Is anyone gonna buy both Porcupine Tree and Spoon? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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Monkey Bones
05-11-2005, 07:24 PM
Guess those might be the two biggest albums around our ailing little Rave Recs right now, although Spoon's Gimme Fiction just hit the stores yesterday while Deadwing has been out for about 6 weeks in Europe and a couple weeks in the US. They're kind of on separate sides of the alternative market, both with big fan bases, yet not big enough for that commercial breakthrough they both seem to deserve. Spoon had their opportunity for major label money a few years ago but got unceremoniously dropped by the idiots at Elektra, while Porcupine Tree is just now hitting the majors after a long career. Both have kind of a retro sound, although recalling completely different sounds of the past. But both also have a lot of critics confused, not knowing whether to celebrate the derivative sound for the fun that it is, or to criticize it for having been done before. Spoon is simple, Porcupine Tree not so simple. So, are any of us planning to enjoy both?

Or is there something else you think will be a bigger Rave Recs favorite topic of discussion than these two? Beck? Bloc Party? Eels? Andrew Bird? Any big supergroup releases on the horizon?

3-LockBox
05-11-2005, 07:50 PM
Or is there something else you think will be a bigger Rave Recs favorite topic of discussion than these two? Beck? Bloc Party? Eels? Andrew Bird? Any big supergroup releases on the horizon?

Beck--never got him

Bloc Party?

Eels?

Andrew Bird--Does he have a new release? Bowl Of Fire was great.

Supergroups? The Rolling Stones has a release slated for later this summer, as well as a tour. (what a bunch of geezers) I haven't heard a good Stones album since Tatoo You, and that wasn't a great one.

Dusty Chalk
05-11-2005, 09:00 PM
...no.

I got both Electrelane and Porcupine Tree, does that count? Maybe not, Electrane, not so simple. I'm trying to think of the "simplest" alternative band I listen to. Buzzcocks, perhaps?

Stone
05-12-2005, 06:11 AM
What, you mean the latest The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower isn't on everyone's wish list?

Mike
05-12-2005, 06:40 AM
Well I got me the new Porky Tree which I quite like, but I don't see it making any new friends it's the usual heavy/fast slow formula from them, soundwise it's not as easy on the ears as earlier albums.

As for Spoon I don't know much from them apart from a few tracks on comps from the last album which sounded good although I never picked it up in the end.

I didn't bother with the Beck I just didn't feel encouraged to buy it and from reports around here I ain't missed much. Bloc Party is a definite for those that haven't heard it yet, it's a slow burner which will feature high on my year end list.

Eels, yes it's on my wishlist I've always liked them. The new Coldplay sounds pretty good too from stuff I've heard on the radio, maybe I'm in the minority but I liked their second more than their debut.

The one I'm really looking forward to though is the next RR Rotation Sampler always good for latching on to new sounds.

Cheers
Mike

shokhead
05-12-2005, 07:41 AM
PT was kinda boring and didnt do much for me.

Davey
05-12-2005, 07:48 AM
As for Spoon I don't know much from them apart from a few tracks on comps from the last album which sounded good although I never picked it up in the end.
Yeah, the new one seems brilliant so far, but I've only listened to about half. Really seems to be channelling John Lennon to very good effect. The opener may be the best thing he's done so far, "The Beast and Dragon, Adored". Love it. Only goes 4:18 but seems kind of epic in nature. Really pulls you along and holds you with its dark and moody tension. The lyrics seem to be somewhat autobiographical...

I got a feelin it don't come cheap
I got a feelin oh and then it got to me
It took its time a-working into my soul
I got to believe it come from rock and roll

Nice choppy guitar soloing toward the end and that insistent piano. Very cool, and that's just the opener! But still lots of Elvis Costello and ELO and the like in the music which may not endear them to much of the PT crowd.

Anyway, I'll try to remember to stash some Spoon in your CRSV10 package. Great band.

Don't you think that Bloc Party mastering sucks? Great songs but the engineers should be fired. Not that it's all that unusual today. That PT is pretty loud and crappy sounding too, isn't it? At least from some of the comments I've read elsewhere. Like Slosh said in another thread, the Spoon guys use too much compression too, but it still sounds very good. Could be better with less compression, but who ya gonna call?

Mike
05-12-2005, 08:08 AM
Anyway, I'll try to remember to stash some Spoon in your CRSV10 package. Great band. That would be great if you can, much appreciated.

Yeah that Bloc Party doesn't sparkle much it's kind of like listening to an mp3 in places, but I've heard much worse. I suspect the raw unmastered tapes sound pretty good with that ryhthm section but it's the old compression problem again.

And PT doesn't fare much better some of the quiter tracks sound ok but it's mastered way too loud as usual and sounds pretty harsh in places. Seems like once bands hit the big time or start being pushed by the labels all sense goes out the window.

Cheers
Mike

Davey
05-12-2005, 09:33 AM
And PT doesn't fare much better some of the quiter tracks sound ok but it's mastered way too loud as usual and sounds pretty harsh in places. Seems like once bands hit the big time or start being pushed by the labels all sense goes out the window.
Boy, ain't that the sad truth. Somebody posted a screenshot from Deadwing over at the Hoffman site where there's a big thread about the album annd it does look pretty bad with some severe clipping. I'll steal the image link and post it below...if it doesn't show up just go to post #61 in the thread at http://stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=52303 but like you say, it's certainly not uncommon today to see even much worse than this :(

http://home.comcast.net/~jahearn79/images/deadwing-clipping.gif

Jim Clark
05-12-2005, 01:33 PM
Ouch! That image isn't for the faint of heart. I'd always thought that PT was known for some of the better production out there. Not really sure where I picked up that impression but it doesn't hold here for sure.

I've given PT a couple of shots and it just doesn't really grab me enough to listen to it after a few forced spins while I try to learn to like it. I'm just not a real big prog guy and that's just life.

I've read that the Spoon CD isn't really a barn burner. More of an understated affair based on the very few blurbs I've read concerning the release. Your comments about channeling John Lennon don't really undermine anything I've come across so far. Still, I'll probably grab it.

I spent a large part of the day yesterday listening to an Electrelane boot. Live they seem way more new wavey than what I recall from last years album. It was a good thing and enough to make me want to hear the new one.

Electrelane
Great American Music Hall
San Francisco 2004.09.21

1. Blue Straggler
2. I Want To Be The President
3. [new song]
4. Only One Thing Is Needed
5. [new song]
6. I'm On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)
7. Birds
8. Take The Bit Between Your Teeth
9. Long Dark
10. U.O.R.
11. [new song]
12. The Partisan (Leonard Cohen cover)

Finch Platte
05-12-2005, 03:18 PM
That's funny. I just picked up Spoon last night, and have had PT for a little over a week.

Some of the PT songs I really like, and to me, it sounds pretty damn good, especially cranked. Song 2 focking rawks.

I dunno about the Spoon, yet. I'm not familiar with them, so it's a whole new thing for me.

fp

Swish
05-12-2005, 04:29 PM
new one along with the new one from Magnolia Electric Company and one more that nobody else has ever mentioned so I'm keeping it a secret (shhhhhh) until I have a chance to listen to it a few times.

I've been on the road so much lately that I don't have time to listen to much of my own music. I just got back from Columbus (the Decemberists played there last Saturday. I wish I had been there for that one) and I have to head to Phoenix again on Sunday. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

Swish (one of these days I might be in your town)

Davey
05-13-2005, 08:45 AM
I've read that the Spoon CD isn't really a barn burner. More of an understated affair based on the very few blurbs I've read concerning the release. Your comments about channeling John Lennon don't really undermine anything I've come across so far. Still, I'll probably grab it.
Well, none of the Spoon CDs are really barn burners since the sound is kind of understated, but it does rock pretty good all the way through and is easily accessible. It's definitely got the feel of a slightly more refined and mature take on Girls Can Tell. And gets better and better the more you listen. But even so, by the second listen it was all over and wrapped in my mind - this will be my record of the year. No doubt. I know that it's premature and I'll surely regret saying this, but it really is brilliant. It's got all the things I like about Spoon, but also adds a new dimension with some of that early McCartney and or late Beatles sound. Playful stuff too, like Admiral Halsey or Yellow Submarine, bridged with the added background noises and spoken parts. Some very nice vocal backup throughout too, whether it's by Britt or others. But then there's the more substantial Lennon influence I mentioned running through other parts. Not the ripping his heart out with scream therapy stuff that punctuates Plastic Ono Band, but still parts from that album. There's one song that almost breaks into one of my Lennon favorites, the tightly coiled "Remember" that finally explodes at the end. Really knocked me out when I first heard that one. Britt's version isn't quite that explosive, but it's a definite highlight, and only one of many rewarding moments throughout the disk. Just a very solid album. Nice professional artwork too that mimics the quality of the music.

Slosh
05-13-2005, 09:24 AM
I be getting Spoon today (unless there is no LP version locally). The thing I really like about them is, at least with their first three albums, every album sounds very different from each other and yet it still always sounds like Spoon. Personally I like A Series of Sneaks the most 'cause it's the rawest and punkiest but the others are damn fine too.

OT: for Davey's eyes only :o D'oh!
If you want you can change my CRS nomination to the fourth track of the CD that's in the mail now. It should be in your grubby little monkey hands early next week. The fifth track is really good too but I'll probably save that for my YEC (never too early to plan ahead :) ). My original nomination is still a superior song IMO but if the idea is to expose more people to worthy music, well, lots of people here at RR are well aware of that band. This substitute nomination has an audience of one around here AFAIK. :cool:

Davey
05-13-2005, 10:37 AM
OT: for Davey's eyes only :o D'oh!
If you want you can change my CRS nomination to the fourth track of the CD that's in the mail now. It should be in your grubby little monkey hands early next week. The fifth track is really good too but I'll probably save that for my YEC (never too early to plan ahead :) ). My original nomination is still a superior song IMO but if the idea is to expose more people to worthy music, well, lots of people here at RR are well aware of that band. This substitute nomination has an audience of one around here AFAIK. :cool:
OT: for Sloshy's eyes only :o D'oh!
Sounds good, I'll be looking for it. Man-o-man did I get a stack of new sounds by doing this CRS! Something like 20 CDs! Lots of good stuff to explore. Thanks to everyone. Some of the songs are pretty well known around here but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Gives the collection a little something to latch on to even with the first spin. But I'll see what works best cause right now the comp does lean a little too much toward the familiar and some more wtf (but in a good way :)) songs would be nice.

tentoze
05-13-2005, 12:50 PM
..right now the comp does lean a little too much toward the familiar and some more wtf (but in a good way :)) songs would be nice.
Dang, I coulda supplied a BUNCH of WTF songs if I had only known- most of what I've gotten recently would definitely fall in that slot for a lot of RR'ers.........

;)

Davey
05-13-2005, 01:53 PM
Dang, I coulda supplied a BUNCH of WTF songs if I had only known- most of what I've gotten recently would definitely fall in that slot for a lot of RR'ers.........

;)
Hehehe, ya know, that middle song you supplied is probably the one I'll go with, although I really like them all. It has kind of a proggy pop sound I like a lot and that I think others will too. The buildup takes awhile and it does get a little repetitious lyrically, but lots of fun. You kind of surprised me with that one and that's a good thing - just what I'm talkin' about. I think the first time I played it I even said to myself, "WTF, way to go tentoze!" :)

J*E*Cole
05-13-2005, 08:54 PM
Got Deadwing the other day and though I think it's better than alot of STUFF out there right now, it is kinda disappointing compared to some of their earlier works. Maybe a few more runs through and it'll grow on me more, hope so! Picked up APC's new DVD "aMOTION", and though it's all previously released stuff, it's got alot of remixes and some very hard to come by commentary by Maynard and Howerdel. Anyone else with thoughts on it?

Davey
05-14-2005, 07:55 AM
I got both Electrelane and Porcupine Tree, does that count? Maybe not, Electrelane, not so simple.
Whadaya think about the new Electrelane? Had a chance to digest much of it? Incredible recording. The drum sound is some of the best I've heard in ages. Reminds me of those early Kraftwerk recordings we've talked about before where the drum kit seems so full of life. Lots of air and space and real skin and metallic sounds. And the bass really sounds like a bass. I'd like to see some pictures of the recording setup and which room Albini used at Electrical Audio. He really captures the sound of a band in motion. Haven't totally warmed up to the album as a whole, but some of their jamming this time is stellar, especially when they add in some cello and piano and trumpet. Gives it almost the sound of a small orchestra at times. Kind of wish they would exploit that power a little more and really let loose and get explosive like their underlying metal sound sometimes hints at. Seems too subdued, and too dark overall. It does have a pretty unique sound, but it's kind of like they aren't sure where to take it. Some of the songs run together without a clear direction, for me as a listener. I'm left thinking to myself, isn't that just a continuation of the last song? Which was already a tad too long? Hehehe, just being overly critical. It does sound very cool and I like it a lot, but was just hoping for something to fall in love with. Isn't that always the way? The way music mimics life? ;)

Boy, this place sure has gone dead lately, huh? Seems like only a small handful of us post stuff anymore. Guess it's kind of silly to write all this when no one will see it but me and (maybe) you. Oh well, pathetic as it seems I still enjoy having my thoughts archived on some obscure audio geek server, running somewhere in the virtual world. Not all my thoughts, though. Some of them I'd like to have back :)

Davey
05-14-2005, 12:01 PM
Wow, just stopped by amazon.com to check out if anyone had said anything good about this new Electrelane album (which I'm really getting into the last coupla days) and there's zip nada nilch except for a couple three editorial things. But Deadwind was on my previous viewed panel so I clicked on it and there's already 58 user reviews and almost all 5-star. So I clicked on over to the Spoon page and hit Gimme Fiction and there's only 12. Wow, thought this one would have fans really energized. They do seem to be getting a bunch of high profile coverage in the press from what I've heard. Haven't actually seen it myself, though. Looks like Deadwing is winning by a knockout at this round.

Davey
05-16-2005, 06:25 AM
....But even so, by the second listen it was all over and wrapped in my mind - this will be my record of the year. No doubt. I know that it's premature and I'll surely regret saying this, but it really is brilliant.
Sheesh! Did I really say that? Record of the year already? Dumbass. I meant to say top 5, for sure. Maybe :)

Good album but hard to tell how it'll age since the rhythms are pretty simple and Britt's not exactly the best ever at finishing songs. After spending a lot of time listening and sequencng the songs for CRSV10, one thing that I've begun to realize about the Spoon album, and something that does drop it a notch in my mind from my initial high assessment, is that some of the songs just aren't very well developed. They start out with a great idea and sound fantastic, but then just don't go very far. Sometimes get a little repetitive. Oh well, I think it's gonna probably be one of those albums that I'm constantly reevaluating over next few years. That's what makes Girls Can Tell so much fun. It never completely knocked me out at first, but has continued to get my attention over the years.

hmmmm
05-20-2005, 10:22 AM
I've just recently started picking up some music that is totally new to me like PT, Spoon, among others. I had never heard of Spoon and picked up their new cd Tuesday and absolutely love it. Something about the guitar on this cd really intrigues me. I love PT also but seem to want to listen to it late at night with no distractions. It definately isn't "fun" music you listen to on a sunny day:)
Pinback seems to be my overall favorite lately. I'm not sure why, but I think I'm going to wear a hole in it. It sounds awesome on my new Ar.com's.

Some others I've bought in the last month.

The Streets - Hated it...except for "You're fit"
Stroke 9 -Rip it off... Liked it for the first few spins and now I'm bored with it
Franz Ferdinand- I know it's popular but it doesn't do it for me.
Killers..Love it and have played it a million times.
PT- Deadwig...gets better every time I listen to it even though I liked it the first time.
Sum 41- Chuck... One of my favorites to work out to
Thrice- (can't remember) another good one to exercise to
Story of our Lives- so so, but a keeper
Muse- Absolution- awesome
I'm at work and that's all I can remember for now...just killing time:)

Davey
05-20-2005, 03:58 PM
I've just recently started picking up some music that is totally new to me like PT, Spoon, among others. I had never heard of Spoon and picked up their new cd Tuesday and absolutely love it. Something about the guitar on this cd really intrigues me. I love PT also but seem to want to listen to it late at night with no distractions. It definately isn't "fun" music you listen to on a sunny day:)
hmmmm, I think we have a winner folks! Hehehe, way to go. Lots and lots of good music around. Porcupine Tree doesn't really fit most people's perception of prog rock any more than Spoon fits the indie rock label. Nice to see both bands getting some much deserved attention and new listeners. I have a few albums by both bands, but haven't actually bought any PT except Stupid Dream. Spoon is pretty much an automatic for me ever since Girls Can Tell hit the streets and became one of my favorites of the last few years. The new one is really keeping me happy too.