case: (Default)
Case ([personal profile] case) wrote in [community profile] fandomsecrets2013-12-31 06:36 pm

[ SECRET POST #2555 ]


⌈ Secret Post #2555 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


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02.
[Attack on Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin]


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03.
[The Muppet Movie]


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04.
[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]


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05.
[Frozen]


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06.
[Once Upon a Time]


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07.
[Dissonance]


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08.
[Zooey Deschanel]


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09.
[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]


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10.
[Eona: The Last Dragoneye]














Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 038 secrets from Secret Submission Post #364.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 2 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
dethtoll: (Default)

The Music Review Thread

[personal profile] dethtoll 2014-01-01 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
Some quickie reviews of albums I listened to beyond the collapse.
dethtoll: (Default)

THIS DOUBLES AS A MUSIC THREAD SO THERE'S THINGS FOR YOU TO CLICK

[personal profile] dethtoll 2014-01-01 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
Cult of Luna - Vertikal: I have to give Cult of Luna credit for coming close to the fucking majesty that was Eternal Kingdom. There's apparently a lot of debate about the album I knew nothing about, but for a followup to one of the best albums of 2008 Cult of Luna really came through. Cult of Luna has always played around with their sound, and while sometimes that didn't work out (Salvation could have been better, though it's not bad) sometimes it worked out perfectly. I'm glad to see that Cult of Luna is getting some recognition that they rightly deserve, and if they can keep making albums this fucking good without repeating their early missteps or falling into the "same thing every album" trap like so many bands do they'll become like gods among men.

Rosetta - The Anaesthete: It pains me to say this, but Rosetta have fallen into the trap of repeating themselves too often, and while I loved this album the first time around, on subsequent plays this album feels a little too clean and too rehearsed. (Possibly why they released it for free on Bandcamp -- it suggests they weren't that confident about the material.) But that's not to say it's a bad album. Rosetta are one of my favourite bands for a reason -- they're fucking good. But it's still mostly a direct followup to A Determinism of Morality, which just didn't really compare to its immediate predecessor Wake/Lift (to this day one of my favourite albums of all time.) It's a shame, because while I've been saying for a while now that Rosetta are my favourite band extant, I come to realize that's not really true. Either way, I still think there's plenty left for them to learn from in their earlier spacey material, because aside from Wake/Lift most of their very best songs have been relegated to EPs and splits.

Ulver - Messe I.X-VI.X: For a band that likes to put out strange albums, this is one of their stranger ones. They've gone from 3 very different flavors of black metal to trip-hop jazz electronica to experimental ambient, to covering old 60s/70s psychedelic rock classics in their inimitable style -- or at least, the style they had for that year. So Messe continues that pattern, by mixing a full orchestra (!) with dark ambient and a bit of electronica, coming off as a companion piece to the unmatchable Shadows of the Sun with a blend of Teachings in Silence. Definitely one of the darker, slower albums of the year, and that's exactly what I expect from Ulver, inasmuch that you can expect anything from them.

Russian Circles - Memorial: Like Ulver and Rosetta, coming out towards the end of the year, and timed perfectly so. While it's hard to match up to the raw primal menace of Geneva, they've successfully improved on the sound they generated with Empros. If there's a flaw in this album, it's that they put their best song too early. But aside from that, this is a genuinely good album, a strong, emotional effort that draws from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Explosions in the Sky and throws that in a blender with Mogwai and more recent Earth albums. Definitely one of the better post-whatever instrumental albums of the year.

Exxasens - Satellites: Even if Rosetta don't want to get in the fucking rocket anymore, we can count on up-and-coming Spanish group (expanded from one-man-band Jordan Ruiz in 2007) to give the stars another look. While Satellites isn't Exxasens' first release, or even their first release when they became a four-piece, it's absolutely their "coming of age" album. Their use of electronics and samples really help the atmosphere, and they have a very neat sound that relies on a mix of electronics and maintaining a steady beat (a bit unusual for bands of this stripe.) I enjoyed the earlier work greatly, so finding out about Satellites' release was a nice surprise. It's not anything new, but I'll honestly take any spacey post-rock I can get after Rosetta left me hungering for more.

Arcade High - Pixel Passion: As far as retropop and the like goes, Arcade High isn't really a big blip on my radar compared to Perturbator or Miami Nights 1984. That being said, this year's release is a pleasant listen, a big step away from the far heavier stuff I've listed so far. One of the biggest things about chiptune artists I can't fucking stand is most of them have no fucking talent. They take the unique qualities of the medium they work in, and try to turn it into some trashy high-speed dance music, instead of something that lends itself better to the instruments at hand. Pixel Passion doesn't do this. It blends a mix of 80s synth with 90s-era chiptune, and while it will sometimes pick up a higher BPM it never ever goes into 8-step territory, preferring to stay firmly glued to the 80s and early 90s pop zeitgeist. There are few vocals to speak of for the most part (not everyone can be Tesla Boy or Mystery Skulls) but "Without You" is an exception, and a true highlight of the album, coming off as a bittersweet 90s indiepop track. Anamanaguchi may have done the soundtrack for the Scott Pilgrim game, but Arcade High very easily could have contributed.

Re: THIS DOUBLES AS A MUSIC THREAD SO THERE'S THINGS FOR YOU TO CLICK

(Anonymous) 2014-01-01 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
I just wanted to thank you for your music threads. We have very different tastes and I think I've told you that before. I still like checking out your threads because when left to my own devices I listen to the same few hundred songs over and over. And your taste is so varied that every now and then I find something new (to me) that I can appreciate, even if it doesn't make its way into heavy rotation in my library :)
lunabee34: (Default)

Re: THIS DOUBLES AS A MUSIC THREAD SO THERE'S THINGS FOR YOU TO CLICK

[personal profile] lunabee34 2014-01-01 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
I feel the same way. And even when I don't like the music, I do like reading about why people like the things they like.