Circuital > Z

capt. scotty · May 28, 2011, 08:12 PM

.....Now before you follow me to the bathroom and shank me while Im taking a piss, hear me out. Dondante and Lay Low are better than anything on Circuital, no question, and Id say Off The Record is too but thats taking into account live versions and Ive only seen a couple songs from Circuital live.

Im starting to think the only album that rivals Circuital's song to song flow is ISM. This album just flows incredibly, the order is perfect. Starts off with building energy in the first 2 songs, goes into a spectacular sonic-relaxation valley with TDIC>Wonderful, then brings the increasing energy back with Outta My System->You Wanna Freak Out, and then ends the album in a thought provoking flashback fashion with SST>Movin Away. The peaks and valleys feel perfectly timed. It never hurts to keep an album building and building to a point, but Circuital hits you like an ocean, and the high tides are awesome but its also great when the water heads back home and leaves you.

EU has a handful of songs that I want to skip more often than not, but like every other Jacket album, Circuital does not. This album doesnt sound like any of their previous endeavors all that much, but kind of combines all of their earlier albums' sounds into 1. Im loving it.

Disclaimer: Now not even I would personally put this over Z at the moment (Jumping To Conclusions), but just the fact that Im considering it makes me realize how great this album is. I hope they play a lot of this live this summer!

el_chode · May 28, 2011, 08:38 PM

The problem with Z is that I rarely listen to it anymore. I was never a huge fan of Off the Record because after a while to me it sounds too metronomey, and it's the same criticism I have of HOTBM. However, I like HOTBM for taking the bizarre awesomeness of Highly Suspicious and the killer groove of Off the Record and sort of counter-balancing whatever is off-putting about each song (and each song is great, it's not like they're bad songs.

Back to my point - I think I have a solid live version of every song off Z except Into the Woods. And that's what I listen to. Not the album. I see myself almost like Circuital more as an album and less for the songs. I made a new mix CD because my car's stereo plays CDs better than an iPod (better bass) and I had a real hard time not putting Circuital in its entirety on there.

ISM, At Dawn, TTF - I listen to those albums for the albumness of them. Circuital brings that feeling back. And I agree 100% with your song flow comparison.

EU doesn't count, not because it's EU, but theres no "Okonokos" containing those songs so I can't say that I listen to them more often live (except Highly Suspicious, which I listen to off Ciudad all the time). Song flow, well, we all know that album's biggest flaw is the treacherous path through Halfway Valley. But the worst song on EU still slays it live.

capt. scotty · May 28, 2011, 08:57 PM

Quote from: el_chode on May 28, 2011, 08:38 PM
I see myself almost liking Circuital more as an album and less for the songs.

This is definitely kind of my point. I can pick a few songs off Z that I like more than anything on Circuital, but as a whole, Circuital is pretty damn great and mind consuming.

Hard to address other parts of your post, but I see what youre saying with OTR and HOTBM. OTR is kind of metronomey, that nevered bothered really, but live its a whole other animal

el_chode · May 28, 2011, 09:05 PM

Quote from: capt. scotty on May 28, 2011, 08:57 PM
Quote from: el_chode on May 28, 2011, 08:38 PM
I see myself almost liking Circuital more as an album and less for the songs.

This is definitely kind of my point. I can pick a few songs off Z that I like more than anything on Circuital, but as a whole, Circuital is pretty damn great and mind consuming.

Hard to address other parts of your post, but I see what youre saying with OTR and HOTBM. OTR is kind of metronomey, that nevered bothered really, but live its a whole other animal

I think it's more that I like a little slop on my drums. The band sounds TOO tight on those songs at points I guess. I know its a weird complaint, more like trying to find a reason to complain about a really good pizza by saying the crust is just not as good as the sauce.

Crispy · May 28, 2011, 10:38 PM

Scotty, you have my feeling about this record so far to a T. There's no Steam Engine or Dondante or even a Touch Me here (yet -- we have yet to hear most of this live), but jesus christ, listening to this whole record makes me feel like ISM does when I listen to it.

I will say however, touching on one song, that Wonderful may contain the most perfect Jim James vocal ever recorded. I've heard it live a few times in the last couple of years, but goddamn, the performance on this record is unfuckingbelievable.

Choder, agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of the live versions of EU numbers, and I think we have some incredible things to look forward to when we hear selections from Circuital live -- the only thing is, it will be strange not to hear the whole album in order when we do.

tdb810 · May 28, 2011, 10:43 PM

EU has a handful of songs that I want to skip more often than not, but like every other Jacket album, Circuital does not.

this, this, this, Scotty. This is exactly how I am feeling. Is it better than Z, for me? Not yet. But the flow....seamless. And I can't help but almost break down into tears whenever Wonderful comes on. That's a very good sign, a very, very good sign.

Still soaking it all in....

e_wind · May 28, 2011, 10:54 PM

can't really disagree with anything posted here. As an album is better than a lot, but there are still some hits on each record i like more than anything on Circuital, which puts it in a weird spot for me.

I know this is premature, but as an album I'd probably go:
ISM > AD > C > Z > TTF > EU

But then just for songs standing alone I'd probably go:
ISM > Z > AD > TTF > EU > Circuital

I really love the songs on Circuital, but theres no Steam, Dondante, Touch Me, TWTHS, PWW, Lay Low, etc etc

As for all the music they've made, however, I would rate it:

Where To Begin > Cobra > full length albums.

bunk_moreland · May 28, 2011, 11:41 PM

I think as soon as we get to hear Slow Slow Tune live it will catapult almost to Dondante status.

You guys are 100% correct about the flow. I think this album is best taken as a whole.

And for a Louisvillian, I think of this as the "hometown" album. From the band opening the Yum center (i know The Eagles were technically the first concert, but f*** the eagles) to recording in the church gym in the highlands and now blowing out the Palace for the mother of all record release parties, the last few months have really made a lot of fans around here proud.

Big Lebowski I Hate The F ing Eagles 1

ManNamedTruth · May 29, 2011, 12:05 AM

I'm not gonna get real in depth here because I'm in a hurry but....I think Z is their best and I'll probably always think that. All of their experiments just worked on that album. It was my first MMJ album so maybe I'm a bit partial.

Goose24 · May 29, 2011, 03:24 AM

I think this is their most polished album, and the greatest as an album. The sum of the parts is better than any of the parts individually. The songs work together so well.

In my opinion Z is their OK Computer, and this is their Kid A....Which means they're both pretty awesome

el_chode · May 29, 2011, 10:16 AM

Quote from: e_wind on May 28, 2011, 10:54 PM
can't really disagree with anything posted here. As an album is better than a lot, but there are still some hits on each record i like more than anything on Circuital, which puts it in a weird spot for me.

I know this is premature, but as an album I'd probably go:
ISM > AD > C > Z > TTF > EU

But then just for songs standing alone I'd probably go:
ISM > Z > AD > TTF > EU > Circuital

I really love the songs on Circuital, but theres no Steam, Dondante, Touch Me, TWTHS, PWW, Lay Low, etc etc

As for all the music they've made, however, I would rate it:

Where To Begin > Cobra > full length albums.

I have a friend who is trying hard to get into the band. He decided to get the leak of this, and he's underwhelmed because there's no song that hooks him. He needs the "hook" song. EU hooked him with Touch Me II and a few others. My nagging took him the rest of the way prior to that.

I just feel bad for him for not hearing what i hear.

mjk73 · May 31, 2011, 08:32 AM

Circuital < Z

Sorry, I just think Circuital is a very weak album, their weakest IMO. There isn't anything grand or ear grabbing.

vwxg14a · May 31, 2011, 02:08 PM

To me, this is their first album that all the songs fit well together. I always thought with the exception of Into the Woods (which moving away sounds a lot like it), Z was their best album. Funny thing though, at T5, into the woods stole the show with the Viking chorus.

And T5 was probably the best way to judge the songs, and imho if I were ranking the albums based upon the live shows, I would have ranked the albums as Z>ISM>TTF>EU>AD.

But based upon original album Z>ISM>Circuital>EU>AD>TTF.