The breakbeat on Miles is just about the only thing I don't really care for on Whiteout. It just sounds wrong.
― dyslectic Christ Brown (longneck), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 12:25 (eleven years ago) link
It's not the retroness that bothers me, more that the beat isn't really integrated - "Miles" feels like the work of someone who was impressed by d&b but didn't really get it (which is odd because "Black Lipstick" totally got it). That's why I flash on pop-electronica, that sense of people thinking that fast drum loops are impressive in and of themselves. (to be clear I still like the tune a fair bit)
I thought of Madonna's "Little Star" when I first heard it, but on re-examination that is actually way more bass-driven than I remembered (albeit in a Good Looking kind of way). EBTG's "Before Today" is probably a decent reference point though (let's leave alone "Walking Wounded" which is on another level):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYJPGQ9iCNc
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:11 (eleven years ago) link
more that the beat isn't really integrated
i'm relistening now and i don't hear what you mean by this?
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:16 (eleven years ago) link
It feels sellotaped over the top rather than a natural fit with the song.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:17 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah.
The beat on "Black Lipstick" really drives the song, its propulsiveness and its hesitations are what Dawn pivots around.
On "Miles" the beat just loops prettily in the background.
Lack of bass an issue, in part. Which is understandable: "Miles" isn't a song that would work with strong bass, I think. But by the same token if that's the case then a straight sped-up breakbeat is probably gonna sound distracting.
If I was producing it I'd probably drag it closer to Janet Jackson's "Empty": if you're gonna use rippling percussion as unadulterated pretty soundstuff you may as well go all the way.
Of course it's deeply unfair to invoke "Empty" which is as close to perfection as music has ever gotten.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:21 (eleven years ago) link
"black lipstick" just has a fuller arrangement to my ears - those ominous chimes are what drives it most of all, two separate drum patterns (i can hear how one of them drops in and out at pivotal points but the underlying one doesn't seem any more integrated than on "miles"?)
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:29 (eleven years ago) link
Could it just be a function of how the two records are mixed? In "Whiteout", the drums are all panned to one side, which has something of a distancing effect, whereas in "Black Lipstick" they have a more typical balance.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:40 (eleven years ago) link
err "Whiteout" "Miles"
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:41 (eleven years ago) link
It's partly in the way her verse lines almost seem to set off the pattern, which itself peaks just before the second beat in each bar, so that it almost seems to recede and tumble into its own reiteration.
But saying "the underlying one doesn't seem any more integrated" is also a good way of skirting around my point, because it's not just looping by itself, there's a conscious effort to make the build in the rhythm (through a plurality of rhythms) match the build in the vocals and the build in the song. That's basically what I mean when I say "integrated".
― Tim F, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:42 (eleven years ago) link
btw has anybody gone deep into dawn's itune catalogue and pulled all her collabs, I still think the joint she did with mateo is maybe one of my favorite sappy love songs ever
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:47 (eleven years ago) link
i don't think i actually consciously hear any of this - i have to really pay attention to stuff that's normally just in the wash of the arrangement for me and i'm still not sure exactly what you're referring to
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 13:48 (eleven years ago) link
It's also that the breakbeat just doesn't QUITE fit on Miles, it feels like it's been fairly awkwardly cropped to fit in with everything else. The whole execution feels slapdash basically.
I'm not really feeling the EP as a whole, the songwriting feels a bit flimsy in comparison to Armor On, it's atmospheric enough but the whole thing gives off major stopgap vibes.
― Matt DC, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 14:26 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZPdRPReWeY
― sisilafami, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 14:42 (eleven years ago) link
i got whiteout the same time i finally got a copy of '86 and i must admit to just listening to the latter on repeat
― before and after broscience (goole), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 17:56 (eleven years ago) link
yeah "'86" is definitely keeping my DR enthusiasm alive far more than the EP
― some dude, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 17:58 (eleven years ago) link
It's not an either/or proposition! I've listened to both a ton.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 18:00 (eleven years ago) link
not saying it is, just saying i'm in the same boat as goole. once you've got one great release under your belt for the year anything beyond that is all gravy imo.
― some dude, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 18:03 (eleven years ago) link
exactly xp
― 乒乓, Tuesday, 18 December 2012 18:05 (eleven years ago) link
Dawn beating the Destroyer-Bon Iver crew at Best Instrumental Peter Gabriel Track with "86."
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 18 December 2012 18:15 (eleven years ago) link
huh, I didn't really care for 86 (or Pretty Wicked Things) that much when I listened to them a while back, which might be the reason for slightly overrating Whiteout (agree with Matt about that "sellotaped" beat) once it clicked: relief that she wasn't heading into a direction I wasn't feeling. You all raving about 86 though means I'm going to give it another listen.
― rob, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 02:44 (eleven years ago) link
heard whiteout once, never bothered to listen to it again
86 pretty much instantly became one of my favorite things this year
― teledyldonix, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 19:45 (eleven years ago) link
okay 86 is really good. did anyone else notice it's followed on the album by a song called "In Your Eyes"?actually I don't the tracklist was posted here yet:
1. Intro (In The Hearts Tonight)2. Return of A Queen3. Goliath4. Riot5. Gleaux6. Northern Lights7. Pretty Wicked Things8. Frequency9. Warfaire10. Tug of War11. Ode To You12. 8613. In Your Eyes14. Break of Dawn15. [300]16. Goldenheart
I can hear certain posters wincing at "Warfaire" already
― rob, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:12 (eleven years ago) link
ok i've heard this fully mastered now and h.o.l.y.f.u.c.k.y.e.s.
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:14 (eleven years ago) link
i also think it was a very good idea to move "riot" right up front rather than the originally intended bonus track stuck on the end
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:15 (eleven years ago) link
if the world ends Friday, lex will be the only one of us who got to hear this album
― rob, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 20:23 (eleven years ago) link
at least 3 of those song titles are hilarious
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:03 (eleven years ago) link
some song titles have a kinda kate bush vibe
― Andrew WKRP (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:04 (eleven years ago) link
"Gleaux"
― GIMME SOME REGGAE (DJP), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:04 (eleven years ago) link
i've been wanting to know this for like a decade now, but is the "-eaux" suffix to replace "-o" an actual louisiana thing, maybe referencing french heritage? back in the day on a tennis msgboard i was on, there was a significant contingent of obsessive chanda rubin fans from louisiana, and they'd all say "geaux chanda" instead of "go chanda"
i know this is a big statement but HOUNDS OF FUCKING LOVE is seriously a comparison point for the...grandeur of this thing
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:07 (eleven years ago) link
"Gleaux" is one thing but "Warfaire"??
Also "Break of Dawn" is kinda like, jeez DR don't put sub-editors out of a job, they've got mouths to feed.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:12 (eleven years ago) link
the tracklisting's been out for months hasn't it? i feel like we've all lolled at "warfaire" before
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:15 (eleven years ago) link
that's the first it's been posted itt
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:17 (eleven years ago) link
wait till blackheart's "heartillery"
― prolego, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:17 (eleven years ago) link
oh god, you weren't joking
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:19 (eleven years ago) link
WTF
― Tim F, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:21 (eleven years ago) link
heartillery!!!!! of course
btw if any of the writers itt want to hear the album they should probably just contact http://www.asa-pr.com/about.html about it, i'm sure they'd love to hear from you
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:23 (eleven years ago) link
"hi, I write for ILX, I would love to hear this album"
― GIMME SOME REGGAE (DJP), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:24 (eleven years ago) link
otm
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:27 (eleven years ago) link
think i can already hear 'goliath' in my head
he is my david, love is his slingshot, s on my chest yada yada
― r|t|c, Monday, 17 September 2012 17:08 (3 months ago) Bookmark
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:43 (eleven years ago) link
this album is 4real going to be some game of threauxns slash isnt it
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:44 (eleven years ago) link
D ® U S K I @drewscottyI had a dream I was in a real life version of Mario Kart. I was racing against Mary J. Blige, Prince & Frankie (Keyshia's mom)
D ® U S K I @drewscottyI just remember MJB power was those chicken sandwiches from Burger King. I wish I was making this up.
D ® U S K I @drewscotty@mastamoore89 they would surround her car like the green/red shells.
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:48 (eleven years ago) link
I do wonder why she didn't go with Lionheart
― rob, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:54 (eleven years ago) link
So that she can still use "Richard The LyinHeart" on BrownHeart: A Feast For Creauxs.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:54 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.rap-up.com/2012/11/26/dawn-richard-pays-homage-to-danity-kane-in-86-video/#more-143659
― r|t|c, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:57 (eleven years ago) link
I love how she's seemingly gone through these anime dork --> superhero comix dork --> fantasy dork periods of her career.
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Thursday, 20 December 2012 00:05 (eleven years ago) link
i just realized the '86 single artwork has the apostrophe after the number like 86', what a disaster
or maybe it's about her slaying an 86 foot tall dragon i guess
― some dude, Thursday, 20 December 2012 12:20 (eleven years ago) link
86' 87' 88' hut
― Rolling "2 chainz" draadje (The Reverend), Thursday, 20 December 2012 12:27 (eleven years ago) link
xp is that really any way to talk about aubrey o'day
― r|t|c, Thursday, 20 December 2012 12:27 (eleven years ago) link
― r|t|c, Wednesday, December 19, 2012 11:43 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
more like "i face the beast with my bare hands" type stuff
― lex pretend, Thursday, 20 December 2012 19:44 (eleven years ago) link
http://soultrain.com/2012/12/28/sound-check-dawn-richard/
― lex pretend, Friday, 28 December 2012 18:08 (eleven years ago) link