The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 85

I'm benching myself out of this club for the foreseeable future.

 

I'm sure you'll like mine as well! Enjoying the record I'm assuming?

Your welcome back anytime man!

 

:(

 

Me too. I’ll do my current recs, though

 

:(

 

Better late than never, here are my thoughts on @Drewski's picks for round 4...

Phish - July 2nd, 1997 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands* (1997)

I have never, ever listened to Phish even with Drew's almost weekly nagging. I have always just written them off as the "hippie jam band people take a lot of drugs for", and maybe that's what they are for the most part but shit, can they shred. The set that Drew set me up with was from a '97 show in Amsterdam, how fitting, where we open with a monstrous 30 min jam of "Stash". Here we get a short album worth of smooth riffs and basslines to create a near perfect funk sound with just the right amount of melody. Transitioning seamlessly to my favorite out of this collection we get the lightning fast "Llama", it's frantic, urgent, and show's off Trey's not-from-this-world guitar wizardry. This makes sense given his nickname "Machine Gun Trey", the back and forth between him and the keysleft me wanting more but I'm not sure their fingers (or my brain) could have coped with that. I was exhausted at the end.

"Wormtown Jam", and "Wading in the Sea" took things to a little more absurd direction that didn't really do much for me. I found myself looking for more speed and chaos in these songs, similar to "Llama". "David Bowie" was also what I have come to find out is quintessential Phish, there is a "tension and release" to these songs that really pull you in, eagerly anticipating what's coming next. I truly enjoyed this song, jam, track, or whatever else you want to call these pieces of music.

Phish, you are a piece of work and truly one of a kind and Drew, perhaps I'll go to one of those shows now... maybe so, maybe not.

Foals - Total Life Forever (2010)

Okay, back to reality. This is another band that Drew's been pushing pretty hard on me, especially after 2015's What Went Down. I've checked them out, but never really sat down to give their music a proper listen. Total Life Forever opens with the somber, slow burning intro to "Blue Blood" and immediately I'm hooked. The pace picks up about 2 minutes in and I get a taste of what else these Brit-rockers have up their sleeves, I'm ready. An early favorite was the title track (one of my favorite album titles), it thumps and the "gang style" vocals are my bread and butter.

After the first 4 tracks we get what I think is the best performance on the album with "Spanish Sahara". It's here that you get delicate almost whispered vocals from Yannis repeating "I'm the ghost in the back of your head" before exploding to a fuller sound from the band. When that "drop" hit, it hit. What follows is all good and fine but nothing comes close to pulling me in like"Spanish Sahara", except maybe "2 Trees". I love the guitar tones and the floaty vibes, it's pleasant and enthralling.

Overall, I enjoyed what Foals has to offer, they know their sound and do it damn well. This "indie-pop-rock" thing is kind of taking over my recent listening habits and I'm looking forward to adding another band of the same vein to that playlist.

 

Update

Current Members of the CMCS (66):

Active(51):
@skurt
@BTDandFeelingThis
@Mary V
@iCarly Rae Jepsen
@bachna84
@mattfreaksmeout
@Dirty Sanchez
@ImAMetaphor
@Kiana
@js977
@Cody
@Fuck You Aurora
@Contender
@Erwin89
@navidson
@Micool1
@Larry David
@Joe4th
@Mister Lyrical
@St. Nate
@jorbjorb
@Zac Djamoos
@JRGComedy
@Drewski
@AlwaysEvolving21
@marioeatworld
@Patterns in Traffic
@KidLightning
@duritzfan13
@bree1981
@mescalineeyes
@littlejohn
@skogsraet
@Matthewconte
@EmmanuelSCastle
@nickyeatworld
@JoshShulkin
@JM95
@Dog with a Blog
@sean_rugy
@ChaseTx
@MikeyPaine
@Sheaver10
@AelNire
@elemenohpe
@thenewmatthewperry
@nfdv2
@Nate_Johnson
@Rob Hughes
@Fucking Dustin
@teebs41
@SaveTheEarth

On The Bench. (15)
@Dirty Sanchez
@primavera
@nohandstoholdonto
@ComedownMachine
@Colin Your Enthusiasm
@manoverboard365
@Wall Of Arms
@shanerockey
@electro haikus
@bradsonemanband
@dadbolt
@angrycandy
@DesolateEarth
@carrytheweird
@Raditz

 

FTFY. You couldn't wait for em to do this for you eh?

 

Hahahha went on lunch figured I’d do it.

And BTDandFeelinGThis lives on in our hearts. Like a jersey, that handle will remain in the listing as a commemoration

 

I am going to sit out a couple weeks as well. Training has become immense lately, I have a huge battle coming up. I’ll still do my reviews for @skurt this week though, and I do plan to come back in January after the battle is won.

 

This is a sad day for the CMCS

 

It's a busy time of year and we were going on a break anyways.

 

Niiiiiiiceeeeeeeee!



For reference, I recommend everyone check out the absolutely insane Llama that Sean mentioned above. SO much fire in this 5:39 between Gordo's bass playing being just out of this world and insane solos from both Trey and Page. Fish, you did great on the drums too. God DAMN!

 

I know, me not being around is devestating. Much like the damage from a punch from me!

 

Playing that song in Rock Band is a freaking nightmare.

 

Funny you say that. I have the ION Drum Kit for Rock Band, complete with three cymbals. I have at the very least 3-starred every song in the game on Expert Pro Drums...

...EXCEPT FUCKING LLAMA. LITERALLY THE ONLY SONG I CAN'T DO IT.

 

i was thinking of actually asking for a 3rd album this week since releases are slow. what better time than the holidays when you don't have work or school to sit down and listen??

 

Story of the Year
Wolves
2017



This album was assigned to me by no one. I decided to do this one on my own so @WolvesAreCircling182 or @skurt couldn't get the satisfaction of assigning it to me.

My first exposure to Story of the Year was shortly after the release of their first album "Page Avenue" in the fall of 2003. I was at the start of my second year of college and I remember hearing Until the Day I Die on the radio and thinking that it was a fun, catchy song. After that, I checked out the rest of the album (through entirely legal means, I'm sure) and it was an album that I had on pretty regular rotation. This was before I had an mp3 player or an iPod and I remember listening to the cd on my discman while I studied.

If you're not old like me, this is what a discman looks like



Anyway, I enjoyed "Page Avenue" quite a bit and I checked out their follow-up album "In the Wake of Determination" when it came out in 2005. I liked that album a fair amount, but I didn't find myself coming back to it quite as much as their debut album. After that, they released "The Black Swan" in 2008 which I found myself listening to quite frequently, but their 2010 release "The Constant" is where they lost me. I listened to that album a couple of times and I just wasn't able to connect with anything. Admittedly, I haven't listened to it much since its release so I may need to revisit it.

That takes us to their newest album "Wolves" which was released this month. To be honest, I was surprised when I heard that they were releasing a new album, as their last album left a bad taste in my mouth. Leading up to the album's release, I listened to the singles Bang Bang, I Swear I'm Okay, and Miracle that came out prior to the album. I thought each of those songs were pretty solid and what I considered a return to form.

The album "Wolves" sounds like it could have come out right after "Page Avenue" and I swear that's not meant to be an insult. The songs sound great and Dan's vocals have never been better, in my opinion. The first half of the album flies by since there is an intro track (Wolves) and an interlude (Youth) along with the three songs that I had heard prior to the album's release (the aforementioned Bang Bang, I Swear I'm Okay, and Miracle). I did find the second half of the album a little bit bloated though. I think a couple of the tracks could've been a minute or so shorter and just tightened up a bit more. The main offender here (to me) is the song Give Up My Heart. I also did not care much for the song My Home.

All in all, this was an enjoyable listen and it's an album I'll go back to. My favorite tracks to date are Bang Bang, I Swear I'm Okay, The Eternal Battle For Mike Cronin's Soul (To Be Alive Again), Goodnight My Love, and Praying For Rain. I'm sure that list will change with repeated listens though.

A quick unrelated side note, I'm a little surprised that this album doesn't have a Wikipedia page yet. @WolvesAreCircling182 and @skurt need to get on that!

Finally, I'll give a quick plug here to the upcoming SOTY bracket for anyone interested:

Bracket Of The Year (Story Of The Year Bracket)

EDIT: I still hate the album cover :)

 

Gave this to @EmmanuelSCastle along with Fela Kuti's Zombie and Laughing Stock by Talk Talk (on the receiving end of Tricot's 3 and Places To Hide's Almost Nothing), but i think it'll work as an everybody rec. Awesome compilation of Arab funk/jazz/soul from the 70s and 80s

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed it man. It doesn't have a wikipedia page yet??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Not as of an hour ago!

 

i gotta be perfectly honest: i had no idea Story of the Year still has the following it does. maybe im looking at a small sample size, but i feel like this record has received a ferocious and sustained positive response

 

Welcome to our new member @SaveTheEarth

 

@Dog with a Blog I'll write my thoughts on Exotic Animal Petting Zoo tomorrow.

Good boy!