Album Club - Week 5

[Gnomicide]

4 hours ago, John the Moth said:

.... but if it were on in the background I’d likely not notice.

😁 I've made a note of that one for future use.

[Quark]

The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle

Did it sound as I expected? Pretty much, yep
Overall thoughts? I grew up with a lot of 60s music in the house, not necessarily albums but a lot of compilations, and Sunday lunch was always soundtracked by Pick Of The Pops, so a lot of this sounded really familiar even though I'd never listened to more than one track on here.  Not going to try and call out who influenced who, but you can really hear bands like Moody Blues, early Pink Floyd, Beach Boys, Small Faces, Procul Harum and The Kinks in there. Some of it's more obvious musical styles, others in that storytelling lyrical style.  Interestingly I think there are songs on there that wouldn't sound out of place on some modern albums (albeit with a little production tweaking), but then tracks like Changes and Friends of Mine really sound dated. Yep, enjoyed this.
Favourite Track? Time Of The Season is the obvious one, but loved Beechwood Park as well.
Would I listen to it again? Yep, but I'll probably skip a few tracks.
Will I investigate them further? I'll probably go back and check out their first album, yes.
Score out of 5  3

[northernringo]

42 minutes ago, Quark said:

Will I investigate them further? I'll probably go back and check out their first album, yes.

It is also a brilliant album so I would recommend doing that!

[Haan]

The Zombies - Odyssey and the Oracle

Did it sound as I expected? yup, sounds very 60s!
Overall thoughts? I enjoyed it a lot! I've not heard much music from this era, in fact the only Beatles album I've heard is revolver (which blew my mind), so I really liked this pick. Some it does sound a bit samey, but as I've not heard much psychedelic stuff like this I got behind it all. Also, I really liked the cover art, love all the colours.
Favourite Track? Time of the Season, I feel like I've heard it before in movies and stuff? and A Rose for Emily
Would I listen to it again? Yup
Will I investigate them further? Yeah, and other stuff around that time period in general I think
Score out of 5  3.5

 

Lane 8 - Brightest Lights

"did you enjoy it?" Not as much as I hoped unfortunately 
"If this isn't something that would normally be your thing, did you find it any different to how you expected?" I have been getting into electronic music a lot more over the past few years but for me, this kinda felt a bit lacking at times. I think I was expecting some Bonobo-type stuff so yeah it was quite different to what to what I expected. I thought the track Road was p sick tho!

Edited March 19, 2021 by Haan

[EighteenSixty7]

I’m preferring Lane 8 at the moment but it’s more to my taste. The title track is just lovely. 

[Gnomicide]

The Zombies - Odyssey and the Oracle

Did it sound as I expected? Couldn't sound more 60s if it tried, so yes.

Overall thoughts? I was sort of disappointed, Time of The Season is a bona-fide classic and I liked what I head while getting wasted on the benches outside Avalon as they played but there was a lot that sounded very dated (obviously) but not in a good way.

Favourite Track? Time of the Season. They hit paydirt with that one and hats off to them.

Would I listen to it again? Maybe

Will I investigate them further? Possibly. I think I'd go for a Best of though.

Score out of 5 

3

 

Lane 8 - Brightest Lights

"did you enjoy it?" 

No. It was fucking dreadful.

What's its purpose? No-one can be thinking "You know what, I'd love to go and see Lane 8 and the USBs giving it loads to a massive crowd. Everyone would be really up for some of that pulsing electronica / woozy glitch-pop. It'll be mental." Shite.

"If this isn't something that would normally be your thing, did you find it any different to how you expected?"

No but I was kind of hoping I may be caught off guard and be pleasantly surprised. I wasn't. Jesus, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. 

Score out of 5

1. But only because zero isn't a option.

Other than than that, good choice Quark.

 

[Quark]

2 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

The Zombies - Odyssey and the Oracle

Did it sound as I expected? Couldn't sound more 60s if it tried, so yes.

Overall thoughts? I was sort of disappointed, Time of The Season is a bona-fide classic and I liked what I head while getting wasted on the benches outside Avalon as they played but there was a lot that sounded very dated (obviously) but not in a good way.

Favourite Track? Time of the Season. They hit paydirt with that one and hats off to them.

Would I listen to it again? Maybe

Will I investigate them further? Possibly. I think I'd go for a Best of though.

Score out of 5 

3

 

Lane 8 - Brightest Lights

"did you enjoy it?" 

No. It was fucking dreadful.

What's its purpose? No-one can be thinking "You know what, I'd love to go and see Lane 8 and the USBs giving it loads to a massive crowd. Everyone would be really up for some of that pulsing electronica / woozy glitch-pop. It'll be mental." Shite.

"If this isn't something that would normally be your thing, did you find it any different to how you expected?"

No but I was kind of hoping I may be caught off guard and be pleasantly surprised. I wasn't. Jesus, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. 

Score out of 5

1. But only because zero isn't a option.

Other than than that, good choice Quark.

 

Knowing full well that you'd absolutely hate it, I'm made up that you went to the trouble of insulting it properly.

[a6l6e6x]

The Zombies

Did it sound as I expected? Not at all. I never really knew who the Zombies were and in my head they were a punk band. Very unexpected
Overall thoughts? It's unfortunately not a good fit for me. I don't get on with psychadelia and although I can appreciate others would definitely like this it's not one I would choose to listen to
Favourite Track? Time of the Season
Would I listen to it again? No
Will I investigate them further? No
Score out of 5:  2

Lane 8

Did you enjoy it? Yes, I am quite selective with this kind of music but this did click with me. Can see it being a great soundtrack in the summer evenings with a few beers. If I saw them on a line up I'd probably make an effort to go and watch and I've added to my spotify artists to revisit. 4/5
 

[EighteenSixty7]

It's late but the Zombies album is finally clicking

[John the Moth]

Only 8 voters this week 😞

[foolee]

3 hours ago, John the Moth said:

Only 8 voters this week 😞

We aren’t going to have anybody left soon 😂

[ghandi]

he Zombies - Odessey and Oracle

Did it sound as I expected? The date of '68 and the Zombies should have given it way, i wasn't sure what it would be, though 'Time of the season' should have pointed to a ' flower power' pychodelia 'ish' sound.

Overall thoughts? Aside from ' A rose for Emily' and ' Time of the Season' i thought it lacked a melody in most of the other tracks, although i do appreciate that for the times it was pretty experimental. Would i be harsh in saying it was 'Sergeant Peppers' without melody? Certainly heard some 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds' in there somewhere. it was released in 1968, a year after Sergeant peppers, and heck you can excuse any band at that time not taking some influence from that album. 

Favourite Track? Time Of The Season and A Rose for Emily
Would I listen to it again? I would doubt it, although i love the single taken from it.
Will I investigate them further? No
Score out of 5  2

[ghandi]

Lane 8 - Brightest Lights

Did it sound as I expected? No, nothing gave it way in the title
Overall thoughts? During the 90's i went to many an Ambient club night and most of the tracks on this album sounded very much like floor filler music that would be played in said club. I could also imagine it being played as back drop music in the 'Cafe del Mar' in Ibiza. It was pleasant enough to listen too but wasn't really anything new.
Favourite Track? ' Brightest Lights' and ' Shooting Arrows'
Would I listen to it again? No
Will I investigate them further? No
Score out of 5  2

[gigpusher]

I have listened to both but haven't really had time to do a full write up. 

I could do with a more focussed listen to them to pick favourite tracks etc as they have both been mostly background listening but have enjoyed them both and will keep listening. 

[maelzoid]

15 hours ago, John the Moth said:

Only 8 voters this week 😞

I am listening to the picks, but don't like voting on music like this. I used to be a "this music is good. This music is bad." kind of guy. But as I've er... matured, I suppose, I'm much more a "This music is for me. This music is not for me." kind of guy. It's just recognising that music I don't like can also be good. So it seems a bit mean to mark something down just because it doesn't rock my world.

For the record I have only listened to Lane 8 so far this week. It's not for me. But I don't really listen to much modern electronica (I listen to some 'old' electronica like Tangerine Dream) so I'm not best placed to judge its quality. It was fine, but it kind of washed over me without leaving a great impact. A bit background music tbh. I kind of hate to dismiss it like that knowing that others have really enjoyed it.

I have been following this whole series and listened to nearly all of the albums on offer. Most of them have not been for me, but I'm still glad to listen to new stuff. At least now I know that if Let's Kill Grandma play a festival, I probably don't need to see them...

[EssexIndie]

Sorry - can't get into a full review this week, lots going on and struggling to find the time - but I gave each selection a couple of listens so some brief thoughts below:

The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle - really enjoyed on first listen. Love the whole 60s psychedelica sound anyway and definitely feel that the strength of this album would encourage me to visit their other stuff.

Score 4/5

Lane 8 - Brightest Lights - sorry, I wanted to like it on the strength and passion of the recommendation, but its just not the type of music that I enjoy listening to. Nothing offensive and I wouldn't actively avoid it but I didn't get any enjoyment out of listening to it either.

Score 2/5

[Quark]

59 minutes ago, EssexIndie said:

Sorry - can't get into a full review this week, lots going on and struggling to find the time - but I gave each selection a couple of listens so some brief thoughts below:

The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle - really enjoyed on first listen. Love the whole 60s psychedelica sound anyway and definitely feel that the strength of this album would encourage me to visit their other stuff.

Score 4/5

Lane 8 - Brightest Lights - sorry, I wanted to like it on the strength and passion of the recommendation, but its just not the type of music that I enjoy listening to. Nothing offensive and I wouldn't actively avoid it but I didn't get any enjoyment out of listening to it either.

Score 2/5

Ah bless you, never apologise for not liking something!

TBH I kinda knew that it was something that would go one way or the other with people, so was expecting some of you to really not like it 😄

[gigpusher]

2 hours ago, maelzoid said:

I am listening to the picks, but don't like voting on music like this. I used to be a "this music is good. This music is bad." kind of guy. But as I've er... matured, I suppose, I'm much more a "This music is for me. This music is not for me." kind of guy. It's just recognising that music I don't like can also be good. So it seems a bit mean to mark something down just because it doesn't rock my world.

For the record I have only listened to Lane 8 so far this week. It's not for me. But I don't really listen to much modern electronica (I listen to some 'old' electronica like Tangerine Dream) so I'm not best placed to judge its quality. It was fine, but it kind of washed over me without leaving a great impact. A bit background music tbh. I kind of hate to dismiss it like that knowing that others have really enjoyed it.

I have been following this whole series and listened to nearly all of the albums on offer. Most of them have not been for me, but I'm still glad to listen to new stuff. At least now I know that if Let's Kill Grandma play a festival, I probably don't need to see them...

Yes I'm a bit with you on this. I like to talk about what I love rather than grumble about what I don't and if I don't really love or hate I don't feel I have much to add. I'm also the sort of person who will watch or listen to most things given the circumstances so for most of the questions like Would I check them out at a festival will be a yes even if I didn't love them but they just wouldn't likely make the cut based on clashes. 

[EighteenSixty7]

Both get a 4/5 for me this week.

Lane 8 is right up my street and I might even end up buying it further down the line. Perfect summer music.

The Zombies took a while but it is lovely, something different for me.

[waltere]

A little late to the party this week, but here goes:

THE ZOMBIES

Did it sound as I expected? I knew of and about the album despite not having listened to it before, so pretty much
Overall thoughts? I kind of wish I could hear this "new" in the context of the time it came out, when I'm sure would have been boundary-pushing and interesting, as I don't feel it has aged amazingly well, and listening to it through modern ears it sounds, to me at least, quite dated. Has to be said though that I'm not the biggest fan of the sort of whimsical, quirky 60s psychedelia that this very much is (one song mentions both peppermint and raspberry!), as I find it all a little bit twee.
Favourite Track? Butcher's Tale, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact it feels like it's been parachuted in from an entirely separate album.
Would I listen to it again? Probably not
Will I investigate them further? Unlikely
Score out of 5?    2

 

LANE 8

A bit of an odd one this, the first few tracks seem to be going for more of the ambient-type electronica sound, but then it starts going to places where it would sound fabulous in a full on rave (most of Sunday Song, the last minute or so of The Gift), and once it's done that so well, to then to go back to the more ambient realm leaves me, despite enjoying the more low-key stuff, wishing we were staying with the ravier sounds. Each individual piece is well done, and I do like (at least) most of the tracks, but sort of wished they hadn't been put together in the order they had - it felt a bit like going from 1AM in the rave, to three hours later at the afters, and then back into the middle of the rave. Oddly enough therefore I think it's a rare album that is, for me at least, less than the sum of parts.

[zero000]

Also late to the part but manage to actually listen to both albums this week. Haven't had much time to put my thoughts together but here I go.

 

The Zombies 

Not usually a big fan of the whole 60s psychedelia thing (the Beatles leave me cold), so this isn't something I would be reaching for usually. I found it ok. Seems fairly tepid by modern standards, but I'm not sure if that's due to the more minimal 60s production. No obvious stand out tracks for me. 2/5

Lane 8

This is much more in my lane and I really enjoyed the 1st half of the album. I feel there was a significant drop off in quality for the second half of the record, which kind of blurred into one for me. Sunday Sun was my highlight and I love the Policia features. 3/5

[fred quimby]

Late to reply

Zombies - Sounded as I remember listening to them. Some good tracks in there but as an whole album I did want it to just finish. Small doses i think but not really sure I will go back to them, unless my brother produces on of the LPS he has. Great example though of the music at the time. 

 

Lane 8 - Well on paper as I stated in the thread this could well be for me. Love the singers they use especially from Arctic Lake and Policia. I have listened a few times.

Not for me in the end. It was like the middle class version of Electronica, very very safe. The Dido of Electronica. And there is nothing wrong with that at all

However, as with most things there were some good tracks that, without having to listen to the rest, will be very nice at the right time and will end up on a playlist here and there.

 

I do find that with most albums though that picking out certain tracks is the way to go. Not sure some of these grab me as I listen to them all the way through. Maybe if a choose a few tracks let them grow and then go in for a full listen they may work better, time though sadly is never on my side.