[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

worry, on 05 July 2023 - 02:11 PM, said:

It's pretty worrisome, especially the cell phone throwing. Might as well be a rock.

Wonder if the person who struck Rosalia in the face with a hurled bouquet first made sure all thorns had been removed.

If not it could have blinded her and mutilated her face. Granted, being blind isn't necessarily a net negative for a musician.

But it also could have mutilated her tongue and her lips....

There's been a long tradition of hurling roses at Morrissey---given all his bigoted statements over the last few years, wouldn't be shocked if some people started aiming for his mouth ('Big Mouth strikes again, got no right to claim my place / in the human race')....

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 05 July 2023 - 02:33 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Hmm, I should start practicing with it on my lap....

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

Drake once sang, "Call me on my cellphone," but never once did he say to fling one at him while he's on stage performing.

Drake hit by cellphone fan throws on stage

... after it was widely reported that Rexha required stitches after being hit by a flung cellphone. So whoever did it almost certainly knew that it could injure him. (What's next---rappers being executed on stage by exploding cellphones? Poisoned throwing knives disguised as cellphones?...)

Thinking of buying:

Quote

Fire Virtuoso

The first Kontakt instrument that lets you create and play fire!


Create all kinds of fires, from tiny straw fires to huge infernos!

Use your modulation wheel to control the intensity of fire in real-time

Mix and process 16 elements of fire sound effects

Get creative with stunning sound design presets, risers, and drum kits!

FIRE VIRTUOSO — loops de la crème (loopsdelacreme.com)

https://vimeo.com/843155646

Though I already have at least hundreds of fire audio samples, some of them already designed for drum sounds. And I'd prefer actual fire recordings over foley (this is foley-based).

[QuickTidal]

Re-listening to THE LION & THE COBRA upon hearing of the death of Sinead O'Connor as a tribute and my gods...this album may not be the one that put her on the map and made her popular, but it really is a nigh perfect and exquisite outing start to finish. The sheer FIRE in this album is next level.

RIP.

[worry]

Absolutely.

[Tsundoku]

I've been idly checking out some "What if X was done in the style of Y" on Youtube. Lots of really good stuff on there actually, the best so far being this guy, Denis Pauna



and Moonic Productions



(very, very strong "Angel of Death" use there)

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 29 July 2023 - 10:13 AM

[QuickTidal]

Single from the forthcoming Amaranthe Album is great! And re: the video, I didn't know I needed Elize-as-a-vampire till now!

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Got this on sale today:

[Serenity]

Hitsujibungaku - More than words

Closing theme from the Jujutsu Kaisen anime

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Tempted to get this while it's on sale (audio demo starts at 3:21):




Raw sound:



... OTOH this might be a bit too metal-centric for what I'm most interested in doing, so I'll probably pass for now. Though I've thought of ways to incorporate it....

They also sell midi packs recorded by acclaimed (mostly metal) drummers for use with it. Can use for "humanization" and edit the midi to change the rhythms while still keeping a live feel.

Pretty sure I like it more overall than the 'metal drums' I already have (though there are a few sounds I like a lot in the ones I have...):

METAL Adpak DEMO - Addictive Drums 2 - XLN Audio - YouTube

UNITED HEAVY Adpak DEMO - Addictive Drums 2 - XLN audio - YouTube

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 13 September 2023 - 04:35 PM

[QuickTidal]

Ack I don't know how I missed this. New Charly Bliss single after a 4 year hiatus, and it's FIRE.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 13 September 2023 - 06:16 PM, said:

Ack I don't know how I missed this. New Charly Bliss single after a 4 year hiatus, and it's FIRE.

[Spoilered for lyrics]

Quote

Spoiler

Back when you left I was half insane
Scared everyone on the Uptown 6 train

Good to remember that

Spoiler

that scary looking person on the subway might just be one of your favorite pop stars. Even if they're clearly on meth and carrying a blade (like Grimes)....

Musically I really liked

Spoiler

the very beginning and the very end... though those parts were a bit derivative,---but in a primal way.... Reminded me of The Great Animal Orchestra... just a little.

Bernie Krause – The Great Animal Orchestra - YouTube

Speaking of music and

Spoiler

public insanity

, it's interesting to contrast these two articles today:

Quote

Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and a male companion being escorted out of the Beetlejuice musical [...] in a huff.

[...] the Republican congresswoman was vaping, singing, recording the performance, and generally "causing a disturbance,"' [...]

Theatergoers at the city-owned Buell Theatre had reportedly been warned during the first intermission about the venue's conduct policies [...]

[...] "They told me they would not leave. I told them that they need to leave the theater and if they do not, they will be trespassing. The patrons said they would not leave. I told them I would (be) going to get Denver Police. They said go get them."'

[...] the pair resisted leaving and said "stuff like 'do you know who I am,' 'I am on the board' [and] 'I will be contacting the mayor.'"


After leaving the venue, Boebert's companion twirls her around in an apparent ballroom dance move, which she said was her favorite moment of the evening.

[... Boebert:] After the twirl I said 'omg, I was just Beetlejuice'd from Beetlejuice' and started laughing hysterically." [...] I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loud!

Video Shows Lauren Boebert Storming Out of Theater After 'Beetlejuice' Ejection (yahoo.com)

Too bad she forgot to drunkenly wave her guns around... and fire them into the air instead of clapping (the falling bodies overhead would do the clapping...).

Quote

''Drunk Taylor Swift' Stole the VMAs by Dancing and Fangirling Hard

[...] the internet became deluged with memes and videos of Swift downing drinks, dancing, singing [along from the audience], and palling around with other musicians to her heart's content.

She rapped along to Lil Wayne's "A Milli" as the hip-hop legend performed onstage. She shimmied in her seat to Shakira. "It's giving MOVIE! It's giving CINEMATOGRPAHY!" she yelled to one of her friends after Doja Cat's performance.

Taylor Swift VMA Viral Moments: Dancing, Drinking, and Fangirling Hard (thedailybeast.com)

Wonder if anyone's going to claim it's a double standard. (Of course it's not---not just because Taylor Swift is probably a better singer than Boebert (and a better rapper---though that's not saying much...), but because singing along loudly enough to disturb other people is acceptable in some contexts but not in others. Not at most musicals, unless otherwise indicated.)

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Guess Mitski was so inspired by Rich Men North of Richmond and Jason Aldean that she's come out with a whole new album of country-folk inflected songs.



Love this verse:

Spoiler

Quote

I have a hope
and though she's blind
with no name

She shits
where she's
supposed to,
feeds herself
while I'm away

Some
times

I think it would be
easier without her


But I know
nothin' can hurt me
when I see her sleepin'
face

This one's hilarious:



Also like this one (warning:

Spoiler

musical jumpscares!

):

Mitski - The Deal (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube

Incidentally, the part that wasn't recorded in Nashville was done at Sunset Sound in LA. A software developer released a pretty realistic emulation:

Quote

lets you step inside Sunset Sound studios, capturing the sonic mojo of each one of these echo chambers, live rooms, booths, plates and springs, as well as the unique vibe of their custom consoles and classic mic collection.

IK Multimedia - Sunset Sound Studio Reverb

Been thinking of getting it when it's on sale (or secondhand)---also the site of classic recordings by The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Rage Against the Machine, etc.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 15 September 2023 - 08:46 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Seems The National was also so inspired by Oliver Anthony and Jason Aldean that they decided to release some country-ified tracks on their new album Laugh Track. Though near the end of this track the vocalist veers towards some lowkey death metal country rock electronica:

Spoiler

It'll come to me later
Like a space invader
And I won't be able
To get it out of my head

This one's more traditional country, and very pleasant, as you can tell from the title:

Spoiler

Why do they always say everything's for the best
When everybody knows it's not?

[...] What to do with my hands
Turn you into a spiderweb again
Something everybody understands

Reminds me of Leonard Cohen's:

Spoiler

I'm standing on a ledge
and your fine
spider web

is fastening
my ankle
to a stone

Even did a collab with Roseanne Cash, though lyrically that one's a bit too bland sad sack, though the music is amusingly upbeat. Tbh I (non-metaphorically) lol'd at

Spoiler

If you say it like that, I'll die

.

Phoebe Bridgers collab, the titular Laugh Track, is weightily sad sack, and it's a bit better lyrically, but ironically not (nearly as) funny.

Overall, I'd say my pick for Best Country Song of 2023 (so far!) is...

Spoiler

still Mitski's Buffalo Replaced---well, grunge-country-ish, anyway....

But just wait till Grimes starts churning out AI cyber-country mega-bangers! (Mecha-bangers? Future techno country titano-banger inspired by Gregorian chant?)

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 22 September 2023 - 11:54 AM

[JPK]

Azath Vitr (D, on 22 September 2023 - 11:53 AM, said:

...lowkey death metal country rock electronica:...

Don't you ever get tired of mashing buzzwords together? It's exhausting just reading it.

In all honesty though Laugh Track isn't great but, then again, I'm not sure who would expect it to be. It was dropped with 2 days warning and no marketing to speak of. It's pretty clearly a home for misfit songs that weren't included elsewhere as evidenced by the inclusion of Weird Goodbyes (which I find to be one of the only truly memorable songs on the release). Complaining about the lyrics and sadness of the overall project is an odd choice as well. I mean, the band has been known to market itself as "sad dad music". The people that would typically check out a spot dropped release like Laugh Track are gonna know what they're in for, you know?

If you're looking for something a bit stronger from the band, you should check out their other 2023 album, The First Two Pages of Frankenstein. While I still don't find it to be one of the strongest in their discography it's a much more coherent album with spots of brilliance. See Grease in Your Hair or Ice Machines for stronger samples of their recent work.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

JPK, on 22 September 2023 - 06:15 PM, said:

Azath Vitr (D, on 22 September 2023 - 11:53 AM, said:

...lowkey death metal country rock electronica:...

Don't you ever get tired of mashing buzzwords together? It's exhausting just reading it.

In all honesty though Laugh Track isn't great but, then again, I'm not sure who would expect it to be. It was dropped with 2 days warning and no marketing to speak of. It's pretty clearly a home for misfit songs that weren't included elsewhere as evidenced by the inclusion of Weird Goodbyes (which I find to be one of the only truly memorable songs on the release). Complaining about the lyrics and sadness of the overall project is an odd choice as well. I mean, the band has been known to market itself as "sad dad music". The people that would typically check out a spot dropped release like Laugh Track are gonna know what they're in for, you know?

If you're looking for something a bit stronger from the band, you should check out their other 2023 album, The First Two Pages of Frankenstein. While I still don't find it to be one of the strongest in their discography it's a much more coherent album with spots of brilliance. See Grease in Your Hair or Ice Machines for stronger samples of their recent work.

Eh, started out with 'low-key death metal country' but adding 'rock electronica' is more accurate and IMO funnier; YMMV OC.

Laugh Track is better, and much more interesting, than The First Two Pages of Frankenstein (though I do like the title of that one). Most professional music critics seem to agree with me.

Quote

First Two Pages of Frankenstein [...] was not widely received as an inspiring trophy of a band conquering a middle-age slump. Reviews were so-so. Critics and fans heard redundancy, mawkishness, and complacency.

The surprise release Laugh Track is that album’s more interesting companion[...] The oscillating chords and drifting time signature of the first track, “Alphabet City,” announce an experimental approach [...] The album also contains cleverly constructed anthems and skewed takes on traditionalist country—but crucially, the National’s songs are once again packing an emotional wallop.

[...] How do we move forward?

No work of art has hit me with the weight of that question like the new album from the National has.

Some Good News About Your Malaise (msn.com)

See also the reviews in Pitchfork, etc.

[JPK]

Fwiw, I don't find either of them to be particularly strong entries in their discography. Most of what I've seen regarding Laugh Track has trended towards the negative though. I really miss the quality of their middle years though (Boxer-Sleep Well Beast). The newer stuff does mix in live pretty well though, and benefits from letting their drummer have more free rein.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

JPK, on 22 September 2023 - 08:09 PM, said:

I really miss the quality of their middle years though (Boxer-Sleep Well Beast). The newer stuff does mix in live pretty well though, and benefits from letting their drummer have more free rein.

Agreed; I like some of their earlier work a lot.

Also agree that Weird Goodbyes is one of the best songs on Laugh Track. I've had

Quote

Memorize the bathwater, memorize the air

and

Quote

I feel like throwing
towels
into water

move forward now
there's nothing to do,
can't turn around
and I can't follow you

... stuck in my head for the last year intermittently....

But on the bright side, they're giving me more training data for generating an AI Berninger-late Leonard Cohen-Johnny Cash-death metal Frankenstein model RVC which evades restrictive US 'likeness' laws for me to morph with my own voice (which already sounds pretty similar in the bass register... almost like the second half of Space Invader lol).

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 22 September 2023 - 09:16 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

The Guardian gave Laugh Track four stars, First Two Pages of Frankenstein three stars (... and their current live show five stars)...

Quote

the band has faced criticism for becoming boring. [...] The criticism seems to refer to a kind of lyrical slippage from reckless romanticism and withering creative-class satire to half-hearted depiction of an upper-middle class creative life. Take Eucalyptus, from [...] First Two Pages of Frankenstein, [...]

[...] Laugh Track [...] instead adopting a more grownup take on the existential conundrums of earlier National records. [...]

Berninger's characters here seem to exist in discomfiting liminal zones, narrating their lives as if from outside their own bodies: Space Invader is an avalanche of cascading "what ifs" that builds to a raucous crescendo powered by Bryan Devendorf's panic-attack drumming[...] Although Weird Goodbyes adopts the squeaky-clean, somewhat mawkish tone of Frankenstein, Alphabet City sounds desperate and strained, with Berninger adopting a compellingly harried guise.

Laugh Track closes with [...] Smoke Detector. [...] here, finally, is the teeth-baring payoff to 11 songs of building dread and anxiety. It feels like one long scream, a frustrated rejoinder to the album's sad-sack protagonists:




"Sift through the slush and the ash and the dust / Or whatever stands out for whatever reason / It's a laugh for a rush, a remembered feeling / You don't know what it means but you don't want to leave it," Berninger rages. It's a moment of intense, acidic awakening that feels like a fresh start.

The National: Laugh Track review – second album of the year feels like a fresh start | The National | The Guardian

Quote

With his unkempt black suit and mutinous hair, the frontman looks – as [...] teases him – like a "dishevelled professor". His stage persona veers from man undergoing psychotic episode to someone having the time of his life. He hurls a drink so high it showers over him and on at least one foray to the back of the hall – with the tangled mic lead trailing over the crowd's heads – you fear he won't actually make it back. Perhaps most memorable is the sight of Berninger and the front rows almost hysterically yelling the lyrics at each other, faces touching, jointly celebrating an era-defining band at the peak of [recklessly spreading COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses just as they're surging?! [Berninger croon] well that's another reason to be sad now anyway...].

The National review – euphoric catharsis from an era-defining band | Music | The Guardian

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 24 September 2023 - 09:52 PM

[JPK]

After you mentioned it Azath, I went looking a bit more at some of the reviews for both albums and you're right that Laugh Track did get more positive reviews. I must have been seeing reviews in a bubble after it dropped.

I've given it a couple more listens since we talked about it the other day and I think it must just be a ymmv thing, or potentially an album that'll grow on me over time.