My old review of Noctourniquet for the 405
Started By issordni , Feb 10 2015 07:22 PM
#1 issordni
issordni
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Location:Airstrip One.
Interests:Friend of cats and foxes.
I wrote this some years ago. Perhaps without access to all of the facts I know now (band communication problems, Omar writing Nocto 3 years previous to release, Pridgen's bus incident) and I've certainly softened my opinion for the album since, but I do stand by the tone of most of this:
http://www.thefouroh...a-noctourniquet
Feel free to have this messenger shot.
Wow, that's a pretty scathing review; guess I was expecting something fanboy-ish, like most of the reviews people post here. I can't disagree with any of your points, though.
#3 hbk111
I'm an absolute fanboy and i think each Volta album is a masterpiece. But im usually open to criticism with their music because it's not everyones cup of tea. I can't quite respect the review for two reasons though: i find it ridiculous to say that Nocto wasn't experimental like earlier releases. It is absolutely a progression. "Ill stick with their first album" is an opinion that makes me roll my eyes. And it made them roll their eyes back in 2005.
I'm hindsight I agree that the 'first album' comment is reductive and unneccesary. It was a review I wrote in 2012 and my knowledge and opinion of Volta has changed enormously since. My favourite album is Frances (a timeless masterpiece) and I've certainly got some love for Nocto (though it's firmly at the bottom in any list).
And yes, certainly Nocto is a progression. I think the point I was trying to make (it's very odd explaining what a three year old me was trying to say) is that this album seemed a somewhat regressive step. I baulked when the Guardian called it their best and most accessible album, I think I'd read that review before I wrote my own.
Anyway, I still don't believe that any of the Volta incarnations realised their potential, but that (as with all) is quite a subjective thing to say.
I think it's a progression though and certainly not a regression. They didnt try to relive the first 5 albums, they moved forward. And the new music sounded a little more futuristic.
I disagree; it was a more stripped down, simplistic sound, with less new ideas, and standard verse/chorus structures for almost all of the songs. I'd compare it to Dream Theater's "Falling Into Infinity" in that respect, especially since both albums saw their respective bands losing their keyboardist.
That's an excellent comparison. And yes, it wasn't instrumentation I was alluding to, but rather the embrace of simplistic song structures and repeated/looped chorus lyrics.
Ikey's last record was Bedlam so what are you talking about?
TMV doing a more stripped down record does not mean they're regressing. It means progress in their sound. Changing things up. If it was another band then i would agree with you. And the sound design, the synths etc were new territory.
Yeah the prominence of the synths and other electronic aspects was a totally new direction for them. TMV had never made a song like In Absentia before. Or The Whip Hand. Or The Malkin Jewel, Lapochka, Imago, Trinkets, Vedamalady, Noctourniquet. Just because the songs were shorter and somewhat stripped down doesn't mean they didn't experiment in other ways. The album was a huge breath of fresh air.
#10 natedog807
natedog807
Interests:I wanted to edit this, but this just seems like a lot of work. I need to do my English essay and study for my Econ final
I agree with Mataxia and hbk. I'm prepared for the fight between budda and hbk too. ding. ding.
#11 Kazza3
Kazza3
Can't tell if this is just a troll to bring DT up with hbk again.
#12 buddh4sack
"You're a dull boy, Billy."
hbk is actually Heba Kadry, and she's still pissy because I said I think the mastering on Noctouniquet is awful.