There are an awful lot of albums that I appreciate in terms
of the way they “tickle my brain,” so to speak.
Perhaps they have concepts and constructions that make me think, for
example, or maybe I appreciate the inherent virtuosity of their performances. I like these albums – and they often do enjoy
replays and get attached to experience.
Conversely, there are others that just “speak” to me in an
indescribably subjective way. In these
cases, they may not necessarily contain the same objective appeal, but they make
my hairs stand on end, give me a knot in my gut, or a lump in my throat. Ideally, the best albums fire on both cylinders,
but this is relatively rare.
Virtually all the showdowns this week forced me to contemplate
this balance. Sometimes, depending on my
overall state of being, I’ll lean one way or the other to help inform my
choices. This week just happened to be
one in which I leaned towards the subjective, finding myself selecting albums
that I “just liked” over ones that I find interesting or could talk about in an
intellectual mode.
Teitur Magusson – Orna VS. Tinted Windows – Tinted
Windows
Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows
Great example of this here. I really, really like Orna and would gladly listen to it anytime. He’s an interesting character and his music is breezy and beachy in the most carefree way. I’m a sucker for well-crafted power pop, however, and I miss Adam Schlesinger something fierce. Perhaps there are objectively better albums in the style than Tinted Windows, but it hits me where I live. Can’t ignore that.
Misþyrming - Með hamri VS. Clutch – Blast Tyrant
Clutch – Blast Tyrant
This one was surprisingly close. Anyone who has followed me know that I have a cautious acceptance of non-pitched vocals, and I really thought that Blast Tyrant’s gutbucket groovyness would totally shut Með hamri out. While Clutch’s clever use of vernacular wordplay did win in the end, focused listens of Með hamri revealed compelling orchestrations and melodic depth hiding under the hood that ended up giving Blast Tyrant’s inarguable accessibility a startling run for its money.
Vök – In the Dark VS. Alan
Sparhawk – White Roses, My God
Vök – In the Dark
Here’s a great example, because the context of White
Roses, My God really provides the album with some gravity. Its his first post-Low album since the death
of Mimi Parker, and its robotic nature seems to be everything his previous band
was not, seemingly intended as a place to hide from the stylistic affectations with
which Alan Sparhawk would normally be associated. In the end, however, I continued coming back
to the consistently engaging funk-pop of In the Dark. Ask me next week, and I might change my
mind.
Hjatalin – Enter 4 VS.
Sheena Ringo - Karuki Zahman Kuri No Hana
Hjatalin – Enter 4
Sheena Ringo is undeniably ingenious. She packs a HUGE amount of thought into her
music, with the sense that the full scope of Karuki Zahman Kuri No Hana
will never unfold, but be subsumed within its endless detail. The intimate, bleak melodicism of Enter 4 emerged
to profoundly haunt me, however, inviting nearly endless repeats over the
course of the week.
Viewer’s Choice
Teitur Magusson – Orna VS. Tinted Windows – Tinted
Windows
Teitur Magusson – Orna
Misþyrming - Með hamri VS. Clutch
– Blast Tyrant
Clutch – Blast Tyrant
Vök – In the Dark VS. Alan
Sparhawk – White Roses, My God
Vök – In the Dark
Hjatalin – Enter 4 VS.
Sheena Ringo - Karuki Zahman Kuri No Hana
Sheena Ringo - Karuki Zahman Kuri No Hana
