Clark - Totems Flare

[Guest olson]

do you know what insipid means

[Lianne]

do you know what insipid means

 

Bad word choice there, yeah.

[Dr Clitterhaus]

I know dribbling on in detail about music isn't seen as too cool here or on any music forum

[beariksson]

Now let me say how good it is to see bearikson posting on this page (scroll up a bit, he's right there!). Some of you may recall about half way through this thread we discovered that bearikson had named himself after the Interpol song "Lief Ericsson". I'd like to take this opportunity to once again congratulate him on his choice of screen name and also say that I look forward to some more fascinating input from him in the upcoming pages of this thread.

 

[karmakramer]

For me, I like his old work just as much as I like his new stuff... but for different reasons. I could go into detail about why I think Totems Flare is AOTY so far, but I'd rather not cause I am a lazy ass and at the end of the day, who really gives a shit about my opinion when music is subjective. Me explaining why I think this is great isn't going to change ones perspective... and even if it did or could... I still wouldn't... cause I am lazy and talking about music in detail bores me.

 

I think you should share. Everyone should. It might sound strange, but I've had my opinion changed on 'subjective' things through other peoples' thoughts on them - films, books, jazz and classical music pieces - anything. It is a very grey area, and one obviously shouldn't feel pressured into liking or disliking something, but learning new perspectives and hearing in-depth descriptions of art from people who really love it can shift how you hear and see and read things. Yeah, these opinions are ultimately subjective, but if we stop there then we might as well all give up... There's a difference between informed, thought-out opinions that match what seems to be going on sonically in the music and "opinions" that are merely statements of feeling. For example, listening to this new one in the car with friends, I found that all the annoyances I had with it were matched by them, even without me stating them. Does that makes us "right"? No, of course not. But it suggests that those things are actually in there and aren't just me flinging mud at anything and everything that is new in Clark.

 

Then again, I know dribbling on in detail about music isn't seen as too cool here or on any music forum. I don't care, though; I'd gladly do it about Body Riddle. Now that is a special album: everytime I listen to it, I become more convinced that Clark is a genius. Everyone time I listen to Totems Flare, I find it to be more insipid than before.

 

Alright, i'll make a post in a little bit, just woke up.

[karmakramer]

Alright first off let me just say that this album demands to be played fucking loud. Listening on laptop speakers in my opinion does this music absolutely no justice. I am going to break down my "review" by songs and then give an overall summary of the entire album. I'll be a little intoxicated in this review so bare with me on typo's, grammatical fuck ups, and the occasional sentence or analogy that makes absolutely no sense. I don't write about music very often, and when I do, I tend to keep it brief... but because it seems most of the lengthy posts in this thread are more negative, I want to show some support and appreciation for one of my favorite artists recently.

 

Outside Plume - The opening seconds of this song contain some very lush but quiet ambient music, that makes similar appearances all throughout the album. Sometimes at the beginning of a track, sometimes at the end... This for me, reminds me of many different parts of the album, many different songs... though what I find so impressive is that this album really has no "songs." Some people complain about the chaotic nature of this album, how Chris never stays in one place very long. But in my first listens to this album, I wasn't looking at iTunes, I was simply listening via headphones outside in my yard at night. I didn't pay any attention to song titles/lengths ect... So for me, in those first listens, this album felt almost like one long continuous jam. And thats what this album is... its a "rock" album. It's fucking heavy and this opening song is a near perfect introduction to the many layers, sounds, and melodies of Totems Flare. The beginning beat almost feels like some sort of wind-up machine, warming up... getting all fuzzy and spacey. Then once charged, we explode into some pretty righteous beats and screeching electric yelps, almost like a vocal freak-out.... this then fades out a little and things wind-up again! Getting faster, more layered and chaotic. All building up... he ends the song with a great climatic melody, Gripping! Which fades out to that beautiful hazy ambient music (I always picture some post-apocalyptic industrial facility with huge smoke stacks, and at certain times of the night, the "totems" would create this music. Definitely got these images from the cover, which I am growing to love)...

 

Growl's Garden - So here it is, the first track to ever have a vocal track sung by the man himself. First off I love the catchy melody that plays throughout this song. To me it shows Clark's unique ability to take a repetitive sample and really milk it for all its worth. The use of some reverb on the beats, make this track start off smooth... but after the final line of "I will find you, in the garden, star guitarian... star guitarian," things start to rock out of control... and he begins using a bit of distortion here as well. Which for me isn't a cheap gimmick and is obviously intentional... especially with headphones the distortion adds a shit load of depth and with his excellent production he is able to build new melodies within the distortion, fading them in and out... making this music very complex though simple in structure. He's essentially achieved some righteous braindance pop music and there is absolutely nothing bad about that. Pop music is great, it just sucks 99% of the time. This being an exception... and Windowlicker being the originator for "electronic" music.

 

Rainbow Voodoo - This song really brightens things up for me. It's got this really great playful attitude and I think the lyrics really enhance those feelings. Really wild lyrics that aren't like much I have heard, especially with most of the music WATMM focuses on. The transition at around 2:50 is absolutely ridiculous. Light trails and shit, really fucking heavy... and the melody after usually puts a smile on my face. Clark's ability to create these vibrant contrasts is what makes this album in particular really great. Whether its the contrasts that he creates with the distortion or in his melodies and vocals, its all top notch work. Showcasing more of how he milks samples, the work he did with his voice on this track also has a lot of contrast! This song is Chris playing around, fucking with things, having fun... and the song easily captures it.

 

Look Into the Heart Now - The opening beat is a great transition from the previous tracks. Clark clearly (as he has shown in the past) has a great sense of pacing for his albums. Putting this track in here just washes you off from the previous chaos. It's a track that grounds you... I get some 80's pop influence from it, but its obviously far ahead of that era. It sounds meant to be played on a turntable late on a drunken night. The solo acid freak-out at the end really comes out of nowhere, and sends me more of that playful fun feeling. I think someone mentioned in this thread, but its like an AFX/Vibert shout-out... a homage. This album in many ways is giving homage to the past. It feels like he's thinks we have reached an end of an era. Oh and I think the vocal work on this track is some of his best... the effects he adds really melts his voice into the melodies.

 

Luxman Furs - Probably my least favorite song of the album, there is some great parts to it. The beginning is just pretty awful. But at around, 2:20 it picks up to this faster "chase scene" melody... which has some great drum work. The layering towards the end of this is fantastic, with these synth sounds bouncing all over the place.

 

Totems Crackerjack - Best on the album and such an awesome song title. The horns make this thing start of like a fucking mad-man orchestrating the Chicago Symphony, and the drums... ooohhh the drums on this are so raw and heavy, never gets old to hear those splashes of drum cymbals, like rocks dropping into water. The song never lets up either, its constantly changing, but never feels at all dis-connected. The more prominent horns around 1:25 have such weight and emotion, its hard to describe. The transition to more sounds of wind-up machines, this track escalates until it winds down and then up to an even faster tempo. And then again! Almost like we are reaching different stages of the same song... the song breaks down to a lighter synth melody, which at least lately has been great to hear in the summertime. The beautiful but slightly sad piano bit at the end works really well in connecting us with those ambient/horn sounds found throughout. You can hear the soft singing of a children's choir near the end... sounds of bliss.

 

Future Daniel - Which transitions really great into this which what I can only imagine makes everyone here think of their childhood. It's got a bit of AFX in it too it I think. The melody is not only nostalgic, but his sampling of what sounds like Mario video game sounds is so fucking brilliant. Not much else needs to be said really.

 

Primary Balloon Landing - The title and song gives me more of those images of this futuristic world with some fantasy and post-apocalyptic environments. Dark, but like some small town, there are warm homes with good people... lonely lights like stars in the night sky.

 

Talis - The album has reached a turning point now. And this songs leads us onto new grounds. Almost like you've landed on a new world, lost, he sings about a quest. A journey to find someone... somewhere in the cold winter snow. The beats on this are heavy, and more electronic. More reverbed horns really adds to the atmosphere. Epic, but sad at the same time. Definitely was feeling the album was coming to a closure.

 

Suns of Temper - This song is the climax of the album. It incorporates some of the things I loved off Turning Dragon especially in the first couple of minutes... then Clark smacks the living shit out of you, with some heavy closing beats and powerful fucking lyrics. I have no clue what he is saying, but its just soaked in cool. The drums, horns, cymbals (holy shit!), effects, it all comes together in this track. Like the alignment of the fucking solar system.

 

Absence - Perhaps I am looking too much into the title... but I definitely get a feeling of death and loss from this song. It's not necessarily sad, its beautiful actually. It feels very timeless too. Something that will speak to anyone, no matter what time or place.

 

I kind of lessened the detail as I went, cause I got kind of tired, but yeah here is what I think of this album... I'll do an overall summary in a little bit, I need to take a break and give it another listen in a few hours.

[awepittance]

my girlfriend, ahem wife, has been listening to Totem's flare a lot. I think my favorite song is the 1st one, its just too damn short, i wish it was longer and developed a little more.

[karmakramer]

Overall Conclusion:

 

Totems Flare is a release that impresses me on many different levels. It's madness and alien, something akin to "Drukqs" but more approachable. It will be interesting to see where Chris Clark goes next, because so far his releases have been pretty fresh. I hope he does give us a "Drukqs" one day, just totally let's loose and makes some crazy fast dnb stuff. I certainly think he is capable.

[Guest olson]

i will let this speak for itself

 

[spptrl alt del]

Overall Conclusion:

 

Totems Flare is a release that impresses me on many different levels. It's madness and alien, something akin to "Drukqs" but more approachable. It will be interesting to see where Chris Clark goes next, because so far his releases have been pretty fresh. I hope he does give us a "Drukqs" one day, just totally let's loose and makes some crazy fast dnb stuff. I certainly think he is capable.

 

this is a far cry from drukqs. my rough analogy would be: terminator salvation (totems flare) vs. original star wars trilogy (drukqs)

[karmakramer]

this is a far cry from drukqs. my rough analogy would be: terminator salvation (totems flare) vs. original star wars trilogy (drukqs)

 

I would have picked "2001" for Drukqs... and I didn't say this was as good as Drukqs... they aren't really comparable. My point was that Totems Flare has an alien/madness feeling, a feeling that is similar to what I experienced when I really got into Drukqs.

 

Tis why I then went to say "I hope one day Chris can make his Drukqs."

[Solo Strike]

I'm predicting Clark's next big release will be his drum and bass/breakcore type stuff. I'm talking his Milanese remix style.

[Ego]

Suns of Temper is epic! I'm enjoying the rest as well. But always rewind once after Suns of Temper.

[awepittance]

i will let this speak for itself

 

 

for those of us not fortunate enough to use Itunes care to explain?

[Blir]

i will let this speak for itself

 

 

for those of us not fortunate stupid enough to use Itunes care to explain?

[awepittance]

i guess sometimes my sarcasm is too subtle

[Blir]

i guess sometimes my sarcasm is too subtle

 

Not at all! Just thought it would have flown over the head of your typical iTunes user.

[karmakramer]

what program do you guys use?

[Blir]

A much worse one.

[Guest olson]

hey fuck off i like itunes. also that's just the album sorted by play count. future daniel ftw

[awepittance]

i love programs that force you to make a duplicate COPY of your mp3 or aiff file in order to be able to play it in said program when you drag it over to the playlist, fucking genius programming right there

[Dr Clitterhaus]

Awepittance hates %99.993 of electronic music but writes it anyway and posts on an electronic music forum. In other words, he is a cunt

[Guest olson]

i love programs that force you to make a duplicate COPY of your mp3 or aiff file in order to be able to play it in said program when you drag it over to the playlist, fucking genius programming right there

 

what

 

i've never had this problem

[jules]

i love programs that force you to make a duplicate COPY of your mp3 or aiff file in order to be able to play it in said program when you drag it over to the playlist, fucking genius programming right there

 

 

 

i think that was like 4 or 5 versions of itunes ago. like many many years ago. i dont understand how anyone an complain about itunes. to each their own though

[awepittance]

i love programs that force you to make a duplicate COPY of your mp3 or aiff file in order to be able to play it in said program when you drag it over to the playlist, fucking genius programming right there

 

 

 

i think that was like 4 or 5 versions of itunes ago. like many many years ago. i dont understand how anyone an complain about itunes. to each their own though

 

but i have Itunes 8.2, is that not the most current version? why would you make up lies , or perhaps you misunderstand my complaint. For those not organized enough to want to drag every single mp3 of their's into one folder, say if you have a song that you just downloaded from a friend's file transfer, when you drag that over to an itunes playlist it duplicates the file for you (not moves it) into it's own itunes directory, thus creating 2 copies of the same file on your hard drive. On VLC media player or winamp or pretty much any other well programmed mp3 player it does not do this, it continues on like normal and plays the file from where it currently resides, for some reson Itiunes is incapable of keeping a file where it belongs while playing it. Pretty weird how someone could think that's good.