µ-Ziq - Grush (Album Review)
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Mike Paradinas has returned once again with a typically solid album looking back on some of the atmospheric and dance-heavy sounds of his past. (...And when I mean "past", I mean two years ago.)
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Favorite Tracks: Reticulum A, Hyper Daddy, Imperial Crescent, Reticulum B, Belvedere, Raver, Windsor Safari Park, Manscape, Metaphonk
Least Favorite Track: Grush
Overall Rating: 7.3/10
All ratings based purely off of personal enjoyment at the time of this video's upload and either end in .0, .3, .5, or .7. Take nothing I say too seriously.
I’m listening to a lot of Paradinas lately and while I haven’t heard all of his albums, I’ve spent time with this new one and checked out a few of his classics and more recent material in Bluff Limbo, Lunatic Harness, Royal Astronomy and Chewed Corners, Secret Garden and 1977. I feel like most of these albums have incredible high points that I can return to endlessly, but aren’t all that cohesive (other than Secret Garden) I think Grush, despite the changes in sound still feels grounded in this chill atmosphere, but it lacks the best individual moments and originality of his other albums. Still really liked it and can tell that he had fun while making this. Great review!
The most interesting part of this album's release for me was in a listening party he did a week ago, where he revealed the meaning of the last chewed corners track's title. Weakling Paradinas was his nickname in school.
This is my favourite album from him, the melodies in this 🤤
I think this is my favorite album of his, smoothy cohesive
The thing that kinda bothered me most about this basically being Magic Pony Ride leftovers is that we already got an album of those in Hello/Goodbye, and even 1977 had most of the same sounds as that album but repurposed to fit a more ambient approach, so this is stretching pretty thin, especially considering MPR was already a really samey sounding album, and the tracks themselves just don't bang as hard to make up for the redundancy compared to other side albums of his that feel like leftovers. It's a solid album but is probably my least favourite record of his, perhaps with the exception of Scurlage. This album may have been more well rounded than that one but at the same time, Scurlage came at a time when Paradinas hadn't released anything in 8 years so I'm a bit more excusing of that one. I mean I didn't expect much considering 1977, while good, ended up disappearing from my head pretty quickly, but at the same time this is my favourite music producer we're talking about so just being solid enough isn't good enough for me
As for the tracks themselves, I think the fact that he made a Magic Pony Ride Pt. 4 is kinda ridiculous, and as such is probably my least favourite (my ranking : 1 > 3 > 2 > 4) but my favourite was Metaphonk. Despite the title being a Jake Slazenger reference it doesn't really have much to do with the original track
Also Kid Spatula returning later this year after 20 years with another album
Thanks for heads up on the Kid Spatula
wonky slush
I have a feeling that you're one of Wonky's biggest fans
wocky angle
Oh, interesting! I had only listened to Bluff Limbo before this one (I remember I struggled to fully enjoy it cause of the length). I didn't love Grush, but I liked it and thought it had lots of cool ideas. So based on your thoughts, I think I gotta get around to checking out the other albums hopefully sooner rather than later.
It's basically just Magic Pony Ride leftovers, but given that was one of my favorite albums of his, I still like this a lot. Reticulum B and Raver are my immediate favorites
Agreed with pretty much everything you said in the video lol
Favorite Track Overall: either Raver or Windsor Safari
Favorite Tracks: Reticulum A, Hyper Daddy, Magic Pony Ride (Pt.4), Reticulum B, Raver, Windsor Safari Park, Hastings, Manscape, Metaphonk
Least Favorite Track: Fogou
Rating: 7.5/10
My favourite is still Lunatic Harness, though this is really good!
I could NOT take a track called "Manscape" seriously 😆 It just makes me think of the electric razers
µ
I am on the more conflicting side with my thoughts on Grush, I do think it has its good moments like Hyper Daddy and Raver and overall comes out as a decent album but I do wish it had it's own identity, something along the lines of 90s rave/drum'n'bass music, rather than just being magic pony ride 2: electric boogaloo. Still I'll reccomend it regardless, I think it holds up enough to make it stand out in the whole mu-ziq catalogue.
Also I just came out from listening to Paradinas's (and four tets) odds and ends, with Jake Slazenger's 'Makesaracket,' Gary Moscheles 'Shaped to Make Your Life Easier' and the Housewerk series by Tusken Raiders being my favourites, would HIGHLY recommend those to newcomers!
Paradinas always sounds the same, just the style attack mode may change. I like it when he tones it down some, limits himself otherwise it is all queasy over the top melodies countered with spastic loud wonky beats. I like his 2010-2020s output, Mike does whatever he wants now without worrying about the outside music world. He says this is his "live" record, so it does have his typical style with crowd pleasing beats, that may give you a recycled Paradinas vibe.
I don't know if you've seen the recent streams him and Meemo Comma are doing on Planet Mu? They are quite entertaining, and a good source of new music as well
Had your shirt, and it shrunk. Thanks for the headsup on the new music, too
nice shirt 7\
Interesting album. It’s odd why no one can get close to Orbital. Why is that?
Hey Wonky Angle, we have been watching your videos for year. Awesome job, however if I'm not mistaken, you've never done a review on Eat Static. Please go listen to them and make a review.
#Eatstatic #mervpepler
Seconded! Saw Merv live last year and it was incredible