Thavius Beck - Dialogue

ADDEUM - I am stupid but now I figured out how to log in

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PRESENTING

ANGRY DRAGON NOTEPAD REVIEWS

this time it's personal

and no sendspace file again
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today we have a record from my favourite avant-hop label, Mush Records, you should check them out, they have pretty solid stuff

(what's the record?)

DIALOGUE

(who's it by?)

THAVIUS BECK

(when)

2010 you jammy bastards

First off you should know this is hip-hop. If you are one of those people who listens to "everything but hip-hop and country" you may turn off now but first know YOU'RE A FUCKING IDIOT. REALLY. HAVE YOU NEVER LISTENED TO THE PEDAL STEEL GUITAR IT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUND AND WHERE DO YOU HEAR IT OUTSIDE OF COUNTRY

actually Red Sparowes have a pedal steel, good band

anyway, sorry, i don't usually swear but really

hip-hop, yeah. I am one of those pretentious white-kid hip-hop listeners who mostly listens for the beats rather than the lyrics, and does not comprehend gangsta rap, although hip-hop before the advent of the sampler is also quite interesting; and if you are one of these pretentious listeners like me then I think Dialogue is probably for you. Let's seeeee

an excerpt from the press release

"Impressively Thavius also raps over his own beats, nailing the abstracted style of Mush artists like Aesop Rock, his peer Saul Williams or even El-P."

Yes, he does rap, (apparently he is mostly known as a beat producer) but really he shouldn't. I judge rapping by two things, since I don't listen to all the words - Is their voice cool and unique? Do they pull the occasional awesome line that you'll notice even not listening super-closely, like a sort of hook line?

according to no-name the above paragraph is a crazy way to listen but it is what I do; it is not like I am ignoring the words but more that I am not reading the lyrics booklet along with it. I DUNNO.

Thavius does neither of these things, so he's boring. I am on the eighth song of fifteen in another runthrough and I have not noticed a witty line yet. DISAPPOINTING, THAVIUS. You might have cool lines buried in there but if you're not bringing them to prominence you're not doing it right. And his voice is pretty black-guy generic also. NO IT'S NOT RACISM, SURELY YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Incidentally he's just disclaiming themes like "violence is bad" "money causes problems" "this beat is sick" I am not bringing anything to the table is what he is actually saying. Oh for water storage, and a poet like desert.

I've just found I overuse the word "basically". If you see it anywhere in my reviews please point it out, I no longer want to use it.
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Now, bad rap? isn't that all hip-hop is? why should I listen to this album, you say

the reason is some of the backing music is as brutal as hip-hop gets. Take "Violence", built on a cascade of processed cut-up snares, distorted bass hits, and weird acidic lines. It's like half-time breakcore. Half or double-time elements are a large part of the album's atmosphere and they're what gives it such a frenetic edge - "And The Beat Goes On" starts off with a hissy chiptune arpeggio speeding up to like WHOA FAST and then the drums and clapping sample and guitar all come in at half time and it's really good, it still sounds like it's at the faster speed.

So, DOES DOUBLE-TIME HIP-HOP SOUND GOOD TO YOU? That's the only recommendation I have of this album. It's not actually very good, and I reckon somebody else is likely to do it way better - but I have not heard anything like it, so it's of definite sleeper interest.

Boy, this review was less angry than the last one. I need to listen to some terrible music. somebody recommend some, or i'll just find some myself probably. NOBODY READS THIS BLOG ANYWAY

L

here's a mediafire link apparently, thank you google

http://www.mediafire.com/file/w2mzzjzzmzf/Thavius_Beck_-_Dialogue__2009_.rar

Fred Frith - Cheap at Half Price

PRESENTTTTTING

ANGRY DRAGON NOTEPAD REVIEWS

COURTESY OF NO-NAME AND HIS BLOG

WRITTEN REALLY FAST AND BADLY

i think this is going to be slightly different however because the music will not be in a sendspace file because I am too lazy to do this, SORRY PEOPLE i am sure you can find it if you really think it sounds interesting

support the artist yadda yadda

anyway

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Today's album under consideration is this piece of stuff from avant-jazzer

FRED FRITH

and the album is called

CHEAP AT HALF THE PRICE

which you probably already saw in the title but it bears restating

NOW WHAT IS THIS THING YOU ASK---

CHEAP AT HALF THE PRICE is an album from this guy who was renowned for doing really avant-prog heavy stuff with the outfit Henry Cow and a couple of other things, and I saw a youtube video of him playing fiddle melodies while alternating using the fiddle as a drumstick hilarious BUT THIS ISN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL. There aren't even any crazy electroimprov noises in it WHAT IT IS is this weird pop album that he put on a four track tape recorder and there is lots of whimsical casio keyboard noises and violin and singing and stuff, it's all so whimsical you could

SCOOP IT UP

and serve it on a plate. you know that sort of thing.

let us look at individual tracks like a real reviewer

SOME CLOUDS DON'T is the first track and like all the tracks here it has a tape loop of a drumming practice tape and casio sounds and REALLY WHINY HIGH PITCHED SINGING counterpointed by VERY LOW PITCHED SINGING and basically that's most of the tracks here. The bass playing is really very good and sometimes Fred starts shouting like in TRUE LOVE (YOU BROKE THE GLASSES, YOU BROKE THE PLATES, YOU SAID, I DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY)

so yeah, most of the tracks are like this.

the real good parts are when there's guitar solos, like in the third track I think because Fred Frith is an AVANT GUITAR GUY and playing conventionally his stuff is nice actually. the worst parts are when it is trying to be avant-garde again with horns and shit because that's not what this is about. pop hooks man

also i've never really understood the claims of it being low fidelity i kinda like the effect really

IMPORTANT NOTE: this was made in 1983. thus it's probably the first of it's kind but nobody cared back then. GREAT JOB INNNOVATR

SO, TO SUM UP

DO YOU LIKE WHIMSICAL SINGER SONGWRITERS

DO YOU LIKE HOMOGENOUS ALBUMS i dunno how you spell that BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

DO YOU LIKE THE SNARE RUSHRUSHRUSHRUSH

if you like all of these three get this album and don't blame me for it

L