Passion Pit was one of the best discoveries of 2009 for me. And I believe many others—I bet I can form a little legion of Passion Pit followers almost instantaneously with a few text messages. The best part is that the hype is not quite overrated (Merriweather Post Pavillion, tsk tsk).
I don’t know whether starting from scratch helps forming a sheer and unbiased (or should I say totally biased? It’s my uninfluenced opinion, after all) conception of an album. Assuming this is true, I say the album is pretty much amazing. Its appeal does not lie in its genre, lyrics, or sound. Manners appeals to everyone. From a compulsive Pitchfork follower like myself to a Lady GaGa lover, Manners has its moments.
To start off, Passion Pit does electronica. Yes, it is an awfully broad definition for a genre. I will do my best describing it. It’s not heavily ambient at all, so do NOT expect something like Aphex Twin (you would have figured this when I said a Lady GaGa fan would like this). One opinion of mine that will probably bring contention from the majority is that there is something is common between Manners and Sigur Rós. Furthering this analogy, I don’t think as many people would object that Passion Pit is the extremely poppier and synthesized version of Animal Collective (go listen to Lion in a Coma). The whole album relies heavily on synthesizers which give it the dance floor touch. I am no expert in musical instruments, but I hardly hear any acoustic sound in this album. I am also pretty sure the beats are done on a drum machine, which certainly is not always bad. One thing I never bothered to figure out is whether the guys distort the vocals which sound like kids. The distorted (or not) vocals do pose an obstacle in my understanding of the lyrics, so I will skip lyrical analysis. Not that it matters much these days.
I figured track-by-track analyses are not the best way to write reviews, but I will study two of my favorite tracks: “The Reeling” and “Sleepyhead”.
“The Reeling” is a catchy repetitive track. Many happen to associate repetitiveness with pop and therefore crap, but not when you find yourself listening to the track on repeat and find the song sitting on the top of your Last.fm top tracks stats. It is very addictive and has a sweet video as well. Like all other tracks in this album with the exception of maybe “Sleepyhead,” “The Reeling” has a danceable rhythm, although it does fall on the calm side of the album. It is one of the tracks in which the vocals are slightly more emphasized than the synth and all else.
“Sleepyhead” is recognizable as “that song from the Palm Pixie ad.” The irony is that this track is one of those which stick out of the album and is distinguishable from the rest of the album which is pretty much the most cohesive I’ve encountered in a while. The creepy vocals is the beauty of “Sleepyhead.” I feel like I would appreciate it much if I could hear the lyrics but the song is incomprehensible.
However, Manners could have done with a lot more variety within the album. When I discovered “Sleepyhead” was on the Palm commercial, I immediately texted my friend, who loves Manners as much as I do and plays “Little Secrets” all the time, because I thought “Sleepyhead” was “Little Secrets.” I gave up trying to memorize track names and distinguish them from each other a long while ago.
Passion Pit certainly generated an Album of the Year competitor with Manners (well, yes, 2009 is over, but whatever). I see much potential in it, and anticipation runs high for Passion Pit in the indie scene. Manners is, after all, more than promising enough.
I should probably not try to make excuses for bad writing, after all, this is my friggin' second language. Oh, and I gave this album a 8.6/10.
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Bernard Werber
I'm home. Not much jet lag so far, although I have been getting up at 7 and going to sleep at 10, which is blasphemy in the summer.
While I was away in the states, my brother bought the second part of the novel by Bernard Werber (books that length are usually sold split). I only had the first part of the God books which I liked just average. I had to read this because their predecessors, Les Thanatonautes and L'Empire des Anges, changed my entire conception of death and afterlife. Those are my favorite Werber books. To be frank, I cannot believe that he has no reputation whatsoever, not even English translations of his books, in America. Well, Empire of the Ants is in English, but it is absurdity to read only that because it is only the first part of the Ant trilogy. It is real unfortunate of English speakers not to have Bernard Werber in English. English speakers should not read Empire of the Ants because if they do, they'll want to read the next parts, which don't exist in English language.
He is probably not the greatest writer ever nor a master of language (how should I know how good his writing is in French?). But his ability to gather uselessscientific knowledge and morph it into a story is appreciable. His books give an impression that he doesn't create the story first and fit scientific facts in it but is so familiar with the facts that he can use them to weave a story from them. When you read it, the story isn't the brilliantest of all, but it makes much sense for science fiction.
What I meant to talk about was, however, that he kind of lost it in the God books. Werber has a weird habit to put strands of his other books when he writes a novel. It gets really too obvious in God, where Edmond Wells, a mysterious genius figure in Ant, is featured as a regular character in L'Empire des Anges. His self-quoting is a hidden surprise in previous books because the reader can only see it when s/he has read all other Werber books. But in this, it gets way too obvious and his recycling of Edmond Wells and L'Encyclopédie du Savoir Relatif et Absolu (The Encyclopedia of Relative and Absolute Knowledge)gets old, which is an inevitable result when he recycles them for fifteen years.
Dragging and ambiguous endings are other obstacles that he doesn't seem to be able to get beyond. When you read an epic trilogy like Ant and it ends with nothing clarified in the end, it does piss you a bit. L'Empire des Anges could have been the worst ending I've ever read if God didn't come out. The second part of God didn't end so great either since it declared to drag by, well, dragging.
It really is disappointing to see his books struggle since they did change my thoughts of death a lot. I just wish he becomes obsessed with something that can make better stories so that I don't see another God from him.
While I was away in the states, my brother bought the second part of the novel by Bernard Werber (books that length are usually sold split). I only had the first part of the God books which I liked just average. I had to read this because their predecessors, Les Thanatonautes and L'Empire des Anges, changed my entire conception of death and afterlife. Those are my favorite Werber books. To be frank, I cannot believe that he has no reputation whatsoever, not even English translations of his books, in America. Well, Empire of the Ants is in English, but it is absurdity to read only that because it is only the first part of the Ant trilogy. It is real unfortunate of English speakers not to have Bernard Werber in English. English speakers should not read Empire of the Ants because if they do, they'll want to read the next parts, which don't exist in English language.
He is probably not the greatest writer ever nor a master of language (how should I know how good his writing is in French?). But his ability to gather uselessscientific knowledge and morph it into a story is appreciable. His books give an impression that he doesn't create the story first and fit scientific facts in it but is so familiar with the facts that he can use them to weave a story from them. When you read it, the story isn't the brilliantest of all, but it makes much sense for science fiction.
What I meant to talk about was, however, that he kind of lost it in the God books. Werber has a weird habit to put strands of his other books when he writes a novel. It gets really too obvious in God, where Edmond Wells, a mysterious genius figure in Ant, is featured as a regular character in L'Empire des Anges. His self-quoting is a hidden surprise in previous books because the reader can only see it when s/he has read all other Werber books. But in this, it gets way too obvious and his recycling of Edmond Wells and L'Encyclopédie du Savoir Relatif et Absolu (The Encyclopedia of Relative and Absolute Knowledge)gets old, which is an inevitable result when he recycles them for fifteen years.
Dragging and ambiguous endings are other obstacles that he doesn't seem to be able to get beyond. When you read an epic trilogy like Ant and it ends with nothing clarified in the end, it does piss you a bit. L'Empire des Anges could have been the worst ending I've ever read if God didn't come out. The second part of God didn't end so great either since it declared to drag by, well, dragging.
It really is disappointing to see his books struggle since they did change my thoughts of death a lot. I just wish he becomes obsessed with something that can make better stories so that I don't see another God from him.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Yellow House was brilliant. When I first saw the soon-to-be massive Veckatimest thread on AtEaseWeb, I had no idea what I or anyone could expect after this perfection. Maybe I was expecting an extension of Yellow House, or maybe I was expecting a Kid-A-like drastic change in style. Whatever the expectations were, it was to be satisfied through Veckatimest—however not good enough to go beyond the lines of Yellow House.
I didn’t participate in the leak party before the day of release. My Veckatimest experience began with the video for “Two Weeks,” in which the weird-looking robot versions of the band sing and eventually explode (it would be very interesting to know how the robot look was made). Honestly, “Two Weeks” was a disappointment. It became clear that my expectation was an extension of Yellow House. The general air of the song was way too bright and brisk for Grizzly Bear (but again, my favorite song off Yellow House is “Marla”). The jumping beats weren’t exactly what I was expecting from Grizzly Bear. I had to run off to the AtEase forums and desperately ask everyone to tell me other tracks are stronger than “Two Weeks,” which two people assured they are. A few more repeated listens revealed the beauty of the melody, but it has remained one of the weak tracks for me so far.
One hears a lot of qualities shared with Yellow House from the first track of Veckatimest, “Southern Point.” The steady layer of guitar sub-melody and drum beats beneath Ed Droste’s vocals is just one reminisce of the band’s previous album. But one noticeable change in style includes Droste’s vocals. Whereas previous vocal tone was plain and rather fragile without much vibrato, now it is more confident and strong. The transition in the song is a nice surprise and the first signal that Veckatimest isn’t going to be as consistent as Yellow House.
The Grizzly Bear style is still present throughout “All We Ask” in the beginning. But there is a surprise about halfway into the song during the chorus. It sounds like David Bowie! (it's not just me, is it?) I’m sure Grizzly Bear has been influenced by David Bowie, but I wasn’t expecting this clear indication of it merged into the Griz sound which is quite different from Bowie in nature. It might have been an experiment with the newfound vocal tones (Pitchfork review says Dan Rossen sang it, but I don’t know the difference between him and Droste).
“Fine for Now” has some great melody and harmony in it. There even isn’t a need to mention the “instrumental” voice. Smooth changes into each part of the song create that familiar “epic” Grizzly Bear song vibe. “Cheerleader” starts off with a change in style and funky bass beats. This track marks the transition within the album to a lighter and stripped tone.
“Dory,” a moderate favorite of the fans, sounds like wind. Quiet and flowing sound of vocals (great harmony, as always) and the varying instruments makes a perfect sit-beside-a-lake-and-feel-the-wind type summer song. But the one reason I love this song so much is that it has clarinet, my favorite non-bass instrument, in it. And it plays as such a great windlike element in the song.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard “Ready, Able” in a bar or a café (hey, not that I’ve been to a bar). I have a negligible experience with jazz music, but I must guess this sounds pretty jazzy. The chorus has an emotional melody that I feel like I have heard before but is probably a déjà vu. “About Face” is the most Radiohead-like track in the album. It has more rock elements than any other tracks in the album with more powerful drum beats and fuzzy guitar. If you missed your typical rock sound listening to this album, you can find part of it in this song… just a really small part.
“Hold Still” is more of an interlude with inserted guitar parts that sound Japanese. It reminds me of the horrible Japanese music we had to play in band and irritates me a little, so I’ll just skip this one. “While You Wait for the Others” is regarded the weakest track by the most, which I disagree. Because “Two Weeks” is the weakest. No, not really. I just love it when a Grizzly Bear track has lots of bass in it. And no one can say no to the crazy vocal melody 3:20 into the song. Grizzly Bear is one band that appeals for me even though their songs don’t have a dramatic climax, and this one does have a dramatic climax.
“I Live with You” starts almost orchestral before the weirdly melancholy vocal kicks in, and the intro sounds a bit like a Disney soundtrack to be frank. The not-so-orchestral arrangement after the intro has a good mix of epic and, what would I call it, that rainy atmosphere. I might as well say this is a whimsical storm, but it’s definitely a lame metaphor. Forget it.
“Foreground,” the last track of the album and a beautiful ballad, is “Videotape” of Veckatimest. Not as mind-blowing as “Videotape,” but “Foreground” serves its role as a closer. But it might have been more beautiful with an epic scale track with 34 instruments that ends stripped into vocals only.
In the end, the only thing Veckatimest lacks is the consistency shown in Yellow House. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing because Yellow House was more like "every track on this sounds the same" and in Veckatimest, you can really tell between the tracks. I shall give some more listens and find out. After all, this is a two-day old album.
I didn’t participate in the leak party before the day of release. My Veckatimest experience began with the video for “Two Weeks,” in which the weird-looking robot versions of the band sing and eventually explode (it would be very interesting to know how the robot look was made). Honestly, “Two Weeks” was a disappointment. It became clear that my expectation was an extension of Yellow House. The general air of the song was way too bright and brisk for Grizzly Bear (but again, my favorite song off Yellow House is “Marla”). The jumping beats weren’t exactly what I was expecting from Grizzly Bear. I had to run off to the AtEase forums and desperately ask everyone to tell me other tracks are stronger than “Two Weeks,” which two people assured they are. A few more repeated listens revealed the beauty of the melody, but it has remained one of the weak tracks for me so far.
One hears a lot of qualities shared with Yellow House from the first track of Veckatimest, “Southern Point.” The steady layer of guitar sub-melody and drum beats beneath Ed Droste’s vocals is just one reminisce of the band’s previous album. But one noticeable change in style includes Droste’s vocals. Whereas previous vocal tone was plain and rather fragile without much vibrato, now it is more confident and strong. The transition in the song is a nice surprise and the first signal that Veckatimest isn’t going to be as consistent as Yellow House.
The Grizzly Bear style is still present throughout “All We Ask” in the beginning. But there is a surprise about halfway into the song during the chorus. It sounds like David Bowie! (it's not just me, is it?) I’m sure Grizzly Bear has been influenced by David Bowie, but I wasn’t expecting this clear indication of it merged into the Griz sound which is quite different from Bowie in nature. It might have been an experiment with the newfound vocal tones (Pitchfork review says Dan Rossen sang it, but I don’t know the difference between him and Droste).
“Fine for Now” has some great melody and harmony in it. There even isn’t a need to mention the “instrumental” voice. Smooth changes into each part of the song create that familiar “epic” Grizzly Bear song vibe. “Cheerleader” starts off with a change in style and funky bass beats. This track marks the transition within the album to a lighter and stripped tone.
“Dory,” a moderate favorite of the fans, sounds like wind. Quiet and flowing sound of vocals (great harmony, as always) and the varying instruments makes a perfect sit-beside-a-lake-and-feel-the-wind type summer song. But the one reason I love this song so much is that it has clarinet, my favorite non-bass instrument, in it. And it plays as such a great windlike element in the song.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard “Ready, Able” in a bar or a café (hey, not that I’ve been to a bar). I have a negligible experience with jazz music, but I must guess this sounds pretty jazzy. The chorus has an emotional melody that I feel like I have heard before but is probably a déjà vu. “About Face” is the most Radiohead-like track in the album. It has more rock elements than any other tracks in the album with more powerful drum beats and fuzzy guitar. If you missed your typical rock sound listening to this album, you can find part of it in this song… just a really small part.
“Hold Still” is more of an interlude with inserted guitar parts that sound Japanese. It reminds me of the horrible Japanese music we had to play in band and irritates me a little, so I’ll just skip this one. “While You Wait for the Others” is regarded the weakest track by the most, which I disagree. Because “Two Weeks” is the weakest. No, not really. I just love it when a Grizzly Bear track has lots of bass in it. And no one can say no to the crazy vocal melody 3:20 into the song. Grizzly Bear is one band that appeals for me even though their songs don’t have a dramatic climax, and this one does have a dramatic climax.
“I Live with You” starts almost orchestral before the weirdly melancholy vocal kicks in, and the intro sounds a bit like a Disney soundtrack to be frank. The not-so-orchestral arrangement after the intro has a good mix of epic and, what would I call it, that rainy atmosphere. I might as well say this is a whimsical storm, but it’s definitely a lame metaphor. Forget it.
“Foreground,” the last track of the album and a beautiful ballad, is “Videotape” of Veckatimest. Not as mind-blowing as “Videotape,” but “Foreground” serves its role as a closer. But it might have been more beautiful with an epic scale track with 34 instruments that ends stripped into vocals only.
In the end, the only thing Veckatimest lacks is the consistency shown in Yellow House. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing because Yellow House was more like "every track on this sounds the same" and in Veckatimest, you can really tell between the tracks. I shall give some more listens and find out. After all, this is a two-day old album.
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