Rooftrampler92

I heard about the Dead Elephant, out there in the Italian/my space alternative underground circuit, and I must say that your review helped me even more to understand what this album is made of. And congrats, you write very well!

Ah, for those who don’t have it, I recommend the American version, or the 2005 reprint, which also includes "Change," an amazing track, performed to perfection.

Then, regarding the review, technically you got the date wrong, not to mention that post-punk is just a movement, a label that contextualizes that group of bands born between the death of punk and '84, '85 (more or less the fading of hardcore punk as a proper genre). If we want to be specific, Killing Joke are much more than "post-punk" or "new wave," as you mentioned; they have a dark edge, and this could have been included among the genres, along with the industrial-electronic aspect that is evident.

So, if we want to generalize, I agree with your ideas, but it's not enough to just say that. The music of Killing Joke is not just excellent guitar and bass lines; their music is much more complex than one might imagine. In many pieces, there's a lot of deconstruction of sound, so we should spend a few words on that, and even more so discuss the influences on the aftermath of the album. And this is exactly what is missing from the review: there's no context, there's no content, there's only what was to be said melodically (and what you said isn't wrong). The problem is that the significance of this album isn't so much at a melodic level, but precisely at a sonic level. Let's think about Ministry, the early Nine Inch Nails, and so many other bands in the industrial scene; how much do they owe to this album? And post, do we want to talk about that? I think Slint must have given Requiem a "listen," right? What do you say?

I listened to it. In my opinion, there’s a lot of spontaneity and straightforwardness in the lyrics, which I like, while in the musical part, the sound doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t know why; it’s subjective. Maybe the guitar is too prominent, or perhaps it’s the bass that doesn’t contribute to the richness of the rhythm. I don’t know, musically it feels pretty derivative; there’s a post vibe (sometimes between the guitar and the drums in odd time signatures, it feels like I’m listening to the poor man's Slint), but it’s clear that there’s a whole world of stuff inside. Even (don’t bring out the bat, Alessio), beyond the deconstructed post elements, I think of Afterhours and Verdena, to name two, just as one could also see, I don’t know, the Smashing Pumpkins. In the end, one can see everything that exists in the alternative and independent landscape, both local and not; the essence is the same. Maybe one thing that’s missing is the freshness in listening to the music; after all, there are so many similar things out there.

I listened to it. In my opinion, there’s a lot of spontaneity and straightforwardness in the lyrics, which I like, while in the musical part, the sound doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t know why; it’s subjective. Maybe the guitar is too prominent, or perhaps it’s the bass that doesn’t contribute to the richness of the rhythm. I don’t know, musically it feels pretty derivative; there’s a post vibe (sometimes between the guitar and the drums in odd time signatures, it feels like I’m listening to the poor man's Slint), but it’s clear that there’s a whole world of stuff inside. Even (don’t bring out the bat, Alessio), beyond the deconstructed post elements, I think of Afterhours and Verdena, to name two, just as one could also see, I don’t know, the Smashing Pumpkins. In the end, one can see everything that exists in the alternative and independent landscape, both local and not; the essence is the same. Maybe one thing that’s missing is the freshness in listening to the music; after all, there are so many similar things out there.

La voce di Banks è stata paragonata a quella di Patrick Fitzgerald dei Kitchens of Distinction e, soprattutto, a Ian Curtis, il compianto cantante dei Joy Division. Molti hanno anche trovato somiglianze con il cantante dei The Psychedelic Furs, Richard Butler. Banks Protesta che il paragone costringe semplicemente a imporre influenze sulla band nel tentativo di descrivere il loro stile musicale. Ha anche affermato che non cerca di emulare le sue maggiori influenze perché pensa di non poter reggere il confronto ("Non cercherei mai di cantare come Frank Black o Kurt Cobain perché semplicemente non puoi farlo").

In reference to what was said by Easycure an infinite number of posts ago, I would say that if people have really listened to the album properly, they should understand that a classy digression like "The New," or the melodic interplay of "Untitled" is objectively not derivative, and I don't see how you can consider it such, because similar stuff has never been seen in the music of JD and Cure, to name just two. On the other hand, I agree with the discussion about aesthetics; the dark, decadent attitude is definitely there, but still, that's the least you can hold against a band like Interpol, who only have taste, aesthetics, and appearance on the derivative side. But music is what makes the difference, and while "Obstacle 1" is all torn between JD and Television, monstrous stuff like "Untitled" doesn't derive from anything. Look, as a modest connoisseur of music, I say that Interpol is one of the few mainstream bands of the millennium that has its own personality. And then, sorry to say, but a look at the lyrics, no? Those support the hypothesis I put forward and contribute to giving an identity to the band in question, and if one knew even a little about Banks' personality, certain things would shoot him down immediately.

There are people here who don’t listen to music, because it takes a certain level of mediocrity to write a review like that, huh… I don’t like the review; it’s poorly thrown together, lacking coherence, and tearing apart an album that truly demands a lot of words, not just “the usual revival,” “mediocre”… Well, I can't stand those damn prejudices; listen first, then let’s see what you have to say. The rhetoric and guitar interplay of “Untitled” already raises the hair on the back of your neck; just imagine when you get to pieces like “Stella was…” and “The New.” Hazy, atmospheric, melancholic, dark, enchanting, classy, existential. And enough with the 1-star ratings when the music evokes the sounds of JD, the Smiths—consider them the Interpol; their music isn’t a copy-and-paste of '80s dark wave, it’s their own sound, and it's clear you haven't really listened to the album if you’re saying “The usual indie rock band that copies so-and-so…” In short, this album, for those who haven’t yet “uncorked their ears,” is one of the best records of the new millennium.

@psycho: yeah, I know very well that it's a unique piece, but tracks like Cover Me and Agoraphobia, at least as I downloaded them, are separate tracks (I don't know how reliable torrents are). I considered it a double feature for that reason, and by the way, it left a greater impact on me because of the intro rather than Agoraphobia.