Originally Posted by DeepO
Meh, in short .
I´m not much fond of it pretty much for the same reasons I´m not much fond of Watershed and all these reasons pertain to songwriting, not general "sound".
On both albums I´ve found a lot of harmonic/melodic elements rather uninspired/tired, transitions between segments often unnecessarily abrupt/random/lazy (something a lot of their early material suffered from as well), ideas underdeveloped. I´ve felt a distinct sense of directionlessness throughout both albums. Doesn´t mean I think they´re bad, but neither touches their output from My Arms, Your Hears - Ghost Reveries period in my book.
What I see as lazy approach to transitions is particularly surprising to me, considering how skillfully this element was usually handled on Still Life or Blackwater Park.

I'll agree with the period you mention as the most consistently good in terms of compositions and also the combining of the raw and brutal with the progressive and the melodic that is what makes their music irresistible to me.

I'll probably also agree that in becoming more "progressive" (and perhaps trying too much on that front?) their music lost something of its cohesion and that tight (and even massive at times) sound/feel it had in my equally favorite Ghost reveries… I just can't agree on the meh on Wathershed It had some great ideas and some of my favorite pieces of their total output (porcelain heart,Hessian peel,Heir apparent etc) even if it is perhaps not exactly even as a whole…

The last one though,I am not exactly ready to give my final verdict on that one.. But I got it a couple of months and only listened to it a couple of times (and constantly forget to rip it for the macbook) and I am afraid that speaks volumes… Got to give it its chance though.

Originally Posted by DeepO
Now for something cool and unposted, I guess .
Linda Perhacs -…

Ah yes, have heard most of that.. Strange lady, but in a good way…