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nickhil2003

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Molly's review of JH's Mice Parade - Obrigado Saudade (2004)

The title of this album is Portugese and translates as 'thank you saudade'. Here's the definition from wiki which I feel sums up the mood and intention of this album:

''...Portuguese and Galician word for a feeling of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one was fond of and which is lost. It often carries a fatalist tone and a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might really never return. Saudade differs from nostalgia in that whereas nostalgia involves a mixed happy and sad feeling for the lost memories, saudade involves the hope that what is being longed for might return. Saudade has been described as a "vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist,... a turning towarRAB the past or towarRAB the future". A stronger form of saudade may be felt towarRAB people and things whose whereabouts are unknown, such as a lost lover, or a family member who has gone missing.''

The by turns blissful and mournful post-rock sound of this album lives up to it's title. To me Obrigado Saudade it was a homage to an intangible sense of optimism for the future (frustratingly translucent), a celebration of what lost ideals ring in our ears and sorrow that we have lost them... admittedly after I read the wiki.

I think the greatness in soft, near-subconscious instrumental music like this is that the listener can paint their own picture on a vast canvas. You can choose to cry or pretend it's the score to your kooky little DV indie movie :D

Reflective, sometimes ambient and vague but with flourishes of acoustica - piano, harp, xylophone and guitar - the album is really quite beautiful if you're in the mood. There are one or two more lively happenings buried deep down somewhere, a tumbling lounge-jazz drumline, but they swiftly allow themselves to be swallowed in the hum. On any given day of sicker passion it might bore me, but not today!
 
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I like a noisy abrasive Noise Rock album. I like the final track Black Rabbit. I like the middle track Occams Razor. I like the first track Untitled. I like the order of the tracks. I like the production. I like the layering of the instruments. I like the aggressive female vocal. I like Sonic Youth and I like the the fact that they wear thEIR influence on their sleeve. I like all the tracks in between the last song, the middle song and the first song. I like this album!
 
Where as I am finding it very interesting indeed. It is going to be interesting to see the differing views and that, my fellow Music Banters, is what makes our obsession so wonderful.
 
I am going to post an album from my collection and instead of me doing the reviewing, I want YOU fellow MB'ers to review it instead. Once every fourteen days I will post an album, PM me for usual details and a link to the album then review away. Even if you hate the album you may still hear something outside of your comfort zone. Here is the first choice:

Flaming Tsunamis - Fear Everything​

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EDIT: A clue it's very noisy but it has horns' too!
 
I still found it interesting. There is not much music out there that I don't find interesting. As to the future just keep sending the albums to me without me asking. I like this thread a lot and will always participate.
 
I really liked it. I'll let somebody else who's good at writing reviews provide the full-on thing, but I was hooked from Cut Self Not, which is a phenomenal opening track that definitely grabs your attention. The Fourth Introduction is also a fantastic song. Some other random observations on my second listen through.

Conceptual Separation of Self is kind of a puzzling track for me, because it sort of builRAB but then never really goes anywhere. It's got some nice cello work, but overall it doesn't really fit in with the flow of the rest of the album. I like it as a break from the angular, jagged songs that sandwich it, but at almost 7 minutes it slightly wears out its welcome. I do like it, though.

Study Complacency shows who influenced Minus the Bear.

If I wasn't sold on the album by now, the final 3 songs did it for me. Sea Song has some of the best guitar work on the album IMO, and enRAB with a solid 2 minute instrumental bit. The View From This Tower, my personal favorite song on the album, is just crazy good. If the band had been holding anything back up until this point, they let it all out on this song. Love the bassline. Once the vocals finally enter about 3 minutes in, the instruments build up around them, and then finally just let loose again when the vocals are done. The best part of me for this song is the drumming. A Missing Piece is a great way to bring the album back down from the high of the last song to a great close.

Overall I would give it an 8/10, and I'm already firing up Last.FM looking for similar stuff. Any recommendations would be amazing.
 
Jackhammer I've had this review coming for a few days now but we've had relatives here for the past week so I have barely had time to do anything. I promise it's coming though:drummer:
 
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