the_eggwhite (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
the_eggwhite) wrote2012-03-31 07:01 pm
the_eggwhite) wrote2012-03-31 07:01 pm
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Grand CD Listen Through, Part 17
I'm ditching the roman numerals and switching to far more sensible options now!
Curve - Gift
This album is very much a followup to Come Clean, and it in the same vein... although there's certainly a bit of variation there. Hell Above Water is another fast, angry, loud song... along the lines of Chinese Burn, but with a little less impact due to the similarity.
Title track "Gift" leaves me a little cold, which is a first for a curve album. It's not a bad song, but I'm just used to curve songs grabbing me and not letting go until they're done. This one doesn't quite manage it. "Want More, Need Less" takes a step back back to the past, though, and wouldn't have felt out of place on Doppelganger... which is a nice pace change and a refreshing reminder of what curve are capable of.
In fact, this album gives me a strong feel of "here's the musical evolution of curve, from start to end, replayed with all new songs". What's more, it doesn't sound samey whilst it does it. It's almost like a retrospective, but with all new songs.
Other standouts: Perish, Hung Up, Chainmail (which is one of my favourite curve songs)
Verdict: Keep
Curve - Open Day at the Hate Fest
Released as a collection of internet oddities whilst the band's label threated to ditch "Gift", this is an odd one. Not a proper album, but a pile of bits and bobs.
For some reason, I've not listened to this very much... which I ought to rectify. So I'm giving it a full listen through.
Track by track:
1. Nowhere - Pretty solid. Catchy, if a little repetitive.
2. The Birds They Do Fly - This one has caught my attention quite well on a fresh listen through. It's got the old school curve shoegaze murkiness with floaty vocals, which I'm always a fan of.
3. Ché - It has bloops! I'm always a fan of a good bit of bloopage! The mellower segments of the song are awesome and make up for the weaker moments.
4. Turnaround - I know this one better, as it's cropped up elsewhere. Can't remember where. It's good, but I already know that, so skipping. Slow, mellow and odd.
5. You Don't Know - Awesome. Atmospheric and moody. It just cries out for a heady, steamy atmosphere.
6. Backwards Glance - This one strikes me as being an internet oddity for a reason. It's not bad, but it sounds unfinished.
7. Speedcrash - Not their best, but interesting. I think it just needed more production work or a bit more time than it got... and I'd love to hear a new version of it, but probably never will.
8. Storm - Sounds a bit too much like an unfinished roughcut.
9. Caught in the Alleyway - Firmly at the more knob-twiddly end of curve stuff. Takes a while to kick in, but it's a "dirty bassline, floaty vocals" number. It'd make fine soundtrack material.
10. Open Day At The Hate Fest - Not my favourite track in the world. The intro puts me off somewhat. It picks up, but not enough to keep me attention.
It also has the whole tracklist on the spine of the CD case and nowhere else, which is a bit odd.
Verdict: Keeping for a couple of the songs.
Curve - The New Adventures of Curve
This was Curve's final album before they scattered to the four winds... and it's another one that I didn't find that memorable at the time. I remember being disappointed, but not vastly so. Still, that disappointment was a shame.
It's not a bad album, but as I recall it just went in a direction I wasn't that enamoured with. So here's my thoughts as I give it a listen through.
Opening track "Answers" is a lot more electronic and clubby sounding than I'd generally go for. It does it well enough, but it kind of falls into the gap between things I like. Not quite electronic and stompy enough to scratch that itch and not... well... not "curve" enough to grab me either. I think it'd work pretty well with the bass cranked up for a bit of soundtrack... but to just sit and listen it doesn't keep my attention.
The slightly more electronic feel carries on into "Till The Cows Come Home", which is good but still lacks that certain impact that I'm used to from Curve. There's a kind of sweeping electronic vista behind a lot of the song that I really like, though... and I think it's enough to save the song for me. In fact, as I listen, it's building up and growing on me more and more.
"Every Good Girl" has a kind of feel of distance to it... but getting closer as it goes. The more electronic feel of this album is growing on me as it goes, but I'm finding that Toni's voice doesn't work as well as it should on some of the songs. This one is a prime example. I can see why she went off to do her own thing... as it sounds like she was heading in a different direction to the rest of the band.
"Cold Comfort (Deepsky Mix)" brings the guitars back, but they're still very much behind the electronics. This is interesting, but doesn't grab me enough... it's trying to be sparse and interesting, but instead feels like something's missing.
"Star" is back to the "something missing" feeling. The mix just feels wrong. I can hear that it should be an awesome song, but it just sounds a bit lifeless and shallow.
"Nice & Easy" starts with some impact, which helps give the album a bit of a kick... but it doesn't quite do enough with it to keep my attention.
"Signals and Alibis" rumbles it's way in through a pretty atmospheric intro, which is always a good start. Toni's voice also works with it better than most other songs so far on this album. It feels like it's properly part of the song, rather than in opposition to it. It's a quiet, mellow number and it's a good one. Between this and "Till The Cows Come Home", it's enough to make me keep the CD, I think.
"Sinner" is clearly focussed around Toni's voice, and I think it works well for that reason. My guess is that it's a taster of what she's like as a solo artist (where she performs as "Chatelaine").
Album closer "Joy" is a bit of an odd one. It sounds like it's escaped from some other 90s indie band... upbeat, poppy... and with a male singer. Not my thing.
Verdict: Keep, just
Curve - The Way of Curve
I'm not going to dwell on this one too much, as it's a "best of" compilation... but disc two is b-sides and rarities... so I'm gojng to mention a couple of those!
On The Wheel - I've always quite liked this one since it was a B-side.
Today is not the day - Relaxed and laid back. Quiet and plaintive. A favourite of mine, if I'm honest.
Low & Behold - Atmospheric and awesome, with Toni's voice floating through it.
Nothing Without Me - See above...
...and one of the main reasons I *bought* this double CD "hits & rarities" album:
Curve & Ian Dury - What a Waste. Awesomeness.
Verdict: Keep
This concludes the "Curve" portion of this grand listen through. I'll keep going, but in a new post, I think.
Curve - Gift
This album is very much a followup to Come Clean, and it in the same vein... although there's certainly a bit of variation there. Hell Above Water is another fast, angry, loud song... along the lines of Chinese Burn, but with a little less impact due to the similarity.
Title track "Gift" leaves me a little cold, which is a first for a curve album. It's not a bad song, but I'm just used to curve songs grabbing me and not letting go until they're done. This one doesn't quite manage it. "Want More, Need Less" takes a step back back to the past, though, and wouldn't have felt out of place on Doppelganger... which is a nice pace change and a refreshing reminder of what curve are capable of.
In fact, this album gives me a strong feel of "here's the musical evolution of curve, from start to end, replayed with all new songs". What's more, it doesn't sound samey whilst it does it. It's almost like a retrospective, but with all new songs.
Other standouts: Perish, Hung Up, Chainmail (which is one of my favourite curve songs)
Verdict: Keep
Curve - Open Day at the Hate Fest
Released as a collection of internet oddities whilst the band's label threated to ditch "Gift", this is an odd one. Not a proper album, but a pile of bits and bobs.
For some reason, I've not listened to this very much... which I ought to rectify. So I'm giving it a full listen through.
Track by track:
1. Nowhere - Pretty solid. Catchy, if a little repetitive.
2. The Birds They Do Fly - This one has caught my attention quite well on a fresh listen through. It's got the old school curve shoegaze murkiness with floaty vocals, which I'm always a fan of.
3. Ché - It has bloops! I'm always a fan of a good bit of bloopage! The mellower segments of the song are awesome and make up for the weaker moments.
4. Turnaround - I know this one better, as it's cropped up elsewhere. Can't remember where. It's good, but I already know that, so skipping. Slow, mellow and odd.
5. You Don't Know - Awesome. Atmospheric and moody. It just cries out for a heady, steamy atmosphere.
6. Backwards Glance - This one strikes me as being an internet oddity for a reason. It's not bad, but it sounds unfinished.
7. Speedcrash - Not their best, but interesting. I think it just needed more production work or a bit more time than it got... and I'd love to hear a new version of it, but probably never will.
8. Storm - Sounds a bit too much like an unfinished roughcut.
9. Caught in the Alleyway - Firmly at the more knob-twiddly end of curve stuff. Takes a while to kick in, but it's a "dirty bassline, floaty vocals" number. It'd make fine soundtrack material.
10. Open Day At The Hate Fest - Not my favourite track in the world. The intro puts me off somewhat. It picks up, but not enough to keep me attention.
It also has the whole tracklist on the spine of the CD case and nowhere else, which is a bit odd.
Verdict: Keeping for a couple of the songs.
Curve - The New Adventures of Curve
This was Curve's final album before they scattered to the four winds... and it's another one that I didn't find that memorable at the time. I remember being disappointed, but not vastly so. Still, that disappointment was a shame.
It's not a bad album, but as I recall it just went in a direction I wasn't that enamoured with. So here's my thoughts as I give it a listen through.
Opening track "Answers" is a lot more electronic and clubby sounding than I'd generally go for. It does it well enough, but it kind of falls into the gap between things I like. Not quite electronic and stompy enough to scratch that itch and not... well... not "curve" enough to grab me either. I think it'd work pretty well with the bass cranked up for a bit of soundtrack... but to just sit and listen it doesn't keep my attention.
The slightly more electronic feel carries on into "Till The Cows Come Home", which is good but still lacks that certain impact that I'm used to from Curve. There's a kind of sweeping electronic vista behind a lot of the song that I really like, though... and I think it's enough to save the song for me. In fact, as I listen, it's building up and growing on me more and more.
"Every Good Girl" has a kind of feel of distance to it... but getting closer as it goes. The more electronic feel of this album is growing on me as it goes, but I'm finding that Toni's voice doesn't work as well as it should on some of the songs. This one is a prime example. I can see why she went off to do her own thing... as it sounds like she was heading in a different direction to the rest of the band.
"Cold Comfort (Deepsky Mix)" brings the guitars back, but they're still very much behind the electronics. This is interesting, but doesn't grab me enough... it's trying to be sparse and interesting, but instead feels like something's missing.
"Star" is back to the "something missing" feeling. The mix just feels wrong. I can hear that it should be an awesome song, but it just sounds a bit lifeless and shallow.
"Nice & Easy" starts with some impact, which helps give the album a bit of a kick... but it doesn't quite do enough with it to keep my attention.
"Signals and Alibis" rumbles it's way in through a pretty atmospheric intro, which is always a good start. Toni's voice also works with it better than most other songs so far on this album. It feels like it's properly part of the song, rather than in opposition to it. It's a quiet, mellow number and it's a good one. Between this and "Till The Cows Come Home", it's enough to make me keep the CD, I think.
"Sinner" is clearly focussed around Toni's voice, and I think it works well for that reason. My guess is that it's a taster of what she's like as a solo artist (where she performs as "Chatelaine").
Album closer "Joy" is a bit of an odd one. It sounds like it's escaped from some other 90s indie band... upbeat, poppy... and with a male singer. Not my thing.
Verdict: Keep, just
Curve - The Way of Curve
I'm not going to dwell on this one too much, as it's a "best of" compilation... but disc two is b-sides and rarities... so I'm gojng to mention a couple of those!
On The Wheel - I've always quite liked this one since it was a B-side.
Today is not the day - Relaxed and laid back. Quiet and plaintive. A favourite of mine, if I'm honest.
Low & Behold - Atmospheric and awesome, with Toni's voice floating through it.
Nothing Without Me - See above...
...and one of the main reasons I *bought* this double CD "hits & rarities" album:
Curve & Ian Dury - What a Waste. Awesomeness.
Verdict: Keep
This concludes the "Curve" portion of this grand listen through. I'll keep going, but in a new post, I think.