind of a smackdown.

this is a really nice 30 mins of music. Interesting sounds, tracks flow well - sweet :-)

but I don't agree with it at all. I don't understand why you characterise this kind of playing as 'indulgence' - as though he should feel guity for exploring his instrument (fnar) as thoroughly as he has. This is often beautiful, frequently thrilling stuff and nowhere near as 'onanistic' as you suggest.

You can hear loads of different influences in the way he plays and when he locks down a fierce percussive groove it often does sound almost programmed. This to me is very interesting - to approximate the effect of synthesis using human hands.

Also, music doesn't need to be 'emotional' or contain obvious emotional content in order to inspire an emotional response. Much of his work seems to be a kind of joyful exploration of sound - and to suggest this somehow isn't enough is a bit rich.

In conclusion, dude fuckin' knows what's up.

(and yes, that cover is delightfully tongue-in-cheek)

... I love how lazy the percussion sounds compared to the original version - gives it a whole new vibe.

Been spinning loads of Dandys recently - Earth is absolutely immense.

...enjoyed this review - so many great turns of phrase :-)

... wonderful set. Completely captivating, hugely varied and wonderfully noisy. The whole band is incredible and her voice is simply amazing!

She is the real deal fo sho.

Yeah, what can't you grasp about that?

... and deleted it pretty quickly but 4/10 sounds a tad harsh.

I agree with some of the points in the review but the tone is a little sanctimonious.

... didn't really dig it musically but found myself coming back to it repeatedly anyway. It just sounds so physical, almost like sonic sculpture in parts. Someone on another board described it as 'like having acid thrown in your face' which is a nice description.

Almost impossible to listen to all the way through due to the compression, but dang, listening to Rainbow Voodoo cranked on my spanky new reference monitors is quite an experience... Pitchfork described that track as 'a bit silly' - THAT'S THE POINT YOU DICKS! :-)

:-)

Not heard this yet but will endeavour to check it out.

I have been digging Honey Owens' solo releases under her Valet moniker actually - she had one recently called False Face Society which seems to have slipped under the radar, but it's worth tracking down if you're into the whole free/drone scene.

... even though there's a few duff tracks and the album doesn't flow very well, the good stuff is really, really good. Cosmic Love still leaves me breathless - she really is one of the most incredible vocalists I've heard in a long time.

... makes the reviewer sound like a prize twat.

And no amount of pointlessly wanking on about the cover can mask the fact that this review fails to engage with the music in anything more than a cursory fashion.

The album is not an unqualified success but there's some amazing music on there nonetheless. Although it pains me to say it, the Pitchfork review is a hell of a lot closer to the mark on this one.

... of a really average album. Your comment about Josh watching from the sidelines is bang on - it's embarrasingly like QOTSA at points. Dalle has totally blown her opportunity to make an original statement of her own. Terrible lyrics as well. Ghetto Love is a pretty fierce single I guess (that guitar line!) but I'm hard pressed to remember what any of the other songs actually sound like.

I take it from the title this is going to be a series of releases. He should do a whole session with Alex Thomas. That would be super, oh yes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-dPI129bJw

... this record is wonderful. Well done for giving it the score it deserves. A really cohesive album as well, and one I think I'll be coming back to for years.

Sadly I probably agree with you that not many people will even give this record a chance. It's their loss though.

"Meh", "Bleurgh", "gone 'a little bit gay'" etc. It just reads really badly.

... with Eels, but this album moves me more towards the love camp.

I thought Blinking Lights was horribly overblown so I 'm glad to hear these stripped down productions. Having said that, I don't care for the songs where he's affecting that rather overblown, ironic swagger (Prizefighter, Lilac Breeze, Tremendous Dynamite) - they feel quite hollow to me.

There are some GREAT songs on this album though. That Look You Gave that Guy and In my Dreams are classic, delicate Eels songs where he manages to turn his simple, straightforward compositional chops to his advantage with great effect.

Fresh Blood is one of those songs you just can't play loud enough. That beat is evil and the hyper-compressed werewolf howling sounds are killer. Interesting production too.

The Longing is the standout track and probably my favourite thing he's ever written. Still kills me when I listen to it, just heartbreakingly good. Commendably restrained production on this track too.

So yeah, 7/10 is about right overall I think, but there's some individual tracks that are 10/10 for me.

... I know exactly what you mean about putting The Strangers on repeat. Amazing stuff.

Intersting to note the strange, almost industrial guitar passages that are scattered about. Could have sworn I was listening to NIN at some points.

... and wasnt't feeling it at all. Sounded like a poor quality Atlas Sound copyist. Also sounded badly mixed: too much tambourine and some of the bass was distorting the hell out of my sub.

Jim left before they recorded Rather Ripped, which I'm sure you knew, but it reads like you don't. Anyway, I can't work out why Kim is on guitar now, unless they were gonna do some awesome three-guitar wall of noise stuff, which they obviously haven't.

This record is curiously uncompelling for me. I dunno if you'd call me a completist (I own 23 records by them, but there's a fair whack of stuff I haven't bought yet) but I won't be buying this one.

Sounds uninspired and well, just plain obvious to my ears. Thurston's recycling melodies again; Ranaldo isn't in great form; some of the riffs are terrible. Basically there's nothing that blows you away at all.

Shame really, 7 is pretty generous I reckon.

**goes to put on Murray Street and pine for Jim's return**

just something nasty about this venue location (yeah, it's on fucking lothian road!). Maybe it's my memories of Revolution bubbling to the surface but they'll have a tough time creating a decent atmosphere in a venue like that.

of all time.

I envy the folks that get to see this tour, they're such an amazing live band right now.

...about this album yet. Have listened to it about five or six times through and some of it sounds maybe a little too hyper for my taste. Also probably a bit too much noodling on tracks like The Coathanger. The (relatively) more linear tracks like Star Time 2 and Quadrature are really lush though.

Stuff like The Glass Road sounds like he must have been taking masses of speed when he wrote it.

Will probably leave it a few days and try to digest it again when I'm in a different mood.

yes yes! Very bloody overjoyed at hearing this news. Delta V sounds wonderful - I'm hearing tons of influences in the mix. Fucking ace. I can't wait to hear it in a non-compressed full-bitrate version.

Hoorah!

...need more time to make up my mind about this one. Danger Mouse's loops don't seem quite good enough to me and some of the vocals sound a bit phoned-in. 7/10 seems about right at the moment.

Coming after The Information (anyone else think that was a bloody brilliant album?) it feels a little underwhelming to me, both sonically and structurally. Feels a bit wispy and insubstantial, a bit like the artwork. Hopefully I will grow to appreciate its minimalism more.

Oh yeah, Mellow Gold his "worst by a margin"? WTF?

This is the song they've been writing as part of the Youtube 'write a song with Rivers' blogs.

Dunno if this is the final version, I haven't been following it that closely.

Anyway, this was written by fans, not Rivers himself.

... his choice of language is questionable but I'm going to let it slide because:

a.) His previous conduct and history shows he is clearly not homophobic.

b.) He is clearly ill and very angry and therefore most likely not thinking straight.

c.) He is a rock star, not a fucking politician.

No mercy for bottle throwing twats.

... this band. But this record hasn't grabbed me yet. I will persevere but I'm finding it hard to get past just how fucking awful the drumming is on this record. It really spoils the atmosphere for me. It's so damn weak and pedestrian. Also the music is very derivative, but this kind of music very often is.

Hopefully my opinion may change a bit with time.

... that's an unbelievable cover version. Dude can shred!

This EP is well lush, and definitely a grower. The melodies in Sunkissed are just dreamy. The whole thing flowers with repeat listens.

As for the perceived lack of personality, that seems beside the point. This is great music. I refer you to the words of Mr Tom Jenkinson (aka Squarepusher) writing in 2004:

"work (that)drips with earnestness and tries to be quirky or have
"personality" is a radical mistake that ensures no one will care about it in the future - the exposed truth of
personalities is so completely boring."

Kudos for getting a Partridge reference in though and "fruit-busting moniker" made me smile.

Moniker is a funny word.

... this review is conceited dogshit.

There's just no need for this kind of wank to be written. You'd think good music criticism was as hard as rocket science the way this guy is going on.

I wanted to love this album but I'd give it a six or seven at most. Kessler seems to be recycling his guitar lines; the drums are weak; Carlos' bass doesn't sound dangerous any more...

"well-polished album" sums it up, but that's not what I listen to Interpol for. Pioneer to the falls is the highpoint, but even that sounds a little bit contrived to my ears.

Very disappointing.

... present and correct. What a lazy review.

This is an awesome comeback single and the the acid-tripping promo video is brilliantly tongue-in-cheek (http://www.spinner.com/2007/07/02/video-premiere-smashing-pumpkins-tarantula/).

The last 30 seconds of this song make my dick very hard indeed.

The two new tracks I've heard so far sound great. He seems to have stopped sounding like he's trying too hard, which was something that was very annoying about The Golden Age of Grotesque.

I really like the sparse new sound that seems to be going on. Not much melody, just a really impressive surge of meaty, gothic vocals.

Bodes well for the album.