Gets tricky judging this once an artist has had a long career with ups and downs or maybe albums where your personal opinion doesn’t chime with general critical consensus.
Noticed The Flaming Lips have announced a new album - early stuff is all over the place, had a brilliant run then lost it with Mystics, regained with Embryonic, then generally lost again with side projects and Oczy (which I don’t actually think is terrible, just terrible in parts). But I don’t know maybe the sheer mess of the discography is all part of it anyway.
Wire. I love the classic first three but got very lost in their 80s output. I have enjoyed their last few records a lot though.
Interpol. Started strong, faded and I think el pintor is good again. Personally I didn’t really dig marauder but I think that it was well thought of.
I’m not sure Underworld releasing one shit album (barking) means they completely lost it. Given its a collaboration album as well. I think they’ve been pretty consistent across their career tbh.
I would definitely hold up Wire’s later records up to their earlier and (rightly) well-regarded stuff.
It’s completely different (to their credit), but still experimental and furious.
What a band.
Weezer had it, had it, kinda had it, kinda had it, lost it, kinda had it, vapourised it, lost the vapour, recrystalised it for a lesser yield, had it again, lost it again -->
American Football from LP 1 to LP 2 to LP 3
Great shout, love LP3 so much
Simplified it for ya
I’m praying that Placebo find it again. We should know soon enough
Jonny Cash must be the best example of this
Deaf Havana and Enter Shikari? I wouldn’t hold your breath…
Can’t say I fully understand your implication. But I can say, if you aren’t already aware, Reynold (new label Exec) says he’s already heard the new tracks and loved em. Given this, don’t think it’s too far off
Oh, implication is just that I think both of those bands are terrible
Got it
No idea what to expect. Just ready to hear something new
I’ve not really engaged with anything they’ve done since Takk, including Kveikur but given your comment I think maybe I need to give it another shot.
I seem to remember Kveikur being described in NME (possibly) as Sigur Ros does metal. Maybe it was tongue in cheek and I was just a bit gullible, but that was something I really wanted to hear. I think maybe it set my expectations of the album all over the place and they never recovered.
Googling it now and I can see some similar references to it.
Just thought of another- A Tribe Called Quest.
First three albums are all great. Then, two very middling to bad albums, and returned with We Got It From Here… which is just solid brilliance.
Kveikur is superb. You should definitely give it another go.
It’s not ‘metal’ in any sense but definitely a bit more gritty and less pretty than some of their records.
I never thought about it as metal, but I can understand why that comparison was made. It’s not a heavy riff-fest, but it’s overall much more pummeling than their prior material and has a very icy, almost industrial atmosphere to it.
I’d definitely give it another shot, though I’d say it’s a late autumn / winter album. I can’t think of another album that checks the boxes that it does. It has some of their best and saddest melodies too.
not Marilyn Manson
