[amber]

The latest 3 releases are different than older AC, though so I understand why/how you guys feel that way.

[Takyon]

I'd welcome a new direction with wide open arms but nothing on this EP sounds like a dramatic stylistic leap for Noah. Yeah, the beats are thicker but if you played this 8 years ago I would have still easily recognized it as a Panda Bear record.

However, originality is not so much my problem with these songs.

[Ethmin]

idk 8 years ago was PP and I feel like all the Greaper stuff is a totally different aesthetic. I get how you might not be into this ERA cause like you said the beats can be "monotonous" cause they don't change. Pretty much every song keeps the same beat the whole way through. None of these songs go through the changes and multi parts that the PP stuff did. But I find that the level of detail on these songs is just absolutely extraordinary. This ep has gotten me back into listening to all of this era's songs and their is something really special about this aesthetic I love a lot. Every element feels like it's dripping with electric acid. And his melodies/lyrics are as strong as they have ever been. Still can't get over the "So it's getting busy living/Or it's getting busy dying" part of No Man's Land. It just hits me so hard.

[Fovrodi]

I gotta say it's impressive how hard PB and Sonic worked during these sessions, and it shows. There's so much care put into every sound. Electric, totally I'd also say bubbly.
But monotonous? It's all relative sure, but it's a bizarre criticism if you're comparing it to PP. Take Bros, Good/Girl Carrots, Ponytail, and I'm Not. All just as "guilty" of this as anything on Greaper.

[Natalidae]

.

[Stanshant]

Fovrodi wrote:

I gotta say it's impressive how hard PB and Sonic worked during these sessions, and it shows. There's so much care put into every sound. Electric, totally I'd also say bubbly.
But monotonous? It's all relative sure, but it's a bizarre criticism if you're comparing it to PP. Take Bros, Good/Girl Carrots, Ponytail, and I'm Not. All just as "guilty" of this as anything on Greaper.

They have more beautiful and euphoric melodies, more breathing space and dynamics, plus much more emotion in the vocal performances and lyrics. They also feel much more effortless. That's part of my issue with everything he's done since PP, it reeks of overwork. The early live versions are all much better because they feel fresh and enthusiastic. All the time in the studio fucking about with squiggles and shit is the exact opposite of how he used to work, by his own admission. The songs have had the life squeezed out of them by the time they're finally recorded, too much space between the inspiration and the final product. Sorry to be a downer but I fucking nailed it there.

[Cussing Bum]

Yeah, I really don't blame the guys for not coming to the message board. Not liking something is fine, but I really don't understand the need to endlessly criticize, especially with lengthy monologues about "how it should be." An artist makes what they want to make. Some people keep acting like Panda "ruined" his own songs, but that's kinda ridiculous. He made the end product he wanted to put out. If you didn't end up liking it, cool. I didn't end up liking Slasher Flicks, but I don't see a lot of value in constantly bringing up why. Maybe I'm weird that way.

That's just my nickel. Carry on carrying on.

Unrelated note: Ethmin, have you seen The Shawshank Redemption?

[rohcti]

You need to calm down brah

[Cussing Bum]

I'm super calm, sis.

[rohcti]

Not you Cliff lol

Stan: Criticizing something is fine but you're coming out aggressive. And acting like PBVSGR is a longshot from PP is kind of silly, it's like a poppier version of that which is surely what he was going for. Why don't you just listen to the high quality live boots if you want his raw vocals so much? I like the glossy and the raw vocals, there are attributes to both.

And stop patting yourself on the back for how well you can bitch about stuff, it's annoying.

[michael]

idk i think that if u wanted the record to sound like the live recordings - u can always listen to the live recordings. its a v privileged position to be in, even if u dont fuck w/ he album. i always loved the 'oooo/heart of nowhere' part w/ the cool vocal fx on live mercury man and the and i was disappointed w/ how it was changed on record but i got 2 versions !!

i dont think noah's voice ever sounds as raw as it does on record as it does live - esp not when he is singing the main part - and for the most part i think it sounds 'better' on record. think both the boys sound more raw live but i think a live performance serves a much different purpose to a recorded album and i cant think of a case where an ac live performance isnt way more high energy than on record.

but even if u prefer the streamlined early versions of these tracks, i think its hard to deny how impressive the sound design is on the grim reaper stuff. and i really like this ep btw !!

[terrestrialjane]

Cosplay will be the march when marijuana becomes legal in all states of the us.

Also on another note , we do have another ac album Coming our way.

Mmmm .... Cheers to that !

[Tropic]

I don't think Shants was being aggressive. I think maybe you softies often misunderstand his acerbic, British tongue. And plus, he just recently got married and Noah was his best man and he embarrassed him with his vocal delivery during the best man speech, and used contrived jokes that were 'reeking of overwork'.

I can see all sides of the argument anyways. Noah just doesn't belt out his lines in the studio. I don't think he ever really has. There comes a moment when one probably has to realise this.

At the same time it's easy to understand his frustration. We all share it a little. Those live performances were out of this world. I think if you had taken that energy and used a dialysis machine or something of that nature to transfer it directly into the album vinyl seams, then there wouldn't be one of you feckers on here saying, "Wow, I really wish Noah had toned it down on this one". Case in point is the KCRW session. We're so lucky to have it and all but one must ask why Noah doesn't want his voice to soar like it does on the end of You Can Count. Does he not realize he can sound like a choir of angels curing cancer whenever he likes?

Anyways, my point is that in PBVSGR, the G R actually stands for Gordon Rothwell, Stanshant's real name. Crosswords, an EP that Gordon famously disliked, is also a play on the words 'cross swords', which is to argue, butt heads.

[Cussing Bum]

You've brought us together with truthfacts again, tropic.

#millhouse #weed.jpg

[jetski]

Tropic of Cans wrote:

I don't think Shants was being aggressive. I think maybe you softies often misunderstand his acerbic, British tongue. And plus, he just recently got married and Noah was his best man and he embarrassed him with his vocal delivery during the best man speech, and used contrived jokes that were 'reeking of overwork'.

[jfw7]

more like dross words

[Frumpkin]

I love everything we've got but Stan you're just plain right sry everyone else

[rohcti]

Lol

I mean... I see Stan's point for sure. I'm just trying to look on the bright side. I listen to the boots often because I like that sound and I'm grateful for all the good ones but I would absolutely love to hear the raw vocals on a studio album again. I just don't really see the need to be as pissed about it as Stan is because we've been blessed with so many versions of these songs.

[yoko bono]

what are the best PBVSGR boots? maybe i'd like them better?

[roopn]

I like 2014-09-14 at the mohawk, and 2014-05-18 in warsaw, brooklyn
also the 2013 ATP performance

[lonecyclone]

Hellvetica wrote:

what are the best PBVSGR boots? maybe i'd like them better?

well, definitely listen to the atp rehearsal recording that pete provided.

also, with the beats not being dynamic throughout, i feel like he set out to do what he was trying to do. he named influences of 9th wonder and nineties hip hop, and i think he kind of nailed it in that respect. ac seems to have that kind of approach where, while not doing a 'theme album', they still take a thematic approach such as with chz being an alien band transmission [or whatever], and this being noah's 'hip hop' album [also or whatever]. with pb and ac and at [oh my], they just seem like artists with which/whom you should be along for the ride. that's not to say that it shouldn't be approached with a critical eye/ear or that the songs aren't up for discussion. but i also don't see the point of being disappointed, even if in part, by your own nostalgia for such a progressive act. but also, everyone is entitled to their opinion. i really love all the output from this era.

[songtungs]

I was at that show at Mohawk in Austin...most incredible show I've ever seen.

the live recordings definitely have a different feel to them (transitions, drops, etc.), but i love both the record and the live shows from this era. so many details in the record where I keep discovering new things...

[Cussing Bum]

songtungs wrote:

I was at that show at Mohawk in Austin...most incredible show I've ever seen.

the live recordings definitely have a different feel to them (transitions, drops, etc.), but i love both the record and the live shows from this era. so many details in the record where I keep discovering new things...

Hey, I was there, too! I was the dude with facial hair and a t-shirt!

I would say Panda Bear in Dallas during Tomboy was my favorite concert experience. He and Pete played the whole album, and then a few from PP as encore. It was delicious and I was right up front.

[real slippi]

Hey! Me too! I also had facial hair and a t shirt. I had already listened to the boots of Preakness 2.0 but the amount of bass thump was really mind blowing during his version that night.

[yoko bono]

i'm listening to the atp rehearsal... extremely good. i don't even understand how these are the same songs.

[preacherben]

they're all bangaz to me

[dio]

this ep is sooooo fucking good, almost feels like its own little mini album like mr noah does, this era is soo so sweet. 3 eps includng the remix one and a fucking epic lp, plus all the other goodness. no mans land and jabber and cosplay too are so friggin sweet and perfect. remind me of better fall be kind vibe, like mr noah does..... ugh

what are ppls guesses for how og faces might be released? will there be a third single with it as a b-side? Principe Real? Selfish Gene?? hoping for latter for a vid and maybe 12'', would be unexpected but awesome. also wishful thinking at this point prbly. what if og faces was just its own stand-alone single and not b-side?

top 3 is getting harder at this point..

1. selfish
2. faces in the crowd
3. no mans land maybe
then ctys and paradise prbly..

[FAF]

maybe OG faces will be the preakness of this era

get released on an obscure cassette tape
then included on the deluxe, extended version
then reworked for the next album cycle

[roopn]

nah it'll be like honeycomb/gotham

OGFaces/Soft Serve Rip Curl

[DrPanda]

lol wait wut people aren't in love with this EP? sorry y'all crazy. It's pretty much perfect. I cried a lil on first listen hahahaha.

Like how the fuck does the preakness keep getting better?

[hybrination]

Stanshant wrote:

Fovrodi wrote:

I gotta say it's impressive how hard PB and Sonic worked during these sessions, and it shows. There's so much care put into every sound. Electric, totally I'd also say bubbly.
But monotonous? It's all relative sure, but it's a bizarre criticism if you're comparing it to PP. Take Bros, Good/Girl Carrots, Ponytail, and I'm Not. All just as "guilty" of this as anything on Greaper.

They have more beautiful and euphoric melodies, more breathing space and dynamics, plus much more emotion in the vocal performances and lyrics. They also feel much more effortless. That's part of my issue with everything he's done since PP, it reeks of overwork. The early live versions are all much better because they feel fresh and enthusiastic. All the time in the studio fucking about with squiggles and shit is the exact opposite of how he used to work, by his own admission. The songs have had the life squeezed out of them by the time they're finally recorded, too much space between the inspiration and the final product. Sorry to be a downer but I fucking nailed it there.

No you didn't, that's often just the creative process there isn't it. If panda thought the songs were good to go right when he thought of them then he would have released them that way. He had an idea in his mind of what the songs would sound like and worked towards realizing that sound. I don't think panda has ever released an album without working on it and getting it to a place he wants it to be. Have you heard early versions of some of the pp songs he performed live?

I mean whether or not you like the songs is one thing, but the end result is still a product of what the artist wanted to put out there.

That said, I honestly enjoy the recorded versions a lot, probably more than the live ones tbh.

[Treckasec]

Man, I don't know how these people are so good at making music. I know they've had experience with making music, but they make the songs so good.

[dio]

feel like ppl who complain about live material translating to a different kind of animal in the studio just dont really understand a fundamental thing about music and song writing ... as an amateur musician, i feel like i can really relate to facing 2 totally different kind of goals with live and with a recording. some of the things youd want and go for when playing live just wouldnt be the goals for an ep. dumb thing to address tho, this era is flawless imo, live and in studio

[bullseye]

i can understand that some people get used to how things are on the boots (and there are some superdope transitions and extras like that synthline on BBCM which i also miss on the studio versions) but we've got so many great sounding bootleg recordings that nobody should have any reason to complain.

[preacherben]

Diomedes wrote:

feel like ppl who complain about live material translating to a different kind of animal in the studio just dont really understand a fundamental thing about music and song writing ... as an amateur musician, i feel like i can really relate to facing 2 totally different kind of goals with live and with a recording. some of the things youd want and go for when playing live just wouldnt be the goals for an ep. dumb thing to address tho, this era is flawless imo, live and in studio

[rampface]

The studio versions are always better imo because it is the artist's true intent. That doesn't take away from loving the raw aspects of the live show. Enjoy both!

[IkoOvo]

it depends on the artist...

I wonder what panda's idea of the "true" versions of the songs are...

[MFpotus]

bullseye wrote:

i can understand that some people get used to how things are on the boots (and there are some superdope transitions and extras like that synthline on BBCM which i also miss on the studio versions) but we've got so many great sounding bootleg recordings that nobody should have any reason to complain.

The live BBCM synthline is one of my favorite things from this era

[Stanshant]

I'll retract my opinion on this since I couldn't possibly understand, as I'm not an amateur musician.

He's spoken a number of times in the past about getting his ideas down quickly and not wanting to spend much time tinkering before moving onto the next thing. He's changed his approach, cool. The reworking and tinkering approach means his music loses some of the spontaneity and rough edges. It's just different. I know what I prefer but big deal. It's my preference, and it's fair enough for me to point out what I like and don't like. I really appreciate Pete being on this board, he and Noah have been extremely generous with what they've shared but it does tend to stifle discussion a bit. I'm sure they can take a mixed reception, especially from someone who's been extremely positive about the songs and much of the recorded stuff. I think it's fair to say that I'm disappointed with Jabba because it feels very toned down and mellow. I don't like it and I can explain why, just as I explained why I loved much of the album.

[dio]

ya only amateur level musicians are allowed to have opinions on music, thats actually true