[...music...]: 2008-10

2008-10-30

i found out about this two months ago. then, i pre-ordered it in mid-september. finally, it arrived in the mail today. it's the thursday/envy split!

the artwork is really nice (i chose the gold/black colour scheme). the tornado matches perfectly with what the music feels like.

it's my first time buying a lp, which is silly because i don't even own a record player. well, this also comes with a cd, integrated in the tri-fold sleeve:

inside the tri-fold sleeve is more artwork:

each version is limited to 1000 copies. i got number 687:

the vinyl is coloured: a gold/black mix to match the jacket:

[no, i'm not going to start collecting vinyl now. i am not enough of an audiophile/music freak.]

beautiful packaging aside, what about the music? epic. this release combines two bands i adore, who do the 'screaming + melody' (i.e. 'screamo') thing so well. as much as i like their vocals, my favourite are the instrumental tracks by both bands (and especially thursday; the moody instrumental material seems to be a new direction for them, which i like.)

at first, i was slightly surprised by the pairing of these two bands. but after listening to the whole cd, it does make sense. just listen to the last thursday track, followed by the first envy track:

thursday - appeared and was gone

envy - an umbrella fallen into fiction

edit: i just found out that the official release date is november 4. i guess this would be a birthday self-gift.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, envy, thursday

2008-10-28

new stuff

today, there were three new releases of interest. i pre-ordered them last week, and the parcel arrived this afternoon. nice!

i bought these albums without having heard them first; they're all from artists i like.

the cure - 4:13 dream
having seen them in concert earlier this year, i knew i had to get this album, no matter what it sounds like.

ryan adams - cardinology
another album by the prolific singer. i wonder if this leans towards the 'rock' or 'country' side...

snow patrol - a hundred million suns
a guilty pleasure: yeah, i like this band, even though they make radio-friendly music typically found in teen dramas.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, ryan adams, snow patrol, the clash

2008-10-22

totally unnecessary

while at cheap thrills, i also got some other cd's. i couldn't help myself.

grayceon - s/t
i first heard about this band on a music forum, when it was a suggestion for good 'music with cello'. this album is a mix of post-rock, prog, and metal. the opening track "sounds like thunder" is the best: just calm enough, to allow for some build-up. the chanting is soothing. but as the album progresses, i find that the tracks start dragging a little; at 20 minutes, the last track gets unnecessarily long. i prefer when they keep it short and sweet, like on "song for you". still, this is a good album for when i'm in the mood for post-rock with a heavier sound.

kiss me deadly - misty medley
i first heard of them when rox shared this album with me, some years ago. i found the album alright, nothing special. i saw it at the store for cheap, so i added this to my purchase. yeah, this was totally unnecessary.

[i keep making such impulse purchases, i am starting to run out of storage space. again.]

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, grayceon, kiss me deadly

spectrum, 14th century

final fantasy has new material! an ep "spectrum, 14th century" released a couple of weeks ago. i went by cheap thrills to get it today.

i had not heard anything from this, so i didn't know what to expect. on my first listen now. it sounds different from his past releases; i guess he's trying new sounds. not sure if i like this or not; maybe i need some time to get used to this?

the one song that's similar to his old stuff is "the butcher". that video is slightly crazy.

this 5-song ep is too short. his second new ep was supposed to be released yesterday. i'll wait to find it in the stores.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, final fantasy

2008-10-17

rachael yamagata

i first heard about rachael yamagata after hearing her song "worn me down" on the sampler cd in an old issue of cmj's new music monthly magazine (several years ago). i immediately fell in love with that song.

rachael yamagata - worn me down

i was then disappointed to find out that the reworked, album version of the song doesn't sound as good to me.

just recently, i found out that she released a new album, "elephants... teeth sinking into heart". this is a double album: disc 1 is soft and sad, it reminds me of stuff by damien rice; disc 2 has more of a 'rock' sound.

highlight tracks:
"elephants" on disc 1
"sidedish friend" on disc 2

i love her voice.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, rachael yamagata

2008-10-06

brit rock

while in glasgow, i did not do much sightseeing. i still got a chance to wander in the city by myself. i came across a couple of music shops. naturally, i ended up with some purchases. all british bands, just to keep with the theme.

franz ferdinand - you could have it so much better
their debut self-titled was good, but i do not care much for the sophomore album. still, at £3 (or about $6CAD), it's a good price, especially when it comes with a dvd.

the la's - the la's
the only song i know is "there she goes", which appears on this album. i am slightly disappointed that the rest of the album is not as good as that song. meh.

muse - hullabaloo soundtrack
i don't care much about the live disc, i got this for the b-sides.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, franz ferdinand, muse, the la's

iac 2008

last week was the 59th international astronautical congress, held in glasgow, scotland. since it was my first time in the uk (and in europe), it was quite exciting for me. it turned out to be a lot of fun, especially meeting a bunch of random other students.

the iac was held in the scottish exhibition and conference centre: