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PO: SUMAC - May You Be Held LP


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9 hours ago, daegor said:

I have something coming from TJ and I had cancelled my pre-order to order from somewhere else 🤔

I got ANOTHER shipping notice from Thrill Jockey! Apparently the first one was delivered, but to my US PO box, which I can't check because the border is closed. And now something else is on it's way!

I reached out because I don't know what the fuck is happening, lol

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18 minutes ago, NoWorthyIcons said:

Also got my gold, spinning it now and it sounds fantastic. Looking forward to repeated listens of this record, for sure.

So glad to hear it sounds solid.  What are you making of the album so far compared to the rest of their catalog?  They haven’t released a bad or even mediocre album in my books.

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19 minutes ago, jhulud said:

I ain't received shit. What up with that?!?!

 

straight up, if I some how end up with a copy for free (or TWO apparently??) and you get shafted I'll mail it to you, lol.  Who knows when I'll be able to cross the border to pick it up, so it might be 2024 when you get it but 🤷‍♂️

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2 hours ago, Derek™ said:

So glad to hear it sounds solid.  What are you making of the album so far compared to the rest of their catalog?  They haven’t released a bad or even mediocre album in my books.

Only have one complete listen thus far, but right away I can say this isn't as straight-up aggressive as their previous releases, especially early in the record. There are moments of chaos that seem to be emphasized by the longer passages of dulled vocals and eerie guitar work, but it doesn't bust out of the gate like The Task,  Image of Control (I), or Thorn in the Lion's Paw. It will take some time to digest, as per usual with Sumac. But I will be interested to hear other people's thoughts when they get their copies.

 

On a different note, I kinda wish Thrill Jockey would have made this a gatefold and charged a little more if necessary, tbh. The inner cardboard sleeve arrived with the glue already worn away, so I will need to repair that at some point. And the outer cardboard sleeve is just big enough that it makes it tricky putting it in a poly sleeve. But the records themselves look and sound fantastic.

 

Lastly, if anyone is worried about their copy taking too long to arrive and would like my download code, lemme know.

Edited by NoWorthyIcons
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1 hour ago, NoWorthyIcons said:

Only have one complete listen thus far, but right away I can say this isn't as straight-up aggressive as their previous releases, especially early in the record. There are moments of chaos that seem to be emphasized by the longer passages of dulled vocals and eerie guitar work, but it doesn't bust out of the gate like The Task,  Image of Control (I), or Thorn in the Lion's Paw. It will take some time to digest, as per usual with Sumac. But I will be interested to hear other people's thoughts when they get their copies.

 

 

 

On a different note, I kinda wish Thrill Jockey would have made this a gatefold and charged a little more if necessary, tbh. The inner cardboard sleeve arrived with the glue already worn away, so I will need to repair that at some point. And the outer cardboard sleeve is just big enough that it makes it tricky putting it in a poly sleeve. But the records themselves look and sound fantastic.

 

 

 

Lastly, if anyone is worried about their copy taking too long to arrive and would like my download code, lemme know.

I had the same issue with my sleeve coming undone, and aside from boxsets Sumac albums are the only ones I have without outer sleeves 😕

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2 hours ago, NoWorthyIcons said:

Only have one complete listen thus far, but right away I can say this isn't as straight-up aggressive as their previous releases, especially early in the record. There are moments of chaos that seem to be emphasized by the longer passages of dulled vocals and eerie guitar work, but it doesn't bust out of the gate like The Task,  Image of Control (I), or Thorn in the Lion's Paw. It will take some time to digest, as per usual with Sumac.

This all reads like a true Sumac experience, nice.  From my experience, all their albums have taken quite a while to digest and I feel as though the explosive moments pack so much more of a punch when they're a payoff to the more restrained and experimental passages.  Eventually it all begins to congeal with every winding passage and left-turn making sense.  That's always my favorite moment in exploring a new Sumac record – that turning point – where it all magically kinda' clicks into place and feels like a familiar journey start to finish.

 

I'm seeing photos of the gold circulate and it's a beaut.  Almost a little translucent on top of having those nice ripples.  Your copy sound pretty good?  Kind of a bummer to hear the jacket itself is so minimal despite the incredible art.

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51 minutes ago, Derek™ said:

This all reads like a true Sumac experience, nice.  From my experience, all their albums have taken quite a while to digest and I feel as though the explosive moments pack so much more of a punch when they're a payoff to the more restrained and experimental passages.  Eventually it all begins to congeal with every winding passage and left-turn making sense.  That's always my favorite moment in exploring a new Sumac record – that turning point – where it all magically kinda' clicks into place and feels like a familiar journey start to finish.

 

I'm seeing photos of the gold circulate and it's a beaut.  Almost a little translucent on top of having those nice ripples.  Your copy sound pretty good?  Kind of a bummer to hear the jacket itself is so minimal despite the incredible art.

A little translucent, yep, and it's actually got a metallic sparkle to it, which I don't find is always the case with gold records, so that had me pretty excited. But, yeah, it plays perfectly, no skips or pops. The bass in the intro track was intense, scared the crap out of my dog when it kicked in...I might have had the volume a little high, but it's Sumac.

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9 minutes ago, daegor said:

I feel like with the last two albums that they've evolved in a very Godspeed You! Black Emperor direction.  Not sonically, but structurally.  Long ambient passages flowing into heavy and back, sometimes lingering in between.  Not sure how I feel about it yet.

More than previously you mean?  Because I feel like that element has been present since day 1 / The Deal.

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21 hours ago, daegor said:

The two times I've seen them live are easily my favourite shows, ever.

Yup.  "Different strokes for different folks" and all that, but I'm of a similar mindset.  I've even convinced normie verse-chorus-verse friends who listen to pop, indie, or hardcore - exclusively - to attend a GY!BE show with me, and they always leave stunned and smiling after the show concludes.  Post-rock is an acquired taste but between the visuals and dynamics of their live show, I feel like it's not hard to get something out of their performances, regardless.  Call it pretentious, but seeing them live has always kind of struck me as an "art experience"... just as much (if not more) than a traditional band playing a set.  Not arguing that music by itself isn't art.  But hopefully you get what I mean.

 

Anyways.  Being that this isn't a GY!BE thread – I will say the new Sumac is pretty monstrous.  I see what NoWorthyIcons meant about the record taking its time to start up, a bit.  On first listen it feels like the outright riffy or crunchy guitar sections and breakdowns are maybe a little more sparse, but they're absolutely there, and it's a Sumac record through and through.  I feel like the more ambient and experimental passages are a little tighter, too – not that I disliked them on Love In Shadow, but I can think of several moments of that record that feel very free-form.  No doubt a product of those Haino collaborations recorded around the same timeframe.

 

Overall pretty pleased with it on the first go-around.  It's sitting exactly where every other Sumac record has sat on first listen, so far.  Which is really impressive when you consider that it's the third time they've managed to stay consistent with a followup, giving me what I wanted or needed to hear, but also subverting expectations enough to stay fresh and "challenging" in a fun manner.  Makes for tremendous replay value and I can't wait to sink my teeth into additional play-throughs.

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