What are you currently listening to?

[soprano1]

Lady Gaga's Born This Way and Artpop albums.
There's some nice stuff here, very surprised. I thought her game was just visuals and being eccentric.

[ColonelFatso]

Van der Graaf Generator -- Do Not Disturb

My CD is still in the mail, but I decided to cheat and listen early. A few tracks in, I can tell that time continues to erode the famous power of Peter Hammill's voice, but thankfully it hasn't robbed him of his vision or creativity just yet. "Room 1210", my favourite so far, offers a nice mix of the band's modern sound with a dash of "H to He" and shades of Hammill's recent solo work.

One thing that disappoints me a bit about this album (and recent VdGG/Hammill in general) is a general lack of intensity in the performances. All of the other VdGG trademarks are here, but everything is dialed down to 7 or 8 -- nowhere will you find the lust-driven lunacy of "La Rossa" or the abject desperation of "A Louse is Not a Home", to name just two of dozens of examples from a single era. Do Not Disturb, by contrast, gives the impression of a few old friends just having some fun in the studio; not a bad thing by any means, but a lot of what defined VdGG at their prime was that hard edge and passion, and I feel like it's sorely missed here.

By all accounts, though, it's a good album, and I'm not regretting the purchase at all -- after all, at least it wasn't "Otherworld".

[wgogh]

Van der Graaf Generator -- Do Not Disturb

My CD is still in the mail, but I decided to cheat and listen early. A few tracks in, I can tell that time continues to erode the famous power of Peter Hammill's voice, but thankfully it hasn't robbed him of his vision or creativity just yet. "Room 1210", my favourite so far, offers a nice mix of the band's modern sound with a dash of "H to He" and shades of Hammill's recent solo work.

One thing that disappoints me a bit about this album (and recent VdGG/Hammill in general) is a general lack of intensity in the performances. All of the other VdGG trademarks are here, but everything is dialed down to 7 or 8 -- nowhere will you find the lust-driven lunacy of "La Rossa" or the abject desperation of "A Louse is Not a Home", to name just two of dozens of examples from a single era. Do Not Disturb, by contrast, gives the impression of a few old friends just having some fun in the studio; not a bad thing by any means, but a lot of what defined VdGG at their prime was that hard edge and passion, and I feel like it's sorely missed here.

By all accounts, though, it's a good album, and I'm not regretting the purchase at all -- after all, at least it wasn't "Otherworld".

I didnt knew they were still recording and even, together as a band.
I listened to their albums from 1970 to 76... The songs you listed are one of my favorites along with "House With No Door" and "Gog"

[soprano1]

https://futurecityrecords.bandcamp.com/ ... -nebula-lp
Back to synthwave.

[pestro87]

Meshuggah - Violent Sleep of Reason

The album came out today and so far I've been thoroughly enjoying it It's much better than Koloss imo. I really hope that Fredrik Thordendal will release Special Defects #2 at some point.

[Marc]

New Wovenhand, 'Star Treatment'. Amazingly, even better than their last album 'Refractory Obdurate'. Definite Nick Cave vibe going on, with hints of metal, folk, drone, shoegaze... Awesome.

Desperately awaiting the new Planes Mistaken For Stars to arrive next week.

[soprano1]

https://leflex.bandcamp.com/album/the-dancefloor-suite
Smooth as fuck synth album.

[LSU]

A bit late posting, but attended the Carpenter Brut show at the end of September at DNA Lounge in San Francisco. Much heavier and more powerful than the studio EPs thanks to some very strong live guitars & drums - as well as keyboards, obviously. Excellent visuals too. It's been a while since I saw stage diving and people ripping their shirts off and dancing at a non-metal gig. Lots of energy to say the least. Highly recommend catching him live if you get a chance.

[atheistgod1999]

Nirvana - Nevermind and In Utero

[rapoon]

working through this list:

32 Best Ambient Albums

[soprano1]

https://frustrationblind.bandcamp.com/a ... s-of-shame
Not very synth-like, but plenty punk.

[Necronopticous]

Fade Away

[Marc]

Nirvana - Nevermind and In Utero

Did you hear the 2013 mix of In Utero? It's the album as it was originally supposed to sound, before being smoothed over. Just that bit more raw, gives an already amazing record even more punch.

[Immryr]

this demdike stare mix

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXCa7DsJfMk

[soprano1]

https://lakeshorerecords.bandcamp.com/a ... re-rescore
OGRE and Dallas Campbell's new rescore.

[Some-Mist]

dillinger escape plan - "disassociation" which has been their best release since miss machine.

watchtower - "concepts of math: book one" which is their first release since 1989, and of course jarzombek is a god.

Meshuggah - Violent Sleep of Reason

The album came out today and so far I've been thoroughly enjoying it It's much better than Koloss imo. I really hope that Fredrik Thordendal will release Special Defects #2 at some point.

it's great. I planned on skipping the upcoming meshuggah tour since I've seen them 4 times already, but after listening to the new album I instantly bought tickets. much better than koloss and obzen imo.

[soprano1]

https://soundcloud.com/thegameexplorer/ ... tle-medley
Didn't know this existed, fuck yeah.

[BIL]

^ oh shit, nice! SMTIII battle BGMs are as legion as they are badass. Blasting now, that's a whole lotta Meguro techno/metal fury in one shot.

Incidentally been revisiting Yes's Relayer this evening. When its riffier passages aren't making me geek out at all the obvious influences on Japanese VGM (Sakimoto and Sakuraba in particular), it's giving me goosebumps. Its interludes are so goddamn beautiful. ;-;

[soprano1]

^ oh shit, nice! SMTIII battle BGMs are as legion as they are badass. Blasting now, that's a whole lotta Meguro techno/metal fury in one shot.

The fact they recorded different guitar solos that play randomly in each battle is amazing.

[BIL]

Typing this to the heavenly plaintive outro solo + vocals of Judas Priest's "Dreamer Deceiver." Thirty minutes interwebbing saw tonight's listening include Black Sabbath's Mob Rules, Yes's Relayer, Anthrax's Among The Living and now Priest's Sad Wings of Destiny (aaand Deceiver just stomped in).

Holy fuck I feel spoiled rotten. Seriously ag99 GET WITH THE TIMES BRO, this the best time to have ears ever muhfucka! I paid many of the king's good pounds for these masterpieces BITD! Its all in my storage unit, I can't be arsed to sell any. (BOOM, Tyrant just blew up my fuckin speakers)

( guaranteed he'll see this and post a huffy denial; ITS A CUNNING TRAP that works every time! ;3 But who is the one being trapped? 3; Oh well lmao )

I wish I could recall the writer who called late-70s Priest "proto-Maiden ; slower and gayer." Damn straight! Sometimes you gotta slow down a bit and appreciate the amazing gay things in life, like the living Metal God ROBBU HARUFORDO. The bestial grunt/growl/howl/wail of fury closing Victim of Changes is STRAIGHT OUTTA HELL / ONE OF A KIND

[atheistgod1999]

( guaranteed he'll see this and post a huffy denial; ITS A CUNNING TRAP that works every time! ;3 But who is the one being trapped? 3; Oh well lmao )

No; I actually agree with you on that.

[BIL]

You'll become a proud man of the farms yet ;3

[Necronopticous]

A New Family

[atheistgod1999]

The Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business. Gives off the vibe I remember from the mid-2000s.

[soprano1]

https://tcr-tcr.bandcamp.com/album/best-of
Best Of compilation of synthwave artist The TCR, very good stuff here.

[Zen]

Deathsmiles Manabu Namiki Selection Premium Arrange Album. Superb and 50% off in the Degica weekend sale

[BIL]

Anthrax - Spreading the Disease (1985) A very late arrival to this one. lmao wtf, it's practically a glam record in cunning thrash disguise. A really good one too! I like it way more than the watered-down faux-grunge stuff most of the big US thrash groups had started doing by the mid-90s. A few songs dispense almost entirely with thrash's characteristic angular violence for the beefy choruses and simple riffing of straight-up arena metal. IDGAF if it sounds a bit Dokken, Medusa fuckin stomps with a rare melodic catchiness in its verse vocals. Joey Belladonna is coool.

[Shoryukev]

Anthrax - Spreading the Disease (1985) A very late arrival to this one. lmao wtf, it's practically a glam record in cunning thrash disguise. A really good one too! I like it way more than the watered-down faux-grunge stuff most of the big US thrash groups had started doing by the mid-90s. A few songs dispense almost entirely with thrash's characteristic angular violence for the beefy choruses and simple riffing of straight-up arena metal. IDGAF if it sounds a bit Dokken, Medusa fuckin stomps with a rare melodic catchiness in its verse vocals. Joey Belladonna is coool.

It's a bit poppier than what most people think of for Anthrax, but I really enjoy this record. I remember seeing some of their videos on TV when I was a kid and instantly loving the band when I saw that Dan almost always had ninja turtles painted on his guitars LOL. I really love the first track AIR, it sets the pace for the album really well.

[BIL]

Among The Living's substantially bulkier thrash w/hardcore leanings is by far the album of theirs I've spent the most time with - so expecting the usual "Big 4" trajectory of early/coarse to later/poppy, this was a real surprise. Teaches me to assume stuff...

Could easily see power-metalling Screaming For Justice / Defenders of the Faith-era Priest doing "Lone Justice," down to the familiar theme of a solitary superhuman instrument of retribution. And it's about Roland Deschain, rad! These guys' unabashed love of pop culture is refreshing after lots of angrier/pompier metalling.

[Zen]

Fade Away

Thanks for the link.
Not my usual fare but have been listening to it repeatedly while playing the new Doom arcade mode
Feels dirty. I can highly recommend it