Case (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
case) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomsecrets2014-01-01 07:03 pm
case) wrote in fandomsecrets2014-01-01 07:03 pm
[ SECRET POST #2556 ]
⌈ Secret Post #2556 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 024 secrets from Secret Submission Post #364.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ], [ 1 - titc ], [ 1 - I can't post this as an actual secret (since it isn't one), but a nice update from an OP ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
The other half of my 2013 album reviews!
THERE'S MUSIC TO CLICK
D/A/D - The Construct: I love how 80s-style synth has made a huge comeback in the past 5 years. I don't know what started it -- it couldn't have been video games, Vice City was ages ago and Hotline Miami's soundtrack actually depended on the revival existing beforehand. Whatever the cause, I'm glad for it, because there's a warmth to this music that I can't get enough of -- except Perturbator, which is the opposite end of the tone spectrum from acts like D/A/D (short for Day After Discovery) and Miami Nights 1984. And I can't get enough of Perturbator either. The latest release from D/A/D is constructed like a soundtrack of sorts, with the peaceful (and short) intro track "Farthest Reaches" moving through the more adventurous "Backbone of the Night" and beyond. The highlight here is actually the most traditional track; the third down the list, "Love Will Make You Stay" moves from the movie score feel of the rest of the album into a sensible 80s pop hit, checking all the boxes that make for a gentle lullaby that wouldn't be out of place on the radio in 1986. The rest of the album returns to the more experimental atmospheres presented in the early part of the album, with "Terminal" being a real treat for its use of Japanese public announcements in the distance, giving a sense of waiting for something. With heavy retropop hitters like Perturbator and Com Truise throwing their weight around it's easy to overlook D/A/D, but D/A/D was there from the beginning, and this album proves there still is something for D/A/D to offer.
Long Distance Calling - The Flood Inside: When it comes to instrumental post-rock/post-metal bands, we have a fucking embarrassment of riches. There really are a ridiculous lot of these, which means that they all have to strive to differentiate themselves from the rest. In this case, what Long Distance Calling did, after years of going instrumental-only (save for the rare sample, such as "Fire in the Mountain" using a clip from Orson Welles' grim adaptation of Kafka's "The Trial") was to add a vocalist -- but use him sparingly, in a similar fashion to the BLUES SOLO OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE that helps close out the opening track "Nucleus." The album is continually shifting in dynamics, making for an unpredictable listen, with Martin Fischer's vocal contributions adding a new element to an already well-established sound, reminding me a bit of the clean parts of Callisto's Providence, though it trades the smouldering feel of that album for a more dreamy feel, with excellent use of electronics at precisely the right moment for effective, sudden drops. The vocals are great, but they don't drive the music, with Fischer preferring to let the music speak for itself and only stepping in when a new layer is called for. All in all, a solid contribution that feels less heavy than previous masterpiece Avoid the Light and drags a bit towards the end but is a sign that Long Distance Calling isn't looking to remain in a holding pattern.
Secheron Peak - Slow Gravity: Technically this album came out December 2012, but the physical release was in mid-2013, so I'm reviewing it -- that and Slow Gravity is great and deserves a review. Other bands have blended electronics with post-rock, but none have done it so completely like this Melbourne one-man-band. Opening with "Cyan," a mid-pace track that feels like a cross-section of the rest of the album, it knows when to let the very crunchy guitars come in, and when to drop away to let the synths do the talking. Layers come and go throughout the piece, steadily building up only to drop away for a quiet reiteration of the opening melody only come back in full force for a quick finale, followed by a slow fade out. "MK2" doesn't fuck around, starting off slow, only to blow up into an almost dancy piece that's largely synth-driven with guitars providing a foundation, with drums not slouching at all. Much of the rest of the album plays out like this, but don't mistake that for every song sounding like the other -- it's an unpredictable work with a different conceit for each song, with "Heavyweight Earth" taking a page from Isis and building up slow and heavy with a steady drum track before it hits a critical mass of layers and turns into early Pelican. A very strong first release and I'm looking forward to more.
Re: THERE'S MUSIC TO CLICK
(Anonymous) 2014-01-02 01:55 am (UTC)(link)Re: THERE'S MUSIC TO CLICK