The Album Review Club - Week #141 - (page 1860) - JPEG Raw - Gary Clark Jr.

GornikDaze said:
He is definitely a well adjusted chap - apart from being a West Brom fan. He’s a long termer but I’ve never really quite clicked but I like the edgy side of it and I do keep coming back for more
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The boing boing brigade are a bit mad. Edgy is definitely the word, make the likes of Sonic Youth sound like a 50's barbershop quartet. Some great lyrics in their stuff.
 
RobMCFC said:
The Tindersticks are a UK indie band, aren’t they? I enjoyed their album because it was different and gave it an 8.

What is the point of this album? Whilst there are some good songs on here, there are a lot of songs and long sections where the sound is monotonous or lost in a murky mix. My opinion is that a lot of bands make music where you struggle to pick out the individual instruments - it doesn’t matter whether it is indie, country, rock or disco - I will always call out an album for not trying hard enough to bring this separation to the listener.

Pink Floyd Never had this trouble. They could have come across as boring with their epic-length moody songs, but there is generally something going on with the guitar or keyboard that is interesting. Apart from the few songs I picked out for this album, I didn’t hear this effort here. The vocalist and some of the vocal arrangements was better than average for this type of music, which is why I highlighted that fact.

It’s all personal opinion, of course, and I look forward to reading the reviews of people who do like this album and explaining what I am missing :)
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Not going to dispute that in any way. We all hear and take different things, and I totally respect yours. But when you say the exact same things about two or more very different albums, I can't help but think you skied a bit. And that you have a pre-set take on it perhaps. Which, btw I also fully get. But will debate, just as I would expect and welcome you to debate it with my similar takes.

Then again, there was me comparing last week's pick to Crowded House, so who am I to argue hearing similarities that may or may not be there.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
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Next to the many well thought out reviews here, one of the main highlights for me (nearly each week) that never fails to impress, is @BlueHammer85 's YouTube linked summaries of an album, band, or behind the scenes, whatever the subject at hand.

I think I may get more out of that sometimes than just the album. I certainly did with Aphex Twin, Cocteau Twins, and others.

Top notch, mate! Thank you to this key Blue Moon Album Review contributor here that helps with the context of what we're reviewing to enhance the appreciation.

Highlights for me from the above video include:
  • Jimi seen on drums at the beginning clips per the last Maine Road concert as reported by @super_city_si
  • Martin Rebelski getting some deserved props being with the band touring
  • the hand clap and foot stomping beginning to "Satellites" in the studio
  • 6 days to make the album vs. a month to make Lost Souls? WTH? Even more impressive!
  • the making of the album in so many locations in the nearby western UK
  • the "Catch the Sun" lounge piano version (hilarious)
  • "Caught By The River" various venues mix - just beautiful
  • going from "best band on the planet" to "we suck" from the fan report
  • "Satan" to "The Final Countdown" to "Achy Breaky Heart" karaoke!
  • dressing room stripped down "There Goes The Fear"
  • Jimi taking REM's Document off the wall as a "souvenir" for Andy
  • the passion of the fans in Japan - just incredible,
That video and yesterday's City win just made my weekend! ;-)
 
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threespires said:
and the b-side of the single is a reworking of a song much beloved in these parts.
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Yes, I touched on "Hit the Ground Running" from Zevon. Just curious, why it is much beloved in Manchester? I've always wondered what the inspiration was for that.

Also curious what anyone thinks of "Northenden", the B-side to "Pounding". That song probably more than any other this side of another bonus disc track "Far From Grace", takes my mind to that area with the tick-tock beat and just melancholy acoustic guitars. A strange mellow tune to write about some of the challenges they are seeing in that region.

I think I enjoy the bonus disc as much as the album itself. That alone keeps this album on my rotation to this day. "Far From Grace" not making a proper album this side of Lost Sides still blows my mind. Kind of like some tracks from Oasis' The Masterplan.
 
RobMCFC said:
Sorry, but it sounded a pretty average song to me. There was nothing that stood out in it.
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I'm only going to say here that it's the lyrics that initially and still connect for me in this song.

Unlike the video, for me its about all of the right paths I took to where I was in first hearing that song, and how nearly they weren't, and contemplating what that could have meant. The fact the music is great to me probably made it my song of the year back then.

I think it has to connect to really appreciate.

You turned around and life's passed you by
 
Coatigan said:
Not going to dispute that in any way. We all hear and take different things, and I totally respect yours. But when you say the exact same things about two or more very different albums, I can't help but think you skied a bit. And that you have a pre-set take on it perhaps. Which, btw I also fully get. But will debate, just as I would expect and welcome you to debate it with my similar takes.

Then again, there was me comparing last week's pick to Crowded House, so who am I to argue hearing similarities that may or may not be there.
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No problem. Whilst we all have a right to our own opinions, I think it is equally valid to question somebody’s review of an album in the way that you have done here.

In my defence, I am not a professional music reviewer: whilst I can probably find the right words to review an album that really moved me to score it highly, or an album that I take an aversion to, it’s those middle-ground albums - like this week’s - that I struggle to express myself on. It’s not a bad album, it has a few decent tracks, but all I can say it was I did and didn’t like about it.

Just out of interest, which other album did I review in a similar way to this week’s.

I haven’t got my spreadsheet to hand, but I remember reviewing The Tindersticks, Oasis’ Masterlan and Noel Gallagher’s album’s favourably, so that 3 UK acts that have done OK from me!
 
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
I'm only going to say here that it's the lyrics that initially and still connect for me in this song.

Unlike the video, for me its about all of the right paths I took to where I was in first hearing that song, and how nearly they weren't, and contemplating what that could have meant. The fact the music is great to me probably made it my song of the year back then.

I think it has to connect to really appreciate.

You turned around and life's passed you by
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Yes, that’s a fair point. When I like an album, it’s generally the sound that I like first, and then I’ll delve into the lyrics if I love the music.

I tend to worry less about what’s being said if I don’t like the sound too much.

I’ve probably come across as a bit negative in my review, and I apologise for that. I think there is plenty of overlap in the music that we like, but as Coatigan has rightly pointed out, I do have an in-built bias against the UK indie scene. When I first got into music, I couldn’t understand how people were falling over themselves to praise what to me sounded like pretty flat tunes. Whilst there are exceptions to any rule, I think American roots music hits me far deeper than your average indie band (UK or US), and I find that US bands have a far more varied sonic palette.

Basically, UK indie bands have to work harder to impress me - but there are some I like a lot (I wonder if anybody will ever nominate one?)

The Last Broadcast isn’t a bad album - it’s the sound of a band playing music, and I respect that. It’s just not music that moves me for the most part.
 
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
Yes, I touched on "Hit the Ground Running" from Zevon. Just curious, why it is much beloved in Manchester? I've always wondered what the inspiration was for that.

Also curious what anyone thinks of "Northenden", the B-side to "Pounding". That song probably more than any other this side of another bonus disc track "Far From Grace", takes my mind to that area with the tick-tock beat and just melancholy acoustic guitars. A strange mellow tune to write about some of the challenges they are seeing in that region.

I think I enjoy the bonus disc as much as the album itself. That alone keeps this album on my rotation to this day. "Far From Grace" not making a proper album this side of Lost Sides still blows my mind. Kind of like some tracks from Oasis' The Masterplan.
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When I said these parts, I meant more on this/playlist thread - lots of people have expressed a love of Werewolves of London in these pages.

As for Northenden, I don't find it particularly evocative of the area but I think it's an odd song anyway. I grew up in Woodhouse Park which is pretty close to Northenden and Northenden is now officially a part of Wythenshawe (a fact that the people who remember it as 'Northenden Village' were less than happy when it was absorbed) so it might have become less genteel than it's earlier history but it's hardly Beirut. So I think lyrically it mischaracterises it but also musically too. Though I quite like Doves I've never really bought into the whole Spaghetti Western soundtrack for the NW of England ideas etc. Aren't Doves from Wilmslow/Alty ? in which case they probably do think Northenden is the wild west, daft buggers. People do sometimes confuse the likes of Northenden with Benchill (pretty deprived area that they split up into other bits of Wythenshawe to pretend it didn't exist - bit like renaming dodgy nuclear power stations)

The reference to the Post House though is quite funny it was a hotel that back in the day was in theory really quite fancy (before the City centre regenerated with lots of good hotels). In between the airport and the city centre, major pop stars would fly in and stop there and then be driven into the centre for concerts. To say it became 'a bit tired' over the years would be understating it.

Apropos of nothing, Northenden used to have a very beautiful large art deco cinema - in the late 70's (I think?) it got turned into a massive Jehovahs Witness hall, the frontage is still mostly intact though.
 
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