one-off albums by artists you otherwise hate

[minya]

This is a really interesting phenomenon. It's rare, but sometimes I'll come across a single album that just pushes every single one of my buttons by an artist that otherwise makes me quite ill.

The album that spurred this was Sufjan Stevens' "Seven Swans." I hate Sufjan Stevens. He sums up everything that's wrong with indie music ... not to mention he's a Pitchfork poster boy. Baroque, overblown, obnoxious, whiny, faux-emotional, overwrought and overrated. And out of nowhere comes "Seven Swans," out of left fucking field, and ever since first hearing it about 3 yrs ago it has remained probably the best modern folk album I've ever heard.

It's everything a folk album should be: plaintive, melancholic, beautiful, painful, lonely, and stripped-down. It's honest. It's spiritual (the album is heavily Christian, but it doesn't bother me at all -- in fact, I find it quite inspiring). It's real. It sounds like Stevens sat down in a studio with a banjo, a piano, a guitar, and some backing vocalists and poured his soul into a series of recordings. The album is totally minimalist - none of the obnoxious choir-instrumentation-baroque shit that his other albums feature appear here -- and the songwriting is extremely tight, terse, and to the point. The album doesn't go anywhere it doesn't need to. It makes its point, states its message, and it does so brilliantly. It helps, of course, that the album climaxes with two of the most incredible folksongs I've ever heard -- "The Transfiguration" and "Seven Swans." Those two songs send chills down my spine, without fail, every time. It's beautiful in every way and is a solid 10/10.

So, does anyone have any other albums like this? Totally one-off, stylistically unique recordings by a musician or band that you otherwise loathe?

[wild_whiskey]

Sufjan's opus is Michigan, IMO.

[minya]

Yeah I haven't heard Michigan in a while. I just really turned off of him after hearing Illinois. I can't stand that album. He is a very talented musician, no doubt about that -- but something about him just bugs the shit out of me.

Clearly I feel Seven Swans is his magnum opus, however. ;)

[implicit]

you know, i really tried to get into sufjan. my friends had recommended him to me right after michigan came out. i gave it a listen and thought it was all right. nothing phenomenal, but not bad either.
then he sort of exploded all over the indie radar. illinois came out soon after and, minya, i have to agree with you- it really does exemplify all that's bad about indie right now (in that it's pretentious, ironically self-aware and, as you said, "overwrought"). i went back and listened to michigan and noticed much of the same. i've pretty much written him off since.

[nairb49]

sufjan stevens and sigur ros do it for me.

that and lucy pearl (don't ask)

[onemancult]

i couldn't hate sufjan stevens any more than i do, for reasons already stated.

i can't really think of a one-off album i really love by an artist i really hate because
when i really, really dislike a musician, i barely ever bother listening to what they
put out.

oh, i'll say this... I really, really hate Valor Kand's Christian Death, but I think
that "Church of No Return" is a pretty good song.

[red]

This is a really interesting phenomenon. It's rare, but sometimes I'll come across a single album that just pushes every single one of my buttons by an artist that otherwise makes me quite ill.

The album that spurred this was Sufjan Stevens' "Seven Swans." I hate Sufjan Stevens. He sums up everything that's wrong with indie music ... not to mention he's a Pitchfork poster boy. Baroque, overblown, obnoxious, whiny, faux-emotional, overwrought and overrated. And out of nowhere comes "Seven Swans," out of left fucking field, and ever since first hearing it about 3 yrs ago it has remained probably the best modern folk album I've ever heard.

It's everything a folk album should be: plaintive, melancholic, beautiful, painful, lonely, and stripped-down. It's honest. It's spiritual (the album is heavily Christian, but it doesn't bother me at all -- in fact, I find it quite inspiring). It's real. It sounds like Stevens sat down in a studio with a banjo, a piano, a guitar, and some backing vocalists and poured his soul into a series of recordings. The album is totally minimalist - none of the obnoxious choir-instrumentation-baroque shit that his other albums feature appear here -- and the songwriting is extremely tight, terse, and to the point. The album doesn't go anywhere it doesn't need to. It makes its point, states its message, and it does so brilliantly. It helps, of course, that the album climaxes with two of the most incredible folksongs I've ever heard -- "The Transfiguration" and "Seven Swans." Those two songs send chills down my spine, without fail, every time. It's beautiful in every way and is a solid 10/10.

So, does anyone have any other albums like this? Totally one-off, stylistically unique recordings by a musician or band that you otherwise loathe?

i say minya should have his own music review thread.

[swisloc]

This is a really interesting phenomenon. It's rare, but sometimes I'll come across a single album that just pushes every single one of my buttons by an artist that otherwise makes me quite ill.

The album that spurred this was Sufjan Stevens' "Seven Swans." I hate Sufjan Stevens. He sums up everything that's wrong with indie music ... not to mention he's a Pitchfork poster boy. Baroque, overblown, obnoxious, whiny, faux-emotional, overwrought and overrated. And out of nowhere comes "Seven Swans," out of left fucking field, and ever since first hearing it about 3 yrs ago it has remained probably the best modern folk album I've ever heard.

It's everything a folk album should be: plaintive, melancholic, beautiful, painful, lonely, and stripped-down. It's honest. It's spiritual (the album is heavily Christian, but it doesn't bother me at all -- in fact, I find it quite inspiring). It's real. It sounds like Stevens sat down in a studio with a banjo, a piano, a guitar, and some backing vocalists and poured his soul into a series of recordings. The album is totally minimalist - none of the obnoxious choir-instrumentation-baroque shit that his other albums feature appear here -- and the songwriting is extremely tight, terse, and to the point. The album doesn't go anywhere it doesn't need to. It makes its point, states its message, and it does so brilliantly. It helps, of course, that the album climaxes with two of the most incredible folksongs I've ever heard -- "The Transfiguration" and "Seven Swans." Those two songs send chills down my spine, without fail, every time. It's beautiful in every way and is a solid 10/10.

So, does anyone have any other albums like this? Totally one-off, stylistically unique recordings by a musician or band that you otherwise loathe?

you're SOO right in saying this is a wildly underated album. i think cause it came out only two months after the release of Michigan, and people were still raving about that, no one really noticed this amazing album. and you nailed it with htose two tracks, i remember when i bought the album, i couldn't listen to it at work, cause when those tracks came on i couldn't get anything done, "transfiguration" especially. good call.

others? for me maybe Blueberry Boat by Fiery Furnaces. I don't hate them as much as you seem to hate Sufjan, but this album totally blew me away, i couldn't stop listening to it, and then i bought all their other records and nothing really did it for me, and some was REALLY bad. which makes me think maybe there should be another thread, really terrible albums by bands you usually like...

[Kasper]

i'm gonna get some heat for this, but i've never liked Jay-Z. always thought he was way too commercial, that the production was definitely not my style and that he wasn't that strong lyrically ("gangster" talk from someone who owns a NBA team really turns me off). anyway, couple of my friends who i really respect their hip-hop taste have always told me that he was the shit, that if i gave Reasonnable Doubt a real good listen, i would understand about him, etc. well i did listen to Reasonnable Doubt quite a lot, and never liked it, like most of Jay's music. but i have really enjoyed the Black Album for some reason (mostly due to the production i guess, but still). still kind of don't understand why Jay is getting soo much love from true hip-hop fans though...

[minya]

you're SOO right in saying this is a wildly underated album. i think cause it came out only two months after the release of Michigan, and people were still raving about that, no one really noticed this amazing album. and you nailed it with htose two tracks, i remember when i bought the album, i couldn't listen to it at work, cause when those tracks came on i couldn't get anything done, "transfiguration" especially. good call.

others? for me maybe Blueberry Boat by Fiery Furnaces. I don't hate them as much as you seem to hate Sufjan, but this album totally blew me away, i couldn't stop listening to it, and then i bought all their other records and nothing really did it for me, and some was REALLY bad. which makes me think maybe there should be another thread, really terrible albums by bands you usually like...yeah, Seven Swans came out right as he was releasing a new album every other month... remember that weird electronic-ish almost-techno album he released?... I forget what it was called. But, yeah, Seven Swans definitely didn't get enough attention.

I've never heard Fiery Furnaces but I can pretty much tell I'm going to loathe them. :D Maybe I'll listen to "Blueberry Boat", though.

[swisloc]

yeah, Seven Swans came out right as he was releasing a new album every other month... remember that weird electronic-ish almost-techno album he released?... I forget what it was called. But, yeah, Seven Swans definitely didn't get enough attention.

I've never heard Fiery Furnaces but I can pretty much tell I'm going to loathe them. :D Maybe I'll listen to "Blueberry Boat", though.

that album you're referring to is, "enjoy your rabbit"... and it's absolutely horrendous. oh, and all the tracks where titled, "year of the cat", "year of the dragon", "year of the rooster", etc... f-ing retarded.

you may hate the fiery furnaces. not sure what your tastes are, and most of their stuff is, in fact, incredibly mediocre (which is probably worse than it just straight up bad), but i still feel Blueberry Boat is amazing despite the rest of their catalogue.

[sean_]

blueberry boat is a very good album.

oh i got one, the tree of starling by hawksley workman, came completely under the radar and blew me away.

[ghostdeini]

i'm gonna get some heat for this, but i've never liked Jay-Z. always thought he was way too commercial, that the production was definitely not my style and that he wasn't that strong lyrically ("gangster" talk from someone who owns a NBA team really turns me off). anyway, couple of my friends who i really respect their hip-hop taste have always told me that he was the shit, that if i gave Reasonnable Doubt a real good listen, i would understand about him, etc. well i did listen to Reasonnable Doubt quite a lot, and never liked it, like most of Jay's music. but i have really enjoyed the Black Album for some reason (mostly due to the production i guess, but still). still kind of don't understand why Jay is getting soo much love from true hip-hop fans though...

I would take reasonable doubt over black album any day, but those are my top 2 favorite albums by him. the others have this glossy feel to them in the production and lyrics that really turns me off

[superdupersang]

eminem's first album was one of the first albums i ever bought ( on tape!!)
it blew my mind and listened to it on heavy rotation for a solid year.
i Was slim shady
the lyrics stand out
the beats stand out
so both combined was just wow

then the next album was a step down but i thought well its gunna get better
but i was wrong

nothing he does matches the impact that his first album
slim, youve let me done
now you epitomise everything thats wrong with modern day hip hop

[swisloc]

eminem's first album was one of the first albums i ever bought ( on tape!!)
it blew my mind and listened to it on heavy rotation for a solid year.
i Was slim shady
the lyrics stand out
the beats stand out
so both combined was just wow

then the next album was a step down but i thought well its gunna get better
but i was wrong

nothing he does matches the impact that his first album
slim, youve let me done
now you epitomise everything thats wrong with modern day hip hop

good call.

that could almost be it's own category... musicians who put out a great first album, get hyped beyond belief, and are never able to approach that quality level again...

my call for the next band to have this happen: The Arcade Fire. but i hope they prove me wrong.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Beegees----ODESSA

fuckin' awesome soft prog record, though i have much fear of any of their other albums


minya: i like seven swans, too, but as far as modern folk goes, i think PG Six's Well of Memory (http://www.amazon.com/Well-Memory-PG-Six/dp/B0002IOKL0) is much superior, especially for more experimental tastes.

also i think charalambides, jack rose, espers, and fursaxa are more noteworthy in that genre than sufjan stevens....

[airportlobbytx]

television personalities - and don't the kids just love it
soft boys - underwater moonlight
modern lovers - s/t

I don't hate any of these bands (I like some of the later things that all of them lput out), but these are three of my alltime favorite albums, and none of the bands released another album that I regularly listen to.

[Corbin Law]

Digital Ashes in a Digital Urn
Bright eyes

i fucking hate bright eyes adn ever little indie highschool bitch who wants to birth Conor Obersts's babies
and i ahte that everyone fucking tells me that i look liek him
and i hate his other whiney vague bullshit albums

but my brother gave me this CD
saying i know bright eyes sucks balls but listen to it

and i really got pulled into it, i enjoyed every single song. yeah sometimes the lyrics still suck balls "staring out into that vacuum again from the backporch of my mind"
but it just sucked me in and i loved every minute of it.

[ruprecht]

bump 'cos another similar thread got me to buy joanna newsom (cheers ddml) an i'm thinking of getting seven swans now.

and that's what i like about superfuture.

apart from wanking over pictures of one month old apcs.

[walt]

Digital Ashes in a Digital Urn
Bright eyes

i fucking hate bright eyes adn ever little indie highschool bitch who wants to birth Conor Obersts's babies
and i ahte that everyone fucking tells me that i look liek him
and i hate his other whiney vague bullshit albums

but my brother gave me this CD
saying i know bright eyes sucks balls but listen to it

and i really got pulled into it, i enjoyed every single song. yeah sometimes the lyrics still suck balls "staring out into that vacuum again from the backporch of my mind"
but it just sucked me in and i loved every minute of it.

exactly what i was going to post. i had such a prejudice towards his music from all the little shits i knew that were obsessed with him. but once i got this cd i still can listen to it straight through and not skip a track. some of the lyrics are out there but there still are gems. "all those white lines that sped us up, we just hurried to our death."

another cd is propagandhi-today's ashes tomorrow's empires. i like their other music its just this one is far beyond anything else by them for me.

[soundune]

3eb by third eye blind. pure pop genius and then......shit

[TragicBliss]

my call for the next band to have this happen: The Arcade Fire. but i hope they prove me wrong.

I hope so too. As we all do when our favoite bands make it big, I cringed when KROQ started playing them during the middle of the day.

[likewtfyo]

How bout JT's newest? Future, Love, Sex, Sounds? it's pretty good. i mean he's injecting his usual gay ass poppy act a new lease of life there. Everyone knows what sexyback somemore.