2022.10.26 - 15:54 Status: #albumReview Tags:

Intro

The following is a collection of texts I relentlessly hurled at my friend Shawnee Snaketail in the course of listening to his album “Technology City” over the course of 2 years or so. This serves as some sort of an album review but also it makes me laugh.

In seriousness, I’ve probably listened to this album well over 200 times and have cried listening to it maybe 9-10 times. It is a truly beautiful piece of work while also keeping a dark edge which provides such a wonderful contrast that I can’t get enough of it. Even though I’ve listened to it so much, there are still parts I haven’t cracked and keeps me coming back for more and somehow retains novelty.

I occasionally realize I haven’t listened to the album for a few weeks and then get to put it on again fresh and new and it’s like having been in rough terrain, to come back home and be welcomed. I hope you enjoy this album anywhere near to what I’ve experienced.

Scattered Thoughts

• “Dude, I really like your album”
• thread
  • M: “B4 U Were Mine is a really pretty song”
  • M: “Oddly it also has the hardcore Bungle harmonies”
  • S: “Thanks”
  • S: “SoMeone on Reddit said it sounded like the 70s threw up”
• “Yo dude, just saw your live video of Gluttons, WAY f–king cool dude, sounded and looked real cool”
• “Your album is so good”
• thread
  • M: “Can you make like 7 more albums? I want more good music to listen to”
  • M: “Also thank you for fading the hiss on the last track”
  • M: “Very kind”
• thread
  • M: “I just noticed the echo on the song”Technology City" around 2:55; super rad"
  • M: “I like the contrast between the wet and dry parts of the song too, way cool”
  • M: “I forget, did you do the mixing/production for the album? There’s a cool trick of throwing reverb on one of the snare hits but not the second (going into a section change) that really carves out the space/change to dryness of the next section. Super cool”
• “When’s your new album coming out? I’m going to download an official spotify account and jack the f–k up on listens”
• “That part on ‘B4 U were mine’ that you called the backstreet boys part, 1:50, sounds like golden Aspen leaves in Fall, slight wind brushing them about. It’s really pretty”
• “It’s often the case that I’ll obsess over an album and listen to it (and basically only it ~70%) at any given time. (During this time I’ll listen to maybe a couple of other albums, but it’s usually this main album.) What’s interesting is that there are times when I’ll come back to an album and realize ‘this is dog shit, I don’t know how I listened to this’ (I actually don’t know).”
  • “I didn’t listen to this album for ~ 2 months yet when I picked it back up, I was excited to listen to it again. Such a treat.”
• “I like the ride cymbal sound on ‘In Vivisection’, it’s nice and crisp”
• “I legit think your album is one of my top favorite 25 albums of all time”
• “If you want a stellar review of your album, just take all the nice things I’ve said about your album and put em on a single page”
• “Is ‘the idiot and the sage’ the same person? Do you know the etymology of the word sophomore?”
• “Hey what’s the secret on descending major third chord progressions? I’ve heard like three uses of it in your album (including the main riff on ‘In Vivisection’) and these two songs. Is there some cool trick to it?”
  • (not his album but I thought this was funny) “F–k dude this main chord progression too, when it goes to the”bweeh deh dooo, bweh bweh bweh, bweh bweh, bweh bweh bwooooo" there’s the major 3rd thing again wtf (guess that song)"
• “At 3:03 in B4 U were mine you do a cool descending major 3rd thing too, it’s spicy”
• S: “I’m gonna start a website called onlyfan.com and you will be the only account”
• “I hope I’m not fanboying too much, but your album brings me a lot of comfort. The way the bass / mix is done on Gluttons makes me feel cozy and warm”
• (this is for Ether Fields) “Your arrangements are so colorful and textured, the chorus is super layered and pretty”
• “If I ever want to feel held and accepted for who I am as a person I listen to your music”