Animals as Leaders

Post by **Kittaan** » Mon Mar 17, 2014 9:21 pm

Timely post Moggie. Reminds me I still have to get my ticket for the 3/28 AAL show in SF. Looking forward to it.

Definitely wondering if I will share Joey's opinion seeing them live... I have to see for myself. Been wanting to see them live for years now. I will report back fo sho.

Listening to The Joy of Motion now, BTW. Don't worry! I'll buy it at the show... seriously. Don't have an infarction, OK?

M0G · Post by **M0G** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 5:52 am

Kittaan wrote:Timely post Moggie. Reminds me I still have to get my ticket for the 3/28 AAL show in SF. Looking forward to it.

Definitely wondering if I will share Joey's opinion seeing them live... I have to see for myself. Been wanting to see them live for years now. I will report back fo sho.

Listening to The Joy of Motion now, BTW. Don't worry! I'll buy it at the show... seriously. Don't have an infarction, OK?

Grrrrrrrrr! Anyhoo I doubt you will be disappointed. The musicality of their show is amazing. Matt has really changed the dynamic of the band. He is the right drummer for this band, which says quite a bit as Navene was a great drummer. Matt at times absolutely goes off.

Post by **liz** » Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:18 am

Kittaan wrote:Timely post Moggie. Reminds me I still have to get my ticket for the 3/28 AAL show in SF. Looking forward to it.

Definitely wondering if I will share Joey's opinion seeing them live... I have to see for myself. Been wanting to see them live for years now. I will report back fo sho.

Listening to The Joy of Motion now, BTW. Don't worry! I'll buy it at the show... seriously. Don't have an infarction, OK?

I would have to say that they are the best instrumental only act I have seen. Enjoy. I'm sure you will.

Post by **Kittaan** » Wed Mar 19, 2014 1:26 am

Looks like this has been the set list from the last few gigs (at least the ones people have populated on Setlist.com)

Pretty good balance (I added the album after the track).

In case anybody is going and wants to be surprised...

► Show Spoiler

The more I listen to them (been on a spree lately in anticipation of the gig) the more certain I am this is going to be a great show.

Post by **Kittaan** » Thu Mar 20, 2014 5:31 am

Kinda surprised this hasn't yet made the thread. Maybe it was posted elsewhere, because I know I've seen it before. Shame the board feed was fucked, but the video is really nice. Hopefully they'll try again for a live DVD, maybe even this tour?

[BBvideo 560,340][/BBvideo]

Post by **not tyson** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:55 am

Full album

Post by **hellboy** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 3:52 am

I had a listen to the whole thing this afternoon. No doubt they are a talented group of musicians, and the album is a nice evolution of their sound. Unfortunately I've never been a massive fan of their sound, which is find to be a little too mechanical for my tastes - I rarely feel any kind of connection to the music aside from the occasional toe tapping moment.

These guys are still a band I'd love to see perform live, but compared to excellent instrumental releases in the last year by Earthless and Russian Circles, I'd say both of those are much better. Sure, Tosin and co. can out do those other two bands with their musical skills and polyrythyms, but I'll take the other two bands any day.

7/10 for me.

Post by **liz** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 6:13 am

hellboy wrote:I had a listen to the whole thing this afternoon. No doubt they are a talented group of musicians, and the album is a nice evolution of their sound. Unfortunately I've never been a massive fan of their sound, which is find to be a little too mechanical for my tastes - I rarely feel any kind of connection to the music aside from the occasional toe tapping moment.

These guys are still a band I'd love to see perform live, but compared to excellent instrumental releases in the last year by Earthless and Russian Circles, I'd say both of those are much better. Sure, Tosin and co. can out do those other two bands with their musical skills and polyrythyms, but I'll take the other two bands any day.

7/10 for me.

Earthless were excellent and in a live setting Animals as Leaders have it all over Russian Circles IMO. There is little down time with Animals as Leaders they never let your interest wane, their lack of predictability makes them exciting to watch.

M0G · Post by **M0G** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:56 pm

Sumerian Records just gets how to do things the right way. They almost always release full streams of their artists albums at least a week prior to release. THAT is how you help to slow down piracy. Obviously it is not going to stop it. The album did leak earlier, although I certainly didn't download it. I also have no plans on listening to the stream. I am a huge fan of Animals as Leaders and pre-ordered the album weeks ago. They released two tracks already in Tooth and Claw and Lippincott.

All that being said, I don't get ruining the experience for yourself by listening to an album prior the release date. There is something fun about the build up to that date. A little something to look forward to. I don't understand the lack of patience. I certainly get it when a band doesn't release an album they say they are working on for 8-9 years, but when an album is done and a release date is there, I don't understand the lack of self control. Obviously to each their own. Whatever works for you etc etc..Just one of dem tings

Post by **Kittaan** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 5:09 pm

I have gone both directions in the past. Depends on the situation. For this one, they made the decision to tour prior to the release and I wanted to absorb the material before the gig.

I love the new one and will buy it at the show if avail or online if not.

BTW - I own thousands of CDs and hundreds of vinyl. And I hit as many live shows as I can. I support the bands I love. Never an ounce of guilt do I feel in downloading something to check it out.

M0G · Post by **M0G** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 5:18 pm

Kittaan wrote:I have gone both directions in the past. Depends on the situation. For this one, they made the decision to tour prior to the release and I wanted to absorb the material before the gig.

I love the new one and will buy it at the show if avail or online if not.

BTW - I own thousands of CDs and hundreds of vinyl. And I hit as many live shows as I can. I support the bands I love. Never an ounce of guilt do I feel in downloading something to check it out.

Fair enough. I own an extremely large library of music as well, but have converted everything to digital and only buy digital at this point. Just got to be too much clutter. Fuck did it take a long time to make that call. I donated every CD I had though. Someone made out with one hell of a collection which makes me smile.

What day is the AAL concert again? Are you going prior to the album release on the 25th or after?

Post by **Kittaan** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 5:38 pm

Next Friday, 3/28. I assume they will have CDs.

I still love owning the CD. Yes it takes up space, but I'm dealing with it. Purged a ton of other shit over several moves.

EDIT: I should have said "over a thousand" CDs, I don't really have multiple thousands. It's at 1,100 or so and growing. I need to trim the herd because there are a bunch that I will likely never spin again...

joeypants · Post by **joeypants** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:55 pm

Wow, I'm halfway through the new album and I actually dig this a lot. Much more interesting to my ears than their other stuff. Feels more groove oriented or something, hard to put my finger on.

joeypants · Post by **joeypants** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:44 pm

Ok this album is really terrific. It would go up a few more notches for me if there were less guitar solos and less fade outs, but that's me being a prick.

Post by **Kittaan** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:41 pm

No, I get that. I don't share the opinion (less guitar solos), but I totally understand what you mean.

I know Hellboy has me pegged as putting technical ability over all else, but that's not the case at all. I appreciate and respect technical ability, but if that's all you bring to the table, I will get bored quickly.

The test for me is: Is it "musical"? This is super broad and exceedingly vague, but it works for me. It goes back to the opinion thing... you either dig it or you don't.

Some more highly scientific criteria I apply: Do the chops serve the song (or is it just wank for wank's sake)? Does it groove? Does it evoke feeling/emotion? Does it get me moving? Does it contain musical ideas that are interesting/new? Good balance between heavy and melodic?

AAL is chock full of technical ability at all positions. These guys are masters of their instruments, and they have really harnessed that ability to further the compositions as opposed to just displaying their prowess.

Hey, point out some instances (specific songs or sections of songs) where you perceive "too many solos", where it's just "wanking" (my word, not yours). I honestly don't get that from AAL.

Post by **hellboy** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:19 pm

M0G wrote:
All that being said, I don't get ruining the experience for yourself by listening to an album prior the release date. There is something fun about the build up to that date. A little something to look forward to. I don't understand the lack of patience. I certainly get it when a band doesn't release an album they say they are working on for 8-9 years, but when an album is done and a release date is there, I don't understand the lack of self control. Obviously to each their own. Whatever works for you etc etc..Just one of dem tings

I don't get why waiting for the release date is important at all. The artwork and packagaging makes absolutely no difference to how I feel about the music, so waiting for some arbitrary date seems pointless to me.

M0G · Post by **M0G** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:57 pm

hellboy wrote:
M0G wrote:
All that being said, I don't get ruining the experience for yourself by listening to an album prior the release date. There is something fun about the build up to that date. A little something to look forward to. I don't understand the lack of patience. I certainly get it when a band doesn't release an album they say they are working on for 8-9 years, but when an album is done and a release date is there, I don't understand the lack of self control. Obviously to each their own. Whatever works for you etc etc..Just one of dem tings
I don't get why waiting for the release date is important at all. The artwork and packagaging makes absolutely no difference to how I feel about the music, so waiting for some arbitrary date seems pointless to me.

I think your perspective is colored by the fact that you support piracy. Beyond that, I think your perspective is an example of the on demand, instant access society we live in. You want something and law be damned you create some sort of warped justification to make your piracy more palatable. The band didn't release the album early. Someone leaked it and probably got paid off to do it. A responsible person who respects the musicians rights would refrain, wait, and buy at or after release date. Or pre-order as I did, which gave me access to one track early. If the label or musician wants to stream the album early, then I see no issue. They own the music.

I do understand that you DO ultimately purchase some of the music, and as in all things, what you do is ultimately your business. We are far apart on this issue and always will be.

Back to the album, so far the reviews I have seen are glowing. Reviews mean little to me beyond the fact that they often do serve as an early indicator as to how the album might do at release. This looks like it could be a break out album in much the same way Intronaut latest really propelled them into a bigger spotlight. The music is obviously niche so they won't get huge, but I think they will be able to make a good career of it, which is more than most professional musicians can hope for.

Post by **hellboy** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 12:19 am

M0G wrote:I think your perspective is colored by the fact that you support piracy. Beyond that, I think your perspective is an example of the on demand, instant access society we live in. You want something and law be damned you create some sort of warped justification to make your piracy more palatable. The band didn't release the album early. Someone leaked it and probably got paid off to do it. A responsible person who respects the musicians rights would refrain, wait, and buy at or after release date. Or pre-order as I did, which gave me access to one track early. If the label or musician wants to stream the album early, then I see no issue. They own the music.

Yeah yeah, blah blah. You missed the point of my comment completely, which wasn't a statement about piracy, rather a statement that it makes no difference to my enjoyment of the music.

I don't support or condone piracy in any way for what it's worth. You perspective is coloured by the fact that your ego requires you to act like you're a superior to everyone else on this forum.

M0G · Post by **M0G** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 12:32 am

hellboy wrote:
M0G wrote:I think your perspective is colored by the fact that you support piracy. Beyond that, I think your perspective is an example of the on demand, instant access society we live in. You want something and law be damned you create some sort of warped justification to make your piracy more palatable. The band didn't release the album early. Someone leaked it and probably got paid off to do it. A responsible person who respects the musicians rights would refrain, wait, and buy at or after release date. Or pre-order as I did, which gave me access to one track early. If the label or musician wants to stream the album early, then I see no issue. They own the music.

hellboy wrote:
M0G wrote:I think your perspective is colored by the fact that you support piracy. Beyond that, I think your perspective is an example of the on demand, instant access society we live in. You want something and law be damned you create some sort of warped justification to make your piracy more palatable. The band didn't release the album early. Someone leaked it and probably got paid off to do it. A responsible person who respects the musicians rights would refrain, wait, and buy at or after release date. Or pre-order as I did, which gave me access to one track early. If the label or musician wants to stream the album early, then I see no issue. They own the music.
Yeah yeah, blah blah. You missed the point of my comment completely, which wasn't a statement about piracy, rather a statement that it makes no difference to my enjoyment of the music.

I don't support or condone piracy in any way for what it's worth. You perspective is coloured by the fact that your ego requires you to act like you're a superior to everyone else on this forum.
Yeah yeah, blah blah. You missed the point of my comment completely, which wasn't a statement about piracy, rather a statement that it makes no difference to my enjoyment of the music.

I don't support or condone piracy in any way for what it's worth. You perspective is coloured by the fact that your ego requires you to act like you're a superior to everyone else on this forum.

The nature of your statement is entirely predicated on piracy...ie...an album being leaked and torrented...which you have admitted to downloading such albums numerous times. The availability of the album illegally affords you the ability to disregard something like a release date. Try to follow the logic train here. Even if you ultimately end up purchasing an album at some point that you torrented that doesn't absolve you of the initial act. You pirate video games like they are going out have style and have said so a number of times. Your justifications are weak on this matter.

Post by **hellboy** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 12:44 am

I listened to the official stream.

M0G · Post by **M0G** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:14 am

hellboy wrote:I listened to the official stream.

The conversation had obviously moved beyond the confines of this particular album. We can continue it in another thread if you like?

Back on topic: Really hope they tour again this year with better bands. They are on the same label as Dillenger that would make for a great show.

wisevitamin · Post by **wisevitamin** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 2:27 pm

This new AAL album is a gift to humanity.

M0G · Post by **M0G** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 5:30 pm

wisevitamin wrote:This new AAL album is a gift to humanity.

LOL figured you would be chiming in sooner than later on this album. How ya been WV?

Post by **Kittaan** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 5:35 pm

I haven't been able to listen to much else. It's on right now.

wisevitamin · Post by **wisevitamin** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:07 pm

hehe, i've been good man. I am really liking the direction the band took with this album. Some of the songs are just mind-blowingly innovative.

I mean the song physical education is groovier than the 60's bro. And that plucking in Woven Web.

Sweet Jesus.

What are your guys' favorite 3 songs off the album?

For me i'd have to say in this order, at the moment it is:

1. The Woven Web
2. Nephele
3. The future that awaited me

F O U R T H E Y E

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