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Dusty Chalk
03-11-2004, 10:42 AM
The first being a comp. by Davey, the second being an album by Martina Topley-Bird. These are just a mess of comments that I sent to Davey, and since it's me raving about recordings, he thought maybe we could discuss it on the board. Hmmm...talk about music on a music board, what a novel idea. Yeah, alright:

First of all, I'm really enjoying the comp. Thanks, Davey! Haven't (consciously) listened to the whole thing yet, but some initial comments:

- Nice to see another Frank Black + the Catholics fan. I still need to get Black Letter Days & Devil's Workshop, but I've even already picked up Show Me Your Tears. I think (other than those exceptions), I have everything he's/they've done.

- I really like the early part of the disk. The word "perfect" comes to mind. It shifts gears sometime around the Zazou and Kreidler tracks (perhaps earlier), but that early part just plain rawks. Don't get me wrong, I like the Zazou track (I can see what you mean by Eno-esque, now), it's just that I really enjoy the more rocking numbers.

- Is it me, or are tracks 2 and 5 the same riff? Will listen to again, and verify which tracks I think are the same. After reviewing the tracklist, it might be 2 and 4.

On Quixotic -- I'm loving this album. Will have to play it for my sister, she'll love it. Kind of reminds me of a bluesier Beth Gibbons. Even the vocal cracks are the same, but the production style and choice of songs and writing are all very similar. Don't get me wrong, it's not that one is a "poor man's" version of the other, I don't even know which came first. But if they were movies, they would make for a nice double-feature.

Jim Clark
03-11-2004, 10:53 AM
I like that Martina TopleyBird album too. Mike turned me on to it and I used the track Ragga in a little comp I made for myself of favorites. Lots of good toonage on that disc.

Davey
03-11-2004, 11:05 AM
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I dig that first half of the comp too and initially was going to try and keep that vibe up for the whole thing but thought that might get a little boring so figured I would put in the intermission in the middle and come out in a slightly different direction with more brit-pop leaning and more emotive. But I still wanted to work in Yo La Tengo's Sugarcube toward the end, which did work out OK, even though on paper it seems like it might be out of place as all the rest of that second half is brit-pop of one form or another. But all the first half is unbrit-pop except the Ash song so it balances out :-)

Anyway, glad you like it and thought you might enjoy hearing that Martina disk since it still hasn't been released in the US AFAIK except as an expensive import. I really like that disc too. It didn't get anything like universal acclaim, but I thought she did OK. Not quite as good as I was hoping for, but then again they usually aren't. Some of it is outstanding, though. I think she just needs to figure out a little better what she wants to concentrate on next time and get the right people around her for that type of sound and not worry about outside pressure or trying to please everyone. She's got that voice and obviously has a sense most of the time of how to best use it, but I think there might have been too many people around offering opinions. Or maybe she just let it cook too long and it lost some of the flow it could've had as a more spontaneous recording. But like I said, it's got enough good stuff going on to keep me happy.

You'd probably really enjoy that Hector Zazou disc (Songs from the Cold Seas) or the one preceding it (Sahara Blue). Both are excellent with large ensembles of musicians and vocalists. I've been sneaking tracks on comps for quite awhile now so those two have probably reached the end of the line in that regard, but he has a new one that I've been trying to find a source for since it's just a French release right now. Yeah, he is sometimes referred to as the French version of Brian Eno and they have collaborated with some of the same people such as John Cale who plays a big part on both of the albums I mentioned above along with the Dead Can Dance team and Bjork and Siouxie and lots more.

http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=2435

Dusty Chalk
03-11-2004, 05:05 PM
Okay, looking over on (I never) Metacritic (I liked), I can see that yes, there were some disparate reviews. But not the most disparate reviews I've ever seen. Trans Am's Liberation got between 30 and 90, and everywhere in between. (I think it's their best album since Futureworld.) Lamb's Between Darkness and Wonder got between 30 and 83.

But what I don't see is how they map two stars to 30 "points"...?

Anyway, back to MT-B (do you file that under T or under B? -- I've seen both in the same rack), those top several reviews were pretty good, I think.

PS I'd be curious what records have the most disparity...the highest "variance" in score, as it were.

Mike
03-12-2004, 02:26 AM
I'm with you on Martina it's a good solid album with some outstanding tracks which more or less lives up to expectations given her pedigree.

She has a lovely intimate vocal style which on some tracks is outstanding say Stevies Days of a Gun which is one of my favourites. But on some tracks I do think sometimes she sounds a bit forced likes she's trying too hard to be different.

By the way Dave your comp arrived this morning not listened to it yet but I'll set some time aside this weekend - mystery tracks eh I'm intrigued.

Cheers
Mike

Dusty Chalk
03-12-2004, 06:37 AM
Speaking of bonus tracks, what were those on mine again? I'm totally digging them, possibly more so than the rest of the comp. Sounds a lot like Subarachnoid Space.

-Jar-
03-12-2004, 07:20 AM
Speaking of bonus tracks, what were those on mine again? I'm totally digging them, possibly more so than the rest of the comp. Sounds a lot like Subarachnoid Space.


Speaking of Subarachnoid Space, they're touring with Acid Mother's Temple in May/June. I've never managed to catch either band live, so this might be the time to do it. Plus there's a Mason (Jones) in Subarachnoid Space.. that makes them cool right off.

5/22 Cambridge, MA TT The Bear's
5/23 New York, NY Knitting Factory
5/24 Oberlin, OH Oberlin College
5/25 Columbus, OH Wexner Center
5/26 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
5/27 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
5/28 Chicago, IL Abbey Pub
5/29 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club
6/1 Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe
6/2 Portland, OR Berbati's Pan


Oh, and Davey, thanks for the comp.. Very enjoyable. Is one of the mystery tracks by Do Make Say Think? I say that because you reccommended them to me on that other board. I'll check the Cd-Text tonight.

-jar

Davey
03-12-2004, 08:33 AM
Is one of the mystery tracks by Do Make Say Think? I say that because you reccommended them to me on that other board. I'll check the Cd-Text tonight.

The copies that I sent out to everyone (except Slosh, who didn't ask for it but got it anyway :)) have bonus tracks that are listed in the CD-TEXT which you can read if you stick the CD in your computer and run EAC or Roxio or most software packages. Or if you have a Sony CD player, although some of the cheaper ones only display the CD title and not the song titles. I didn't write down the songs I put on them but.....Jar and Dusty both got the Psychotropic Bliss version which has two Kinski songs from their excellent last album, <i>Airs Above Your Station</i> --- Ex Lion Tamer and Mike got the Smilesunset version with a few songs from Mark Mulcahy's wonderful <i>SmileSunset</i> --- ForeverAutum got the Super-fire version with some Girls Against Boys songs from both <i>Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby</i> and <i>House of GVSB</i> (what can I say, I was gorging on GVSB that week and some spilled :)) --- JDaniel got the CRS version with some sucky bonus songs to select from for the next Current Rotation Sampler he's now assembling --- and Snowbuns got the Girlie version (maybe not the best name since she immediately accused me of just sending her the same generic one I sent to <i>all</i> the girls, as though there's this whole big group of girls out there clamoring for a copy of my latest comp ;)) which was overflowing with the lovely and very <i>girlie</i> Leona Naess from her latest eponymous release. All just for a little fun (in the sun :)).

Snowbunny
03-12-2004, 04:05 PM
Snowbuns got the Girlie version (maybe not the best name since she immediately accused me of just sending her the same generic one I sent to <i>all</i> the girls, as though there's this whole big group of girls out there clamoring for a copy of my latest comp ;)) which was overflowing with the lovely and very <i>girlie</i> Leona Naess from her latest eponymous release. All just for a little fun (in the sun :)).

Thank you Sugarbear. :o Did I sound a little jealous or sumpin? :D

Great comp, except for the boring instrumental bit in the middle. ;) Got to get me some Moonbabies! Not so sure about Leona Naess. She's no Polly Jean, is she?

your best GirlieGirl from Canada,
Snowbuns

Davey
03-13-2004, 10:09 AM
Got to get me some Moonbabies! Not so sure about Leona Naess. She's no Polly Jean, is she?

Hehehe. No, Leona Naess is no PJ, but I have grown kind of fond of that album. Doesn't really get the juices flowing, though. PJ is supposed to have a new album out this summer that she has described as ugly. Much more raw than the last album. Hopefully a return to the sound of Dry. Too bad you're near the left coast and not the right cause Neko Case is supposed to play Toronto for a couple nights next month at Lee's Palace with the Sadies to back her up and they're taping it for a live album. Should be quite a show. The Sadies is a Toronto band with a few albums of their own that has been backing her in whole or part on many of her recordings and concerts. From their website.....

<i>
Canada's favourite whacked-out six-string mayhemists are back with a soundscape for the space cowboy set. The Sadies made their fourth album and Outside Music debut, Stories Often Told, after spending the past year and a half criss-crossing North America on tour, headlining their own shows and sharing stages with artists including Neko Case, Blue Rodeo, and Beachwood Sparks. And when listening to these tunes one could envision the band on the road carrying steamer trunks full of martini glasses and discount wines, saddlebags stuffed with Byrds and Stanley Brothers records, and surfboards strapped to the roof. Spooky campfire wails, dusty western trails, lounge time cool downs, and psych adventures all knock heads on their latest tremendous effort. </i>