Octopus Overlords

Sudy wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:50 am I think the quality of this album is... questionable at best. Faith No More's Album of the Year (1997) came out at a time when many of the original alternative and alternative metal bands were trying to stretch out their careers or reinvent themselves. There were a lot of mediocre offerings by previously big names. I was never a Faith No More fan. In fact, in 1997 I was only beginning to discover music on my own as a thirteen-year-old. Ashes to Ashes was one of the songs I heard on the radio and connected with. But I could never figure out its title, or who it was by. I somehow misheard the lyric "Smiling with the mouth of the ocean" as "the mouth of the usher", which would send me down the path of strange internet searches years later when I tried to identify it.

But in 1997, there was no internet. At least, not for me... not for a couple years. And there sure as hell was no Shazam or Soundhound. So if the radio DJ didn't announce the title, I was out of luck. I vividly remember identifying songs by quoting lyrics to friends at school, such as Bush's Glycerine. Anyway, I didn't become familiar with Epic until a few years later when it was playing on a "classic" rock station at the factory where I worked in the summer. I had no idea they were by the same band. Eventually I did identify Ashes to Ashes and picked up the album. And, save for that track and Last Cup of Sorrow, I hated it. Funk rock and bad alternative wasn't my thing.

A couple years ago I re-listened to the whole album on Spotify and... I still don't think it's very good. Yet some of the non-singles finally wormed their way into my brain. Specifically, Mouth to Mouth and Helpless. It's truly a sound from a different time, but it seems like it was just yesterday.

but have you heard the 'new' album

Was just sent a link to an online show hosted by Henry Rollins and have been listening this afternoon. Just him playing music and telling stories of his early days in the punk scene. https://www.kcrw.com/categories/the-cool-quarantine

hitbyambulance wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 2:01 pm but have you heard the 'new' album

I hadn't. I knew of its existence, but I find that the universe delivers enough arbitray punishment that I'd rather not voluntarily choose to subject myself to questionable listening experiences.

Gave it a spin tonight though. Most songs have interesting parts. But then there's also wacky stuff that grates on me. If I listened to Sunny Side Up, Cone of Shame, and Rise of the Fall several times I think I'd like them. But Superhero makes me want to abuse substances, and not in the whimsical, happy-go-lucky sense.

Black Friday actually has a spaghetti western thing going on I appreciate a lot. It could be a Firewater song. But overall this album has a strange time warp thing going on that makes it challenging to parse.

I remember struggling to get into Download because I expected it to be traditional industrial music. But I did eventually wind up spending a lot of time with Effector.

My favorite has always been the Eyes of Stanley Pain album.

While it's probably my least favorite song on the album (best is "Possession", by a mile), both Mrs. Skinypupy and I use the "This is the time we make noises" line from H Sien Influence (at the 25 second mark) almost daily. It's the go-to when the kids are being crazy.

PUP

The Flaming Lips showing what the future of live performance will look like:

Sudy wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:14 am I remember struggling to get into Download because I expected it to be traditional industrial music. But I did eventually wind up spending a lot of time with Effector.

all the Download (and Skinny Puppy) albums sound great on a good sound system, but this album is particularly disorienting with headphones

listening to it on shuffle, as intended. and i think i just learned that's Dee Dee Ramone on backing yelps on "See the Constellation"

Tribulation - Nightbound

Tribulation is SO gorram good.

The Faith No More clips made me jump back to FLM's closest imitator, Dog Fashion Disco. DFD's "Adultery" album was absolutely brilliant, often outdoing FNM's own unique sound.

Oddly, it's become really difficult to find any of the original tracks from that album on YouTube. The only ones available are either shitty live recordings (and they're not a great live band to begin with), or a re-recorded acoustic version which isn't nearly as good. Only the songs with actual music videos still exist on YouTube. It's really kinda strange. Here's one of the few that are left.



Go look up the album version of "Darkest Days" sometime. It's amazing.

Paradise Lost - As I Die




Wow, I just rediscovered Eternal after not hearing it for probably close to 20 years. I picked up a Paradise Lost greatest hits album around 2000 but didn't delve much deeper into the band. I never forgot As I Die, but I didn't remember the other songs I liked from it. Huh, I'm also finding stuff I recognize that I never owned. Must have been Napster/Morpheus/Kazaa finds back in the day. I miss those times.




This is kind of a weird band. They've had a lot of stylistic shifts while retaining the same lineup over a 30+ year period outside of their drummers. Nick Holmes has employed at least 3-4 distinct vocal styles. They're all good except for the one that reminds me of James Hetfield. No one should sound like James Hetfield. Not even James Hetfield, arguably.


Their newest album isn't bad at first listen. It gets doomier as it progresses.




Whoever was responsible for the change in direction for their album art in the past decade should be commended. It's not unique, but it's really interesting aesthetically. In fact, I like the variation in their album covers going all the way back. They're very distinct, making it less intimidating to approach their catalogue as an outsider if that makes sense. A lot of metal bands feel the need to be so consistent with their imagery their albums all blend together visually. '99's Host sticks out like a sore thumb though. It looks like random late-90s garbage alternative band. Which... at superficial listen, they kind of were lol. It's amazing to go from their first album, to that period, then forward to their recent output. Boggling to think it's the same musicians.

Alunah - White Hoarhound

Haven't heard this band before. But I like doomy, stoner stuff and wailed female vocals, so this is awesome.




Black Mountain - Tyrants

The first track's vocals reminded me of this. What an amazing song.... My favourite off this album will always be Angels, but this piece is epic.




This album is from 2008. That feels "new" to me. Like it's something barely worthy of respect because it hasn't yet stood the test of time. But if this were 2000, this album would have come out in 1988. When I listened to an album from the 80s back then, it would feel like it was from another era. And I guess, they were... musical eras were more distinct back then. Especially the 80s. And an album like this, with a very retro sound, is harder to judge in those contexts. But it still astounds me.

listening to pretty much the entire They Might Be Giants discography in chronological order (including b-sides and Dial-a-Song tracks). they really did become kinda uninteresting (significantly blander, at least) when they got the full band in 1994. first album is still my favorite, followed by Apollo 18. i had a hipster impression of Flood being overrated, but i don't think so now. it really is consistently good and have to admit it might probably beat out Lincoln.

John Henry, tho... blech. at least Factory Showroom had a few ok tracks.

hitbyambulance wrote: Mon Jun 15, 2020 7:13 pm followed by Apollo 18

I never boarded the TMBG train. Ten years ago they were in town doing a free outdoor concert for one of their children's albums. My sister-in-law was visiting and wanted to go. She and Mrs. Nym got into a huge fight. I got involved. We got there just in time for the last song. One of them didn't say anything. The other pretended there was nothing wrong. That was a fun day.


Xoth - Mountain Machines

I love the lead guitars on this song. It reminds me of Rock Fantasy from Extreme Pinball. Album art's also sweet.

Lame video, but I really like the new Vile Creature track.

Thanks as always for these recommendations guys. I don't always have something interesting to say about them, but I've discovered some great music in this thread.


For most of the aughts, indie, not metal, was my main jam. I love a good falsetto, and Jonathan Meiburg's is amazing.

Shearwater - Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five




Rooks

While the shortened version of "Insanity" loses some of it's punch, the creepy video definitely makes up for it. And the song is more relevant today than ever.



The live version still gives me freaking chills. If I could go back in time to attend one single concert, it'd be this one.

to this day there apparently still are Neil Young albums i didn't know about

hitbyambulance wrote:to this day there apparently still are Neil Young albums i didn't know about

This is a "lost" album that he sat on for 45 years. It was originally up for release around the same time as Tonight's the Night, and he shelved it in favor of that one.

Forewarned, it's a strange little album clocking in at only 35 minutes. It includes a weird spoken word track and kind of goes all over the place musically. But It's Neil Young music from 1975 that (mostly) never made it to bootleg, so it's worth a listen!

What, the Blackhawks scored?

So I must have left Spotify on all night after I checked out Freedom Call for an hour. Now I've gotta delete this crap from my Last.fm because I don't want them in my Top 10 for the next year. #shitmillenialssay

Sudy wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 8:35 am Now I've gotta delete this crap from my Last.fm because I don't want them in my Top 10 for the next year.

anyone else on last.fm? add me: hitbyambulance

hitbyambulance wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 5:45 pm anyone else on last.fm? add me: hitbyambulance

last.fm: Khronophor