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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Frippism's Spectacular Middle Eastern Blog Zone
    Posted: October 12 2011 at 06:03
Yay! So I'm starting a blog and stuff... After a long consideration and many nights looking at the moon and sighing heavily and dramatically I've decided to do the deed.

So this is what's gonna happen. I think. I, being the one with the greatest music taste IN THE UNIVERSE am going to share some of the music that I think I find interesting with you puny commoners, possibly rant about the current state of prog, what I like about it and what I don't like about it, talk about shows I've been to, and possibly talk about unrelated stuff like life in the Middle East and such and share some stuff from Israel, my HQ.

I'll also probably just drool over anything Cardiacs and Cardiacs-related, just because I'm the biggest fanboy in the world and really can't help it.  

So I'll start with what I'm generally just listening to at the mo:

The Book Of Knots picture

I've just started really getting into Book Of Knot's 2011 album "Garden Of Fainting Stars". For anyone not in the cool crowd, Book Of Knots are a freaky avant-rock-sludge-folk-americana outfit consisting of two former Sleepytime Gorilla Museum members and husband and wife Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi, along with Tony Mamoine and Joel Hamilton (who also play music and stuff). The group has recorded 3 albums which have included a million billion guest artists. In the new album we can "big" names from the Californian avant-rock-metal scene like Nils Frykdahl, Mike Patton (damn he kicks ass in his guest track), Trey Spruance (biggest musical genius of the 21st century honestly), Dawn McCArthy and other people. 

The album carries in the very heavy, sort of lush waves of this amazing distortion and heaviness. It's so thick at times you really feel like you can eat it. The guests provide disturbing appearances as they should with freaky narrations and awesome singing by Mike Patton (I ain't his biggest fan but the dude can sing). So far I like it as much as their second album, the absolute deranged and powerful "Traineater"- an album all about the American Rustbelt. The only problem I feel the album has is that its missing some flow- I can't really explain why, maybe just the order of the songs, but all of them are fab. 

Have a listen: 



Enjoy!



And now to a very big event important to any Israeli that might be reading this:

Last night it has been decided by the Israeli gov't and the Hammas, the freedom organization, or terrorist organization (depends really from which side you look at it) have came to agree to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. 

Now I think this deal looks a bit extreme in many ways. One soldier for 1,027 prisoners, some of them responsible for the deaths of many innocent Israelis looks a bit extreme to me but I can't help support the decision. This one soldier has been in captivity for more than 5 years, probably suffered some extreme psychological damage. On the other hand, the freedom of many of these prisoners might put Israel in the same spot again, when Hammas might try kidnap more Israelis- as you can see it has been pretty valuable for them so far. 

I know the whole Israeli-Palestinian subject is a tinny-tiny controversial, but y'know just though it's important to share this and also I want to hear some other opinions.

So first post, woohoo! Enjoy the music!


 


Edited by frippism - October 15 2011 at 03:22
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 08:07
 
Originally posted by frippism frippism wrote:

 And now to a very big event important to any Israeli that might be reading this:

NO. This is a political thread or a music thread.  You cannot have both.

Also I have never understood the purpose of this as a separate subforum or why it has such prominence on the front page, but I guess that is off-topic.

I wasn't really into what I heard from Book of Knots, but you know me.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 10:06
Originally posted by Henry Plainview Henry Plainview wrote:

 
Originally posted by frippism frippism wrote:

 And now to a very big event important to any Israeli that might be reading this:

NO. This is a political thread or a music thread.  You cannot have both.

I wasn't really into what I heard from Book of Knots

Ditto.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 10:11
I like the Book of Knots stuff Thumbs Up I'll have to keep my eyes open for them
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 10:31
Originally posted by Henry Plainview Henry Plainview wrote:


NO. This is a political thread or a music thread.  You cannot have both.

Also I have never understood the purpose of this as a separate subforum or why it has such prominence on the front page, but I guess that is off-topic.

I wasn't really into what I heard from Book of Knots, but you know me.

I'm not going to make it a political thread, but this is a pretty deal at least in Israel, like one of the most historic days in the last decade, so I wanted to share it.

And so sorry I don't really know you but you can always tell me about yourself!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 10:34
Originally posted by frippism frippism wrote:

I'm not going to make it a political thread, but this is a pretty deal at least in Israel, like one of the most historic days in the last decade, so I wanted to share it.

But you already made it by posting that. To avoid further off-topic discussions you should edit that part out. 

for one am pro-Palestine and I'd create an argument right here if I weren't conscious about the consequences but this isn't the right place for that.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 11:20
Originally posted by Polo Polo wrote:



But you already made it by posting that. To avoid further off-topic discussions you should edit that part out. 

for one am pro-Palestine and I'd create an argument right here if I weren't conscious about the consequences but this isn't the right place for that.

This doesn't really have anything to do with being pro-Palestine, you'll find most Israelis are pro-Palestine in one way or another. But yeah forget I brought up the subject it was a mistake to do so.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 14:09
I think the point has been made and taken, but to emphasise, please keep to the prog music in this area.
 
@ HP - Your point about this section is valid, why not make a suggestion in the "Help us improve the site" area?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 14:24
I usually don't care much for avant music unless it's contemporary classical, but this Book of Knots stuff sounds pretty cool. It's only lightly avant, and it's nice to hear Mike Patton actually sing again.

Good luck with the blog.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 15:10
^ yeah in general the experimental scene in California is somewhat more song-oriented while still being experimental, there are many bands from there that you should check out like Charming Hostess, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (which you might know already), Orange Tulip Conspiracy and others I'll probably be talking about.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 16:42
Originally posted by frippism frippism wrote:

^ yeah in general the experimental scene in California is somewhat more song-oriented while still being experimental, there are many bands from there that you should check out like Charming Hostess, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (which you might know already), Orange Tulip Conspiracy and others I'll probably be talking about.

I've already listened to all of them, SGM  being a favorite. Wink
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 12 2011 at 18:11
Originally posted by TheGazzardian TheGazzardian wrote:

I like the Book of Knots stuff Thumbs Up I'll have to keep my eyes open for them
+1 Cool
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 13 2011 at 16:12
One of my most favourite findings of 2011 must be without a doubt Three Trapped Tigers. I already suggested them for PA, but hell I love 'em so much I really should share it here as well...



They're kinda very hard to define but I think that they could be described as electronic-ambient-experimental math/post-rock. They're a trio from London that was founded in 2007 and have 3 EPs and their debut LP came out in 2011. I have to say the while the LP has some really really great moments, it might drags at times and the intense loud parts by far trump the quiet bits. The EPs are where the real good stuff is at. The EPs are all just numbered (you know songs are just called 1 or 2 or whatever comes after that), and so are the songs. I suggest EP2 most, but all 3 are great and the LP is also worth checking out though definitely I am expecting to see how they can improve on their next LP.

Some stuff and other stuff:






Also big thanks to PA user AdyRandom who introduced me to the band.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 13 2011 at 17:25
I'm digging this Three Trapped TIgers, though I'm not hearing any ambient music on any of these tracks. Great stuff regardless.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 13 2011 at 20:04
TTT are math rock like Battles and Giraffes? Giraffes! are. Quite good. I might go see them in two weeks!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2011 at 00:49
Originally posted by colorofmoney91 colorofmoney91 wrote:

I'm digging this Three Trapped TIgers, though I'm not hearing any ambient music on any of these tracks. Great stuff regardless.

I chose the louder songs in general, just because I dig them more. Listen to the LP and you'll see what I mean. It's not full on ambient songs, just these spacious atmospheres and sounds.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2011 at 00:50
Originally posted by harmonium.ro harmonium.ro wrote:

TTT are math rock like Battles and Giraffes? Giraffes! are. Quite good. I might go see them in two weeks!


Lucky! I've been dying to, the live footage I saw was spectacular. The drummer is the sh*t.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 14 2011 at 09:44
If it's a blog I have no problem with throwing in a little politics with your discussion on regional music.
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 16 2011 at 10:09
'Ello! 

So I think whenever my ears come in contact with the word screamo/ post-hardcore my face becomes something similar to a rotten prune on LSD. But once again I have found out that any band and any music style is listenable at least by me if it sounds weird... in a good way. 

The band I'm talking about is Michigan's "La Dispute":


Don't they look adorable........... 

But hey! Their music's not bad at all! I guess you can call it experimental indie post-hardcore. Prominent bass (always a good thing!), twin guitars, a rather wild drummer, and a vocalist who randomly goes from shrieking to singing. The thing that scares me I guess most about post-hardcore is the lyrics: super whiny I-hate-my-life bla-bla-bla-boom-I-shot-myself. Well I guess the lyrics are sort of very much about suffering and hate and suicide, but I think the thing that makes me like their lyrics so much is that they don't use these general, general, vague, and melodramatic statements. The best example I think is from the best song from the album "King Park", where the vocalist describes a shooting with so much detail, that you more feel like get a complete disturbing image in your head. It makes you shake your head more because you just understand what he's talking about, not because you relate yourself to the situation.

I can't completely explain what's so different about "La Dispute" from other post-hardcore bands I've had the unfortunate fate of listening to. But I think it's their brutal honesty. They feel very real, not polished and poppy and gross. Also there's the technical characteristics, like the math-rockish guitars, and great bass, and the generally different song structures which I think separates them from the average screamo guys...

Listen with an open mind, and enjoy!

Some links:





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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 16 2011 at 11:49
Totally not prog, but I do enjoy this band that hails from my home state. I've been listening to Wildlife on and off for the past few days. Really fantastic considering the screamo post-hardcore label.
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