How does it sound like that? You mean this sounds like a low key jam record made by stoned middle aged hippies? I mean, do you really think that or did it just sound like a good zing? If you do, care to point out which bits...
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 19 November 2011 12:11 (twelve years ago) link
bland New Age muzak
I have no idea how you can even make a ridiculous statement like this. Have you heard Aerial? Are you a KB aficionado sincerely bitterly disappointed with the new album, or do you not care about her music anyway and just want to make a "case" by saying "this ain't all what the review promised me"? Or are you just trolling?
― I certainly wouldn't have, but hey. (Le Bateau Ivre), Saturday, 19 November 2011 12:29 (twelve years ago) link
had the argument last time out when somebody called Aerial bland. such an empty, crappy word to use as criticism.
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCeG35Ihxjs (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 19 November 2011 16:09 (twelve years ago) link
also obviously never listened to any New Age muzak
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCeG35Ihxjs (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 19 November 2011 16:10 (twelve years ago) link
'bland' is fine where it's merited. Westlife are bland. A more accurate term for Kate would be 'polished'
― Ismael Klata, Saturday, 19 November 2011 16:11 (twelve years ago) link
I'm Florence Nightingale
― ...options. (Ówen P.), Saturday, 19 November 2011 16:12 (twelve years ago) link
nah, bland implies that there are certain aspects of art that are always bad and it's a fucking tedious punker cliche, blandness can totally represent a set of virtues. anyway, promise myself i won't have this argument every time somebody finds a Kate Bush album insufficiently rocking
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCeG35Ihxjs (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 19 November 2011 16:14 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah fair enough, I struggle to think of any because for me bland = uninteresting but no particular wish to argue the toss. I can't remember where the Aerial argument landed anyway.
― Ismael Klata, Saturday, 19 November 2011 16:16 (twelve years ago) link
at this point i always recommend this
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=10097
― http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCeG35Ihxjs (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 19 November 2011 16:18 (twelve years ago) link
See I wouldn't call that blandness but no, I am not arguing further.
― Ismael Klata, Saturday, 19 November 2011 16:20 (twelve years ago) link
Geez, guys. It's perfectly cool to find fault with a new Kate Bush record. It's not Scripture or anything. There's plenty of room and reason to be critical. I'm a long time fan and I found - and still find - much of Aerial to be a letdown musically. I thought Director's Cut was comparatively a step in the right direction: Kate letting her hair down again on some of the songs and being more compositionally and sonically inventive (Yeah - I love "Deeper Understanding" Mach II). And having only heard this new one twice I still stand by the first three songs as the strongest things on the record, minimal in approach as they are, while the rest is just pleasant at best (not counting the overlong, failed Elton John duet).
― Lawanda Pageboy (Capitaine Jay Vee), Saturday, 19 November 2011 19:44 (twelve years ago) link
There's a massive difference between having an opinion and just being factually incorrect though. It's not bland new age muzak. That's a pretty dumb thing to say.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 19 November 2011 19:48 (twelve years ago) link
what's the difference between saying 'sounds like bland new age muzak' and 'this sounds like new age music'
― thomp, Saturday, 19 November 2011 19:52 (twelve years ago) link
i mean, thank you for pointing out that it sounded like the bad kind of new age music; that was nice of you
i heard this laraaji track the other week i thought was amazing
I'm quoting from the person who said it was bland new age muzak. Fuck me, it's not rocket science.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 19 November 2011 19:55 (twelve years ago) link
Unless you were talking to the poster miles upthread, in which case. All apologies.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:07 (twelve years ago) link
i was! i'm just curious about that kind of gesture -- why when you're doing a dismissive comparison to (x) you find it necessary to say "this is like bad x", when you don't know anything about x or even belive that good x exists
― thomp, Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:18 (twelve years ago) link
Well I guess if you don't really know anything about x it's good to specify what it is you imagine is bad about x when making the comparison.
― Tim F, Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:24 (twelve years ago) link
Ironically both Aerial and 50 Words For Snow have, as a general rule, gotten stronger the closer the tend towards "bland new age".
― Tim F, Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:26 (twelve years ago) link
Saying Aerial is bland is like saying freshly baked sourdough bread is bland or uniform, soft and smooth baby skin is bland.
What would constitute gnarly or terrifying new age I wonder?
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:30 (twelve years ago) link
xp
yeah for real. the first 3 tracks do feel the strongest at the mo, maybe the last one too, and it's notable that they're the most cohesive in terms of mood and texture.
― Joe Hart is Fellaini Hunter (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:32 (twelve years ago) link
blandcanbegoodblandcanbegood
― all i see is angels in my eyes (lex pretend), Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:32 (twelve years ago) link
50 Different Words For Bland.
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:35 (twelve years ago) link
Dispassionate (good)
that Fry track is a bit throwaway imo but i can't help but like the way he says "eraser dust", despite myself
― Joe Hart is Fellaini Hunter (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:37 (twelve years ago) link
every Kate album has some moments of sheer pleasure at pronunciation/intonation i think
x-pdoes the bland in bland new age describe the new age in question or is it supposed to mean all new age is bland? in the first case you are wrong concerning this album as firstly i don't think it qualifies as new age and secondly the music surely is a little too subtle for being bland. the second case is just redundant metatalk which can be ignored totally.
― alex in mainhattan, Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:39 (twelve years ago) link
redundant metatalk obv.
I guess possibly it is the former if the speaker imagines some kind of new age with orgiastic masturbatory panpipe solos that is not bland (if this exists please youtube).
― Tim F, Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:46 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToR1-CJ3q0s
New Age of Earth not really New Age tho, ironically
― Joe Hart is Fellaini Hunter (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 19 November 2011 20:48 (twelve years ago) link
I think, by "bland new age", Zuleika is referring more to, like, Celtic Reflections CDs. It's not such a lousy opinion, really, if somebody prefers the spiky, gated drum sounds of Dreaming/Hounds to the velvet hand of Steve Gadd.
― gord downer (Ówen P.), Saturday, 19 November 2011 21:45 (twelve years ago) link
b-b-b-but gated drums are cool again!
― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 19 November 2011 21:49 (twelve years ago) link
No. What s/he said makes as little sense as saying, 'I hate this new banging acid house direction she's taken over the last two albums.'
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Saturday, 19 November 2011 22:13 (twelve years ago) link
It is not bland new age in any way imho, but I do agree with the sentiment that Kate seems to get closer and closer to more conventional pop music. The stuff of her last two albums is closer related to the music of artists like Elton John or Sting than the stuff from The Dreaming or Never for Ever. Peter Gabriel went that road too. And even Laurie Anderson. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. But I can imagine why people - especially those not familiar with the Kate (or Gabriel or Anderson) of yore - do not understand why people go so whoopee over new music that doesn't sound special or different enough to deserve all this praise.
― Sebastian (Royal Mermaid Mover), Sunday, 20 November 2011 00:14 (twelve years ago) link
"Lake Tahoe" carries much of the same vibe as "The Third Wave" off HOL- especially in the vocal sections which echo the Popol Vuh choral parts from Herzog's 'Nosferatu'. Truly gorgeous on headphones (how I'm listening at this moment).
― Lawanda Pageboy (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 20 November 2011 09:44 (twelve years ago) link
Really the 2nd and 3rd songs on this, even with their stripped down instrumental pallette of mainly piano, bass and drums, are classic Bush in their lovely weirdness. Very powerful.
― Lawanda Pageboy (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 20 November 2011 09:52 (twelve years ago) link
Because "New Age music" tends to cover quite a broad canvas. The Penguin Cafe Orchestra and some half decent ambient often gets lumped in with the blander, more mediocre stuff.
I am genuninely amazed at the reviews this album is getting. This album sounds so much to me like bland, New Age muzak that I'm surprised at some of the hostile comments above. Just because KB isn't very "uptempo" these days obviously doesn't mean she has to be musically uninventive (which is what I meant by "bland" in case there are any more tiresome dissections of that word). I'll give it more listens, but it sounds to me insipid and very weak musically: not really pop, ambient or classical, but a mediocre mish mash of all three. On The Hounds of Love she created a fantastic blend of those things - now it sounds predictable and stale to me.
― Zuleika, Sunday, 20 November 2011 11:58 (twelve years ago) link
the vinyl edition of this is seriously incredible. worth the £20 or £25 or whatever is being charged for it.
― Jamie_ATP, Tuesday, 24 January 2012 18:23 (twelve years ago) link
What is it? Just the quality?
― Ismael Klata, Tuesday, 24 January 2012 18:32 (twelve years ago) link
yeah just reaaaally nicely mastered on good quality vinyl, 1 or 2 tracks per side.
― Jamie_ATP, Tuesday, 24 January 2012 18:35 (twelve years ago) link
New video set to my favorite part of my favorite song on the album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKPHA3_cBus
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Tuesday, 24 January 2012 21:28 (twelve years ago) link
enjoyed this today after a walk in deep snow. i love how much silence there is on the album, or the first few tracks anyway - the uncanny way she captures the stillness that follows heavy snowfall.
― jabba hands, Sunday, 5 February 2012 19:58 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsXhtJ9BTJA
This is the most beautiful thing I have heard all year... Astonishing. (thanks to Geeta on twitter for the heads up)
― HO WBEAUTIFUL IS THE GENTLYFALLINGBLOOD? (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 8 March 2012 22:14 (twelve years ago) link
Wow.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 9 March 2012 02:44 (twelve years ago) link
i so wish there was a version of this album that took out the Elton John verses
it's just so fucking magical up to then then it's all Elton barreling into the track yuck
― sXe & the banshees (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 12 February 2014 21:07 (ten years ago) link
I keep forgetting that Misty is one of the best songs of this rapidly-ageing decade
― Know Scot! Free Getaway: Glen, Handa Island, Rua Reidh (imago), Thursday, 13 February 2014 03:28 (ten years ago) link
Still a fantastic listen. Have warmed to the rest of it more or less. The song with Elton stillsounds like a bad "Red Shoes" B-side.
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 21 September 2015 06:15 (nine years ago) link
I'd be proud to have Rolf Harris on a record of mine tbh
― R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Thursday, 10 November 2011 18:00 (3 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
... errrrrrrrrrrr
― Fields of Fat Henry (Tom D.), Monday, 21 September 2015 11:22 (nine years ago) link
I had somehow forgotten to listen to this when it came out, possibly because I was so turned off by the idea of Director's Cut. But when it popped up on shuffled I thought it was really lovely.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 21 September 2015 14:57 (nine years ago) link
Scots 'have 421 words' for snow
― Fields of Fat Henry (Tom D.), Wednesday, 23 September 2015 06:01 (nine years ago) link