Hey. I just went on my second record shopping spree of the month and thought I'd review some of the stuff that's relative to the group, or alternative sounding.
-Sigur Ros- Agaetis Byrjun- Wow, now I know what the hype's all about. This is great! I'd classify this (if I really had to) under alternative, but it's just so varied and subtle that it really defies any category. The beautiful string arrangements work terrifically with the alterna-prog-pseudo rock sound. I say pseudo rock cos' it's really not rock at all, but sometimes kinda resembles some of the better alternative music that's been released over the last few years. This one's extremely well written and deep. On the other hand......
-Godspeed You Black Emperor: Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven- I listened to this disc at a listening booth last summer and didn't find it interesting enough to take home. However, the hype just got to me and I had to hear what it was all about. What a crock!! After carefully listening to both discs twice, I felt the same way I did when I first heard these guys 3 years ago: if this is what the kids think is the latest thing, then someone should really be rereleasing Peter Gabriel-era Genesis and marketing it to these hipsters who are trying to reinvent the wheel. There is NOTHING new happening here, the songwriting lacks depth, and the production's so God-awful that any attempt to express anything subtle is completely lost in the hiss. On the other hand, this disc got me to pull out my old prog-rock records and remember how awesome bands like Genesis and Pink Floyd were. The hype surrounding this record has convinced me that you can sell anything to anyone if you market it properly. Ain't nothing new happening here. Maybe I'll drop by their North-End loft and give em Sigur Ros' disc, cos they succeeded where GSYBE failed. Anyone familiar with 70's prog rock, give this a listen and tell me if I'm that far off.
-Talvin Singh with The Master Musicians of Jajouka, featuring Bashir Attar: This one's really interesting and will appeal to fans of eastern flavoured electronica. However, those unfamiliar with Maroccan music might do well to give it a listen first, as the Master Musicians of Jajouka can sometimes be very challenging to listen to. Fans of both genres will probably dig this quite a bit: it's equal parts traditional Moroccan music and Talvin Singh, and seems to work very well. The reason I say seems is because I haven't given it enough of a listen to go beyond finding the concept interesting. I'm hoping I like this one at least as much as Bill Laswell's Tabla Beat Science Project. Those of you who bought the Laswell project will probably like this one as well, although it is a bit harder on the ears.
-It ain't new but I picked up the OST to "Twin Falls, Idaho" after hearing fellow listmember Errol Pace rave about it. He's right, it's awesome. I also picked up the OST to "Naked Lunch" with Ornette Coleman, and an old Motorhead record........ My ears'll be happy during the holidays!!!
Stimp
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