Topic: What are you listening to right now?

@BanjoPickles I enjoy Becks weirder moments and wow stood out straight away. I'm enjoying pretty much all offerings in the album there are moments I question but on the whole I am really loving it. Great summer album for sure. I read how he was getting the producer to help write some of the lyrics as he tends to go into dark areas a lot. He didn't want to do this on this album as he referred to his back catologue like looking at a hundred pictures of himself and in all he wasn't smiling. He just wanted one picture in which he was smiling.
Job done. This is definitely a nice light jamming summer sess album.

@Filth_Element @BanjoPickles - I’ve been a fan for a long time, but really prefer his filthy, lo fi albums. One Foot In the Grave and Stereopathetic Soulmanure are my favorites. Would you compare this one to say, Modern Guilt, or is this an entirely new sound for him? I’ve always been a bit put off by his critically acclaimed albums, like Sea Change, so I guess I have a weird taste in Beck. Trying to decide if and how I’ll pick it up.

Edit: Sorry, it probably seems weird to say I’m a fan, but not sure if I’ll pick it up. I haven’t loved a Beck album since Guero, so I guess I like the first half of his discography.

I love me some goa or psytrance especially if its winter but nothing beats the own consciousness in deep super mario mode.

@Jhena - I meant to reply to #125. Isn’t it amazing the healing and uplifting powers of music? When my younger brother died, I went out to my car every night after dinner for weeks and listened to albums while scream singing along, drinking, and crying. When I emerged from my cocoon of sadness, I was as whole as I’ll ever be without him, and I have music to thank for that. In many ways, that process made me a better, stronger person. Thanks for sharing.

@bimmy-lee My sympathies and I thank you for sharing your story. When people leave you its definitely nice to have at least the music at your side. Its kind of sad that we often need deep negative experiences to get stronger. But it also shows our unyielding nature. Keep your spirits up^^

Just listened to ash the author two man band album. Dope UK Hip Hop

@Jhena - Thanks, it was a decade ago now. We all have our trials by fire, and music can be a sip of cool water that helps you through. I believe we all experience the same suffering, it’s just relative to the individual. It makes for great art and music at least.

@bimmy-lee Yes im sure everyone with a human consciousness experiences it similar. Thats why even the easiest of lives on the light side is infinitely harder than the hardest of lives on the dark side. Even so being alive is definitely more worth it. We should appreciate our lifes and consciousness i think its divine.

@bimmy-lee hey man, sorry to hear what you had to go through. I'm a big believer that music can make our life better and can continuously give us a new perspective on both life and death.

As for Beck, I was a fan up until Mutations, maybe even Midnite Vultures, but when he released Sea Change I personally thought it was mediocre. It's not bad but it's a very very easy record, you know, simple songs with verses and false choruses, and at the end of the day it was rather unexciting and shallow, despite the lyrical themes.

You can do that kind of stuff Beck tried to do on Sea Change but you have to be a better songwriter than he is. He's very good at either being the schizophrenic sound wizard (Mellow Gold, Odelay etc) or the throwaway singer/songwriter (the two indie records) but with Sea Change he tried to make a deeper album, entirely based on the quality of the songs and the lyrics without smokes and mirrors, and it fell flat.

The following albums, I never really cared for. Heard the singles on the radio, thought he was conforming more and more to a commercial MTV/mainstream sound that didn't mean much to me and wasn't really representative of what he stood for in the past either. And the songs kept getting shallower and shallower.

An example of 'that' kind of album Sea Change wanted to be but could not, is Mark Eitzel's "Caught in a Trap and I Can't Back Out 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby" (1998). Beck is a wizard but in order to do stuff like that you have to be a proper songwriter.

@spizzamarozzi - Thank you. I wasn’t sure if I should share as I don’t want to appear as though I’m asking for sympathy (and thereby tarnishing his memory), but it fit well with what Jhena had said previously.

I think you’re on point with your Beck criticism. I like every album where he doesn’t take himself seriously and dislike the albums when he does. Those albums come across as watered down Radiohead Light, which does nothing for me. I came across a copy of his first demo (The Banjo Story) years ago, and I like it as much as any of his albums.

I was just sampling some Mark Eitzel and liked what I heard. Can you recommend any of his other albums as well? The songs I sampled were all quite different. Thanks!

My playlist is always on a shuffle point as it depends on my mood.I love to listen, Selena, I am in the market diamond and Taylor's melody voice look what you do to me.

Listening to a self titled, posthumous album by Eric Dolphy with guest artist Cannonball Adderly. Abstract bebop bliss.

@bimmy-lee

I think that I just like Beck in general (even though The Information totally left me unimpressed).

I do love his lo-fi albums, but I will always hold a special affection for Odelay, Mutations (We Live Again is one of my favorite songs of his), Sea Change, and this new one. It's impressive, how good he still is!

AC/DC Highway to Hell

@bimmy-lee this album is probably the poppiest album yet. If your not a fan of stuff sounding more mainstream then I'd listen to this with caution.

I personally enjoy all his stuff even if it doesn't hit the dizzying heights of his past albums there is still merit in them. I hear the criticism and get it to some degree but to ignore the pure simple beauty of tracks like Broken Drum is just silly. 😉

Watched Pennywise last night in Brisbane the pit was amazing people were really friendly didn't stop it being insane though. Rescued four people lol.

The support were Bronx who I've never invested much time into as I kinda like their stuff but don't love it.... but they were great live wish I knew the songs a bit better but they primed that pit really well for the main act. The frontman was good to at getting everyone up and moving.
The sound was ok, stand in the wrong place and it was awful think that was more venue than anything but centre in front was good so of course within the pit really fine sound wise.

Pennywise played Full Circle album in full plus extras and of course finished with Bro Hym which of course is always a special moment if you've ever been in the crowd.... or rushing the stage! The boys also played a Violent Soho cover which was sweet and a laughable cover of Down Under 😂

Just f ing hangin now. Rough as! Gotta get in the car and drive 3.5 hrs up the coast home now🤢

@Filth_Element - I picked it up this week, quick and dirty, via digital. I like it. I haven’t listened to it enough to know where it falls in my Beck ranks, but it’s good. I think the stand out tracks so far for me are the tunes you and BanjoPickles discussed. I like pop-y Beck. Not as much as Lo Fi Beck, but much more than Radiohead Beck.

Really enjoyed your post about the Pennywise show. I’ve watched them on YT. Looks like a lot of fun. I actually envy your long drive home. I love a good drive after a show to just mile out the electric buzz of a raucous time. Thanks.

Like a Virgin by tama_happytone from DDR Extreme USA PS2

@bimmy-lee ah nice one man. Glad your enjoying the album.
Thanks for the comment on the gig post!
Our car discussion was mainly how a band can be so entertaining without the need for a "show". Whereas big artists do a big stage show during their performance a band be it Indy, punk, pub rock, blues whatever is just music and appreciation. There was a lot of love in there last night and not too many phone screens in the air lol... the way it should be really.

They were great live and the post show CD's were Pennywise obvs lol. Listened to Refused latest album and we reminisced over their gig in January, then Rise Against' (they are playing next January I think) album was Black Market and finished on Frenzal Rhombs latest too. The journey was quick and easy which is great and now I'm gonna sleep and play Mario's latest lol. Not necessarily in that order.