Wincing Away Some Thunderous Weekend in the City while perusing the Neon Bible
Not much news to report. I've been interning three days a week for a production company. I enjoy myself for the majority of the time I spend there, but there is the occasional moment when I am walking back with five coffees that I do question my path in life.
Interviewed for a job to be an assistant to a producer last week. Hope that comes through...
Gotten my hands on some new music recently. My thoughts:
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away: Third time is not the charm, unfortunately. At first listen, it sounds like they've been way influenced by the animal collective, which isn't necessarily a horrible thing, but it does clash a bit with their previous sensibilities. There's defintiely 3 good to great songs on here, which is typical for them, but the rest of the album was always decent and listenable. This time, it's just sort of mediocre, and that's worse than being a flat out flop. So, I guess at the end of four or five albums, one would be able to make a killer Best-Of type compilation. Or not. Time will tell...
Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City: Not bad. I feel it's at least on par with their last album. Bloc Party has sort of been a good band to just have on. I don't take them incredibly seriously, nor have they changed my life (a required joke due to the Shins presence here), but they write catchy upbeat stuff. That doesn't mean I'm shelling out 30 bucks to see them play here next month though...
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Some Loud Thunder: Hurm. Only listened to this once so far. I'm not as disappointed as I thought I'd be based on what people have said and that single on 103.1, but I'm not won over either. I guess it's just OK, which again, is sort of disappointing. Some songs sound very over-produced, others filler, & the opening track is completely befuddling from several perspectives. I mean, why would you purpose take what sounds like a decent song and make it sound like complete shit? I will have to listen to this some more, but things do not bode well...
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: No, it's not out for another week or two, but I got me a leaked copy and have been listening to it fervently. Took me a bit, but it's really got a hold on me. At first listen, I was pleased enough, but I wasn't knocked out. Currently, I am full on in love with this album. I don't think it eclipses or even equals Funeral, but it comes close. They don't really expand or change their sound or anything, but since I love their sound, that doesn't bother me. One interesting note: the leaked copy I got my hands on has one or two songs out of order. The single Intervention is the last track on my copy but the the fourth track on the actual album. My first listen to the album made me think it was stronger in the second half, in part because the penultimate track "My Body is A Cage" is such a downer and to hear Intervention come on is a call to arms. Placed in the middle, it balances the album out, but results in the finale being substantially subdued. Odd. Irregardless, this album lived up to my expectations and is the certifiable winner of this pack.
Well, back to the grind.
It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way.
Interviewed for a job to be an assistant to a producer last week. Hope that comes through...
Gotten my hands on some new music recently. My thoughts:
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away: Third time is not the charm, unfortunately. At first listen, it sounds like they've been way influenced by the animal collective, which isn't necessarily a horrible thing, but it does clash a bit with their previous sensibilities. There's defintiely 3 good to great songs on here, which is typical for them, but the rest of the album was always decent and listenable. This time, it's just sort of mediocre, and that's worse than being a flat out flop. So, I guess at the end of four or five albums, one would be able to make a killer Best-Of type compilation. Or not. Time will tell...
Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City: Not bad. I feel it's at least on par with their last album. Bloc Party has sort of been a good band to just have on. I don't take them incredibly seriously, nor have they changed my life (a required joke due to the Shins presence here), but they write catchy upbeat stuff. That doesn't mean I'm shelling out 30 bucks to see them play here next month though...
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Some Loud Thunder: Hurm. Only listened to this once so far. I'm not as disappointed as I thought I'd be based on what people have said and that single on 103.1, but I'm not won over either. I guess it's just OK, which again, is sort of disappointing. Some songs sound very over-produced, others filler, & the opening track is completely befuddling from several perspectives. I mean, why would you purpose take what sounds like a decent song and make it sound like complete shit? I will have to listen to this some more, but things do not bode well...
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: No, it's not out for another week or two, but I got me a leaked copy and have been listening to it fervently. Took me a bit, but it's really got a hold on me. At first listen, I was pleased enough, but I wasn't knocked out. Currently, I am full on in love with this album. I don't think it eclipses or even equals Funeral, but it comes close. They don't really expand or change their sound or anything, but since I love their sound, that doesn't bother me. One interesting note: the leaked copy I got my hands on has one or two songs out of order. The single Intervention is the last track on my copy but the the fourth track on the actual album. My first listen to the album made me think it was stronger in the second half, in part because the penultimate track "My Body is A Cage" is such a downer and to hear Intervention come on is a call to arms. Placed in the middle, it balances the album out, but results in the finale being substantially subdued. Odd. Irregardless, this album lived up to my expectations and is the certifiable winner of this pack.
Well, back to the grind.
It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way.