The The, "Dusk" C/D

Actually the one song I owned by him for the longest time -- I caught him twice, both times by chance, in 1993 (first at a KROQ radio fest, then opening for Depeche Mode), and both times the performance of this song (especially the first time, solo in a spotlight) was sheer magic. (The opening of the first show was a slow, menacing version of "Infected" which is miles better than any recorded version I've heard.) [xpost with Josh on that subject!]

Funny, I put "Love is Stronger than Death" on a mix CD for someone just yesterday. My other favorite cut would probably be "This is the Night," but there aren't any bad songs on the album. Quite classic.

Matt Johnson = most presicent singer-songwriter ever.

'Burning Blue Soul' is neat, if not as brilliant as similar efforts from the period (Eno/Byrne, Negativland, to take it to an extreme, Mnemonists, etc.). Definitely underrated.

To be fair, I held (and still hold) Burning Blue Soul, Mind Bomb and Infected [i even had the Infected video withh all the videos on it-- kinda wish I stlll had that] in such high regard that it was pretty much inevitable that the next album down the pike wouldn't hold up to my expectations.

I still think maintain that "Burning Blue Soul" is his finest work; a concoction of great atmospheres and enigmatic 'songs'. All very autumnal, and both hazy and stark. "Another Boy Drowning", the conclusion, is possibly the greatest thing he's done, IMO. Positively canyons of guitar, on that track.

"Uncertain Smile" and "Heartland" (and certainly others on "Infected" and "Soul Mining") are masterstrokes, but I don't feel the connection with the entirety of their parent LPs. "Mind Bomb" is, as remarked, very prescient, and I feel a nostalgic connection in that in was the first Johnson record I heard, and at just about the right age. "Dusk" is very accomplished, but hmmm, perhaps lacking in the ambience of his best work. "Love is Stronger than Death" and "Slow Emotion Replay" and others I am no doubt forgetting are glorious songs, mind.

Hey! Oh, I'm not married to you. And I wouldn't actually call it my favourite record. But he has one of the best voices. Slow Train To Dawn, ft Neneh Cherry, is one of my fave duets ever.

fucking terrifyingly brilliant album

i need to look at that cover again:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tfD8-iNmdbA/SWvfYWG08FI/AAAAAAAABps/FXDcR-d3kOc/s400/THE+THE+%27DUSK%27+Artwork.jpg

i used to love that album when it came out but after a while i found matt johnson way of singing too solemn, too sentimental, too over the top. he was trying too hard. haven't listened to that album for more than 10 years. his best album was clearly "burning blue soul" which sounds very brute and visceral. great dark & hypnotic beats. in places it has a similar gloomy vibe as the first new order "movement". "soul mining" was great as well. the light sunny side of matt johnson.

i spent a whole evening a few weeks ago reading the long interview that johnny marr did with matt j while reslistening to this album (and the much grittier NakedSelf)
really good/informative/funny article etc.
its on the bands website if you haven't seen it.

I'm starting to firmly believe that this and NakedSelf are up there with Infected, if not even better.

i go back to the last 2 more and more.
looking forward to matts return .. surely things are fucked up enough in '09 for him to make a new album.

The song "ShrunkenMan" off the last record is COMFORTABLY inside my decade top 20, and on my #1 decade-end CD-80. Genuinely astonishing piece of music.

actually i like mind bomb, it's not really a stink bomb. but this is a top twenty album of all time for me.

i always thought slow emotion replay was like a great lost smiths song.

when you're lost and / and you're lonely / and the heat is rising / rising slowly

it's the way he enunciates it, really

How many whores have walked through that door?

This is the only The The thread I could find, and they're impossible to search for, so I'm reviving this one to mention Matt Johnson's new instrumental soundtrack to the film Tony, directed by his brother. Not exactly a new The The album, but looks like a nice package at a low price.

http://www.thethe.com

Would love to go over a general The The C or D?/S+D thread, but just spent about fifteen minutes fiddling with the search to no avail.

I used to be a Soul Mining or Mind Bomb kind of guy, but lately (past year or so) Dusk has really moved up and become easily my favorite thing he ever did. The overtone to whole thing of feeling unable to experience true love in a world gone confusingly mad is articulated so well throughout. Seems like a bleak theme for a loose concept album, but he somehow pulls it off and makes it uplifting when 'Lonely Planet' kicks in.

Love it.

Jesus Christ, I started this thread almost 10 years ago.

And everything you said still remains true.

The The: C/D, S&D

Infected > NakedSelf > Dusk > Soul Mining > Mind Bomb

NakedSelf really overlooked.

Dusk has some stellar moments. Dogs Of Lust is staggering

Soul Mining is one of the best albums by anyone ever. I'd rank them Soul Mining > Dusk > Infected > Mind Bomb. Wrote them off when they decided to do Hank Williams covers but mostly due to the horrible artwork. Guess I should get that one and Naked Self.

Has anybody heard his recent soundtrack work? Any good?

you do indeed need nakedself.

brilliant album.

If he'd cooled it on the heavy breathing -- he's like a guy willing himself to sound sleazy -- I'd have said it's a good album.

I like the heavy breathing. It's all about those vintage mics.

Hank Williams album and Nakedself totally worthwhile. I'm amazed Gun Sluts never leaked.

i love the heavy up close vocals.
matches the intensity of the music.
you can literally hear the condensation dripping down the walls.
(as per the legend - matt had no lights, and the heating on max to push the levels of intensity in the studio)
and yes, the hank williams album fits in with the bands catalogue perfectly.
i still have regrets about the one time i had a chance to go and have a chat with matt in a pub, but nerves got the better of me.

STILL CLASSIC

All the thoughts unuttered & all the feelings unexpressed
Play upon our hearts like the mist upon our breath.

man I really need to give this a listen someday, I got off the bus after Mind Bomb

crikey, nomar IS gear

/behind on everything

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8g4xoi7PM1qz6gl2.jpg

would be a dream to have this on LP but i'm not confident in the quality of the pressing relative to the high price it tends to be sold for.

I love Dogs of Lust so much

still all time slammer jam of an album but helpline operator is p cringy lyric wise. matt j was an extra in the force awakens btw and hes working on new the the music wooo!

Happy 25th birthday

He's comin back!

And yah like I said a year ago HE WAS IN FORCE AWAKENS WTF

Jesus, my first post here was from 14 years ago.

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/29793520_1999893173584852_2490787183965587059_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=f8c3db509e291d004361755e0fb30688&oe=5B695BB5

whoa!

i know i want to cry

holy wow

i have to see if i'm in town for that L.A. show

this revive prompted me to check their website for merch and this shirt is ridic

https://www.thethe.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/product_i_n_infecteddevilblackt_1.jpg

haha amazing.

Oh i only just remembered that his brother, the sleeve design and artwork chap, recently passed away.. nice to see his name on the shirt pretty prominently there. His stuff was amazing and pretty popular, especially the Soul Mining image which was always all over T shirts and such bitd.

Just saw them in Boston last night, the first gig of their US tour. Matt sounded great, an excellent set list with a healthy dose of "Dusk". I loved the film playing behind them, a Mashup of his various music videos (lots of clips of a young Matt with hair) and stuff from "The Inertia Variations".