My friend has just sparked up an interest in indie music, and he told me to burn him a copy of a good electronic/whatever album. I'd like to find what the general public thinks though. Quite personally, I like Give Up more, but Pitchfork and AMG both gave Life is Full of Possibilities higher scores.

Question:
Which album do you think is better?

Choices:
The Postal Service - Give Up
DNTEL - Life is Full of Possibilities

 

I haven't heard "Life is Full..." but I think that "Give Up" is one of the best, if not the best, straight pop albums of this decade.

ditto

The best electronic album for a newbie in my opinion is "Rounds" by Four Tet.
I got that recommendation from a member of this site, and I pass it on enthusiastically.
It plays like a rock album.

I think both albums you asked about have their own merits. "Life is Full of Possibilities" has great textured electronic songs (see "This is the Dream of Evan and Chan") that aren't too easy to get into.
"Give Up" is probably a more accessible listen and therefore better choice for this situation. The first two songs are among this decade's best. Then again, it gets almost too sappy to listen to at parts.

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:
I haven't heard "Life is Full..." but I think that "Give Up" is one of the best, if not the best, straight pop albums of this decade.

I think I've been on this forum for too long, because I read this statement, and for some reason, knew it was Chamberk before I even looked.

I don't know how you can compare the two albums actually. I think this is a "No Duh..." situation. Dntel's what's-his-face Tombarodino or whatever is active on both albums, but Give Up has the benefit of including That-Dude-From-Deathcab to include clean vocals, cohesive lyrical feeling, and some really sweet pop melodies.

another interesting confrontation could be The Notwist - Neon Golden vs Postal Service - Give Up. two albums in the same music category (emotional eletro-pop). Which is better?

quote:

Originally posted by eggtweedyegg:
another interesting confrontation could be The Notwist - Neon Golden vs Postal Service - Give Up. two albums in the same music category (emotional eletro-pop). Which is better?

Neon Golden is a minor masterpiece. Give Up, on the other hand, is uninspired and entirely unoriginal.

Don't get me wrong. I respect the catchy nature of Ben Gibbard-related projects and I enjoy listening to them on a casual level. There's really no comparison, though.

I'd be hard-pressed to decide which between Neon Golden and Give Up. Each is very good for a certain mood. Give Up is a pick-me-up (except for "This Place is a Prison") and Neon Golden is very low-key, the soundtrack to being slightly down and not entirely minding that.

Neon Golden is amazing but Give Up wins for strictly nostalgic reasons.

And originality isn't my top priority... I'll choose quality over it any day of the week.

Aphex Twin's The Richard D James album is a great electronic album. i don't know if it's necessarily "indie," but it's a great one.

Caribou's The Milk of Human Kindness would be another.

quote:

Originally posted by acorvey:
And originality isn't my top priority... I'll choose quality over it any day of the week.

I wish more people shared this mentality. I feel like a lot more good music would be out there for me to listen to.

quote:

Originally posted by modestaretaloger:
My friend has just sparked up an interest in indie music, and he told me to burn him a copy of a good electronic/whatever album. I'd like to find what the general public thinks though. Quite personally, I like Give Up more, but Pitchfork and AMG both gave Life is Full of Possibilities higher scores.

Well...are you trying to get him into electronic music, or into indie music? They're both good albums, but they have very different aims.

He's a confusing one. He's heard and likes Brian Eno(which is why I threw Life is Full of Possibilities in there), but at the same time, he likes The Strokes. So, I didn't know what to do.

quote:

Originally posted by modestaretaloger:
He's a confusing one. He's heard and likes Brian Eno(which is why I threw Life is Full of Possibilities in there), but at the same time, he likes The Strokes. So, I didn't know what to do.

I bet he'd like some of the more indie and pop-oriented IDM (like Dntel, actually). Stuff like Mouse on Mars, Telefon Tel Aviv, someone mentioned Four Tet and Caribou/Manitoba earlier. So if you're seeking to expand his taste Life is Full of Possibilities is a great choice. Give Up may be a better album but it doesn't challenge any pop conventions, so that's my two cents.

quote:

Originally posted by acorvey:
Neon Golden is amazing but Give Up wins for strictly nostalgic reasons.

And originality isn't my top priority... I'll choose quality over it any day of the week.

The absurdity of this statement is that you are implying that originality and quality are somehow mutually exclusive. I would argue that the opposite is in fact true. There is music, like the Postal Service, that is pleasant to listen to, but that does not make it quality.

quote:

Originally posted by L. R. William Spencer:

The absurdity of this statement is that you are implying that originality and quality are somehow mutually exclusive. I would argue that the opposite is in fact true. There is music, like the Postal Service, that is pleasant to listen to, but that does not make it quality.

What is quality to you then?

quote:

Originally posted by modestaretaloger:

quote:

Originally posted by L. R. William Spencer:

The absurdity of this statement is that you are implying that originality and quality are somehow mutually exclusive. I would argue that the opposite is in fact true. There is music, like the Postal Service, that is pleasant to listen to, but that does not make it quality.

What is quality to you then?

Look. Everyone love's McDonald's fries, but that doesn't make them quality. Quality music has a great deal of thought put into it and requires a great deal of thought to take something from it.

Just my own take.

Well-put, L.R. That statement sums up my exact opinion and made me hungry at the same time.

The Notwist, like Burger King fries, is tasty and of high quality.

Oh, I'm in the wrong place. I was looking for the "Suicide: Yes or No" forum. "Give Up vs Life is Full of Possibilities" fooled me.

I vote no on suicide. Today.

And The Postal Service over Dntel.

quote:

Originally posted by L. R. William Spencer:
The absurdity of this statement is that you are implying that originality and quality are somehow mutually exclusive. I would argue that the opposite is in fact true. There is music, like the Postal Service, that is pleasant to listen to, but that does not make it quality.

I don't thing acorvey's statement implied mutual exclusivity at all. Quality and originality are two different things, with two different definitions. Duh. He's just saying he values one over the other when it comes to music. What's so wrong with that? The only absurdity here is the fact that you have a problem with someone else's preference.

As far as the OP, I'd take "give up". Every song is a gem.