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A_Raging_Bull
Interesting that the general consensus in the shoutbox is that this record is generic, dated, and just generally mediocre. Outside of the singles, "Ozone Scraper" and "You Played Me", which do sound like those descriptors, I found this a compelling listen. And the claim that DJ Shadow's identity as a beatmaker/producer is non-existent here seems odd, this is undeniably his hand at work.
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goyanks1981
Agreed. This is solid stuff, and fits with Shadow's other work. I really don't understand how this is getting so much hate.
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A_Raging_Bull
I get the sense a lot of music consumers feel overwhelmed by the immense availability and struggle with the problem of optionality. FOMO can set in. In an effort to avoid the feelings of shame and guilt that come with missing out, they degrade something on the first pass if it isn't immediately compelling, so as to justify not having to contend with it, and can simply move on to the next thing. On the first pass, I was kind of underwhelmed by this record. Something about it made me feel it was worth my time to revisit and I'm glad I did because it cohered and came into focus in a significantly more meaningful way on the second go around. I was particularly drawn to the more reflective, slightly melancholic shift that occurs in the final six songs.
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dabigcheeze
Hard disagree I'm afraid. I put quite a lot of time into this album, and I'm not just one of those Endtroducing fanboys who hates all his other stuff. I saw him live in London last year and it gave me a much better understanding of what he's trying to get at with his newer material. Having said that, I arrived at the conclusion I did despite repeated and careful listening. It's easy to write off someone's taste as being lazy or because it isn't "immediately compelling" but the fact is everyone's taste is different. My original comment probably sounds harsher than I meant it to be fair - I do think it's his best album since The Less You Know, The Better. But I don't think that's setting the bar that high.
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dabigcheeze
Pleasant to listen to but remarkably characterless, literally anybody could have made this. Also why is the dude making a bang average footwork track in 2023?
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