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darkshade 
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: November 19 2005
Location: New Jersey
Status: Offline
Points: 10964
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 Posted: July 19 2008 at 12:51 |
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what's, uh, the deal with this band? can someone describe them? ive been meaning to check them out, but i have no reference point.
what would be a good first album to check out?
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Drakk
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 09 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 340
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Posted: July 19 2008 at 13:36 |
They're hard to describe, in that they really have a unique sound.
Start with Of Natural History, it's their most "accessible" album, in my opinion.
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[QUOTE=darkshade] [QUOTE=Sckxyss]
I'm disappointed - neither of these players are avant-garde!
Al di Meola.
[/QUOTE]
haha i know. but the poll itself is avant-garde
[/QUOTE]
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crimhead
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: October 10 2006
Location: Missouri
Status: Offline
Points: 19236
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Posted: July 19 2008 at 15:01 |
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I wish that they toured more often. I missed them last time through and I regret it.
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el böthy
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 27 2005
Location: Argentina
Status: Offline
Points: 6336
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Posted: July 21 2008 at 13:01 |
 Drakk wrote:
They're hard to describe, in that they really have a unique sound.
Start with Of Natural History, it's their most "accessible" album, in my opinion. |
What? It´s their less accesible album! Grand opening and closing is more accesible! hehehe accesible and SGM are oxymorons
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"You want me to play what, Robert?"
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heyitsthatguy
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 17 2006
Location: Washington Hgts
Status: Offline
Points: 10094
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Posted: July 21 2008 at 14:11 |
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listen to 'The Donkey Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion" here on PA
that should be the test of whether you'd like them or not
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avalanchemaster
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 02 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 730
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Posted: July 22 2008 at 14:26 |
SGM is an exceptional band! they are also outstanding live! I recommend you check out their live set if they come near you. One of the most intense, tight, intriguing live bands I have ever seen! They are really nice peeps too. I spoke to Michael and Nils after the show, very "enlightened" folks too. oh and all of their albums are great for different reasons. I cannot pick one over the other...... 
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mecca
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 22 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 213
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Posted: July 25 2008 at 00:43 |
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3 new songs are on youtube. Good quality too.
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Mikerinos
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Planet Gong
Status: Offline
Points: 8890
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Posted: July 26 2008 at 21:57 |
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I'm listening to Grand Opening and Closing. It's a good album, but I can't help but feel it could have reduced from 77 minutes to about 50-55. I'd like to check out Of Natural History since it's apparently better and the sample is great.
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heyitsthatguy
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 17 2006
Location: Washington Hgts
Status: Offline
Points: 10094
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Posted: July 27 2008 at 01:33 |
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everything they did on Grand Opening they did better on Of Natural History
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Pnoom!
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 02 2006
Location: OH
Status: Offline
Points: 4981
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Posted: July 27 2008 at 01:44 |
heyitsthatguy wrote:
everything they did on Grand Opening they did better on Of Natural History
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Fact.
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mecca
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 22 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 213
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Posted: July 27 2008 at 01:53 |
Definitely. I think what completes ONH and kind of goes underrated is the percussion. Oh boy, that percussion. 
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Dominic
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 02 2008
Location: Liberation Land
Status: Offline
Points: 651
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Posted: August 06 2008 at 21:53 |
el böthy wrote:
Carla writes the lyrics? I was always under the impression Nils and Dan wrote the lyrics
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If you've read any interviews of theirs then you know better than me. I was wondering if Nils wrote his lyrics; Carla wrote hers, or if one band member wrote them all. I was thinking that it might have been Carla considering that the lyrics she wrote for "Borrowed Arms" were interesting to me like SGM's.
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Padraic
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: February 16 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline
Points: 31169
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Posted: August 06 2008 at 21:59 |
Mikerinos wrote:
I'm listening to Grand Opening and Closing. It's a good album, but I can't help but feel it could have reduced from 77 minutes to about 50-55. I'd like to check out Of Natural History since it's apparently better and the sample is great.
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Grand Opening and Closing is the album I have from them as well. Looking forward to checking out Of Natural History as it appears to be a consensus best.
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Pnoom!
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 02 2006
Location: OH
Status: Offline
Points: 4981
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Posted: August 06 2008 at 22:05 |
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In Glorious Times is just as good as ONH. The songwriting is better IMHO, though the album isn't as cohesive.
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DJPuffyLemon
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 18 2008
Location: L
Status: Offline
Points: 520
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Posted: August 06 2008 at 22:20 |
avalanchemaster wrote:
I spoke to Michael and Nils after the show, very "enlightened" folks too.
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Now what does this sentence mean? Because when I think of california 'enlightened' I think of anti-gov raw vegans.
Mikerinos wrote:
I'm listening to Grand Opening and Closing. It's a good album, but I can't help but feel it could have reduced from 77 minutes to about 50-55. I'd like to check out Of Natural History since it's apparently better and the sample is great. |
Grand Opening is definately more accessible, and I don't really think it could've been shortened that much, especially since its only 58 minutes:
1. Sleep is Wrong (6:35)
2. Ambugaton (5:38)
3. Ablutions (6:05)
4. 1997 (4:48)
5. The Miniature (0:59)
6. Powerless (9:30)
7. The Stain (6:46)
8. Sleepytime (10:16)
9. Sunflower (7:52)
Total Time: 58:29
Of natural history is 72 minutes though, maybe you mistook it with that?
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Pnoom!
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 02 2006
Location: OH
Status: Offline
Points: 4981
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Posted: August 06 2008 at 22:27 |
DJPuffyLemon wrote:
Grand Opening is definately more accessible, and I don't really think it could've been shortened that much, especially since its only 58 minutes |
Really, I'd say GOaC is their least accessible by far. Anyway, it could be shortened a fair bit by removing the unnecessary Sunflower and the good but not as good as the rest Ablutions. Now that would be a kickass album.
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mecca
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 22 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 213
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Posted: August 07 2008 at 19:22 |
Dominic wrote:
el böthy wrote:
Carla writes the lyrics? I was always under the impression Nils and Dan wrote the lyrics
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If you've read any interviews of theirs then you know better than me. I was wondering if Nils wrote his lyrics; Carla wrote hers, or if one band member wrote them all. I was thinking that it might have been Carla considering that the lyrics she wrote for "Borrowed Arms" were interesting to me like SGM's.
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Nearly everyone in the band writes lyrics. Especially on In Glorious Times, the credits to who wrote what lyrics are in the liner notes. And quite a lot of their lyrics are used from other arts, including plays, poetry, and literature. One has to appreciate a band that takes use of James Joyce. :)
I agree, Pnoom!, in a way, while I do like all the songs on GOAC, I think that how they were placed wasn't the best, it made the album feel uneven and lacking of flow. But even those songs that broke the flow were still great in their own right.
Edited by mecca - August 07 2008 at 19:23
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Pnoom!
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 02 2006
Location: OH
Status: Offline
Points: 4981
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Posted: August 07 2008 at 19:35 |
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Yeah, lyrics are spread throughout the band. from IGT:
Nils - The Companions, The Salt Crown, The Greenless Wreath
Matthias - Puppet Show
Dan - Formicary
Carla - Angle of Repose, The Only Dance
Michael - Ossuary
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DJPuffyLemon
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 18 2008
Location: L
Status: Offline
Points: 520
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Posted: August 07 2008 at 20:19 |
Pnoom! wrote:
DJPuffyLemon wrote:
Grand Opening is definately more accessible, and I don't really think it could've been shortened that much, especially since its only 58 minutes |
Really, I'd say GOaC is their least accessible by far.
Anyway, it could be shortened a fair bit by removing the unnecessary Sunflower and the good but not as good as the rest Ablutions. Now that would be a kickass album.
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Yeah, get rid of sunflower and you have 8 amazing songs. The album doesn't flow at all. Its more a collection of songs than an "album", to contrast with their next two releases. You can listen to a single track on its own and get more out of it than listening to it in the context of the album.
And its their most accessible because you can take any track from there (with the exception of sunflower) and have a good time for a few minutes. The other two albums are much harder to get into, speaking from my experience/opinion, of natural history is harder to grasp because a lot of the songs are 40% intro, 50% song, and 10% recordings of some redneck. In glorious times is just a racket.
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mecca
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 22 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 213
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Posted: August 07 2008 at 21:02 |
I loved the hillbilly recordings. I thought it added a lot of demented atmosphere to the album... maybe I was thinking of Gummo when I was listening to it.  And also, I don't think the intros took that large of a chunk from the album, unless, that is, you mean the actual intros from songwriting, but if that's the case, I'd consider those part of the "song" as they are really well-written, and can't really be left out of song as that would take away from the whole effect.
I think something that really makes SGM songs intense, I think, is how they use polyrhythms... remember the crescendo of Babydoctor especially, WOW, or even that of The Companions. It just adds a whole new species of layering on top of their music and makes one's brain almost hurt trying to wrap itself around the immense, rhythmic monstrocities.
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Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Appreciation Thread!
