I don't really like it all that much but I'll probably listen to it 20 times over.
Cool Jams 8)
Favorites so far are the two Panda Jams and Mercury Man (and every other section of Applesauce)
I would love to hear some more of your thoughts regarding the Dirty Projectors album, I was also looking forward to a premature evaluation, since it leaked a couple days ago, but saw the energy wasted on a frivolous Lana Del Ray retrospective (frivolous to me, not generally).
I listened to it about 10 times the night it leaked and the following but I'm not really good at coming up with an opinion or studying it in depth (also why I don't comment much) most of the time I think I'll make myself look like a fool and just say "Yeah, it's good." or "I like it."
Anyway I find the album altogether really pleasant. Reminded me of 70's songwriter stuff (some of my favorite!) James Taylor, Paul Simon. What I liked on this album than on the last one is the drums and bass, as I mentioned in another thread, I never felt like they clicked on the last album (on some tracks) but they provide more rhythmic and melodic accompaniment here.
There I go, making myself look like a fool! lol
Anyways heres a true minimal Sloth review:
1: Altogether pleasant
2: GrooOovy bass
3: Pretty girls sing prettily
4: DRUMS!
5: Hand-Claps!
I like it! It's good!
I feel like I'm really going to enjoy this album. The thing I like the most, although it wasn't apparent in Gun Has No Trigger, is how much the drums and bass have improved from the last album which I still feel is the weakest part of Bitte Orca, but maybe that was the point.
I'm going to have to hear it in the context of the album (and more times at at that) because the secret song at the end of the Beach House album is, not only, my favorite song on that album but quite possibly my favorite song of the year and it's going to have to fight hard to beat it.
I felt the same way for the first 5 months of this year and then last month hit and EVERY awesome band announce albums. Now my friends are annoyed that I'm like a giddy fanboy brimming with enthusiasm for album that aren't even out yet but forget them! Awesome music!
I don't really get ranking things in list form but if there was any song that was deserving of the title of best song of the 00's it would probably be Hey Ya.
(And that M.I.A. song is also really great.)
Great Story and I feel the same way about this album, in fact I started to tear up a bit reading the write-up. I'm not very eloquent when it comes to writing or explaining my thoughts and there are a few times I have given this album to people (read: girlfriends) and told them that it says many thing (especially about love) that I want to say but don't know how. (Also I was at the spiritualized show last week too, we keep missing each other!)
This album always reminds me of my summers as a kid, I was a lot happier then, so when I listen to it I tend to go back to that joyful feeling of youth, and I love it for that.
As most of my life is spent living vicariously through other people's descriptions of experiences of their life I really enjoyed this!
I had the chance to see ATDT in Dallas last week but I was in NY for the Videogum party, my friends called me up telling me they got a ticket and were mad - still are, a bit - that I wasn't there.
Great writing!
I guess because of his voice I always thought of James Mercer as a pretty young guy and then I saw him on SNL and he looked old and I had an existential crisis.
I'm not sure how much I'm going to listen to this, I've been feeling down lately, and mostly consuming depressing music, I decided to listen to something upbeat but still wistful and the new Tanlines album really fit the bill but I might rotate this in too.
AW SHIT RAPTOR JESUS ARE YOU IN DALLAS?
I was at the Grimes concert and the Good Records in-store.
(I almost fainted because Claire saw me and recognized me from earlier and smiled and waved at me.)
We could have been standing just next to each other! WHOA
I'm also going to Radiohead! but I couldn't get tickets to Drake :(
My Parents yelled SHEILA E!!!! While I yelled PHARELL at the same time. Then we kept repeating the names at each other as if we were accusing each other of being wrong.
Hey! No I haven't been around at all but I wasn't doing anything tonight and it's family tradition to watch the oscars together (read: forced). I'm surprised you missed me (I wouldn't miss me, lol) and I appreciate the sentiment! Just today I was actually talking about Teacherman to someone and grew nostalgic for the fun times in chat.
Hey Mike, I want to shout out my support for your blog, which I truly enjoy, and especially for hyping this Ceremony album, it's really fun and great. I can tell you I've gotte a fair amount of stares from jamming to this album on my campus, of course that's all my fault, I get too into the music, but I've really been hoping people would come up to me, because they should know about this! Anyway thanks dude!
Haha you got angry over the title of the column. Premature Evaluation is a recurring column on this site in which they review early leaked albums and it's called what it's called because it's a funny physiological pun. No need to get angry. I get your point but there is no double meaning, hell or single meaning, in the title of the column.
Much Love,
Sloth (Totally not on Stereogum's Payroll)
I guess I downloaded and listened to it last night because I found a page full of half made sense inspired by a insomniatic haze about this album. I guess my intention was to write a review with these initial thoughts but since I can't really make sense of it I'll just transcribe it, sorta, verbatim.
I purposely avoided her during the stretch of blog coverage. Skipping listening to her music or watching any videos but reading all the vitriolic comments concerning her persona. Maybe that was a worse way than actually having listened to her songs because I could have come away from all the comments thinking I was ready to listen to the worst thing ever but instead I was listening to it with the intent to prove internet commenters wrong (because internet commenters are evil and the worst). I actually enjoyed the first four songs, which are the same as the internet ep (I think) but my enjoyment didn't last as the 5th song came in and it was the same and then the one after that was the same and the one after that. Most, no, all of the songs on here follow the same pattern of songwriting.
This is where I lose my train of thought.
...But ultimately people will like this album because its safe, the album produces 15 pop songs that follow a formula and caters to vintage junkies. (What does any of this mean?)
...To me the beats sound like slowed down versions of Kanye West's runaway, with their 16 beat break, strings and echoed chopped vocal samples. Like a label A&R said "You know what kids like now, Hip Hop, Dance Pop, and Vintage Sensibilities." and then tried to market her to the most cynical music listeners but the blogs are at fault as much as... Videogames is still a great song.
...Formulaic
...(Scribbled) Pet Shop Boys & The Soft Bulletin
... I still don't enjoy her voice most of the time, reminding me of coffee-housewave singer/songwriters which, to me, is the worst music, it often seems like an affectation, an act to sound austere (I'm not sure I know what words I write mean?) but I think I'm also incredibly biased in this because I've tried to date too many singer/songwriters and have been spurned (in my defense most of them are incredibly cute.)
Ultimately its a collection of safe, similar pop songs that some people (whoever that is) will enjoy.
Sloth Rating: 2 out of 5 4.0 Pitchfork scores
Review Score: "Why the hell would you write this you crazy idiotic dude." "This review is as awful and scattershot as Lana Del Rey."
Finally just go listen to Grimes' Visions it instill in me a feeling of childlike joy & wonder in life and of exploring the unknown that I haven't felt since Animal Collective (lol. I was really out of it.)
Donnytilla I've been meaning to ask, do you think there will be an album this year that wins your uproarious support as much as Black Up did in the previous year, I'm only asking because that brought me a lot of joy. So thank you.
Always a Fan,
Sloth
I love Taka, especially the fact that most of the time it's not even a proper flag he's waving around but a trashbag connected to a stick or even a paper tower roll. Anything he can find.
I haven't been around much, especially since chat exploded or something (What happened?) and that was were I mainly dwelled, but I'm alright, I hope all of you are alright. Have a great holiday and new year!
With Love,
Sloth
Ha, I just got that maybe you meant "Queasy" in a colloquial sense... I was kinda crossed with you for a bit.
haha. I'm slow.
Anyway I'm excited to hear that track on tape, Damn, that Madlib beat, their flows! I always loved their interplay rapping on tracks! I'm too excited. Haha
Nah... I'm totally digging this, been jamming it all day. Gene Ciampi is my jam of the year. I've been looking for a naively optimistic pop album this year, because normally I listen to incredibly depressing music, and this fit the bill.
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