bjorn

If anyone is going to get into collecting (and hopefully listening to) records, they need to know that a relatively high percentage of records will sound noisy even if they are brand new. It depends on a variety of factors in the production process, and no record label or pressing plant is immune to this. In my experience, records pressed in Europe are slightly less likely to have these kinds of defects, but as in the Ayam example which I also own, they're definitely not perfect either. Record cleaning machines are nice to have, but can't do anything about crappy pressings. It's frustrating, because some records are practically perfect (like the recent My Bloody Valentine reissues), so if proper care is taken in production it can obviously be done, but so many are sloppily produced and have glaring flaws. Until you buy a copy, it's hard to know what you'll end up with. You can check Discogs listings for certain albums, as people will usually report if a pressing has issues, but that's not always reliable either. The bottom line is that you either have to make peace with this reality, or just stick with digital. If I get frustrated by the vinyl version of an album that I otherwise like, I'll usually track down a CD instead.

I would have liked to buy it, but not with those prices. In cases like this, my move is to buy the Bandcamp download and dub myself a tape and print out a J-card with the artwork. I get almost all the analog fun for a fraction of the cost.

I love Oceania. I even like it a bit more than Machina because it has such a well-constructed flow. The band was in a good creative groove for a moment there, too bad it fizzled out so quickly. I like most of Monuments (Tiberius is classic SP in my book), but being so short it really suffers from the weaker tracks (Run 2 Me? Oof…). The whole artistic evolution thing is so tough, and as an artistic person myself, I can totally sympathize with musicians trying to navigate that. If I ever made anything half as successful as MCIS, I know it would seriously disrupt my ability to continue producing art that is genuine to myself and my interests, but also speak to whomever loved what I did before. As a listener, I welcome bands trying to move their sound forward, even if doesn’t always work, I find that to be more interesting than repeating what already works. With ATUM, Corgan seems to be digging into the more flamboyant side of his musical tastes, and he’s not pandering to his older fans (with the music itself at least, trying to tack this album on to his previous work by declaring it a sequel is questionable at best), which I can appreciate. What I struggle with is that he’s steering head-first into a musical aesthetic that I just don’t connect with at all. I’m not mad about that. I’m not about to rejoin Netphoria and make a hobby out of hating Billy, that’s pretty soulless. But I also think it’s good to thoughtfully critique things, and I agree that the way Jimmy is seemingly being constrained in these newer albums is hard to reconcile.

I’d love to see a reissue of Zeitgeist, preferably with a new mix and master to make it sound less compressed. There are some really good songs on there, and nothing really bad, I just find the production awfully hard to listen to. I’m a big fan of the bonus tracks, Ma Belle and Stellar in particular. You can really hear the creative dynamic between Billy and Jimmy in those songs, which sadly still seems to be absent somehow.

Hooray! is revolting. This might be the first SP album I don't buy. There are some moments that might be brilliant, I like Steps in Time quite a bit. The pervasive overuse of synths and electronic drums is frustrating enough, but the musical theater/Disney soundtrack aspect to this whole thing is just so off-putting, I can't do it.

Ha, you're right of course. Vocals often ruin things for me as well. And I should also say, the beauty of instrumental music is that it's much more abstract, and therefor more open to interpretation, so it makes sense that two people who generally like similar things might respond very differently to different bands within the genre.

Interesting discussion. I think one thing about the whole post-rock thing is that by removing vocals from the equation, the margin for error for everything else becomes smaller. For example, the first couple of Caspian albums did almost nothing for me, even though I can't pinpoint anything wrong with them. But Tertia is pretty high on my list of favorites regardless of genre, it just grabs me and keeps me in this beautiful, murky space. The compositions just work in a way they didn't before. It's the same thing with Red Sparowes, the first one didn't move the needle for me, but I love the second one. But most stuff in this genre seems to fall just short of compensating for the lack of vocals. It's not that I'm even all that interested in singing, but the way voices serve to punctuate and make music connect to the listener, especially with any form of rock music, is a really tricky thing to replace. The last such album that convinced me to buy a physical copy was Penumbra by Barrens, which is still pretty much under the radar, but well worth checking out. I've been listening to Mogwai on and off for decades now and finally got to see them live this year, but for me, they have mostly been more about particular songs that grab me, rather than really being able to get deeply into their albums. Special Moves and Mr. Beast have been the go-to albums for me. I had that CODY box set for a while, but regrettably sold it off. It had some great moments, especially toward the end, but as a whole it really never clicked with me, and the cover design definitely didn't help. It's just very skeletal. For most of the album I just want an extra layer, or something, particularly a stronger bass presence. I have massive respect for Mogwai and the way they've continued growing and exploring, but I'm still looking for that moment where I get fully blown away.

It’s subtle, and I think in my case I have some weird acoustic quirks in my listening room that made it sound weirder than it might for others. It’s a great album for sure, but for me Would? is the best thing they ever made, and I’ve always been a bit miffed that they never really explored that more atmospheric vibe much further. Something about that composition grabbed me from the first time I heard it (I taped it off the radio in 1995, when I lived in Cambodia of all places…), and it’s kind of haunted me ever since. I think the first three tracks are awesome too. The rest is good of course, I wouldn’t call anything filler, but for me the beginning and the end are the most important.

For those curious about the sound quality of this pressing, especially in light of the debate raging on Discogs, here's my take. I had the MOV pressing, which is good considering how much is crammed on one disc, but I think I would give this new one the edge. Yes, the colored vinyl has a touch more surface noise (yellow in my case), but it doesn't interfere with the music at all... I've listened to the whole thing now a couple of times with headphones, and you never hear any pops or other noise during the music itself, which is a major plus and an achievement of sorts these days. Some people don't seem to like how this is mastered, and it is pretty loud, though I wouldn't describe it as overly compressed. A little more bass would have been nice, but it's certainly present. The only part that bugs me a bit is the opening part of Them Bones... that weird "Ah!" part at the very beginning sounds just a bit off... not sure how to describe it, but in this case, my CD copy sounds a little more cohesive. Otherwise, this vinyl version is clearly more enjoyable than the CD. Instruments have just a bit more room and the treble is a tiny bit softer, and definitely holds up much better when you turn it up. Also, I've always found this album to be a bit of a slog towards the end, until you get to what I consider to be the absolute pinnacle of grunge, which is Would?. Splitting this hour-long album into fourths actually helped me stay in it more and appreciate some of the songs I didn't care for as much. The jacket is a let-down, they definitely could have done more with that.

The audio story is something I have 0 interest in. Also, it's unfortunate that they didn't restrict the length so that each third of the album could fit on a single LP. I know that would be tough with 33 songs, but it probably would have yielded a better album, and a better listening experience on vinyl. Oh well.

I just hope they press these properly. I really like the cover art. The songs they're teased so far sound OK, but out of context it's hard to really say. What I'm mostly curious about is whether they will use a mix of production styles like on Mellon Collie. For example, the same range you hear between tracks like Stumbeline (sounds like a 4-track demo), Tonight Tonight (lush production with full orchestra), Tales of a Scorched Earth (full-blown noise/distortion with dozens of guitar tracks), Love (lots of electronic elements), etc. Thirty-three songs without this kind of experimentation and stylistic range are going to be a real slog, so I'm hoping that's how they approached the project. I think some more raw or extreme stuff would be cool to hear alongside their more recent style.

I feel for you. I was lucky enough to snag one of the last distro copies ages ago. I'm normally not that interested in covers, but that EP is kind of perfect. Whenever I think about selling it, I give it a listen and I can't let it go.

Weird, apparently the vinyl tracklist doesn't include the Sabbath covers? That's going to be disappointing for anyone that doesn't already have Empires...

Right, I read that part, it’s just that the mock-ups look like 10”es, not that that means anything.

Is that a double 10”?

One listen was enough to convince me to preorder it, love that gnarly guitar tone. I wish I still lived in OKC so I could witness this live on a regular basis.

Excited to hear this!

Another crazy good release. On paper this mix of styles wouldn't necessarily appeal to me, but one listen convinced me to pick it up. Just listen. https://ashenspire.bandcamp.com/album/hostile-architecture

Agreed! It just feels different in a fundamental way, while being compelling on both a technical and emotional level, which is very hard to find.

I'm really into this Scarcity record, I love all the unusual patterns and the production sounds huge. https://nowflensing.com/collections/flenser-releases/products/scarcity-aveilut-lp

I've been spinning my copy of the Kilimanjaro LP a lot; it looks and sounds amazing. Great work!

OK cool, I appreciate the comment.

For those who have listened to the LP version, does it sound better than the CD is any way? The CD has some prominent clipping in the mix, which I find distracting. Wondering if the vinyl master addressed this at all. That yellow cover is a problem though.

Radical Research covered them extensively in this episode, recommended: https://radicalresearch.org/episode-81-dave-murray-drummer-traun-estradasphere-tholus-sculptured/

I would say the hate against Pirates is overblown. I think the main issue was with many of their splatter/haze/etc. records having a grainy residue. Some of their records are a bit noisy, and they used to sometimes have a low level whooshing sound (this might have been a DMM issue... but I haven't noticed this in years). But honestly, the majority of what they put out sounds quite good. Maybe most importantly, I have personally never experienced an off-center pressing from them, and that is the defect that I find to be the most infuriating and detrimental to the sound of the record. Compared to the garbage quality I've seen from places like United, I'd rather take something from Pirates/GZ any day.