jeromium

Hype faded and I don't need any physical media at this point, not even vinyl. I guess that's because I'm more picky about what I buy lately, due to reduced vinyl listening time, budget, and having combined household with my lady who is not a Tool fan. And after about 3 spins I determined it's 7/10 material, nicely done but I'm not gonna play it often enough going forward. I've changed and they haven't really.

Good idea. I'm not sure if you're familiar with or use rateyourmusic.com (RYM), but it's the primary tool I use for cataloging what I've listened to, what I'm looking forward to, as well as making AOTY and other lists. And I discover a ton of stuff from other users' lists. Because so much of what I listen to is digital these days, physical media sites like Discogs aren't useful for tracking that stuff. RYM displays an "Upcoming" list on my homepage, alerting me of upcoming releases based on my collection. It's not specifically label-based, but artist based for things I own or have cataloged in any way. Unfortunately this also includes singles, and artists you may no longer care about but still have cataloged, so you have to wade through that. It also depends on things actually being entered into the database. I personally add new releases to the database several times a week after learning about them elsewhere. Anyway, the site is ugly and primitive, but the userbase is large and I've been using it for 12 years so I'm invested. https://rateyourmusic.com/~sidewinder03 True, but somehow I've not found this to be a problem on RYM because people aren't as vigilant about cataloging reissues.

Done. I like filling out surveys and asked the forum to help me out with a similar project recently so it's the least I can do.

I'm ok with this news. They've had a good run and even though I didn't love the most recent album, they're leaving on a good note.

LOL. And I wouldn't use Tool's recent CD sales as a barometer – I'm sure those sales were skewed by the gimmicky packaging.

I didn't care much for this on first pass this morning - I had higher hopes after the first single but didn't care for most of the vocals. I'll try again, maybe. Gloss Drop is my favorite of theirs.

Hey y'all, I'm hoping I can get a few members to participate in this questionnaire I'm doing for an evening class. I'm old but we have to keep learning, right? I'm a UX designer but I'm taking a class on research methodologies. I'm conducting a few interviews about my topic, streaming music, and I'm in a bit of a pinch with conducting actual in-person interviews before tomorrow. In lieu of that, I'm hoping I can get a few participants to fill out this online questionnaire. It's all fill in the blank style, might take about 15 minutes. And if you want to share a photo of yourself taking the questionnaire, that'd be great too! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWJ-tmHClZRyUtYTB1fE76tYd2dyC0BMjvQFYBuBnbHczoGw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Truly. I didn't recall what the original looked like but had a quick look at the 12" and CD on Discogs. Not sure why it's completely different and they had to throw a totally different font in there. 37 minutes makes for a pretty long EP, although this is hip-hop we're talking about. Either way, that's still expensive even if it was a longer LP.

This hasn't really grabbed me yet - although "Taker" was already great and "Blankenship" seemed to stand out as unique and heavier than the rest of the album - a favorite. I'm not getting a sense that overall the album is heavier than other albums, though. Just haven't spent as much time with it as some of you, I guess.

I played it just before House of Sugar was released, along with DSU, for the first time. I've listened to Trick twice so far, but not much really clicked. Maybe it'll click more eventually. Despite what I said, I may actually play it again. I played Rocket a lot more than you'd think, because I kept hoping it would turn into something more cohesive, and also I couldn't get enough of Proud, Bobby, and Judge.

I first started listening to Alex G with Beach Music and there are some real gems on that album, along with some mediocre material, making for a good but not great album. Then Rocket came out and there are some real gems on that album, along with some mediocre material, making for a good but not great album. I'm like hmm, he's nearly there! Maybe he'll hit the next one out of the park! Not every song can be a gem but it'll be more cohesive and great! On House of Sugar, I'm not hearing gems of the same caliber as ones from the two previous albums. The good tracks are good but not great. Mediocre tracks are still present, making it as inconsistent as the previous two, but not as good due to the lack of killer tracks. I'm just not sure he's capable of a truly great album. Great tracks, yes.

No more singles for me, heard the first 2 and now will wait for the album. Too much spoiling.

Sounded good on my first listen Friday (stream). Nice to hear something that's not just a film score. Gonna need more listens to really form an opinion, but it was entertaining and Patton didn't sound like he was trying too hard.

Made some more progress with Swans' discog this week. First was Holy Money, then Greed after realizing they were related and it would be good to hear them back to back, then Children of God. I expected to like Children of God more than I did on the first spin. I'm not sure what wasn't working for me, but clearly it'll need more listens to sink in like anything else. Holy Money was my favorite of the 3, being more immediately accessible, and I played it again this morning on the way to work. I arrived depressed but that's ok. Right now, as I'm wrapping up my workday and anticipating my commute, I started White Light... again. This will be my third listen. Honestly this one worked for me the first time, and is looking like my favorite atm. Gonna have to revisit The Great Annihilator soon – my intro back in the 90s. Not sure if I'll dig around some more early material before the new one drops or move on to some post-reunion stuff. Probably would make sense to check out newer stuff, but the length of all the recent ones is pretty daunting.

Limit 4 per order? I don't know why anyone needs 4 other than to flip. They should limit to 2 honestly - just enough to grab one as a gift or for a friend without access if anything. Still can't bring myself to pull the trigger, because I sold all my CDs several years ago. I have two left, basically, plus a Wax Trax Black Box in the original metal case. Couple of strays in my car. If I got it, it would be strictly for collector purposes and I'd probably leave it sealed. So probably just for greed.

So far, White Light seems to be the most interesting. I've played it twice, about time for another soon. I haven't checked out The Seer. The other two I've listened to are Soundtracks for the Blind and Filth.

Well said.

Never was huge into Swans but I've been slowly checking out the highly-rated stuff recently. Slowly because they require time. I had The Great Annihilator when that was their newest record, liked it ok, but not enough to stay interested in them. Having revisited that one lately it's pretty great.

It's hard for me to fathom ranking Undertow anywhere less than 2nd place, personally. That's when I started listening to Tool and it blew my brains. Then Ænima blew my brains too. Lateralus was more of a slow burn when it came out and, although that album definitely differs from the previous two, at the time I felt that's when they plateaued a bit and were settling into trademark sound. Familiar-sounding riffs, etc. It didn't seem as fresh and mind-blowing as the other two had been. And yes, it's amazing, but it didn't have the same impact on me of sounding really unique. I've only played Fear Inoculum twice at this point but I'm comfortable with this ranking. Leaving out Opiate because it's not an album. 1. Ænima 2. Undertow 3. Lateralus 4. Fear Inoculum 5. 10,000 Days

I just had my first listen to the album, via Spotify. I was really thinking the interludes would be more interesting, but they just seem to add length. Could do without them for sure. Overall I enjoyed the album. The only reason I probably don't love it is because it's been so long and I'm not the Tool fan I used to be. But having revisited 10,000 Days yesterday, Fear Inoculum may actually be a stronger album. There are just some cringe moments on 10KD and it drags.

I tried searching for it on the Target site just for fun and it's not coming up, lol. Other Tool albums, Tears for Fears, Iron Maiden, etc. but not Fear Inoculum for some reason. 🤨 I'm just curious cuz I can walk to Target from my house. ETA: Found a link via Google. It just says out of stock, "Notify Me When It's Back" no matter what store I select - which is a little surprising. Doesn't even seem like you can order it online at this point. Oh well I wasn't planning to buy it, just curious. Need to listen to it first anyway.

I really don't feel like I've given A Moon Shaped Pool enough listens. Somehow I have it rated 4/5 so I know I liked it, but I couldn't think of a single melody or lyric from the album at the moment.

Probably. And at least have one more listen before calling it. And hey, I could always pick it up later. I've just liked how the last few Oh Sees I've ordered directly from Castle Face have the title/hype sticker on a nice sleeve, vs retail versions that just have it on shrink wrap. And I hate shrink wrap...I only tend to keep it if the sticker looks good and contributes to the cover. But I still hate it.

I can't decide if I want this on vinyl or not. As I stated previously, I was pleasantly surprised with the album and pacing. It's just the price, and other priorities in life, and whether I'm gonna play the actual record that much versus digital to justify owning it. Ugh life is hard.

Wow, this thread. 🙄