GF music review club

[Skidfingers McGonical]

56 minutes ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

Haven't even listened to Skids AOW yet, been too busy rocking out to the new record from Liverpool's finest, Carcass.

 

Will get it done soon though.

Didn’t know Carcass had released a new album. Will have to have a listen. 

[Carvalho Diablo]

37 minutes ago, Skidfingers McGonical said:

Didn’t know Carcass had released a new album. Will have to have a listen. 

Oh mate, you are in for a treat

[Jose Jones]

What’s going on here then @Carvalho Diablo, @TheHowieLama, @Shooter in the Motor, @ZonkoVille77?

[Carvalho Diablo]

45 minutes ago, Jose Jones said:

What’s going on here then @Carvalho Diablo, @TheHowieLama, @Shooter in the Motor, @ZonkoVille77?

Listened to Skids' Best Milk AOW, hope to get my review up on Wednesday.

[TheHowieLama]

57 minutes ago, Jose Jones said:

What’s going on here then @Carvalho Diablo, @TheHowieLama, @Shooter in the Motor, @ZonkoVille77?

Self induced coma - back next week.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Jose Jones said:

What’s going on here then @Carvalho Diablo, @TheHowieLama, @Shooter in the Motor, @ZonkoVille77?

Going to listen this week, post up on it this weekend. 

 

I think @ZonkoVille77 has left the site for now... 

[Carvalho Diablo]

2 hours ago, Shooter in the Motor said:

Going to listen this week, post up on it this weekend. 

 

I think @ZonkoVille77 has left the site for now... 

Hope not, Zonko is one of my favourite posters. Welcome back here anytime afaiac.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

10 hours ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

Listened to Skids' Best Milk AOW, hope to get my review up on Wednesday.

I’m always promoting the best Milk me.

[Carvalho Diablo]

Review: Beast Milk - Climax

 

Another I've never heard of, nice one Skidders. I've also got an ear infection atm so let's see how this goes...

 

[presses play]

 

Opener Death Reflects Us stomps in, big drum sound, it's rocking from the start, the singer sounds like Morrisey!

Interesting start, liked that.

 

The Wind Blows Through Their Skulls is more of the same, like a suped up Morrisey, the music is a bit Big Country, or perhaps that's just the reverbed out guitars.

 

Genocidal Crush brings things down. Jangles like The Smith's, also reminds me a bit of Joy Division. But better.

Nice chorus.

 

You Are Now Under Our Control emits more 80s kraut rock vibes, sounds like it's been recorded in a warehouse.

Thumbs up for the handclaps.

 

Ghosts Out Of Focus is slower and a bit Edge-y.

Can't decide if I like this singer or not.

Drums again sounding good. The production is all a bit "wall of sound", with tons of reverb again.

Undecided.

 

Nuclear Winter - like the discordant guitar intro, then the beat drops and this one rocks.

 

Fear Your Mind is another straight ahead stomper.

"I will be your gun / I will be your trigger / I will be your dead lover".

Best song so far.

 

Love In A Cold World. From Nuclear Winters to Cold Worlds, Climax is a cold sounding record I think.

More straight ahead no nonsense drumming, gets a bit samey but the songs are short enough not to outstay their welcome.

Gets a bit Billy Idol / White Wedding near the end.

I like this one too.

 

Surf The Apocalypse - not sure why but mind keeps drifting to that Deutschland series.

Definitely gives me that same frosty cold war vibe.

 

Strange Attractors finishes the album off with more pounding toms and windswept guitars.

Longer, slower, yeh it's alright.

 

I listened to this record several times and my immediate thought was that I didn't like it, but repeated listens definitely saw me warm to Climax.

 

A very interesting sound, much like many others but frustratingly, I can't quite put my finger on who Breast Milk reminds me of most.

 

I think 7/10 is pretty fair. Enjoyed it.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

16 hours ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

Review: Beast Milk - Climax

 

Another I've never heard of, nice one Skidders. I've also got an ear infection atm so let's see how this goes...

 

[presses play]

 

Opener Death Reflects Us stomps in, big drum sound, it's rocking from the start, the singer sounds like Morrisey!

Interesting start, liked that.

 

The Wind Blows Through Their Skulls is more of the same, like a suped up Morrisey, the music is a bit Big Country, or perhaps that's just the reverbed out guitars.

 

Genocidal Crush brings things down. Jangles like The Smith's, also reminds me a bit of Joy Division. But better.

Nice chorus.

 

You Are Now Under Our Control emits more 80s kraut rock vibes, sounds like it's been recorded in a warehouse.

Thumbs up for the handclaps.

 

Ghosts Out Of Focus is slower and a bit Edge-y.

Can't decide if I like this singer or not.

Drums again sounding good. The production is all a bit "wall of sound", with tons of reverb again.

Undecided.

 

Nuclear Winter - like the discordant guitar intro, then the beat drops and this one rocks.

 

Fear Your Mind is another straight ahead stomper.

"I will be your gun / I will be your trigger / I will be your dead lover".

Best song so far.

 

Love In A Cold World. From Nuclear Winters to Cold Worlds, Climax is a cold sounding record I think.

More straight ahead no nonsense drumming, gets a bit samey but the songs are short enough not to outstay their welcome.

Gets a bit Billy Idol / White Wedding near the end.

I like this one too.

 

Surf The Apocalypse - not sure why but mind keeps drifting to that Deutschland series.

Definitely gives me that same frosty cold war vibe.

 

Strange Attractors finishes the album off with more pounding toms and windswept guitars.

Longer, slower, yeh it's alright.

 

I listened to this record several times and my immediate thought was that I didn't like it, but repeated listens definitely saw me warm to Climax.

 

A very interesting sound, much like many others but frustratingly, I can't quite put my finger on who Breast Milk reminds me of most.

 

I think 7/10 is pretty fair. Enjoyed it.

[Jose Jones]

Time for a new one? Think it’s @TheHowieLama to go.

[Carvalho Diablo]

29 minutes ago, Jose Jones said:

Time for a new one? Think it’s @TheHowieLama to go.

Defnitely. Bring it on, I'm ready.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

I love it when I introduce an album. Most people appear to lose interest (inserts laughing emoji)

[TheHowieLama]

Still need to listen to the Beast - will put one up later today.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, TheHowieLama said:

Still need to listen to the Beast - will put one up later today.

+1

[Guest]

Got this album on now...

[Guest]

Finally got round to listening to the last pick. It’s not what I expected, which was heavy metal. Bit more punk it seemed. Not sure what to make of it so will listen again. The sound on the record seemed quite flat, perhaps that’s intentional?

[Skidfingers McGonical]

look lads, if you don’t like my choice of tunes just say so, no need to go quiet and stop the thread. *insert drunken laughing emoji” button 

Who is up next? 
 

 

[TheHowieLama]

It's me.

 

I am looking a t two records - the other one will end up on the Random Chat thread.

Wanted to do a Beast Milk review before posting a new one but will get the choice up in a few.

[TheHowieLama]

OK ladies.

 

Was caught between two acts - if you haven't heard Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars' latest, get on it.

 

But - inspired by listening to more artists from down under by this thread we have:

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

18 hours ago, Skidfingers McGonical said:

look lads, if you don’t like my choice of tunes just say so, no need to go quiet and stop the thread. *insert drunken laughing emoji” button 

Who is up next? 
 

 

I've listened to the record once and need to listen again to do it justice. It's nothing to do with it being not worthy of reviewing, just having the time. 

 

It'll be up before I listen to the next one. 

[Boss]

Blackbird - This reminds me of a King Tubby dub. Lots of space echo on all instruments. Reggae style stabs. The bass is the stand out when it comes in. The song doesn't really take off. I expected it to morph into something else by the end, seeing that it was 10 minutes long, but it didn't really go anywhere. About 5 minutes too long for me. 5/10

 

Russia - Okay, this is the same sound as the first track. I like this one more though. The vocal is captivating. I like the wah and The Specials style organ. The bass sound on this album is fantastic, it has to be said. I liked the Rasta rapper fella that comes in halfway through. It's actually got a Gorillaz vibe to it. 7/10

 

Clean the House - Chorused guitar opening, kind of soulful. This is the worst track on the album so far for me. 4/10

 

Silver and Gold - This track is similar to the last one, although the sound is more avant-garde. It picks up halfway through. Love the guitar riff that comes in at around 4.30. The pulsating drums and the synth sequence kind of melting down. The excellent ending really saves it.  7/10

 

Bones - An acoustic guitar makes an appearance at the start of this one. This has got a good groove. Makes you want to nod your head. At around four minutes I want the track to start offering something new to the ears. Lovely Stevie Wonder style chorus accompanied by brass stabs. Another solid track. It's got an Air Moonlight Safari ending that I really like. 7/10

 

Soldier - When I was listening to this I thought "this isn't my type of track" but as it went on, I got into it more and more. It's kind of hypnotic and the Fender Rhodes flourishes are lovely.  6.5/10

 

Never Moving - I love the TB-303 that comes in at 0.52. Really adds to the track. It's got a 90's techno vibe. I can get behind that. One criticism of the album - from my perspective - is vocally it's a bit monotonous at times. You want the vocals to take off and they never do. This is a cool track though. It's a bit too long for what it should be. It meanders in parts.  7/10

 

Mother Mother - I like the change of beat at 4.42. Not my favourite track to be honest.   5/10

 

Bohannon - This is a purely instrumental track. It has some nice parts here and there but it's a filler track in my opinion. Would've been nice to hear some vocals put to this one because the groove is interesting. 4/10

 

Overall I thought the record was an interesting experience. My personal favourite track was Silver and Gold but Russia sounds like the best single. The best parts for me were the ending of Bones and the bit where the techno sequence comes in on Never Moving. I'm glad I listened to it. This is just a quick review based on the first listen, perhaps that opinion will change on a second listen. 

 

Fat Freddy's Drop - Blackbird = 6.5/10

[Jose Jones]

Haha, @Boss throwing the gauntlet down there. Review up within a day, and a mark out of 10 for every single song!

 

Have been listening to the Silk Sonic record a bit @TheHowieLama, top stuff. Don’t mind a bit of Fat Freddy’s Drop (old Gilles Peterson favourites) - not heard this one though.

[TheHowieLama]

23 minutes ago, Jose Jones said:

 

Have been listening to the Silk Sonic record a bit @TheHowieLama, top stuff. Don’t mind a bit of Fat Freddy’s Drop (old Gilles Peterson favourites) - not heard this one though.

Silk Sonic would have probably been better for reviews - two supremely talented fellas that could play every note on that record between them.

 

I really like FFD live so much more than on record. Their newest is played in its entirety in a concert for film.

It is a little mellow, good chill.

 

[Boss]

I wrote this review, ages ago, in response to the Zac Brown Band album and never posted it because it was too harsh, and Shooter is an absolute gentleman and a cracking poster. I went on a mad Kermode style rant at one stage about old Americana and all sorts of shit - which has been stripped to make it somewhat comprehensible. I'm not going to lie; this is just me relentless ripping on Zac Brown. 

 

So without further ado…

 

The album starts with a steel drum intro. Instantly it conjures Paul Simon's Graceland - that's good – I like Paul Simon. Little did I know at this stage, but this is the highlight of the album - a 20-second interlude before it descends headfirst into the forgotten realms of Uncle Kracker.

 

I don't know whether this is Uncle Kracker himself, and he's formed a new band to exercise his 1^st amendment right to inflict aural pain on others, but it seems they are spiritually connected in some way. A pickup truck has exchanged hands between the pair of them, at the very least.

 

Which takes me onto what country music means, or at the very least what country music means to me. It got me thinking about the great country artists of the past and how those great songs were constructed. To me, country music should follow one of two formulas – either you tell a story like Dolly Parton's Jolene, or you write something beautiful and wistful like Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman. There are other formulas, of course - like the protest song, or the space Johnny Cash inhabited – which was uniquely his own – but whatever way you look at it, Country music should revolve around the lyrics. 

 

So I thought it would be best to decipher the lyrics and the message behind these songs, and I realised about three songs in, it was a fruitless task. You see, Zac is saying words to you – and you know they're words because you understand them, but they don't actually mean anything. 

 

The words are mostly just there to fit into rhyming couplets like "free", "me", "ocean", "open". In fact, that's a central theme of the record - being in water, being in open space, being in the sunshine, drinking, swimming, feeling the wind on your face, looking at a rock, looking at the sunset, being on a beach. It's all very observational, and well… trivial.

 

Occasionally he will break into a pseudo-philosophical ramble, where it feels like he's taken you into a corner of a Texas Barbeque Pit and tried to extoll on you the virtues of life. Usually revolving around the value of his loved ones, and time, and realising something, but he never quite explains what these realisations are. He doesn't compromise. He's lived his life. You were last but never least. He's put it all together. He never questions why. It's all very vague.  

 

There's a welcome change to this formula, briefly, about halfway through the track "Last but not least" when Zac goes into Creed register and hits you with random opposites like "I go left when I should go right" "I chase the dark when I see the light" "I search for joy, and I find the pain". These are the kind of opposites an 8-year-old would conjure up, but at least there's some evolution there. 

 

This takes me neatly onto the track "Goodbye in Her Eyes". This is the designated heartbreak song on the album. It follows the well-travelled path of being in love with a girl, realising it's over, and in clichéd Country style - walking out the door and into the sunset, gutted, but with your head held high.

 

At one point, Zac professes, "I would trade a thousand Babylon's to be in her arms tomorrow", and then contradicts himself by saying "I can't change" and "we will never make it", like he's totally unwilling to do anything to make the relationship work. Beyond the use of these ponderous lines, I get the overriding sense he actually doesn't care much at all. He probably can't wait for her to leave so he can pound a few buds and go hunting with the broskis. 

 

The whole song sounds like a shitty version of "Lyin' Eyes" by The Eagles. Zac actually makes The Eagles come across as Suicide by comparison, with his wet blanket acceptance of being cheated on "she found what she'd been looking for, and I knew it wasn't me". There's none of the snarl of Dylan's 'Idiot Wind' to be found here. He's fine with it; worse still, he's happy for them. 

 

As you can probably tell by now, the album is not for me. It doesn't evoke any emotion within me, except the occasional audible wince at some of the cornier lines. It's what I would expect a billboard top 100 country album to sound like nowadays, which is as close to my musical sensibilities as a Goth sitting in on a Same Difference concert. 

 

Zac Brown Band - Uncaged = 2/10