Inspired by Blissblog's recent aside on the AFX "Analord" series--in which he calls it a "White Stripesy retro-move by RDJ that's actually paid off big time"--I'm curious to know if others agree. There's a Dissensus thread on Analord already <a href="http://www.dissensus.com/showthread.php?t=385&highlight=analord">here</a>, but its devoted primarily to the series as it came out--and is primarily negative. The pricing, the packaging, et cetera. The discussion is understandably discouraged about the releases as they emerged: I must say I too found/find the collector-dude mania around them a huge turn off, and have only come to the actual music with trepidation.
But now its a collection of objects in the world. I've been listening to them for a couple weeks and finding them muddily, sporadically brilliant. Analord's textures are gorgeous, their melodies unpredictable, alien, and lovely. I'm not so sure whether it works as a gestalt, as, say, "Tago Mago," where the difficult bits are part of some ineradicable whole; many of the shortest pieces read as minor sketches, pure and simple. It is almost as if his ambition is commensurate to the length of the song--see "Xmd5a", "Analoggins", "Boxing Day", all over six minutes--though there are some stunning shorter songs--"Breath March," and "PWSteal.Ldpinch.D" in particular. Still, too many shorter songs are throwaways, or red herrings, or lazy choices.
Nevertheless I'm increasingly convinced there's something of (great) worth to be excavated. So I'm hoping we might talk about where, exactly, and how, the series might have "paid off big time".
But now its a collection of objects in the world. I've been listening to them for a couple weeks and finding them muddily, sporadically brilliant. Analord's textures are gorgeous, their melodies unpredictable, alien, and lovely. I'm not so sure whether it works as a gestalt, as, say, "Tago Mago," where the difficult bits are part of some ineradicable whole; many of the shortest pieces read as minor sketches, pure and simple. It is almost as if his ambition is commensurate to the length of the song--see "Xmd5a", "Analoggins", "Boxing Day", all over six minutes--though there are some stunning shorter songs--"Breath March," and "PWSteal.Ldpinch.D" in particular. Still, too many shorter songs are throwaways, or red herrings, or lazy choices.
Nevertheless I'm increasingly convinced there's something of (great) worth to be excavated. So I'm hoping we might talk about where, exactly, and how, the series might have "paid off big time".
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