thecheat1
05-26-2005, 09:41 AM
Mark, I'm looking specifically for your input because, we have similar tastes in music and it's on your top ten list for the year but, anyone can weigh in.
I bought "The Woods" Tuesday and I've been listening to it off an on for the last three days (including today). Every review I read for it is glowing, most people on the board seem to like it and, I've loved every album they have put out since "Dig Me Out". That said, I'm really not sure that I like this album.
I've been reading that it's "experimental", but, other then an intensely unnecessary amount of distortion and atonal guitar solos, I don't hear a lot of experimenting. The first three songs are almost unlistenable in there lack of melody or hook, in fact, it's seems like they're purposefully trying to make you hate it. Especially, "Wilderness", which has the worst guitar solo in the world. It was like Brownstein found a weird sounding effect on her pedal and went, "what the hell, let's use it" and then just banging the crap out of her guitar. The ablum picks up with "Jumpers" which I really like, Modern Girl is OK until Friedmann starts, again, distorting the crap out of it, just for the sake of distortion. Then comes "Entertain", which is easily the highlight of the record and has the only memorable hook. Here, the band's newfound intensity really works, with each scream adding a sense of urgency to the song. Rollercoaster does a nice job and then, the album just seems to spiral into forgetableness, even though "Let's Call it Love" trys hard to make you remember it but, again, it's just a long, terrible, muddy solo (which sounded way better live when I saw them last summer).
The thing is, I really want to like this album (maybe because I want to justify my purchase and to keep the live DVD) but, it just sounds like a misstep to me. Friedmann's sound doesn't seem to work here and the songs don't sound fleshed out enough and the band tries to make up for it with large amounts of distortion and Jeff Tweedy Ghost is Born awful solos (And I really like that album, the difference between the to being that, the songs on Ghost is Born with bad solos have a great rhythm and tone to them).
Please, someone out there convince me to like this record, that it'll grow on me, something!
I bought "The Woods" Tuesday and I've been listening to it off an on for the last three days (including today). Every review I read for it is glowing, most people on the board seem to like it and, I've loved every album they have put out since "Dig Me Out". That said, I'm really not sure that I like this album.
I've been reading that it's "experimental", but, other then an intensely unnecessary amount of distortion and atonal guitar solos, I don't hear a lot of experimenting. The first three songs are almost unlistenable in there lack of melody or hook, in fact, it's seems like they're purposefully trying to make you hate it. Especially, "Wilderness", which has the worst guitar solo in the world. It was like Brownstein found a weird sounding effect on her pedal and went, "what the hell, let's use it" and then just banging the crap out of her guitar. The ablum picks up with "Jumpers" which I really like, Modern Girl is OK until Friedmann starts, again, distorting the crap out of it, just for the sake of distortion. Then comes "Entertain", which is easily the highlight of the record and has the only memorable hook. Here, the band's newfound intensity really works, with each scream adding a sense of urgency to the song. Rollercoaster does a nice job and then, the album just seems to spiral into forgetableness, even though "Let's Call it Love" trys hard to make you remember it but, again, it's just a long, terrible, muddy solo (which sounded way better live when I saw them last summer).
The thing is, I really want to like this album (maybe because I want to justify my purchase and to keep the live DVD) but, it just sounds like a misstep to me. Friedmann's sound doesn't seem to work here and the songs don't sound fleshed out enough and the band tries to make up for it with large amounts of distortion and Jeff Tweedy Ghost is Born awful solos (And I really like that album, the difference between the to being that, the songs on Ghost is Born with bad solos have a great rhythm and tone to them).
Please, someone out there convince me to like this record, that it'll grow on me, something!