Album Thoughts
This is the first album I checked out from the library.
I chose it at “random” - I had no context for who this band was or what they sounded like, only that they seemed to have something going on, by their name.
Songs
Introduction: Let’s Experiment!
- A good starting buildup.
- Got some of that yearning, expectant melancholy.
Pure Radio Cosplay
- It feels like the sound is bigger than it actually is, which I don’t mean as a condemnation.
- I think it’s a neat sound to be able to accomplish.
Summer of All Dead Souls
- I quite like this song!
- They’re playing nicely with the various envelopes and the rock syncopation they’re hitting feels… standard, but not bland.
- This is a good, energetic song with some feelings of rebellion, which I always appreciate.
Cover the Days Like a Tidal Wave
- A real nice come-down transition.
Wasteland
- Oh, I love this one for a more chill vibe.
The Spiral Jetty
- Very atmospheric!
Ebb Away
- A pleasant song about letting go.
The Fairlight Pendant
- It’s kind of incredible how long this song’s tempo accelerates for in the first half.
- That must have been tough to record!
- Even after it stops, they start accelerating again!
- I wonder if they could have pulled off a sort of shepherd’s tone by switching through which instrument was fastest and decelerating after they hit a certain speed.
Tao of the Dead, Part II: Strange News from Another Planet
- It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to a multipart song - last time would have been 2112, which I intend to re-listen to soon, or on American Idiot, which I should also re-listen to.
- This one is good, and there’s a good blues-y bit I like about six minutes in.
General
- They give a nice psychedelic vibe.
- I like the momentum the music carries, and I’m glad they don’t sit too heavily in basic chord progressions.
- The way they move in and out of the psychedelic vibes into more straightforward rock gives a fun sense of pacing. It’s not every song that does it, but it’s got a good flow.
- This is a good atmospheric album to put on.
- The theming is good - it doesn’t feel like there’s any rebirth or chance at going back, but that doesn’t mean we cannot go forward, and those who ride in comfort at the expense of others should be wary.