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[QUOTE]Originally posted by todd:
Flux, how was the stereolab album? Am I alone in absolutely hating every stereolab album since Emperor Tomato Ketchup?
I'm glad you asked, because I was probably going to write about it anyway. Short answer: it's really fucking boring. All of the songs are on the long side, and are multi-part prog-type songs, with 'movements' and such. So some songs will have this one really cool bit, but will be mostly dull as can be. It's weird, all the songs have all these parts and passages, but they nevertheless seem to lack dynamics...it just sounds repetitive and very been-there-done-that for them. It sounds like Stereolab on autopilot. I think the big problem, as with everything since Emperor Tomato Ketchup (which is one of my favorite records, ever) is the presence of John McIntyre. It is bad enough Tortoise has been making coma-inducing records, it seems like he's bent on wrecking Stereolab too. Stereolab used to be so damn great...it's kinda sad. Every record usually has at least one or two good songs on it, so that's enough to keep me interested, but this is really pushing it. I think the only song that I really dig is "Captain Easychord", and that song loses me halfway through. I thought Cobra And Phases Groop was pretty decent, to be fair...it was maybe 8 songs too long, but half of it is pretty solid. The 'Last of the Microbe Hunters' mini-LP was just crap though...
I got the PSOI single two days ago, and while I like the music, Spiral Stairs just can't sing. And he can't sing in a bad way, you know what I mean?
yeah, Spiral isn't much of a singer, he never has been. He's got some charming moments, but sometimes his nasal flat voice can be grating. There's one part on "Encyclopedic Knowledge Of" on the LP which I just wonder why he didn't have someone else sing the part for him, it was just a backing vocal bit...the way he sings it is sorta embarassing. I like the album, though. I'm proud of him, he's doing a very good job of getting out of Malkmus' shadow.
I really, really, really, really dislike the White Stripes. I was at those Radiohead shows too. I love Kid A though, since I first got it. It's my favorite Radiohead record by quite a bit... Amnesiac has a lot of wonderful songs on it too. How amazing was that piano rendition of "Like Spinning Plates", eh?
Seeing any CMJ shows? So far I've got tickets to Clinic/Folk Implosion (can't wait to see Clinic) at the Knitting factory and er...um..Flickerstick (I loved, loved, Bands on the Run) at Irving Plaza. </threadrot>
I'm seeing the Clinic show at Maxwell's and their opening act gig with Unwound for sure, but I haven't got tix for the Knitting Factory show yet, I probably will go if I can. I've been waiting two years for Clinic to come to the US, this is a big deal for me.
I have no other plans to see other CMJ shows, and I never really do. In the past few years, CMJ bills always just look very crap to me. It may have something to do with me not liking emo and slowcore music.
I'm seeing the rescheduled GBV show that's coming up, and the Jicks show in November. I wish I could see the David Byrne show, but I won't be. I'm going to very likely see one or more of the upcoming U2 shows in NYC too...
[ 29-08-2001: Message edited by: Flux = undergrad ] |
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