Derek™

Any idea what the Loser edition is out of?

I think we've all covered and acknowledged that opinions are fair game. More power to you and whatever you prefer listening to, really. But saying "lyrics are important to me" ≠ "a song can't tell a story without lyrics". One statement is an opinion, and one is just incorrect. That's all I'm getting at.

I don't even know how to address this. C'mon, Bowski. If anything, I'd say that instrumental music is more thought-evoking and open to interpretation than music with lyrics. I found it pretty boring back when I was 14 or so, but over the years it's proven to be some of the most rewarding "noise" I've ever heard. To say that music isn't truly music if it lacks spoken lyrics... I don't know. I feel like that's one of the most ridiculous claims you can make. Obviously we're all entitled to an opinion, but music has existed for a long, long while without vocals. You're missing out on a whole lot if you plan to write off bands without clearly decipherable vocals. And can we briefly discuss how a lot of artists have some completely shitty / embarrassing / awful lyrics? Some stories don't need to be told.

I think this is the same VCer who made the account that flew off the handle in the Average Purchases thread. Both accounts reek of that try-hard, prepubescent angst.

Yeah, I'm way behind. I see your guys' posts in a lot of ambient / post-rock / etc. threads. And those are the topics I find myself active in, more often than not, but that certainly doesn't mean that I don't enjoy or appreciate artists and genres that fall into the more "straightforward" side of things, if that makes any sense. (i.e. indie rock, alternative, etc.) Built To Spill are one of those groups that I've been meaning to check out for ages, but just haven't gotten around to. I'll have to fix that.

This is a great pick. Fun fact about Geneva - I didn't really "get it" until the year before last. I fell in love with Russian Circles via Station, so I was greatly anticipating Geneva. When it was released, I ordered it and maybe spun it once or twice before shelving it for quite some time. It wasn't until Empros was released that I went back and revisited it, only to discover how much more that it has to offer. Those string segments are just bliss, on Melee and Hexed All. I'm really glad I was able to appreciate the album -- for a while there I considered it a weak link in an otherwise splendid discography, but now I'm just all the more confident that RC can do no wrong.

I find that we listen to a lot of the same artists and genres. I can generally relate to what you're jamming, or at least more than I can relate to 98% of VC's population. Makes me think I should perhaps listen to a Built To Spill song at some point.

Right? I actually grabbed their discography back when I first started exploring the band with Sagarmatha. And for the life of me, it took me a good two or three years to condition my brain to acknowledge that Two Conversations comes after LLO, chronologically. That still blows my mind. Such a regression in my books, and then they bounced right back from it. Probably the most bizarre hiccup I've seen in a band's consistency, ever. I totally agree with your last comment, too. I consider the LLO volumes to be among their best material to date. Talk about a temporary 180.

So after careful consideration, I think I've decided that What We Loved Was Not Enough is the best song I've heard this year. An 11-minute masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. Those vocal harmonies and the finale kill me.

Yeah, guys. Fuck financial responsibility or realistic budgeting. Just buy everything whenever you feel like it, and blare it loud. #yolo #derp

The Glow, Pt. 2 is a great pick, like Shlebs covered. And as much as I love And So I Watch You From Afar's Gangs, my vote goes to...

Anyone else really enjoying these joke-of-an-offer threads nosediving into joke threads, period? Seems to be happening quite a bit lately, and I get a good kick out of who drops in to get in on the fun.

You've pretty much covered the essentials of Appleseed, minus Mare Vitalis. That album is top-notch, if not a little more direct than the sprawling "post-rock" sound they've honed over the years. And a ton of people praise Two Conversations, but it doesn't do a whole lot for me, personally. Probably my least favorite Appleseed release... which makes me very eager to hear what you may think of it, actually.

I'm sure there's a thread about this somewhere, but... eh. I'll chip in. I added a column to my Google doc a few years back, and use it to log purchases through the year. I clear it and start again on January 1st, every year. That being said... not counting shipping costs, I spent about $5,300 on vinyl in 2013. And $163 for this year, so far. I may start logging how many albums I buy each year, but I currently don't. Right now I'm sitting at 655 albums. 705 if you count variants, and 772 releases if you include 7"s. Not as impressive as some folks on this board, but as someone who's constantly pruning my library and holding onto the essentials, I'm happy with it.

Absolutely this.

Emery was my jam in high school. And while the whole post-hardcore / screamo / whatever genre doesn't do a whole lot for me these days, I can still appreciate their first two records, and even Shallow Seas. But their last album was an absolute joke. I try my best to pretend that it never happened.

I absolutely love IR to death, but that last / self-titled track seems so out of place to me, for whatever reason. Even after countless listens I still can't seem to warm up to its position on that record. It's weird.

Based off that price, shipping fee, and second photo, it looks like you get the art exhibit with the vinyl. Really not a bad bundle at all. I can't see it lasting too long.

Looks like there's 1 left in stock...

Really? I think Sky looks like she could be the twin of the dude from Twilight.

Let's not veer away from Matt's ex. At least for the time being.

Yeah, seriously. There's enough content on that album to whip up a gorgeous package. I hope that arrangements can be made to see something surface eventually, though. Even if it's way down the road.