R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi

One song from this album came up on my playlist and it made me want to write something about the album. There are times when I buy popular band’s albums because I like the album at the moment. Achtung Baby made me like U2. Since buying it have bought two of their albums and forced to take one more. Rattle & Hum gives me everything I want from their older material. Zooropa is kind of sequel to Actung Baby without the magic. I also have Passengers album which is kind of spin off from Achtung Baby. U2 and Achtung Baby’s producer Brian Eno made weird soundtrack album for made up movies. And I was forced by Apple to take that one album because they thought it would be good pr move. It wasn’t.

Sometimes I start to dislike the album and band as I listen the album I bought when it was top of the charts. Stiltskin’s album is one of those and Billie Eilish is becoming one of those artists. I added Billie Eilish’s album to last year’s favorite albums list but I don’t like her music that much any more. There are many other examples too. Most of those albums I don’t like any more. Achtung Baby and other U2’s albums I bought I still like.

Then there is R.E.M.’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Only R.E.M. album I own. It is not among R.E.M.’s top albums. In fact it came after R.E.M. had released three of their top albums. Three albums before this are in top 5 of R.E.M. albums in LastFM. One of those five is compilation album. I went to check the compilation album again. I didn’t find it interesting enough to check until the end. Then went to check Automatic for the People which have couple songs I like. That I could check till the end. Checking means one and half minute pieces of songs in iTunes store.To me R.E.M.’s best of is New Adventures in Hi-Fi and couple tracks from Automatic for the People. No Losing My Religion, End of the World or Shiny Happy People to my best of R.E.M.

To me New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the album where R.E.M. got it all together. After it they lost their drummer and long time producer. They started to use more distorted guitars on previous album Monster. On this they learned how to use them and they brought best parts of Automatic for the People. To me Monster’s guitars didn’t felt right. I don’t understand why it was so popular and why those songs were big hits. On New Adventures in Hi-Fi they nailed guitar tone and playing so well their older more acoustic material feels lacking something. It doesn’t have guitars of New Adventures in Hi-Fi.

New Adventures in Hi-Fi has this weird 4 am feeling. It is hard to explain. It always make me feel like it is somewhere between 3 am and 4 am. As it is at the moment when I write this. Couldn’t get sleep so I write this now. This was published later so post’s time is not 4 am. I guess feeling comes from album being recorded partly on soundchecks of Monster tour. Four tracks were recorded in Seattle Studio. Other ten were recorded somewhere else.

You should check New Adventures in Hi-Fi even if you don’t like R.E.M. that much. It is only R.E.M. album I own. It is not like Shiny Happy People. It is one of the biggest bands at the time at their peak when every thing just worked. Not their biggest album but to me their best one by far.

Flipperi

Short physics modeling animation made with Blender. Original idea was to have it work on rhythm of the music but that turned out too hard. Even this easier mode too some time to get it right. Music is done with Arturia Pigments 2, U-He ZebraHZ and Spitfire Audio Edna Earth.

God Dethroned - Illuminati

I do listen music from other countries than Japan. New purchases have mainly been from Japan but there are some others too. God Dethroned released new album last Friday. I almost missed it. God Dethroned is not a band I follow all the time but they make solid albums. I have three of their previous albums.

Illuminati is step away from war themed albums. This is more religion themed album. Based on their name I assume this is what they sang about before they found war theme. On initial listening they still make solid but not spectacular melodic death metal. It remains to be seen if it is enough for my favorite albums list.

Paranoid Void - Blind Blue

Some crazy drumming for your day. Can’t say much about the band. Found them today. Band is called Paranoid Void. They play instrumental music. At least on videos I have seen. I say this because I have seen words vocals and chorus after members’ names. Haven’t heard anyone singing anything besides small additive parts in couple songs. They have released one full length album, one mini album and two singles so far.

I didn’t realize how crazy their drum parts are until I saw this video. Their music videos don’t show much of their playing. This one shows it and drummer being at the center she gets shown almost all the time.

January is over. How is the plan going?

I probably should start by saying ancient Romans started their year from March and I am so conservative I will do the same. I don’t follow this year starts from January nonsense.

January basically went preparing for what I planned to do this year. I got new guitar and few plugins I have considered for ages but which have never been on sale and probably never will. I could have waited with effects. Probably with guitar too but it was never in store and I wasn’t sure if it will be available in future. Guitar is Fender’s Ed O’Brian signature Stratocaster. I like Radiohead but that wasn’t the reason to get the guitar. It is only guitar with sustainer you can get from Finland. I would have modified one of my Stratocasters with sustainer if I could have found someone to do it. Sustainer gives something I can’t get from other guitars. So it still fits to plan. I will make post or video about it later.

I should have bought ValhallaDSP’s Shimmer long time ago. I used it in last video. It brought missing piece to my music. I have wanted that sounding reverb but alternatives didn’t give it. It can be heard everywhere which is one reason why I waited this long to get it.

I got Pinhole Pro X yesterday. About two months after it was promised. It is as fun as I thought it would be. Only problem is it shows how dirty your sensor is. I might have it permanently on my old camera. IBIS would be nice with long exposure times it requires but cleaning the sensor every time before you put it on camera is not tempting. This lens will also get video or post later. Picture above was taken with the lens. Using the lens was so fun I will get more lenses with artistic look later.

February isn’t starting any better. One reverb and two sample libraries are on introduction sales with prices I will never get in future. One of the libraries in new entry to series I already have almost every entry and other is next generation version of library I already have with new features old one doesn’t have. And reverb is from company whose plugins I use quite often. Just can’t skip these with these sales prices.

Without buying part plan has gone quite well. Videos I have released have been more experimental. Next one will be too. I hope I can start buying part on March. Everything else goes according the plan.

Best thing at the moment: Necry Talkie

I told earlier three albums on my shopping list would be released on same day this week. That day was 29th day and there were one more interesting album released that day. It was Necry Talkie’s Zoo!!. I didn’t know anything about that or the band before that day. I have problems getting Tricot’s new album. So I have spent last couple day enjoying Necry Talkie. And that fourth album on shopping list was by Love Bites.

So what make Necry Talkie best thing at the moment. Tricot is also it but I haven’t got their latest album yet. Necry Talkie has personality. They don’t sound as generic as Shishamo whose video I shared earlier. Their video’s support the fun feeling they songs give. What they do sounds and looks natural. I rarely find “happy music” interesting. Necry Talkie is best thing at the moment for making interesting “happy music”.