Reviews by kuvien

Irish rebellion meets Scottish banditry, pub songs and soldier tunes mix, and everything is merrier for it! At the center of it all, of course, is a spirit of protest, which is where folk, in my opinion, is strongest. The very lifeblood of folk is to speak truth to power, all the while making us, laugh, dance, and cry. This is a banger of a debut album!

Comus lite. Almost like a sequel 40 years later. It’s even got Diana traipsing into the darkling woods again. Will she ever learn?

Things are a bit crazy at the beginning, and having listened to quite a bit of jazz in my day, I kind of rolled my eyes as this started. Yes, yes, you have chops. Wow. But as I listened on, I found that this release is more than it appears. For one thing--and this is a big plus in my book--the players know when to chill the fuck out for a moment and let the music breathe, let it express itself in more nuanced passages. Other than that, what's most impressive about this is how they are able to take all that live, improvisational energy into the studio. They've cut their teeth; now they're ready to chew.

Zed: Bring out the Gimp.

Maynard: Gimp's sleepin'.

Zed: Why's the Gimp sleepin'?

Maynard: I played Ike Yard's self-titled for him, and he curled right up in his cage.

I like the tone of Ice Cube's voice.

I read somewhere that horses are to these dudes what cars were to a young Springsteen, an all-encompassing metaphor that pervades the music. I wouldn’t know about that since I’m not a fan of Springsteen at all, but what I do know is these guys are from the Tyva Republic in southern Siberia, and the closest thing to them is Mongolia. Hence the throat-singing tradition in their culture.

Vibraphone-led jazz exploring what is mostly Andrew Hill compositions that both bind and free the players, with liberal helpings of atmospheric chaos.

I've heard music nerds rave about this band for years, and when I finally get around to hearing one of Hüsker Dü's albums, this is what the nosebleeding is all about? The fuck is wrong with you guys?

Crazy good music.

I don’t have much music like this because I couldn’t handle going down a rabbit hole of folktronica or downtempo music, but I enjoy having a smattering of this kind of sound in my collection because sometimes it’s just the right thing early in the morning before the kids are up.

Folktronica is an unsteady tightrope, and Hundred Waters walks it well, using the delicate electronics in the service of whimsy and poesy. There is something delightfully off-kilter about this music, and I think it's all in the vocals.

I love the way the album starts, with plainsong-like vocals with minimal instrumentation that only builds and fleshes itself out as the first track progresses, pulling back at the moment of climax and not giving the expected payoff, a refreshing change. Very much a liturgical feeling to the album opening.

You glorious bastards! You scared the shit out of me on the second track, like an electric shock after the soothing, lonely vocals of the first. This is more what I expected from an avant-prog band, angular ascending and descending violins. And so it proceeds thus, complete with the quasi-operatic vocals of zeuhl.

What happens when you say "hey let's listen to this" to your friend as a laugh. Spoiler: we didn't laugh.

A brilliant, foreboding score for a brilliant, dark film about revenge and Satanic pride. As a fan of Star Trek and an expert on Melville, this film (and thus the music that, in my mind, cannot be separated from it) really hits me where I live. There is at once a sense of boundless space as well as a claustrophobic feeling to the music. Every bit of music perfectly fits the scene it’s highlighting: Spock’s music, for example, is beautiful and clear, just like he is; the music detailing Kirk’s actions is suitably optimistic and heroic.

I've rarely heard a score that so perfectly fits its film. In its otherwordly bits, the music captures (what must be) the surreal environment of the battlefield. In its swelling scenes, the music communicates the glory of dying for something you believe in.

Loose your hair, sprinkle dust and ashes upon your head, dance, weep, and remember that you, too, will soon die. Fear not the shades serenading you; they're just welcoming you into their ranks. Understand that that's not droning music you hear but rather the resonance of the afterworld on one of those rare nights when the two realms briefly intersect.

This is just what one would expect: worker solidarity, starvation in a land of plenty, overtaxation, the corruption of the rich, and the value of and pride in honest, hard work. What might be unexpected is the extended metaphor of one's occupation as discreet philandering.

An excellent, rare collection of traditional English folk tunes sang with sparse acoustic accompaniment, delivered with nuance, understanding, and quiet passion. One feels transported to another world of heartbreak, true love, and walking out to enjoy the wonders of the natural world.

https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/f812da3969350cc0b0afd5bf35ca4ffbf08cb696/hub/2019/05/22/1b710a6b-5f4d-4987-a046-c23674b221a3/picard-meme-facepalm.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200

Cosplaying at its worst.