Lianne
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Everything posted by Lianne
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For some reason, I really like the name "SIGN".
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Sean is a beautiful person
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Thank you! ?
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Forgive the stupid question... Which chat room did Sean write that in? Is there a WATMM chat room?! (I usually go on here on phone.)
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I agree this one is miles better than the last two - it feels so good to crank it loud as well, which didn’t feel so great to do on the previous recent works - but sometimes when in the right mood Damogen did do something for me. It has some aspects of magic on it even if listening was often a struggle. But man, just heard Ufabulum again and it’s a even worse then I remembered (because I tried to make myself like or “get it” at the time.) The opener is pretty great for a few minutes, but then that EDM thing happens. I’m sure an uplifting chordal bright synth riff could work - I’ve heard it work - but for some reason it just sounded so cheap and cheesy and weak on this album. Surrounded by weirdly still-good rhythmic programming in places. I like bright synth fantasy wizard electronic dance music in principle but my ears couldn’t hack that album. Then again, it seems super popular - the opener alone has a mass of adoring comments. So evidently it worked at bringing a lot of fans in and works for many. But the new release is so much more solid sounding with top-notch control, madness, tension and release.
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Well, I think this album is pretty fantastic...Mekrev Bass in particular is a monster - but all the tracks are enjoyable - even the first two (though the second track is the least captivating on the disc for me.) For whatever reason it somehow seems to sound both warmer and easier on the ears AND more manic and dense than his recent albums leading up to this one. I like the intensity and craziness of it - so many others seem to be going for a more minimal, subtle, less-is-more thing, but this is a welcome bout of info overload at times. It’s pretty inspiring to see someone of his age and place I releasing music putting out something so strong and vital. It’s definitely my favourite of his since ‘Hello Everything’ - maybe even Ultravisitor.
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Sounds so great - thanks for sharing! Did you wear ear plugs? Bet it was super loud at the front...
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I’m not sure why you didn’t get more agreement here about the mixing / mastering thing - any musician I know who listens to this kind of music has been extremely confused by Tom’s mixing and mastering from ‘Hello Everything’ onwards. And I’ve often heard ‘Go Plastic’ described as a really great sounding record and worth referencing against by the same people. It’s like they don’t know what happened to him. For what it’s worth, that’s how I’ve heard things (even though ‘Hello Everything’ was pretty great and got away with it.) The next few, especially Ufabulum and Shobaleader One, apart from the sounds themselves being pretty naff, seem to have an “overall sound” that’s just fatiguing, limp, harsh and somehow weak all at the same time when played against pretty much any other record I own, even if I don’t particularly like those records. So it’s not just the music - it seems to be the mixing and mastering. Because I know that if shobaleader one sounded really warm and heavy (like some hip hop or soul I own) I would have actually enjoyed the melodies and vocoder workouts. I don’t mind music like that sometimes and get Tom wants to have fun. Even Ufabulum, though I find some of it too EDM, could have been kind of killer in places if they overall “sound” wasn’t so fizzy and weirdly unsatisfying.
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I love this track. And Quaristice. Can’t believe the rubbish I wrote earlier in this thread...how embarrassing.
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They definitely used elastic band recordings on Cfern.
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Yeah, it is growing on me. ? Very predictably... The first half of Polymer is such a great sequence of tracks - up to an including 'Dancer's. The second half almost feels like it's pursuing a different theme altogether, more in line with The Digging Remedy. I did enjoy that album, but the first half of this feels like it's hitting on a harder synthetic zone. I wonder what it would have been like to have stayed in that place till the end?
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I agree with you here. I'm not saying this about anyone in this thread, because I don't know the music being referenced - but it's depressing the amount people trash more 'out there' music as pretentious, emotionless, noise... Or whatever else. I know I can't talk, as I express my disappointment about new music sometimes (and then backtrack), but I still don't know why unpopular, experimental music causes people to feel the need to question the value of said music with great dismissive virulence so often. Maybe these composers want to explore new terrain that interests them and hasn't been touched on much? Maybe they're not aiming at conveying the usual emotions most music conveys? Maybe they really are taking the mick? But even if they are, it's good different and extreme things exist. And when 99% of music is confirming to your needs, I don't get why it isn't anything except a benefit if a small number of people are pursuing academic and unusual ends.
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What do people make of the opening track, Meds Fade? I’ve got to say I’m finding it one of the weakest openers of any of their albums, but maybe it’ll grow on me. It’s not a terrible track, but usually their openers are winners for me and set a great tone for what’s to come. In general I’m actually enjoying that limited release they did for Elektron a little more than this album, which I only heard recently. Seems very playful and fresh and with some wonderfully twisted, bouncy rhythms. It’s a shame it didn’t get a wider release / more exposure.
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I'm very happy and thankful Plaid are still making albums and I generally really like their style. This album is good, perhaps the most interesting to me of the last few - but am I the only one who has sometimes wishes for more of a build up/development in tracks, since and including Scintilli? From that album on, it seems they have generally been deliberately going for a more filtered, minimal sound (I've heard them say that in interviews), but it means even with a favourite track from those albums (like, say, CLOCK from The Digging Remedy) I'm kind of left wanting more at the end. Like - oh, it's over already? I guess that's a good thing, and I understand people might prefer something more stripped back and to-the-point, but what can I say...'Spokes' is my favourite Plaid album, which has these epic, dark, glorious tracks that really go places. But I know that that's not generally their most popular release (to me it still sounds amazing and has only got better with age and in contrast to most new electronic albums.) And I'm not saying everything from the last few albums has that 'issue' - Wallet from Reachy Prints, for example, has a subtle but glorious build and is one of the most beautifully structured electronic tracks I've ever heard. The tracks that resonate the most at the moment on Polymer are Ops, Drowned Sea, and Dancers. Probably Los and The Pale Moth too. Most of the other tracks have a great sound palette (the production on here is their best since Spokes imo) and will hopefully grow on me but seem a bit simpler/ linear/repetitive or don't give the pay-off I crave. Even the tracks I do love, I sometimes want more from. But this opinion will probably change with time.
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Nice track - I was getting a bit tired of the 'Syro' (later tracks) sound and beat structures, having got hold of everything AFX new since then (don't shoot me, I can't help such reactions) - but this track has some of the 'extra elements' that say, The Tuss had, which seems to bring it up a level and makes for more surprises. On the other hand, I'm not sure why many respond negatively to (a small minority) of others want more innovation, or why 'innovation' (it's a hard word to use and define) is seen as undesirable vs a traditionally great, solid, decent track (as if there were opposition between the two.) I think Aphex Twin IS someone you would have gone to for this? I mean, don't we remember our minds being blown by his past works - hearing Windowlicker the first time, or Drukqs? Or The Tuss? Or Analord 10? I'm kind of still craving a 54 cymru beats experience for the new era, but get how some of his new stuff is as detailed and wonderful in more subtle ways. PS - I know people get irritated by my posts like these, but if you can't express a range opinions in a forum like this, it's all a bit pointless. Hoping for something totally surprising or extra in new Aphex isn't negative, it's positive!
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Amber is consistently their worst album for me, and Confield their best. There others hover around different positions depending on mood, though Untilted, Chiastic Slide and Draft 7.30 are usually top tier. The rest are also great, except LP5 doesn't get listened to much for some reason (I can see it's an important and brilliant album, but it's not a favourite to listen to - it's right next to Amber in the 'best to worst' list.) Though early Ae speaks to me less (I discovered them in 2000), Incunabula is usually a surprisingly wonderful listen. I like it a lot more than Amber for some reason. (Not that Amber's a bad album - but I mean relative to their other stuff.) There's very little of their output I don't enjoy!
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I can understand the disappointment, but now it has shifted into something quite beautiful with what feels like those chord changes in the bass area. Quite a sound...I would enjoy this if I heard it from someone I had never heard of before.
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Quite beautiful at the moment. Please let it get more epic to make sense of the rest!
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Ok, now it is thickening!
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Yes, that one was actually full of little details and the atmosphere was fully addictive. I remember liking it from the beginning of hearing it (for once..haha.) It had distinct 'phases' and loads of little field recording snippets, micro elements and subtle shifts as well as the main subtle changes. Lots of layers! Still play it often...
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This might be what fills the entirety of the rest of NTS4!
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Iamreadyforchordno.2now...
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If it hadn't been the ending part to bladelores I think it would have been a cooler experience (because many of us have rinsed that piece so much since Exai came out.) At least now it is brightening/shifting moving a bit further away from the sound of that track, even if the chord remains the same. For a long while it was so close to the 'original'. I've never actually be as blown away by that ending to bladelores as some were, but if you've always wanted more of that this will be a welcome indulgence!
