What would you guys say is the most obscure album you own? Not counting like, stuff you scoured off of Bandcamp.
For me it's probably African Head-Charge's Off The Beaten Track. I have no real yardstick for how obscure that actually is, but I've never heard anyone else mention it.
Physical copy? An album I got from the free pile at a Goth/electronic/industrial record shop in Philly by a band called Das Weeth Experience. There's also a hilariously awful rap mixtape that I pity-bought off of a kid on a bike when I was in high school, but technically that's in a friend's possession now.
Legally and semi-legally downloaded, there are many more things. The cassettes by Slashing In Your Slumber (dark ritual ambient) and Sufi Mind Game (frenzied noise rock) that I have in my iTunes are probably the most unusual, although I definitely had equally weird if not weirder before my last two hard-drive failures.
Extended Play record. Originally referred to vinyl albums pressed to play back at a slower speed and contain more music than shellac singles, but not to the extent of Long Play records. Usually 10" discs played at 45 RPM while LPs were generally 12" records played at 33 1/3 RPM; older shellac records (usually 10") played at 78 RPM, while later 7" vinyl singles also played at 45.
Semantically, the distinction between EP and LP simply referred to length: An EP is usually between ten and twenty-five minutes; an LP traditionally was between twenty-five minutes and, say, fifty, or even an hour - as long as you could put on a vinyl record before trashing the sound quality.
I know what an LP is (as in the record); I had just not heard of the term "EP" until I saw it used in the name of several game and chiptune albums on places like Groupees and the Game Music Bundle.
They're not as common because they're hard to market, at least in normal record terms. Online, however, or in specialist circles, it is a fairly practical medium.
They're not as common because they're hard to market, at least in normal record terms. Online, however, or in specialist circles, it is a fairly practical medium.
In addition to this, sometimes a band's EPs will be a lot better, or at least more interesting, than their albums. There's no expectation of coherence, so the musician can include weird experiments and flights of fancy that wouldn't fit anywhere else. And with no expectations of length, there's no incentive for the band to include filler.
Of course, among musicians who release EPs and albums, rare is the one who deliberately saves their best material for the EP. It's more something that happens by accident.
There isn't even any good descriptions of sentiments, only comparisons to other songs as frames of reference for certain good feelings ('Is it weird that your [X] reminds me of a Kanye West/Coldplay/Katy Perry/[X] song?')
This is a problem Jason Derulo has had since his career started, honestly; I thought him and Taio Cruz were initially the same dude (although, in retrospect, Taio displays a hell of a lot more talent than Jason does-- it's telling that one of them is remembered for a song and the other, until recently, only had his signature name shout enter the zeitgeist)
oftentimes electronic producers are at their best on EPs. because most songs come out as singles, and albums are oftentimes more of an obligatory I MADE IT statement or are essentially 1 hour all new material dj mixes, whereas EPs tend to be small suites of related tracks with some remixes maybe
Todd in the Shadows made a tweet about how Jason Derulo gets less hate than Bieber and Will i am despite being just as sucky.
There is a clear reason for this. will.i.am was often creatively bad, and I like some of his songs. Bieber was notable for being a teen idol while not having charisma. Jason Derulo has no notable qualities, other than singing his name in front of generic pop songs.
I only know who Derulo is because of Todd in the Shadows. And no, he can't sing his choruses that well ("In My Head" is the only time I know of where he's even tried, instead of relying on a sample to give us the hook).
They're not as common because they're hard to market, at least in normal record terms. Online, however, or in specialist circles, it is a fairly practical medium.
In addition to this, sometimes a band's EPs will be a lot better, or at least more interesting, than their albums. There's no expectation of coherence, so the musician can include weird experiments and flights of fancy that wouldn't fit anywhere else. And with no expectations of length, there's no incentive for the band to include filler.
Of course, among musicians who release EPs and albums, rare is the one who deliberately saves their best material for the EP. It's more something that happens by accident.
This made me think of Helium's Pirate Prude EP. It's a short concept album that tells its story in reverse chronological order. I really like it, particularly the song "Make Me A Vampire Too Baby", which is very creepy and poignant.
Also basically any release by a group like Alva Noto where there is one fifteen-to-twenty minute track.
that does reminds me, one of the reasons that electronic music is hard to get into is that most of the important and good stuff never goes onto LPs or albums
like, Basic Channel is one of the most influential and important techno groups ever and their entire discography is nothing but singles. (*there are two compilation albums, but the only one that came out while the group was still active consisted of 3-6 minute long "radio edits", and the other one was a retrospective that came out 10 years later*)
that does reminds me, one of the reasons that electronic music is hard to get into is that most of the important and good stuff never goes onto LPs or albums
like, Basic Channel is one of the most influential and important techno groups ever and their entire discography is nothing but singles. (*there are two compilation albums, but the only one that came out while the group was still active consisted of 3-6 minute long "radio edits", and the other one was a retrospective that came out 10 years later*)
I'm reminded of how Sufjan Stevens called All Delighted People an EP, not because of its length (it was just shy of an hour long) but because it was just a collection of songs with no intended link between them.
And how Joy Electric generally uses "EP" to mean "album companion". Resulting in silliness like the Tick Tock Companion EP being longer and more cohesive than the album it was attached to, The Tick Tock Treasury.
the new clipping. album features a performance of John Cage's Williams Mix, so at long last there finally exists an album which features the talents of both John Cage and Gangsta Boo
gonna just leave that infonugget there
also antony bandanorama gave the album a 9/10 so now it's hipster trash i cant listen to
But that said, is it technically a performance of that piece or an homage? Because I thought that technically speaking the original Williams Mix was one of a kind.
The coda to midcity was a shout-out to/interpretation of Reich's "Come Out", if I am not mistaken, so it fits.
I wonder whether it was an actual gap in knowledge or simply an oversight; it's not an essential piece of knowledge, but it does help you contextualise where the band are coming from and how they look at music.
So I found a really cool song from a couple years ago where Chamillionaire (probably best known for "Ridin' Dirty") imitates a bunch of other rappers. He does really well with most of the imitations and the rappers are all decently well known (enough that if you have a cursory knowledge of hip-hop you can probably appreciate it) so it should be pretty accessible.
So I found a really cool song from a couple years ago where Chamillionaire (probably best known for "Ridin' Dirty") imitates a bunch of other rappers. He does really well with most of the imitations and the rappers are all decently well known (enough that if you have a cursory knowledge of hip-hop you can probably appreciate it) so it should be pretty accessible.
What's with all the hate? I find this pretty similar to Enslaved. I think it's actually the shoegazers and hipsters who don't understand what they're listening to. This is black metal, love it or loathe it. The only difference is the chords. I'm hearing a lot of major 7ths here as opposed to the usual minor 3rds and diminished 5ths. And that, in my book, makes it interesting enough.
Perhaps you need a bit of Ved Buens Ende, Virus, Enslaved, Shining and Agalloch to understand where this sound truly comes from.
though if i were listing obvious influences i would have included Weakling and WITTR but i don't blame the due for missing Weakling because they're uber obscure
amusing factoid: Weakling's only album was released on tUMULt records
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Of course, among musicians who release EPs and albums, rare is the one who deliberately saves their best material for the EP. It's more something that happens by accident.
stupid exams :P
while I'm here, go check out Porter Robinson's new singles, they're rad
There is a clear reason for this. will.i.am was often creatively bad, and I like some of his songs. Bieber was notable for being a teen idol while not having charisma. Jason Derulo has no notable qualities, other than singing his name in front of generic pop songs.
Granted it is an album consisting of only two very long tracks, so I suppose one might consider that a single, of a sort.
And how Joy Electric generally uses "EP" to mean "album companion". Resulting in silliness like the Tick Tock Companion EP being longer and more cohesive than the album it was attached to, The Tick Tock Treasury.
It's reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally nice. "Red Ocean Apocalypse" in particular is a standout track.
Discovered by Autechre if that's a plus for anyone.