A collection of things
A collection of things
So, I'm looking at the stack of vinyl from Eclipse sitting next to my stereo that I still need to listen to. And the small pile of CDs that arrived today from Downtown Music Gallery (even though I got an error message when I placed the order) Then I think about the order I just placed with Sublime Frequences and I drool over the Asia/Middle Eastern recordings on the Folkways web site.
I seem to be slipping back into collection mode again. Last time it was trading shows. Until I ODed on it, shortly after walking out of a house with 80+ dead tapes (I don't think I ever did listen to all those shows). The collection is more varied this time. I can move into free folk for awhile, then Japanese indie, then classical Iranian or Indonesian folk, then off into somewhere else when I feel the need.
All I need is the obsessive need for trivia and my life will be complete.
Some geeks are Trekers, or sci-fi geeks, or anime geeks, etc. And I can appreciate those pastimes. For me though, it's always been the search for new music. Things I haven't heard before. Always the need to go forward and find new things. If I'm not diving into some new genre of music, I'm literally depressed. My life starts to fall apart. I NEED new sounds to make my life complete. It is necessary. There is no alternative.
Just thought you'd like to know.
Back in Aug. I read an article in The Wire on some weird scene called 'free folk.' The artists interviewed talked about surrendering their ego to the music and references were made to a rural form of free and raga. Needless to say, I was intruigied. Thoughts filled my head of free form folk jams. Jam grass if the players took the risk of moving away from pop structure and moved into more free form territory. I picked up albums from Scorces and Sun Burned Hand of the Man as soon as I had the money to spare.
What I got was not what I expected. Both albums had a defenit Indian influence. With form and structure taking a back seat to sound the feel. The music drifted through the mind. In Scorces case, it never materialized into any kind of traditional western structure. Sun Burned Hand, played with structure now and then, but drifted away into other ideas before anything ran the risk of being expected.
At first, neither album grabbed me. There was nothing for me to hold onto. And I figured that the albums would be shelved until a later date, when I was prepared to 'get it.'
But, this wasn't the case. Both albums, the Scorces album esspecially, acted on a subconcious level and I found myself putting the albums on again and again. When it came time to place another order with Eclipse, I picked up Tower Recordings and Jackie-O Motherfucker in an attempt to better understand this strange music.
I am still at a loss. On a purely concious level this music holds nothing for me at the moment. On a subconcious level though, this music haunts me. Snatches of sound run through my mind. And the draw to listen to this music is reoccuring. Its like a slow addiction. You don't realize what is happening, until it has taken over your life, and consumed you body and soul.
My next order with Eclipse next month will include more free folk albums. May be some Dread Foole, probably more Scorces, Sun Burned Hand, and may be Tower Recordings. It will probably make up the majority of the order, instead of the Japanese psych stuff that has been the mainstay so far. And it will not be the last order I place with Eclipse.
I find myself reaching to describe the hold this music has on me. I feel stupid listening to this music. Not that it is cerebral, since it obviously isn't. But, I feel that it is working on a level that years of pop structured music has hidden from me. It is the musical equivilent of zen. I must unlearn all I know, so that I can truely comprehend all that I thought I knew.
Subtle.
That is probably the most economic review one could do of this album. I actually first played this album yesterday. After an extremely frustrating and tiring day, all done on about 4 hours of sleep. I ended up falling asleep on my couch while I listened.
At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about this album. There is nothing here that I disliked, but at the same time, there was nothing to really pull me into the album. It just kind of sat there.
Since then, I've found myself listening to the album again and again. At first, i thought I was just giving the album "another chance." Now, I am not so sure. This album has somehow gotten into my skin. I find myself craving it's simplicity and subtleness. It was subtle in it's approach, but I am now hooked on this album. I imagine it will be some time before I go a full 24 hours with out listening to it.
The music itself is being created by guitar and pedal steel. There is an interesting origin story to the peddle steel in the Aug. issue of Wire. It seems the instrument was a gift to Heather Leigh Murray. But, that the giver refused to teach her how to play it, or possibly even tune it (i don't remember now). Instead the giver wanted Heather to find her own voice through the instrument. To play it her way.
Her way is a haunting, drone of sound that provides an under current to this album. Similar in feel to sound of hitting high tension wire. It provides a mesmerizing drone that allows the album to float along. Even when she plays "lead" the sound is more music concrete then country.
The album on whole has a droning, low key quality. The casual listener will be hard pressed to remember anything specific about this album after listening to it. No single instance or moment will stick in their memory. Instead, they will hear the drone in their sleep, and they will crave the sounds in their head. This album is addictive in it's simplicity. And will likely never fully leave you.
Take the ferocious line-up behind Acid Mothers Temple's Live In Japan album. Strip away the drums, bass, and guitarist Kawabata Makoto and what are you left with? The Pardons. You are also left with something that is about as far as from Acid Mothers Temple as you can get, and yet still be exploring a vein of the collective's sound.
Made up of Pardon Uno (Higashi Hiroshi) on synth and guitar, and Pardon Dos (Cotton Casino) on voice and synth. The Pardons are a gentle floating sound scape of spacey synth and delicate guitar fragments. Described by the AMT as "the synth-playing frontline dance brigade of AMT." The Pardons are anything but a dance band. This music is closer to ambient, then dance.
With the exception of the fifth track, Par Une Nuit Sans Lune, all of the songs clock in at around the 5 minute mark. With the sole exception clocking in at over 20 minutes, it also features the only segment that is not dreamy in nature. An extended (a minute or two) section of guitar feed back, followed by the hum of the guitar for several minutes. Minus this sole exception, the rest of the album is built around those gentle synth sounds played at a slow laid back pace. A few songs feature a reoccurring fragment, played on the guitar. And some of the songs also feature what is either more synth sounds, or a quiet, gentle voice. It's hard to tell given the over all feel and approach of the album.
While Live In Japan grabs you and shakes you to prepare you for a new psychedelic sound, Charlie's Pardons lulls you into a soft warm place where the listener might find themselves slipping in and out of gentle dreams. This is not to say the music is boring, just very laid back and calm. There is still the psychedelic atmosphere that permeates AMT. Instead here it is approached as a lazy Sunday afternoon trip. Instead of the frantic speed laced trip of AMT.
Highly recommended for rainy afternoons when doing anything just seems like to much work.
How do I describe what I have just experienced? Experienced is the word I want. Heard is to limiting a word. It implies an auditory experience. What I just experienced came in through the ears, but the effect was beyond just simple auditory enjoyment.
Did I really enjoy that? I guess I did. I mean I want to do it again. May be even tonight. May be with headphones and a dark room. Give myself over completely to the sounds. I'm a masochist.
In this day and age, especially in the west, "psychedelic" has been taken over by meandering music, that occasionally has weird little funny sounds flittering around it. The music is usually built around either solos, floating over top pointless vamping and riffing; or a minimalist approach that introduces a simple idea and then beats it into the ground until it is dead and lifeless. Good "psychedelic" bands can do something inventive with one of these two ideas. Great "psychedelic" bands, make it sound fresh and new. By the equation is the same.
Then there is the temple. What beasts are kept at that commune? What magic is afoot on that soil that they can tap into and tame there monsters? How can they do this to a human mind with just music? It is just music isn't it? Two guitars, a bass, two drummers, three keyboards, these are just instruments, are they not? The six people who's name are on the poster, they are only human beings, correct? Then how is it that they can create this experience? How is it that they play with this magic?
The CD starts as is common for bands of this genre. A keyboard plays an electric drone of a sound while what sounds like a gong, or a heavy cymbal, is hit every 8-9 beats. It sets itself up as a minimalist approach to psychedelic. It is one of those bands. I like those bands. I listen closer to what is happening. Waiting for the predominant structure to take place, so that I can listen to the band deconstruct it. I'm used to this. This is not what happened.
About 3 minutes in, the guitar comes in. It is not playing a simple structure. It is not occupying space with the previous sounds. It is beating the living shit out of them. It jabs at first, it smacks the preconceived notions of psychedelic music around. It then takes a short break. Catches it's breath, composes it's thoughts. And then precedes to all out wail on those notions. It pounds them into the ground with such fierce determination that the witness is left scared, but excited. Something new is happening here. Something different. The witness, for we are not mere listeners. That would imply that we are simply listening to this act of revolution. The witness will be shown something that the witness has never experienced before. We are being born anew this night.
The first act ends. An untitled act. It was not something planned or rehearsed. It was now. It was what had to be done to allow the witness to understand what is about to happen. It was necessary.
The second act begins. In E. The guitar is back, it is the leader of this gang. It gives form to the chaos. The sounds are back as well, but now they have assumed their place. They dance around the chaos. They give light to the darkness. They watch as a man, for he is only human, plays the fuck out of a guitar. Chords Chords Chords a little switch, and then Chords Chords Chords.
Our minds are being washed clean of the filth that we have been taught. We are being prepared for the coming of the one. And when we are finally clean, he comes.
The Speed Guru.
Little should be said of this act. It is best to experience, not to talk. Know though that it does not end. There are moments of calm. Where if one listens they can hear Japanese song from days gone by. But the calm does not last. The Guru is only considering his words before continuing with the lesson. And when the Guru is finished. You are a new person. You are born a new. You are prepared to take on the day anew.
This act of cleansing violence, this psychic rape, took place in a club. It can be implied that people were there. People who experienced this ritual first hand. People that saw the act take place, who can testify that it was committed by mere humans. These people are to be pitied and envied.
Welcome, to the Acid Mother Temple.
An email, I just sent.
Um... Hmm... Ah...What the hell just happened to me? I put the CD in, it seemed simple and harmless enough. Just put the CD in the player and hit play. May be listen to a little of it before sitting down at my laptop and checking email while listening to the rest of it.
That was about an hour ago.
What the hell just happened? It looked harmless enough. Didn't even have a case. Just a plastic bag with a little poster folded up acting as a slip case. There weren't any warning labels. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just a regular CD, of a show recorded in Japan. I mean, it's just a CD right?
What the hell happened? Why won't my brain work? Why can I not speak?
What the hell just happened? Acid Mothers Temple just happened. The CD is called Live In Japan. You have been warned.
What the hell just happened to me?
I need to go get some air.
I have just finished listening to Acid Mother Temple's album Live In Japan.
I am speechless.
I need to go process this.
What the hell just happened to me?
Every month I set myself a budget, and ussually it's not the same budget that I end up with at the end of the month. More often then not my downfall is music. I just don't seem to be able to go a full month with out buying new music. Esspecially now that my interest has been rekindled. New music makes me feel better, it reminds me that there is magic in the world. I need it.
So, a couple of days ago I placed an order with Eclipse, even thouugh I probably shouldn't have. And then yesterday, while I was picking up some books on Transact SQL, so I could read them over before this new contract starts (that's what i tell myself, in fact, I'll flip through them about a month after I've started the contract) I picked up When The Man Comes to Town, from Johnny Cash. I've been listening to this album pretty much constantly since. Some songs I prefer more then others, but the over all feel and vibe is just so emersive in it's sparseness. Rubin did a great job producing this album. I need to pick up the other three albums he did with Johnny and the box set when it comes out. The feel of this is perfect. It reflects that organic quality of Johnny's voice. And provides a vision of a man who is facing the end of his time, and is not scared of it. Just the production work of this album is brilliant. And while right now I'm not a fan of all the songs chosen for this album, there's nothing here I don't like, and I imagine everything will grow on me.
Hurt is playing right now, or exactly, it just ended. The way the piano builds at the end of the song until it over takes everything else, except Johnny's voice. Brilliant.
Back to the bookstore thing. I have this reoccuring vision when I go to the bookstore, that the people behind the register are building mental images of people, based on what they buy. It's probably not true, but it's also probably what I would do in thier place.
Because of this I like to throw them off a little. Get a little eclectic in my purchases. This last time wasn't to eclectic, the Johnny Cash CD, the Transact SQL books (database programming if you don't know) and a copy of The Economist (I picked up a copy of the Economist a few weeks ago, because of a cover story where they blasted the PM of Italy, for using his post to escape the law and make money. I kind of dug the news they have on the entire world, instead of just focusing on the US, so occasionally, I pick up a copy to see what's going on in the world. Basically the same reason I read Z Magazine and Monthly Report, but I subscribed to them, instead of just randomly picking up copies)
Last time I bought a SQL Server book from Microsoft, a book on hacking with Google (Google Hacks, from O'Rielly), a copy of the new Wire, and a copy of the new NewType USA (Wire = finge music; New Type = anime). Then I tried to use my credit card before my check cleared, and got a denial. Luckily, I had enough money left on my check card. Budget shot to hell.
That's enough for now. Just felt like sharing.
One of the worst things about listening to obscure music is having to order it and then wait for it to show up. Don't get me wroung, I love dealing directly with small labels. Hand written notes, random free things thrown in, the knowledge that all the money is going to good causes, it is a good feeling. But, I want my music now! I don't want to have to wait a week or so to get it.
I just won two CDs off ebay:
Toshimaru Nakamura And Tetuzi Akiyama - Meeting at Off Side Vol. 2
Amy Yoshida - Spiritual Voice
And I just placed an order with Eclipse Records:
Scorces - L'or et L'argent
Sub Burned Hand of the Man - Magnetic Drugs
Acid Mothers Temple - Live In Japan
Acid Mothers Temple Family - Do What Ever You Want...
Pardons - Charlie's Pardons
Now, the waiting game. I got an email from Ed at Eclipse that said the order will go out on Saturday, so that should be here soon. The ebay stuff though will take longer. It's going to be five days just for the payment to clear (paypal sucks!!!) and then it's time to wait for USPS.
Listening to Johnny Cash right now.
Man this is turning into the most bittersweet weeks in musical history.
We start the week off with the announcement that the Pixies are reuniting. These leaves the indie world in fits of joy and glee. Harden indie kids all over the country are wondering what this strange feeling on thier face is, and then realizing that it's a smile.
Then today, there's a little extra with the announcement that The Talking Heads are releaseing a box set of unreleased material.
But, all of this is now over shadowed by the announcement that Johnny Cash really was mortal and has now left us. Damn. That's about all I can think to say on that, Damn.
Of course, he's with June now, which is good. And my grandfather had the same nervous system disease that Johnny had, so I know how hard that was on him (though god, he looked in good health compared to my grandfather, who was diagnosed around the same time). So may be it's for the best. But, Damn, he was Johnny Cash, and I never got to see him play.
All the Cash stuff I own is on vinyl (most snagged from my parents) and the tuner I have now can't handle a record player. If I had the money, I'd go out and buy a new tuner right now, so I could listen to some Cash. I think I'll go download some stuff instead. And pick up a few CDs, when I can afford them.
Damn, how can Johnny Cash be dead?
The August issue of The Wire has a cover article on the "free folk" scene. It's a great article. The only probelm I have with it is now I need to go spend money on exploring this scene. I mean I HAVE to go spend the money. Any day now the check I sent for my credit card should clear, and then I'll be placing an order with Eclipse Records, which distributes a lot of this stuff (along with distributing Acid Mother Temple Records).
Since I haven't heard any of these bands, I've got no idea exactly what they sound like. From the article though, I'm imagining some kind of "ruralish" version of no wave. There was a lot of talk about free jazz ideas, like letting the music play you, and the spiritual feeling of the music. The conviction that they spoke with is half the reason that I need to check this stuff out. There's also a punk element to the sound. Esspecially the idea of anyone being able to get up on stage and playing.
For a couple years now, I've been refering to punk as post-60's folk music. In it's purest form, it is the music of the people. While everything else can be debated about punk (sound, ethics, style, etc.) the idea that anyone can do this, is constant. People don't play punk because they think they are a really great musician, and want to express themselves, they do it because it looks fun, and why shouldn't they? They have something to say that's just as valid as whatever someone else has to say.
I love this idea. There's a freedom in just doing something for the hell of it. That freedom can be powerful. It can lead to revolutions, and can change the world. I can't help but wonder what the world would be like if more people bought into this. If the cult of celebrety was finally killed off, and people realized that no one is more important then they are. That no ideas are more valid or superior to thier own ideas. What the world look like?
I've been meaning to pick up a guitar for over a year now, and figuring out how to make my kind of noise with it. I don't particularly care about learning how to play it. May be a couple of blues chords to kind of get started. But, I'm more interested in making my own sound out of it. Something that's uniquely me. If all I do is focus on what other people think things should sound like, then what's the point?
I've got a feeling that that sound will probably be some kind of rhythm-based beast. I go back and forth between picking up an acoustic or electric. After reading the free folk article, I'm leaning towards acoustic again.
I need to get my finances in order.
I'm listening to the Kingston Trio right now. I probably should put some Pete Seeger back onto my iPod. The Kingston Trio CD I've got on here ends with a version of Seasons In The Sun. God, I love this song. I want it played at my funeral. The Kingston Trio version is cool, but my favorite version so far is the Black Box Recorder version. (right click and do a save as on that link, hopefully it'll work)
Ok, so Kate gets more props. The sudden appearance of Radford got me thinking about some of the old jamband stuff I was listening to back then. So, I pulled out some CDs and started ripping them so I could put them on the old iPod. At this moment I'm grooving in my seat to the seductive sounds of The Beatroots. These guys were so damn much fun. African beats, mixed with Western European/Middle Eastern melodies. Can you create music that's more fun?
In the mid-90's, at the hieght of the "jamgrass" scene. I used to get really bothered over the fact that everyone seemed to be so caught up in bluegrass. I mean, I don't mind a little pick now and then. But, most of that stuff wasn't even new grass, much less bluegrass. And it's all anybody could seem to wrap their heads around. And there was me. Digging on the Beatroots and Baaba Seth. And listening to European groups like Afro Celt Sound System (now known simply as Afrocelts) and American groups like Material. Not to mention digging guys like Baba Maal and Alpha Blondie. And then don't get me started on Irish bands like Planxty, The Dubliners, Altan, The Wolf Tones, and Bothy Band, just to name a few. Or hell, even the fucking Pogues!
Anyways, my point is that there was all this great music. And all this great music to really dance to. I don't mean things you can sway to, or you can turn into dance music if you want to. I mean stuff you've gotta dance to. I mean stuff where it starts playing and you start moving, before you even know what's happening. But could these people get what I was getting at? Nope, they just looked at me with blank stares.
That was pretty much the point where I lost interest in the jamband scene. Just kind of realized that it wasn't my bag anymore. Somewhere along the line I'd gotten off that bus, and started hitch hiking. I get nostalgic now and then, but I don't regret the move. What's the chance that I would have gotten back into indie and punk if I'd stayed there? Hell, where would I have found the joyous sounds of Japanese Noise bands surrounded by a bunch of hippies?!?!?!
I'm starting to reapproach the scene these days. A little now and then. I'd be really surprised if I ever get back into the scene. But, I'm making peace with it. There was a lot of fun had by me back then. I wouldn't trade it for the world. But I'm to eclectic for that scene. The few people I've stayed in contact with don't get half the stuff I listen to. That's not their fault, of course, that's a better ratio then the one for normal people.
But, don't get me started on normal people. They're just to damn weird for me to understand. Why anyone would choose sanity as their life's path is just way beyond me.
afterword (or what ever the word I want is)
Baba Seth broke up after their sax player, Hope, joined Deep Banana Blackout, a jamband funk outift that are fun, so I won't begrudge her choice. But, it is to bad that it had to lead to the end of a really fun band.
The Beatroots apparently broke up as well. At least all signs of them on the web seemed to have vanished. Doesn't surprise me. They never really toured much outside of Maine. And the two vocalists had a kid to watch over. Guess they just decided to focus on other projects. I still remember the festival they put on in Maine though. Such a beautiful fun weekend.
The jamband scene flirted with getting into music from outside of the US. Homegrown carried a Material album, which I think Lee was very smart for doing. And Dr. Didj was getting big as I was stepping out. But, even he seemed to be approached as almost a novelty act. Any conversation about him quickly made mention of the didgeridoo (sp?) and never seemed to go past that. Who knows though, may be they got it. May be there's a band mixing African beats with melodies that spin Celtic and Middle Eastern melodies together, just like I always wanted. May be...
I keep thinking about Shava's post about the rituals revolving around the death of the ego. In particular I keep coming back to music, specifically movements like noise, no wave, and similiar experimental artists.
There is an idea that I came across somewhere, I think while reading up on the old no wave scene, that describes this style of music as the destruction of preconceived notions about music for the purpose of taking music to a new level. My interpretation of what I read was that the artists are trying to force themselves to take things to a new level, and to accomplish this are purposefully avoiding the standard cliches of structure in their music. Forcing themselves into a free fall where things work or don't, but chances are always taken. This is similiar to some of the ideas behind free jazz, which probably should have been mentioned in the genres above.
One of the things I keep coming back to is the violence that is inherent in this style of music. When I say violence, I do not neccisarily mean lyrically or in an image sense, though this is common. But, instead I refer to the approach. The music that is created, by it's very nature, appears violent. As if the very idea of stripping the cliches from the music is a violent act in and of itself.
Probably the best example of this is earlier Boredoms. Unfortunetly, I don't have any at work. I do have Super AE with me though. And perhaps this is the example that I'm looking for. Super AE is refered to as the begining of the Boredoms "sun worshipping" phase. And elements of the album reflect this. This is not a violent album in image. Yet, the style, with thier trade mark neck brake changes and tape manipulation, seems violent and celebratory at the same time. As if it is the music's ego that we are watching die in front of us.
I'm probably completly missing the point that Shava was trying to make, but this is where my thoughts keep going.
Amazon.com: Music: Hyderomastgroningem
I ordered this disk back in Jan. I had ordered the Boredom's Super AE in the same shipment though and so the order didn't arrive till last week. At that point I was in the middle of a basic rock kind of kick and so I put the two albums on hold untill I was more prepared to take them in. Apparently, that day is today.
I'm listening to this album for the first time right now. The album opens with an interesting short little piece (Hyderomastgroningem) that's acctually starts off as quite a funky little number. Not what I expected at all from the heros of japanese prog/noise. Then comes the turn on a dime time change and the whole thing starts to quickly shift in and out of moods, sometimes returning to the original phrases to ground the piece before shifting into a different area. The whole thing doesn't loose focus though, and none of the track seems out of place. The opening track quickly cements that this is going to be an experience like none other. Not bad for a minute and 25 seconds.
The second song is much more like what I expected. The drums and bass play a precise arrangement. Or acctually two arrangements. After a short intro these two pieces come together for a short period before dropping out, and bringing the band's lyrics forward.
All lyrics are written in a language that the band made up, reminescent of Eye's vocal/sreaming, but a little less intense. Not to say it isn't effective though. Since I don't speak Japanese the lyrics have the same effect as if they were acctually japanese.
After the opening salvo of chaotic playing, the band vaults back in forth between a slow laid back sound where the vocals slide across fuzzed out bass and delicate drumming, and a catchy snappy chrous that brings the drumming up in the mix and pushes the vocals into doing a little jig. The song then slips into a funky little bridge as the laid back fuzzed out bass is propelled forward by an increased intensity in the drumming, before it drops back into the laid back figure and fades out.
Third song is short and noisey.
Economic Mond Possa is hard to describe. Needless to say it solidifies the band's modus operandi of introducing two juxtiposed sections of music and then jumping back and forth between the two of them untill the pieces, which originally feel incompatable, feel perfectly natural next to each other.
Good noise/experimental music will redefine how you perceive music. This is good noise/experimental music.
Instead of hitting every song here, how about I just keep the window open and jot down notes as things grab me.
One of the great things about the Japanese underground is how dense the songs can get. Zurna Taksim is 35 seconds long, and there's about six cool little fragments that any other band would have felt forced to turn into a whole song. Ruins though drops the fragment and then moves on. Perhaps they touch on it again later. But, they don't seem to feel the need to expand on it.
Gravestone has an interesting gimmick of tieing the bass and the vocals together through out the piece. Each mirroring the other. The first section of the song is all energy as the drums propel the fragment along. Then the drums drop down to a laid back vibe and the bass/vocals follow suit. The drums are deffinetly driving this piece and its done masterfully. Switching back and forth effortlessly with just two beats to join the two vibes. It fits together seamlessly.
Pontemcorary Music #2 is an interesting little monster. It starts with a 30 second noise intro before falling into it's dualism. One a typical noise piece that's only a few seconds long. The other a hauntingly delicate vocal with a xylaphone sounding background accompined by a bass that mimics the vocal. This dualism lasts for about 45 seconds before returning to the opening piece to play the song out on. The song is short. I almost wish it has been longer.
And now, at the end of my first full listen through, I'm impressed. Sections of the album I found myself listening to a couple times before moving forward. Other times my interest waned. Right now, I prefer their instrumental stuff. But, I've found that my opinion of the bands in the Japanese underground changes with my moods. When I first heard Melt Banana and The Boredoms, I wasn't impressed. Later, when I listened to them in the right frame of mind, I was blown away.
I had expected something in my mind, and was giving something else. Reminescent of what I had expected, but also very different. I need time to difest this album and learn to appreciate it on it's own terms. I need to take the time to understand Ruins' musical language. Only then will I be able to truely give me thoughts on this album. I'm willing to bet though, that my current enjoyment of the album will turn to a love of it.