brooklyndaddy Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 I hate to say it because I was so so excited for this album but the only songs I legitimately enjoyed and didn't want to be over already were the singles. A lot of this is just way too freeform and structureless for me. I can appreciate its beauty but it can feel VERY difficult at times to the point where I have nothing to hold onto. What makes a lot of her pre-Biophilia music work for me is that when she can add her special touch to compositional staples like like melody, sonic elements, tempo, chord progression and structure, magic happens. But a lot of this feels like expreimentation with only occasional payoff for me right now Reminds me of how I feel about Biophilia. I love the gabber and beats which pops up here and there but I just don't connect with the fluffy, wailing, dead end parts of this record. Two or Three moments of her more meditative freeform material would be great and I'd appreciate it but it's like 3/4 of the album TLDR the singles are incredible but rest is very tedious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruel Summer Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 I think for me, the only thing I don't enjoy about this record is that like half the songs could stand to be a couple minutes longer - but that's not really a bad thing to want out of an album. I almost want her to do some kind of extended mixes release, let some of the songs unravel further and let loose. Freefall is maybe the worst offender in that sense; it's already so good and yet I want so much more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyPirate Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 9/10 from The Line of Best Fit, which counts to Metacritic. A C C L A I M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shookspeare Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 very acclaimed which is an amazing sign Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathekr Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 Haven't finished the album yet but Allow truly puts in perspective how awfully mixed/mastered Utopia really is. That one really feels light like air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndresVanDeKamp Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 Listening to my vinyl now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On The Bound Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 utopia + vesp sounds bad but allow is phenomenal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndresVanDeKamp Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 Ovule sounds totally different on vinyl! Doesn’t have the beat in it, and the clarinets are much more prominent. Feels more Volta that way. Both beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flower moon Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 Going into my second full listen now and Ovule sounds great within the album. I also kinda love Mycelia but I wish it was a full song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruel Summer Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 In letting the music settle, I keep returning to Sorrowful Soil more than anything else. It's hard to overstate how much I love it - I kind of wish it was longer and had a grander climax, but I also love how it is now. The harmonies just click perfectly for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndresVanDeKamp Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 Prefer the solo version of Ancestress on the vinyl. Much more emotional for me. Excited to hear Her Mother’s House now, even though I love her daughters vocals no that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 31 minutes ago, AndresVanDeKamp said: Prefer the solo version of Ancestress on the vinyl. Much more emotional for me. Excited to hear Her Mother’s House now, even though I love her daughters vocals no that. Please let us know all the vinyl differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricFrancis Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 4 hours ago, SpaceOddity said: Me to the early reviewers hating Victimhood. Literally the best one I’m kinda disappointed but I always end up loving everything she does LOL. Last time this happened to me was with Biophilia I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikeymoonshine Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 I need more time with the album but I do really like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndresVanDeKamp Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 2 minutes ago, Roger said: Please let us know all the vinyl differences. Atopos no differences that I could tell Ovule doesn’t have the beat like I said, just the vocal loops and the clarinets and they are much more prominent ancestress solo is just so pretty! Just her voice alone, no other backup. So stunning! My copy has Fossora without the male vocals at the end, but I don’t think all the streaming versions have that anyway? Her Mother’s House has no vocals from her daughter. Both very pretty versions. Different moods too I’d say? Her daughter’s vocals add so much gorgeousness to the track it’s really hard to compare the two. Kind of reminds me of Desired Constellation choir mix?? In the best way possible. just means that I think if you like this album and have a record player you should definitely grab a copy since it’s a different listening experience and I think both versions have their pros and cons. Mind you, I’ve only listened to digital vs physical once each. I think I say I prefer the vinyl version but for obvious reasons I’m sure I’ll listen to the digital much more often and I don’t think that I’ll be missing anything when I listen to one over the other. Just different! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 1 minute ago, AndresVanDeKamp said: Atopos no differences that I could tell Ovule doesn’t have the beat like I said, just the vocal loops and the clarinets and they are much more prominent ancestress solo is just so pretty! Just her voice alone, no other backup. So stunning! My copy has Fossora without the male vocals at the end, but I don’t think all the streaming versions have that anyway? Her Mother’s House has no vocals from her daughter. Both very pretty versions. Different moods too I’d say? Her daughter’s vocals add so much gorgeousness to the track it’s really hard to compare the two. Kind of reminds me of Desired Constellation choir mix?? In the best way possible. just means that I think if you like this album and have a record player you should definitely grab a copy since it’s a different listening experience and I think both versions have their pros and cons. Mind you, I’ve only listened to digital vs physical once each. I think I say I prefer the vinyl version but for obvious reasons I’m sure I’ll listen to the digital much more often and I don’t think that I’ll be missing anything when I listen to one over the other. Just different! Thank you! And I agree that as much as I love Björk to sing alone, I feel like her daughter is an essential part for that song. Her voice is so beautiful. And I suppose that version lacks the vocals from that GMO guy in Fossora, then there must be a vinyl with his vocals in that song AND in Atopos. Because he was cut out from Atopos song too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruel Summer Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 2 minutes ago, Roger said: Thank you! And I agree that as much as I love Björk to sing alone, I feel like her daughter is an essential part for that song. Her voice is so beautiful. And I suppose that version lacks the vocals from that GMO guy in Fossora, then there must be a vinyl with his vocals in that song AND in Atopos. Because he was cut out from Atopos song too. He may not be on anything on the vinyl. Since Sindri and Ísadóra are missing, and he's missing on Fossora, I think the vinyl was pressed from mixes before she decided to include other collaborators' vocals on most of the songs. If I recall, in one of the interviews I think she mentioned that adding her children was something that happened late in the development of the album, and the lead time for vinyl lately is like six months from when they're sent for pressing to when they're fully manufactured and shipped. It's not out of the realm of possibility that she was like "yeah it's ready whatever" and sent it for pressing, then just decided to make more changes anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flower moon Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 Sorrowfully Soiled and Victimiser are skips for me Allow, Fungal City, Trolla Gabba, Fossora have grown on me a lot from first listen. HMH and Ancestress remain top tier. undecided on Freefall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam9814 Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 1 hour ago, AndresVanDeKamp said: Listening to my vinyl now! are the male vocals on the title track ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndresVanDeKamp Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 2 minutes ago, cam9814 said: are the male vocals on the title track ? No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAg Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 just over an hour til I can finally listen to this can't wait! what track is the most instantly catchy, would we say? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathekr Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 (edited) The album is great, and I feel like her most accessible in a long while. My only criticism is that the pre-release tracks are basically the best material on the album along with Her Mother's House, so there were not many awe-inspiring moments left for the album release. Edited September 30, 2022 by mathekr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruel Summer Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 5 minutes ago, JoeAg said: just over an hour til I can finally listen to this can't wait! what track is the most instantly catchy, would we say? Super tough to answer this, because the reception varies so wildly, but personally, I found Sorrowful Soil to have the catchiest and most immediate melodies. I am, however, a sucker for that specific sound. After that, I'd say maybe the title track, which of course is already out, or maybe Her Mother's House, in large part because of Ísadóra's contributions. I love it start to finish but it's not really a super catchy record, honestly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M___Dash Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 Immaculate. Her best full length project since Medulla in my opinion...Allow and Her Mouther's House brought me to tears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VENUSWAVE Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 what is this absolute mess? the vinyl has early versions of Ancespiss and Her Mother’s House with no Sindri or Dora, but has the new mix of Fossora without GMO yet the CD has both songs with the features AND the mix of Fossora with GMO vocals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts