#9

Thought Vol 1 was probably their most solid album yet. Vol 2 is quite boring in comparison, though it works alright if you listen as a double album.

2 Likes
#10

Magnetic Fields. I love the idea and you have to admire the artistic endeavour of it, but how many of the 50 songs are actually good enough to survive outside of the concept? Probably seven or eight in my view, in contrast to 69 Love Songs that has probably 40 great songs on it.

1 Like
#11

So much this. The only song I keep going back to is Have You Seen It In The Snow? Literally one good song out of 50. I’d kind of given up on them after the last couple of albums, but the concept of the new album got me a bit excited, so I shelled out £30 for it. And it’s not very good.

1 Like
#12

The big one Arcade Fire. I geniualy thought Reflektor was okay and was excited to see what they came up with. Its actually a poor album a few singles aside. Not even not matching high expectations but actually bad

2 Likes
#13

Vol I is ace I reckon - Vol II a bit uneccesary

#14

For me, the most disappointing of this year is easily the Shins rubbish carnival music release of an album

2 Likes
#15

Vol I was decent, but I never got the urge to relisten to it. Might not be an issue of quality so much as their scope is pretty limited and you only need an album or two before it gets old.

#16

fair, it was the first one i properly listened to by them and have listened to the older ones after, which i’ve also enjoyed but not quite on the same level, they don’t feel as focused or streamlined as that (cos they cast off all the less exciting softer lighter tracks for Vol 2 this time). among my faves of the year so far

#17

“In Zaire: Visions of the Age to Come - first album is a great overlooked psych album. This wasn’t especially different, but mostly just boring.” @feedthecollapse
Wondering, which do you consider the first album - the split with Skull Defekts or White Sun Black Sun? I.e., which should I check out?

#18

Yeah I haven’t gone back to it much. Tough to top Tales Of Us.

#19

White Sun Black Sun

#20

The War on Drugs, loved Lost in the Dream but this one just seems pretty dull in comparison, there are some great tracks such as ‘Pain’, but a lot of them just drag on too long and the whole album feels like a bit of a slog.

1 Like
#21

Dare I say it, I’ve not warmed to The National album as yet.

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#22

Thurston Moore - really like The Best Day but this just felt really flat. Don’t really know why, maybe the production?
Flaming Lips - what @TAFH33 said.
GYBE - I should give this another listen but on initial listen it seems really ponderous & plodding. Never been a big GYBE person but a band I’d always be surprised by how much I liked when I did give the occasional listen. Don’t think this one is going to be for me though.

#23

yeah haven’t gone back to this much. doesn’t help that Cease Fire is better than anything on the album but was released separately for some reason.

#24

Girlpool. So much drearier than the debut.

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#25

Yeah this^! Dug the singles (especially It Gets More Blue) but overall it doesn’t match the charm of the first album…

#26

Really haven’t revisited this album at all! Keep Your Name tends to crop up on my Spotify daily mixes and it makes me wince / cringe…

#27

Have to agree with Arcade Fire - it’s a shocker (apart from Electric Blue). On the NYT Popcast they argued that if they’d just dropped it one day, it’d probably have done better, but the tiresome ‘clever-clever’ marketing campaign turned people off.

That aside, Misty, The National and War on Drugs were pretty disappointing, so glad I went to see Solange instead of The National at Glastonbury.
I think this might be the year I finally got bored of ‘white blokes moaning’. It’s only taken me 20 years.

1 Like
#28

The Cribs’ new one was pretty disappointing. Should have stayed an EP really as there are a few good tunes on it. The other stuff doesn’t even feel like filler, they just aren’t great songs.