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Aberdeen-Music Jukebox Jury


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Dean Blunt - Black Metal

There's nothing there. It's empty. It's dead. It wants me to die with it. I refuse.

 

Ariel Pink - Pom Pom

This is the anti-Dean Blunt. Everything is TOTHEMAX, this guy wants me to go to the casino at 5 in the morning but all I want to do is go to bed. Leave me alone Ariel. Please. I'm begging you. No more glam rock. No more. Stop.

 

The Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

It's fine. I tapped my foot a few times. I didn't even feel an urge to turn it off after a couple of tracks. It'll do. I probably won't go back to it though.

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Dean Blunt - Black Metal.

This is an album of shit boring songs that go nowhere. The first few are almost passable, although they're repetitive and dull, the ones on side 2 are long looping instrumentals with occasional annoying noises and a guy rapping over them from time to time. They are also repetitive and dull. And empty. This is almost offensively bad. I'd rather listen to nothing than listen to this. 

*

 

Ariel Pink - Pom Pom.

Apparently the Marmite selection this week, because this is right up my street. Fun, interesting, eccentric, catchy, shameless daft pop. A lot of 80s electropop and new romantic influence, although I can hear bits of Zappa, Devo, and The Polysics in there as well, and in the few serious numbers there's a touch of Kate Bush and David Bowie. Not all the songs hit, and it really shouldn't be 67 minutes long, but I forgive it because it's so lovable. I suspect I'll be listening to this a lot.

****

 

The Decemberists - What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World.

Funny band this. Every time I listen to them I think it's nice and I enjoy it, then I don't listen to it again for another year. They're just kind of there, reliable, never really pushing boundaries. Like supporting Coventry City. Mid table every year, no excitement. I eat toast and jam every morning because I like toast and jam. This was nice and I enjoyed it and I'll listen to it again in a year.

***

 

This week I rate them:

1 - Pink Ariel

2 - The Decemberists

3 - Dean Blunt

Edited by Lemon Raspberry
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Dean Blunt- Black Metal

 

Found this an odd listen in that I don't think I've ever felt simultaneously immersed in and totally distant from a record whilst listening.  The guitar work on the first few tracks had a nice, hazy Kurt Vile sort of feel, which I liked, the girl's vocals were great and I dug the call and the response stuff, but I found the main vocal really jarring and off-putting.  Some of the longer tracks in the middle showed promise, nice sparse beats and wordless vocals, but then (particularly in "X"), there were blasts of dancehall/euphoria sounds coming out of nowhere that really didn't fit with the rest of what was going on.  Some of the harsher electronic stuff reminded me of Encre, but a lot less interesting.  The last few tracks where there was a more grimy, spoken-word vocal worked better, but I sort of felt I was done with the album by that point and wished he'd taken more of that approach throughout.  There were elements here that I did enjoy, however the album as a whole felt disjointed and lazy, a bit of an identity crisis, and I almost felt that it was intended to be a difficult listen.

 

2/5

 

Ariel Pink- Pom Pom

 

...and almost instantly, I found myself pining for Dean Blunt.  I really can't articulate what it is I dislike most about this record.  "Plastic Raincoats" felt like it was made to be a soundtrack to some kooky mobile phone commercial and the playground chanting was infuriating.  Then there was the excessively glam guitar work, the weird, uncomfortable porn groove stuff and pan pipes.  PAN PIPES.  It's hard to believe that this was a record released for listening pleasure and not a sleep-deprivation tactic from Guantanamo Bay.  I certainly felt like I'd been waterboarded with Red Bull, or Relentless, or something even more ropey. I considered giving it one point for actually being able to provoke such a hostile response from me, but since I hated everything about it, I ended up with that Ugly Kid Joe song stuck in my head which only exacerbated my fury.

 

NIL POINTS

 

The Decemberists- What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World

 

I really like The Decemberists and all the essential ingredients are present here: theatrical lexicon, orchestral flourishes, skillful musicianship and lovely harmonies.  Might be a grower, but finding this lacking in big memorable songs.  The single is great and a lot of the folkier tracks have a bit of a Richard and Linda Thompson vibe, which I liked, but overall quite a safe yet palatable listen.  

 

3/5

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Dean Blunt - Black Metal.

 
This album sneaked onto top 20 albums of 2014 at the end of the year, if I was to make that list now it would most likely be number 1. I keep going back to listen to it and I like it even more each time. An important factor is how much I like it is probably his voice; I think it's fantastic. If he was just reading out the phone book I'd probably get something out of it, so when he's singing great songs I love it and in the songs with the female vocals the contrast between the two is wonderful. 
 
The album has three fairly distinct sections but for me it works as a whole. The jangle pop of the first 6 tracks is immediately catchy while also very interesting but doesn't really let you in for a lot of what is to come."50 Cent" and "100" are the standouts of this part due to the combination of the two vocals. I imagine the 13 minute track "Forever" is where someone unsure about the album might get lost. When it comes to tracks like this it's hard to pinpoint what will make me like them. Always a good sign is when I listened to the album the first couple of times I didn't realise it was as long as it is. There's something captivating about it and I haven't once skipped it when listening to the album. "Forever" and "X" are clearly designed to work together as a vast space between what feel like the first and second half of the record. At first "X" seems to pick up where "Forever" left off and I thought it was going to lose me until it suddenly comes to life a couple of minutes in and completely takes took me by surprise which perfectly sets up the rest of the album .
 
The final five tracks could seem disjointed, every track feels different. The dub sounds of "punk" for example come completely out of the blue. Somehow it works, At this point having come through the rest of the album it feels right for it to open up like this. Also his voice provides as the constant factor which keeps it cohesive. "Country" is probably the only track I'm not completely sold on, but saying that I've never skipped it either. I'm certain I'm going to keep listening to this a lot and will remain a favourite of mine. I'd give it a 9/10.
 
He first came on my radar when his 2013 album got so many good reviews, in particular it was FACT's no 1 of 2013. I still have to properly listen to that one and I've not heard anything of his work with Hype Williams but I look forward to it.
 
 
Ariel Pink - Pom Pom.
 
This album, like my thoughs on Ariel Pink, is a mixed bag. I always thought he was someone I should get into. His albums get good reviews from sites I read and friends. Plus I saw him put on a fantastic live show at a festival once. However, for whatever reason none of his albums have ever really won me over and this one isn't any different. There is some good stuff on here, mostly near the beginning. "Put Your Number In My Phone" is fantastic but sadly after that the album descends into crap, novelty for the sake of novelty that reminds me of how much of an arsehole he comes across in interviews. I'm convinced some people like the idea of listening to something weird, whacky and funny more than they like listening to some of these songs. I'm not saying no one could like this, but there are some people I know who would never listen to similar tracks if they were by an artist who wasn't so 'cool'. 4/10 I probably won't listen to this besides a couple of tracks again. I'm still surprised at how negative some of the other reviews have been though.  
 
The Decemberists - What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World.
 
I had this on about 30 mins ago. I've forgotten it already. I remember thinking some tracks were fine, some were pretty bad but overall main thoughts on the album was wondering why the hell this band still exists in 2015 and why am I listening to them. There's nothing as bad as the worst things on Ariel Pink but there's also nothing as good as the best tracks on that so I have to give it a lower score. 3/10.
 

 

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Round 3's pick were by -

 

Dean Blunt - Paranoid Android

Ariel Pink - Neepheid

The Decemberists - Jan

 

Just in case you didn't see this

 

New albums!

 

J.D. McPherson - Let the Good Times Roll ( Unknown Album )

Amanti - Amanti ( https://amantimusic.bandcamp.com/ )

100 Onces - 100 Onces ( https://100onces.bandcamp.com/ )

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JD McPherson

Fairly generic sounding rock and roll. I quite liked his voice, but I felt like I always knew where the music was going. The next note or chord, I knew it before it happened. If you were to tell me this record was nothing but covers of old 50's rock and roll songs, I would probably believe you. I like the way the record sounds. His voice, those crunchy guitars, the slapback delay. But as a piece of music, I wasn't really moved. 2 outta 5

 

Amanti

Electronic music is something I tend to avoid, and when I don't avoid it, I have a fairly limited criteria. I prefer it to be brash and ugly in some way. A guttural distorted synth, or a heavy, glitchy beat that makes my headphones rumble. This is all very neat and slick, with it's tippy-tappy percussion and plinky-plonky synths swelling around in the background, but I just can't feel excited by any of it. It's nice, and for my earholes, 'nice' isn't something that I lean towards. Accomplished, but unexciting. 2 outta 5

 

100 Onces

Finally. Something that rocks, and has riffs and stuff. And I don't already know it. Double prizes. Sounds like old Tera Melos when they were a bit riffier and nastier. I dig that. The recording sounds pretty huge for a two piece. I think it does miss the bass in some places, but nothing too glaring. The guitar sounds huge enough to compensate most of the time. I like the swinging between ultra-melodic, loose chaotic noise and skull-crushing chugs. I feel a little desensitized to a lot of this wild math-rock stuff these days. Lots of bands just being as complicated as possible. 100 Onces are pretty wild, but they write great songs too, and there's plenty of hooks and riffs between all the chaos. This and Water Torture have been my favourites so far. 4 and a half outta 5.

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JD McPherson - Let The Good Times Roll

 

I've been severely digging rockabilly and 50's rock 'n' roll a lot lately, and really liked JD's last record so when I saw he had a new one, I decided I wanted to listen to it and that coincided with my selection here, so that worked out a treat. I really like this record, it's uninspiring but it's exactly what I was looking for when I put it on. Some modern touches here and there but still an authentic, classic feel throughout. Nothing too grabbing or exciting about it, not one to write home about, but a solid, well written record from start to finish.

 

Amanti - S/T

 

Not something I liked. It was a well made record, but I just flat out disliked it. The big swelling synths and the general relaxed niceness about it just put me to sleep. I normally listen to the Jukebox Jury records at work and will generally pause them when I leave my desk for any reason, with this record I just left it playing because I wasn't scared I'd miss anything good and I think that about says it all.

 

100 Onces - S/T

 

Riffy goodness. I liked this. I find that some stuff that's overly math-y can just feel a bit too self-indulgent to be really listenable, but this nails it I think. There are some cool time signatures and interesting tempo changes and enough stuff going on to keep me guessing without ever feeling like it's just meandering about with nowhere to go. Solid record, well put together and well paced. Also DEM RIFFS. They have a pretty full sound for a 2-piece for the most part, but every now and again I do think they could use some low end just to fatten the sound up - the opening to never change especially just sounds to be a little but like a garageband-recorded demo with a guitar riff and a drum machine that's waiting for more to be added. The best sections of the song (and most of the record) are the ones where the guitar is obviously double-tracked which adds the extra beef needed to really make the record punchy. Good record though. Science Can't Explain Magic is a fucking belter of a tune.

 

xx

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When talking about themes previously, someone mentioned picking a record that you think only you will have heard (out of the folks on the Jukebox Jury, obvs). Picking a hidden and relatively unknown gem from your record collection is a pretty cool idea, old or new.

 

The nominations could even be supplied with a sentence or two as to how you found the record?

Edited by Soda van Jerk
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How many people are involved in this? Has everyone had one pick now? I've not been good with the latest batch but I have a few days off now so should be able to catch up.

I think the total involved was 15, and I discounted Lucky and Milner as they couldn't pick an album. My list is on my work computer, so I can't access it. I am currently ravaged with a nasty cold, so I'm not sure if I will be working tomorrow.

 

I was wondering if it would be better to start a new list, in case folk don't want to be involved any more, or if we have more people interested. The more the merrier!

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I think the total involved was 15, and I discounted Lucky and Milner as they couldn't pick an album. My list is on my work computer, so I can't access it. I am currently ravaged with a nasty cold, so I'm not sure if I will be working tomorrow.

 

I was wondering if it would be better to start a new list, in case folk don't want to be involved any more, or if we have more people interested. The more the merrier!

 

I sez I could pick an album, I just didn't have many to choose from. God damn it. No-one ever listens to me. I'm going home to stick my head in the oven.

 

 

I do have a few, I just don't have many, is what I mean. Don't exclude me!

Edited by Lemon Raspberry
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