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Originally posted by The Herlihy Boy:

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I have a hard time believeing someone that obviously listens to Animal Collective would Hate Sunset Rubdown

I agree with strawberry, actually. I liked some of Sunset Rubdown's first album, but Random Spirit Lover was almost universally bad to my ears. I found it to be extremely annoying, honestly. And I like Animal Collective.

I can accept this, if you can tell me what part of it is "bad". I'm not saying you are wrong, I truely believe this is your heartfelt and real opinion. I'm honestly trying to figure out how someone can love Animal Collective's drones, yelping, static, abbrasiveness, repitition, numbing complexity, obscure hidden harmony, disregard for formula, etc, would hate a band that is typically only disliked for those same exact properties.

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Originally posted by The Herlihy Boy:
I agree with strawberry, actually. I liked some of Sunset Rubdown's first album, but Random Spirit Lover was almost universally bad to my ears. I found it to be extremely annoying, honestly.

Hmm... I've heard the same thing from people about In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. And yes, I stand by that implication...

I think it's mostly in the production, really. Yeah, the songwriting is relatively similiar. Sunset Rubdown just feels too slick and over the top though. Where Animal Collective feels rooted in youth and sometimes even romance, Sunset Rubdown just seems overly dramatic. Also, while I like Krugs' work with Wolf Parade, I find his vocals less enjoyable when it's over a whole album. The alternating between him and Boeckner lets me take him in with smaller doses.

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Hmm... I've heard the same thing from people about In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. And yes, I stand by that implication...

What exactly do you mean?

All I mean is that RSL's quality should put it up there with other classics. Though it's admittedly too early to say, I think it's the best album of the decade so far (with the notable exception of Kid A).

Like In The Aeroplane, it can be an acquired taste.

Of course, Pitchfork aided Neutral Milk Hotel by giving it a 10.0 (later on down the road from its release). I think this snub means it probably won't achieve anything close to "classic" status because, like it or not, Pitchfork is probably the biggest tastemaker right now.

And that's too bad, because RSL deserves to be obsessed over, in my opinion.

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Of course, Pitchfork aided Neutral Milk Hotel by giving it a 10.0

I wouldn't say that Pitchfork's 10.0 has anything to do with Aeroplane's reputation. That album had a huge reputation among listeners long before they gave it a 10.0 when it was re-released in 2005. Also, remember that a 10.0 rating from Pitchfork does not guarantee classic status from listeners anyway. I think you're over-stating the influence of the website.

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Originally posted by The Herlihy Boy:

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Of course, Pitchfork aided Neutral Milk Hotel by giving it a 10.0

I wouldn't say that Pitchfork's 10.0 has anything to do with Aeroplane's reputation. That album had a huge reputation among listeners long before they gave it a 10.0 when it was re-released in 2005. Also, remember that a 10.0 rating from Pitchfork does not guarantee classic status from listeners anyway. I think you're over-stating the influence of the website.

I can't say how happy this makes me.

No matter what the original topic of discussion is, Neutral Milk Hotel will always come up, because Aeroplane is the greatest album ever.

I would also like to point out that Sunset Rubdown is certainly polarizing. It has the third-most first place votes in the Best of 2007 thread, but it's still only in 11th place.

Spirit Lover was 2 on my list, but It's one of the 3 masterpiece albums released this year. Along side Boxer and Historical conquests of Josh Ritter.

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Originally posted by L. R. William Spencer:
No matter what the original topic of discussion is, Neutral Milk Hotel will always come up, because Aeroplane is the greatest album ever.

Haha, you know I was just thinking that. Since finding these forums and reading through some of the older threads and such, it seems to me the longer the discussion, the probability of the talk turning to a Neutral Milk Hotel comparison or reference increases exponentially. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to hearing this Aeroplane album. I think I'll get into it during a quite period (in regards to new releases) in 2008.

I agree with William Spencer. In the Aeroplane over the Sea is the f**cking greatest album of all-time!! And it was mixed in here not because of the similarities between RSL and ITAOTS (that sounds ridicolous) but because of it's endless gorgeousness. Few words about Sunset Rubdown and Animal Collective: I don't think they are really alike musically. All AC's efforts are filled with sunshine, happiness, but the majority of SR's songs evoke different feelings: anxiety, wrath, insanity. I can't say it's bad though. About 'Trumpet!': the song becomes a complete mess at the end, so that even it's single palatable riff gets lost in the thick production. The Mending of the Gown is a gorgeous song because it manages to save its initial beauty to the end; all of it's numerous melodies are decent and the way they are connected together in this flawless composition is exciting.

I'm definately not saying Random Spirit Lover is equal to In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, I'm just saying they belong in the same category.

Maybe I should put it this way...

Since 2000, there have been a few albums that are widely regarded as undisputed classics: Kid A, Funeral, Turn On The Bright Lights, etc.

I suggest that Random Spirit Lover belongs in this group.

Now, even though nobody's going to say any of these are as good as 1998's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (well, maybe Kid A) they are widely regarded as being in the same league or close to it.

While I'm at it, I propose Drum's Not Dead for nomination, too...

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Originally posted by beginning to feel a lot like benjiru:

Since 2000, there have been a few albums that are widely regarded as undisputed classics: Kid A, Funeral, Turn On The Bright Lights, etc.

I suggest that Random Spirit Lover belongs in this group.

I agree that it's classic. And I hope someday it is "undisputed", but ... I'm afraid it's fairly evenly disputed right now though.

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Originally posted by beginning to feel a lot like benjiru:
I'm definately not saying Random Spirit Lover is equal to In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, I'm just saying they belong in the same category.

Maybe I should put it this way...

Since 2000, there have been a few albums that are widely regarded as undisputed classics: Kid A, Funeral, Turn On The Bright Lights, etc.

I suggest that Random Spirit Lover belongs in this group.

Now, even though nobody's going to say any of these are as good as 1998's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (well, maybe Kid A) they are widely regarded as being in the same league or close to it.

While I'm at it, I propose Drum's Not Dead for nomination, too...

Drum's Not Dead continues to get better for me.

random spirit lover is phanominal. reminds me a lot of the great frog eyes: manic yet intelligent.

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I wouldn't say that Pitchfork's 10.0 has anything to do with Aeroplane's reputation.

That's true for me, I had no idea it got a 10 from Pitchfork.

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I would also like to point out that Sunset Rubdown is certainly polarizing. It has the third-most first place votes in the Best of 2007 thread, but it's still only in 11th place.

What do you guys think is most responsible for that: people just plain not liking it, not giving it a chance after first listen, or just not hearing it in the first place?

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Originally posted by ImmovableMotorist:

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I would also like to point out that Sunset Rubdown is certainly polarizing. It has the third-most first place votes in the Best of 2007 thread, but it's still only in 11th place.

What do you guys think is most responsible for that: people just plain not liking it, not giving it a chance after first listen, or just not hearing it in the first place?

I'll be a honest here. Unless I stumble upon it myself or knew about the band beforehand I usually only check out albums with Metacritic scores above 80. (I don't do this anymore btw but I did it for the first half '07)

I'll definitely say a lot haven't heard about it or it hasn't demanded enough attention to develop curiosity like an In Rainbows has.

I know it isn't for everyone but it's not like this is harder to listen then the other releases this year. I think I was converted from thinking this album is strange as hell to "wow" half-way.

When I made my list this year, and generally when I evaluate an album, I try to think about how I will feel in the next several years. RSL has all the qualities that ensure it will still be a great listen many years from now. I want to be surprised by an album every time I put it on. RSL does that for me. Each time I listen to it, either as a whole, or a single song in a mix, I catch something new. I can't say that about, for example, Boxer, which seems to be more popular around here.

My only qualm with RSL is that I don't listen to it enough. I love it, but it's not an album that I randomly say "I'd really like to listen to Random Spirit Lover right now..."

Maybe that's what keeps me loving it though. Every time I do get that rare urge, it starts playing and I'm blown away. Every time I pop it in, it feels like I'm rediscovering it. Great feeling.

I feel pretty much the same way. A few months ago I listened to it quite a bit, every time I felt like it was getting better and better. I don't listen to it as often anymore, but I still feel the same way about it.

I think Random Spirit Lover will be a slowly rolling boulder type of an album. Much like Subtle's For Hero:For Fool which was overlooked last year, but is still winning new fans as the years continue. It's hard to get into maybe, but the people it grabs onto it grabs onto hard.

Also, Spencer is far from over. Here is the link again for Sunset's Daytrotter Session with a new song called "Idiot Heart".

Sunset Rubdown - Idiot Heart

My Review:

From the first few notes of "The Mending of the Gown," it is clear that Spencer Krug is no longer satisfied with creating hushed acoustic guitar anthems. In his first album as Sunset Rubdown, Krug created an album that seemed to be culmination of his lo-fi leanings. Shut Up I Am Dreaming was like a piece of old furniture: rickety and worn, but special in some difficult to define way.

Random Spirit Lover bears very little resemblance to that particular album (or, for that matter, any other album). In my attempt to describe it after a few listens, I likened it to a cross between two other Krug projects, Frog Eyes and Wolf Parade. Eventually, though, I gave up on comparisons and let myself enjoy it as an album without adequate comparisons or adequate competition: I consider this album to be the culmination of the school of Canadian "Indie" that has flooded the ears of tight-jeans wearing teenagers over the past decade or so.

In a word, this album is diverse. There are maniacal romps through bizarre carnival-like worlds stuffed with animal imagery and tumbling keyboards, sparse numbers featuring little more than Krug's trembling tones and a simple melody, and even a hushed campfire song in "Child-Heart Losers." Beyond trying to describe each song for its characteristics, this album seems to be divided into far more numerous, fragmented parts, most of which have little to do with one another. If forced to choose a number, I'd have to say that there are at least thirty or forty of these miniature "movements" present.

Some of the movements grab the ear more than others, such as the aforementioned guitar solo in "The Mending of the Gown," or the charging apex of "Magic vs. Midas." Without match, however, is the the culmination of the epic "Winged/Wicked Things," which builds from a single puffing organ and oddly watery arpeggios into a glorious mess of noise that jumps up and down entire octaves, leaving the listener drained by the time the outro arrives, less than five minutes after the ride began. If one may expect a letdown after such a superlative piece of music, there's a surprise in store: "Colt Stands up, Grows Horns," draws the listener right back in with creepy minor chords and a cold wind blowing in the background, which give way to 80s-style synths. Unexpected, and absolutely wonderful.

Many have criticized Random Spirit Lover as being "just noise" or for being too weird. True, Krug piles on layer after layer of sound until it can sound at times as though he has little control over his own band. After enough listens, however, it has become clear that each and every note of this album has been carefully placed to create an effect that no other act in music today can match. This album truly is the act of a mad genius. But even the mad genius can get slightly self-conscious: at one point, Krug croons, "Do you think the second movement has too many violins?" The answer, unequivocally, is no. Keep on piling on the sounds, Spencer, and I'll keep on listening.