IDM Mailing Archive

At 13.07 97-03-24 -0800, you wrote:

quoted 7 lines Chaos wrote:

>Chaos wrote: >> >> I would like to hear some independant reviews of the Underworld's >> "dubnobasswithmyheadman"... > >Boring, but not nearly as boring as the last few pieces of crap they've >put out.

mind not this geezer. some kinda underground-wannabee i'd say. ;) dubnobasswithmyheadman is a really beautiful journey through dub. cuz this is dub. a little bit of "ordinary techno", a little bit of pop, a little bit of ambient, but if i were to define modern dub (not that reggae thang... that's something else) i would say "dubnobasswithmyheadman". the lyrics are extremely wicked, but they fit really well to the music. it starts of with "dark and long", also released on single, one of the best, if not the best, track on the whole album. monotonous vocals, 120 beat and brilliant bassline. a track to drive car in the middle of the night to. it's just soo cool. then, "mmm...scyscraper i love you" (just the title...) is underworlds first single (as underworld) and it's a more dance oriented track, with few lyrics. beautiful chords, beautiful bassline, and pretty much everything is beautiful with this one. this is the kinda stuff i want to hear on dancefloors about 02:00. ah, well, i'm not doing a track by track review... this is one of the most important, and best albums of 1993, and a nice surprise in an environment filled with fuckers who want to be underground so much that they dig themselves 2 meters down in the ground, and make "innovative" music just for the sake of it (those things just turns out to be pretty pathetic anyway). this is a brilliant album, and underworld are well worth their fame. their latest one "second toughest in the infants" is a real blast as well, but not as good as this one. you you haven't bought it already, i suggest you do it immediately. surfboy franz. - franz johan marino enmark ´´´´´´´´ = ) - =-= = ´´´´´´´´´´ - - http://gargamel.com/plod -->-->--> -/ - - - ] ´´´´´´´´ - - eggshell@ts.umu.se ´´´´´´´´´´´´´´´ = -.. =-= = ´´´´´´´´´´ -

On 24-Mar-97 The Rare Guy wrote:

quoted 4 lines I think that Second Toughest in the Infants would be great if they didn't

>I think that Second Toughest in the Infants would be great if they didn't >mess everything up by including stupid vocals that don't even go with the >music. Your listening to it, and it sounds wonderful, then they start >singing and it doesn't even belong there. at least that's MO :)

you've gotta be kidding. underworld are probably the best at integrating the vox & the instruments. hell, they sample the vocals and play them as a rhythm and build the tune over that! you can't get much more well-integrated than that. Jon Drukman jsd@gamespot.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- System Administrator SpotMedia Communications

On Tuesday, 25-Mar-97, random junk wrote [about Re: Dub and Dumber (was Re: (idm) Underworld Reviews)]:

quoted 2 lines you've gotta be kidding. underworld are probably the best at integrating the

>you've gotta be kidding. underworld are probably the best at integrating the >vox & the instruments. hell, they sample the vocals and play them as a

rhythm

quoted 2 lines and build the tune over that! you can't get much more well-integrated than

>and build the tune over that! you can't get much more well-integrated than >that.

I'm just not into the 'synthisized lyrics' thing where you sample someone singing and then repeat it to oblivion in a track, to me it ruins the track. Milkman isn't like this because the vocals are actually a part of the whole song, without the vocals there wouldn't be no melody. The vocals in, say the first track of 2nd Toughest in the Infants are monotonic, cheesy and boring. My 2 year old 2nd cousin could come up with something better than that. Granted, the tune is actually wonderful, but the vocals ruin it, IMO. it's good thing that the vocals only are in there for a few short minutes in that track. -- __ __\ \ Aurafix aka Hillie / PHD ^ DAMONES (aka Rare Guy) / /_\ \ http://www.clark.net/pub/buh/index.html \_____/ >> buh@clark.net >> < > .. >> .<>> >> > , m7= inducing mindwaves.. electronic techno muuusik controlled manually by a p h e x t wi n .. .. . . .

On 25-Mar-97 The Rare Guy wrote:

quoted 7 lines I'm just not into the 'synthisized lyrics' thing where you sample someone

>I'm just not into the 'synthisized lyrics' thing where you sample someone >singing and then repeat it to oblivion in a track, to me it ruins the >track. Milkman isn't like this because the vocals are actually a part of the >whole song, without the vocals there wouldn't be no melody. The vocals in, >say the first track of 2nd Toughest in the Infants are monotonic, cheesy and >boring. My 2 year old 2nd cousin could come up with something better than >that.

ah, the wonderful world of ideological conflict... "milkman" sounds like something written by a 2 year old, and it's firmly in the 60's syd barrett psychedelic mode anyway. i can't think of anything less enjoyable or forward-looking. underworld use technology to process vocals into hypnotic mantras of sound, unlike anything heard in music up to this point (in fact, impossible without modern technology). while admittedly the vocal trance mantra can be traced back probably to tribal chant-based rituals, the application is pretty novel. i don't know how you can't dig the "your thin petal wings" chant (or whatever he's saying). i think it's really clever and interesting. (and hey, what about that bit where he's saying "Resonator" and they're putting his voice into a resonator? neat.) i think it's safe to say we'll never get anywhere with this discussion... Jon Drukman jsd@gamespot.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- System Administrator SpotMedia Communications

On Wednesday, 26-Mar-97, random junk wrote [about Re: Dub and Dumber (was Re: (idm) Underworld Reviews)]:

quoted 2 lines "milkman" sounds like something written by a 2 year old, and it's firmly in

>"milkman" sounds like something written by a 2 year old, and it's firmly in >the

heh well a two year old probably wouldn't be talking about the milkman's wife's tits, or even know what a milkman is, but :D (would one know what tits are? :)

quoted 4 lines underworld use technology to process vocals into hypnotic mantras of sound,

>underworld use technology to process vocals into hypnotic mantras of sound, >unlike anything heard in music up to this point (in fact, impossible without >modern technology). while admittedly the vocal trance mantra can be traced >back probably to tribal chant-based rituals, the application is pretty novel.

heh I reckon I could do all that stuff on my amiga.

quoted 1 line i think it's safe to say we'll never get anywhere with this discussion...

>i think it's safe to say we'll never get anywhere with this discussion...

that's why the thread is dying (or dead already?) :) -- __ __\ \ Aurafix aka Hillie / PHD ^ DAMONES (aka Rare Guy) / /_\ \ http://www.clark.net/pub/buh/index.html \_____/ >> buh@clark.net >> < > .. >> .<>> >> > , m7= inducing mindwaves.. electronic techno muuusik controlled manually by a p h e x t wi n .. .. . . .

quoted 9 lines I'm just not into the 'synthisized lyrics' thing where you sample someone

> > I'm just not into the 'synthisized lyrics' thing where you sample someone > singing and then repeat it to oblivion in a track, to me it ruins the > track. Milkman isn't like this because the vocals are actually a part of the > whole song, without the vocals there wouldn't be no melody. The vocals in, > say the first track of 2nd Toughest in the Infants are monotonic, cheesy and > boring. My 2 year old 2nd cousin could come up with something better than > that. >

are you saying the lyrics to 'milkman' aren't cheesy? give me a break. johnny

On Wednesday, 26-Mar-97, johnny wrote [about Re: Dub and Dumber (was Re: (idm) Underworld Reviews)]:

quoted 1 line are you saying the lyrics to 'milkman' aren't cheesy?

>are you saying the lyrics to 'milkman' aren't cheesy?

They are a bit cheesy and silly, but still I think the track is great. and also I'm talking about composition, not the words. I'd much rather listen to the lyrics from Milkman by themselves than listen to the Underworld lyrics (to that first track, from 2nd toughest) by themselves. They surely didn't build the track around the lyrics on that one at least, they did on Born Slippy, and actually on Born Slippy the vocals are nice, but it's the way they dissapear and them it's rhythm only for like 5 minutes that bugs me.

quoted 1 line give me a break.

>give me a break.

sure, well this is only my opinion :) -- __ __\ \ Aurafix aka Hillie / PHD ^ DAMONES (aka Rare Guy) / /_\ \ http://www.clark.net/pub/buh/index.html \_____/ >> buh@clark.net >> < > .. >> .<>> >> > , m7= inducing mindwaves.. electronic techno muuusik controlled manually by a p h e x t wi n .. .. . . .

On Wed, 26 Mar 1997, The Rare Guy wrote:

quoted 7 lines the lyrics from Milkman by themselves than listen to the Underworld lyrics

> the lyrics from Milkman by themselves than listen to the Underworld lyrics > (to that first track, from 2nd toughest) by themselves. > > They surely didn't build the track around the lyrics on that one at least, > they did on Born Slippy, and actually on Born Slippy the vocals are nice, > but it's the way they dissapear and them it's rhythm only for like 5 minutes > that bugs me.

Of course, the vocal line is the same in both of these tracks. The rhythm is different, but the notes are the same--or *note*, rather. These one-pitch melodies (or, on other tracks, melodies with very very limited spans) suggest a kind of anti-melody that, for me, keeps the vocals from being too prominent. J ________ \ / | Bee women: "What kind of corn soldiers are you?" H. James Harkins | Arthur: "Umm, oh, er, we're, uh, we're colonels." jharkins@acpub.duke.edu | \/ | - from "The Tick," now on Comedy Central, 6PM M-F

On Wednesday, 26-Mar-97, H James Harkins wrote [about Re: Dub and Dumber (was Re: (idm) Underworld Reviews)]:

quoted 5 lines Of course, the vocal line is the same in both of these tracks. The rhythm

>Of course, the vocal line is the same in both of these tracks. The rhythm >is different, but the notes are the same--or *note*, rather. These >one-pitch melodies (or, on other tracks, melodies with very very limited >spans) suggest a kind of anti-melody that, for me, keeps the vocals from >being too prominent.J

well sometimes.. but for the most part, the times Underworld has done it, it has done it in for me. -- __ __\ \ Aurafix aka Hillie / PHD ^ DAMONES (aka Rare Guy) / /_\ \ http://www.clark.net/pub/buh/index.html \_____/ >> buh@clark.net >> < > .. >> .<>> >> > , m7= inducing mindwaves.. electronic techno muuusik controlled manually by a p h e x t wi n .. .. . . .

quoted 7 lines whole song, without the vocals there wouldn't be no melody. The vocals in,

> > whole song, without the vocals there wouldn't be no melody. The vocals in, > > say the first track of 2nd Toughest in the Infants are monotonic, cheesy and > > boring. My 2 year old 2nd cousin could come up with something better than > > that. > > > > are you saying the lyrics to 'milkman' aren't cheesy?

david byrne:"singing is a trick to get people to listen to music for longer than they would normally." a nice complement to that overplayed steve martin / elvis costello / frank zappa / laurie anderson / mark twain quote about talking, music, dancing and architecture. =-=-=-=signifier over signified signing off=-=-=-=