Metamatic Forums John Foxx John Foxx and Louis Gordon Most consistent recent album

I've been playing From Trash over and over today (about 3 times so far).

I don't ordinarily do this. Usually prefer to listen to specific tracks across albums depending on the mood.

So I got to wondering how consistent it is overall.

What do others think of it?

Hi A.M. - That's interesting that you've been listening to From Trash today, cause I was listening to it before I came to the forum this afternoon. But I was just listening to the songs 'From Trash' & 'A Million Cars' continuously ...

Yes, those two tracks are very good. I also like Impossible, Another You and Never Let Me Go.

I'm on the 5th rotation now. For some reason I think this album is more consistent throughout. I'm happy to just let it play rather than pick specific tracks.

I've switched over to Retro Future just now. Its another consistent album but I can't consider it new work (unless you take into account the reworked songs).

Even on my first listen to From Trash, it felt like John & Louis' most solid, consistent work yet - it felt like the album they had been working towards all that time.

This is weird, or maybe not, as we are all Foxx fans. But i too played 'From Trash' this morning, once through though.

Also think this is his best electro-pop album since Shifting City. The JF album I listen to now is Tiny Colour Movies. Not so poppy but very consistent in it's quality to my humble opinion!

Not poppy at all IMO, but its consistency is equal in this new instrumental direction, as Johns C.O. work as always been.

When I decided it was time to play some music today, I picked that right away. Then just kept playing it.

There's just something about that particular album that I can't quite put my finger on. Perhaps its just a little more polished (that almost sounds heretical!).

Yes, that's what I felt too. I never think to myself that any particular track on that album needs a bit more work.

Its a pity we can't do polls here (it would probably start too many arguments), but it'd be interesting to see what's the most popular of John's work.

One of the things I like (at least so far... ) about this forum is the freedom to disagree.

I've said before that I really don't rate From Trash that highly, and actually consider it to be quite a fragmented album on which too many of the songs aren't quite fully developed. That probably means I consider it to be inconsistent as an album. I rarely play it, and even then I skip tracks.

In terms of consistency and all round cohesive togetherness of design, sound and theme, I'd probably vote for Crash and Burn

Wow! That's interesting. Its the opposite for me (as you can tell). Would you like to go into more detail?

I was going to talk about Sideways but I might play it a few more times before I do.
I have to disagree with you.

Cinema doesn't really gel with me. And Ray 1/Ray 2, while a nice song on its own, doesn't seem to sit with the rest of the album. Then you get the big difference between She Robot and Smoke. It gives me the impression of inconsistency.

The overall production might be better. I'd need to listen to both albums and compare them closer before I really decide, I suppose.

I think there's a lot of scope for some good discussion here, shame I havent time for it now... Will post some more thoughts later.

A.M. I think you've opened up a campaign for a vote, which is an interesting idea.
Consistency is quite different though from 'which one is best'.

Sideways is (for me) John and Louis 'best' album by a country mile... but we'll come back to that

I'll start working on how to get a Survey area up and running - that way we can keep a track of what people think of the various releases...

Rob

Interesting - I'm afraid I would have to disagree on that too. Although I really like Crash and Burn, I find that I do skip several tracks: Once In A While, Ray 1/Ray 2 and Smoke.

I absolutely love the rest, but that album is inconsistent for me because of the above. Once In A While would have been much more at home on Shifting City.

But isn't Smoke the perfect ending to that album?
Coming especially just right after the kaboom of Ray 1/Ray 2?

Once everything has Crashed and Burned, all that's left is the gently smouldering ruin?

As a title, yes, absolutely. But lyrically I find that track repetitive - heard it all before in other songs. And it's too long, without really building up to anything.

And ever since I mis-heard the lyric as "you move like slugs", the smokey effect is somewhat lessened...

As much as I personally dislike Ray 1/Ray 2 (although I have become slightly more tolerant in recent years, and it is fun after all), I think it would have made a much better closing track, without Smoke at all.

I even took Smoke out of my iTunes playlist for so long, I'd completely forgotten about it! In that time I got used to its predecessor as the closing track. The smoke drifted back in recently.

I'll keep an eye out.
Yes, the idea of consistency occurred to me after the 2nd play yesterday. It was after the 3rd that I thought I'd asked how others felt about it.
I think we'll have to. I don't think I can rate it as highly. I'll explain why later.

If you need some help ...

We'd need people to give their honest opinions though, otherwise it will just turn into a joke (I don't know if anyone here reading Usenet via Google Groups. They have a rating system on posts and there's a bug with it that they don't seem to want to fix. Its possible for one person to repeatedly rate a post. I've seen instances of thousands of ratings - way out of proportion to the general trend).

I don't know if that was the intention. Hadn't realised it till you pointed it out.

Currently, I seriously think there's something wrong with the vocal recording for that album. I'm not sure how to explain it. Like its missing some depth in places.

Listen to Sidewalking, for example. About 2 mins. in there's an odd shift in the vocals. This may be deliberate but it doesn't quite work if it was.

Compare that to Ultraviolet/Infrared. There, the voice effects work quite well.

lol! Reminds me of those goths and their Underpants!
I must admit it took me a few listens to get into Ray 1/Ray 2 but I don't mind it now. Its tempo makes me think of old (1950s) rock 'n' roll songs.
Smoke tends to do that

I agree its a little too long but its not bad. Might have been nicer if it was slower, to help imagining smoke wafting about.

Very good discussion topic, this. And a good excuse to play the various albums

Got me thinking though. John seemed to be experimenting with some kind of electronic blues for a while - tracks like "Forgotten Years" and "Once In A While". For me it didn't work. I nearly always find myself annoyed with that style and skip the track.

That style though is what gives Shifting City it's diversity. There's a good balance between the techno-fuelled tracks, the psychedelic inspired stuff and the quieter bluesy tracks like "Everyone" and the aforementioned "Forgotten Years". In that respect, it does end up being a mixed bag stylistically, but musically and lyrically, it is very consistent.

The Pleasures of Electricity may be my favourite Foxx/Gordon album, but I'll be the first to admit that it's a bit of a mixed bag musically. However as far as lyrical consistency goes, it was probably John's most consistently themed album since Metamatic, at the time. Aside from perhaps "A Funny Thing" and "Camera", the album's concept is written into every track, which is what makes it work so well as a whole.

I do find it an album of two halves though - I could imagine it working superbly as a vinyl. Side one would have "A Funny Thing" to "Cities of Light 5", the second side/half being "Uptown/Downtown" to "Quiet City".

This is where Crash and Burn is more inconsistent for me. Youv'e got "Drive" and perhaps "Ultraviolet/Infrared" among others that "link" back to TPOE, and tracks like "Cinema", "Smoke" and "Once In A While" that link back to Shifting City. Where C&B comes into its own, is on tracks like the title track, "She Robot" and "Broken Furniture". The vocal distortion and some of the heavier production are what give this album its edge, and I think they could have extended that a little.

Having recently listened to the great interview on Sideways disc 2, about the inspiration of From Trash, I can really hear it in almost every song. Musically and stylistically it is consistent and built up from a solid set of sounds. The "trash" is evident in most of the songs. Of course, you don't want a concept recurring in every song on an album, otherwise it can get a bit boring, but on this album I think the balance is just right and even the length of the album perfect. Not too long or too short. I think only "Never Let Me Go" stands out as a bit of an odd one out, but its style gives extra diversity. And as John says, the track was resurrected at the last minute by Louis.

And then you have Sideways. It's hard to imagine that these songs came out of the very same sessions that produced From Trash. These leftover tracks do make up a great album in their own right, but I think it is quite inconsistent from a lyrical point of view. What Sideways does have in terms of consistency, is a terrific sound - and that holds the album together very nicely.

Although the cover artwork hints at some kind of concept, I feel SIdeways is very much an album of individual songs, with only one or two of them, such as X-Ray Vision" and "Neuro Video" having any kind of theme. Not that an album has to have themes, mind you.

I think there's more of the pulp sci-fi feel to some of the tracks, but less of the overall "trash" that went into the main album. And then you've got "Sailing On Sunshine" which stands out like a sore thumb. I'm not a fan of that one at all, it somehow grates on me.

I tend to stop this album there. "Phone Tap" doesn't fit at all - this sounds more like something that was left off Tiny Colour Movies (a very consistent album!). I really like the extended versions of "Impossible" and "ARABAAC", but I don't feel they fit in at all. Would have been more at home on the interview disc, had there been room.

That's true! I'm listening to Sideways right now.

I was thinking of starting a thread on emotional songs. (Got too much time on my hands at the moment.)
Hmm .. that makes me wonder if he's done anything Jazz-inspired. I can't think of anything at the moment. Anyone else?
When I first got TPoE, I listened to it frequently. It took me a while to really appreciate Camera but its become my favourite track on that album.

I was very happy to hear it at the recent Sydney concert. It has a certain emotional appeal for me.
Do you mean like with CO I, II & III?
And just as well! I really like the feel of Never Let Me Go. Another emotional track too.
Phone Tap, while a nice, ambient tune, doesn't really belong, I think.
I've the same problem and planned to raise it if we discussed Sideways in detail.

For some reason, I keep thinking of Katrina And The Waves every time I hear it.
I love Impossible so I'll play it regardless. Phone Tap reminds me of whale songs.

It's a shame the extended versions of "Freeze Frame" and "Impossible" were not included on the final cut of From Trash. Then again, at least they both still have a home somewhere - just like "Running In Traffic"... surely one of John's best songs in recent years!!

But I digress... "Phone Tap" is an odd one - reminds me of something from Bowie's "Buddha Of Suburbia" album, or "Heroes". It would probably have sounded more at home on TCM, as it's more in the style of "The Projectionist".

Sideways is a strange album. Personally I think there should have been more time between the release of From Trash and Sideways.

Running In Traffic? What's that on? Damn! Another one I don't have.
Or Underwater Automobiles, given its aquatic feel (to me, at least!).
Or just more time spent on producing Sideways? I get the distinct impression it was a little rushed.

Well as most of the songs or vocals on From Trash were first takes, Sideways was probably the same.

It made sense to release it when they did because of the interview disc, and something exciting for the tour. But from a musical "digestion" point of view, I don't think I had quite got my teeth fully into From Trash when it's little brother came out!

"Running In Traffic" was one of the new tracks on The Hidden Man interview CD, along with "From Trash" and a longer version of "Freeze Frame" (it has a wonderful ending that you don't hear on the final album). At the time, a lot of us drew comparisons between "Running In Traffic" and "Miles Away"

Personally i was pleased the extended version of 'Freeze Frame' and even 'A Room As Big As A City' was not included 'in' the album. Although they would have made great extra tracks after the 10 track album. As for 'Impossible', well that was the full version (not extended or remixed) and i would have prefered that to the fade version that made the final album.

Impossible is one of my favourite recent tracks - though I seem to remember the early versions of it he performed live on the '06 summer tour had some different lyrics.

Sorry that's gone a bit OT!

I adore Impossible. For some reason, though, it reminds me a little of that song by Moby that's played over the closing credits to The Bourne Identity.

I think I mentioned in my comments about the recent Sydney concert that he changed the lyrics to Camera slightly.
Not at all! Impossible is on From Trash after all.

Strangely, a few months ago, I put only John and Louis music on my small IPOD and listened to them on the way to and from work for a month, except for Shifting City, which I don't have.

Crash and Burn won after many repeated listenings, with Pleasures second and From Trash third. To me, though, From Trash has the best song overall with "A Million Cars".

Oddly, I really didn't like "Crash and Burn" before I did this, and now I simply love it.

Blue P

Call me a heretic, but now I listen to most of my music on a portable mp3 player, I rarely if ever listen to albums as a whole anymore and simply just "cherry pick" my favourite tracks from each album.

Heretic!

Actually I'm the same. I generally put most of John's albums on my iPod and let it shuffle.

Because that's the main way I listen to music these days by any artist, it's been a while since I actually last put the real CD in the stereo and let them play from start to finish.

I do listen to whole albums in iTunes at work though, and a couple of weekends ago I was working at home, and decided to relocate to the lounge and play music in that funny stereo thing. Anyway I got through Metamatic, The Garden, The Golden Section, Shifting City, TPOE, Crash & Burn, From Trash and Sideways in their entirely - all in a day, consecutively.

And it was great!! Not only to hear the music coming out of big speakers for the first time in ages, but to also dust off the discs themselves and have a good look through the booklets.

Overall, it was a nice rediscovery

That would be interesting.

There could be a lot of options within that, such as favourite opening/closing tracks etc.