This week I look at two albums that came out that could not be further apart in style. The Fleet Foxes and Dillenger Escape Plan.
Dillenger Escape Plan – Ire Works
I went through a faze of my life where I listened to a lot of hardcore music and I was downloading as many hardcore bands as I could find so I could rock the hell out and annoy the Christian girls who lived next door. This phase lasted about seven hours. Duringg these seven hours I downloaded a couple of Dillenger Escape Plan songs and enjoyed them but did not pick up any of their albums until later in life.
The Plan started out as a math core band, which I think, means something like a band having a high level of technical musicianship. Who really knows what all these labels mean since I’m still trying to figure out emo. I know the screaming turns off a lot of people and some people criticize the band saying it is just a bunch of noise but there is actually a lot of things going on in their songs. Listen to this song 43 % Burnt off of an earlier album Calculating Infinity.
Ire Works has a lot of songs in this mold. The first song Fix Your Face starts out loud and stays loud. There is a lot of interesting guitar work and odd chord progressions. The Plan has always been interested in adding some jazz and odd time signatures to their songs and this album is no different. Like their album before this they have a couple songs that are a little more melodic than what the hard-core Plan fans would like to hear. Here is a song called Black Bubblegum.
It is not as exciting as their other songs but it is still has some cool stuff going on. It also adds more to the album because as we will learn later things need to be shaken up a little bit throughout the album or else things start to get stale.
Horse Hunter towards the end of the album is probably my favorite song on the album. Like most songs on the album there are a lot of things going on and trying to explain it would do no good.
Listen you are either going to either going to dig this crazy shit or be absolutely horrified by it because I understand how it can be a little off putting. Granted I’m more into the crazy shit as opposed to something a little bit more orthodox but that is just me.
Seven Smiley Faces out of eleven.
The Fleet Foxes – Self-Titled
I have had this album for quite some time now and have never gotten around to listening to it as of yet. From what I have read around the internet it is supposed to be a rather splendid disc so I must admit I was looking forward to actually sitting down and giving it a spin (I don’t have it on record but on my computer so I guess the correct phrase would be to give it a click as opposed to giving it a spin).
The first song on the disc is called Sun it Rises and it starts off like something from the Grapes of Wrath. After a couple of seconds of this the lead singers voice kicks in which sounds like a more sedate Pink Floyd but with some artsy folk music playing in the background. It lacks any sort of energy but picks up a little bit before slowing down again. It is only the first song on the album and maybe after it things will pick.
The second song is another baritone selection. Not too exciting. Song three on the album Ragged Wood is a little bit more upbeat until the midpoint of the song brings any momentum the song had to a screeching halt. The next song Tiger Mountain Peasant Song goes the same way.
I have to stop right now. The sun has gone down and if I listen to this album anymore I will nod off and I’m trying to stay up and watch Bill Maher on Larry King Live (does that say something about how boring The Fleet Foxes are if I want to tune them out for Larry King)? Look I am not saying they are a horrible band and I understand why they are getting the mostly positive reviews from most publications whose opinion holds water in the music world. They make proficient, competent, inoffensive music that can unite the people who are into folk, indie, or classic rock.
I can’t listen to more than a couple of songs on this album without reaching for the razorand I cannot imagine what a live show would be like. Fortunately we have the youtube.
Ok. I’m not too sure if this is an actual Fleet Foxes show or an open-mic night at some tiny liberal arts college in Seattle. Instead of a parental advisory sticker for explicit lyrics on the CD cover they should slap the sticker on it that says “Do not operate heavy machinery while listening to this band.” If you had Attention Deficit Disorder and ran out of Ritalin pop this album in. When someone dies in the hospital instead of the flatlinning sound how about they just play Meadowlarks.
Two and a half high fives out of nine.
I went through a faze of my life where I listened to a lot of hardcore music and I was downloading as many hardcore bands as I could find so I could rock the hell out and annoy the Christian girls who lived next door. This phase lasted about seven hours. Duringg these seven hours I downloaded a couple of Dillenger Escape Plan songs and enjoyed them but did not pick up any of their albums until later in life.
The Plan started out as a math core band, which I think, means something like a band having a high level of technical musicianship. Who really knows what all these labels mean since I’m still trying to figure out emo. I know the screaming turns off a lot of people and some people criticize the band saying it is just a bunch of noise but there is actually a lot of things going on in their songs. Listen to this song 43 % Burnt off of an earlier album Calculating Infinity.
Ire Works has a lot of songs in this mold. The first song Fix Your Face starts out loud and stays loud. There is a lot of interesting guitar work and odd chord progressions. The Plan has always been interested in adding some jazz and odd time signatures to their songs and this album is no different. Like their album before this they have a couple songs that are a little more melodic than what the hard-core Plan fans would like to hear. Here is a song called Black Bubblegum.
It is not as exciting as their other songs but it is still has some cool stuff going on. It also adds more to the album because as we will learn later things need to be shaken up a little bit throughout the album or else things start to get stale.
Horse Hunter towards the end of the album is probably my favorite song on the album. Like most songs on the album there are a lot of things going on and trying to explain it would do no good.
Listen you are either going to either going to dig this crazy shit or be absolutely horrified by it because I understand how it can be a little off putting. Granted I’m more into the crazy shit as opposed to something a little bit more orthodox but that is just me.
Seven Smiley Faces out of eleven.
The Fleet Foxes – Self-Titled
I have had this album for quite some time now and have never gotten around to listening to it as of yet. From what I have read around the internet it is supposed to be a rather splendid disc so I must admit I was looking forward to actually sitting down and giving it a spin (I don’t have it on record but on my computer so I guess the correct phrase would be to give it a click as opposed to giving it a spin).
The first song on the disc is called Sun it Rises and it starts off like something from the Grapes of Wrath. After a couple of seconds of this the lead singers voice kicks in which sounds like a more sedate Pink Floyd but with some artsy folk music playing in the background. It lacks any sort of energy but picks up a little bit before slowing down again. It is only the first song on the album and maybe after it things will pick.
The second song is another baritone selection. Not too exciting. Song three on the album Ragged Wood is a little bit more upbeat until the midpoint of the song brings any momentum the song had to a screeching halt. The next song Tiger Mountain Peasant Song goes the same way.
I have to stop right now. The sun has gone down and if I listen to this album anymore I will nod off and I’m trying to stay up and watch Bill Maher on Larry King Live (does that say something about how boring The Fleet Foxes are if I want to tune them out for Larry King)? Look I am not saying they are a horrible band and I understand why they are getting the mostly positive reviews from most publications whose opinion holds water in the music world. They make proficient, competent, inoffensive music that can unite the people who are into folk, indie, or classic rock.
I can’t listen to more than a couple of songs on this album without reaching for the razorand I cannot imagine what a live show would be like. Fortunately we have the youtube.
Ok. I’m not too sure if this is an actual Fleet Foxes show or an open-mic night at some tiny liberal arts college in Seattle. Instead of a parental advisory sticker for explicit lyrics on the CD cover they should slap the sticker on it that says “Do not operate heavy machinery while listening to this band.” If you had Attention Deficit Disorder and ran out of Ritalin pop this album in. When someone dies in the hospital instead of the flatlinning sound how about they just play Meadowlarks.
Two and a half high fives out of nine.
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