[NightlifeMingus]

i'm obsessed with the transition from part 1 into part 2. avey's ascending and descending bass, the harmonized yelps, the contrast and the slow build -- to my ears it sounds like classic feral forest spirit AC modulated through the stained glass of this wonky medieval era. i got chills the first time i heard it, and even now when i listen i can't help but see images of dawn breaking out over a vast plain, eyvind earle style

earlier in the thread it was compared unfavorably to enya, but that's precisely what i love about it. it specifically reminded me of her "storms in africa" haha

[Dusty]

Dallou wrote:

Everyone is going to be sooooo disappointed with the studio version for sur aha

Lol

[soothsailor]

just realized the other day that a serpent circling is an ouroboros

[Dusty]

soothsailor wrote:

just realized the other day that a serpent circling is an ouroboros

Our ourobouros is nearly complete…

[destiny]

Personally i couldn't have heard this song at a more perfect time. Now it strikes me with poignant emotions. Just the first chord is enough to send shivers down my spine. But as painful as it is its just a reminder to keep on going. SLAINTE!

[foxtrot]

Yeh, it definitely hits different in your 40s.

[soothsailor]

amazing for how long the beginning section is and how many times i've listened to it now that the transition to the 2nd verse ("one day friend we'll meet again...") still feels so earned. everything is layered just perfectly there including the buildup to it

[jerry wonder]

soothsailor wrote:

amazing for how long the beginning section is and how many times i've listened to it now that the transition to the 2nd verse ("one day friend we'll meet again...") still feels so earned. everything is layered just perfectly there including the buildup to it

I love how AV's voice at the 'one day friend' verse sounds kind of ragged and aged--to me it is the first time I have heard his voice sound like that in his/AC's music, and it is beautiful in this context--he is an old man at the end of it all, reconnecting with the lost people from his life.

[tdegenaro]

Domino shipping updates went out to us customers today

[soothsailor]

can't wait for this song to destroy me from the comfort of my own record player

[tulis]

If anyone rips The Challenge at good audio quality, I would love a punch.

EDIT: Just went to my record store, they had it, and it came with a dl code, I'm good

[Glints]

Someone uploaded The Challenge. Sounds like a lot of the Challenge is the intro from Strung With Everything?

[tulis]

Glints wrote:

Someone uploaded The Challenge. Sounds like a lot of the Challenge is the intro from Strung With Everything?

correct

[personpitch420]

Glints wrote:

Someone uploaded The Challenge. Sounds like a lot of the Challenge is the intro from Strung With Everything?

That was me. I reuploaded it with the actual .wav file.

[rohcti]

Phuck yeah, thanks. I forgot all about it

[tdegenaro]

Seeing it is nearly 10 minutes is all I need to tide me over until it hits the mailbox thank you for the upload person pitch that’s good service to the community

[blindmowing]

ya was expecting a 3-4 minute version of the Challenge. excited to check out how they stretched this to nearly 10!

[Hellomark]

Thoughts on The Challenge

Spoiler: show

love how it's transitioning out of Defeat at the beginning, but then there's another recording of Panda singing the final lyrics to Gem and I. It's like The Challenge exists in some quantum space between those two songs on the album. Not a fan of Avey's lyric improvisations in the middle, it has the same problem a lot of Tangerine Reef has for me where it's all too obvious that the words are being made up on the spot. But then the part in the last couple minutes is awesome, it's sang a bit more confidently and feels more like a seed for a whole new song. Overall a cool little bonus for this era.

[roopn]

From your description sounds about how I expected - more of a curiosity than an essential. Since I ordered the vinyl I'll wait til I have that to listen

[andthephantom]

Hmm. That track does nothing for me.

[Dusty]

Yeah definitely a curio. Feels more like an off handed O’Brien System drop than something that warranted a full side of vinyl but I am all for the boys embracing their sound collage/Anthem of the Sun instincts so can’t complain too much

[rohcti]

Hm I'm excited to hear it, but I think I'll just wait for the download. These impressions have me a little skeptical. I'm sure I'll like it though. Also surprised it's 10 minutes.

[nothingmastered]

This was more robust than I was expecting, pretty deep fried and seamlessly stitched together. It's a cool little bonus, and really cool they released this at all. I enjoyed how some lyrics came together at the end

[personpitch420]

Wasn't personally a huge fan myself, I get why they'd make it the b-side. Much prefer Da Feet......

[paralleoneirdwell]

Quite many raccoons appear here too in about a minute!!

their moods are reminiscent of all of us in the justbefore time of this new musical world that is on the way now!!

[leaf_dwelling]

the challenge jam sounds awesome, but why are they sitting on all these crispy crispy soundboards and release so few. pete (sb) can you find out why or shed some light on the bands thinking?

[bullseye]

leaf_dwelling wrote:

the challenge jam sounds awesome, but why are they sitting on all these crispy crispy soundboards and release so few. pete (sb) can you find out why or shed some light on the bands thinking?

I guess they'd first like to release the studio recordings before officially releasing any recorded live shows. Basically every show in the past couple of years had some songs from IIN in the setlist.

[leaf_dwelling]

that's well and good, but aren't they sitting on what might be close to decade of live recordings? we got three shows from the painting with era, the mpp 10th anniversary box set, some of the music box shows. it seems like the well runs deeps, or maybe i'm way off base.

[PolarBear]

I think what I would like to know is why make Defeat a single if the song is gonna take up a whole disc on the album. I’m going to have Defeat on 3 separate discs!!

[awesome]

just got this in the mail — cover looks so nice, really dig the art

surprised the d/l card worked..... gonna give the challenge my first liten

[rohcti]

This might be the first Domino release I get on release day. Are they learning?

[bergeron42]

The Challenge seems like an extended intro to Strung with Everything. Didn't think it would last that long.

leaf_dwelling wrote:

that's well and good, but aren't they sitting on what might be close to decade of live recordings? we got three shows from the painting with era, the mpp 10th anniversary box set, some of the music box shows. it seems like the well runs deeps, or maybe i'm way off base.

You're on to something.

[foxtrot]

Wish they had released The Challenge and whatever version of Strung that came straight after it together. Plenty of room with Defeat on side A for a nice 17 minute live suite on side B. Would give The Challenge more of a pay off too.

[bullseye]

leaf_dwelling wrote:

that's well and good, but aren't they sitting on what might be close to decade of live recordings? we got three shows from the painting with era, the mpp 10th anniversary box set, some of the music box shows. it seems like the well runs deeps, or maybe i'm way off base.

Yeah, but if you exclude anything past 2019 because of the yet to be released studio versions, take into consideration that they already have 3 live albums from the painting with era, that leaves pretty much the CHz era, where we got 9:30, which you forgot to mention. IIRC, the MPP era shows weren't multi-tracked, which is why ballet slippers sounds a little crappy.
I'd love to have more shows from the CHz era, especially the earlier ones with we tigers and dystw. And I'm sure we're gonna get a few shows from current era, some time after IIN. But these things still take quite some effort to mix and polish, especially the messy CHz shows, I guess.

Edit: this made me think about the challenge a little more. Rather than taking the effort of splicing together multiple takes of the strung intro, it would have been a lot cooler if they'd just pick the one they liked most, and released it with the whole take of strung attached. There would have even been some space on the vinyl to throw in a nice combo of live car keys and dragon slayer. Huge missed opportunity.

[tdegenaro]

awesome wrote:

just got this in the mail — cover looks so nice, really dig the art

surprised the d/l card worked..... gonna give the challenge my first liten

not sure how they did it but i got mine early. that never happened and i used to live walking distance from this midwest distro center in ann arbor lol.



"The Challenge" is very cool.

[blindmowing]

foxtrot wrote:

Wish they had released The Challenge and whatever version of Strung that came straight after it together. Plenty of room with Defeat on side A for a nice 17 minute live suite on side B. Would give The Challenge more of a pay off too.

Agreed. Feels like a missed opportunity to just throw in a version of live Strung at the end and give that B-side a nice long run-time.

[rohcti]

Yeah I wish they had done that. Just heard it for the first time, The Challenge just feels/sounds too inextricably linked to Strung. Feels like a tease

[evan6032]

It’s like 9 and a half minutes of edging just waiting for the climax of strung that never comes. That being said it’s a cool listen.

[evan6032]

Also it’s almost surreal that after all these years I’m sitting here with a physical copy of defeat and listening to it on my stereo

[dansemanatee]

Total missed opportunity to do something like the bleeding b side on the brother sport single but with strung.