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MADali Basically, someone like me is the friend who is watching from afar and shaking one's head. Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 6740 (Sat Feb 28, 2015 2:19 am) Reply
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Magic Juan Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 8709 (Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:04 pm) Reply
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Mike Dunn Joined: 24 Jan 2007 Posts: 3549 (Tue Mar 03, 2015 9:17 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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So should we be posting reviews of these albums? Or are we gonna have open discussions? What is... the deal? |
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ALDP Joined: 25 Jul 2009 Posts: 4412 (Tue Mar 03, 2015 4:32 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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Reviews at the end of the month? |
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Mike Dunn Joined: 24 Jan 2007 Posts: 3549 (Tue Mar 03, 2015 6:15 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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Would anyone be opposed to posting reviews earlier in the month? I've been listening to Modern Lovers a lot recently so it's pretty fresh on my mind. |
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Jason At ten I shaved my head and tried to be a monk, I thought the older women would like me if I did. Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 7600 (Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:33 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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(4:06:13 PM) Jason: Matt, if you leave all the FTU Music Club reviews to the end of the month you guys are gonna flake.
(4:06:32 PM) Jason: You guys should work out a system where you review one album per week.
(4:06:46 PM) Jason: And whoever's album was reviewed that week posts their next album.
(4:06:54 PM) Jason: So it just keeps continually rolling.
(4:10:22 PM) Pizzarino: Continually rolling is Matt's way of life!
(4:11:05 PM) Jason: stfu doofus _________________ Last edited by God on Fri Apr 05, 33 4:00 am; edited 1 time in total |
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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Wed Mar 04, 2015 4:07 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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I like that idea. Should we just do ALDP's for the sake of simplicity? |
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Magic Juan Joined: 10 Jan 2007 Posts: 8709 (Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:20 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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Hey Brett, what's up? |
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Mike Dunn Joined: 24 Jan 2007 Posts: 3549 (Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:40 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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Has anyone listened to Madali's album yet? I don't even know where to begin with this one. |
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MADali Basically, someone like me is the friend who is watching from afar and shaking one's head. Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 6740 (Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:47 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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I like the idea where we do each album one by one. I've listened to Modern Lovers exclusively seen you guys came up with the idea of doing 1 per week. |
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ALDP Joined: 25 Jul 2009 Posts: 4412 (Fri Mar 06, 2015 5:39 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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So what, Modern Lovers reviews tomorrow? What's next week? |
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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:31 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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Since the album being reviewed is yours, that's for you to decide. I'll post my review soon.
Stefan: I am doing pretty well since getting married last year. That being said, marriage is much harder than I thought, but not for the reasons that are commonly depicted.
Last edited by My Head Hurts 90 on Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ALDP Joined: 25 Jul 2009 Posts: 4412 (Fri Mar 06, 2015 10:59 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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Alright let's say Modern Lovers is due on Sunday? Or next weekend? I mean the onus is on the listeners to find some kind insight about the music to write about, so I don't want to rush anybody! |
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MADali Basically, someone like me is the friend who is watching from afar and shaking one's head. Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 6740 (Sat Mar 07, 2015 2:21 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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I think it will also be nice the person that recommended the album could tell us a bit why they chose that album. Sometimes it helps in appreciating the music more. |
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Mike Dunn Joined: 24 Jan 2007 Posts: 3549 (Sat Mar 07, 2015 8:59 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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I'll shoot for Sunday to get my review done, but I have band practice on Sunday so I might get lazy and do it Monday. |
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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:08 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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Modern Lovers:
I have to admit, the first three tracks really put me off as they emphasized all the aspects of the The Doors that I dislike (god damn those organ parts are terrible). Wikipedia labels this as a precursor to punk, but I found the opening lacking both in terms of the vitality or efficiency that characterize the genre.
Once it hits Pablo Picasso (great lyrics) though the album is really good and the beginning tracks sound like attempts to sketch out their sound in retrospect (the organ is mercifully given less prominence). At times they remind me of a surfed up version of the Moldy Peaches except much better because while the Moldy Peaches mostly get detached and a little sophomoric when they sing frankly about love, the music here, with all its hand claps and catchy guitar riffs, is not afraid to feel good/party/pussy.
Whether by providing a way to appreciate a Cezanne ("Girlfriend") or an anesthetic against the very relationship we're in ("Hospital"), love is presented as an empowering force that can and should be sought after, a classic ideal made relatable by successfully grounding it in a newer, more honest aesthetic.
Recommend?: Yes
Last edited by My Head Hurts 90 on Sun Mar 08, 2015 5:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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MADali Basically, someone like me is the friend who is watching from afar and shaking one's head. Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 6740 (Sun Mar 08, 2015 2:51 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers (1976)
With “Roadrunner”, I thought, now that’s something I get into. And on consequent listens, “Roadrunner” was the one I enjoyed the most. It reminded me of The Door’s later albums, something from “Soft Parade” which was more light than their albums. The organ playing reminded me of Ray Manzarek. “Astral Plane” also has a lot of similarities to The Doors, with the middle of the track turning into just music and then the vocalist coming back with “Aright”. I could see the track being covered by The Doors. “Old World” is in the same vein, but that’s the final song I really enjoy.
From there on there is a drop of quality. As the tracks continue, I notice there is less music and more of the vocalist. From “Pablo Picasso”, Jonathan Richman starts to slowly get on my nerves. I’m still somewhat fine here, but the it all comes crashing down. One problem probably is the version I listened to. The 5th track is “I’m Straight” which was not in the original release, and it’s so obnoxious (Richman seems to be talking not singing for four minutes) that kills my mood. Maybe if this track and the next track “Dignified and Old” wasn’t in the track listing, I wouldn’t have lost interested. Because now that I am relistening to the tracks one by one, I realize that “She Cracked” is not bad, and maybe if I did not have to listen to “I’m Straight/Dignified and Old”, I would not been lost interest by this track.
Richman tries to sound gentle in “Hospital” and he fails. It could have been better with someone with a better range. The rest is unmemorable. “Modern World” could possibly be okay but my mind has wandered away by the time I reach here.
3/5 |
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MADali Basically, someone like me is the friend who is watching from afar and shaking one's head. Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 6740 (Sun Mar 08, 2015 3:01 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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I guess my experience is the polar opposite of MHH. Maybe the next album I should recommend should be a Doors album! Fuck you, MHH! |
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My Head Hurts 90 Joined: 19 Jan 2007 Posts: 3445 (Sun Mar 08, 2015 5:49 am) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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-_-;
but seriously, the doors are azzzzzzzzzzzzz |
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Mike Dunn Joined: 24 Jan 2007 Posts: 3549 (Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:51 pm) Reply
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Re: FTU Music Club |
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The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
This album is very much up my alley. The Modern Lovers have that gritty garage rock sound which was starting to bubble up around the country in the late 60s and early 70s, all clangy guitars, driving beats and sleazy swagger. While their sound was predated by bands like The Kingsmen, The Doors and The Stooges, The Modern Lovers set themselves apart with the stuffed up, sardonic crooning of frontman Jonathan Richman.
Personally, I can't get enough of this guy. He doesn't so much sing the songs as groan them, with a detached, "I'm too cool for this" air. I'm sure it would grow tiresome if it weren't such a perfect complement to the lyrics. There's a real playfulness to the songwriting on this album, and it's amazing how clever Richman manages to be while maintaining the syntactic simplicity of a children's book.
"Pablo Picasso" is one of the best examples of this. It's mostly built around a couple of repeated phrases, ("Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole", "girls could not resist his stare"), but Richman does little things with his delivery that really elevate the song. The way that he subverts your expectation for a ryhyme at the end of every verse with the "asshole" line, how he smushes together all the words in, "be not schmuck, be not obnoxious / Be not bellbottom bummer or asshole / remember the story of Pablo Picasso," and seems to juuuust barely catch the beat back into the "walk down the street" line. The way he disdainfully spits out a "not like you" and doesn't even bother to complete a full four measures in his third verse. It's just tremendously fun to listen to.
One recurring theme I noticed is that of fascination and excitement with modern life in the city. In "Roadrunner" he's tooling around Boston in his car at night, blasting the radio, "in love with modern moonlight", enamored with the flashy neon lights. In "Modern World" he's pleading with his listeners to drop out of college (BU!), drop the pessimism, and "share the modern world with me". Most of the songs are about love and relationships, as MHH already touched upon, but they're also about loving yourself, loving your life, your friends, your city, and the time you were born into. He seems keenly aware that he's in the midst of a zeitgeist, and is enthralled by it.
Anyway, all of this would be moot if the music was shit, but luckily this band fuckin' rocks. The compositions are tight. The tracks flow cohesively without ever sounding samey, every song is fresh. There are a lot of great little moments to enjoy, like the pretty guitar solo in "Girlfriend", the bitchin' instrumental jam in "Astral Plane", and the halftime freakout just before the last chorus of "She Cracked". They hit on all cylinders in the uptempo songs and tug at your heartstrings in the ballads. There wasn't really any point during the album where I got bored or restless.
So yeah, I'm really glad that I listened to this album. I'll be continuing to keep it in my rotation for the foreseeable future.
4/5
Last edited by Mike Dunn on Mon Mar 09, 2015 7:24 am; edited 2 times in total |
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