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Poimandres

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Posts posted by Poimandres

  1. Saw these guys live a few days ago, that would be my fifth time. It was certainly a better show than they've put on in the last decade where they seemed a bit tired/bored so I'd def recommend checking them out if you get a chance. 

    The new tracks translate very well live, especially Pneuma. It hasn't changed my mind on any of the strengths and weaknesses of the album but it was a positive experience. Danny is a beast and definitely the mvp. Oh they played 7empest as well which was good fun!

  2. Ehh my opinion has pretty much solidified after... 50 listens? Sometimes I really like it, but then if I put it on after listening to something a bit more energetic (like Black Midi for a recent rock album) it can be sluggish and slightly dull. I think I've digested all the album has to offer, and it's not going to offer up any real revelations. 

    Looking forward to hearing it live though for sure. It's good, but I'm not gushing. 

  3. Since this thread is now veering closer to everyone having a self congratulatory party patting each other on the dick I'll offer a bit of a counter point. I've basically been listening to the album non stop and overall it's good but not great. 

    Strengths I would say are Danny's drumming (clear highlight), consistency (no stinkers), and very solid performances all round. 

    Weaknesses, every track is the same basic slow build long form (apart from 7empest) and rather mid tempo. It can get a bit monotonous. I've also never been a fan of The Patient and both Pneuma and Invincible have movements that get into a similar dreary jugga jugga guitar riff as that track. Also Maynards vocals are lacking some bite. If you think this album is amazing just chuck on Aenima immediately after and you can hear how much more vital everyone sounds. 

    But, all that said, I do like the album quite a bit. I just don't think it's some 10/10 deliver on all fronts. 

  4. 13 hours ago, hello spiral said:

    Great tracks on there but too long, way too much juvenile studenty filler. Hash brown recipe in German I'm looking at you.

    Every single real track on Aenima is a total banger. Just skip the filler tracks and you have a 60+ minute album of pure gold. Lateralus... Ehhh I don't think The Patient is great, Schism isn't on par with anything from Aenima, even Parabola runs out of steam in the second half. There just isn't as much good music on there. 

  5. 7 hours ago, Salvatorin said:

    i'm almost wondering if this is a ruse. i get that danny carey probably still uses the same mandala drum pads from the lateralus era, but the drum groove seems to be almost exactly the same form and tempo as 'reflection'. sounds like a cut and paste job from lateralus/10k/APC scraps. same with the other tunes on youtube. not offensively bad, but utterly forgettable. AI generated tool song

    People had a similar theory before 10000 Days. "Look at that tracklist, a song called The Pot are you kidding? They are hiding the real album away! Vicarious is intentionally uninspired, just read the lyrics man"

    It must be hard to write songs that sound like Tool without being too familiar or too different. Honestly they used up all their best riffs on Aenima. So far this doesn't sound as forced as 10000 Days, and I'm happy for a more relaxed listen without setting expectations sky high. 

    • Like 1
  6. Well shit, this is a hard one!

     

    Chiastic Slide

    LP5

    Tri Rep

    EP7

    Confield

    NTS (?, still digesting)

    Exai

    Draft

    Amber

    Oversteps

    Untilted

    Elseq

    Incunabula

    Quaristice

     

    Yeah... Maybe... I don't know. Best eps are Cichli, Envane, Garbage most definitely. EP7 is an album to me.

  7.  

     

    Personally, I would have paid $40 for an hour long album of VI Scose Poise

    Holy shit. We spoke, they listened. Elseq was born.
    Lol but nothing on elseq is as good as VI Scose Poise.

     

    Personally, all of Elseq 4 at least > VI Scose Poise.

  8. Cool album but I think taht every song sounds very very similiar (bitcrushed drums + melancholic synthstrings), but nonetheless enjoyable

    Ya, it's all pretty similar. Flows really well as an album though with kind of a mysterious mood that permeates the whole thing.

     

    If you're looking for industrial stuff, I'd recommend checking out Haujobb as well. They have some pretty banging tunes, but a lot of people don't like the vocals.

     

  9. i listen to most of my music via earphones while commuting to / from work.

     

    for what it's worth, i found the soundspace of elseq to be far too brutal to listen to thru earphones.

     

    it's something about either the mixing / mastering, or more likely, the software they are using to generate these tracks. you can tell their current setup was originally designed for live performance, because it has that real dry / up front / in your face sound ( like all of the AE_LIVE soundboards they released ) which is ideal in a live venue.

     

    luckily, i found an iOS music player that has a crossfeed function: Neutron (also available for Android). i turn the crossfeed on when listening to elseq & it really helped smooth out some of that brittle, ultra high frequency sound.

     

    i like this abstract stuff they are doing lately but i am REALLY burned out on the AE_LIVE / elseq sound at this point. i would love to see AE get back to using hardware along with their crazy sequencing  /event generating setup because i think it could majorly benefit from a richer soundscape (see the Oversteps tour recordings as an example).

     

    people who listen thru speakers might disagree, but try listening to this stuff thru headphones & earphones. i've found it really fatiguing in a way that most other music is not, and i've never been one to be bothered by prolonged headphone listening (in fact, i much prefer it to listening thru speakers).

     

    :shrug:

    I've actually listened to this pretty much exclusively through headphones (Beyer DT250's), and I don't feel the same way! I find this release more approachable as a headphone album than, say, something like Untilted which never sat quite right with me via headphones.

     

    I guess the true test of how non-fatiguing I find this is that I've actually done the full 4 plus hours a couple of times and come out the other end... hungry for more.

  10. Their music has always been pretty repetitive though.. their output up to maybe chiastic slide was even more repetitive than this stuff imo. Again, I don't have a problem with it at all, but repetition has kinda been their thing since the beginning..

    Yeah, I agree with this absolutely.

  11. I think your opinion might change over time. Funnily enough, one of the main stumbling blocks for getting into Autechre to begin with for me was the track lengths and a perceived lack of evolution! There have always been some frustrating Autechre tracks for me for a variety of reasons, and there are a couple on here that get a bit long in the tooth for me (Eastre for example). But, as a release I don't hear this as being "unedited" at all. It did kind of sound that way initially, but now I hear a similar level of attention to detail as other releases.

  12. I listened to all 5 Elseq's on Saturday, walking around the streets in the rain catching Pokemon

     

    I really appreciated 2 and 3 which I haven't listened to as much.

  13.  

    I keep planning on listening to some other Autechre stuff.... like revisiting Exai or some live sets, but then I just end up listening to Elseq instead.

     

    Yes, damn true Poiman. I can't seem to get away from my faves. I'm hooked on the elseq 1-4's but not listened to part 5 at all. I didn't download it, 4 was enough. It can only come as a disappointment after the immensity of the previous 4... Poiman, i'm sure you felt the same.

     

    Yes, I am well hooked, but I have delved into 5 which must be said is quite excellent. If anything, I need to give 2 and 3 some more attention!

  14. I keep planning on listening to some other Autechre stuff.... like revisiting Exai or some live sets, but then I just end up listening to Elseq instead.

  15. I think you guys are taking this way too seriously. It's a fun if slightly goofy track. The Gorrilaz comparison is pretty apt for me.

     

    Seems like you guys are selling Since I Left You a bit short. It doesn't need to be "the greatest album of all time", but it is very enjoyable and well executed. Over rated I agree, but that doesn't make it shit!

  16. I listened to Portishead - Third on the commute to work this morning and that reminded me that 10 year albums can sometimes deliver the goods, which made me feel a bit better about Tool than I had been for a while. And hey... at least we're getting the new Avalanches today right? Come on Tool, give us a new album so the year of musical dreams (and terrible deaths) can be truly complete!

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