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Showing posts from August, 2017

The War on Drugs: A Deeper Understanding

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2017 finally brought us a new The War on Drugs' album, which is filled by 80's rock in modern framework. It opens with a track Up All Night, which lively intruduces this framework with just a subtle hint of disco, fast drums and atmospheric fulness. The singing is like what Bon Iver would sing if he was ever happy. This all leads to an interesting dichotonomy in the latter half of the song of  skratchy guitar and soft synths. This track is, like the entire album, what the new Arcade Fire's new albem could have been but isn't. Another highlight of the album is the brilliany of the guitar(s), as seen already in the second song and later resonating in Nothing To Find. Strangest Things brings us some more force in its intro, without losing any other quality. Drums step forward and play with synths and the voice. They return to their roots in Nothing To Find, which could maybe even be considered a remake of An Ocean Between the Waves, a track from their previous album

Spoon: Hot Thoughts

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Spoon is one more of the old greats surprising us with a new album this year. Their new album, Hot Thoughts is an uplifting mix of rock and electronics working in unision. It's packed full with both masterpieces and wannabe masterpieces. The track Hot Thoughts is sadly one of the latter, but it's still a great listen, just a tad too repetative. It's main problem are small abrupt and disruptive mood changes. Best things in the track Can I Sit Next To You are chess-like imaginery and deliciously weird solo. At the end is shifts into electronics a bit too much for my taste, but it's still a great song. They dissapointed me a bit with the track On & On, because they were trying for a popular hit too hard. This dissapointment was then fixed by the great next song, Was it You? This one features just electrical electronics intro (pardon the pun), which is in the middle vying for primacy with singing, resulting in a great effect. Do You is like Broken Social Scene's

Lal & Mike Waterson: Bright Phoebus

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Well this is a fun one. Originally it was released in 1972 and then quickly forgotten due to being too soft for the rock crowd and to weird for the folk crowd ( Pitchfork ). It was recently rereleased and its fun of quirky gems glistening in colours you thought impossible. The album opens with a track Rubber Band, which is what the Beatles' Yellow Submarine should have been, but wasn't. It's freaky, fun and proud of being non-serious, just playing with some great tones. The very second track sharply contrasts it, being a moody folkish ballad. The Scarecrow possesses a very specific mood, which is a mix of a Western and of a cultish imaginery. Closest to it melodically from its more popular brethren is Simon & Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson. It's a lightly accompanied grim story in musical form basically. Next two songs, The Fine Horsemen and Winifer old are more typical folk balads, just performed greatly. More experimental of the two is Winifer Old, while The Fi

Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder

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This is another one of grest releases this year, featuring pure speed lovely contrasted with soothing singing. It's a cheerful album, full of hope in face of anything. Protest Song is probably the track of this album, possessing fast guitar, devilish drumming and angelic singing. In contrast to this Skyline begins almost like a folk song and the intro dies into the best that pop can offer. Pure ambrosia for ears. The track Hug of Thunder begins with deep beata and with rockish guitar, which soon let the singing take the stage. However they always remain something much more than just accompaniment. Stay Happy is quite different and it's more than happy. It sounds almost like Deerhof's less freaky songs. Best part of this song are probably subtle guitar riffs. All in all, this album is full of masterpieces, some of the best of the Broken Social Scene. It gives us what we need most in current world, and that is hope and motivation that doing something is possible

Brand New: Science Fiction

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I just gave a listen to a long-awaited (8 years) album by Brand New, Science Fiction. In this time their style truly changed, they added to their mostly pop punk lots of indie rock sound. This sound was always present to some degree (for example in their ballad Jesus or in A Boy Who Blocked his Own Shot), but now dominates. This change of course polarised their fanbase, but I for one think it was worth it. Science Fiction is full of slow, thoughtful  songs, which lyrically and melodically just scream of hidden depths. It all begins omniously, with a tale of schizophrenia, which then moves into the background, giving the stage to space opera tones. This album appreciates concentrated listening, but it's also good as background music. One of the main tracks is Same Logic/Teeth, of which intro reminds me of David Bowie's Space Oddity, which is then morphed into Jesus's melancholic sweetness. Another definite influence is Pink Floyd and one can also catch some Led Zeppelin

Tales from the Road: Belgrade

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These days I am travelling Europe so this blog will be more or less travel oriented (don't worry I will still share some cool music). Right now I am leaving Belgrade and I will share with you what I tasted in it. Me and my girlfriend visited the Beer fest, that one big castle, alternative zone, and we got lost looking for House of Flowers (Tito's grave), walking through most of the city center in the process. A short overview: We heard lots of great music (mostly old rock and techno), drank good beer and enjoyed a refreshlingly non-turistic city. We arrived to Belgrade wednesday evening after a 7-8 hour long train ride, which was quite exhausting, but we still had enough energy to find our apartma (Lomina Studio), which was in an once rustic house, which is now slowly falling apart. Inside it was very comfy though and we are planning to come back for New year. Very close to it is a small pub Publin with good draft dark beer, which was like 1€ 0.5l. They were playing mostly