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andsaid · 4 months ago

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On Avery Island - A Deep Review

If you have dabbled in 90's music, you have probably heard the name "Neutral Milk Hotel" and "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" thrown around, or at the very least the cover of the album.

This album is considered one of the best albums of the 90's, and no I'm not saying it was top 100 or 50 or even 20, in some cases it was voted top 5. TOP 5. This album alone has cemented Neutral Milk Hotel as one of the most influential bands on the indie/alternative scene. However, this blog isn't about In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, it's about the album that came before...

On Avery Island

Let's crack into it!

Song Against Sex - 9/10

What a way to start the album! This song definitely is more similar to ITAOTS, even though it came before. Of course that's not what makes this song a 9/10, I just wanted to point it out... The instrumental is just super catchy even though it's so dirty, rough, and distorted. The drums and bass seriously ground the song REALLY well, especially the bass. The fact it doesn't just follow the guitar really adds a weird tone to the song that makes it sound happy, but the lyrics and distorted guitars clearly don't. Speaking of lyrics... DAMN these lyrics are good. I praise Neutral Milk Hotel for having creative, deep, and interpretive lyrics. I won't explain what the song means, you can do that yourself, but they're really good lyrics. One final thing to mention is that horn parts. Man I love them! Much like the contradictions of the songs mood, the horns also make the song sound happier. You wouldn't expect horns and distorted guitars to mix well, but in a song like this, it works wonderfully.

You've Passed - 7.5/10

This song is weeeeird. But, in a good way. I like how Jeff's vocals really compliment the song's instrumental, and I mean like they really compliment. I didn't mention it in the previous song, but the distortion tone in this album is very different from music that was coming form this time. Now I can't really tell you what they're doing (though I think it is distorted acoustic guitars), but whatever it is it especially compliments this song. I like the reversed shaker throughout the song song, it honestly adds to the song. One last thing to say about this song is that it really reminds of some songs off Revolver. Y'know, like the reversed guitars of I'm Only Sleeping and the sorta same instrumental tone of Tomorrow Never Knows. Someone Is Waiting - 8/10

This song is very powerful. Like, really powerful. The overall sound is so eerie and even more eerie paired with the title. Someone Is Waiting. Mysterious, huh? It's perfectly inoffensive for a Neutral Milk Hotel song. There isn't much I can say about this song, other than You've Passed transitions into Someone Is Waiting seamlessly, and when you listen to them like that, both of these songs are an easy 8/10. They compliment each other very well, honestly not sure why they're not just one whole song. A Baby for Pree - 8.5/10

This song is really good for one sole reason. It's completely bare... Just an acoustic guitar and Jeff's singing. It's a short, but sweet break from the rough distortion of the previous songs. Not to mention, the instrumental is just really nice... Much like many of Neutral Milk Hotel's songs, they aren't overly complicated, they're simple but so strong. The song is simple, yet it is so pleasing to listen that I could listen to it for hours. I also love how it comes before Where You'll Find Me Now, it's great. It is like a sneak peak of what's to come, but to be honest I think this song holds up against Where You'll Find Me Now very well. I catch myself listening to the both of them interchangeably.

Marching Theme - 8/10

I love this song. It's purely instrumental and it really reminds me of Kid A, something like The National Anthem. I love the synth leading for the entire song before it descends into pure chaos. And I love when the bass starts taking the lead. It honestly captivates me and just keeps me there until the song ends. Is giving this an 8 a hot take? Ah whatever, it's MY review.

Where You'll Find Me Now - 9/10

Ah, yes. A Baby for Pree's big brother. This song is just plain great. I think this may be one of the most depressing songs in Neutral Milk Hotel's discography. It is also one of the more... lewd songs on the track. The verses and choruses depict a very interesting, but heart tugging message of a hope for a non-sexual relationship. The guitars are downright abrasive in this song, which isn't because they tune low or add a crap ton of distortion, but rather because they are recorded extremely rough and (what I hypothesize to be) acoustic guitars running through distortion. Lyrically, the song is depressing and musically, it's big, loud, but has an edge of sadness of depression. Not to mention, Jeff's singing on this track is... wow. One thing I want to mention on this track before I move on, I really like the drums. They feel and sound programmed... But they definitely aren't. It's robotic with a sense of humanity, and that's something I've rarely ever heard from any drummer. The drum pattern is repetitive and simple, which some people may find annoying, but I think it compliments the song.

Avery Island / April 1st - 6.5/10

A short, instrumental break. It's nice, but there's only so much I can say about it. The trombone is honestly pretty smooth and nice to listen to... Or it's a French horn, I can't quite tell. I really should be able to tell since I'm a band kid plus I play trombone too... Anyway, I like to think of it more as a rest for your ears when listening to the album start to finish (do people still do that or?). While I have said how I like the guitars in this album, I will admit that it can get pretty hard on the ears. This is a nice, short and sweet rest, but I would never listen to it unless I was listening to the album front to back.

Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone - 8.5/10

I think this is one of the more lyrically interesting song on the album. I think of this song split into two parts. The first part being Gardenhead, and the second part being Leave Me Alone. I can assume that Gardenhead is about using drug to numb pain, but a very... otherworldly tone. "The gardenhead knows my name", "...because there's some lives you live and and some you leave behind", does this not just seem... otherworldly?? Ugh, my head hurts... Let's talk about the next part, Leave Me Alone. It paints the picture of a man who does not want sex, but wishes to stay with the girl because he feels it's the only thing that gives him purpose... That's honestly really dark. This song is all over the place, and honestly... that's a big part of why I love it. The guitars paired with the horns, the looping drum beat, the thick bass, it's all done so perfectly that the song is really... really trippy.

Three Peaches - 8/10

I love this song because it feels so melancholy. The background synths (or whatever the bwaaaaaaaa sound is) is my favourite part of the song. Despite it being the background, it really leads the song. The instrumental is great! I love how usually the acoustic guitars on this track are plugged in, but Three Peaches is one of the few exceptions to this. I'm sounding like a broken record here, but Jeff's vocals once again are on point. It reminds me of Oh Comely in a few ways. A simple song, yet it hits in a emotional way. Naomi - 10/10

This song. This one. This is the entire reason why I wanted to write this review. This song is without a doubt one of the best song to come out of the 90's. Period. First of all, that instrumental is one of Neutral Milk Hotel's best. First of all, the guitars lay down this amazing chord progression that is just a joy to the ears. The bass obviously plays the root of these chords which creates this massive sound. Now, I know that makes me seem like I'm just captain obvious over here, but allow me to segway into another reason why this song is so good. The mix of this song is... god it's good. I find it actually favours the bass and the drums the most, allowing for that huge, abrasive sound you hear in the track. Then, there is the melodies. They're not the lead, but the cut through just enough. Also, the melody they play is just amazing. Then, on the same level, we have the guitars and vocals. I love this mix because it buries the vocals under all these layers of sound which I think complements the tone of the VERY well. And finally, in my opinion, the best part of this song is the lyrics. The lyrics is honestly my favourite lyrics Neutral Milk Hotel has ever written, topping ITAOTS songs (aside from Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2). These lyrics describe the feeling of lust, desperation and perverseness so well that even listening to the just gives me the creeps... in a good way. This song is honestly perfect and I couldn't even nitpick a compliant I have about it. Easy 10/10.

April 8th - 7.5/10

A nice way to end* (I'm getting to you Pree-Sister's Swallowing a Donkey's Eye...). It's similar to Three Peaches... expect it's more depressing. I like the instrumental. It sounds very dreadful with just picked notes looping over and over. Jeff's singing is on point, as always. The only problem I really have with it is that it kinda blends in with the rest of the album, but that's nitpicky. Pree-Sister's Swallowing a Donkey's Eye - 3/10

...Uh, what do I say about this one? It's thirteen minutes of... noises. It's not exactly something you'd listen to willingly unless that's your taste? Though, I give it bonus points because I think it's a interesting/cool way to end an album. And that's it! Overall, I think this album is a solid 9/10. I think On Avery Island is better than In The Aeroplane Over The Sea in certain areas, for example I like the rougher sound of the distortion on this album. Plus, this album has Naomi. Anyway, I'm sorry if I pissed you off with my god awful reviewing skills, I'm just a nerd trying to make sense (and is terrible at it). Take care and don't be a gardenhead.

(oh my that cheese picture was a lot bigger than i thought LOL)

#neutral milk hotel #90s music #album review #cheese

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andsaid · 7 months ago

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Should BlazBlue Get a New Fighting Game Entry?

Duh. ... Okay, well let me explain. You've probably never heard of what the heck a "BlazBlue" is. BlazBlue, BB for short, is a 2D traditonal fighting game made by arcsystemworks. It was created when they had lost the rights to Guilty Gear momentarily. They wanted to have an IP that would be fully theirs', and so BB was born. That's the basic history of BB. As most games do, it had multiple installments. The last game we got in the BB name was a game called BlazBlue Entropy Effect in 2024! While a good game, this... was not a fighting game, instead an action platformer. So, when was the last BB fighting game? Let me enlighten you on... BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle!

This game released in 2018 and was the last entry in the BB fighting game series. Unlike Entropy Effect, this was a fighting game! Hooray! Well, actually no. To put it lightly, it isn't a good game. The gameplay is too easy even for beginner players, there was way too many broken moves that completely shut down some characters, and half the cast you had to pay to get. While in concept, having a cross-series fighting game with Blazblue, Persona 4, Undernight Inbirth, and RWBY was cool, it didn't do well. The game stopped receiving any updates after it's final DLC season, not even patch notes. Nowadays, BBTAG is labelled a pretty dead game. But, it isn't all that bad for BlazBlue fans, because...

BlazBlue Centralfiction exists and is very much a great fighting game that is still being played! A big roster of well rounded characters that are both lovable as characters in the fighting game and characters in the story, satisfying combos that were actually practical, and a stable competitive scene. If you want to get into BB, this is the game!! Well, if this game is great, well balanced, has good online, and a stable fanbase, what's the problem? Well, this game came out in 2015... It's nine years old as I'm writing this!! To put how old this game is, Street Fighter 6 came out and is in season 2, Guilty Gear Strive came out and is entering season 4, Tekken 8 came out, and Mortal Kombat is still trash. In the time that all of these happened, BlazeBlue fans still haven't got a successor to BBCF, a tried and true fighting (unlike BBTAG). "Why doesn't the develops just make a new one? Clearly there's a demand for it..." Amazing question! Well, after the the flop of BBTAG, the director walked out on BlazBlue. And well, without a director, a game is pretty much put on a deathbed. Since then, BB has been in limbo. To be honest, BB is one of my favourite series' and I know that's true for so many people as well. Many people want BB back in the fighting game scene in just anyway since even though BBCF is a good game, it's numbers aren't anywhere near games like Street Fighter and Tekken. There is so many lovable characters in this series like Ragna, Rachel, Kagura, Hazama, Jubei, and by god so many others. It sucks that this game is left this way, and if you've actually read this, you'd probably agree too. However... I want to end this on a positive note. Even though BlazBlue has been going through a massive rut, two years ago, arcsysystemworks stated that they do not want BlazBlue to compete with Guilty Gear, their other fighting game. They also stated that they haven't forgotten about BlazBlue. They are a company that honestly puts a butt ton of effort into their games (like seriously just look at Guilty Gear Strive gameplay. The game is really well animated). What they do take a lot of time, talent, money, and passion. It may be a while until we get a new BlazBlue fighting game, but they have said they want it to have a huge impact when it does come out. Of course, things could change but... BB fans are at least reassured that the IP itself isn't dead with Entropy Effect coming out to great reviews and arcsystemworks stating the above. Well, this has been andsaid. Thanks for reading :)

#blazblue #arc system works #fighting games

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