Dance Moms! This week starts two weeks of two hour episodes! It’s so much, I might explode! Last week there was speed dating and some group number that didn’t make any sense! Jill was sneaky! More after the jump. [Read more…] about Dance Moms Recap: Full Metal Tutu
Album Review: Autechre – Exai
Autechre: Exai
Similar Artists: Aphex Twin
Genre: IDM
Label: Warp
Can “unpredictable” still be used as a term to describe Autechre? After all, for 20 years they have churned out album after album of nightmarishly difficult IDM while maintaining a similar aesthetic. To be truly unpredictable, Autechre would have to make a pop album with traditional verse chorus verse song structure. Of course, that is not the case here, as Exai, the duo’s 11th album, continues to break all of the rules and then some. This is music that adheres to no principles or formalities, and the lack of grounding can often seem like what you are listening to isn’t music at all. Although us fans have become somewhat used to Autechre’s blend of broken, seemingly haphazard metal machine music, it remains shocking and exhilarated for the fact that only a handful of other producers can make music this complex.
This will most likely be the most difficult album I will ever attempt to review. Sean Booth and Rob Brown have gotten progressively harsher and more disorienting as the years have gone by; this enormous quadruple LP is a continuation of their claim to fame and raises the stakes yet another bar. The album’s length is truly menacing when one is considering the music we are dealing with. While lengthy albums/EPs were always the name of the game for this group, this is by far their longest. What makes this length tolerable (and what many critics seem to not understand) is that you are not required to listen to all of it in one sitting. No one is asking you to digest these tracks on the first go around, and the reason is because it’s impossible. You are going to have to devote a lot of time with this behemoth to really sink your teeth in, and I certainly hope that you do, because what it contains is excellent.
Enjoyment from this album will be based on if you are willing to listen repeatedly for at least a few days (more if you are new to this group). On the first track, “Fleure” we are immediately dropped into the unrelenting storm of non-repeating patterns and unfollowable structure that represents the band at their most volatile. Although this is one of the shortest tracks on the album, it is representative of the 16 yet to come. A complaint here would be that the track sequencing doesn’t allow for many breaks. There are no ambient interludes in play to calm our nerves or help us readjust. Exai is raw, and often sounds as if it’s being played live. So a recommendation for your own safety: if your brain can’t handle anymore ricochet percussion and stabbing collisions of metal then you should probably take a break.
While my favorite way to describe this duo is “a fucked version of 90’s UK elektro”, Autechre have proved they can make music that is entirely mechanical and inhuman, yet somehow melancholic and evocative. Some might say that Autechre did a better job of harnessing this balance on their earlier work, (I would have to agree with this) but the best of these tracks still hover around the line of tranquility and disgust. Playing games with our senses is what many of the best electronic producers are capable of, and it is why Autechre’s music often sounds fresh after years of listening to it. Although this is a new album, I believe these tracks will prove to have similar longevity. It is not hard to see that these two are working at the top of their game.
So despite what some might claim, these tracks do have feeling attached to them. The emotion is certainly buried under broken, erratically placed keyboards and schizophrenic drum programming, but the best of these tracks represent coalescence between man and machine. Possibly more than anyone else, Booth and Rob Brown’s create music that suggests they are one with the machines they are working with.
Pretentious is a term thrown at these guys quite a bit, but Autechre are not in this business in an attempt to create the most bastardized and incomprehensible music of their time. Even at Exai’s most chaotic, everything from the jackhammer bass to the nefarious drones and pulsating collisions of high-end effects loops are purposeful. While previous albums, such as the heavily disputed “Confield”, have incorporated randomly programmed generators, the musicians are in complete control of the music experience this time around.
I will end this review by mentioning that I crashed my car while listening to this album. Surprisingly, when speaking of something this abrasive, the accident occurred because I fell asleep at the wheel. While this isn’t the kind of music that would be able to lull most to sleep, in the exhausted state of mind I was in, I couldn’t resist the transportative qualities the current track was suggesting. Eventually, fighting against my dream state was not an option. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the experience made me think about the power that music has over us. If it can convince me that entering a dream state is more important than driving, than this stuff should come with a warning label.
Track Listing:
1.) |
FLeure | |
2.) |
irlite (get 0) | |
3.) |
prac-f | |
4.) |
jatevee C | |
5.) |
T ess xi | |
6.) |
vekoS | |
7.) |
Flep | |
8.) |
tuinorizn | |
9.) |
bladelores | |
10.) |
1 1 is | |
11.) |
nodezsh | |
12.) |
runrepik | |
13.) |
spl9 | |
14.) |
cloudline | |
15.) |
deco Loc | |
16.) |
recks on | |
17.) |
YJY UX |
Family Trade is a Bad Bargain
Family Trade: Tuesdays 8 pm, GSN
Am I the only one who remembers when GSN only showed game shows? Probably, but in the last half decade or so they’ve expanded their reach, whether it’s trying to capitalize on the poker boom in the mid-00’s (High Stakes Poker, and World Series of Blackjack), competition shows (reruns of Dancing with the Stars), and whatever you would call Kenny vs. Spenny.
Their biggest stretch from the original format of the network has been their new found obsession of grafting “reality” programming into their scheduling. Tonight marks the debut of GSN’s newest offering to the genre: Family Trade. Family Trade depicts the life of a family whom owns an automobile dealership in Vermont. The key twist, however, is family patriarch Gardner Stone’s guarantee that he will accept anything in trade that he thinks he can sell in exchange for a BRAND NEW CAR! (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist the urge there.) His children, Todd and Darcy, question this strategy at every turn while having the difficult task of moving the objects that their father just bartered away a car for.
So how does this mash-up of Let’s Make a Deal and Pawn Stars fare? Well for starters, the stakes don’t seem that high. In both instances, the barters only covered a portion of the down payment, which takes all of the stakes out of the game (one barter for Maple Syrup involved $2,500 in Maple Syrup, however the cost of the truck in question was over $50,000). Furthermore, there seems to be an absolute minimum of substantial conflict as Gardner always wins these disputes (one employee flat out states it).
The show was also advertised as having a focus on family drama, yet Family Trade comes out lacking there as well. In the first two episodes, there was a dearth of conflict or even raised voices. This becomes particularly glaring as the show relies on filler shots, a tension chord, and straddling deals over commercial breaks to create a seemingly false sense of tension.
This lack of drama would suffice if there were other reasons to emotionally invest in the Stone family. Unfortunately, Family Trade limits each of it’s primary characters to a cardboard cut out. We only learn about Gardner that’s he bull headed and he’ll trade for and with anything as long as he comes out ahead. Similarly we learn that Todd is skeptical of the barter business and that he thinks Gardner is nuts for taking the deals he has but that’s it. Darcy and Travis, the two other employees of G-Stone motors who get remotely regular screen time tend to come off as faceless entities.
When the focus changes to Todd and Darcy dealing with the ramifications of Gardner’s decisions, the show gets considerably more interesting. This is particularly notable when Gardner and Darcy can’t bring themselves to sell the pigs they bought from a customer looking for a trailer at a farmer’s auction. Darcy’s imploring Gardner to find a more humane end for the pigs while Todd is bewildered at why they took the trade to begin with. Similarly, when Gardner sells maple syrup in barter to win a selling contest for the leftover maple syrup with Todd, the two squabble because Gardner made a “profit” in credit from the restaurants while Todd took a loss but picked up actual cash.
The Final Verdict: Family Trade is incredibly bland. Whereas many shows in the reality genre focus on hair-pulling or seemingly life and death choices, Trade is hyped to be a big deal but ultimately focuses on life’s little problems and a quirky dealership. The show probably would have worked better if they spent less time trying to punch it up in the drama department and instead focused on taking a more slice of life perspective and divulging a little more on its’ key stars than the two dimensional caricatures we get. Skip it, Tuesday’s one of the stronger nights on the dial and once you’ve seen one episode you’ll feel like you’ve seen all of them.
Album Review: Pissed Jeans – Honeys
Similar Artists: Fucked Up, Black Flag, The Melvins
Genre: Hardcore Punk/ Noise Rock
Label: Sub Pop
One of the things I really like about today’s hardcore punk scene is that it’s relatively easy to classify the best acts. For example: Titus Andronicus is the most ambitious, Cloud Nothings are the catchiest, and The Men are the most evolving. So, what title should I bestow on the Allentown, Pennsylvania quartet Pissed Jeans? Hmmmmm, the kookiest?
Well, when your band’s name is Pissed Jeans you aren’t exactly asking people to take yourself too seriously, and these guys are certainly more affably silly than any of their contemporaries, even Japandroids. Completely a punk band musically, as their sounds can be as droning as the Melvins, or as in-your-face as Black Flag, but their subject matter comes off as completely oddball. They mostly stay away from discussing left wing politics, or even too much about sex, drugs and violence. Instead the band is more interested with…mundane life. With songs about seeing movies (R-Rated Movie), envisioning imaginary worlds (Fantasy World), or middle-aged hair loss (Goodbye (Hair)), it might not even be accurate to call them kooky. Pissed Jeans are possibly the nerdiest, funniest and most relatable punk band to come out since The Descendents.
For the band’s third release through label sub-pop, Honeys, the band certainly isn’t going in a drastically different direction. The album tracks alternate between being kinetic and sludgy, and frontman Matt Korvette is still talking about the daily woes of working-class America, with subjects that range from health care to prolonged adolescence. They don’t have any tracks north of five minutes here though, and avoid epic mind fucks like The Jogger or Scrapbooking, but more importantly the band sounds tighter than ever. There’s a more evident layer of polish, but it’s still the same brand of hardcore we’ve heard from these guys before.
Honeys gets off to a rousing start with Bathroom Laughter, a really shredding track with an overt sense of fun, despite lyrics like “You’re in the kitchen crying”. The next track though, Chain Worker, is in direct contrast to Bathroom Laughter, momentum wise though, which makes use of droning guitar effects as Korvette recites a tale of an office worker who is about to lose it. The album continues in this pattern over the next 10 tracks (one an interlude), perhaps climaxing with the wonderful song called Cafeteria Food. Anyone who has been forced to eat shitty food at their workplace/education will get a real kick out of this one, as the lyrics are honest, funny and scathing all at once. It’s also possibly the most varied song the group has made to date, as the track seamlessly blends the band’s slow-and-fast sensibilites, which perfectly contemplate Korvette’s altered vocals. I honestly could see them putting out a whole album of tracks like Cafeteria Food in a year or two.
Honeys is a more than solid release, from a energetic punk band that shows no signs of slowing down. Pissed Jeans is a band that forgoes cries of revolution not because they aren’t as intellectual as other punk bands, but rather because they’re mature enough to realize that saying “fuck you” to the man isn’t gonna keep you from paying taxes. This is great music to listen to at a particularly hard day at the office, as it will remind you that plenty of people understand your everyday struggle…and make awesome music about it.
Track Listing
- “Bathroom Laughter”*
- “Chain Worker”*
- “Romanticize Me”
- “Vain in Costume”
- “You’re Different (In Person)”
- “Cafeteria Food”*
- “Something About Mrs. Johnson”
- “Male Gaze”
- “Cathouse”
- “Loubs”
- “Health Plan”
- “Teenage Adult”*
*-Album Highlight
The Last Exorcism Part II: Movie Review
The Last Exorcism Part II, left off where the first movie ended. The original film was shot documentary style about a devious evangelical pastor’s job to exorcise a demon from a farm girl. The original movie is shot through the perspective of the Preacher and his film crew. Director Daniel Stamm followed the ever popular found footage style of American horror fims. Louis Sweetzer, the father of the possessed girl, contacts Reverend Cotton Marcus because he believes his innocent daughter, Nell, is possessed. Turns out Nell is possessed by a demon named Abalam. And, as movies like these go, Nell/Abalam over power the Reverend and kill him, his crew, and her family. The movie ends with the camera lying in the woods of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Last Exorcism II, begins with an unidentified couple finding the exorcised Nell in their home, cold and trembling from her time in the woods. The beginning scene had one “jump” moment but was otherwise uneventful. Nell (played by Ashley Bell) is examined by a doctor, bathed by a creepy nurse, who cuts a peice of her hair and places it in a pouch, and sent to a half-way house in New Orleans. The house “father” gives Nell the cross necklace her mother had given her but tells her to decide whether she is a religious person or not. Nell soon befriends the other girls in the home and gets a job cleaning motel rooms. Frank Merle, the man who runs the house, helps Nell to deal with the past events of her life, and she decides that the events that took place and the demon were not real.
When all things seem to be going good, Nell has a boyfriend and is socializing well, she is visited by her father. His presence warns her that the demon still wants her and will do anything for her. Soon, Nell starts showing signs of procession and all around creepiness. She is seduced by the demon in her dreams and is followed by strange characters wearing masks.
Nell is scared and ready to get rid of the demon for good, and the creepy nurse from the beginning turns out to be a voo-doo priestess who has been watching over Nell and has a plan to rid her of the demon for good.
The nurse calls in two men who strap her to a table and hook her up to a monitor and begin to “exorcise” the demon for good. Well, things don’t go according to plan and Nell must choose to die free or accept the demon into her for good.
I won’t give away the ending in case you do decide to go see the movie. However, I would not recommend wasting your money on this movie. The movie was boring and not frightening at all. The acting was comical and the movie dragged on and on and on and on… You get my point! If you enjoyed the first movie then you might want to catch the second part, but it does not answer any questions or expand on the first film what-so-ever!
OZ: The Great and Powerful Movie Review
The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland is one of my favorite movies of all time! The story line and imagination behind that movie captivated me at a young age. Still to this day I can recite every line and sing every song. Also, recently I had the pleasure of seeing Wicked, the Broadway play about the witches of Oz and fell in love. The story was enchanting, exhilarating, and even comedic.
So when I saw the coming attraction to Oz: The Great and Powerful I was curious to say the least. This film is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and describes how the Wizard found his way to Oz.
James Franco starts the Wizard of Oz, a mediocre carnival magician, with a habit of flirting with the wrong women. Franco’s performance was much like his characters magic tricks, dull and insipid. His portrayal of the Wizard of Oz was lifeless and monotone. I was extremely disappointed in his performance and his depiction alone ruined the movie for me.
The plot of the movie was also lacking imagination. Mila Kunis plays Theodora who starts out as a good witch but after being scorned by the Wizard turns wicked. Yet another boring performance! Kunis lacked emotion and was not the right pick for this character. Rachel Weisz takes the role of Evanora, a wicked witch right from the beginning, and Theodora’s sister. Weisz actually did an admirable job depicting this character. Her performance was believable and her character was conniving and wicked.
Michelle Williams stars as Glinda, The Good Witch. The Wizard is decieved by Evanora to believe that Glinda was actually the Wicked Witch and, in order for Oz to take his place as King of the Land of Oz, he must kill her by breaking her magic wand.
If you aren’t confused yet, just watch the movie. The plot was a little to outrageous to click with the original story line. There are too many differences that do not add up. In this film, Emerald City is controlled by the Wicked witches, and the munchkins are only a small portion of the Oz population.
Oz: The Great and Powerful was anti-climactic and unimagined. The story line was too far off from the original outline of The Wizard of Oz, and the acting was disappointing. I was really looking forward to this movie and am sad to be so let down. I suggest saving your money and going to see Wicked instead!
RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap- And None For Gretchen Weiners
Last time on “Rupaul’s Drag Race”, Ivy won the singing challenge and Jade and her hair went home. Backstage, Jinkx is yammering about wanting the win, but how pretty Ivy looks. Roxxxy is already over it, and I’m a little over her already. Coco and Alaska both set up the We Haven’t Won a Challenge Club. Alaska complains about being in Sharon’s shadow. More after the jump.
Alaska says she’s taken Michelle’s advice and is really reconsidering not being a part of the whole RoLaskaToxx thing. Roxxxy starts out being miffed, but is interrupted by SheMail. It quickly becomes apparent we’re reading each other. Detoxx starts and Alyssa’s quickly the butt of most jokes, but is a good sport. Everyone reads Roxxxy, who tries to turn it around in a boring manner. Coco comes out with a swipe at Jinkx’ porkpie hat. Ivy makes a GREAT comment about Coco’s tang colored highlighting. The library is now closed, and Alaska wins the mini-challenge.
Ru comes to tell everyone that the main challenge is that they’re going to roast RuPaul. Uh-oh, it’s hard to be funny on cue. The Pit Crew serves drinks and everyone is told to let Ru have it. The gworls will be coached by Bruce Villanch, Nadia Ginsberg and Deven Green. Alaska, as the winner, gets to decide the order. She’s actually really nice about it and asks the other girls when they want to go and tries to accommodate everyone, which ends up leaving her as the opening act. Coco says that’s the hardest, but I think that the middle is where you get ignored.
Detox makes fun of Alyssa’s creative process and its damn on point since Alyssa is cracking herself up. Michelle comes in and everyone gay screams. First, Alaska, who starts out with a pretty good joke that has Michelle laughing. However, Michelle warns her that she’s being too nice. Roxxxy says that reading is something that she’s always done, but is warned to keep it funny. Ivy has nothing. Coco plans on just being herself. Alyssa is talking about reading as well and seems to be doing the same nonsense that Roxxxy’s doing.
Our guest judges are Leslie Jordan and Jeffrey Moran of Vodka fame. Oh, and it’s going to be live. We get a glimpse of Jinkx’ narcolepsy. The other queens find it hilarious.
Rehearsal time! Jinkx comes out and fucks the chicken during rehearsal. Ivy plays it very very very safe and is boring. Bruce looks weird tonight. Is he wearing a corset? Alyssa’s jokes are all out of place and way too mean. Coco’s playing it from the hood and is being another mean queen. Alyssa is the only person laughing. The judges don’t like her mean streak.
Elimination Day! Alyssa is super nervous and you can tell. Coco’s already being bitchy. Roxxxy, again, says she doesn’t believe in Jinkx.
Ru comes out looking like a giant, fabulous lime Jell-O shot. Leslie Jordan is scared; Jeffrey Moran is pretty and bland. Let the roasting begin!! Alaska is actually pretty damn funny. She opens with a joke about how Leslie’s slept with more gay men then Michelle and ends with a joke about the number of xs in Roxxxy’s name. Roxxxy comes out and attacks everyone and it’s just not funny. Coco comes out in character and has RuPaul on floor. He actually turned it around and does a damn good job. Jinkx is pretty solid. Ivy’s not bad, but certain will not be in the top. Alyssa makes everyone uncomfortable. Detoxx tries to not recycle jokes and fails and says the f-word a lot, but has some good moments.
Judges Critique!
Alaska is funny and it’s tough to go first, though her look is getting predictable. Leslie Jordan lovingly calls her knock kneed. Ivy looks good, but was unsure on stage and read her cards the whole time. Jinkx killed the judges (which we didn’t see as much of) and Michelle is genuinely impressed with the runway look. I’m happy. Detoxx was mean but had a twinkle in her eye the whole time, so it’s ok, but she screwed up too much. It should have flowed more. Alyssa was trying too hard and could have been a LOT funnier. In general, it was boring and humiliating but Leslie thinks she’s the prettiest girl in the bunch. Coco had a great concept and knocked it out. Roxxxy needed a much faster pace, bigger hair and was way too in her head.
Coco wins this one, which good for her! Roxxxy and Alyssa are in the bottom, lip synching to Whip My Hair. Roxxxy immediately takes off her pants and goes to take off her wig revealing ANOTHER WIG. Alyssa turns it out on stage. Afterwards, Roxxxy breaks down because she’s never been wanted. Ru says she’s wanted and tells them both to stay. Now we’re evened out and we’re the seven sisters! It’s like the Seven Samurai, only without the swords.
Check back here next week for another “Rupaul’s Drag Race” recap!
New York City Photography- The Subway
The Subway. It’s not the Underground. It’s not the Metro. And it’s not just any ordinary train ride in New York City. It can be stinky, crowded, noisy, sweltering hot or all of the above at any one time. Ask any New Yorker and you will probably get just as many that hate it, as love it. Since its inception in 1869, its hundreds of miles of tracks have stretched under the city like a web of veins carrying the people, who are the life blood of New York.
DJ Tristan Jaxx- Taking San Fran and the world by storm
DJ Tristan Jaxx is a man of many hats as you might say. The uber-talented and handsome DJ residing in San Fransisco has developed quite a name for himself in the SOMA area amongst others as well. Recently named one of the top ten DJ’s to watch, he is taking 2013 by storm by working at some of the biggest events of the year including Folsom and so much more. He recently took time to sit and talk with me about his professional experiences and where he sees himself going in the future. Take a look. [Read more…] about DJ Tristan Jaxx- Taking San Fran and the world by storm
Album Review: Atoms For Peace – AMOK
Similar Artists: Radiohead, Thom Yorke
Genre: Experimental Techno
Label: XL
Ever since Kid A, Thom Yorke has been obsessed with electronic takeover in music. This guy is a true EDM aficionado, and he has been leaning in the direction of going full on techno in different ways through his career. Through his many reincarnations, what has always kept us intrigued is the fact that Thom’s music sounds little-to-nothing like the artists he states as his inspiration. During the Kid A period, his main influences were Warp Records’ flagship acts Aphex Twin and Autechre, but in all seriousness, if his goal was to sound like either of those acts I would have to say he failed. Nowadays, he hangs out with state-of-the-art producers such as Flying Lotus and Four Tet, and although Thom seems to think he is making music of a similar vein, this new release won’t remind you of those artists in the slightest.
This is an artist whose work truly exists beyond influence. Analyzing why an artist is original can drive a critic mad, but I have always felt Thom’s uniqueness is spurred by a factor outside of his wild imagination and occasional mental instability. After years of being Radiohead’s biggest fan, I have become convinced that Thom has a skewed perception of reality that causes the waves and frequencies of music to reach him on an entirely different level. Everyone hears music in a slightly tweaked fashion; but quite simply, Thom must hear music in a much different way than everyone else. This may be the most apparent when he is describing his own music, in which he seems to think is straight up pop rather than anything alternative. I attribute this skewed perception to the cause of his self-image issues in the past, as well as the reason why it can take the band 4+ years to release new material. I’ve gotten a tad bit off topic, but regardless of whatever crises have affected Thom in the past, his love affair with abstract techno has finally come full circle, and he sounds as confident in his surroundings as he ever has been.
It is truly a wonder how the members of Radiohead haven’t cracked under pressure and disbanded countless times by now. Due to the band constantly topping and reinventing themselves for 20 years, each release is marked by exceptionally high expectations. People don’t just want a new Radiohead release to be good, they want it to be their best yet. This makes it easy to understand why Thom would need to occasionally distance himself from his longtime band mates. Being overly serious in the music making process can lead to disastrous effect, so it seems healthy that Thom takes a load off by involving himself in solo/side projects every now and then. Unfortunately for him though, people seem to set the same ridiculously high expectations in whatever environment Thom is in.
Although he has joined with some friends for the making of this album, “Amok” should be seen as “The Eraser pt. 2”. The band name is borrowed from that album, but it certainly isn’t the only thing. There are some borrowed chord sequences which might prompt a passerby to believe he was listening to an Eraser remix album instead of an entirely new set of songs. Similarly, before uniting to become “Atoms for Peace”, the other 4 musicians who took their part in this album, (Joey Waronker, Flea, Mauro Refosco and the indispensible Nigel Godrich) were called forth to create live renditions of tracks from “The Eraser”. Needless to say, this album was birthed into being through the conception of full band arrangements based on “Eraser” compositions. It’s a continuation upon that style for sure, but the expansion in terms of depth and integrity are absolutely appreciated.
Although Amok isn’t a complete reinvention of style from Thom’s previous solo outing, that doesn’t mean there aren’t differences between the two albums. In some ways, Amok is the least Radiohead sounding project Thom has worked on. Gone are what one might call “Radiohead moments”. An example of one of these moments would be the last two minutes of “All I Need” or “Karma Police” where the song branches off unexpectedly and we are greeted to an entirely new musical style. Even The Eraser had moments such as this; albeit on a smaller scale. There are no major chord/tempo changes mid song to claw at you for attention, so those of you who only listen to Radiohead for these sections will not find much enjoyment here (you will probably enjoy Coldplay a whole lot more anyway).
These tracks are indebted to experimental techno as they revolve around key chords that rotate and mesh for the entirety of the song. The highlights are always in the subtleties, so the album will certainly leave a few dry on the first listen or so. Originally, I was even hesitant to call these pieces “songs” due to a meandering flatness that was permeating them, but after some time, they rise off of their surface to form into full bodied compositions. Despite me labeling this as a solo album, each member’s role is audible. While some have complained that this album fails to make use of its musician’s true talents, the music never would have worked with Flea’s slap-tastic bass lines covering the atmospherics. We are seeing a different side to these musicians, and it is what prevents Atoms for Peace from falling into common “supergroup” clichés.
Amok was recorded in a mere 3 day session; Thom and Nigel spent the remaining countless hours analyzing the material and organizing it into compact pieces. Seen as one of the best living producers, this album’s production is certainly befitting to Nigel’s name. Listening to this on a pair of good headphones is an experience not to be missed. Hearing the splices of vocal samples layered between muted bass, gorgeous keyboards and the tinkering of meticulous drum programming is awe-inspiring and calls me back time and time again. Oh yeah, and in case I didn’t mention it, Thom’s voice is excellent here as well. The King of Limbs saw him going down a more challenging, yet assured path with his vocal delivery, and here he travels down a similar trajectory. So this is a good, often great album, but those looking for the same pleasures that a Radiohead album holds will be disappointed, but like I said earlier, maybe those weren’t true fans to begin with…
Track Listing:
1.) Before Your Very Eyes…
2.) Default*
3.) Ingenue*
4.) Dropped
5.) Unless
6.) Stuck Together Pieces
7.) Judge Jury & Executioner*
8.) Reverse Running*
9.) Amok
* – Album Highlight