Red Mosquito

durdencommatyler wrote:

VinylGuy wrote:yeah, SK sound is still there. Specially in the vocal arrangements.

I love the way The Dog/The Body is arranged, vocally. That bridge!

But I really just adore the way Carrie sings, especially the verses. The way the words fit (sometimes jaggedly) in the melody. The sentiment is hits hard for me, too. But it's really the way the voices use the words and melody that chokes me up. And man, does that song choke me up. I've gotten weepy every time I've listened to it.

Monkey_Driven wrote:It's somewhere in the middle for me. The vocal arrangements are still there, but the music is hit or miss. Sometimes it is too sparse or missing the interplay that is a staple of their previous work. Other times it is absolutely there, with a new sound (synths, crunchy modulated guitar, etc.).

durdencommatyler wrote:I think it can be difficult when an artist does something that you really respond to and enjoy for a long time and then they do something different in a way that leaves out or changes or even disguises the things you liked most about their art. I totally understand that side of it. Personally, I've never been much for that kind of thing. I never wanted any of my favorite bands to repeat themselves. I'd honestly love for Pearl Jam, for example, to do a record like Center.

Kevin Davis wrote:It's not that their musical personalities aren't still discernible (Carrie's certainly still is), but for me it's one of those things where all skill sets just aren't transferrable across all mediums, i.e. the same unrefined, affected vocal mannerisms that work great in bratty, fast-paced, minimally produced punk rock aren't equally effective in a mid-tempo, heavily produced pop song. By the time I was through listening to the new songs last night, I found myself wondering how I could ever stand hearing Carrie sing again; there were handful of songs I found so grating I couldn't even finish them. But then a video of S-K performing "A New Wave" on Letterman came up, and what she was doing totally fit, even though she wasn't really doing anything that fundamentally different. I think closed-minded resistance to change only explains a portion of the backlash against this album: This does not feel like a band naturally moving forward and confidently reasserting itself; it feels like a band who got back together after a long time apart, realized they sounded exactly like they did before they split up, and then very self-consciously overcorrected. I admire their intent, but I don't think they pulled it off.

surfndestroy wrote:

durdencommatyler wrote:I think it can be difficult when an artist does something that you really respond to and enjoy for a long time and then they do something different in a way that leaves out or changes or even disguises the things you liked most about their art. I totally understand that side of it. Personally, I've never been much for that kind of thing. I never wanted any of my favorite bands to repeat themselves. I'd honestly love for Pearl Jam, for example, to do a record like Center.

I want artists to evolve but once the length between releases gets over two and especially three years, the listener doesn't hear a evolution. They end up hearing the result of two or three evolutions. It's no longer a case of growing with the band but taking jumps with a band. That is difficult if during the 4-1/2 year gap your tastes evolved in different directions. It becomes more of a high school reunion and I don't feel bad if listeners want to rehash old times.

tragabigzanda wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

Kevin Davis wrote:As an aside, the Pitchfork review for this album was written by Caryn Rose. I wonder how much of S-K's current fanbase is just reformed PJ nutsos who saw them open the "Riot Act" tour.

Kevin Davis wrote:It's not that their musical personalities aren't still discernible (Carrie's certainly still is), but for me it's one of those things where all skill sets just aren't transferrable across all mediums, i.e. the same unrefined, affected vocal mannerisms that work great in bratty, fast-paced, minimally produced punk rock aren't equally effective in a mid-tempo, heavily produced pop song. By the time I was through listening to the new songs last night, I found myself wondering how I could ever stand hearing Carrie sing again; there were handful of songs I found so grating I couldn't even finish them. But then a video of S-K performing "A New Wave" on Letterman came up, and what she was doing totally fit, even though she wasn't really doing anything that fundamentally different. I think closed-minded resistance to change only explains a portion of the backlash against this album: This does not feel like a band naturally moving forward and confidently reasserting itself; it feels like a band who got back together after a long time apart, realized they sounded exactly like they did before they split up, and then very self-consciously overcorrected. I admire their intent, but I don't think they pulled it off.

As an aside, the Pitchfork review for this album was written by Caryn Rose. I wonder how much of S-K's current fanbase is just reformed PJ nutsos who saw them open the "Riot Act" tour.

Monkey_Driven wrote:Do I think they pulled it off? Right now I say they somewhat did, but I'm not sure if I will feel the same months from now.

tragabigzanda wrote:Yeah, and I will say that while I think this record is a dud, I'd be very interested to hear if they continued down this path with a different producer.

bodysnatcher wrote:Interesting Fact: One Beat also describes how fast it takes Durds to masturbate while listening to the new S-K album

tragabigzanda wrote:CoS: Ranking Every Sleater-Kinney Album from Worst to Best