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Dave Noisy
Minister of Chaos
Canada
4496 Posts |
 Posted - 05/12/2004 : 21:05:45
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Oooh..that could be the next FB.net fan-album. Songs with the theme 'moronophonic'..
 Join the Cult of the Flying Pigxies - I'm A Believer! |
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Itchload
= Cult of Ray =
USA
891 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2004 : 21:06:23
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Yeah that's true. In fact, in an old list, they had both FB and TOTY in the top 100, much higher in fact. I guess it's mostly the Catholics stuff. If I remember correctly, the cult of ray review calls it "genius rock", yet it gets a 5 something...methinks their might have been a bit of revisionism in that rating.
It's not that big a deal to me I reckon--you have to understand I'm desperately trying to avoid finishing a final paper due tomorrow. |
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mattb
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
474 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 07:31:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Itchload
ha, that so? Actually, I find bad reviews are much more fun to read than good. When I see a movie, I generally go on the web and read a few reviews, see what other people thought. Regardless of how I feel about the movie though, I generally only read the bad ones.
It wouldn't bother me too much about Pitchfork/Frank thing, but I know how a good pitchfork review can get a couple hundred people to check an album out, maybe even buy it. Taht said, a bad one, with 10 albums getting released a day, is going to cause most readers to spend their hard pressed time elsewhere.
Frank's early Catholic albums might be a little to rawk for some people, too bar band. I know they are for some of my non-uber friends. But his recent stuff, with the nods to Leonard Cohen and folk music along with his usual eclectic rock stylings have won him over in the eyes of some I know. It's at least worth something more than the "another Catholic album, the same but only worse than the ones that came before" review SMYT got.
I'm being totally serious though, I agree with almost all of their reviews. Anytime I find a review site I look for old albums that I loved and hated to see what they say about them. Pitchfork was right on the money. I too am not much of a fan of Frank's work starting with cult of ray but I think the first two albums are incredible. I like them too how they're ok with going back on what they said earlier. Like when the album first comes out they'll say that it's not bad but after some time reflecting on it can say that actually it kind of sucks. Sebadoh's Harmacy springs to mind as a good example. I'm like that too, I could hear something and be like hey this is pretty good but after listening to the album for a while realize that it's got no lasting effect. More review sites should do that. In that same vein one thing that would make the site even better is if they went back to the original review and changed it after realizing something's not as good as it was on the first few listens.
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http://www.broszkowski.com |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 07:49:58
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Matt, have you listened to anything post-Pistolero? Even if the early Catholics stuff is too 'rawk' for you, there's NO WAY IN HELL Dog In The Sand deserves anything less than a 9. It's a beautiful album start to finish. And SMYT a 5.4?!
I mean, great, they recognize the brilliance of FB's early solo stuff, but it seems like the reviewers continue to hear the late stuff and think, "Well, this isn't like the old stuff FB used to do." How about some credit for trying a new direction and evaluating the album on its own merits as well as how it fits into the catalogue? The Show Me Your Tears album starts off with the reviewer going on a tirade begging the Pixies not to reunite. Come on.
If Show Me Your Tears were an album by a rock-country-whatevergenrethisis upstart or an established and talented artist, it would've been received by that particular reviewer FAR more positively. Like it was by almost every other publication.
Anyway, I find it hard to agree with some of their reviews, and others are spot on, which is as I'd expect, but I find it hard to believe anyone could agree with their assessment of SMYT in particular.
 "Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
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brianhowe
- FB Fan -
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 16:40:20
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quote:
Or Brian will get mad at me.
OMG I AM SO FUCKING ANGRY RIGHT NOW!!!
Ok, I'm over it. |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2004 : 19:04:42
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| I'm all about the pink kissy face. That exactly how I picture you. Unfortunately, I won't be able to take any news items in the 'fork seriously anymore. And if you're not careful Brian, you might just become a regular 'round these parts. It's extremely addicitive, this board, trust me... |
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brianhowe
- FB Fan -
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 12:02:48
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quote:
Originally posted by speedy_m
And if you're not careful Brian, you might just become a regular 'round these parts. It's extremely addicitive, this board, trust me...
yeah, I can see that. Except I don't really have much to say about the Pixes, so I think I might have a limited shelf life here . . . |
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Itchload
= Cult of Ray =
USA
891 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 21:26:10
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quote:
yeah, I can see that. Except I don't really have much to say about the Pixes, so I think I might have a limited shelf life here . . .
We'll always have Paris. |
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IceCream
= Quote Accumulator =
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 21:58:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Cult_Of_Frank
There's NO WAY IN HELL Dog In The Sand deserves anything less than a 9. It's a beautiful album start to finish. And SMYT a 5.4?!
I don't know why, but I'm having trouble getting into DITS. I'd expect "Bullet" to be a catchy song, but I just don't feel the passion and happiness I get from playing it as I do "Thallassocracy" or "Parry the Wind High, Low". Maybe I think it sounds too much like the Rolling Stones.
I also somewhat agree with the 5.4 for SMYT; I respect Frank's direction change, and I understand that it's probably just as hard/honorable to write amazing songs whilst embracing cliche as it is to write amazing songs whilst playing these crazy chord progressions and riffs with completely untraditional senses of time signatures or anything, but that's exactly the problem: the songs on SMYT are not amazing. I don't consider Frank a master at writing amazing songs whilst embracing cliche. There are masters at that; believe me, there are. But Frank is not one of them. (IMHO, of couse). Of course, Frank's not bad by any means, but his songs that are the most beautiful, catchy, rocking, or powerful on any other levels....are STILL his abstract ones.
However, I DO agree that Devil's Workshop deserves nothing less than a 9. |
Edited by - IceCream on 05/17/2004 22:02:12 |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 22:19:23
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Spin DITS twice more and I assure you you will regret that post. :)
I see what you're saying with DITS, and even agree with you in that I prefer some of his more "experimental" (for lack of a better word) stuff from early on, but music is still about whether it sounds good or not, and SMYT is beautiful even if you consider songs like Horrible Day to be cliched. They're still great songs and while they might not deserve the top marks I'd give to TOTY, Orange, etc., the album still deserves better than an almost failing mark. IMHO, of course.
 "When 5000 posts you reach / Have a life you will not, hmmm?" |
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IceCream
= Quote Accumulator =
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2004 : 15:33:47
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I agree with you 120% that "music is still about whether it sounds good or not".
I wasn't really comparing SMYT with FB's earlier stuff. I was comparing FB's "cliched" (for lack of a better word) stuff to the stuff of other artists who can take a tired old 4-chord progression and give it new life by making a beautiful song (or a rocking song, depending on my mood) out of it. Case in point: "Hey Hey, My My" by Niel Young or "Lord, It's Hard to be Happy When You're Not Using The Metric System" by Atom and His Package. I agree with you 120% that "music is still about whether it sounds good or not". That's why I like those aforementioned songs. They are beautiful even though I consider them to be cliched.
Therefore, the reason why I wouldn't like SMYT isn't becuase I consider songs like Horrible Day to be cliched. The reason would be, quite simply, because I didn't think it sounds good. But that's pretty hypothetical, as I do like SMYT quite a bit.
I don't neccesarilly think the abstract stuff "sounds good" BECAUSE of its abstract-ness. It's probably just coincedence.
I will listen to DITS again this weekend. |
Edited by - IceCream on 05/18/2004 15:35:15 |
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Cheeseman1000
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Iceland
8201 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2004 : 15:46:26
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I sort of know what you mean IceCream, sort of. DITS is a good album, with some great moments, but I can't always 'connect' to it, if you like, as I can with the Pixies or with some of his earlier stuff. That said I like SMYT a lot.
This is said with all due reverence, but I don't think Frank Black is a highly emotionally involved singer. I'll qualify that: the delivery is deeply sincere, and very personal at times. However, he gives the listener enough credit not to need a particularly 'emotional' performance such as, say, someone like Ryan Adams or Neil Young would give. Maybe he realises his voice isn't as strong or as affecting as singers like that, so he doesn't try.
I like the fact that FB has enough respect for us to not put on any phoney show to try and convey the depth in his songs - we can see the depth perfectly well. At the same time, I would probably kill to hear Neil Young cover a FB tune, especially one from SMYT.
 "Everywhere I go I want to travel by X-Wing" |
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Pixfork
