The N&G Listening Club V1 - Archive only

Looks like you guys get to hear from me this week, which has proven to be both an exciting and daunting decision for me. It’s funny. Here I am a 42-year-old music nerd chipping away at an MFA in creative writing and I have always struggled to write about music. It’s almost something too personal and sacred to me. To apply language to art is, of course, something we do. We all do it here all the time. I guess to do it in this kind of way, insinuating that a larger group of people should take it in at my behest, gives me a mild amount of anxiety and fear of not doing the work justice with my personal description and opinion of it. In thinking more about how I was feeling, the album choice became clear and connected to it all.

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Typhoon, a band I was largely unfamiliar with, released “Offerings” in the early weeks of 2018 and it was met with very little fanfare or attention. The album weaves a tale of someone losing their memory. In other ways it could be thought of as a collective loss of identity. I’ve wondered over the past year if perhaps the album got a bit lost and overlooked because of what society is already bombarded with on a daily basis. I don’t want to go into a whole tangent on the general state of things, but I do wonder if the theme of this album was just too much for the masses to take a deep dive into as they already felt immersed in constant anxiety and a tenuous grasp of belonging in the modern world. I took the dive anyway. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest thing to wrestle with as I had my own “stuff” happening at the time, but this album fully clicked with me and I listened to it almost solely for a solid month of winter in Maine. It was a perfect soundtrack to sub-zero wind chills, feet of snow, and watching the natural world chill itself into seasonal stasis.

So now, here we are, on the opposite side of the solstice. I won’t invite you to envision the time and place in which I found this album, but I am very curious to hear how it resonates with all of you. I want to know how this album makes you feel and what it makes you think about. It clearly left a mark on me, and I am excited to see if it has a lasting impression on any of you. And if the listen in not as deeply moving as all of that, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
 
sjaygray said:
Looks like you guys get to hear from me this week, which has proven to be both an exciting and daunting decision for me. It’s funny. Here I am a 42-year-old music nerd chipping away at an MFA in creative writing and I have always struggled to write about music. It’s almost something too personal and sacred to me. To apply language to art is, of course, something we do. We all do it here all the time. I guess to do it in this kind of way, insinuating that a larger group of people should take it in at my behest, gives me a mild amount of anxiety and fear of not doing the work justice with my personal description and opinion of it. In thinking more about how I was feeling, the album choice became clear and connected to it all.

View attachment 7043

Typhoon, a band I was largely unfamiliar with, released “Offerings” in the early weeks of 2018 and it was met with very little fanfare or attention. The album weaves a tale of someone losing their memory. In other ways it could be thought of as a collective loss of identity. I’ve wondered over the past year if perhaps the album got a bit lost and overlooked because of what society is already bombarded with on a daily basis. I don’t want to go into a whole tangent on the general state of things, but I do wonder if the theme of this album was just too much for the masses to take a deep dive into as they already felt immersed in constant anxiety and a tenuous grasp of belonging in the modern world. I took the dive anyway. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest thing to wrestle with as I had my own “stuff” happening at the time, but this album fully clicked with me and I listened to it almost solely for a solid month of winter in Maine. It was a perfect soundtrack to sub-zero wind chills, feet of snow, and watching the natural world chill itself into seasonal stasis.

So now, here we are, on the opposite side of the solstice. I won’t invite you to envision the time and place in which I found this album, but I am very curious to hear how it resonates with all of you. I want to know how this album makes you feel and what it makes you think about. It clearly left a mark on me, and I am excited to see if it has a lasting impression on any of you. And if the listen in not as deeply moving as all of that, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
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I really like this album but didn't spend as much time with it as I wanted to. Yes, looking forward to diving back in this week!!!
 
Okay, hear me out on this Minecraft thing, I've done some digging:

Theres a little piano bit in Day One Four:



Compare that to this track from the Minecraft soundtrack (Theres a few spots throughout the song that are similar):



Not as close as I originally thought, but I think they're in the same mode or something, definitely a connection there. The other track 'Minecraft' also felt similar. Same with a similar part in Day One Three.
 
sjaygray said:
Looks like you guys get to hear from me this week, which has proven to be both an exciting and daunting decision for me. It’s funny. Here I am a 42-year-old music nerd chipping away at an MFA in creative writing and I have always struggled to write about music. It’s almost something too personal and sacred to me. To apply language to art is, of course, something we do. We all do it here all the time. I guess to do it in this kind of way, insinuating that a larger group of people should take it in at my behest, gives me a mild amount of anxiety and fear of not doing the work justice with my personal description and opinion of it. In thinking more about how I was feeling, the album choice became clear and connected to it all.

View attachment 7043

Typhoon, a band I was largely unfamiliar with, released “Offerings” in the early weeks of 2018 and it was met with very little fanfare or attention. The album weaves a tale of someone losing their memory. In other ways it could be thought of as a collective loss of identity. I’ve wondered over the past year if perhaps the album got a bit lost and overlooked because of what society is already bombarded with on a daily basis. I don’t want to go into a whole tangent on the general state of things, but I do wonder if the theme of this album was just too much for the masses to take a deep dive into as they already felt immersed in constant anxiety and a tenuous grasp of belonging in the modern world. I took the dive anyway. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest thing to wrestle with as I had my own “stuff” happening at the time, but this album fully clicked with me and I listened to it almost solely for a solid month of winter in Maine. It was a perfect soundtrack to sub-zero wind chills, feet of snow, and watching the natural world chill itself into seasonal stasis.

So now, here we are, on the opposite side of the solstice. I won’t invite you to envision the time and place in which I found this album, but I am very curious to hear how it resonates with all of you. I want to know how this album makes you feel and what it makes you think about. It clearly left a mark on me, and I am excited to see if it has a lasting impression on any of you. And if the listen in not as deeply moving as all of that, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
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Definitely getting an Antler-Hospice vibe here.
 
sjaygray said:
Looks like you guys get to hear from me this week, which has proven to be both an exciting and daunting decision for me. It’s funny. Here I am a 42-year-old music nerd chipping away at an MFA in creative writing and I have always struggled to write about music. It’s almost something too personal and sacred to me. To apply language to art is, of course, something we do. We all do it here all the time. I guess to do it in this kind of way, insinuating that a larger group of people should take it in at my behest, gives me a mild amount of anxiety and fear of not doing the work justice with my personal description and opinion of it. In thinking more about how I was feeling, the album choice became clear and connected to it all.

View attachment 7043

Typhoon, a band I was largely unfamiliar with, released “Offerings” in the early weeks of 2018 and it was met with very little fanfare or attention. The album weaves a tale of someone losing their memory. In other ways it could be thought of as a collective loss of identity. I’ve wondered over the past year if perhaps the album got a bit lost and overlooked because of what society is already bombarded with on a daily basis. I don’t want to go into a whole tangent on the general state of things, but I do wonder if the theme of this album was just too much for the masses to take a deep dive into as they already felt immersed in constant anxiety and a tenuous grasp of belonging in the modern world. I took the dive anyway. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest thing to wrestle with as I had my own “stuff” happening at the time, but this album fully clicked with me and I listened to it almost solely for a solid month of winter in Maine. It was a perfect soundtrack to sub-zero wind chills, feet of snow, and watching the natural world chill itself into seasonal stasis.

So now, here we are, on the opposite side of the solstice. I won’t invite you to envision the time and place in which I found this album, but I am very curious to hear how it resonates with all of you. I want to know how this album makes you feel and what it makes you think about. It clearly left a mark on me, and I am excited to see if it has a lasting impression on any of you. And if the listen in not as deeply moving as all of that, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
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This band is severely underrated! I listened to this album A LOT last year and was fortunate to see them twice. The album was a slight departure in sound compared to their first 2 albums. Less horns and members but still fantastic. The lead singer, Kyle Morton, also released a solo album which is good as well.
I’m going to listen to Offerings while at work. Thanks for the inspiration.
 
I LOVE TYPHOON!!!!!!!! So, interestingly, I discovered this band because my boss at the time (now retired) told me to listen to them because his nephew Alex Fitch is the drummer. So I did. Then they released White Lighter and I was hooked. Offerings is a beautiful record. Yes, a departure for the band, but also so expansive and layered and thought provoking. A true concept album. My husband (@Ginormousthumbs) and I traveled on their last tour to see them two nights in a row in San Diego and Los Angeles and I'm so glad we did. The L.A. show especially was stellar and the audience was enthralled. It was the first time in a LONG time I had no complaints about audience chatter. Alex Fitch is one of the TWO drummers in this band and the way they play together is very interesting to watch. It must be so difficult to work out the timing and pace. Again, layers.

If this is the first time you are listening to this band and you enjoy Offerings, I highly recommend you pore through their back catalog of work. Great band. Great pick @sjaygray!
 
VegasJaneite said:
So, here is the full band playing Empiricist just because I want you all to see how wonderful they play together, the two drummers, the layers. So GOOD!

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I saw Typhoon on the tour for this album - and it was absolutely spectacular. The music was so well crafted and performed. My only regret was not familiarizing myself better with their catalog before I went, since there is an intensity to some of the lyrics I had not yet been tapped into. I guess that didn't matter too much because the Philly show was only a week or too after Offerings dropped, and they mainly played the new stuff.

PS @sjaygray : this is a layover from a few months ago on a VMP thread in discussion about metal, and you rec'd Baroness based on my enjoyment of Deafheaven and Astronoid. Holy shit the new Baroness album is absolutely amazing!
 
blenoxsmith said:
I saw Typhoon on the tour for this album - and it was absolutely spectacular. The music was so well crafted and performed. My only regret was not familiarizing myself better with their catalog before I went, since there is an intensity to some of the lyrics I had not yet been tapped into. I guess that didn't matter too much because the Philly show was only a week or too after Offerings dropped, and they mainly played the new stuff.

PS @sjaygray : this is a layover from a few months ago on a VMP thread in discussion about metal, and you rec'd Baroness based on my enjoyment of Deafheaven and Astronoid. Holy shit the new Baroness album is absolutely amazing!
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I'm glad you're liking the new Baroness! I can't get past the weird/awful mix on it, but I want to like it! haha
 
Unfortunately I only came upon his thread today. I'm super curious how people reacted to Week 21's Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites, because I absolutely love Mew, and that album is amazing. Has all that info been lost along with the old forum?

Anyway, looking forward to checking in, and hopefully contributing to this thread!
 
blenoxsmith said:
Unfortunately I only came upon his thread today. I'm super curious how people reacted to Week 21's Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites, because I absolutely love Mew, and that album is amazing. Has all that info been lost along with the old forum?

Anyway, looking forward to checking in, and hopefully contributing to this thread!
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I think the reaction to Mew was favorable, though I can't remember who suggested it. I know I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Add your name to the form in the first post if you're willing to select an album.
 
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