Have a Nice Life - The Unnatural World (2014)

 

"It isn’t real, but it feels real."

 Since I already introduced Have a Nice Life many posts ago, I won't do it again. But as Dan (also of the great label Enemies List Home Recording, check their other stuff out!*) has stated in a place I don't remember... Have a Nice Life "is, was, and always will be Dan and Tim". Enough said I guess. These guys really lack any kind of biography, their Wikipedia article is quite sparse. Perhaps that is part of their charm, shrouded, letting the music speak for itself. Their most recent release however, The Unnatural World, gained some more press release. A song featured on NPR and the entire album streamed on Pitchfork. I think this is great news for the band, they are getting the exposure they deserve. Because this certainly isn't music I'd consider accessible. 

So after releasing an EP in 2010 (following Deathconsciousness in 2008), Time of Land, finally in 2014 the duo released The Unnatural World. I'm not going to lie, I had rather high expectations for this record, I loved Deathconsciousness, and still do. To my great pleasure, this was equally great - albeit in a different way. Still Have a Nice Life but it's the 2014 version. Not nearly as epic as their first full length: 1 disc, 8 tracks, none in the double digits. But this doesn't detract from anything. They are maybe more able to get their point across more concisely. 

All of the elements I loved about their previous album are here, totally depressing, doom, drone, distortion, lots of D words. There are a lot of things to discover about this album, each listen can bring something new. 

So far 'Burial Society' is my favourite track, the vocals are rather emotional. Though none of these tracks lack emotion. And this is also not to say that the previous tracks aren't strong, they definitely are. It's usually just the dreary kind. 'Music Will Untune the Sky' is a sort of dreamy track with some feedback and almost angelic singing stretched out in the background. 'Cropsey' is another interesting track, it begins with a dialogue between an adult and child. The male adult is asking the boy (Johnny) how he feels about Pennhurt. A quick Wikipedia search brings up some info about Pennhurst, and then the track makes a lot more sense. Spoiler alert: it was a school/hospital in Pennsylvania for the mentally and physically disabled. Listening to the track and reading the entry doesn't exactly make for a happy picture. I don't know where the sample came from, but it certainly is intriguing. The samples are played over some simple keyboard and drums before the real vocals and instruments break in. The song is actually quite powerful when it properly begins. 'Unholy Life' follows, and is actually the most upbeat, and shortest, track on the album.

In general, this album offers what you'd come to enjoy and expect from Have a Nice Life, while still managing to give the listener something totally unexpected. This is a difficult album for me to describe as well, it's another best if you listen to it sort of thing. It is a perfect follow-up to Deathconsciousness - while remaining wholly unrelated, there is no recycling of ideas here. The Unnatural World shows the band progressing, moving forward, and still making painfully oblique music that will make your soul filled with sorrow and hopelessness. In a good way of course, because isn't that the best kind of music?

*I recently partook in a campaign to fund Enemies List, you can feel good supporting them and get a ton of great music included. If you like anything from Enemies List I would seriously consider this. It's win-win for everyone! Go here for more info: http://support.enemieslist.net/

 

Oceansize - Everyone Into Position (2005)

"Say one thing for sorrow it never leaves me dry 

As I beg, steal and borrow 

There's no tears when I cry"

Though it's a sad thing that I'll never see these guys live, or hear another new song from them, at least (along with Cog), the world does have some music by them. I actually can't remember how I got into Oceansize. But they are considered 'brothers in amps' with Amplifier (thankfully still together). Named after a Jane's Addiction song, Oceansize is made up of 5 members from Manchester, England. Their line-up stayed relatively consistent throughout the years with only a change between bass players in 2006. Their line-up at the end was: Mike Vennart (guitar, lead vocals), Steve Durose (guitar, backing vocals), Richard "Gambler" Ingram (guitar, keyboards), Steven Hodson (bass, keyboards), and Mark Heron (drums). With 4 full lengths, 5 EPs and a handful of singles, Oceansize as we know it sadly ended in 2011. But because I frequently take their records out, and have recently been listening to Everyone Into Position, I thought I'd review it anyway. As with all their records, it easily holds up after these years.

I have actually considered reviewing an Oceansize album many times, but always fell short because I honestly was not sure what to write. To me, they are a difficult band to describe. All of their albums, except the most recent Self-Preserved While the Bodies Float Up (2010), have taken a while to grow on me. These guys make albums that I would in no way consider accessible. They also don't really go for the whole 'this can be easily described to someone else' thing. When asked what album I'd recommend as a starting point, I would honestly have no idea what to say. That's not to say that they are "weird" or overly experimental (using generic pop as a baseline here). Their albums aren't even that far from one another, really. Maybe the aforementioned Self-Preserved... In fact, they are probably most often described as progressive rock. Even through many listens you may not be sure exactly what to think. After I got to 2007's Frames, I knew I would like it, I just didn't know how long it would take. But anyway, Everyone Into Position was the album that I started with. I bought it from another iTunes recommendation (who knew) and when it arrived I played it, but only extremely occasionally. There wasn't anything bad about it, but it didn't really click at first. Good way to start a review eh? Then, and I don't remember when, it just did. The same thing happened for their debut album Effloresce (2003). Now I play both, well, a lot. Since as soon as it clicked, it really fucking clicked. Like playing over and over and over for days on end kind of obsessive clicking. So on with the review, if that's what we're calling it at this point...

The album begins with 'The Charm Offensive', and though there is no typical title track of the album, this is as close as Oceansize gets with such a thing. The opening track feels like a call to arms of some sort. It remains upbeat and a little bit winding, and in my opinion it somewhat eases you into the rest of the albums progression. Admittedly, this album doesn't go so much for ebb and flow as it does for grabbing your attention. The tracks flow into one another relatively seamlessly but there isn't necessarily an overall theme. Though I also feel that these songs would only be comfortable all together on the album itself. See hard to describe. As a side note you probably should not think too hard about what their songs are actually about, it may make your head hurt a little.

'A Homage to a Shame' has quite a bit more bombast than the previous 2 songs. Particularly the latter half where the vocalist is basically screaming at you. All in a good way of course, but it's somewhat unexpected at first. Then there's 'Meredith', a slower piece, which was also played in a scene on the American TV show The OC (yeah, you read that right). This is absolutely in stark contrast to the previous track. 'Music for a Nurse' follows, another slower track that lets you float along with it, giving you a perfect sense of an anesthetic, dream-like state. 'New Pin' is a standout track for me, and one of my favourites. Vennart delivers a great vocal performance, part patronizing, but also partly like a plea - a delicate balance that he manages perfectly. 'No Tomorrow' harkens back to 'Heaven Send', the second track, but still totally different entities of course. The last few tracks can sometimes get a little muddled as they follow some more "stand out" options that come before them. However, if you are willing to donate more time then you are infinitely rewarded for your efforts. Of all of them, I'd say, at least for me, they were the most difficult to get into, but still lovely! These are even more difficult to describe as you can tell from my rambling.

So in conclusion another thing about Oceansize that should be mentioned is that they really work and sound so much a cohesive unit, they feel like they fit together perfectly and easily. It makes for a great sounding record, like it was meant to be that way. I don't know what else to say. Listen for yourself!

Also if you like Oceansize, support their various new projects!

Best of 2013

I've decided to begin posting my best of the year lists, since I make them every year anyway. It was a great year for music for sure. I didn't write too many reviews this year however, partly because I did not have so much time and partly because I did not have that much time to really thoroughly listen to a lot of releases. I intend to rectify that this year! I will probably be spending a lot of it listening to 2013 releases..

So...

My 2013 List: (no order)

Albums

Loved/listened to a lot

Paramore - Paramore (review)

Palms - Palms

Coheed and Cambria - The Afterman: Descension

Karnivool - Asymmetry (review)

Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (review forthcoming)

Pelican - Forever Becoming (am doing so since release anyway)

Anathema - Universal (Live) (really captures the energy of their live sound, gives the songs a new depth)

Steven Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing (more so after seeing it live) 

 

Liked

Nothing More - Nothing More

Austra - Olympia

Riverside - Shrine of New Generation Slaves

Puscifer - Donkey Punch the Night

Long Distance Calling - The Flood Inside

Birds of Tokyo - March Fires (some great highlights but maybe not as strong as their previous album)

Dead Letter Circus - The Catalyst Fire (ditto to Birds of Tokyo)

Amplifier - Echo Street

Wisdom of Crowds - Wisdom of Crowds

Mogwai - Les Revenants

 

Liked, but haven’t listened to that much (yet)

Mamiffer and Circle - Enharmonic Intervals (For Paschen Organ)

Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory and Injury

Jesu - Everyday I Get Closer to the Light From Which I Came

Boards of Canada - Tomorrow’s Harvest (blasphemy that I haven’t listened to this much yet, I know!)

Sigur Rós - Kveikur

Jon Hopkins - Immunity

65daysofstatic - Wild Light

Russian Circles - Memorial

Cult of Luna - Vertikal

Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus

Chelsea Wolfe - Pain is Beauty

Man’s Gin - Rebellion Hymns

 

Not sure what to say about..

The Knife - Shaking the Habitual

 

Still need to listen

The Ocean - Pelagial

Tim Hecker - Virgins

Deafheaven  - Sunbather

Humanfly - Awesome Science

How to Destroy Angels - Welcome Oblivion

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones)

Zozobra - Savage Masters

Locrian - Return to Annihilation

Red Fang - Whales and Leeches

Wolvserpent - Perigaea Antahkaran

Rosetta - The Anaesthete

Oneohtrix Point Never - R Plus Seven

Special Request - Soul Music

Forest Swords - Engraving

Holden - The Inheritors

Barn Owl - V

Fen - Dustwalker

God is an Astronaut - Origins

Krister Linder - The Great Surrender EP

Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob

Kylesa - Ultraviolet 

Tracks

Karnivool - We Are, Alpha Omega
Paramore - Fast in My Car, Ain't It Fun, Still Into You
Coheed and Cambria - Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant, The Hard Sell
Nine Inch Nails - Various Methods of Escape, In Two
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused to Sing
Anathema - Thin Air (live), Untouchable Part 1 and 2 (live)
Nothing More - First Punch
Riverside - Celebrity Touch
Puscifer - Breathe
Birds of Tokyo - Lanterns, The Others
Dead Letter Circus - Alone Awake

Live
Cult of Luna
Ilosaarirock (particularly Nightwish, Pelican, Imagine Dragons, and Sigur Rós)
DJ Shadow (surprise to me too)
Steven Wilson
Karnivool 

Looking forward to in 2014
Mogwai
Have a Nice Life
Crosses
Sunn o))) and Ulver
Wolves in the Throne Room
Jakob
Amplifier
Mastodon
Old Man Gloom
Agalloch
Palms(?)