Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

The way I feel about music, is that if it can evoke a strong emotion from me then it is a strong piece of work. The first time I heard it I was annoyed, confused, and even mad at it; I assume these are similar to the emotions that went into its synthesis. In that sense, the song has effectively done its part. I tend to just get lost in the noise now (about thirty listens later), and it's almost a soothing type of madness. Feels right at home sometimes.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

My approach is honestly more egghead musicophile than anything else.. Here's an unedited snippet:

...most of the time, Barnes partitions dissonance too rigidly within the conventionally dichotomous relationship between atonality and tonality (the former is a wrong that must be made right!) for Paralytic Stalks to really stand alongside the works of those composers. That's not to say, however, that Barnes' achievement is any less worthy – if we have to make a "classical" parallel at all, it would probably be Berio's Sinfonia, not coincidentally a work given to profoundly eclectic flights of fancy. In fact, his attachment to tonal hierarchy is, in the album's most sublime moments, used as a strength. And then there's "Exorcismic Breeding Knife", bound to provoke endless discussion about it's supposed avant-ness (it has already been dubbed the album's "Revolution 9", arf); taken on its own sonic terms, though, the track is a fairly simple harmonic exercise. Seven minutes of layered clusters, with instruments running amok with no regard for their safety or that of others, ending in a massive burst of diatonic triadic harmony (in the traditionally "royal" key of E-flat, no less). Structurally, it's a bit of a mess, a bit too formless and hamfisted for that long crescendo and climax to feel really earned, but as a compositional parallel to Barnes' anxious, Ono-esque phrases ("Is there a therapist? Is there a psychosis? Is there a comedy outside? How can you perform? How can you operate?") it's both admirable and successful.

As long as you enjoy it. If I find a song that just makes me uncomfortable or feel unpleasant while I listen to it, then yeah, I guess that it effectively communicates that which can be impressive but ultimately if I can't enjoy it at all then I don't merit it any of my respect, honestly

The song we're talking about (can't even remember its name) just seems to drag on and on, awkwardly, not going absolutely anywhere for pretty much its entire duration. The band goes from distinctly defined songs in the album's beginning to this kinda mess, and if they could pull it all together at least a tiny bit more then it would be more enjoyable but god.

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Have I mentioned how amazing the lyrics are on this album? Very akin to Bowie's Diamond Dogs at parts (and from what I know he used the same writing techniques), which is one of my favorite lyrical performances ever. They are so much more personal (and they tend to resonate locally as well), which pushes this album above that.

Yeah Conrad, that's true that it can absolutely be respected as Barnes going for something of that nature and achieving it. The bottom line for me is that it just doesn't sound good to me. at alllll.

I do really love the lyrics on the album, that's for sure.

"Exorcismic Breeding Knife" = 21st century "Moonchild"

Thoughts?

Notice the sharp contrast between the quality of this review and the quality of the album you're reviewing

pos'd

great review man

Album Rating: 3.5

yeah conrad you forgot to mention it sounds like shit

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

that's like saying Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima sounds like shit

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

I don't get why people make such a big stink of that song. Compared to other experimental songs out there it's really pleasant.

Thank you guys :] it means a ton.

And it's just bad. Being outdone in terms of unpleasantness /=/ actually being pleasant

conrad you made an it's/its switch

Uh-oh...

Album Rating: 3.5

big leaguing me right now conrad

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

conrad you made an it's/its switch

hoo-ya

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

To each their own, obviously, since I think it's soothing.

Lol, of course, and you can like it all you want

This album has been the soundtrack to the past week of my life, and the past week of my life has been great. So Of Montreal came at the perfect time :3