Nothingman Recommends-You criticize-I send monkeys to kill you

[nothingman00]

Due to the completely overwhelming success of my Alcest recommendation thread (see "I Defy Anyone on this board to..."), I'm making this a feature thread. Good news: After reading this post you can skip this thread if you want. Bad news: Well, I have a killer mongoose awaiting my instructions.

OK, rules are simple... I own a shitload of CD's, vinyl, and tapes (fuck you, mom, for throwing away half of them-that's why I didn't eat my cauliflower when I was a kid! though thanks for holding on to Vanilla Ice-He's dope!!!) and I'm sharing recs to actually veer some of this board in the right direction (music). So, considering the Alcest thread flamed out pretty quickly (one poster actually called Alcest "Doom" which would be like me calling John Darneille a fantastic hardcore freestyle rapper (maybe Against the Pollution came closest)... OK, so twice a week (or whenever I feel like it), I'm going to recommend bands and books (I'll leave the movies for Gabe). For those with an open mind, I can perhaps zip you a file (assuming it is in CD format, not vinyl or tape), though I can pick and choose who I respond to. This thread will occur twice a week. I have roughly 8,000 CD's, taped and casettes begging to be included, but I'm picking choice shit. Oh and please flame away if you wish, but at least listen to the album first. I can zip these files and pm them, but only to people who give me a good enough reason. So, fellow audiophiles, this is just a rec/feedback thread. Wanna see my qualifications?

Coming soon, first review.

[nothingman00]

This week's CD is Yerself is Steam by Mercury Rev.



AMG guide:Music dictated not by logic but by intuition, Yerself Is Steam is an album at war with itself, split by its desire to achieve both melodic pop bliss and white-noise transcendence within the same space; it succeeds brilliantly, avant-bubblegum fuel injected by fits and flourishes of prismatic chaos. From the comic malevolence of David Baker's mad-scientist creations to Jonathan Donahue's opiate lullabies, Yerself Is Steam is vividly cinematic -- between the roller coaster feedback of "Coney Island Cyclone" and the narcoleptic ebb and flow of the climactic "Very Sleepy Rivers," the songs perfectly evoke their titular aspirations; likewise, from the album title (say it out loud) onward, the lyrics revel in the quirks and idiosyncrasies of language, buoyed by a homophonous prankishness and dada rhyme schemes, which, in their own odd way, suggest a kind of poetry. A near-perfect debut from a band that would only get better from here on out. [The American edition appends the superb single "Car Wash Hair," while some foreign releases include the bonus disc Lego My Ego, a crazy quilt knitted together from unlikely covers (Sly Stone's "If You Want Me to Stay," Miles Davis' "Shhh/Peaceful"), Peel Sessions highlights, and wonderfully loopy studio chatter.]

My take: I bought this cassette tape in the early, early 90's, (when I was 13 or 14) on a whim. Never did I expect to own the CD or vinyl, but now I do. We've already established that I suck at explaining music from a critical point of view, but I'll give it a brief try. If you don't like this album please reply with witty barbs, but please at least get the basic genre and album right... Bonus points to those who've never listened to the album and can still give scathing comments!!! You win a diseased sneeze that gives you meningitis of the worst kind.

Anyway, the first time I heard Frittering, I was in the light. Actually, the first time I heard "Chasing a Bee" I was in the light. Regardless, this album went from "I like this tape" status to "I have to own everything in every format by this band by the time I die. Maybe not the most accessible of MR's albums, but this baby has wings, nonetheless. (again, not a good writer when it comes time to music theory).

My grade: 9

Why you should listen: so you can hate it and post your witty comeback online. So what if you steal your prose from craigslist. It all counts baby.

For those of you who are literate (presumably everyone), my book of the week is "Journey to the End of the Night" by Celine.

[disgustipated]

Yes! Great album by an even greater band. They helped me through some tough times in the 90's. Boces was the first album I heard and was instantly hooked.

I am embarrassed to admit they were one of the artists that I put on the back burner when it came to replacing all of my stolen music.

[sonofhal]

This is one of my all time favourite albums. I actually thought they got a little bit less creative with every release. The more orchestral the sound became, the less distinctive each tune was. I still have the Sly cover from it's original Rough Trade singles club release, though!

[canexplain]

geez i hate to say this lol, at some point i know peeps think i am daft ... anyway, i have to find the stub, we saw mercury rev two times i think, they were really good live ... i dont have any of their music in any form, so i only know them live .... i agree with nothingman on his first choice ... canx**

[fober]

For the record, I thought the Alcest effort wasn't very good at all.

I liked God is an Astronaut much more.

[full on idle]

Nothingman is here to steer us.

[mountmccabe]

"Chasing a Bee"

Fantastic song. Of the older Mercury Rev albums the one I know best is Boces; with the epic opener "Meth of a Rockette's Kick."

I still don't love their early freakier albums as much as the ones from when they were starting to move towards the lush chamber pop but they've got great stuff there.

For those of you who are literate (presumably everyone), my book of the week is "Journey to the End of the Night" by Celine.

I want to read this.

[nothingman00]

I want to read this.

I'm re-reading it for about the 17th time. I can't stress the greatness of this book. I think I started reading it after reading about how Ginsberg and Burroughs worshiped Celine... Regardless, I'd say that it's a book that should immediately suck you in. I think Joseph Heller owes a lot to Celine (at least in that Yossario had to be somewhat drawn from Bardamu).

[thelastgreatman]

Zach, how much amphetamine were you on when you wrote the initial post?

[nothingman00]

Zach, how much amphetamine were you on when you wrote the initial post?

Randy, the polar opposite of meth actually...

I did think about starting this thread sometime last night, but didn't realize I actually had started this thread this AM. If I had it to do over, I would have at least picked a more polarizing album that elicited strong responses on both sides.

[thelastgreatman]

Well I've never heard it, but I'm pretty sure it sucks. What is the polar opposite of meth to you? And I didn't say meth, just amphetamine. =)

[nothingman00]

Looking for a more polarizing album for now. After this, I'm putting my Apple TV on shuffle every few days or so, and posting one of the first three albums that is represented... If you don't like it (or me) then move along.

Pearl Jam- No Code


AMG: A strange phenomenon with anthemic hard rock bands is that when they begin to mature and branch out into new musical genres, they nearly always choose to embrace both the music and spirituality of the East and India, and Pearl Jam is no exception. Throughout No Code, Eddie Vedder expounds on his moral and spiritual dilemmas; where on previous albums his rage was virtually all-consuming, it is clear on No Code that he has embraced an unspecified religion as a way to ease his troubles. Fortunately, that has coincided with an expansion of the group's musical palette. From the subtle, winding opener, "Sometimes," and the near-prayer of the single, "Who You Are," the band reaches into new territory, working with droning, mantra-like riffs and vocals, layered exotic percussion, and a newfound subtlety. Of course, they haven't left behind hard rock, but like any Pearl Jam record, the heart of No Code doesn't lie in the harder songs, it lies in the slower numbers and the ballads, which give Vedder the best platform for his soul-searching: "Present Tense," "Off He Goes," "In My Tree," and "Around the Bend" equal the group's earlier masterpieces. While a bit too incoherent, No Code is Pearl Jam's richest and most rewarding album to date as well as their most human. They might be maturing in a fairly conventional method, but they still find new ways to state old truths.

My take: I'd love to find the reviewer of this album and pull an Itchy v. Scatchy style whoop ass on him/her. The fact that the 3 tagged tracks by AMG are "Sometimes", "Who You Are" and "Smile" just kills me. Now, I love each of those tracks, but this is an album that contains "Hail Hail", "In My Tree", "Present Tense", "Off He Goes" and "Red Mosquito"... Add in "Habit", "Lukin" and "Around the Bend" and the only real filler track is "Mankind". "I'm Open" is bliss and can't be considered filler. As far as vinvl that I can put on and absolutely never be upset that I put on, "No Code" is in my top-5. No matter my mood, intoxication level, stress level, company I'm keeping, time of day or night, rain on shine... This album always satisfies me.

Now, considering this is the second lowest rated PJ album by AMG (just ahead of Yield), I'm figuring there are a ton of people that hate this album. Bring it...

[full on idle]

it's kindof gross how you want to use this board as your mental punching bag. I thought you cleaned up.

Aren't you able to talk about music without professing expertise or absolutes?

[full on idle]

You could be like, pearl jam no code moves me because

[nothingman00]

it's kindof gross how you want to use this board as your mental punching bag. I thought you cleaned up.

Aren't you able to talk about music without professing expertise or absolutes?

Please leave my thread. Start your own.

[bballarl]

You should recommend the new Sword album.

[nothingman00]

You could be like, pearl jam no code moves me because

Do I really have to frame my position regarding the album with "PJ No Code moves me because..."? Isn't that taken for granted? These are records that I like. I'm sharing. It's a music discussion thread. Discuss...

[full on idle]

Please leave my thread. Start your own.

Where are the monkeys?

[nothingman00]

You should recommend the new Sword album.

I got it and haven't listened to it yet. "Gods of the Earth" that is...

[nothingman00]

Where are the monkeys?

En Route.

[full on idle]

Hey man you left the instructions in the title. By the time you read this the mond=

[nothingman00]

Hey man you left the instructions in the title. By the time you read this the mond=

They have sharp teeth, huh?

[bmack86]

No Code is fun. I like that album.

[kreutz2112]

Good choice Zach. No Code is one of my favorite PJ albums and I dont think it gets enough love. I LOVE every single PJ album though and it boggles my mind that No Code is ranked so low at AMG. What is even more boggling of the mind is that Yield is in last place?????