Official 2015 Alt Music/The Lounge Thread

[Adam3000]

Despite a few epic bangers, I'm sad to say that Twin Shadow's new album falls flat

Its a 6 or 7 maybe, but I really loved his last one and that makes this even more disappointing.

I didn't care much for any of the singles so I guess I was expecting this though

 

[Brozay]

Its..........that...............time..........




First song from new Tame Impala album


Their website crashed but you can still hear it on Pitchfork
http://pitchfork.com/news/58795-tame-impala-share-let-it-happen-announce-tour/


Very poppy....probably too long. But fukk it, its still good

how did I miss this

 

[Brozay]

Its..........that...............time..........




First song from new Tame Impala album


Their website crashed but you can still hear it on Pitchfork
http://pitchfork.com/news/58795-tame-impala-share-let-it-happen-announce-tour/


Very poppy....probably too long. But fukk it, its still good

they play Chicago May 15th, tickets go on sale in 9 hours

damn, Im lucky I saw this post bruh

 

[Deafheaven]

ed sheeran is so trash.

 

[Adam3000]

I'm torn on this gawdess Courtney Barnett's debut album

One one hand, I like everything she brings lyrically and vocally always

On the other hand, a lot of the production is generic alt rock

I gotta give it a few more spins, but upon first listen I say "disappointing"

The best track BY FAR is 'Depreston'

 

[Brozay]

Got my Tame Impala tickets

 

[Roaden Polynice]

This Modest Mouse is kinda booty

They can hang it up for good this time. Out of ideas and not willing to take chances it seems.

I aint into that safe Alt-radio shyt

First spin I didn't even get through Modest Mouse, and haven't felt like going back.

Bout to listen to this Sufjan today and see what's what

 

[Adam3000]

I've come around on this Courtney Barnett

It has made my 8/10 list

If you value lyrics more than I do it might even be an 8.5

 

[Adam3000]

Since The Booth is full of trolls/haters/stans/overreacting groupthink and the people with good taste are indistinguishable from the trash, I'd like to get the people in this thread to give their impressions on the new Kendrick Lamar album

I have to give it one more spin tonight beforei I give my early thoughts. Only had a chance to listen twice so far

 

[King Kreole]

My first impression after fully going through the album is that it's community music. It's restorative music. It's soul food. It's rooted in an authentic history. At the risk of sounding banal, the vast majority of hip-hop (and other music in general) has this kind of sterility to it nowadays. I like bumping that stuff in the car as much as the next guy, but there's a distinct lack of depth to it. Whether it's Rich Gang or Drake or Big Sean or Rae Sremmurd or even Kanye now, the commercial aspect of the music is so overwhelming. And I'm not trying to hate, because I listen to all those musicians, but Kendrick has done something completely different than anyone else at his level in the game with TPaB. It felt authentically artistic, which is so rare in mainstream music. TPaB hit me and I literally felt as if my soul was getting refilled. I'm not even into funk like that, but I could tell this was coming from a sincere, artistic place, and I didn't even realize how badly I'd been missing that. I hated "i" when it first came out, but it actually felt really good in the context of the album. But my god, this album is so dense and novel-esque. I feel like a python trying to swallow a deer. He's touching on a lot of really important and complex topics, which is what good art should do. I think the majority of modern music is stuff you can kind of turn off your brain and just vibe to, so when Kendrick drops something like this that makes you really think, it's like stretching a cramped muscle.

Anyway, that's my initial take.

 

[Adam3000]

OK, another spin down and I feel the same as my last spin so I'm ready to give early thoughts (an album this ambitious takes a long time to sink in)

I'm gonna be dropping some negativity so lemme get this out of the way....conceptually this is a 10/10, musical variety and ambition this is a 10/10, in spirit this is a 10/10. So there is a lot to love. Only reason I'm gonna be negative is because its easier to say what you don't like than to describe what you do like. When I say something negative though, just know there is an implied "sort of" nature to the negativity, because there is nothing at all that is bad here other than the poor attempt at scat poetry on For Free.

Its clear this is an attempt to be Hip Hop's "Black Messiah".....unfortunately for Kendrick we got the real "Black Messiah" 3 months ago and it was a truly soul torching masterpiece.

I can't help but look at TPAB and think "it aint Black Messiah." Thats unfair, but thats how I feel

Kendrick is an odd artist....he is an amazing rapper and songwriter when he is sticking to pure Hip Hop, but I think his songwriting has suffered a slight bit trying to branch out. For example, with GKMC I feel like I uncontrollaby have to sing/rap along with the songs. They are so well constructed. I'm not sure there is a song on this album that I will ever feel that way about. Not a single song hits me hard.

Now....the album as a whole is don't get me wrong, but every classic album needs its standout tracks. I kinda hear it with These Walls, Alright, and How Much a Dollar Cost, but beyond that I'm not sure the songs are here.

Very few albums get a 9/10 or higher from me....maybe 5 a year....and I listen to a fukkload of critically acclaimed music. This isn't there yet simply because the individual songs haven't hit that unexplainable emotional attachment point yet.

Untitled from Colbert hit that attachment point, and it aint even on here even though it would have fit the album sound perfectly.

3 spins rating 8/10

Very close to 8.5/10. More spins to come.

 

[King Kreole]

I definitely feel you on the lack of absolutely classic standout track on this. There was no song I was singularly blown away by (maybe it would have been Blacker The Berry if I hadn't heard it before?). Right now I think I prefer GKMC, but I have a feeling I'll prefer this down the line.

I just love the fact that someone arguably at the top of a game dominated by more or less generic stuff would put something like this out. That's such an incredible testament to Kendrick's pursuit of artistry. Like, he easily could have put out GKMC Part 2 and people would have eaten it up (rightfully so), but for him to put out this jarring piece of art is really impressive.

Right now, if i had to rate it, i'd give it an 8.5/10.

 

[Deafheaven]

After like 5 spins I honestly probs like it as much as gkmc. a strong 9 to me. The sequence of blacker the berry, you aint gotta, I, and mortal man is

I'm in the minority but I still think section 80 is his true classic.

 

[Adam3000]

My earlier suspicions are proven correct after listening to this Kendrick on 2 sets of speakers and 2 sets of headphones

This shyt is mixed terribly.

And I think that may be what is causing me to not be able to get into some of the songs

The bass is waaaaayyyy too thick and loud on lots of these songs. It sounds like an amateur mix job. No way did Dr. Dre have his hand in this, no fukking way

The problem that arises is it muddies the mix and hides some instrumentation, it is fatiguing to the ears, and is distracting. This leads my mind to wander off while listening, and also takes me out of some songs

In contrast, GKMC was perfectly mixed and sounded the same on every system you play it on. TPAB sounds wildly different on different systems. Not a good look

OK, I think I'm done bytching about the album. Hate to be that guy since I like Kendrick so much and I greatly appreciate what he put into this.

 

[HacksawJimThuggin]

As much as I wanted to like it as someone who believes in Kendrick and his message, the album just isn't for me.

The only songs I genuinely enjoy are These Walls, Alright, Momma, How Much A Dollar Cost (best song on the album, bar none IMO), and Mortal Man. The rest is plagued by those weird voices he uses, overproduction, and bad hooks and melodies. It just doesn't hold my attention at all. There's too much going on with the instrumentation at times to where it almost drowns out the words. I'm a HUGE fan of Phonte, Common, Bilal, KRIT, D'Angelo, Outkast, The Roots, etc., and this album sounds a lot like their work at times, but it just does nothing for me. I probably won't even be playing it in a week or two, to be honest.