fizio59 Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I am super hyped on the new RC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek™ Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 The fact Gumbo is lukewarm on RC kind of seals them in place as one of my favorite post-rock / post-metal bands of all time. Their technical "tapping" is pretty melodic, I think, and less noodly than a lot of other bands who have technical muscles to flex. (Té comes to mind.) As mentioned by Eliminator – I don't do live clips. I don't think it ever does the actual song justice, and I have no prolblem waiting for a proper single or even the whole album. Throwing on the vinyl or a quality pair of headphones for a first-listen of Russian Circles material is a religious experience. Not to fanboy about them, but their entire discography is so great. From start to finish, I really don't think there's a weak point or album. Their new record is among my most anticipated for 2016, for sure. drds89 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrewest Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 I hear that (re: not listening to live versions of new songs for the first time). I guess I'm ok with it because I saw them last year in Columbus as part of that mini tour they did where they were debuting the songs. I thought they both sounded so massive live. I swear, Brian Cook's bass gets meatier with each tour/album. It was easily my favorite RC show out of the 4-5 I've been to now. BTW, Station live is INSANE. Surprisingly turned into my favorite live RC song. Anyways, I'm sure when they release their first recorded song from the new album, it will be one of those two, so I'll check it out. But I don't want to hear anything else until hearing the album in full (on vinylz of course). I've finally realized that RC albums are 100% best enjoyed start to finish (not mixed into a shuffle like most of my music). Although I can go with individual tracks most of the time, their albums are so much better as a whole. It took me a while to really get into Enter & Station because I gave all too casual listens to those for the longest time. But I finally have the appreciation for those that I should, although Geneva will always be my favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek™ Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 If you've already seen the new tracks live, then I imagine there's no point in waiting to check out live videos of them. I get that. For me, it's all about going into it blind. Though I certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to hear new material in person. You're quite lucky. And I can't speak for everyone, but full albums > shuffle. Always and forever. That's been such a big motivation for me to even get into vinyl, and my preferred method for listening to music for as long as I can remember. I guess a shuffle could be fun as background noise or for a party mix, but hearing an album from start to finish as an artist had intended has always made the most sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrewest Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 I guess I'm in a unique situation where I can listen to Spotify at work for 4-5 per day, so I load up playlists and just stick it on shuffle, so that's where that perspective comes from me. Plus, I have a flash drive in my car I can listen to. So when I don't quite know what mood I am in (which happens a lot), I just put it on and listen to whatever comes up. Full album listens give me the most appreciation for that particular album, but some albums work on a track by track basis mixed into a shuffle better than others. Some RC songs in particular work just fine on their own, but some work so much better within the flow of the album. Even though I think Micah & Death Rides a Horse work great on their own, the way Micah seamlessly flows right into Death is pretty amazing. First time hearing that combo on vinyl was pretty jarring (in a good way). Anyways, Derek, I can't wait for you to at least hear Afrika & Calla. I summarize them as Afrika having more grace (in a Mladek kind of way) and Calla is a straight up bully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbo72203 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I'll go, gumbo. We would have the best time. ❤️ I'll bring my thesis on why post-rock bands should be jambands, and you can proof-read it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbo72203 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 The fact Gumbo is lukewarm on RC kind of seals them in place as one of my favorite post-rock / post-metal bands of all time. Their technical "tapping" is pretty melodic, I think, and less noodly than a lot of other bands who have technical muscles to flex. (Té comes to mind.) Ehhh, I don't know if I'd call it lukewarm. Some of their stuff I LOVE, and some of their tracks just don't do much for me. Enter and Memorial are my favorite albums. I forget which track it is off of Enter, but when the drummer starts doing the untz-y four-on-the-floor beat, I lose my shit every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Butcha Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Ehhh, I don't know if I'd call it lukewarm. Some of their stuff I LOVE, and some of their tracks just don't do much for me. Enter and Memorial are my favorite albums. I forget which track it is off of Enter, but when the drummer starts doing the untz-y four-on-the-floor beat, I lose my shit every time. Enter is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek™ Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Anyways, Derek, I can't wait for you to at least hear Afrika & Calla. I summarize them as Afrika having more grace (in a Mladek kind of way) and Calla is a straight up bully. I do like the sounds of that. Damn, I wish I had a vague idea of when to expect that new record. I forget which track it is off of Enter, but when the drummer starts doing the untz-y four-on-the-floor beat, I lose my shit every time. Sounds like the finale to Death Rides A Horse. Enter is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pemulis Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Speaking of RC, did anyone listen to those new songs in that live vid I posted a couple pages back? Surprised at the lack of hype for their new one. It's my most anticipated release of the year, easy. I loved the new tunes that you shared. RC is on another level for me so I'm following their updates very closely. Cook's bass tone is phenomenal. One of the best drummers I've ever seen. And I'm not sure I have the adjectives to describe Sullivan's writing. I'm sad I don't live in the states anymore, I would have loved to have made it to one of their recent shows. Probably one of the few bands I'd spend money on a test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sad Heart Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 RC's new album is definitely towards the top of my list as far as 2016 releases I'm most looking forward to. I'm waiting for the album to drop before I listen to anything. I usually always do that. I even managed to do that for Caspian minus one track (since it was band released [studio version], so I could get an idea of the dark[field]ness to come). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrewest Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Just saw Caspian debut Run Dry live. Holy shit. Tanner from O'Brother sang. Wow. The Butcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Butcha Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Just saw Caspian debut Run Dry live. Holy shit. Tanner from O'Brother sang. Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sad Heart Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I'm so excited to hear that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vool Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Enter is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbo72203 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Just saw Caspian debut Run Dry live. Holy shit. Tanner from O'Brother sang. Wow. YASSSSSSSSS!!!! Although I probably won't get my Loft or Quovis->Further Up->Further In, I'm stoked on that. I'm taking my buddy who's never seen them before to the Rochester gig next Wednesday. Hopefully the sound is better than that Providence gig last year. Really hoping for Malacoda, Sea Lawn, Ghosts of the Garden City, Some Are White Light, and Waking Season -> Procellous, even though I know none of those will be played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrewest Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 YASSSSSSSSS!!!! Although I probably won't get my Loft or Quovis->Further Up->Further In, I'm stoked on that. I'm taking my buddy who's never seen them before to the Rochester gig next Wednesday. Hopefully the sound is better than that Providence gig last year. Really hoping for Malacoda, Sea Lawn, Ghosts of the Garden City, Some Are White Light, and Waking Season -> Procellous, even though I know none of those will be played. Good news. Sorta. They played Some Are While Light last night. The sound was as good as it's ever been for Caspian. The wall of sound factor was cranked to 11. It was pretty amazing. So I don't think you'll have any issues. Full set list is below. Only surprise was no Sycamore. But I am more than ok with Fire Made Flesh as the closer. Darkfield Echo and Abyss Ríoseco Some Are White Light Concrescence Halls of the Summer Gone in Bloom and Bough Arcs of Command Run Dry Fire Made Flesh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek™ Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Relevant to this discussion: Caspian are doing another Audio Tree session tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sad Heart Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Relevant to this discussion: Caspian are doing another Audio Tree session tomorrow. I've been waiting a long time for this. I just really hope they don't get asked dumb questions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Butcha Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Relevant to this discussion: Caspian are doing another Audio Tree session tomorrow. Nice. I'm really hoping for a studio performance of Sad Heart Of Mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrewest Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Relevant to this discussion: Caspian are doing another Audio Tree session tomorrow. YES. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Good news. Sorta. They played Some Are While Light last night. The sound was as good as it's ever been for Caspian. The wall of sound factor was cranked to 11. It was pretty amazing. So I don't think you'll have any issues. Full set list is below. Only surprise was no Sycamore. But I am more than ok with Fire Made Flesh as the closer. Darkfield Echo and Abyss Ríoseco Some Are White Light Concrescence Halls of the Summer Gone in Bloom and Bough Arcs of Command Run Dry Fire Made Flesh Damn, this makes me really mad I was too sick to go to the show last night . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrewest Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Here's a horrible, incomplete vid I took of Run Dry. It's dark as shit, but the sound is pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbo72203 Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Darkfield Echo and Abyss Ríoseco Some Are White Light Concrescence Halls of the Summer Gone in Bloom and Bough Arcs of Command Run Dry Fire Made Flesh That's an... interesting setlist. Part of me wishes they would swap Concrescence and Halls of the Summer for Sycamore. only 4ish minutes of Tertia seems... not right. Stoked I'll get Echoes and Rioseco though, and Run Dry! It's interesting hearing this acoustic guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek™ Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 This post is mostly for Shelby, since I told him I'd elaborate on the Godspeed show last night. But I figured a few others may be interested to read it. It was my second time catching them, and it was probably just as magical (if not more) than the first time around. I wasn't nearly as close to the stage as I was for the first go, but I still had a fantastic review of their projections and the full band. The opened with the signature Hope Drone, obviously, and at one moment I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the threshold of a turbine engine, running at full speed. Just immense. But for as crushingly loud as they were, I got lucky in the sense that it wasn't a punishing kind of loud. I had forgotten my hearing protection in the car - something I never do - and was weary of the results... but it wasn't bad at all. A bit surprising when you consider how much is happening at once on the stage, and just how loud each respective band member is. Hope went straight into Storm. They played it the last time I saw them - and even used the same footage - but it was every bit as breathtaking. But this is where I have to point out my one gripe with the band, or perhaps the venue – even though they're a clean, satisfying level of loud, they were coming out of the gates at volume 11. So when the song builds and builds, and layers are added and eventually emphasized... the change in dynamic just wasn't really there. As a result, I wasn't really getting the shifting and building that I was so accustomed to hearing from the MP3s / CDs / vinyl. When everyone was doing their thing at full force, there wasn't a lot of wiggle room to up the ante. And as a result, parts of their movements sounded a bit more repetitive than they should've been. More on that in a second. From Storm they went straight into playing their last album, Asunder, in all of its glory. Efrim's noisy solo in the middle of Peasantry sounded just as gritty as I hoped it would, and the band even took the liberty of condensing a bit of the drone out of Lambs' Breath. They wasted very little time getting into the meat of the album – before I knew it, the ghostly, melancholic strings that pave the way for Piss Crowns were met with some haunting footage-loops of deer in the dark of the night. What caught me off guard (and resonates so well with me, even 24 hours later) was the projectionist's timing in that moment. For those quite familiar with Asunder – in that last track, you know when the drums just kick in and thud, and you can tell shit is about to go down? As soon as that sound came crashing in, he flipped the footage to dedicate the entire half of the stage to a close-up of a gigantic fucking ghost-deer. It was jarring to say the least. The tension at the beginning of that track and the way he was timing the footage was just unsettling in the best way possible. I can't really describe it, but it gave me goosebumps. Piss Crowns Are Trebled was basically everything I wanted it to be. Being my second time seeing it perform – while also far more familiar with it, this time around – all of its twists, turns, rises, and falls were doubly appreciated. Sophie's violin highlight and solo just... soared. Gorgeous stuff. But going back to the volume issue; one of the best parts about Piss Crowns – and more specifically, the finale of the entire album – is how it has that stretch towards the last minute or two where everything gradually crashes harder and harder. It builds, and builds, and gets more intense with each passage, reaching a point where you assume it couldn't possibly get any more climactic and loud... at which point it kicks your teeth in and continues to raise the bar. But with the bar already so high, for every moment of the entire night, that build just wasn't there and it was a little disappointing. They just kind of played the same sequence of notes on loop. I hope someone can understand what I mean and where my [ever-so-slight] disappointment stems from, with the final moments of that song. Then the band debuted a new song, aptly titled "Buildings" to tie in with the footage of skyscrapers mid-construction, stock numbers, and city life. The bluesy guitar near the beginning caught me off guard, but this thing truly takes off and shines. I'm confident that it's the "dance" song that Gumbo referred to, when he caught them back a while ago. It was surprisingly bright and upbeat for the band, and the crowd was very aware of it – everyone was bobbing and swaying more than they did at any other point in the night. All I can say about this song, based off my one time hearing it, is that the melodies are incredibly strong and infectious. It has a great hook going for it almost immediately, and it just works and builds off of that in a very satisfying manner. It's a little optimistic for GY!BE, but I really liked it. It could sit very well on a fully fleshed album, and act as a counterweight to some of the somber material the band writes so well. Speaking of which – the band's closer. East Hastings. They didn't play it the last time I saw them, and as soon as I heard those gloomy guitar notes pierce the air, I got chills. That song begins so slow, with Efrim taking lengthy gaps in-between each bit of guitar, and out-of-focus police cars flashing their sirens on the projector. But as the songs culminates and grows, the footage gets more intense, and it's probably the coolest thing I've seen Godspeed produce in a live setting. It felt so much more intense, noisy, and dynamic than the studio version everyone is so familiar with. The climaxes were absolutely insane, and the entire thing went out in noisy glory that left me dumbfounded and grinning like an idiot. Time to sate my Godspeed kick for a few weeks, while praying to Efrim that the new album drops in 2016. NapalmBrain, drds89 and Eliminator Jr. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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