Album Club - Week 3

[Gnomicide]

Slowdive.

Was it horrific?
No

Did it sound as I expected?
Yes and no. I thought there'd be something a little more Jesus and Mary Chain about them for some reason.

Overall thoughts
I sort of liked it but the last thing I was expecting was that it would be nice.  Particularly vocally it's all quite... pleasant. Now I don't know if this is a thing with shoegaze in general but I feel like the more upbeat songs (if you can call them that) would be better if the singer had a rocket up their arse. Obviously it's all meant to sound like this and I'm missing the point but there you go.
The general sound was good but needed more oomph. I'm intrigued as to what their gigs are like, is it all a bit chin strokey or do they crank it up to an army of slow motion stage divers?

Would I watch them at a festival?
Yes, if I happened to be at the right stage when they came on.

Would I listen to it again?
Yes, but probably as background music while I work or do a bit of gardening. 

Will I investigate further?
No.

Score out of 5
3

Edited March 3, 2021 by Gnomicide

[EighteenSixty7]

On 3/2/2021 at 5:09 PM, st dan said:

How are people playing this so far then? Dedicate the first few days to just one album and then swap? Or mixing up between listens?

Just trying to gauge which is the best way to give each one a fair crack of the whip. 

It differs form me week on week. I’ll give each an initial listen then take it from there. If there’s one I think I’ll struggle to get into then I’ll focus on that first. 
 

That first track on Slowdive is stunning and sets the tone for the album. From there I’m hooked. 

[foolee]

The Travelling Band

Was it horrific?
No.

Did it sound as I expected?
I hadn't heard of them before so didn't know what to expect at all. 

Overall thoughts
Thought it was quite good considering I've never heard of them. Gave me James and indie vibes with a bit of a twist. 

Would I watch them at a festival?
Depending on my mood and if I was close to where they were playing I would. 

Would I listen to it again?
Yes. 

Will I investigate them further?
If I find time too I will.

Score out of 5
3


Slowdive
Was it horrific?
No. 

Did it sound as I expected?
Pretty much.

Overall thoughts
It was okay, I thought it started well but got a little bit boring and started to get disinterested as it went on. Think it would be perfect to listen to when travelling or chilling and something to have on in the background. 

Would I watch them at a festival?
Probably not. 

Would I listen to it again?
Yes.

Will I investigate them further?
Probably not.

Score out of 5
3

[John the Moth]

The Travelling Band -Sails

Was it horrific?No

Did it sound as I expected? Pretty much

Overall thoughts Reminded me of a few bands, e.g. I Am Kloot. Very listenable, but I didn’t really take to vocals, on a few tracks thought them a bit too whiny/nasally for my taste. I thought the musicianship was very accomplished technically, but they’ve yet to find their art.

Would I watch them at a festival? Why not?

Would I listen to it again? Maybe

Will I investigate them further? I’ll keep an eye out for future releases, but won’t rush to check out the back catalogue 

3 out of 5

 

Slowdive - Slowdive

Was it horrific? No
Did it sound as I expected? Absolutely. I played this on first release
Overall thoughts Wonderfull stuff, soaring soundscapes that just carried me away, No anthemic, singalong bangers, though and no real standouts to reflect on after its finished. That’s not what this album is about though for me... it’s about getting lost in the atmosphere of it all. 
Would I watch them at a festival? Yes
Would I listen to it again? Yes, but it won’t be on heavy rotation, very much need to be in the mood.
Will I investigate them further? Probably 
4 out of 5

[EighteenSixty7]

Sails is nice background music, it doesn’t quite grip me yet. 

[Haan]

Sails

Was it horrific? Nope

Did it sound as I expected? Kinda, I had never heard of them but I assumed indie

Overall thoughts When I first heard it I did not expect to enjoy it as much I do now. Getting better with every listen! I do think  there is a small lull at Loser and Unlike You but it picks back up after that.

Would I watch them at a festival? Yup

Would I listen to it again? Yup

Will I investigate them further? Probably yeah!

Score out of 5  4

 

Slowdive

Was it horrific? Nope

Did it sound as I expected? I have never listened to shoegaze before so I actually had no idea what it was gonna sound like
Overall thoughts It sounds very ethereal, and just like with Sails I find myself enjoying it more each listen. I think I agree with @Homerin that it makes for a lovely pandemic listen. I think this something to listen to over and over again, I keep picking up little details here and there. I need to take in the lyrics a bit more but yeah, really loving this.

Would I watch them at a festival? Defo

Would I listen to it again? Yup

Will I investigate them further? Yup

Score out of 5 4.5 (I can't bring myself to rate an album a perfect 5 unless I've sat with it for like a year)

[Gnomicide]

So... yer Travelling Band. If you like what you've heard, give this Glastonbury filmed video a look.

 

[EssexIndie]

Sails

Was it horrific? No!

Did it sound as I expected? Hadn’t ever heard of them before so had no real expectations.

Overall thoughts Nice sound. Found it a bit same-y in places to be honest, but still a decent album to listen to.

Would I watch them at a festival? If it was sunny it would be perfect music to listen to mid afternoon with a cold cider to keep me company 

Would I listen to it again? Yeah

Will I investigate them further? Possibly

Score out of 5  3/5

 

Slowdive

Was it horrific? No, the opposite!

Did it sound as I expected? Again, difficult as I hadn’t heard anything that the band had done before (although I have heard of them). 

Overall thoughts very nice! I’ve heard of the band before but never really investigated their music. Really nice chilled out sound with enough change of pace to keep entertained. Needs to be heard as a full album, no skipping songs here! Can see me becoming a fan of the band.

Would I watch them at a festival? Yes

Would I listen to it again? Yes, and looking forward to it

Will I investigate them further? Already on my to do list for next week!

Score out of 5 4/5

[Homer]

On 3/3/2021 at 10:10 PM, EighteenSixty7 said:

That first track on Slowdive is stunning and sets the tone for the album. From there I’m hooked. 

You may enjoy this
 

 

[a6l6e6x]

The travelling band

 

Was it horrific? - No
Did it sound as I expected? - Based on the description in OP, yes
Overall thoughts - Some good parts but bits of the album lost my attention
Would I watch them at a festival? - Probably not
Would I listen to it again? - I really liked Leftover Lines so yeah I'd probably spin that again
Will I investigate them further? - No
Score out of 5 - 2. It's not really my kind of thing but there were a couple of good tracks. Would happily have it on in the background

[ghandi]

 

•  

 

 

Slowdive.

Was it horrific?
No

Did it sound as I expected?
I'm  not sure if it was as i would have expected. I expected it to be middle of the road, i guess it is. 

Overall thoughts
I started a playlist years ago on Spotify called ' Lazy Sunday morning' , it started as the title, with all my fave lazy tracks for a Sunday morning. It's sort of grown from that, but this is the type of music i would associate wit the title, it's the sort of music to have in the background. favorite tracks would be 'Slow Roving' and No longer making time'.

Would I watch them at a festival?
Yes, if I happened to be at the right stage when they came on.

Would I listen to it again?
Yes, but probably as background music while I work or do a bit of gardening. 

Will I investigate further?
No.

Score out of 5
3

[waltere]

Travelling Band

Was it horrific? No
Did it sound as I expected? Gnomicide described it pretty accurately, so yes. I do think that the album cover suggests to me a more 'electronic' sound somehow though.
Overall thoughts I liked it, but fairly passively, if that makes sense? It was a pleasant listening experience but I kept sort of wanting something with a bit more 'oomph' to come along and really grab me. Oddly/appropriately enough for a band called Travelling Club I felt like it would be a good album for listening to on a long train journey watching the scenery go by.
Would I watch them at a festival? If it was sunny and I was in the mood I would
Would I listen to it again? Potentially
Will I investigate them further? Unlikely
Score out of 5 A solid 3

 

Slowdive

Similarly to the other album this week it struck me as a pleasant listening experience but without having that thing that really grabs you and hooks you in. It's by no means a knock at all, but this is an album I'd listen to whilst doing something else (if Travelling Band was for a train journey, for some reason this felt like an album to cook with for me) rather than just straight up listening to it.

[Quark]

Bit slack on my listening last week.

Sails - The Travelling Band

Was it horrific? Certainly not
Did it sound as I expected? Mostly, maybe a bit more...indie than I expected from Gnom.
Overall thoughts  Liked this.  Gave it a good few listens through, and felt no urge to turn it off or skip any tracks. At the same time, there's not much about it that really stuck in my mind or hooked me in, although I did really like Wasted Eyes. Solid enough
Would I watch them at a festival? Yep I imagine so. Good live rep so why not?
Would I listen to it again? Probably, yep. I'm going through one of my periodic switches back towards guitar music at the moment, so I can see this getting revisited.
Will I investigate them further? Again, yep I think so. Gnom's been kind enough to recommend where to start.
Score out of 5 I'd give it a 3.5

Slowdive - Slowdive

In the same boat as Homer here.  Despite being of the correct age the shoegaze / dreampop sound really passed me by at the time, but I've been really enjoying the recent resurgence. They're a band I knew I "should" check out as on paper I'd absolutely love it, and this didn't disappoint. The soundscapes are just gorgeous, I love that heavy reverb echoing sound, and while they do't exactly have any bangers they're a band I can absolutely see myself getting lost in at a live set. It's also really interesting to hear their clear influences on bands like Cigarettes After Sex, Thyla, Jetstream Pony and Bdrmm. Will definitely be exploring further. It's a very strong 4 from me.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Quark

[EighteenSixty7]

Album 1

3/5

Good easy listening that just didn't quite grip me but one I will revisit when I need something different to stick on.

 

Album 2

4/5

This was a good chance to revisit this and remind myself why I bought the album. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish on each listen and I need to listen to the album more regularly.

[a6l6e6x]

Slowdive

Quite liked this one, never really come across them before which is odd considering how long they've been around (excluding hiatus). Will give this a few listens as it feels like it may grow on me even more but for now I'd give it a 3/5. Good choice