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Your one album of choice.

Started by wasp_f15ting, August 01, 2007, 06:25:03 PM

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Spiteface



I love this album to death.  Nothing has sounded quite like it before or since.  i go through phases of other music, but this is always the one I come back to.

Canted_Angle

Quote from: Spiteface on September 01, 2007, 07:31:38 PM


I love this album to death.  Nothing has sounded quite like it before or since.  i go through phases of other music, but this is always the one I come back to.

This album is in a league of its own, not beyond but more 'to the left and up' of everything else, the story behind it is a true triumph of artistic vision over money.

I've had many a great moment listening to this, not in the lease being high on mescaline in the middle of a field in south ongdenville or fuck knows where, truly in the sky.

I just wish kevin shields and prick/lucky pierre would do something new.

Sovereign

Master of Puppets is a tempting choice, being as it is pretty much the definition of Heavy Metal. If you had to show a martian one metal album to explain what metal was, it'd have to be that. Reign in Blood by Slayer is a better album in many ways, but its only 28 minutes long and isnt as varied as MOP. In terms of sheer adrenaline rush Reign in Blood wins hands down, but for dynamics and songsmanship Master of Puppets is the one. Orion is a truly incredible piece of music and perhaps the artistic pinnacle of the entire genre.

But if I can only choose one album, it is this:



It is my job on this board to plug Neurosis at every given opportunity, and seeing as this is their defining album I would be foolish to choose anything else. Truly awesome, it blows all the competition into the water. Just get it, at all costs.

Anon

Quote from: Sovereign on September 01, 2007, 09:19:27 PM
But if I can only choose one album, it is this:



It is my job on this board to plug Neurosis at every given opportunity, and seeing as this is their defining album I would be foolish to choose anything else. Truly awesome, it blows all the competition into the water. Just get it, at all costs.

Wow...you're probably the first Neurosis fan I've come across who didn't find Given to the Rising a major dissapointment.  Withought wanting to sound like too much of an arsehole, what makes that album stand out to you?  I've tried listening to it a fair few times, but apart from the title track nothing really stands out to me.  I'll probably give it another go at some point, but I certainly wouldn't put it in the same league as Times of Grace or The Eye of Every Storm.

LECKIE

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED BY THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE

UNKNOWN PLEASURES BY JOY DIVISION

Sovereign

Quote from: Anon on September 01, 2007, 09:33:30 PM
Wow...you're probably the first Neurosis fan I've come across who didn't find Given to the Rising a major dissapointment.  Withought wanting to sound like too much of an arsehole, what makes that album stand out to you?  I've tried listening to it a fair few times, but apart from the title track nothing really stands out to me.  I'll probably give it another go at some point, but I certainly wouldn't put it in the same league as Times of Grace or The Eye of Every Storm.

I dont hang around with a great deal of neurosis fans, but the critical reception has been awesome and most of the people I know who are into them love it. Its got a better reception from the casual metal fans that I know than any of their previous work, and they got a good reception when I went to see them at shepherds bush this summer. From the people who I spoke to there it seemed to be well recieved.

Of course there's a lot of Neurosis fans who want to see them re-make Through Silver in Blood or even Souls at Zero rather than progress, which is why A Sun That Never Sets and The Eye of Every Storm didn't go down too well, but I personally loved that direction they went in and I know plenty of Neurosis fans who feel the same. With this one, what I love about it, is that its so direct. There's no intro, it just lurches straight into one of the most life-affirming riffs they've ever done, and the rest of the album is very direct. It brings together the massive crushing heaviness of the earlier albums but uses the lous-quiet dynamics of the more recent albums to good effect too. It just seems that they've settled on a winning formula, it isn't as self-conciously experimental or avante-garde as the newer albums, but it isn't retracing its steps and trying to do another Through Silver in Blood, they've brought together the best bits of their previous work and put them together masterfully. Which is why I cant see why old-school neurosis fans dont love it, because its easily their heaviest work since Through Silver in Blood, infact I think the riffs here are just about the heaviest things I've ever heard, but its still has light and shade and good songwriting to add to it. I'm surprised you dont like it, whats your problem with it?

The end of Distill, when played on a good sound system, is just earth shattering. Same goes for Origin. Some of the songs are quicker and less dirge-like than usual, meaning its more immediate and powerful. But where it is dirgey, such as At the end of the road, it really is punishing rather than boring. Its a really heavy and nasty piece of work and shows just how good they are at their best. 

Famous Mortimer

I'm with Sovereign on this one, "Given To The Rising" was an absolutely superb album and was...think of a cleverer word...a progression from what they'd done before. Much as I love "Through Silver In Blood", they've already done that.

Al Tha Funkee Homosapien

I also fully endorse this event or product.

Anon

Quote from: Sovereign on September 02, 2007, 01:19:49 AM
I dont hang around with a great deal of neurosis fans, but the critical reception has been awesome and most of the people I know who are into them love it. Its got a better reception from the casual metal fans that I know than any of their previous work, and they got a good reception when I went to see them at shepherds bush this summer. From the people who I spoke to there it seemed to be well recieved.

Of course there's a lot of Neurosis fans who want to see them re-make Through Silver in Blood or even Souls at Zero rather than progress, which is why A Sun That Never Sets and The Eye of Every Storm didn't go down too well, but I personally loved that direction they went in and I know plenty of Neurosis fans who feel the same. With this one, what I love about it, is that its so direct. There's no intro, it just lurches straight into one of the most life-affirming riffs they've ever done, and the rest of the album is very direct. It brings together the massive crushing heaviness of the earlier albums but uses the lous-quiet dynamics of the more recent albums to good effect too. It just seems that they've settled on a winning formula, it isn't as self-conciously experimental or avante-garde as the newer albums, but it isn't retracing its steps and trying to do another Through Silver in Blood, they've brought together the best bits of their previous work and put them together masterfully. Which is why I cant see why old-school neurosis fans dont love it, because its easily their heaviest work since Through Silver in Blood, infact I think the riffs here are just about the heaviest things I've ever heard, but its still has light and shade and good songwriting to add to it. I'm surprised you dont like it, whats your problem with it?

The end of Distill, when played on a good sound system, is just earth shattering. Same goes for Origin. Some of the songs are quicker and less dirge-like than usual, meaning its more immediate and powerful. But where it is dirgey, such as At the end of the road, it really is punishing rather than boring. Its a really heavy and nasty piece of work and shows just how good they are at their best. 

An interesting read that, thanks.  My problem with the album seems to be what makes you enjoy it so much: for me, it sounds like they couldn't decide whether they wanted to keep going with the more atmospheric sound of their most recent stuff (which, like you, I really enjoyed - they moved on their sound at just the right time I think), or go for another Through Silver In Blood-esque riff-athon, and ended up not really fufilling either.  Part of the problem for me might have been when they released it - I always seem to enjoy bands like Neurosis, Isis and other post-metal (for want of a better phrase) acts a lot more round autumn/winter time...it seems kind of wrong to be listening to, say, Oceanic in the middle of summer, so I've got to admit I've found it a bit headscratching the way they just threw it out at the start of June.  Still, I'll have to give it another chance in a month or so when the weather's turned for the worse...

Canted_Angle

I retract my previous statement, the production on this album is next to none.


niat

I concur. It's a massively underrated album, and it's bloody fantastic.

My one album of choice, though, would be Aenema by Tool:



(This picture doesn't really capture the moving image you get with the fancy packaging, but never mind.)

It's just a massive album, complete with interludes and linking pieces of music between tracks. I love the expansive sound, and the production a lot clearer than the muddier sounds of Undertow. You can pick out each instrument clearly and although Maynard seems to be using loads of vocal effects, the lyrics are loud and clear, and his voice shows his full range from whispering to balls-out shouting. I can listen to the whole thing just concentrating on the drums, as Danny Carey really beats the shit out of them on this album.

There are several euphoric moments through the album, where songs just build to a peak of emotion, such as the end of "Aenima" where the song breaks down with the line "I'm praying for rain, I'm praying for tidal waves, " then the full weight of the band kicks back in as Maynard wishes for the destruction of L.A. I remember the first time I heard this track and the "learn to swim" mantra came in. I was blown away by the ferocity of the sentiment, and lines such as "One great big festering neon distraction", sung in his sweetest voice.

Shit, just listen to the album yourself, I ain't no music critic.