[Severian]

Originally Posted by pepper_green

I mean, you can tell me if I am crazy or not but nothing sounds outrageous and new anymore unless it's hip hop and even that's talking it's toll. it's all boring for 'commercials' music. bunch of junk!! crap boring junk. with boring slick art album covers that look good on pitchfork promotion sections.

and old users here worry about what new users think us. we're a bunch of boring cunts. that's what they think.

As I will tell anyone who is bored with music: you should dig into the world of DJ Koze, aka Adolf Noise, aka Kosi Kos.

I understand what you're trying to say. I really do. As a music fan, the last few years have been increasingly less about "finding something new" and more about finding the most satisfying ear candy. Finding something new essentially means digging into the past to discover something you were previously unaware of, because just about everything that's being made these days is just a rehashing of some older style or sound.

Even in noise, it's become a same old same old kind of atmosphere. Oh look, another O'Rourke/Ambarchi collab. And another. And another. And some Tim Hecker maybe? Probably. Three more Acid Mother's Temple live albums? Ok.

But there's still some ripe fruit out there for the plucking. I think more of it happens in the world of electronic music than anywhere else, but 2016 has been sluggish even there. Same with hip-hop. Most of it really isn't new... it's just temporarily novel.

But there's some fucking good ass ear candy out there. Chance and Beyonce, PJ Harvey. Moderat. Torn Hawk. Kaytranada. None of it is particularly bursting with newness, but it sounds fresh, and that's pretty damn good.

Also, I think Kanye's still cranking out new and exciting music that makes my brain feel good in new and exciting ways. So does Autechre. Do you even listen to Autechre? They're like the Sonic Youth of electronic music. Sure they've been around forever, but so was SY. Autechre similarly continues to push boundaries — within the relative confines of their genre — year after year.

Blah.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by SonicBebs

I'm looking forward to the new Beth Orton. Produced by the guy from the Fuck Buttons so that should be interesting.
Still haven't heard Anohni yet so looking forward to that

I was a little disappointed by HOPELESSNESS. I think it's a solid record, but so far I have not seen the magic in it that others have. Admittedly I haven't listened to it much. Maybe a couple times through. I enjoy it, but not as much as I was expecting to.

I really fucking love his/her voice against an electronic backdrop, a lá "Indian Steps" with Hudson Mohawke. That was one of 2015's best and most underrated goddamn tracks. So I'm not making a definitive statement about the record yet, but so far I think it's good, but not as good as it's made out to be. Kinda like Radiohead's new one.

[Severian]

FUCK! Torn Hawk's Union and Return is out, and I totally forgot to mention it. I gave it a spin last weekend and liked what I heard, though not initially as much as Through Force of Will, which is my favorite project of his by far.

Anyway, it's on Spotify n' shit. Worth hearing.

 

[Severian]

Pantha Du Prince's new album the Triad is out now!!! First since 2011's Black Noise!!

 

[Severian]

Holy shit, Flume's new album Skin is out now! I thought it had a June release date! Fuck me. Buying now.

Yes!

 

[SYRFox]

finally checked the new Leon Vynehall record, which is great as expected.

T_A_M's album was a nice surprise as well - wasn't expecting something from him so early in his carreer but it is definitely worth a listen if you're into the grime/weightless thing

[guest]

e n j o y i n g ( n e w )

lee gamble
huerco s
second woman
m.e.s.h.
helm x decimus

also obvs the annual haino/o'rourke/ambarchi trio record (honestly astounding that these three aren't getting more credit for this stuff, on their seventh album together and they've undoubtedly established themselves as the best band on the fucking planet) and that new æ shit, hot diggity.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by guest

e n j o y i n g ( n e w )

lee gamble
huerco s
second woman
m.e.s.h.
helm x decimus

also obvs the annual haino/o'rourke/ambarchi trio record (honestly astounding that these three aren't getting more credit for this stuff, on their seventh album together and they've undoubtedly established themselves as the best band on the fucking planet) and that new æ shit, hot diggity.

You talking about I wonder if you noticed “I’m sorry” Is such a lovely sound It keeps things from getting worse?

I haven't heard it all the way through yet. Listened a bit on Spotify, but I'm going to hold out until my vinyl comes. Really digging what I've heard so far though.

Glad you're liking Elseq 1-5.

[Severian]

AVALANCHES ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, WILDFLOWER

 

Holy shit, new entry for "most anticipated" of the year for sure!

Featuring MF DOOM (who is apparently going by "MF DOOM" again?), Danny Brown, Tory Y Moi, members of Royal Trux, Bad Seeds, and more!!!

Wow. That's all I've got. I knew something was brewing, but didn't think the album would actually come out so soon. You know how these things go. Could be awesome, could be terrible, but goddammit, I'm anticipating the hell out of this one.

[guest]

^wtf gross

the sections with haino on bulgari on this new lp are just breathtaking. stunning stuff, this one.

[louder]

Originally Posted by guest

^wtf gross

?..

[Severian]

I guess Guest, like, really dislikes Avalanches for some reason?

[guest]

that artwork is vile and the avalanches are the commercially acceptable equivalent of australian hip hop which is a terrible accomplishment. you really got me excited with the haino chat but then bam, the fucking avalanches.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by guest

that artwork is vile and the avalanches are the commercially acceptable equivalent of australian hip hop which is a terrible accomplishment. you really got me excited with the haino chat but then bam, the fucking avalanches.

Well, the Haino chat kinda died down, didn't it?

Anyway, I'm not holding out hope that this new album will be something great, but I'm still excited about it. Avalanches made a venerable classic 15 years ago, then went radio silent. It's a big deal.

[guest]

said record is only considered a classic because of the mythology around bands going silent, conveniently ignoring the fact that a) the group are terribly dated b) were never particularly good at what they were doing in the first place, gluing together largely undoctored samples into songs which were they not made from samples would be even more explicitly insipid. it's only a "big deal" for people so tenuously into music as to be bilked by the notion of a big deal.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by guest

said record is only considered a classic because of the mythology around bands going silent, conveniently ignoring the fact that a) the group are terribly dated b) were never particularly good at what they were doing in the first place, gluing together largely undoctored samples into songs which were they not made from samples would be even more explicitly insipid. it's only a "big deal" for people so tenuously into music as to be bilked by the notion of a big deal.

That's me in a nutshell. "Tenuously" — weekly, slightly — into music. Yuppers. I'm pretty much not "into" music at all. I just pretend well, and am extremely committed to the charade, the long-con, of convincing a bunch of stranger that I am actually into music.



Sorry you don't like Avalanches or whatever, but it's folly to make such sweeping generalizations about people who do like the group. The way you make your case really smacks of the kind of cooler-than-thou self-delusion that so many "real" music cling to to help them feel superior.

[Severian]

I don't think actually you are one of those insufferable assholes, but you kinda sound like one. People often accuse me of somehow chasing coolness with my musical opinions, but the truth is that I listen to anything and everything that makes my ears feel good. And honestly, Since I Left You is pretty low on the list of albums that achieve that. To be completely honest with you, I think the album is given FAR too much critical praise. I think there are countless groups that are more deserving of the love that has been bestowed on Avalanches. The Books, for one. Jesus, the fucking BOOKS did so much more for the genre. Caural. Prefuse 73, who have continued release gem after gem — a career's worth of great records — in the time the Avalanches have been doing nothing.

But still, Since I Left You did make an impact back in 2001, and it helped usher in the "mash-up" era, which brought us "The Grey Album" and gave way to the modern hip-hop mixtape.

It was a pop stepping stone for sound collage, and sample-beat music, like Endtroducing... and Donuts (though to a downright feeble extent by comparison). I'm a fan of this kind of music and always have been, and I can hear bits of Avalanches in the work of current, fledgling beat enthusiasts like Pigeondust, KNXWLEDGE, and the like.

To be perfectly frank, I don't like their new single at all. Danny Brown is the only strong element of the track, which otherwise sounds like something the Propellorheads or Low-Fidelity All-Stars might have released in 1997. It's corny and lacks signs of growth or development.

STILL, though... A band doesn't have to be the best to be worth listening to. SILY had a casual coolness to it, and it's a strong record even if it's not the Loveless of crate-digging records history seems to want it to be. I'm interested in hearing what comes next from the group. Hopefully it's not more of the "Frankie Sinatra" shit, but hey, it probably will be. And you're right that there's a good deal of myth-making that the culture engages in around these records.

But I'm interested in hearing what Avalanches will sound like after 16 years to reflect and reassess their music. This is an album that I will probably listen to right away just because it's going to be fascinating to see if they can re-brand (or just re-sell) themselves enough to hold make an impression, not only with those who have been waiting for the album for 16 years, but also of the kids and young adults who will be hearing the group for the first time.

It's either going to be a spectacular success or a spectacular failure. But I'm definitely excited to see how it all turns out.

Cause, y'know, my appreciation of music is so casual and "tenuous" that I don't know any better.

[Severian]

I've largely given up on having high expectations for comeback records at this point. So many bands have done it in recent years, and for every success, there have been countless so-so, mediocre, or just downright shitty "return" albums.

The gold standard when it comes to these is Portishead's Third. Nobody expected that group to even equal their '90s material, but by shooting off in a completely different direction, they actually kicked the shit out of their first two albums, and made something that stands on its own merit, almost completely independent from the band's legacy up to that point.
Tomorrow's Harvest and SYRO were also success stories, and so was m b v (to a lesser extent). But for all of these there have been dozens of middle of the road "comeback" albums that didn't warrant being made.

[guest]

but the thing is, they were never even remotely interesting. their sample usage was perfunctory and a gimmick at best -- there was no flipping a la hip-hop, it was just ripped wholesale and stuck together into songs which had boring structures and no new melodic content. also their music plain sounds like shit. sample based music in its genesis was dangerous, and at this point there are so many artists operating out there who make really adventurous music with samples. the avalanches seem antithetical to the whole culture -- the aim isn't to use cultural artefacts to perform straight up mimesis, it's to invert them.

and can you honestly not see that you're complicit in this culture of devaluing music by placing it in extramusical narratives? mbv wasn't a 'comeback' record, it was the third my bloody valentine lp. same with that last boc record. stuff doesn't have to be engaged with in this cold, journalistic manner -- it's fucking music, just listen to it and respond to it in that sense. every single time a new record comes out you go "AOTY, this is going to be in my top 5 yasssss", "can't wait to hear from these guys, they put out a great record 15 fucking years ago yassssss", "my list is overstuffed but yay for music yassssss" when these records are all part of this completely idiotic fabricated canon of 'alt.culture'?? I mean to go up a bit...listening to haino is to be involved exclusively in the music -- there's no gimmick, no wider concept to be gleamed, you're just inhabiting the space with an individual for a period of time. that is explicitly in opposition to this sense of spectacle you're so enamoured by, it's truly ridiculous and makes me feel that you don't like dealing with anything unless it is situated in the fucking doctrine of 'indie culture', it's actually quite depressing...I feel like you think you're under some sort of pressure to like everything at the expense of actually engaging with music in any tangible way.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Fuck yall waiting for this tool album