Normal Love - Survival Tricks

[Udi Koomran]

Lieto & frankie's posts made me realize maybe there is hope here for this amazing album
Survival Tricks by Normal Love.

http://normallove.bandcamp.com/track...s-in-the-brine

I have been listening to this for months now and I can really say this is truly original / radical / innovative
So much stuff going on here
This album proves (at least to me) that the envelope can by pushed the glass ceiling can be broken and avant progressive can re invent itself and prove its vital and relevant.
How long has it been since you heard something that made you go : "what hell was that ??" meaning hearing something you are not ready for that isn't instantly "comprehended" that dropped your jaw to the floor (now when was the last time that happened... ) Something that truly sounds radical and compelling.
For a few weeks I am trying to wrap my brain around the latest album of Normal Love - Survival Tricks and I'm still trying to put the pieces of this puzzle together heh heh
As much as this music seems "difficult" its nevertheless captivating and highly enjoyable. One of the keys to this album's uniqueness is the sound and production.
I was so knocked out by the creative processing and sheer imagination of the production I just had to write Marc Alan Goodman (the sound engineer ) a warm thank you note for his inspiring work.

[Morpheus]

Great album, one of my favorites from the past 2 years. Their first album was excellent as well, very excited to see what they do next.

The whole album is on the label's bandcamp for the curious.

[Udi Koomran]

[Scrotum Scissor]

I've only got the debut mini-album from a few years back, but that one is quite sensational in its intense intricacy. What I heard from the latest one makes me want it, so I'll probably get the vinyl version from Steve F.

There's very little out there that challenges the level of extreme complexity in this band's music, that's for sure. "Revealing Science of God"? Somehow I don't think so.

[chalkpie]

Hey Udester - I have this spinning (again) in headphones.

You are spot on with this album. This sucker pushes the envelope in so many ways. I am going to need to hear this a few more times to be able to even write anything cohesive about it, but in terms of texture and sheer sound, you are not likely to find a "rock" album (ha!) of the past...shit, I have no idea....I reckon many, many years that comes close to reaching the level of sonic genius that is on display here. This album must have taken a LONG time to assemble, and these lunatics (whomever they are) have some serious knowledge of sound engineering, besides the obvious exceptional musicianship and composition abilities.

You can basically take any 5 or 10 second snippet from any point in any track, and listen on repeat and new details will reveal themselves each time.

Maybe a bold statement, but this stuff is easily as groundbreaking as the Cow was to these ears. More dudes need to hear this.

[man-erg]

Pretty intense. I think the first album suits me a little better. The singer on the video reminds of Sharon Bradford a little. The one for Thinking Plague that sang about cutting up squid, or some such.

[NogbadTheBad]

Been sitting on my to buy list ever since you mentioned it Udi

[chalkpie]

Been sitting on my to buy list ever since you mentioned it Udi

Get this ASAP mate. It will easily surpass most other stuff on your list in terms of creativity and innovation. But its also very musical and easy to listen to because it scores an A+ in pretty much every category.

[Udi Koomran]

I have difficulties in imagining *this* material translated to a live performance - there is so much processing done that on may parts even someone like me has difficulty in identifying the original instruments ...
but hey guess what they proved me wrong


Since tis shares some members with Zs New Slaves it easily fits Waysides : "recommended if you are a person who thinks the stuff released on Cuneiform is for pussies."

Hey Udester - I have this spinning (again) in headphones. You are spot on with this album. This sucker pushes the envelope in so many ways. I am going to need to hear this a few more times to be able to even write anything cohesive about it, but in terms of texture and sheer sound, you are not likely to find a "rock" album (ha!) of the past...shit, I have no idea....I reckon many, many years that comes close to reaching the level of sonic genius that is on display here. This album must have taken a LONG time to assemble, and these lunatics (whomever they are) have some serious knowledge of sound engineering, besides the obvious exceptional musicianship and composition abilities.
You can basically take any 5 or 10 second snippet from any point in any track, and listen on repeat and new details will reveal themselves each time.
Maybe a bold statement, but this stuff is easily as groundbreaking as the Cow was to these ears. More dudes need to hear this.

[Udi Koomran]

am glad to see there are a few members that share my unconditional enthusiasm for this - I know its bracing I know its difficult and requires some 'decoding" but hey remember first hearing Trout Mask replica ???
I always thought those repeated listening what i call the decoding sessions actually came from some element in the music that had a special draw that was hard explain but worked like a magnet Sure the extra time helped but that "x factor" was what made me endure the Hard parts that were so difficult to digest in a way its still like that and this album did require some serious decoding but in a way after a few days it even felt like some parts are catchy heh heh the main attraction initially was the fact it didnt sound like anything i already know and so instantly made me curious

[Hobo Chang Ba]

I still prefer Zs (who my mind links whether that be fair or not), but this band has a lot of upside, and is always an enjoyable listen.

[NogbadTheBad]

Get this ASAP mate. It will easily surpass most other stuff on your list in terms of creativity and innovation. But its also very musical and easy to listen to because it scores an A+ in pretty much every category.

Ordered, along with Make A Rising and a bunch of other stuff.

[Udi Koomran]

Ian were did you order this ?
Wayside doesn't have it
I bought mine from cd baby

[NogbadTheBad]

Amazon in the USA, I got some gift certificates so went shopping

[MJ-Plagued]

Cool project, brother Udi - despite the video having some seemingly gratuitous gross moments, the music is VERY interesting. These guys are definitely demonstrating a very innovative approaches. The sound is very good and the playing is wonderful - very powerful and intense without the overkill of grind-core, et al. However, I don't think I'd want to listen to this a lot. It's a bit too much of the same harsh sonic space almost the whole time. On one listen I can't determine if there's some kind of meta-level of thematic development going on (I think there is some?). But, I want to hear more....notes....?...I'm old fashioned that way.

[Udi Koomran]

It seems the played last week at The Stone and performed some compositions of their upcoming album

[chalkpie]

Spinning this again. No words. Truly unbelievable. If you are in Zs, PoiL, SGM mood, check this album out. Really far ahead of most stuff out there.

[chalkpie]

This is sonically a modern album I love. What would this album be like recorded analog in the early 70's without all of today's technology? Hmmm.

[Morpheus]

A live perfomance from public access TV. All from the first album though as it predates Survival Tricks.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I'm getting the vinyl from uncle Feigen.

[nosebone]

Sounds like every RIO band in a blender.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Sounds like every RIO band in a blender.

I actually think they appear rather fresh. When I reviewed their first release back in the day, I seem to remember likening them to a chance meeting between Naked City, Charles Ives and '74-era King Crimson. And I stand by that. The charts they go through in the second half of that album (EP, really) reveal some of the densest "rock" this side of Zs and Woodson's Ellipsis.

[Steve F.]

A live perfomance from public access TV. [/VIDEO]

I only saw them once, two years before that TV show. I recognize some of the players on TV from the show, but I think what I saw was a trio or quartet.

[Morpheus]

They seem to go through a lot of lineup changes. Even since Survival Tricks, they got a new drummer in the last year or so and I believe they have a new vocalist.

Their old drummer is also in Inzinzac who appeared on the same program.

[Steve F.]

Inzinzac are also very good; I know their album and I got to see them when they opened for Uz Jsme Doma at Orion, the last time UJD were in the USA a few years ago.