Albums you didn’t like at first but grew to like?

[Arioch]

28 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

He doesn't need to buy them all, he listens to them all at 3x speed and gets through 45 albums a day!!

And he forgets everything he listened to by the time he falls asleep.

😁

[AlSymerz]

He never falls asleep!

 

[GoatmasterGeneral]

It's only 3:08am not time to fall asleep yet.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Hmm it just dawned on me there are probably a lot more albums I used to really like but find completely unpalatable these days as opposed to records which have gone the other way.

[GoatmasterGeneral]

40 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

😐

[JonoBlade]

5 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Knobs

Definitely always try another knob. It may better suit your tastes.

[FatherAlabaster]

TASTE THE KNOB

[markm]

7 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

I ain't coppin' shit.

I realize the band appears to have considerable value to others, but Ulcerate is rubbish to me. I'm not one of those people who has the patience to keep trying with a band indefinitely. When I come upon a locked door (musically speaking) I'm not gonna dislocate my shoulder trying to bust it down and then call the locksmith and wait around all day til he shows up to let me in. I'll just try the next knob in hopes that it might open for me. Or in other words I can't buy ALL the metal albums, ya know? So since I find so many boatloads of good ones that I can hardly keep up with listening to them all, I'm cool having a certain amount that I just don't like. I certainly don't need Ulcerate to make my life complete. And seriously I have a black thumb, wildflowers don't typically unfold for me, they simply wither and die.

Fair points, but OTH, there is some amazingly complex mindfucks in metal that for me are worth trying to unravel. Imagine if we all took that attitude to all art. I'm glad I took a Shakespeare English class in college. It changed my life and inspired me to want to act in Shakespearean plays. Like, would I ever have struggled through King Lear otherwise? I'm sure I wouldn't and I only comprehended a fraction, but I learned to appreciate the genius of the bard in a way I never would have otherwise if I only stuck to immediately accessible books of the time like The Vampire Chronicles and Salem's Lot-both of which were pretty awesome in their own way....just sayin'

[RelentlessOblivion]

Studying literature had the opposite impact on me honestly, once I had to start actually thinking about the various tropes and literary techniques employed by various authors my passion for reading was greatly diminished. Makes me glad I’ve never studied music theory…

Anyway Ulcerate are about as dissonant as I cannot listen to in any mood. Once you start getting past them I need to be in the right frame of mind to actually enjoy what I’m hearing.

[FatherAlabaster]

2 hours ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

Studying literature had the opposite impact on me honestly, once I had to start actually thinking about the various tropes and literary techniques employed by various authors my passion for reading was greatly diminished. Makes me glad I’ve never studied music theory…

When I started doing ear training and learned how to hear intervals, I lost my taste for some of the bands I used to enjoy. It felt like the magic was gone. But there was also a bunch of music that didn't lose its appeal, and I started to appreciate it in different ways. On the whole, learning about music opened more doors than it closed. Same with art. That stuff that I left behind just didn't have anything left to offer me.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I understand enough of the theory side of music to write my own stuff, not enough for my brain to scream hey that’s wrong…

 

As far as literature goes I do like to analyse some books, it says a lot about certain authors the tropes they try to use.

[Thatguy]

1 hour ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

I understand enough of the theory side of music to write my own stuff, not enough for my brain to scream hey that’s wrong…

 

It's never wrong really. A lot of music theory is a matter of opinion.

[AlSymerz]

But why does everyone else's opinion suck?

[GoatmasterGeneral]

15 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

It's never wrong really. A lot of music theory is a matter of opinion.

Everything, everywhere, is always a matter of opinion. 

[AlSymerz]

Opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one but on yours stinks.

[Thatguy]

48 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

But why does everyone else's opinion suck?

I ask myself this every day. 

Then take a deep breath and attempt to practice what I preach.

[AlSymerz]

Just now, Thatguy said:

I ask myself this every day.

I was with you up to this point then it's just a blur.

[JonoBlade]

18 hours ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

Studying literature had the opposite impact on me honestly, once I had to start actually thinking about the various tropes and literary techniques employed by various authors my passion for reading was greatly diminished. Makes me glad I’ve never studied music theory…

This. I remember in high school having to watch some arty movie and deconstructing its techniques to the point of seething hatred.

I guess there is a right way (like Mark's Shakespeare class) and a wrong way to do these things.

15 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

On the whole, learning about music opened more doors than it closed. 

My music education consisted of my mum trying to teach me piano when I was 7. It lasted probably two months. Then when I was 18 I had a guitar but didn't even know how to tune it. An American backpacker called Jungle turned up at our flat (he'd met one of my flatmates on a plane from Samoa) and taught me basic music theory in an afternoon. I never saw him again.

I know, intellectually, that learning more about composition and theory could present multiple new knobs, but if there is the slightest chance it might actually kill the creative spark by "knowing too much" - no thanks - I can't take that risk. I'll stick with my knob.

Art (as in visual art) must be different again. There can't be much downside to learning new techniques. Same with music. It's the deconstruction and endless academic theory in interpreting various art forms that is just not for me.

Geez, I didn't even know what this topic was, until I just checked.

"Albums you didn’t like at first but grew to like?"

Here's an obscure one: Ungod by Stabbing Westward.

I bought the album because the cover looked like they might be a death metal/Carcass-like sounding band. It was in a bargain bin so I just took a punt. Now, the inner sleeve and band photos probably should have raised alarm bells, but maybe I never looked. It was not at all what I expected and considered taking it straight back to the record store, but grew to really like it. 

 

[Rexorcist]

Honestly, when I read some Aristotle's Poetics years ago, I was really taken in.  Aristotle would have a field day with the modern outlook on genres.

[markm]

5 hours ago, JonoBlade said:

 

I guess there is a right way (like Mark's Shakespeare class) and a wrong way to do these things.

 

Yeah, I reckon how we approach different art forms differs but for me with the Shakespeare thing, I was already heavily into theater in college. A proff that also directed plays had this popular class-Shakespeare Tragedies-what you came to college to learn-sort of thing.

I went on to act in plays he directed. He eventually started a theater company with one of my college peers that continues to this day in Staunton VA and is quite successful. His mission was to take Shakespeare off the lofty pedestal which keeps many people at arms length-and make it accessible in the way Shakespeare intended. 

I presume like most university classes, it really comes down to the professor inspiring students and he was riveting. Ralph Cohen had a way of making it real and breaking it down-he talked a lot about the conventions of the time and that it wasn't high end art-it was meant to be seen live not read. He explained how the blocking or action of the actors impacted your understanding.   

Of course with Shakespeare, the language is rich with illusion, metaphor and multiple meanings, and for that it really helps to have an expert dissect the language but there is also a lot of crude humor, dick jokes, etc. that appealed to the commoners. 

BTW, I'll be curious how LLNN was live! 

[JonoBlade]

1 hour ago, markm said:

Of course with Shakespeare, the language is rich with illusion, metaphor and multiple meanings, and for that it really helps to have an expert dissect the language but there is also a lot of crude humor, dick jokes, etc. that appealed to the commoners. 

BTW, I'll be curious how LLNN was live! 

I thought of your Bill Paxton story the other day when I was watching Aliens for the first time in many years. It would be quite easy to do a death/grind album consisting entirely of Hudson quotes. It is probably the single richest performance of one liners in action movie history without sounding forced.

Chicago's Sallah could pull it off, because they already did an Alien v. Predator EP. The bass player once told me they planned on doing a Jaws album (another film with excellent quotes). Their album Fortune and Glory is a genre-defining escapade in Indiana Jones themed black metal.

AVP EP | Sallah (bandcamp.com)

[JonoBlade]

On 8/25/2022 at 3:36 PM, markm said:

BTW, I'll be curious how LLNN was live! 

So, saw LLNN and The Ocean on Saturday night.

LLNN was heavy as a truck (a big truck). Going for a real Candiria vibe of slowed down tempos and hard hits where the drummer appears to really hate his drum kit. They had a few technical glitches which interrupted flow, but soldiered on. They do just look like average dudes playing stupid heavy music. Never truer: Image is Nothing; Metal is Everything.

The Ocean was a much slicker operation. They made the most of a small stage with six guys on it. It struck me that the music was quite audible because everything was DI'ed. I saw no amps on stage. While this has advantages for production consistency it does come across a little sterile. There was no heft in the guitars (whereas LLNN had an Orange head, 4x12 and even bigger bass rig on stage moving air). I like my guitars to womp. Also, I was standing literally one foot from one of the guitarists all night and never saw him touch an effects pedal once (except a tuner), yet there was all manner of atmospheric effects changes going on. I suspect the whole performance is sync'ed/switched to a click track based on where they are in a song. I mean, they're playing their instruments for sure, but the soul of live music gets a little lost when it is micro-managed to that level.

Every band member carried around an iPhone with a personalised mix for their IEMs (wireless packs of course). Times have changed since I was playing in someone's garage using an old bass amp as a vocal PA faced at the drunken audience. And no effects, just distortion on 10.

[Sheol]

Glad to hear LLNN was heavy, that's the main appeal of them for me on record. Just a massive heft without being boring like sludge or doom can be. I can understand The Ocean being so meticulous, they have a lot of stuff going on and they probably save a ton of money not having to lugg around amps and pedalboards on tour.

[JonoBlade]

On 8/30/2022 at 9:13 AM, Sheol said:

Glad to hear LLNN was heavy, that's the main appeal of them for me on record. Just a massive heft without being boring like sludge or doom can be. I can understand The Ocean being so meticulous, they have a lot of stuff going on and they probably save a ton of money not having to lugg around amps and pedalboards on tour.

I don't know what you'd call LLNN (i.e. literally what I am supposed to call them, "Lin" with a stutter?). When I first heard them I thought "heavier Cult of Luna". But it's not that. It's not sludge or doom either, but it can still be pretty samey. I find anything "boring" after a while that only has one speed, one vocal style. They do change it up a little with some sound effects/keys. At one point the singer put down his guitar and went into the audience. I wondered if he was having technical problems but, no, he was just a poser.

What The Ocean save in not lugging around amps/cabs, they make up for in smoke machines, extra lights and quite a large synthesizer thing which looks pretty heavy and difficult to transport. I'd just be a bit embarrassed if my guitar sounded so weak. It was no threat to the climate at all.

The band did carry enough merch to fill several oceans with microplastics though.

 

[markm]

Great gig report Jon!