Friday, September 28, 2012

Vol. 3 Episode 40



I just got the new Soft Pack album called Stripped. I am excited to hear it but haven't listened to it yet. It will probably be set for next weeks update. 

There has been a repress of the Man or Astro-Man? Analog series Vol.1 single in red vinyl. The next single, Analog Series Vol. 2 will be released in early to mid November. This single will have a clear version limited to 200 pressings, a translucent green version and the common black colors. The tracks will be as follows: "Communication Breakdown Pt II" and "All Systems Go" are two tracks that will appear on their upcoming full length and "Chemical Cats" is exclusive to this release. I am very excited to get my hands on this 7" record.

On With the show...

This is the second album from The XX. It was released in September 2012. This album was released on CD, standard vinyl and deluxe vinyl. I preordered this one in advance and got the deluxe version at a reasonable price. It came with a 12” booklet with additional pictures and lyrics for each song. It also came with a download so I don’t have to wait to get my record cleaner fixed before I can listen to it. It is said that they pulled from electronic dance music but I don’t really hear it. They do continue with their minimalist musical style though. The album is specifically about heartbreak, loneliness, and intimacy. The lyrics address failing relationships and changes in romance with inner monologues and simple metaphors.

The album's title was inspired by their idea for the cover artwork, which depicts an iridescent oil spill in the shape of an "X", a variation on the group's white-on-black "X" logo. Croft compared the mixture of oil and water to her holistic view of the group, saying in an interview for Grantland:

“You see a puddle of petrol on the floor — it can look sort of beautiful with the colors that come through it. I looked it up on Google or whatever, and it said oil and water don't mix, they peacefully coexist? And that's what it is when you see those colors. I liked that idea: those two things coming together to make something more beautiful than they are. And I liked the idea of us three coming together; only when the three of us are together, that's when it exists.”

When they informed them of the title, their record label's American office e-mailed them about there being a "Coexist" bumper sticker. Croft said that "I know it has that connection, but it felt like the right word. It's cool, I guess? It's a nice message? Everybody getting along?"

This album seems like a continuation of their first album. I wouldn’t exactly call it a sophomore slump but it doesn’t exactly push the envelope of new music either. It is what I wanted really. The only real difference between the two albums is that the production is better on this one. There is only two things that I don’t like about this album. The first problem that I have is the reversed sounding guitar on the track called Try. It just makes me sick hearing the same loop of reversed guitar over and over through the track. The other problem that I have is the steel pans used on the track Reunion. It really detracts from the song. I can’t think about anything but that instrument when ever the song starts playing. If it is a necessary part of the song then sink it town so it is not right on top of everything.

There are already two songs that have been released as singles from this album. The first is the song called Angels. It is also the first track on the album. It is a song about being in love with someone. It is a pretty song with female vocals. I like the way that she plays her guitar too. I have actually tried to emulate this sound on at least one of my own tracks. Both the vocals and the guitar have a beautiful amount of reverb on them and the bell like tone of the guitar is just perfect. The song itself is very minimalist with lots of dead space between the notes.

The second single released from the album is called Chained. This is a duet between the guitarist and the bassist. It is about a relationship that has fallen apart. They are reminiscing about the relationship and how close they were. This track uses a drum machine that has a big sound but still remains quiet. It is a very cool drum beat too. The bass is simple eighth note pattern for the most part. There is also a beautiful keyboard part that floats over everything on this track. The guitar has a similar tone as the previous track but is used very sparsely through the song.

I like both of these tracks very much. I like the whole album with the exception of my complaint on the two tracks above. I would recommend this to anyone interested in music really. It is a pretty and relaxing record.


This is the fifth studio album from Nine Inch Nails (NIN). It was released in 2007. The album is a concept album written from multiple perspectives of fictitious characters. The idea of this album was to write about what the United States would look like in fifteen years time.

The story goes like this (taken from Wikipedia), “The story takes place in the United States in the year 2022, which has been termed "Year 0", by the United States of American government, being the year that America was reborn. The United States had suffered several major terrorist attacks, apparently by Islamic fundamentalists, including attacks on Los Angeles and Seattle, and in response, the government seized absolute control on the country. The Government of the United States is now a Christian fundamentalist theocracy, maintaining control of the populace through institutions like the Bureau of Morality and the First Evangelical Church of Plano. The government corporation Credocore distributes the drug Parepin through the water supply, making Americans who drink the water apathetic and carefree. There are several underground rebel groups, mainly operating online, most notably Art is Resistance and Solutions Backwards Initiative. In response to the increasing oppression of the government, several corporate, government, and subversive websites were transported back in time to the present by a group of scientists working clandestinely against the authoritarian government. The websites-from-the-future were sent to the year 2007 to warn the American people of the impending dystopian future and to prevent it from ever forming in the first place.”

There was also an alternate reality game developed for the web that expanded on the story laid out above.

There were two singles released from this album. The first single is called Survivalism. A clip of the chorus to "Survivalism" was first heard by fans calling the telephone number 1-310-295-1040, which was found by joining discolored numerals on the back of a tour t-shirt. This was before the single and album was released. The song is interesting with the rhythm that is used. It marked a new NIN sound. The song also used the loud quiet loud style of writing music.

The second single from the album is called Capitol G. It is a slower song than the first single. It also makes use of the staccato rhythms in the verse, the chorus smoothes out the feel of the song. It is industrial music so there is a lot of noise. The vocals are very clear in the song even over the noise of the music.

This is an interesting concept album that I would recommend reading the lyrics if not listening to the album.

This was originally released as an EP. It was put out in 1997. There was a US version put out on Nothing Records that added five tracks to the EP making it more of an album than an EP. This version was released in 1998, a year later. This is the version that I have and will be talking about. The rearrangement of the tracks is to highlight the Come On My Selector video, directed by Chris Cunningham (whose work also includes videos for Aphex Twin, Autechre and Bjork), and which was included on the re-release. Tracks 8, 9 and 10 make up the full Port Rhombus EP, Jenkinson's first release on Warp. Tracks 11 and 12 are two B-sides to the "Vic Acid" single.

There were no singles released from the album but the song that was pushed was the song Come On My Selector. It is a hard hitting track with fast hard hitting beats and speed bass guitar playing. It is one of the best tracks on the album. The only problem that I have with this track is that the F-bomb is dropped once. It is totally unneeded.

My second favorite track from this album is called A JourneyTo Reedham (7 A.M. Mix). I remember driving to work with this album on and when this track would come on It would be so easy to sing along with. This is actually one of the primary inspirations for my writing music. I want people to sing along with the music that I write. I want people to feel the pull of the music and make up their own lyrics or to at least to be vocal about the music. That is how this song makes me feel anyway.

This is a great album that I think everyone should hear if not for the first to songs then for the whole album.


This is the second album from Devo. It was released in 1979. The album was not very popular but signaled the onset of the new wave genre and sound. It was one of the first albums to use primarily synthesized sounds for music. I picked up a copy of this album on vinyl but it is not in the greatest of condition. The outer sleeve is pretty fuzzy on the edges but the record itself is pretty good. The starting of both sides is a bit fuzzy sound wise but the rest of the record is in very good condition. I am happy to have a copy but a little disappointed that it isn’t in better condition. The US edition of this album has a different cover from the version that went out around the rest of the world. The US copy has barcodes all over it. the rest of the world got a black and white drawing of an atom, a man and a beaker, bla, boring.

There were only two singles released from this album. The first is called The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprize. The song is not very exciting and is difficult for me to keep my concentration on the song. The song is not up to the standards of the great classic Devo song. It is very disappointing indeed.

The second single released from the album is called Secret Agent Man. This is a cover (with modified lyrics) of the song by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri and performed by Johnny Rivers in 1965. The song is done in Devos’ famous style so the song is nearly unrecognizable to the original version. I personally prefer the original version with the surf style but respect this new wave version too.

This is not an album that is necessary for any one but fans of the group. I don’t think that it is needed to even hear. The songs are sub par that are on the album.

That is all I have for now...
 

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