UncleJam23

First and foremost, I just want to be publically on record as being in favor of @zombiepie's bit of only submitting semi-grotesque and/or villainous classical music haha. We can all sit back and take potshots at classical music all day long, what with all the stuffiness and pomp we tend to read into it. However, like all forms of art, we must remind ourselves that classical music brims with weirdos and freaks, many of whom live under shit circumstances (particularly in Shostakovich's case), and ZP's submissions are a fun little reminder of that.

I know that sounds like I'm making fun of ZP and classical music, but I'm not. After all I had a great time with Bartók and I had a great time with this.

In fact, what I like about No. 8 the most is that it's as intentionally off-putting as The Miraculous Mandarin, but in the exact opposite way. While there are certainly quieter moments in The Miraculous Mandarin, I mainly remember how it tapped into horror with loud bombast, whereas No. 8 is quieter and more insidious. (Granted it is a quartet as opposed to a full orchestra.) It doesn't blast you with sound, but rather these more intricate compositions that just feel icky to me. But in a good way.

Or put it another way: If any of you have seen The Lobster, you've heard the fourth movement as it's used a lot. Imagine that creative process. You're making a movie with dark sinister overtones, and you decide that that fourth movement of No. 8 would match perfectly with what you're making. And you'd be right because it does. (I also swear I've heard that movement, and the third one, elsewhere as well.) That's the kind of vibe being offered here. You're on the train or you're not, and I very much am.

So yeah, it's dark sinister Soviet shit. What's not to love? Other than the rather dire circumstances in which it was made? (ALS, Stalin, etc.) Also I'm on 4 hours of sleep, so I hope anything I said made sense.

Duders! Welcome to the 54th edition of the Unofficial Giant Bomb Album Club! We took last week off. The pool is larger than usual this time around and some of us needed time to catch up. But we're back this week with some bad vibes classical music! Specifically, String Quartet No. 8 by Dmitri Shostakovich! This album was selected by our good friend @zombiepie, and you can listen and get some relevant context with the links ZP provided below:

Recording with sheet music: https://youtu.be/-0nKJoZY64A?si=TwbhQJWovaSBYX_b

Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41HIXtBElH4

Short documentary ZP put in our submission sheet that provides some historical context, re: being forced to work under/for Stalin and so forth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=827zsCiQ_YY

Another short documentary ZP provided that not only fills in some info gaps for the first one, but also does a good job articulating what made Shostakovich unique and subversive as a composter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCxzMYVvHBg

I did a little research on classical music forums and subreddits and this seems to be the one people agree on the most as far as "best" recording. Specifically, it's tracks 5-9:https://open.spotify.com/album/7yJkK4ixPMR58VrBpjV2Dl?si=12S3qrE1TSGVc5uBlA1wyg

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The Unofficial Giant Bomb Album Club! You know what we do? I'll tell you what the fuck we do. We gather in a Discord and made a pool of albums, from which we pick one at random every week to listen to and discuss. If that sounds like a good time, come on down!

I've never been one for the more theatrical kind of goth rock. Vampires in love and all that. Granted, I spent a good portion of my year reading short scripts and short stories for a horror writing competition, and thus my cup hasn't runneth over so much as been washed away in a flood when it comes to this kind of thing. But even if this weren't the case, it was just never my cup of tea. I don't have a good reason to give you as to why. Whatever signals light up in your brain that determine your taste evaluated the more theater-y side of goth and told my brain "no."

So, sadly, I can't say this album was for me. Musically, it's perfectly fine, and as for the more over-the-top lyrics, I can't really tell if Creeper is in on the joke or not. Either way, it struck me as corny. I am not fun.

But here's the thing: I can't really find it in myself to be mad at this.

Needlessly condescending metaphor: It would be like getting mad at a little adorable puppy for peeing on the floor. Sure, it's not a pleasant experience. But how angry are you really going to get? Similarly, yes, I found this album a touch cheesy. But the thing is that Creeper is so sincere about what it's doing that hating it just feels mean in this roundabout way.

So no, it's not my thing. But it's easy to imagine that kind of person who will really love this album, and to that person, I'm happy this exists for you. I know that sounds like I'm talking down, but I don't mean to. I also realize I didn't really say much here. But this is one of those albums where you can listen to a song or two and you'll know pretty quickly whether or not it's for you. You don't need my or anyone's thoughts.

Favorite Songs: "Further Than Forever," "The Ballad of Spook and Mercy," "Black Heaven"

Duders! Welcome to the 53rd edition of the Unofficial Giant Bomb Album Club! Last week, we got dark and aggressive with a grindcore album. This week, we're still dark, but rather than aggressive darkness, it's more of a goth theatrical kind of darkness, as our our album this time is Sanguivore by Creeper! This album was selected by our good pal @sombre, and you can listen with the links below:

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/1tpzmjEeH5oO5Ninfxqer2

Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/us/album/sanguivore/1689439690

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvsYXqtYjMYfOHiEKPKbOVv7Re_dz8PBy

Here at the Unofficial GB Album Club, we built a pool of albums in our Discord and we choose one at random every week to listen to and discuss! If that sounds good to you, come on down!

I discovered an important thing about my still nascent connection with metal while I was listening to this album.

Normally when I listen to an album, I'm not only paying attention to what song's playing, but I'm also paying attention to lyrics and thinking about the construction and mixing and all that stuff a music fan is supposed to do, hypothetically. At first, on those grounds, I was ready to write Horrified off.

I was ready to complain about how all the songs sounded the same. That I prefer a little more variety when it comes to an album experience, or maybe a sense of a sonic or emotional arc or a variance on a central idea. But then as I kept going, I got more into it. This might sound shitty, but I realized that this isn't an album about my mind. It's about my body. The visceral reaction to the music and giving myself over to the energy of it.

So I turned my brain off, at least as much as I could, I even stopped paying attention to what song I was listening to, and I just went with it. And that's when I started to have a great time. Sure, every song sounds more or less the same, with the occasional variance here and there. But this isn't about individual compositions. This is about hitting play and just getting fuckin' pummeled. Maybe this isn't what you want, but I dug it.

What I learned about myself was this: Some people like their metal more melodic and, in its own way, poised. Appolinian, if you're inclined to certain philosophical concepts. Me, I like my metal dumb and belligerent. "Smoothbrained" as it was referred to in the Discord.

Really, the only complaint I have is the homophobic slur on "Splattered Cadavers." (Excellent song names all around, btw.) As a hip hop fan, I've grown used to this kind of casual homophobia despite how much I really don't want to, and I don't think Repulsion is some bigot shit or anything like that. Rather, it's an album from 1986/89. A time when we still thought it was okay to just toss around stuff like that for shock value. Still, it sucks when that stuff pops up, particularly in scenes that pride themselves on their progressiveness.

But yeah, I kinda loved this, and were I to explore metal in my free time, this is the direction I'd look.

Favorite Songs: N/A

Duders! Welcome to the 52nd edition of the Inoffocial Giant Bomb Album Club! Last week, we got a little introspective and engaged with our innate sense of sorrow that comes from living in a state of constant chaos. This week, we qp39ug349y73rg9qhr3f8n-r40fb870345gf087r34qfg783rghfer48h CORPSES 0f79h0gt5-7g24egr-9grst9yr3- BLOOD 9f3451y7f3fgberqvb4587t3o8y45b0t34590efivt7b9y39pbvtcc35-t079yw4st-q3ty83-en98ty453pt35y7tp[3y8tp359tybecptxuy-t7q4vpvt9yq34b-t9cp34y8ctj[8347qtbv083fchn9[ SLAUGHTER 3qrbt8yvh9tr8hu q34r0bw5e-8tcw4ingq34t9834qbtyp53ytr3[ht31tc5p g brtptv53 htgqpt 13pt41 crqpecrewr939prtrwy9tgry eqg y y[ 0y80 y8q MAGGOTS 8qnu8-c4t38y90cny8909y8 t23 y89t34y89 because our album this time around is Horrified by Repulsion! This album was selected by our pal @fanaticalmilk, and you can listen with the links below:

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/2nknlmZyMtKyHDstDWVQVV

Apple:https://music.apple.com/us/album/horrified/202277856

Youtube:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_msu5UYc2D2vpOxaguLEs3od0D-8CXo6pA&si=CRr7IzxP5cmw-1Xt

Here at the Unofficial GB Album Club, we made a pool of albums in our Discord and we pick one every week at random to listen to and discuss. If that sounds like you're idea of a good time, then head on down!

Quell-Ay.

Here at the album club, we allow ourselves two submissions into the pool, and I always pick at least one hip hop album. Really, I'm not tied down to any one particular genre as far as what I listen to in my own time, but hip hop is probably my home base so to speak, and with every pick I make, I try to introduce/expose the group to a new dimension of the genre and what it can be. The Money Store was my "here's this genre at its craziest" pick, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back was my classic pick, so on and so forth. I had two goals in mind with Guns.

The first was to explore the other side of the coin that is The Money Store. Or to try to put it in a way where I don't try to forge a connection that clearly isn't there, it's an impressionistic off-kilter album in both its writing in production, but it's exploring a different vibe. The Money Store is loud, abrasive, and overwhelming. Guns is quiet, contemplative, and warm. It's an edge in hip hop's arsenal that many don't know exists, let alone appreciate, and it's something I haven't used this club to explore yet.

The other is tonality. I don't know why I have this impulse to treat hip hop like it needs some kind of defending when it clearly doesn't, but I imagine that many who look at the cover art and the name and see that it's an album called "Guns" probably assume that it's a gangster rap album. In reality, it couldn't be further from it. Rather, it's a meditation on the madness guns have brought to the US. But more so, it's about the feeling of waking up every morning feeling like there's chaos brewing outside your door (and even in it), and it seems like everything's being turned into a weapon to be wielded against you. The color of your skin ("It's the Law (Farewell Goodbye Addio, Uncle Tom)"), your outsider status ("Wild Minks"), your desire for to live your life undisturbed ("Mind Ya Bidness"), and anything else you can think of.

But's also about trying to find peace in all the confusion and anxiety. Specifically, finding it in the acknowledgment of how all the chaos makes you feel and finding solace in your community and the people you love. To tie this to my actual feelings about the album, this is what makes it for me. It's not a perfect album. But there's plenty of music you can find about the world being shit, but it's rare to find something that offers a way out. Or at the very least, something that wants to be more of a balm than a reminder that you're fucked.

I don't like some of the interstitial material on the album, there are times when I struggle with certain songs not really being on theme (that is if you take every song at face value and not consider the overall vibe, which on those terms I think it nails), and it's a little more of a back-halfer for me. I could name a few more. But I can overlook the flaws because of the big heart beating underneath it all. It just gets to me.

Favorite Songs: "Guns," "Wild Minks," "Straight Shot"

Duders! Welcome to the 51st edition of the Unofficial Giant Bomb Album Club! Last week, we donned our finest headband and shredded the shit out of our guitars with Dire Straits. This week, we're getting a bit more melancholic, a bit more abstract, and a lot more hip hop, as our album this week is Guns by Quelle Chris! This album was selected by yours truly, and you can listen with the links below.

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/602bFcdb1Fof8HImMWxYvp?si=FdoEbbbWSz6Inwzc14wfcg

Apple:https://music.apple.com/us/album/guns/1451045430

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nb6L6kNIF_ui1cUgWNpcsSOowc9q6DXLs

Here at the Unofficial Giant Bomb Album Club, we pick an album every week at random to listen to and discuss. Where do we pick the albums and make the pool from which we pick from? Our Discord! So come on down if you want in!

I told myself when we started this here album club that I was going to try as hard as I possibly could to not rely on snark. There's enough bullshit on the internet, particularly video game forums *cough cough* (I'm kidding!), that I don't feel the need to contribute to it. I've failed on the front. A few times lately. But I make a sincere effort to try not to do that. I can't prove that to you, but I do. (Says the guy who added a snarky joke to his point about not doing snark.)

Yet, as I listened to this album, the phrase, "This sounds like music specifically made to not do coke to" kept crossing my mind. Like I imagine someone saying, "I'm going to sit down, put on a Dire Straits album, and not do cocaine to it." I know what I'm really trying to say is that I found this album lacking a certain amount of juice, and as this is my first Dire Straits album, I get why some have referred to this band as "dad rock" now. However, I don't know why my mind wanted to phrase it like that. I don't even know if that's even an insult or not. It kind of sounds like it's in the cadence of an insult, but with a particular emphasis on "kind of."

I'm mentioning all this for one simple reason: To express that despite my best efforts, sometimes I'm an asshole and nothing I say about this album, and probably this band, should be taken seriously.

There is nothing wrong with Love Over Gold or Dire Straits. The talent on display is obvious, the songwriting is clever, it's deeply satisfying and cohesive. It's just not my tonality. Or rather, it's selling a mood and an experience I'm not personally buying. Broadly speaking, aggressively 80s ass 80s rock isn't my thing. I realize I'm wrong. But I get it! I really do! Again, don't turn to me when it comes to Dire Straits or this album.

Favorite Songs: "Telegraph Road" (I went K-6th grade on a Telegraph Road!), "Private Investigations," "It Never Rains"

Duders! Welcome to the 50th edition of the Unofficial Giant Bomb Album Club! 50! Who'd have thought we'd last this long? Everyone. That's fucking who. And hey, speaking of things that are most widely enjoyed by those in their 50s (no disrespect intended!) this week, our album is Love Over Gold by Dire Straits! This album was selected by our good friend @pauljeremiah, and you can listen with the links below:

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/album/4hJqOIahWodpSJU6uDgjvN?si=7H1Og-ETSdalUvD-jLj7Wg

Apple Music:https://music.apple.com/ie/album/love-over-gold-remastered/1440752001

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n6SBFCyrA2XKrQ_V3-xK9MBZb62b-l92c

Here at the Unofficial GB Album Club, we made a pool of albums in our Discord and we pick one at random every week to listen to and discuss. Sound good? Then come on down!