Most "Difficult" Album of All Time

[HaVIC5]

Instead of technical difficulty as in the last thread, lets talk about things that are difficult to appreciate on a musical level, that is, what are the most difficult songs/albums to listen to?

[Rollo47]

A lot of stuff by Alvin Lucier.

[SixnStones]

Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin

I don't get it

[psbassplayer]

conspiracy letdown.

i mean c'mon.

Peace

-psbass

[Shuffle It All]

the madcap laughs by syd barett, one great but highly strange album.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta is incredibly hard to listen to. There are certain parts that are just great, but as a whole, I just have trouble listening to it because there's too much of nothing. Too often I'll get bored waiting for something to happen.

[HaVIC5]

Personally, John Coltrane's Ascension takes a lot from me that I normally just don't have. You really need to be in the right mood and prepared to be intellectually challenged to experience this one right.

[Akira]

I don't see the point in listening to music that challenges your intellect for enjoyment. That seems like bad music to me.

[Shuffle It All]

go an listen to greenday then, first time i listened to dark side of the moon i lied down for the whole time, so i could take it all in. I need to listen to challenging music, which is original, otherwise it bored me greatly.

[HaVIC5]

I should probably have rephrased that. When I say it challenges you intellectually, I really mean it requires an incredible deal of focus in order to appreciate. You can't just idly listen to it as you're doing something else - Ascension and other albums will just sound like people playing random notes and, in general, utter chaotic gibberish. You must envelop your entire mental capacity around what is occuring to fully appreciate it. To call it bad because you can't rock out to it is doing a real injustice to the work of art.

[e p]

Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta is incredibly hard to listen to. There are certain parts that are just great, but as a whole, I just have trouble listening to it because there's too much of nothing. Too often I'll get bored waiting for something to happen.

I think its beautiful. It plays out like a movie.


I have trouble listening to a lot of free jazz or death metal.

[Akira]

I should probably have rephrased that. When I say it challenges you intellectually, I really mean it requires an incredible deal of focus in order to appreciate. You can't just idly listen to it as you're doing something else. You must envelop your entire mental capacity around what is occuring to fully appreciate it. To call it bad because you can't rock out to it is doing a real injustice to the work of art.

I didn't really get what you were saying before. You are saying a piece of music that you really need to focus on to take in all the way? I think I understand now.

[skingle]

Sunn O))) - White1. Just plain weird, a lot of silence and just a strange thing to listen to.

[the101er]

I think its beautiful. It plays out like a movie.


I have trouble listening to a lot of free jazz or death metal.

Death metal is incredibly easy to listen to... well, not listen, laugh at

Listen to Mortician, in no way can anyone take that seriously, its just funny

[irishslappop]

aphex twin - Drukqs


have fun with that one guys.

[Shinobi_sniper]

Any of Black Pus' albums.

that is to say they are physically difficult to listen to due to the high screeching and what not

[Son of Magni]

I should probably have rephrased that. When I say it challenges you intellectually, I really mean it requires an incredible deal of focus in order to appreciate. You can't just idly listen to it as you're doing something else - Ascension and other albums will just sound like people playing random notes and, in general, utter chaotic gibberish. You must envelop your entire mental capacity around what is occuring to fully appreciate it. To call it bad because you can't rock out to it is doing a real injustice to the work of art.
A lot of jazz and classical music is like that. In fact the first time I heard Mahavishnu Orchestra I really didn't see the point in it.

Over time I realized that one way to characterize music is that some music sounds great when you first hear it but you're bored with it after a short time. And some music I don't enjoy that much at first, but after I start to understand it I enjoy it forever.

I choose the latter...

[Pluperfect_Arson]

Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta is incredibly hard to listen to. There are certain parts that are just great, but as a whole, I just have trouble listening to it because there's too much of nothing. Too often I'll get bored waiting for something to happen.

Frances The Mute was one of the worst albums I have ever heard, but I also think The Mars Volta is one of the worst bands I have ever heard.

I am going to go with Mile Davis' Bitches Brew. When I really want to listen to that album, it takes a ton of effort for me just to sit there and listen. I find the album enjoyable, though. It took me a while to warm up to the album--especially with the two tracks on the first disc being 20+ minutes--but, once you listen to it a couple of times, it is extremely enjoyable. It isn't a bad album to do homework to, though. :p

[BassVirtuoso]

Death metal is incredibly easy to listen to... well, not listen, laugh at

Listen to Mortician, in no way can anyone take that seriously, its just funny

Stuff like Mortician can really help you release epinephrine when you're about to do something physical.

The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra- Sun Ra is really hard to actually listen to.

[museic]

aphex twin - Drukqs


have fun with that one guys.


yeah that is quite hard to listen to... a lot of it is amazing though

[HaVIC5]

Frances The Mute was one of the worst albums I have ever heard, but I also think The Mars Volta is one of the worst bands I have ever heard.

I am going to go with Mile Davis' Bitches Brew. When I really want to listen to that album, it takes a ton of effort for me just to sit there and listen. I find the album enjoyable, though. It took me a while to warm up to the album--especially with the two tracks on the first disc being 20+ minutes--but, once you listen to it a couple of times, it is extremely enjoyable. It isn't a bad album to do homework to, though. :p
Yeah, Bitches Brew is a toughie to newbs of the freer jazz stuff. But once you lock into it, its great.

[HaVIC5]

A lot of jazz and classical music is like that. In fact the first time I heard Mahavishnu Orchestra I really didn't see the point in it.

Over time I realized that one way to characterize music is that some music sounds great when you first hear it but you're bored with it after a short time. And some music I don't enjoy that much at first, but after I start to understand it I enjoy it forever.

I choose the latter...
Agreed with that assessment. Although, the first time I listened to Mahavishnu, I liked it, and I still like it to this day. It just appeals to so many senses for me.

[BassVirtuoso]

Hm, now that I think about it, most electronic music is like that. Admittedly, it is very easy to dance to, but if you are just listening to it idly, listening for more than the catchy melody and machine beat, it is very hard not to just change songs. If you ever listen to artists like Squarepusher, Venetian Snares, and Infected Mushroom, there is so much going on melodically and rhythmically it is AMAZING. It's why I'm kind of sad there is such a small following for electronica, people think it's simplistic because of the generic dance songs but they need to broaden their horizons.

[Pluperfect_Arson]

Yeah, Bitches Brew is a toughie to newbs of the freer jazz stuff. But once you lock into it, its great.

Yeah, it was especially tough for me since I didn't have a whole ton of knowledge on that genre, and I wasn't sure of what I was suppose to expect upon pressing play.

[Efrim]

Any noise music is difficult to listen to. Kites, Merzbow etc.

And Ignus, Venetian Snares definitely falls into that category too. Same with DAT Politics.

The hardest for me is Kites-Peace Trials LP

[d-mart]

Hm, now that I think about it, most electronic music is like that. Admittedly, it is very easy to dance to, but if you are just listening to it idly, listening for more than the catchy melody and machine beat, it is very hard not to just change songs. If you ever listen to artists like Squarepusher, Venetian Snares, and Infected Mushroom, there is so much going on melodically and rhythmically it is AMAZING. It's why I'm kind of sad there is such a small following for electronica, people think it's simplistic because of the generic dance songs but they need to broaden their horizons.

I couldn't agree more. IDM is one of the most under-rated genres ever.

First time I heard Mahavishnu i found it quite hard, gets easyer with time tho. I find alot of Gabba and Speedcore the hardest to listern to.

[deemo]

despite my love for the music, i don't think alot of people can stomach noise. try listening to a band called wolf eyes who's music is mainly static beeps and whirrs. but i love it. i can't listen to all the technical metal or maybe just metal in general. it doesn't interest me

[Efrim]

despite my love for the music, i don't think alot of people can stomach noise. try listening to a band called wolf eyes who's music is mainly static beeps and whirrs. but i love it. i can't listen to all the technical metal or maybe just metal in general. it doesn't interest me

I listen to Wolf Eyes. Kites is much more intense.

Like I said, it's hard to listen to, but I find something in it.

Apparently, it's been linked to masochism, I hope that's not true in all cases....

[User Name]

Teenage Millionaires Club's ep, just kidding.

Edgard Varese is a a difficult composer to get, but I started to love his stuff after a while.

[Left Shoe]

Personally, John Coltrane's Ascension takes a lot from me that I normally just don't have. You really need to be in the right mood and prepared to be intellectually challenged to experience this one right.

im sure i have gavs backing on this, we love this album

[BassVirtuoso]

Mew-And the Glass Handed Kites

It's really hard to get used to Jonas's high singing voice and their ambient mood, unless it's an acquired taste. But it's definitely my favorite album ever.

[Pluperfect_Arson]

despite my love for the music, i don't think alot of people can stomach noise. try listening to a band called wolf eyes who's music is mainly static beeps and whirrs. but i love it. i can't listen to all the technical metal or maybe just metal in general. it doesn't interest me

In my opinion, Wolf Eyes is really boring. I have listened to that type of music before, and there are some bands that I used to love, but Wolf Eyes was just "meh" to me.

To be honest, though, I don't listen to much of that genre of music anymore. There isn't a particular reason for me not listening to it, but it was just sort of a "moved on to new genres and forgot about it" type of thing.

[bottlerocket]

Personally, John Coltrane's Ascension takes a lot from me that I normally just don't have. You really need to be in the right mood and prepared to be intellectually challenged to experience this one right.

ROFL

I figured out exactly what that album was about one time while I was baked.

[skingle]

I find ascention quite difficult to listen to 90% of the time. Even after listening to it a lot of times I still have no idea where it is going. You really have to focus.

[iceman3019]

spiral architect - a skeptic's universe

king crimson - in the court of the crimson king

return to forever - romantic warrior

spiral architect is self explanitory. they are the epitome of techinical metal. when i first heard king crimson's album, was not as "musically diverse" as i am now, so i really didn't get it, but now i hold it probably the greatest rock album of all time. romantic warrior was funky and melodic and all, but chick corea and al dimeola sometimes just went over the edge . . .

[EADG]

Anything by The Locust... basically just random noise and headache.


And Bitches Brew... the same thing.. but with different instrumentation, and slower.

[Left Shoe]

locust is easy listening =P

if you dig em check tower of rome

[Pluperfect_Arson]

locust is easy listening =P

if you dig em check tower of rome

I agree that the Locust is easy listening.

Tower of Rome isn't too bad. For people who don't listen to music like that, though, it definitely might be a hard time especially if you are listening to All Is Lost, All Is Lost, All Is Yet To Be Found since the recording quality isn't exactly "high". :p

[Left Shoe]

feel like sending a cd or two of theirs , i only have all is lost

[Pluperfect_Arson]

That is the only one I have. :(

I have to leave the computer now, though, but I will look later, and, if I come across one of their other albums, I will be glad to send it to you tomorrow or something.

[Efrim]

Teenage Millionaires Club's ep, just kidding.

Edgard Varese is a a difficult composer to get, but I started to love his stuff after a while.

I drop everything I said

TMC ftw!

[museic]

anything by melt banana can be quite difficult to listen to.. high pitched japanese female vocals with locust-esque music... i love it though!

[Thunder Fingers]

Jaco Pastorius - Word of mouth, i dunno why, but every time i hear that record i get serriously frustrated and my adrenalin starts pumping(not the good way) and i realy wanna hit or smash something. i dont even get that feeling with boy bands... :eek:

its not that i hate pastorius either, weather reports "Heavy Weather" is a exelent album..

[katana_manatee]

ROFL

I figured out exactly what that album was about one time while I was baked.

Dude, you can figure out what anything is about baked. :lol:

[YDload]

The Dillinger Escape Plan- Calculating Infinity

it's so loud and chaotic that it gives me a headache no matter what volume i listen to it at. but once you listen over and over again, either your brain has melted or you really understand just how awesome it is. but mostly it just traumatizes you by having songs with lenghty outros or ambient interludes, only to have the next track come on at full volume.

Butthole Surfers- Locust Abortion Technician

really noisy and completely abandoning any musical reverence, but there's a lot of genius to it.

[Deth]

/walks into bass forum

Gorguts - Obscura

The audio equivilent to a car crash. Took me months to finally appreciate it.

/wanders back out

[bassmancrv]

im kinda surprised no ones said TOOL yet, tool songs are usually as deep as you make them.. especially stuff from aenima

10k days is pretty good to, its realllllly emotional

so yea tool gets my vote

[PaulR]

I couldn't agree more. IDM is one of the most under-rated genres ever.

First time I heard Mahavishnu i found it quite hard, gets easyer with time tho. I find alot of Gabba and Speedcore the hardest to listern to.
'sup Portsmouth buddy.

I'm here at University. :cool:

But yeah. I'm loving IDM at the moment. I thought Aphex Twin was a little tricky at first, but now I can't see why.

[YDload]

im kinda surprised no ones said TOOL yet, tool songs are usually as deep as you make them.. especially stuff from aenima

10k days is pretty good to, its realllllly emotional

so yea tool gets my vote

tool isn't a difficult band; they have millions of highly rabid fans who have listened to the albums endlessly in search of hidden meanings.

[HaVIC5]

im kinda surprised no ones said TOOL yet, tool songs are usually as deep as you make them.. especially stuff from aenima

10k days is pretty good to, its realllllly emotional

so yea tool gets my vote
Compared with Ascension, anything that Tool has ever put out is like taking a **** on the sidewalk as far as density goes. No offense to Tool (I still listen to Aenima ocassionaly).

[YDload]

Compared with Ascension, anything that Tool has ever put out is like taking a **** on the sidewalk as far as density goes. No offense to Tool (I still listen to Aenima ocassionaly).

Havic we're gonna get yelled at by all the Tool fans because we dared to question some aspect of the band :(

[Pluperfect_Arson]

The Dillinger Escape Plan- Calculating Infinity

it's so loud and chaotic that it gives me a headache no matter what volume i listen to it at. but once you listen over and over again, either your brain has melted or you really understand just how awesome it is. but mostly it just traumatizes you by having songs with lenghty outros or ambient interludes, only to have the next track come on at full volume.

Calculating Infinity is a wonderful album. It is actually one of my favourites. :)

[One Groovin Clown]

OMGZ0rz j00 trash my fav band. d1E!!!!111

See tool is my favourtie band. But I take it for what it's worth. The music, screw alternate meanings.

And their albums are clearly not the most difficult to appreciate seeing how I have them continouisly playing while I do my Homework.

[YDload]

Calculating Infinity is a wonderful album. It is actually one of my favourites. :)

I actually like Miss Machine better because it's not as difficult (and the lyrics are really good), but I appreciate CI for the two or three songs I am able to listen to before my brain dissolves (right after Jim Fear).

[Pluperfect_Arson]

I actually like Miss Machine better because it's not as difficult (and the lyrics are really good), but I appreciate CI for the two or three songs I am able to listen to before my brain dissolves (right after Jim Fear).

See, that is the thing with me. Calculating Infinity was the only album of theirs that I ever truly appreciated. I just couldn't find myself listening to Miss Machine. I really liked "When Good Dogs Do Bad Things" off of Irony Is A Dead Scene. That was actually one of the first songs--along with some off of Calculating Infinity--that really made me notice the band.

[YDload]

the thing that got me into DEP was seeing them live at Gigantour and having my face become all melty and rocked-off. i don't think i would have liked them otherwise, much less appreciated both of their LPs despite the obvious differences.

[Pluperfect_Arson]

Actually, I would have to agree with you about seeing them live. Before I was listening to Calculating Infinity I had only heard "When Good Dogs Do Bad Thing," but I ended up seeing DEP live when I went to see the Locust back when they toured together. This was back in 2004, I think. That was--hands down--quite possibly one of the best shows I have ever seen.

I also saw part of their set a couple months ago, and they still put on a hell of a live show.

[bottlerocket]

Calculating Infinity is such a good album. I love DEP.

[Efrim]

Pretty Thigh, AIDS Wolf, Death Sentence:Panda! can be quite difficult to listen to if not in the right frame of mind.

[~kc~]

chaosphere by meshuggah... bonus track at the end

[BassIsPrettyCool]

I would say bands like Charles Bronson, Holy Molar, Genghis Tron, etc. are difficult to listen to. Only because if you just had it on and weren't paying much attention, you would think the songs are just 30 second bursts of noise, when in reality they have put most of the songs together pretty well for the style they are playing. It's not that they are play anything too difficult, it's just very fast and you have to really listen to understand what they're doing.

[YDload]

Actually, I would have to agree with you about seeing them live. Before I was listening to Calculating Infinity I had only heard "When Good Dogs Do Bad Thing," but I ended up seeing DEP live when I went to see the Locust back when they toured together. This was back in 2004, I think. That was--hands down--quite possibly one of the best shows I have ever seen.

I also saw part of their set a couple months ago, and they still put on a hell of a live show.

i saw them play a couple months ago... WITHOUT ben weinman. he was really missed on certain songs, but overall i'm glad they didn't cancel the show (because he had to go home for some reason).

[iceman3019]

I would say bands like Charles Bronson, Holy Molar, Genghis Tron, etc. are difficult to listen to. Only because if you just had it on and weren't paying much attention, you would think the songs are just 30 second bursts of noise, when in reality they have put most of the songs together pretty well for the style they are playing. It's not that they are play anything too difficult, it's just very fast and you have to really listen to understand what they're doing.
ahahahahahahaha genghis tron :lol: . . . my friend linked me to a sound clip of the once, and i nearly died of laughter. they're such a ridiculous band . . .

[irishslappop]

anything involving mike patton isn't considered easy listening.

[Pluperfect_Arson]

i saw them play a couple months ago... WITHOUT ben weinman. he was really missed on certain songs, but overall i'm glad they didn't cancel the show (because he had to go home for some reason).

Ah, screw the band members that randomly have to go home on tour! :p

I would say bands like Charles Bronson, Holy Molar, Genghis Tron, etc. are difficult to listen to. Only because if you just had it on and weren't paying much attention, you would think the songs are just 30 second bursts of noise, when in reality they have put most of the songs together pretty well for the style they are playing. It's not that they are play anything too difficult, it's just very fast and you have to really listen to understand what they're doing.

Holy Molar and Ghengis Tron are sweet.

[e p]

anything involving mike patton isn't considered easy listening.

especially faith no more.

[Jody LeCompte]

especially faith no more.
If everything they wrote was like Easy, I'd be on drugs.

[HaVIC5]

Faith No More is honestly rather tame to some of his other stuff like Fantomas and Mr. Bungle.

[Spaceman Spiff]

And Fantomas and Mr. Bungle are tame compared to Adult Themes For Voice, Pranzo Oltranzista, and some of his work with John Zorn.

But I love Patton, so I can listen to most of what he does without a problem. :p

[king of suede]

not really all that cultured in music (as i said in the last 'most difficult...' thread)
but i'd say probebly something by mercyful fate, something by them
or "master of puppets" by of course, 'tallica

[YDload]

no way, those albums are pretty easy.

[HaVIC5]

Spastik Ink is pretty hard, I'd say. Obscene technicality for the sake of technicality is hard to listen to, but sometimes artistic merit shines through. Sometimes.

[will66]

"To counter and groove in E minor" is a pretty sweet song musically and technically.

[Tommy III]

John Frusciante: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt. His voice is just a bit underdeveloped on this one.

[BenJammin]

John Frusciante: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt. His voice is just a bit underdeveloped on this one.

You clearly haven't listened to Smile From The Streets You Hold, then. :p

Niadra Lades + Usually Just T-Shirt is so tame compared to that.

[Tommy III]

Haha, haven't been able to get ahold of that one, only one I don't have.

[BenJammin]

It's pretty hard to listen to in some spots. The tracks vary in recording date, so there are some from when he was clean (or at least not as heavily addicted), but some of the tracks he recorded at the height of his heroin addiction and you can really tell.

[katana_manatee]

An album of covers of John Cage's "4'33". ;)

[Efrim]

I second Smile From the Streets You Hold:
LIIIiiife's a baaaaaaAAth, Sex is...waaatEEEERRRRR

[Jody LeCompte]

I have alot of trouble getting into any of the Vital Tech Tones cds.

[Mr. Jiggy Fly]

Fantomas definately. And I think Amnesiac by Radiohead was kinda hard too.

[peeted]

i found the first few lissens of miles davis - bitches brew difficult, its not an album that you can just dip into you realy need to sit down for a couple of hours and lissen to it all to apreciate it.

also ornate coleman - the shape of jazz to come can be quite a hard one, fantastic album though.

and stravinsky- rights of spring is a difficult one too. to me it sounds more like composed jazz music than classical.

loads of my favorite albums have been lissted hear, its strange, most of them (stuff like bungle, locust, dilinger etc) i dont find particualy hard at all though.

[HaVIC5]

"To counter and groove in E minor" is a pretty sweet song musically and technically.
Yeah, thats the only one I actually enjoy on a regular basis.

[HaVIC5]

and stravinsky- rights of spring is a difficult one too. to me it sounds more like composed jazz music than classical.

Well, its no coincidence, since many jazz musicians began turning to the classical music of the early 20th century for direction on where to go for more innovative harmonic motion than just ii-V-I. Many times they found inspiration from people like Stavinsky and Debussy, where there wasn't really a chord progression to spead of, just harmonic color. This was huge in the 60's in jazz.

[IPolkaLikeThis!]

Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary


Venetian Snares - Horse and Goat.

[BenJammin]

I find John Zorn's album "Madness, Love, and Mysticism" to be a bit difficult to listen to at times. But that's just 'cause John's a crazy mofo.

[ScorpSath]

Devil Doll

[Penaltyplaybass]

any aerosmith album. I cannot stand that band

[HaVIC5]

^lawl