Comments on: MRS JYNX: The Standoffish Cat (Planet Mu)

By: themilkman

themilkman — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:27:12 +0000

wickymalt, I’ll also reply to some of the points you made in your reply to mine.

“I haven’t heard this album in full yet’ - Come on! How can you even comment about it then?”
Well, as I said, ‘from what I’ve heard’, and you don’t actually know how much or how little of this album I’ve heard. I’ll keep it at that and point you back to my reply of earlier.

I also think that you missed the point of my remark when I said ‘I am sometimes getting tired of hearing Boards Of Canada, Aphex or Autechre clones’. I certainly didn’t imply that this album was sounding any way like these. In fact, it sounds more like an early u-ziq than anything else to me. This is certainly in no way a bad comparison by the way, I happen to love Mike Paradinas’s early work. I did then, and I do now. And since the album is released on his label, he’s obviously put his seal of approval on it.

My comment was more general. Believe me, I listen to a lot of music, new and old, and I get sent a lot of stuff that just sound too much like any of the above to warrant much interest. I don’t expect every artist to come up with a new way of doing things, because that would be as tiring. Contradictory? Well, surprisingly enough, no. There is a middle ground, and I am glad to say that most music I get to hear actually falls in there, in one way or another. But there are clones of Boc, Autechre, Aphex, u-ziq… and they are not that interesting.

Although I have enjoyed what I’ve heard of the Mrs Jynx album to some extend, it is a bit too close to what I could hear over 15 years ago, and doesn’t seem to give a different angle on it. That’s the impression that I’ve had listening to over half of the record.

I hope this will clarify my comments.

By: Robert Rowlands

Robert Rowlands — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:52:13 +0000

Thanks, Wickymalt, I’m happy to see people responding to my reviews. I can’t say I agree with you, but then that’s the whole point of a review. To free you of one illusion, I don’t get paid for doing this, I I do it because I like music. I also don’t happen to like this album. You obviously do.
I won’t respond to each of your comments - some of which are quite hard to understand if I’m being honest - but the thing that saddens me most about this album is that it is doing nothing new. You might see that as a minor detail, but when you listen to a lot of new music, artists who fall back on old ideas tend not to get noticed.
You call me elitist, a charge I can only say I wish was correct - if only because it might imply I was making a decent living somewhere.
You also say I am bandying around terms like IDM willy-nilly. I think it’s clear even in the first sentence that I am using it because it is a term people have used to describe a certain style of music. I didn’t invent it. You’re right to say it’s a horrible term, however.
And as for whether the sun shines out of my arse - well, I’ll leave that for my doctor to judge.
Apart from that, keep listening to the music and, who knows, maybe we’ll agree next time.
Thanks for your input.

By: wickymalt

wickymalt — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:27:02 +0000

“I haven’t heard this album in full yet” - Come on! How can you even comment about it then? I think this validates my point of you guys half listening to something.
And i’m sorry to keep going on about it, but how can you compare This album to Boards of Canada, Aphex and Autechre?! I’m no music critic, like your good selves, but i’ve heard enough of those artist’s to be able to know that there should be no comparison made. It’s like saying that every band after the Beatles are a rip off from them, because they use guitar, bass and drums.
I just think that this Album deserves more than to be labeled as a “Pale imitation”. I really think there is a hell of a lot more to it than that.

By: themilkman

themilkman — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:09:47 +0000

I haven’t heard this album in full yet, but I think that, from what I’ve heard, I must say that Robert is actually right. I get to hear a lot of new music, but I am sometimes getting tired of hearing Boards Of Canada, Aphex or Autechre clones, which do not bring much to the equation. I think, and Robert will correct me if I’m wrong, that it was part of the issue raised with this ‘rant’ as you call it.

From what I’ve heard of the album, I sounds nice, melodic and quite smooth, and sometimes I like picking up an album like this, but it doesn’t bring anything to the mill if you know what I mean, and I’d rather listen to the actual guys who made this in the first place rather than pale imitations. But this is my opinion… very much like any review is.

By: wickymalt

wickymalt — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:17:29 +0000

Wow! Just W O W! I think you forgot the “IMHO” part of your little rant/review! (Jesus, I hope that people don’t actually take your word as gospel. )
I take it you have either sent off music to labels and have been rejected or you don’t actually make music yourself and just pretend you know what you are talking about?

“In my humble opinion” (see its not that hard!) i see that you like to throw around words most people have used before - UZIQ, IDM, AFX, . I have no doubt you have picked these “keywords” up from other people. Why on earth you would rant on about “when IDM and Afx was good”, “blah blah blah” and then you didn’t actually say much about the album itself, other than name two tracks and how you don’t like them much! It honestly makes me wonder how people like you keep your jobs, sitting there in an office and half listening to something and then babbling on about absolutely nothing relevant and getting paid to do so!

I have traveled many a forum on ye old tinternet and I ALWAYS see elitist people who think they know everything about everything and think they have seen the world and that it shines out of their bum hole, Robert - You are one of those people.

I own this album, and I listen to it daily. 2In my opinion” it’s the best album I have heard in a long time. I am not a huge fan of Acid or Dubstep and this is nothing of the sorts. Genuine, beautiful melodies - a Rose amongst Thorns!
I think the reason this is even compared Uziqs style is because its Melodic. I honestly think Mrs Jynx has taken it a step further. Amazing Synth lines and chords, not just in one track but EVERY track on the album which keep keep you excited throughout.

Your issues with the horribly named “IDM” are your issues alone, if you cannot take an album as beautiful as this for what it is, then you are certainly in the wrong game “IN MY OPINION!”