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General Category => New Model Army => Topic started by: Master Ray on August 29, 2015, 08:41:28 PM
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OK, I know we're a couple of weeks away from the actual 2 year anniversary of BDAW, but I couldn't wait... :)
I've been looking over old threads regarding this album and it surprises me how 'down' a lot of posters were about that album when it first came out. Granted, that was before we all saw those tunes played live... and I think we'll agree that they went down well!
I'd be interested to see how any folks who weren't convinced about the worth of the album (when it first came out) feel nowadays. Likewise, the hardcore BDAW lovers... you still listen to it a lot? Or are you getting back to the 'old' stuff?
It is doubtlessly (IMO) the most diversive NMA album.
For my part..? It's one I'll relax to and possibly skip the more guitar-y tracks. It's more about the drums and bass and, yes, keyboards, right now.
Still one of my top 3 NMA albums.
How you lot feeling right now about BDAW?
???
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Two years?!!!! Blimey..
Ok i wasn't keen then and i'm still not keen now.
There are a couple of bits that i really love, but on the whole, its the one album that i really dont play. I do feel that hearing the album live gave a differant slant to the tracks, some much better (Knieval) and some much worse (lean back and fall, Between dog and wolf). The bass intro on Pull the sun is superb live, but for me, this is difinately their weakest album so far.
:(
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Interesting to raise this again. Tbh i like the album but....it wasnt an easy listen first off. I think now, in hindsight, I prefer what came before and BWAB after. But that may be my musical taste, liking heavier stuff I guess.
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I loved it straight away and still do.
One of their best in my opinion.
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a great album, some take a while to sink in as it were, as with every bands new output, this didn't take long before it "clicked" in my mind, maybe it was Ceri's new input to things? everything moves on and evolves.
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I liked it and still like it, two years later...fine album with solid songs and great moods at times, one minor complaint: it's a bit overlong at times...and, maybe, finally, i like more "Between wine and blood"!! :D ;)
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Definitely took some time for some of the songs to hit home, it wasn't as instant for me as other nma albums, hearing the songs live has far improved the experience of bdaw
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A class bit of work.
Layers, textures and depth all over the place. Much more going on than the first few listens might suggest. Seams that 2 years later (really? Feck me! ;D ) there's still the odd little part of the mix that you might not have clocked before that rises to the ear. And that's before I start gobbing off about the words.......
A couple of personal "skippers" but who ever heard of a flawless diamond?
Easily stands up there at the top of the tree.
:-*
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First its a good thread Master Ray .
For me its a masterpice of NMA work strong and powerfulll lots of energy and I really love Michaels work on the drums :) :) :) :) :) :) So feeling glad about this album straight away feeling in love with BDAW really .....
We are having 3 cds NMA BDAW one for my husbands car one for my car and one cd for our home so since BDAW came out Im listening to this cd every day .....for 2 years now and still loving this album soo much so thxs a lot to NMA for getting BDAW ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
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hmm, yes another two years of life that have whizzed by >:(
BDAW still sounds like a very professionally made album that the band are right to be proud of and a brave change to the more familiar guitar lead sound. I do think at times it sounds a bit over-worked but there is nothing wrong with the songs. Listening to the album you could be forgiven for thinking the songs wouldn't work live, but they well and truly do, one or two much better than on the album, for me, "Storm clouds" takes on new life as a live song.
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Some terrific responses here! Please keep 'em coming!
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Really love it. Not so hot on the studio Wine and blood songs for some reason, but High, Good day and Wolf are some of my favourite NMA and easily the albums I listen to most.
The live Wine versions add a bit of grit and power not quite captured on the studio album, but it is still a brilliant piece of work and perhaps (along with High) their most moving album, I don't know what it is but this music/lyrics just taps into something deep within me.
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Didn't like it at all, and am still not keen. I'm afraid to say that I find it quite boring, and overfull of clever production which (in my - possibly not very popular! - opinion) comes at the expense of songwriting.
Summer Moors is my favourite track, but most of them leave me pretty unmoved, and as for that bloody endless "To the sunlight / To the water" refrain....
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I think its a patchy flawed classic, you gotta admire its ambition and its amazing nma are still breaking new ground, and the songs that work are superb, kneivel, lean back, dog n wolf, stormclouds, tomorrow came etc , but for some of the rest the songwriting has been compromised for the big drum production leaving it as a good but not outstanding album, great topic by the way master ray.
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I find it interesting that most people who don't like the album, like my least favourite songs the most (i.e. Storm Clouds, Tomorrow Came etc). I guess it is because these are the songs that most resemble the typical NMA sound. I like them too but to me they are the least interesting ones on BDAW. I'm glad the band took the risk and released tracks such as Did You Make It Safe?, Ghosts, Pull The Sun or Qasr Al Nil Bridge. Some of my favourite NMA songs.
I am very curious to see which way they will go from here.
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Took me a while to get used to it but to be honest it's the album I play the most now along with BWAB.
Still play the older material but if I check my iPod I know that theses last 2 albums will definitely have the most plays :) :)
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First half of the album, from "Horsemen" to "Pull the sun" included, is my favourite, very strong work here.
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I'm indiscriminate about NMA, and no mistake. I love all their albums. I think their ability to continue for 30 plus years and not release a single dud is singular in the history of rock n roll. No other band has done it that I can think of. As for BDAW, I admit I'm still working on that one. The drum sounds are a bit too prominent and claustrophobic-sounding for me. I think maybe the drums distract a bit from the songs which I would love to hear unplugged versions of. The upside of not yet wholly embracing the album is that I know I'll continue to listen to it and let it grow on me. The fact that NMA are exploring new approaches to their music is also a plus. They're doing it with focus and a solid idea of what they want, as opposed to flailing about in an attempt to remain relevant. That's one thing the New Model Army fan need ever fear. They will always be true to themselves and speak from the heart.
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I am late to this party, but here's my experience... After seeing NMA at Bearded theory earlier this year, and despite asking for listening suggestions - which I ignored ;) - I have listened almost exclusively to BWAB. I have been enjoying it so much I wasn't ready to move on to other material. I love the power and strength of the music, vocals and lyrics (which is obviously what I got at the live set) Then I read this thread and realised I hadn't actually heard the studio version of the songs. So i listened to BDAW.
**** ME!!! I love it even more. It has a completely different character; so much more brooding, claustrophobic (in places) and layered. The drums give the songs an almost primal rhythm that feels like the beating heart of an animal, while the vocals touch me in places that strangers don't usually go...
Better stop, I might be over-sharing...
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I am late to this party, but here's my experience... After seeing NMA at Bearded theory earlier this year, and despite asking for listening suggestions - which I ignored ;) - I have listened almost exclusively to BWAB. I have been enjoying it so much I wasn't ready to move on to other material. I love the power and strength of the music, vocals and lyrics (which is obviously what I got at the live set) Then I read this thread and realised I hadn't actually heard the studio version of the songs. So i listened to BDAW.
**** ME!!! I love it even more. It has a completely different character; so much more brooding, claustrophobic (in places) and layered. The drums give the songs an almost primal rhythm that feels like the beating heart of an animal, while the vocals touch me in places that strangers don't usually go...
Better stop, I might be over-sharing...
Glad you loved it, Sheena! And there's no such thing as over-sharing... well, perhaps the touching bit... ???
Be so interested in your views on other albums, good or bad... you write so well!
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Glad you loved it, Sheena! And there's no such thing as over-sharing... well, perhaps the touching bit... ???
Be so interested in your views on other albums, good or bad... you write so well!
Haha! Thank you.
Interestingly, my kid loves History (the only other album I've listened to to any degree - I thought I'd take an over view of some of the earlier stuff). It's become his go-to music for the car. I adore his take on it; he'll say that he likes a fiddle intro, or a drum rhythm and often asks for tracks by referencing these. It is a very satisfying collection, very accessible, yet interesting. We love the evocative Green and Grey as we drive through the landscape that the song references; and chanting 51st State together as we take on the world.
I'll dip deeper into the back catalogue at some stage, when I can tear myself away...
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brooding, claustrophobic
Yeah - those are good words :)
I might be over-sharing...
I'm sure none of us have ever done that before ............................... ::) ;D ;)
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"For it was the ties we so hated and destroyed that had made us strong"
Bloody hell, that's so insightful and profound <3
In a similar vein, only the other day a friend and I were bemoaning how hard it is to raise children without a village; but womankind left the village in a search for equality...
ETA: not that I want to go back to the village, but still...
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I still think the album is excellent and one which certainly brought them back to centre attention for me. It is an amazing fact that the band could break new ground in such a way at this stage in their career and do it so well.
Having said that, I do think it's a bit top heavy on additional drums which doesn't quite work on the album as well as in the live shows. Moreover, the band live are certainly better than they have been in a few years. If anything, Justin seems to have more conviction now and seems very at ease with the new material.
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Justin does seem to have more passion, even if I didn't think that was possible. Ceri and Marshall have given the band a lot more energy
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I would certainly agree. The enthusiasm that pours forth is second to none. :)
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My older self likes it as much as I liked the 80's classics when they came out - adjusting for my greater grumpiness, etc. Music isn't as "relevant" to my daily life as when I was 16, but BDOW fits right in nicely - and I'm more likely to listen to driving the kids about than something from the 80s.
And my daughter DANCES to BDOW. Thats pretty important, too!
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Thanks for starting this thread Master Ray.
Two years on and I love BDAW as much as I did when I first got it. Also, over the last two years I've had the pleasure of hearing the songs live, both on the subsequent live albums and at the Wakefield gig back in March. And hearing the songs live makes me appreciate the studio versions even more.
Like many other people, I too tend to like an album that comes flying straight out of the traps with a rocker for an opener, but I think Horsemen sets up the mood for the whole of BDAW perfectly. And songs such as Pull the Sun, Knievel and Summermoors are now amongst my favourite songs.
I have the book CD version, and I love the artwork and packaging too, and combined with the great songs and music themselves, BDAW makes for a truly great album IMHO.
All the best,
Johnny
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I've been a little critical of Between Dog and Wolf since it came out. My main criticism has been the thundering drums and a few lyrics which struck me as downright despairing. Despair is a quality I don't associate with NMA and is one of the many reasons I love them. Then an odd thing happened.
I got severely ill between the end of September and present. I was so fatigued that I floated off into a land of hallucination and various other altered perception. I put on one of those YouTube blocks which play hours of their music over and over. In my pain and misery, I LOVED BDAW. It took on all kinds of qualities I hadn't noticed and appreciated when I listened as a distracted healthy person. My adoration of the album now equals that of any of their other albums. I do still hope that their next album goes a bit less heavy on the tribal drumming, but that's a minor quibble.
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Has it really been 2 years already??? :o
"Between Dog and Wolf" was love on first listening for me, so to speak - and the love for this album is still strong. I love the energy, the intensity of the drums, I love how this band will still try new approaches instead of sticking to what they know is going to work.
Driving down the motorway, windows rolled down, volume cranked up - when it's really, really cold outside - I love that...and listening to these songs live makes them even better still.
Definitely one of my favourites. :)
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Always going to be a special album to me - was dragged along to a gig a couple years back to see NMA. Knew of them over the years, more an awareness really, couldn't have named one tune though or album.
I thought they were outstanding & immediately fell in love with them & was hooked, the show was Between Dog & Wolf Heavy which I bought that night along with the magazine. Two years later own all the albums & live ones ( I try not to dwell on the fact a large chunk of my life I missed out on them but ce la vie, Im 40 btw)
I still go back to it a lot, good solid effort from a band trying to branch out a bit & not become a cliche or dwell in the past.
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Coolea, if no-one has welcomed you to this Forum already... welcome! ;)
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The lyrics seem a little more pessimistic than usual, though that could just be my own reflection. In virtually every New Model Army song there's some light and hope. There are a few songs on BDAW where there is no escape. There's an occasional fatalism in there and, to me, that's something new to New Model Army. But I still come away from BDAW feeling empowered and restored. For all their explorations of dark places, New Model Army have never been a downer of a band. That's one of many things I love about them. And in answer to Justin's question I come to see a man fly, not fall.
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God 2 years. time passes definitely TOO fast for me. anyway. good like it but not comparable with older ones. not even the most recent ones such as Carnival, Today is a Good Day let say the last ones in the last 10 years. some of the choruses are too cheesy too poppish for my taste.
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It's brilliant.
I listened to it every day for about 3 or 4 months solid.
Just listened to it again after a considerable break and I honestly think it sounds even better!
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Love it so much.
During the day of its release, it was definitely something you couldn't expect to happen. I mean it wasn't so self evident. Totally charged me the season my friend's son died in a car accident and it was late autumn coming. Right before the first BDAW tour to start.
They haven't done anything similar earlier and I think it was a change that probably will be referred of to later on.
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Coolea, if no-one has welcomed you to this Forum already... welcome! ;)
Ditto. Hello :)
Interesting that there is a view that the lyrice are pessimistic/depressing ( I paraphrase). I don't really get that feeling myself. Reflective and honest - yes but not a downer.
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Interesting that there is a view that the lyrice are pessimistic/depressing ( I paraphrase). I don't really get that feeling myself. Reflective and honest - yes but not a downer.
Angry Planet is pretty pessimistic with it's Malthusian theme (bordering into KJ territory!) and whilst I consider it the same period it's from a different album.
The planet is no angrier than all the stardust we marvel over. It's just a matter of distance.
BDAW has a broad range of themes for a typical NMA album. All the greatest arts of work usually cover Nature, God or Love - and for me JS is strongest lyrically in these areas. Indeed, some argue they're all the same thing and in many ways they are right.
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Coolea, if no-one has welcomed you to this Forum already... welcome! ;)
Thank you Mr.Ray
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Played it to death until BWAB came out,then played the live songs endlessly.Recently played the studio album again and although really enjoyed the songs not on BWAB LIVE found that the live versions had so much more "body"(especially "Did you make it safe")
Now when I play BDAW I tend to skip whichever songs are on the live cd,and just play the few tracks which aren't,and then stick the live cd on.
Bloody great songs tho ;D.Still love it
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Interesting that there is a view that the lyrice are pessimistic/depressing ( I paraphrase). I don't really get that feeling myself. Reflective and honest - yes but not a downer.
Angry Planet is pretty pessimistic with it's Malthusian theme (bordering into KJ territory!) and whilst I consider it the same period it's from a different album.
The planet is no angrier than all the stardust we marvel over. It's just a matter of distance.
BDAW has a broad range of themes for a typical NMA album. All the greatest arts of work usually cover Nature, God or Love - and for me JS is strongest lyrically in these areas. Indeed, some argue they're all the same thing and in many ways they are right.
Take your point there Dominic and yes I guess Angry Planet is fairly pessimistic although I hadn't considered BWAB in this conversation. I think I view the Angry Planet tag as referring to us humans rather than the Earth itself which as you point out is quite likely no angrier or happier than any other planet in the cosmos.
Nature, God & Love the same thing - is to me or at least facets of the same thing and if a rebalancing on Earth is heading our way as envisioned in the song, looked at dispassionately (maybe even cold-heartedly) it could be said it's just the Earth cleaning itself of a particularly virulent little parasite which is a good thing for the planet - i.e. optimistic not pessimistic !
Before the guns come out for me I'm toying with ideas and thoughts here - I am not for one minute hoping for some actual mass near extinction event ! Mind you I wouldn't bet against some human induced catastrophic occurence. I probably sound like an extreme survivalist type now ;D
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I see it much the same way that I did Eight back in the day and I am hoping that it eventually sinks in the way that one did, even though it took several years for it to happen.
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The planet is no angrier than all the stardust we marvel over. It's just a matter of distance.
I think I view the Angry Planet tag as referring to us humans rather than the Earth itself which as you point out is quite likely no angrier or happier than any other planet in the cosmos.
Nature, God & Love the same thing - is to me or at least facets of the same thing and if a rebalancing on Earth is heading our way as envisioned in the song, looked at dispassionately (maybe even cold-heartedly) it could be said it's just the Earth cleaning itself of a particularly virulent little parasite which is a good thing for the planet - i.e. optimistic not pessimistic !
When a hurricane hits a piece of land I don't think nature really cares whether it destroys weeds or flowers.
So if humans are parasites or not doesn't really matter; nature changes. Indeed that is what defines the existence of nature - change.
But saying we accept the pessimistic view as humans as parasites - the most successful viruses by their very nature mutate and adapt to their environment and make it their own.
Peoples idea of nature is very relative - if somebody wanted to knock down a beautiful historic 18th century palace there would be an outcry. But I bet there was no outcry in the first place for the fields and woodland it replaced. It will be the same when The Shard in London starts to date and crumble. For me Angry Planet is in that tradition of songs/stories lamenting how things were once better and are now less so.
So I don't think anyone mourns the death of a star, unless it's their own.
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When a hurricane hits a piece of land I don't think nature really cares whether it destroys weeds or flowers.
So if humans are parasites or not doesn't really matter; nature changes. Indeed that is what defines the existence of nature - change.
But saying we accept the pessimistic view as humans as parasites - the most successful viruses by their very nature mutate and adapt to their environment and make it their own.
Peoples idea of nature is very relative - if somebody wanted to knock down a beautiful historic 18th century palace there would be an outcry. But I bet there was no outcry in the first place for the fields and woodland it replaced. It will be the same when The Shard in London starts to date and crumble. For me Angry Planet is in that tradition of songs/stories lamenting how things were once better and are now less so.
So I don't think anyone mourns the death of a star, unless it's their own.
Hurricanes are part and parcel of the Earths systems and processes, it is only humans who impart a judgement as to whether that is a good or bad occurrence, indeed for every "negative" effect as perceived by us there will be another "positive" one relating to the biological/ecological/geological systems surely? In the same way that for a natural forest (i.e. untouched by human management) Fire is an essential part of the cycle required to clear space for the next generation of trees, to supply essential nutrients and provide habitat/food for other lifeforms. Furthermore there are flora species whose seeds require burning in order to germinate. So yes change is an essential part of Nature but I don't quite get how it is the definition of Nature's existence.
Nice point about successful viruses though :)
Afraid I can't agree with you on the 18th century palace - I bet that the Farmers, Woodland workers and Livestock herders were seriously pissed off when their livelihoods were taken away .......... As for how the end of The Shard will be viewed when the time comes, well it probably depends on how strong the attachment grows in the intervening years and how much value is placed on the building.
Maybe nobody does give a monkeys about a star dying unless it's their own - but we ain't about to kill a star. Make it unfit for human life quite possibly but kill it, I don't think so.
Whichever way you look at it, Angry Planet is a damn fine song though :)
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I find it interesting that most people who don't like the album, like my least favourite songs the most (i.e. Storm Clouds, Tomorrow Came etc).
I am with Johnz and Guillaume here. Though I like the live version of Stormclouds better.
I still love BDAW.
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Love it, start to finish. theres not one bad track on it in my honest opinion but that's me. i love the whole drum layering sound. i dont skip any of the tracks, unlike a certain album i wont mention. personally i think its their most mature album, like a journey album where each track leads into where the last left off telling a story. does it have classic written over it like T and C. I think it already has but thats me.
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Ain't just you, Gonzo...
Be interested in hearing what your least favourite album was... you won't get crap for it, I've already said I'm not too fond of TLOHC, which seems to be a popular favourite!
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I've already said I'm not too fond of TLOHC, which seems to be a popular favourite!
HERETIC 8)
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Wow, The love of hopeless causes is a great album its definately up there in my top 5 NMA albums. My least favourite and least played is, here we go, Strange Brotherhood. I just cant get to grips with that album at all. 98 werent a great year for me personally so when the album came out i thought it would lift me up or carry on from where TLOFC left off. maybe the 5 year gap inbetween albums didnt help, i dont know, but to me i thought it was a piecemeal/experimental album just put together. i know ill get stick for it but gigabyte wars i cant handle. i do struggle with it. maybe its time to revisit it.
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Wow, The love of hopeless causes is a great album its definately up there in my top 5 NMA albums. My least favourite and least played is, here we go, Strange Brotherhood. I just cant get to grips with that album at all. 98 werent a great year for me personally so when the album came out i thought it would lift me up or carry on from where TLOFC left off. maybe the 5 year gap inbetween albums didnt help, i dont know, but to me i thought it was a piecemeal/experimental album just put together. i know ill get stick for it but gigabyte wars i cant handle. i do struggle with it. maybe its time to revisit it.
I think it's most people's least favourite album. The band themselves have referred to the mid-nineties as a time when they lost their way and they did mention somewhere that SB wasn't the album that they wanted it to be. To me it is definitely the odd one out but I actually like it a lot. I was just happy to hear from them after a five year break and the & Nobody Else tour was great.
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Ah, SB is NMA's least favourite album... what do they know?
;D
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Great thread, and nice it has continued until the christmas gigs. For me, BDAW is one of the best albums ever, the tour 2 years ago was magic, and it all brought me back much closer to the band and the music. I liked the albums before BDAW but they mainly continued the classic sound and it seemed like there wasn't so much in the music that was new. BDAW was different and it lifted the band to a whole new level, in my opinion. My favourites were exactly the songs that were perhaps a little strange at first, like Did You Make It Safe, because they were different and brought something else, something new. And the gigs were magic and atmospheric, and the new songs brought so many new layers to the classic sets. Would be nice to hear more of that, and more new and unexpected sounds.
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Great thread, and nice it has continued until the christmas gigs. For me, BDAW is one of the best albums ever, the tour 2 years ago was magic, and it all brought me back much closer to the band and the music. I liked the albums before BDAW but they mainly continued the classic sound and it seemed like there wasn't so much in the music that was new. BDAW was different and it lifted the band to a whole new level, in my opinion. My favourites were exactly the songs that were perhaps a little strange at first, like Did You Make It Safe, because they were different and brought something else, something new. And the gigs were magic and atmospheric, and the new songs brought so many new layers to the classic sets. Would be nice to hear more of that, and more new and unexpected sounds.
That's exactly how I see it.
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Layers.
I know I've gabbled on about this before and I'm not trying to labour a point honest .......... but ;D
I am currently in the position of spending an inordinate amount of time laying down listening to music through headphones and god only knows how many tracks are on each song. Theres "buried" parts all over the place. I'm pretty sure there are some instruments that only appear for a few bars. I'd love to know just how many tracks were put down on each song or which has the greatest number - I reckon after the next 5 weeks I'll have got 'em all :)
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Interesting that, at Nottingham, Justin said that the new album was pretty much finished but isn't going to be released for a while... be fascinated to see if it continues in the same vein as BDAW...
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I feel fine... just fine! I've been listening to BDAW these past days and I still love it! The band managed to eschew the "rock band" cliché and made some kind of 'organic music' (not new age!) that I cannot pigeonhole whichever way I try to make get people to listen to it.
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... that I cannot pigeonhole whichever way I try ....
Perfect :-*
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Layers.
I know I've gabbled on about this before and I'm not trying to labour a point honest .......... but ;D
I am currently in the position of spending an inordinate amount of time laying down listening to music through headphones and god only knows how many tracks are on each song. Theres "buried" parts all over the place. I'm pretty sure there are some instruments that only appear for a few bars. I'd love to know just how many tracks were put down on each song or which has the greatest number - I reckon after the next 5 weeks I'll have got 'em all :)
for a long time i have insisted that everyone should listen to their favourite albums at least once through headphones. it is only recently (since the advent of ipods/smartphones) that i have come anywhere near even beginning to acheive this but the principal remains as valid. hearing new bits on records that i have been listening to for 30, 40 years blows me away.
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hearing new bits on records that i have been listening to for 30, 40 years blows me away.
Me too - love those moments :) It's also surprising how much difference it makes using proper hi-fi stuff. When I hooked up my old Pioneer again the difference in sound quality was amazing.
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hearing new bits on records that i have been listening to for 30, 40 years blows me away.
Me too - love those moments :) It's also surprising how much difference it makes using proper hi-fi stuff. When I hooked up my old Pioneer again the difference in sound quality was amazing.
One of my favorites recently (well, a few years back) was the things that you hate in the back ground of RnR
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hearing new bits on records that i have been listening to for 30, 40 years blows me away.
Me too - love those moments :) It's also surprising how much difference it makes using proper hi-fi stuff. When I hooked up my old Pioneer again the difference in sound quality was amazing.
One of my favorites recently (well, a few years back) was the things that you hate in the back ground of RnR
Stuff pops up all over the place don't it :D, I quite like the swirly pipe organ bit that appears in Angry Planet 8)
Must confess though that i don't think I have clocked everything going on in BDAW, my ears can't seem to stay in one place long enough ;D
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I hardly ever post on this board, but I've had a pint too many and I feel like writing something.
BDAW always stirs in me very confused (bleak, mostly) emotions because it came out in 2013 (on my birthday, heh) which was a year of turmoil for me. Back then I was madly in love with this girl - it was mutual, I might add - who was the lead singer for a deathcore band and we shared this magic friendship that went beyond friendship and bordered on otherworldiness but sadly nothing came out of it in the end because frankly I was an idiot. I could've ended up on stage once more like I've always wanted, fulfill my dream of being a singer, but I fucked up. She could've been my Joolz and save my life from this.
I think BDAW is the saddest NMA album so far. I will never forget the endless walks late at night through rain and fog and snow listening to it and wishing for more time or trying to pull my own sun out of the sky and failing every single time. I don't know JS personally but I've always felt that this album is some sort of a crossroad in his life and him coming to terms with his own mortality, like we all will someday. Some sooner, some later. I've never quite understood why they insisted on veiling the guitars on this album. For the record, I absolutely love Carnival and I consider it to be the peak of NMA's career. BDAW to me is derivative of Carnival but with its majesty turned into existential fog. Stormclouds is particularly frustrating: it's like they trick you into imagining you're about to have the best sex of your life only to realize you will never ever reach the climax. Why? Just because. The gods of fate must be laughing at you. Ghosts will stay with you for a long time but I can't help but feel that it's a bleaker version of "Fireworks night" without the guitar lead inspired by ND's "Un jour en France". To make things worse, a friend of mine died in 2013 a month after his wedding because of a damn blood clot. He was 28 I think.
I have no idea how to wrap this weird post, so I'll just throw in a full stop and get outta here.
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I hardly ever post on this board, but I've had a pint too many and I feel like writing something.
BDAW always stirs in me very confused (bleak, mostly) emotions because it came out in 2013 (on my birthday, heh) which was a year of turmoil for me. Back then I was madly in love with this girl - it was mutual, I might add - who was the lead singer for a deathcore band and we shared this magic friendship that went beyond friendship and bordered on otherworldiness but sadly nothing came out of it in the end because frankly I was an idiot. I could've ended up on stage once more like I've always wanted, fulfill my dream of being a singer, but I fucked up. She could've been my Joolz and save my life from this.
I think BDAW is the saddest NMA album so far. I will never forget the endless walks late at night through rain and fog and snow listening to it and wishing for more time or trying to pull my own sun out of the sky and failing every single time. I don't know JS personally but I've always felt that this album is some sort of a crossroad in his life and him coming to terms with his own mortality, like we all will someday. Some sooner, some later. I've never quite understood why they insisted on veiling the guitars on this album. For the record, I absolutely love Carnival and I consider it to be the peak of NMA's career. BDAW to me is derivative of Carnival but with its majesty turned into existential fog. Stormclouds is particularly frustrating: it's like they trick you into imagining you're about to have the best sex of your life only to realize you will never ever reach the climax. Why? Just because. The gods of fate must be laughing at you. Ghosts will stay with you for a long time but I can't help but feel that it's a bleaker version of "Fireworks night" without the guitar lead inspired by ND's "Un jour en France". To make things worse, a friend of mine died in 2013 a month after his wedding because of a damn blood clot. He was 28 I think.
I have no idea how to wrap this weird post, so I'll just throw in a full stop and get outta here.
Voidship. A brilliant and emotional post. You have a fine way with words, Sir. Yes, I am also familiar with what you're saying about a past relationship. That shit can still get to you after a long period of time.
Please post more often! We need fine wordsmiths like yourself...
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Nice post Voidship - have a pint too many whenever you like ;D
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I think it's a great album - I just love all those drums :)
However, the best part of my BDAW experience was our mini tour Hamburg > Berlin > Hannover > Rostock.
Those gigs were really special and the band got better and better every night.
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BETWEEN DOG AND WOLF, 11 years on...how do you feel about it?
One of NMA's best albums?
One of NMA's weakest albums?
Mixed artistic results?
I find it interesting that most people who don't like the album, like my least favourite songs the most (i.e. Storm Clouds, Tomorrow Came etc). I guess it is because these are the songs that most resemble the typical NMA sound. I like them too but to me they are the least interesting ones on BDAW. I'm glad the band took the risk and released tracks such as Did You Make It Safe?, Ghosts, Pull The Sun or Qasr Al Nil Bridge. Some of my favourite NMA songs.
I am very curious to see which way they will go from here.
I'm bringing this topic back up because I've been surprised this year, these last months, listening to songs from BETWEEN DOG AND WOLF, it's an album that's perfect when you're in meditative and melancholic moments, and then the production/sound is superb. I remember that the album had a bit of a divide in the NMA "family" in 2013, probably because it wasn't a classic and energetic Rock album, but something more atmospheric and hypnotic, almost like a movie soundtrack at times. Now, more than 10 years later, I still think it's one of NMA's most "mature" albums and one of the best...alongside of course the timeless THUNDER AND CONSOLATION. "I need more time", "Pull the sun", "March in September", "Seven times", "Knievel", "Between dog and wolf", "Qasr El Nil Bridge", "Summer moors" and "Ghosts" are beautiful songs for me.
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11 years, eh? Someone should write a song with that title... ;)
I'm going to say that it's one of my top five NMA albums (as to todays thinking, this could well change tomorrow, NMA favourite lists are always a moveable feast!). And yet, in keeping with my original concept when I started this thread, I still don't listen to it all that often... but when I do I love it.
It's also interesting that NMA played six tracks from it live at last years Nottingham Rockers gig when tracks from BDAW haven't been played all that often in recent years. They always sound fantastic live.
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I have the album cover on my back.
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I confess, this is an album I seldom visit. I prefer the one that came before it, and the ones that followed it. I think it is down to the production. It has smoothed the sound down too much.I know much effort and expense was made in the production in the States, but for me I like all of the songs much more when played live. Maybe to some extent, the band thought the same, the sound of Winter, very different.
That said, one of the NMA songs I connect with the most, the last song on the album, "Ghosts". Every time I hear that song, it reminds me of friends and people I knew who are now gone. It is a lovely, gentle sounding song. When I hear "the ghosts are part of us", it gives me a little comfort as I think of friends now gone. They are part of us. If you have spent a lot of time with someone, their personality has rubbed off on you. Their sense of humour, you now laugh at things they found funny. They are alive in your memories, and although that is just a little personal thing, they are still part of who you are..