- Hey guys. It's 2:25 AM where I am and I hate sleep. That makes it a Sunday, so I figured I'd just go ahead and officially kick off our Weekly DJ program. The first album is The Bones of What You Believe, by CHVRCHES. I was originally going to go with RJD2's new album More Is Than Isn't, but that doesn't officially release until this Tuesday. Perhaps another week. In any case, I hope you enjoy the album and the discussion that comes with it. Major props to Esrever for the template, I definitely think it should be used from now on. So, without further ado...
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Artist: CHVRCHES
Album: The Bones of What You Believe
Release: 2013/09/20
Genres: #synthpop
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BIO
Chvrches (pronounced as "churches", sometimes stylized as CHVRCHES or CHVRCHΞS) are a Scottish synthpop band from Glasgow, formed in 2011. The group consists of Lauren Mayberry (lead vocals, additional synthesizers and samplers), Iain Cook (synthesizers, guitar, bass, vocals), and Martin Doherty (synthesizers, samplers, vocals).
The Bones of What You Believe is Chvrches first studio album to be released, and capitalizes on its synthpop style. Lauren's voice, even at its most powerful, presents a certain delicacy and relatable tone that creates a familiar tone in the album's lyrics. Each song is catchy to a degree, and there's no trouble listening to the album from beginning to end without boredom creeping up on you.
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TRACKLIST
01. The Mother We Share
02. We Sink
03. Gun
04. Tether
05. Lies
06. Under the Tide
07. Recover
08. Night Sky
09. Science/Visions
10. Lungs
11. By the Throat
12. You Caught the LightIt's hard to quite say whether or not I like the album. Some songs were great (The Mother We Share) and others were, IMO, so bad that I couldn't sit through the song (You Caught the Light). It doesn't even sound like the same band at some points. I don't know if it's the genre, the artist, or the album, but there were only two things going through my head while listening. The first is that most of the songs are generic and bland. Stuff that I'd imagine hearing while in a public area. Background noise. The other thing going through my head was: I bought good headphones so I don't have to hear sound distortion and low quality music. Honestly, the album would probably sound the same no matter which speakers you play it through. And that might be a good thing for some, but for me it kind of just wrecks the experience. That said, overall, the album is fine if I want to throw on something and just kind of have it as background music. But I don't see myself actively going out and listening to more albums or concerts or anything. Some of the songs are pretty good though. I'm wondering if the songs are made by several band members, with each having "control" over a song. It's easy to see why these guys got popular in such a short time.
where did you listen to the album? cause if you downloaded it somewhere, it could very well be that the quality weren't the best
oh ok then, i just didnt pick up anything, maybe its my earplugs. my last good ones broke some time ago, so untill i get some money im stuck with the crappy iphone earplugs
I'm already working on it. I have two artists that I want to showcase, I just have to decide which one is more deserving.
I've given the album a few more listens now, and I feel the sudden urge to tell you all what I feel. Overall, I think it's a nice album. Certainly not a bad one, hell no. First, the stuff I liked: 1. Lauren Mayberry: In my previous comment I spoke of Purity Ring and what-not. I think I missed the point. Lauren Mayberry has such a clean, bright voice. It really cuts through whatever else is happening, puts all of that in the background and stands bang in the middle of the stage. 2. The first three tracks: The Mother We Share, We Sink, and Gun are really catchy tracks. I caught myself dancing in my seat at work, listening to Gun, bobbing my head and smiling like a fool. These are the three stand-out tracks, in my opinion, and they would stand out in most albums. 3. The bonus track: Not listed in the tracklist, I know, but The Strong Hand is a very simple, catchy song that proves that simple isn't a problem when the music is great. Now I'll get into the stuff I didn't like: 1. The middle portion of the album: After the upbeat catchiness of the first three tracks, I felt easily distracted during the middle portion every time I heard the album in full. That said, once Night Sky hit, I was interested again. 2. The slower stuff: Stand-out examples of what I'm talking about are Tether and You Caught the Light. These guys are really in the zone when they do the faster stuff, but when they slow it down, I seem to lose interest. Maybe it's just me, though. Overall, it's a nice album. Will I revisit again? In parts, sure. There are five or six really solid songs on this album that I'd really enjoy any time. But on the whole, the album is a little patchy. I will be looking out for these guys, though. I'm sure I'll want to get my hands on their second album when it comes out. Shoutout to eightbitsamurai for starting this with a very interesting album.
Thanks for the shoutout! I definitely agree with point 2 in both your pros and cons. The beginning stuff is fantastic, but the slow stuff I skip over. Luckily by the time the slow stuff comes on, I'm usually zoned out on my work. But I probably wouldn't listen to those tracks independently.
Just finished listening through it at work. I had previously heard The Mother We Share and Recover on The Current, but for some reason couldn't really get into them that much. I liked them but nothing blew me away about 'em. Which was curious to me because I heard many people raving about the band. After listening to the album I think I 'get it' now. I get it and I highly enjoyed the album. Really good all-around, but - like those two songs - it just didn't blow me away in any respect. I think By the Throat was my favorite song. A lot of the tunes gave me similar vibes to MGMT, but more poppy/electronic. Actually, the album reminded me a lot of the band Eight and a Half. Although it's super catchy, I don't really feel compelled to listen all the way through again, but I'll give it a try and see if it grows on me.
I've heard some tracks before on Triple J, and the entire album reminds me of the band MS MR, but much more focused on the instruments and beat. I do find myself alienated by some of the songs. Those that are good are really good, but the others are slightly dissapointing.
Didn't like it all that much when I first heard it. I'm gonna give it another shot over the next few days and get back to you guys.
Oh sure, I should substantiate. I reheard a part of the album before this post, so my initial reaction is slightly diluted, but I promise you that I haven't reheard enough of it to forget my initial reaction. This may be a long reply, and will (obviously) be very subjective and personal. Fair Warning: Airing of extremely subjective views commences. For me, CHVRCHES represents one of several bands that tries to revive the old version of synthpop. On my first listen they struck me as being synthpop in the vein of Depeche Mode, who were no doubt inspired heavily by Gary Numan and The Tubeway Army, and early Duran Duran, albeit with a different vocal texture, given that the lead vocalist is a woman. I first heard them on a KEXP podcast that featured a song of theirs, and was intrigued enough to listen to a bit more. There were two similar bands I was into at the time that might have had an effect on my views - Purity Ring and Crystal Castles. Anyone who was a silent and overjoyed part of the Lofticries boom would probably recall their first reaction to that song. I was blown away; I didn't know that you could do the things they did. Never since I first put on Loveless did I think the female voice could be such a powerful instrument. Crystal Castles, on the other hand, seemed to be a bit of an AC band. Some of their stuff was unbelievable, the rest was not at all good, but they always had something very interesting to say. Their version of Lovers Who Uncover is still one of my favourite reinterpretations of any song. I heard what was then the new CHVRCHES album in this context, and my views only make sense given this context. That year saw so many innovations in electronic music - from James Blake to the aforementioned Crystal Castles. In this setting, I found The Bones of What You Believe less challenging, and felt that a lot of what CHVRCHES had to say had been said before. I was probably wrong, but I felt that I could get the same and more listening to other albums that were released that very year. To be fair, not all of my views were so crystalline. (Crystalline reminds me of Crystallize, I quite liked The xx too around that time, not so much now.) I was probably biased by the fact that they replaced a v with a u, something that seemed so stereotypically indie - BEAR/FVCE and what not. I'm ashamed that this had such a significant part to play in my decision, but it probably did. I also recognise that most albums worth discussing are not the kind that grab you by the collar at the first listen, and seeing that I didn't give these guys much more than that, it isn't fair for me not to give them another go, which is why I said what I did. So yeah, that's it. I'm going to put the album back on after this post, give it a few more listens before I pass judgment, but that's about the crux of it, I guess. I hope this makes sense, and doesn't seems like self-important stream-of-consciousness rambling. Let me know what you think.
Amen to that. I find it so much more rewarding when I can slowly notice the subtleties/intricacies/suppleness/whatever that didn't initially stick out to me in an album. It's such a great payoff. I recently found myself explaining to a friend who's more of a fan of rap/mainstream pop music why I like "weird" music. The crux of my explanation was comparing the slow enjoyment I get out of listening to an album to the enjoyment I get out of reading a book. It's slow, and it takes some time to manifest. I'm still not sure if that's an accurate or shitty explanation, but it was my gut reaction to his question.I also recognise that most albums worth discussing are not the kind that grab you by the collar at the first listen
it's the little things. the little shifts in pitch and quirky sounds that creates a unique soundscape which brings a pleasure to listening unlike other bands. thank you for introducing this group to me.
I too love this album, but I should say that I don't find them all too appealing live. I really don't feel like Lauren is cut out for performance at this point in time. I could be entirely off, but she seems pretty unsure of herself when on stage and whether to trust her in-ear monitor or not. That, and there is little to no stage presence at all between the three of them, but most so from her. I get that you can only do so much when in front of staged keys/sampling equipment, but come on! Anyhow, that's just my opinion. Don't stone me too hard. All things aside though, really catchy stuff. It's pretty apparent that the tracks not heard until this album were recorded much later than say The Mother We Share and Recover (I see you too Gun + Lies). Out of the new tracks, I didn't find myself skipping over any, but they don't seem to stand on their own in my eyes except for Night Sky and We Sink.
I'd save your 17€ and just stay in and watch this instead. I know it's nothing like actually being present and feeling that heavy bass reverberate inside your chest and getting out and moving, but you could maybe save the cover for another night with another act. I guess it also depends who they're playing with too.
I agree with you on their stage presence. When I saw them they seemed really shy and out of place. I think they just need some time to let everything soak in. They exploded pretty quickly.
Great album, backed. Glad to see this group getting some love.
I heard "The Mother We Share" about a year ago and have been in love with this band ever since. I highly recommend this album.