comp review: Slosh's '04 year end [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

PDA

View Full Version : comp review: Slosh's '04 year end



newtrix1
12-15-2004, 09:35 AM
Wow, I haven't had one of these things grace my mailbox in months, so I feel obliged to review Pats much appreciated efforts...

packaging: Arrived in a basic tan jiffy envelope, all info accurate. No damage to disc or jewel case, (but I guess we need to thank the USPS there, not Pat).

cover art: minimalistic, but appropriate, no actual art. Arrived in one of Slosh's typical colored jewel case (yellow/orange this time around) with single sheet paper tracklist insert containing: track #, song name, artist. Magenta (Helvetica?) text used (small yet readable). Color scheme works well.

title: "The Year in Slosh: 2004", nice, functional and personal.

media: SONY CD-R 700 MB, also labeled "SUPREMAS". Either these are some high end blanks or he got a deal on some import rejects from a third world country. I'm giving Pat the benefit of the doubt and assuming that no underage kids were involved in the production of los Sony SUPREMAS. Nice silver color on the burn side. Again, Pat went minimalsitic on the disc labeling with "The Year in Slosh: 2004" scrawled in medium black sharpie across the top half. So far, this is the worst part of the comp package, (IMO Pat could use a bit of penmanship practice).

OK, well thanks for the disc Pat, so far, so good! Hope you enjoyed the review. Maybe after I've had a chance to see what type of data is on this thing I'll make some additional comments. :)

more to come...

Rick

Ex Lion Tamer
12-15-2004, 10:19 AM
I totally concur. Though my jewel box is a light blue tint and I have no complaints about Pat's penmanship; neatly functional is how I'd describe it, the rest of the packaging mirrors Rick's excellent and thorough review.

Thanks for sending me one.

Mr MidFi
12-15-2004, 12:23 PM
Me likee (as noted in Tuesday thread). Generally liking the first half better than the second, but overall very good. Muchas gracias, y feliz navidad!

Jim Clark
12-15-2004, 01:07 PM
that was soo cool when it arrived yesterday. A best of, already. Ol' Slosh is always quick on his list and his comp which generally makes me look like a lazy slug but I'm still digesting.

Tons of good toonage on this comp. It actually took me to track 7 before I came across a song I couldn't get into. It's just that on that particular Ben Folds track all I can hear is Geddy Lee and it drives me nutzo but I get this feeling that I'm probably the only one who hears it that way. I'm not sure if any year end comp will be complete without Neighborhood #3 on it. I guess I'll only use it for my comp to folks around KC since I wouldn't want to wear that song out.

Great comp and it did a good job of keeping me company as I trudged from Wallmart to Wallmart looking for this one digital camera-to no avail. It was midnight before I got home, but it was OK since I had good tunes.

jc

Slosh
12-15-2004, 01:40 PM
Hehe, thanks for the in depth review there, Rick. :)

Jim, Ben Folds? :confused:

~Slosh - supremas hole

Jim Clark
12-15-2004, 02:04 PM
Hehe, thanks for the in depth review there, Rick. :)

Jim, Ben Folds? :confused:

~Slosh - supremas hole

Doh! Not hasbeen folds, Ted Leo. Well, it was track 7 and remember, it was very late. I should know better than to think you'd put the former on a comp. My bad, very bad.

jc

Slosh
12-15-2004, 02:30 PM
My bad, very bad.


I'll let it go . . . this time :rolleyes:

And to answer everyone's yet-to-be-asked question:
Yes, the rest of that Pinback album is that good!! :D

Stone
12-15-2004, 03:01 PM
I got mine too, but haven't had a chance to spin it. Thanks, man.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this though:



It's just that on that particular [Ted Leo] track all I can hear is Geddy Lee and it drives me nutzo
jc

audiobill
12-15-2004, 03:09 PM
A very pleasant surprise to receive a Slosh comp in the mail, today.

Also, thank you for answering the burning question, before any of us could type it out. My response: I have to get that Pinback disc, before Christmas.

I haven't spun the entire disc, yet.......currently, on track 12 and fully enjoying it, along with my Chicken Curry 6:04 p.m.., here in the darks of Canada.

Big fan btw of McLusky but I think for me it jars the hell out of the comp.
Next question: Is the included McLusky track indicative of the rest of their 2004 disc??

Thanks-a-ton Sloshmeister!!

Bill

Slosh
12-15-2004, 04:27 PM
Big fan btw of McLusky but I think for me it masons the hell out of the comp.
Next question: Is the included McLusky track indicative of the rest of their 2004 disc??
l

Nah, not really. Actually that songs sounds a lot like it could be from their previous album, Does Dallas. The new one is much heavier overall than their first two albums, but still clearly with that punk attitude. I think it is sequenced rather poorly and a few of the songs like "Your Children Are Waiting For You To Die" shoulda ended up on the cutting room floor IMO (although ya gotta love that song title ;) ). I'd definitely recommend it to you since you tend to like the heavier stuff, but not to anyone expecting Does Dallas, Sloppy Seconds (or whatever).

Hey Stone,

Is there anything on my comp that you don't already have (or heard)? I'm glad I don't have to do x-mas shopping for you! :p

Stone
12-15-2004, 05:14 PM
Hey Stone,

Is there anything on my comp that you don't already have (or heard)? I'm glad I don't have to do x-mas shopping for you! :p

Quite a bit actually:

Pinback
Earlimart
Clinic
Jim White
Wilco
Old Canes
Chris Whitley
Giant Sand

Aww, c'mon - I'm easy. Cash is always appreciated. Actually, if people buy me music for Christmas, I give them specific titles or they buy me a gift certificate. That way I don't get a duplicate or end up with the latest Creed spinoff CD or something equally as good.

I should start working on a year-end comp, but I'm still getting to know a lot of this year's music, so it may be January. Plus, I just bought The Office Special DVD, so that's gonna occupy some time tonight at least.

NP: The Year In Slosh: 2004 (track 6 - Geddy's up next...)

mad rhetorik
12-15-2004, 05:32 PM
Yeah, I got my copy in the mail a couple days ago. Haven't sat down and listened to it yet, but at least I can count on the McLusky and Mastodon songs to rule ; p. Thanks Sloshy.

ForeverAutumn
12-15-2004, 06:57 PM
Mine arrived today too! Thanks Sloshy. I wasn't expecting this, so it's arrival felt extra special. :) I haven't listened to it yet, but I'll be sure to post some thoughts once I do.

newtrix1
12-15-2004, 08:00 PM
..."fewest reviews in a comp review thread"! ;)

I actually did listen to it after my original post and hands down my fav was Las Savy Fav. I've heard other LSF songs on other comps (probably from you Slosh) but they never jumped out. I think my buddy at work has recommended them to me before too, but like an ijit I never took advantage of borrowing an album. Might have to change that soon.

Another interesting track was the song by Fiery Furnaces which I kinda didn't like when the song first started, but was digging it by the end. I also thought I was listening to the dude from Pavement on that song, but looked up The FF and it's not him. Totally quirky toon though (in a good way).

Tough to do song-by-song reviews these days, but I may give it a shot with this comp.

Jim Clark
12-15-2004, 08:20 PM
NP: The Year In Slosh: 2004 (track 6 - Geddy's up next...)

OK, you've played it by now. Doesn't the high, shrill singing remind you at least a bit of Geddy? Well, I did say that likely it was just me but I thought that on several songs when I played the album and it came through the same on the comp.

jc

Slosh
12-16-2004, 12:33 AM
Doesn't the high, shrill singing remind you at least a bit of Geddy?

Well, now that you mention it I can kinda hear it. Gee, thanks. :p At least the music doesn't sound like "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" (which gets my vote for stupidest prog concept . . . . thingy, ever).

Jim Clark
12-16-2004, 06:28 AM
Well, now that you mention it I can kinda hear it. Gee, thanks. :p At least the music doesn't sound like "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" (which gets my vote for stupidest prog concept . . . . thingy, ever).

Stone still probably thinks I'm cuckoo for cocoa puffs though! He wouldn't necessarily be wrong.

jc

Mr MidFi
12-16-2004, 07:44 AM
Another interesting track was the song by Fiery Furnaces which I kinda didn't like when the song first started, but was digging it by the end. I also thought I was listening to the dude from Pavement on that song, but looked up The FF and it's not him. Totally quirky toon though (in a good way).


One of my co-workers went to high school with the guy. Apparently, he was a pretty non-descript guy back then. BTW, I'm digging that track a lot...it's almost like listening to an ongoing family argument at times, except more interesting.

-Jar-
12-16-2004, 09:44 AM
Great comp Slosh. After a few spins I had to admit the real creeper for me is the Ted Leo. Nothing from TYRANNY really did much for me.. but I did hear the 2nd half of SHEETS on the radio a few days ago and wow.. I was buh-lown away. I had no idea who it was until the DJ said (she was doing a best-of 2004 show, go figure). I was thinking.. what, some classic 1983 album that I totally missed. Reminded me of Elvis Costello for some reason, not for the voice but for how Ted sings. I totally love the stripped-down production. Refreshing, a nice change of pace from the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sound that so many current bands have.

Other thoughts.. Old Canes.. I know it was just one song, but to me it didn't seem all that different from Appleseed Cast.. except it's "unplugged." Don't get me wrong, I like the song, I guess I was expecting a bigger departure.

Pinback is.. SO DAVEY. OMG. Yo Wheat Luna. Or something.

Arcade Fire. Someone in Maxim said that this sounded like everything that was good in the late 80's and early 90's. I'd have to hear the reast of the album. This song sounds like Modest Mouse that you can dance to.. but, who's to say you can't dance to Modest Mouse if you want to?. Kinda cool. But, it sounds VERY "current" to me.

Speaking of.. sounds like Modest Mouse is even jumping on the neo-postpunk movement. Very catchy tune ("The View"). But it has that early 80's funky backbeat going.. Not bad, but it does sound kind of anachronistic to me.

I need more time to lest the rest of it soak in.

Nice job Slosh.

-jar

Dusty Chalk
12-16-2004, 09:54 AM
Well, now that you mention it I can kinda hear it. Gee, thanks. :p At least the music doesn't sound like "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" (which gets my vote for stupidest prog concept . . . . thingy, ever).You know the inspiration behind that song, don't you? They were visiting someone (I forget whom), and they were being verbally terrorized by this tiny white little dog, who was acting a lot bigger than he was. I think he may have sounded a lot bigger than he was behind the door, before they entered, as well.

So they wrote a (fictitious) song about him. Sort of a Davey and Goliath type story.

Stone
12-16-2004, 10:14 AM
Stone still probably thinks I'm cuckoo for cocoa puffs though! He wouldn't necessarily be wrong.

jc


That's a polite way of putting it!! Just kidding.


I haven't broken out the Rush albums in a while, but I'm still not hearing it. Maybe I need to put aside the alienation and get on with the fascination.

ForeverAutumn
12-16-2004, 10:23 AM
I've listened to most of the comp now. Needs a few more spins but, in general, I'm liking it.

My two cents on the Geddy/Leo thing. I don't hear Geddy in the voice so much. Although, I can see where other less Rush experienced ears might think so. ;) But listen to the drums and the guitar. This is sooooooo YYZ inspired. Seriously, it's not in the voice, but there is a Rush connection in this song.

FA
(doing her best to turn Sloshy's comp review thread into a Rush thread --- Bwaaahaaaahaaaa).

Troy
12-16-2004, 01:01 PM
I just got it 3 minutes ago.

Playing track 6 first . . .

Ummmmm, Geddy? No. This guy isn't nearly as obnoxious.

(doing my best to facillitate FA's wishes)

I hear a lot of early Talking Heads in this track myself.

More comments to follow, thanks for adding me to the list, Sloshy!

Stone
12-16-2004, 01:38 PM
I just got it 3 minutes ago.

Playing track 6 first . . .

Ummmmm, Geddy? No. This guy isn't nearly as obnoxious.

(doing my best to facillitate FA's wishes)

I hear a lot of early Talking Heads in this track myself.

More comments to follow, thanks for adding me to the list, Sloshy!

Track 7, the Ted Leo + Pharmacists song, is the one in question w/r/t Rush.

Slosh
12-16-2004, 01:47 PM
Track 7, the Ted Leo + Pharmacists song, is the one in question w/r/t Rush.

Don't you mean Geddy Leo + Pharmacists?

-Jar-
12-16-2004, 01:57 PM
I just got it 3 minutes ago.

Playing track 6 first . . .

Ummmmm, Geddy? No. This guy isn't nearly as obnoxious.

(doing my best to facillitate FA's wishes)

I hear a lot of early Talking Heads in this track myself.

More comments to follow, thanks for adding me to the list, Sloshy!

If you are in fact, talking about the Modest Mouse song, then yea, Talking Heads definately fits what I was thinking when I described it as "anachronistic" a few posts back.

I remember many years ago you said you didn't like their singer because he sounded disinterested or something like that.. I'm curious to hear if you've changed your mind.

Also, I promised you some Firey Furnaces a while back but never delivered. There's a track by them on here.. Maybe this is enough for you to know if you'd like them or not?

;)

-jar

Troy
12-16-2004, 02:01 PM
Ohhhhh, well that 'splains it then.

Teddy sounds like Geddy? Yeah, I see why you'd say that. It's not his voice so much as it's his cadence and soft-pallet falsetto. Especially when he says "OH!" as high as he can at 2:19.

But FA is right, that staccato guitar is VERY Rush. Funny.

Good song, better than anything I heard on "Hearts of Oak". I'll have to scrounge this new one up cuz I really liked "Tyrany".

Troy
12-16-2004, 02:10 PM
Modest Mouse
I remember many years ago you said you didn't like their singer because he sounded disinterested or something like that.. I'm curious to hear if you've changed your mind.

Also, I promised you some Firey Furnaces a while back but never delivered. There's a track by them on here.. Maybe this is enough for you to know if you'd like them or not

I don't remeber saying that, but that's a pretty good description. It's an indie/emo thing I suppose. That snotty and insolent quality.

That Fiery Furnaces track, pretty goofy. It tries too hard. I got pretty tired of that hi-hat by the end of it too.

Slosh
12-16-2004, 02:15 PM
I~~~ Fiery Furnaces ~~~ There's a track by them on here.

Actually, there's 2/3rds of a track by them on here. Had to try to make it flow and such.

Nice comments above, jar.

I'm more curious to hear what people have to say about the comp in the coming weeks after the songs start to sink in, but hey, I ain't complaining. It's been so dead around here that I almost posted a story about an evangelical progger RIAA attorney that I had to smite with a 100-pack CD-R spindle while in line at Staples, just the other day. :rolleyes:

Troy
12-16-2004, 02:36 PM
I just don't get to see the word "smite" enough.

Is that Bjork on the last track?

Slosh
12-16-2004, 02:51 PM
I
Is that Bjork on the last track?
Fjuck no! Singer land:
Vic Chesnutt + Henriette Sennenvalt

Troy
12-16-2004, 03:18 PM
Henriette Sennenvalt

She has that same kind of cleft-pallet, slightly retarded way of singing that so many other people find endearing.

newtrix1
12-16-2004, 06:42 PM
'cause I woulda put the house on that being Bjork singing on the last track. Holy smokes, one of those chicks is copying the other ones' style!

Davey
12-16-2004, 06:44 PM
Got mine today too! Nothing to say about it yet, but just wanted to join the festivities. Ya know, sometimes I feel kind of left out and all.

Got one from Troy and his new chick singer yesterday. No spinnage yet but will soon. They both look like fun ones.......but, walk around the world in your plastic space boots and spider covered underwear? Hmmmm.....

Gracias, mi dos amigos. If I could find one more like you two I could have tres amigos! Merry Christmas!

Slosh
12-17-2004, 04:18 AM
She has that same kind of cleft-pallet, slightly retarded way of singing that so many other people find endearing.

That's about the funniest line I've seen on this board in eons. Kinda like when someones asks your opinion about their new girlfriend by saying something like, "She's kinda ugly, isn't she?" How to respond? "Well, only compared to other women."

DarrenH
12-17-2004, 04:04 PM
Hehehe.....

Thanks Slosh for including me in your mailing. I got thru it once. Barely. ;)

I'll continue to keep an open mind as I force myself to listen to it again.

Bwahahahaha.

Seriously, thanks. Always a pleasure getting a chance to hear new music.

Have a great holiday.

Darren

Davey
12-18-2004, 11:49 AM
Cool comp. Got a chance to listen this morning while fixing my laptop. Stupid thing. Got home last night and turned it on and it wouldn't boot - just got the dreaded blue screen. And wouldn't boot in any of the safe modes either. Grrrrrr....no way I wanted to do a system reinstall and lose all my stuff. But was able to go into the Recovery Console using the system disk and get a command prompt and then move out the current corrupted registry files and move in some old ones from the repair directory and get it to boot in safe mode and then move the latest registry files from the last system restore into the proper directory and blah blah blah....all is OK now and I didn't lose any stuff. But The Year In Slosh kept me company and smiling and head bobbing while down in that dark basement of Windows XP.

Hey Sloshy, just a quick note on that Old Canes track. You probably don't recall my mentioning it way back when I first got it, but the song list on the back of the CD is a little confusing because it doesn't have track numbers and doesn't list the first short untitled track. Consequently most people would think that first little intro is "Blue Eleanor", but it's not. "Blue Eleanor" is actually track 2. I combined the two of them to open my Down The Road.....Again comp and just called it "Blue Eleanor", which I think they should've done as well to avoid confusion. There's an untitled track at the end as well so AMG and most other sites wrongly list it as two untitled tracks at the end instead of one at the beginning and one at the end. So the song on your excellent comp is "The Song Was Right" and not "Then Go On". No big deal but just thought you'd like to know. If you listen to the lyrics it becomes crystal clear as "Then Go On" features that lyric in the chorus. Still love that album. Definitely one of my top few this year. Like Jar said about the Pinback, it's SO Davey ;) I like the Rogue Wave too. A bit on the fey side, but still fun. Haven't really warmed up to the Earlimart though. Anyway, only one listen so far but thanks for getting me a copy. Lots to like.

Slosh
12-18-2004, 12:41 PM
So the song on your <s>excellent</s> mislabled comp is "The Song Was Right" and not "Then Go On". No big deal but just thought you'd like to know. If you listen to the lyrics it becomes crystal clear as "Then Go On" features that lyric in the chorus.

D'oh! I'm pretty sure I can blame freedb for that one (or duh, I coulda just looked at my CD). Oh well, I gave Arcade Fire a "The" too so what's one more error?

NP: Melvins - Houdini