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Manji
Joined: 04 Jul 2010
Posts: 9
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 So...the new Death in June album |
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An incredibly frustrating listen; as with the single, Douglas P's voice just doesn't sit right. He was never a great vocalist but he always seemed to have a handle on the overall sound and atmosphere of DiJ tracks, so his voice was never an issue
But here it's just too inexpressive and 'unmusical' (compare David Tibet's non-singing on 'Soft Black Stars') to hold it's own against the rich piano work.
The title track is an absolutely classic composition...but I think I'm going to have to wait for someone to do a cover version to hear it properly realised.
Mind you, a few more listens and maybe something will click...The Guilty Have no Pride took me ages to get into!
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| Thu Nov 18, 2010 10:32 am |
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Kanashibari
Joined: 01 Oct 2009
Posts: 141
Location: Osaka, Japan |
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The Guilty Have No Pride was an excellent "experimental gothic rock" album!!
The new one though.... kinda in the same boat as you on this one, for me, mainly because of so much praise it's getting.
I've got an old-school British rivethead friend who keeps claiming it's the best thing since Rose Clouds of Holocaust, and I've still yet to see why......
Doug had a great baritone croon, best suited for melancholic tracks like "What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?", but as you can see, it's not adaptable for all kinds of songwriting.
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cut yourself with heaven's blade..... |
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| Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:16 am |
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Mutilashawn
Joined: 26 Mar 2010
Posts: 10
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it is brilliant and highly enjoyable ... just as everything Mr. P has done is. just waiting on the vinyl to arrive any day now!
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| Sat Nov 20, 2010 9:19 am |
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antonignaz
Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 96
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Well, I like the new album, even already after the first listening. I think it's much better than The Rule of the Thirds. The piano creates a good mood/atmosphere, the vocals are absolutely OK in my ears, and the songs are also quite good. I don't say it's the best album of Death in June, but the best he's done in the last 10 years.
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| Sat Nov 20, 2010 9:40 am |
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Herbstwerk
Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 128
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boring
the piano melodies are not bad but nothing more than unobtrusive background music when you are busy doing something else
and yes the singing doesn't fit at all, I don't say Douglas P. is not a good singer in general though
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| Sun Nov 21, 2010 1:15 pm |
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Patriote
Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 153
Location: Montreal (Quebec) |
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If you want some good piano music try Philip Glass or Érik Satie.
Like others said, thats a very boring album. Can't get myself to like it. The singning is not good enough to match the quality of the piano, the piano is not good enough to enjoy the album only because of its qualities
The Lounge Corps album sounds like elevator music version of DIJ songs, I can imagine it playing in a grocery store or a mall.
_________________
Un beau matin d'hiver combattant des tempêtes. Nous n'avions vu nos frères aux sourires éternels
Les armes à la main près du sentier de la guerre. Nous nous sentîmes bercés par la foudre et le tonnerre.
Dernière Volonté - La foudre et le tonerre |
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| Mon Nov 22, 2010 6:52 am |
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Herbstwerk
Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 128
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what is strange to me is how many DIJ fans are impressed by this release ... I don't get it, I mean bad music is bad music, why should force yourself to enjoy it?
same like the Depeche Mode die-hard fans who don't want admit that the last DM just sucks, I remember one such freak saying it's impossible to like it before listening to it 20-30 times ... so maybe the new DIJ requires quite an effort to be able to grasp its multi-layered depth 
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| Tue Nov 23, 2010 2:04 pm |
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Antonius
Joined: 02 Nov 2009
Posts: 223
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I think rose clouds of holocaust is decent album. but beyond that death in june holds no interest for me. it seems as though he has a certain formula that is pretty minimalistic in the first place and he just milks and milks it. For some reason he has an entire cultish following of fans. I've never understood how mediocre-to somewhat interesting projects collect such dedicated fanbases.
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| Tue Nov 23, 2010 2:21 pm |
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Herbstwerk
Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 128
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well... I would never call it mediocre speaking in terms of DIJ full history but since All pigs must die I consider this project worse than mediocre and he's released some boring stuff earlier too
But Douglas P. has made some of the best neofolk "hit" songs of all time during late 80s/early 90s - like Fall Apart, Little Black Angel, Rose clouds.... If someone ask me what is neofolk and I have to play him only one or few songs they would be some of those. And if has to be one album it will be But what ends...
Also I think it's him who invented and shaped all this neofolk genre - he is not the first to use folk/traditional music influence in modern music but that specific melancholic/pagan/Nazi thing that neofolk is associated with - it is coming from DIJ.
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| Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:10 pm |
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Antonius
Joined: 02 Nov 2009
Posts: 223
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well... I would never call it mediocre speaking in terms of DIJ full history but since All pigs must die I consider this project worse than mediocre and he's released some boring stuff earlier too
But Douglas P. has made some of the best neofolk "hit" songs of all time during late 80s/early 90s - like Fall Apart, Little Black Angel, Rose clouds.... If someone ask me what is neofolk and I have to play him only one or few songs they would be some of those. And if has to be one album it will be But what ends...
Also I think it's him who invented and shaped all this neofolk genre - he is not the first to use folk/traditional music influence in modern music but that specific melancholic/pagan/Nazi thing that neofolk is associated with - it is coming from DIJ. |
but you must admit that (and I make a generalization) that the aesthetic you speak of gets less and less interesting the more it's done, especially if it's something created by one band. it just becomes a cliche.
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| Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:29 pm |
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Herbstwerk
Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 128
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you are right but this is inevitable - that's what happened to grunge or electroclash to name just few
classic albums remain as the genre's masterpieces, some bands quit, others go on with varying success and third try something fresh
and as for DIJ - I don't have such a problem for this project be a cliche if produce some decent tracks and keep some level of class like most big bands do ...
what Douglas P. turned into is not a cliche but more like a parody of himself - music gets more and more dull, production cheaper, this awful mask once might have looked frightening but now it's silly, the camouflage doesn't look militaristic anymore but like a fishing equipment ... artwork once considered unique now terribly designed and executed
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| Wed Nov 24, 2010 5:58 am |
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Patriote
Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 153
Location: Montreal (Quebec) |
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I think Douglas never cared to do better and thats why Death In June is where it is now. It seems to me like hes very lazy, and is always going in the direction of the less effort, using the same old receipe over and over again. Rereleasing the same songs over and over again. And his fans buy his stuff, like it is gold.
How can someone making a living of playing guitar never learn to play differently than strumming. The lyrics of the last albums sound like he just took random words from other albums and arranged them like he wanted.
For me the last "ok" DIJ album is The Rule of Thirds.... and its just ok, nothing more...
Douglas grew too comfortable with a fanbase that will blindly buy in everything he sells. You cant reinvent yourself in that situation.
_________________
Un beau matin d'hiver combattant des tempêtes. Nous n'avions vu nos frères aux sourires éternels
Les armes à la main près du sentier de la guerre. Nous nous sentîmes bercés par la foudre et le tonnerre.
Dernière Volonté - La foudre et le tonerre |
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| Wed Nov 24, 2010 8:11 am |
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Antonius
Joined: 02 Nov 2009
Posts: 223
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current 93 is in all respects superior. almost all of tibet's albums are different from the one before (doesn't mean they're always good, however.) the scope of his vision is much wider. the only retraction you could take from david tibet is that he doesn't actually play anything. but it's his vision that matters.
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| Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:51 am |
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Herbstwerk
Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 128
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C93 is light years better music-wise at least the last decade or so. Soft Black Stars and Sleep has His House are done around just 10 years ago and are one of his best albums and for me one of the best albums ever. Pretty good more recent stuff from him too - Birth Canal Blues, Black ships....
I saw C93 live year ago and was amazed watching Tibet surrounded by a bunch of youngsters in their 20s playing with him on stage with all his enthusiasm, energy and charisma - something Douglas P. sure lacks now and probably has never had.
And back to DIJ - his music got more and more simplistic and lazy. Songs on his best albums are much varied, melodies are much catchier, he's using synth backgrounds, trumpets, drums, guest singers, samples and so on. Later - some goods songs on the albums with Albin Julius (the rest sound like Der Blutharsch), All pigs ... is a joke I simply can't take seriously the "concept" behind this album.
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| Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:08 am |
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Serge
Joined: 22 Nov 2006
Posts: 51
Location: France - Civitas Santonum |
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what is strange to me is how many DIJ fans are impressed by this release ... I don't get it, I mean bad music is bad music, why should force yourself to enjoy it?
same like the Depeche Mode die-hard fans who don't want admit that the last DM just sucks, I remember one such freak saying it's impossible to like it before listening to it 20-30 times ... so maybe the new DIJ requires quite an effort to be able to grasp its multi-layered depth |
Maybe people can have a different advice about an album that yours.
As for me, about the last DM album, I really like since a few listenings, not 20 or 30. And it was the same with the last DIJ album, I really like the Leonard Cohen's mood of this release, quite minimalistic of course, but well managed. The crooner style of Douglas fits perfectly with the soft piano harmonies.
About Current93, I was a huge fan during a lot of years, but since a couple of years, it's really hard for me to listen to an entire album. The voice of Tibet irritates me very fast, that's quite weird because he was the reason why I felt in love with C93. I always find C93 amazing on stage but quite boring on album. That's life, that's all.
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| Fri Nov 26, 2010 4:45 pm |
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