Album of the Week Thread!!!
 

What's your favorite album to hit stores this week? And next week. And the week after, for that matter? Hell, why don't we just make this a "and ever after" thing?

Throw in last week too.

If you didn't buy any new albums this week, feel free to mention any album that you first heard within the past week. That should make it easy for just about anyone to take part.

We are hurtling towards album of the year conversations hella soon, so this should help us all keep track.

Right I'm gonna say it. The Flaming Lips' version of A Day In The Life is actually really good. Miley Cyrus' bit is especially great.

Ok, so ... I'll go.

I think my Album of the Week is probably the new DJ Koze release, Reincarnations Part 2: The Remix Chapter (2009-2014).

I don't know if any of you are fans of this starry-eyed, imaginative and beautifully mad little German dude, but he's one of the best m*****f****rs behind the boards right now. Amygdala was my #6 album of 2013, and this remix volume (which is so much more than just a remix album) almost makes waiting for his next studio LP worth it. Yeah, his remixes are as good as his own shit, and that's something that you can't say about most m*****f****rs.



Anyway, check out his remix of "Jo Gurt" by Super Flu. I mean- he just plucks out the two most worthy syllables ("OK") and turns the thing into a completely different song (which is far better than the original, btw)

Anyway, in the pitchfork review (which was actually fairly well written) Koze was quoted Kosi regarding the evolution of his sound, from more traditional dance and techno jams to this extended period of colorful and melancholic psychedelia that he's currently chillin' in....

He said: "It's so easy to rock the house, but so hard to look out the window"

Which is awesome, obviously.

Yeah, I had my doubts at the start, but the whole album is pretty fucking stellar. I just wish they'd done a "full" cover of the song, giant most-famous-crescendo-in-rock-history included. I think that those noisey moments at the end of "A Day in the Life" are very closely tied to very brand of orchestral acid-pop cacophony that the Lips have made their calling card since ... Well, since the punk rockers started adding pop rocks to their acid recipes. :p

It just would have been nice to hear. But as a whole, ...Help From My Friends is everything I love about the Lips, minus their own songwriting of course. It's the reason why they're my favorite *currently functioning* rock-type band in the world. They have been consistently not giving a fuck for exactly their entire fucking career, and despite the prog/jangle pop/classic rock cover album side projects, that's a pretty fucking punk rock ethos right there.

I hear I'm pretty good at makin' posts, but I must kinda eat shit at making topics. :/

I like this, need reminders to buy shit.


so off the top of my head there's new stuff from vladislav delay, dean blunt, nazoranai, skull defekts, mr mitch, arca, murlo out this week in addition to comps from hyperdub and livity sound.


feel the need to ask though: do release dates for records still even exist nowadays? can't think of the last time I said "I need to be at x place to get y record on z day", because ordinarily it'll leak, I'll give it a few listens and either put it back and just come to it whenever or will actively go out and find it. strange thymes when I consider that even when I was like 11 or 12 I used to go to chain stores on release days to get cds...

First of all, tell me about the new Vladislav Delay!! I haven't been able to lay physical hands on and of the Ripatti series. Is it a new volume in that series or something else? I've been getting by on electronic versions of the releases, because I'm not in a place to do much special ordering.

And to answer your question: yeah, they do exist. At least for some of us. I do some freelance marketing and advising for a local record store. I actually spend a lot of time researching up and coming releases, and helping the store owner invest in the right number of the right titles. He has almost no budget to speak of, of course, so I try to help him use it well.

Which means he almost never orders any under-the-radar electronic music... Then again, some of the year's best albums have been electronic releases that aren't even available in the U.S. It's been a while since I last checked, but last I knew the 2014 LP's by Untold, KidKanevil and Seekae were import only. God damned shame.

he's self-released it on ripatti, yeah, but where all the records on that label have thus far been very much indebted to footwork etc., this is being marketed as his first ambient album in a decade by way of its eschewing discernible rhythms. and while on the surface level it does draw direct to my favourite record under the delay moniker, entain, in using dubbed-out soundscapes and generally extended pieces which aren't encumbered by structure, it's definitely a different beast entirely. where his earlier ambient records featured songs which anchored themselves on a motif and ran with it over a set period of time, an approach which christian fennesz adopted for his poppier records, this seems almost indebted to acousmatic music. there are points in the tracks where they have shifts which recall schaeffer or rather concrète in general, where they're running along these chord progressions or melodic tangents and they'll be swarmed by this wholly other set of sounds, and given that it was apparently made in two weeks I'd presume that it almost has to be a result of generative techniques. so in terms of its composition it's pretty radically different, at least from his earlier ambient material, and is informed by the level of complexity he's been employing in his other material of late, but in terms of its overall sound and aesthetic it's very identifiably a vladislav delay project, and isn't one that treads water a bit like vantaa did.


yeah I think that's the thing, being all the way out in aus there isn't much in the way of infrastructure to uphold the release of imported records. they sort of just trickle in over time, and getting a record you're looking for is as much a matter of luck as it is anything else. and the absurd shipping costs serve to price everyone out (ie to get a record from the US in particular costs less than it does to actually have it delivered to you) and make pre-ordering a record totally unfeasible.

Got my hands on it today. Well... I procured the music that appears on Vladislav's “Visa” ... Let's just leave it at that. Times are tough, but I won't go without music.

It's incredible, but not as footworky as I was expecting.
More later

Ok, official album of the week:

Vladislav Delay - Vista


I was reminded of how much I adore the multi-pseudonymed work of Delay/Ripatti/Luomo immediately, and I've been digging into his back catalogue for some kind of additional fix. But every time I put on an older recording, I find myself wanting to hear Vista again. So it's pretty much owned my life since first listen.

I appreciate the ambient vibe of the record, but like the more adventurous installments of the RIPATTI label series this is experimental footwork plain and simple, though it's neither plain nor simple.

This is what Footwork the genre is all about. Fan comments in response to Ripatti01 were pretty united in their "this is just polyrhythmic Dnb/technoid/IDM etc." but it's fucking footwork. I'm not sure why yet, I've spent most of the year digging into footwork comps and listening to everything from the genre's leaders like Rashad, to the most ubderground Chicago dj's, and while I'm still unsure where everything else stops and footwork begins, I think the genre is supposed to exist in the periphery of other more traditonal sub-styles. This is certainly Vladislav Delay, and it picks up where the singles and collabs from 2013-14 left off.

But either way, whatever you want to call it, it's an ingenious record. Album of the week, no fucking question.

Oops. Nevermind. I spaced on this:

Röyksopp - The Inevitable End


Did this get some so-so reviews? I don't know. That's what I've heard. But if you like this group, you'll like this album. I don't see what's so goddamn uncool about it. It kicks the shit out of Random Access Memories (though it has nothing quite like "Contact" or "Doin' it Right," but that's because it's Röyksopp, and Röyksopp isn't the subject of LCD Spundsystem songs. They probably can't afford Pharrell cameos, and thank god for that.

I love Daft Punk. But Röyksopp is more interested in pumping out melodic dance grooves and less interested in being looked at by everyone. Consequently, they've been more music focused, and have made fewer missteps. The Understanding is one of my favorite aughts dance pop records. Wasn't Daft Punk still reeling from the perrennial disappointment that was Human After All around that time?

No matter. Daft Punk is great. But I was worried that Röyksopp wouldn't release an album of their own after the success of the Robyn Collab EP. So this was a treat for me. Robyn is in fine form on this record as well, btw.

I might have had to go with Mouse on Mars's 21 Again Collaborations box set as my pick for the week, but I only have a promo, and I'm not sure it's even out. Anyway, that record is brilliant as well. But The Inevitable End is one of the most enjoyable simple dance records of the year. It doesn't have shit on Plaid's Reachy Prints, or Aphex Twin's SYRO, or patten's Estoile Naiant. And maybe I should have given the honor to Clark for busting shit up on his self titled Warp release... But for whatever reason, this is the album I'm listening to a lot at the moment. So I'm callin' it.

Wu-Tang Clan - A Better Tomorrow.

"Next week?" Ghostface Killah - 36 Seasons

Man, fuck this. What a terrible idea.

Nobody cares about albums anymore; they care even less about whether or not I care about albums.

Shut it down!!

Skull Defects? Are you referring to Street Metal or Dances In Dreams...? I picked up the latter earlier in the year and thought it was fucking amazing, but I just learned about the former. Street Metal... Hmm... Can't tell if it was meant to be an EP or another full length, but "Holy Drums" is an incredible fucking song.

I think serious music fans--including a lot of the members on this board--still care about albums. The problem is, we're all too cool/hip/indie/alternative/punk/whatever to immediately pounce on new albums every week--that's too much of a "wow, kids, what's new in popular music this week??!!??" mentality for musical elitists such as us.:cool:

Maybe instead of nuking your fine thread, the title could be changed to "Album Of The Month" or "Album Of The Quarter", and ditch the !!! at the end. That would be more fitting for incredibly in-the-know folks such as us.

Haha..

sev it's a great thread, but end of year has meant I'm trying to catch up on shit I missed. Keep it up. Lead by example. I like this.

THIS WEEK has been Ghostface for me btw. I mentioned in the hip hop cafe tho.

save next week for D'Angelo.

Stop whining. Some of us are busy as it is to be listening to new albums everyday. Every month is a hell of a lot more realistic.

Yeah, I agree. I'm too busy for it too, and the fact that I obsessively & compulsively buy new music is alarming, considering how much else I have on my plate.

I really didn't intend to whine. I just agree that it's a hell of a lot to ask of people.

I'm glad you like the album. I hope the rest of the café feels the same way. It kinda blew my socks off during my first listen.

Ok this week's album of the week is from 2015!

Viet Cong - Viet Cong

Oh my oh my. Exciting noise rock, again, at last!!!

Why didn't I flick your nuts for this? I can't believe I kind of/sort of apologized!
If I could change the title of the thread, I would. I will start a new one in the new year, aaah-kaay?

Plus I agreed with you for fuck's sake. Stop taking my inability to do the impossible as a sign that I am refusing your advice, or disagreeing with you.

Now let's hug it out.

Oh helllll yeah Black Messiah. Record of the fucking month, no goddamn joke.

I'm glad I'm getting tons of time to hunker down and bathe myself in this shit, because the album deserves it. One of the year's best, no question.

Week 1: January 6, 2015



Death Grips
Fashion Week

I wasn't into the stuff on the first DG mixtape, so I ignored everything else they did. They broke up 6 months ago, but dropped this album for free yesterday. It's a completely instrumental album. It's... actually damn good. Even my wife enjoyed it. There's some noise shit, some dance shit, some hip hop shit. It's def worth a listen. I'm gonna keep it on my phone for sure.

download: http://thirdworlds.net/files/death-g...shion-week.zip

Yeah, they've always been a pretty good band always good. I didn't realize you weren't into them. I thought everyone was. I actually always thought I was harder on them than most, because I didn't Ex-Millitary or The Money Store were anywhere near the best records of their respective years.

I don't get why they broke up... I don't really care though, because since that happened they've finished .... What, two? three new albums? I have a feeling Death is just a phase for the group. They've got ANOTHER record coming out in Feb, remember.

And unless Hella wants to get together and challenge themselves as they haven't done in 7 years, then I'm perfectly happy watching this warped little project play out.

yeah I just never really looked into them. I heard some tracks on the first mixtape, didn't do much for me so I figured wasn't for me. Now I change my mind. Funny thing - I was a Hella fan from the getgo. So not sure why I didn't give them more of a chance. You should def get this album if you didn't yet. Also, the mp3 tags call the album "Fashion Week (Instrumental)" which makes me wonder if a full vocal version will eventually be released as well? It's weird to call it Death Grips w/o the MC, no?

i actually used to dislike Death Grips, then Government Plates turned me into a fan.. it ended up being one of my fav albums from 2013, as well as my fav Death Grips album, period. which is apparently weird cuz i've been told it's just a bunch of leftovers from their previous album. i also really like The Money Store. still have a hard time with some of their music and MC Ride's delivery though. but hey, at least sometimes it works for them.

"HUSTLE BONES COMIN' OUT MY MOUTH!!!". ;)

It wouldn't be a Zach Hill worthy project if it didn't sometimes give you vertigo and/or offend or disturb you deeply. :)

I was with Hella from the start too, and it took me a while to see why The Money Store was such a revered album. I wanted something more Hella-esque. I guess I needed to get over that, because it wasn't in the cards for either Spencer or Zach to really do the same thing twice.

But now I like their output, and I feel like the group itself is one of the only truly successful hybridizations of rap and "rock" (re: metal, punk, industrial, noise). Play The Money Store and compare it to Limp Bizkit... it's enough to make me think that Interscope Records somehow poisoned the water supply of all of North America for three or four years.

haha. Limp Bizkit was fun at the time.

OMG - I think this thread is working!

I was just thinking:

Ok- time to take H8kurdt's advice and remake the thread for 2015 as an "... Of The Month" thread. Any thoughts?

i don't know. i might want to post a new album several times a month..

by the way, i already have my first entry (SremmLife by Rae Sremmurd!) so please let me know if you're making a new thread or not.

no I told you I'm literally aiming to do a new album post every Tues. 52 albums for 2015.

so this thread is here to stay right?



Rae Sremmurd - SremmLife

i gotta say i respect these kids. at first they sucked, so they began practicing at the studio for months, then finally released "No Flex Zone" which was one of the biggest rap singles in 2014. the follow up, "No Type" was even more impressive. despite their luxurious and boastful approach, they look like completely normal kids and honestly if they weren't famous it'd be hard to believe that any "bad bitch" would be into them.. which only makes me like them more. i'm glad the album lived up to the singles. we'll see if they last, but right now they're doing just fine.

this was gonna be my album of the week until that Death Grips dropped. So I'll plan to give it a listen soon. Next week maybe.

Hey, ok ok...

So, it seems appropriate to do a new thread for 2015. Especially since some people seem keen on using the thread to keep track of the music they hear.

So I think a new thread should be made -- 2014 is history, after all -- but it occurred to me that there's already an album of the week thread by Bytor Peltor.

Soooo... Help me out. New thread for 2015, but is it going to be "of the week"?

Fuck it, yeah this thread's here to stay.

The thought of making another one right when the first one is just starting to get rep is a little ridiculous.

Just pretend the title says 2015?

I have not heard this, but I do have a few 2015 releases. The best so far is the aforementioned s/t by Viet Cong (RIP Women), which really does kick fucking ass.

Also there's a new Dosappears record I've got sitting around somewhere. Titled "Irreal" ... Should be good, but I haven't been really blown away by them since 2011 or so.

Also have Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, which I'm looking forward to diving into. I think the world has been duped by Pitchfork into thinking Animal Collective was a passing fad... a punch line to any joke about 00's indie, and a total hype creation... Hyped into the position of biggest thing around by Pitchfork itself.

Well, fuck them. Animal Collective was great long before Pitchfork realized it. So remember to invest in Panda Bear, and keep the faith.

I love Animal Collective. But Panda Bear's Person Pitch might be my favorite AC related release. SO yeah. Looking fwd to that record.