The Album Review Club - Week #146 - (page 1935) - Ocean Rain - Echo and the Bunnymen

Almost everything that can be said has already been said, but as one who loves a good ambient and owns just about all of those Eno ever did, none of them contain songs (except Another Green World), just sounds. As atmospherics go, this gets better as it moves on I think. I thought “this would make a nice soundtrack” before reading our intrepid nominator @GoatersLeftShin’s post about it actually being one! And the tie-together actually made it a LOT more poignant and interesting after listening a few more times. So beyond just sounds and atmospherics, this has meaning too. I didn’t like it as much as Planetary Unfolding — the heavenly firmament i.e. space seems the ultimate locale for ambient, adding atmosphere when/where there is no actual atmosphere — but it seems deeper than just sonics too. I liked the electronic tweaks and changes among the resting places (I won’t call them songs) though not so much the bossanova touches. Suitable for all the things an ambient is good for, but pretty useless otherwise in the context of traditional pop music-craft, so like any reasonable ambient it gets a 6. But I’m adding a point because in the soundtrack context it actually HAS a point too. Nice pick. 7/10.
 
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Dominique Dumont - People On Sunday

As Mr Foggy alludes too, always difficult to add what’s already been said - straight away listening I felt this is all rather mundane and boring to also this is rather beautiful. So I suppose I will score around the basis of that. I do enjoy some ambient especially on some of the dance albums I have, Chemical Brothers seem to pull them off for me the best as they’re at times a welcome break between the heavy stuff - but I struggle to listen to ambient sounds continuously.
Nice nomination and it should always be encouraged to have something different away from FOC Dad Rock at times.

Pick of the bunch : Sunshine In 1929

Bonus Point: If I’m in a rocket one day and I’m told to go fix the fuselage and there’s an explosion as it all goes horribly wrong as I drift off into space - this would be my go too choice.

4/10
 
southamptonblue said:
Just finished the 3rd listen, and although one of my prospective choices is very electronic pop, as I'd describe it, it generally isn't my thing. It's not awful, in fact I can listen to it, but reminds me of the cd's you used to (maybe still can?) buy in garden centres of running water/wind in the trees etc. I wouldn't rush to turn it off....but it would probably finish an hr before I noticed. 4.

Rob....which page is the nominations list on please?
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I think I'll probably find I'm repeating myself from reviews of other ambient choices in saying that I don't know enough about the genre to know what isa god and what is bad. southampton blue captures part of my feeling about it all and if ever a type of music strikes you as something that AI could probably churn out this would be it.

Having said that... well what. My first couple of listens to this were lying on the sofa wondering if my afternoon nap would amount to anything and we had anothe listen while taking the scenic route to Yorkshire for a couple of days away. If my headphones hadn't been broken it would have got a more intimate listen while we were away and then yesterday despite a search on my TV youtube app I couldn't find the film with the soundtrack. I had to watch gold videos while I did the ironing instead.

Anyway, some of the tracks I enjoyed, there was a repetitive almost hypnotic quality to it. But suprisingly and at odds with what others have said I found some of it jarring, intrusive. My expectations of background relaxing music is that I want it all to maintain a certain consistancy and for me there were moments where it didn't.

Of the ambient choices we've had I liked Air the best but despite what I might have said at the time I haven't returned to it. My habit of having certain go to classical pieces to relax to hasn't been broken. So it sems unlikely I would return to this. It's not awful or boring though and worth a 6
 
BlueHammer85 said:
Basically the stuff I’m starting to score highly as I fast approach my 40’s!
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I think maybe I was born a FOC.

When I was 18/19, I was marvelling at the music of Springsteen and Mellencamp and curling my lip at that horrible dance music.

I still believe that dance music is only good as the soundtrack to comedy videos (see Harry Hill's TV Burp).
 
Brave choice! Not one that really floats my boat, although floating on a boat in the middle of a nice calm lake on a warm sunny day might be a nice place to listen to this.
Unfortunately I’m not overly keen on boats, so l never to get to try out this theory.
Found it all a bit samey if I’m honest and not something I’d rush to listen to again.
Not the worst pick we’ve had so I’ll give a 5/10
 
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