Bear Cage wrote: ↑12 Jul 2023, 22:54
Still really enjoy it, not up their with their best, but top 10 IMO.
My favourite track is still ‘No Mans Land’ (would love to hear that live)
When I wrote my earlier post in this thread, No Man's Land was one of the tracks I completely forgot existed (I also forgot about The Lines).
I enjoy it, it's another fun one like Pay Day.
Little bit cheesy, mainly due to Baz's vocals.
But, yeah, I completely forgot it was a song at all so that's probably not a good sign.
Might have to put that on later.
"I woke up on a good day, and the world was wonderful"
Greatkudu wrote:I Played Dark Matters a few days ago and I'm sorry to say I really don't rate it that much,a few good songs but some very average songs to,at the time I really liked it but it was really an emotional reaction to it being the last recorded work of Dave, After listening to Hugh's MOM the day after it made me realise even more that it's an average album,it's just my view,I still like Breathe,Water,Dave and Pay Day,but the rest not so my much, sorry to be negative.Major Kudu.
Those tracks, plus Moon, are the best ones for me too atm
Like all of the albums post-Hugh, I like it well enough when I listen to it, but like all of the albums post-Hugh that will be years apart between listenings.
Whatever the test of time means I’m not sure I’ve not played it since I first got it and I won’t be playing it any time soon I look forward to the next album in the hope that it will be better than the last one
Guess it's time for another track by track - about nearly 2 years on...
Water:
Very effective opener. Worth the decade it took them to create it?
This Song:
I used to prefer Spess version but when I listened to that, I was missing the keyboards
And If you should See Dave:
Gotta admit I tend to skip it nowadays. It's poignant but I have to be in a certain mood for it.
If Something's Gonna Kill Me:
Liked it 2 years ago... now I feel the production falls a little short. I'm kinda convinced that Nicastro's not that great at producing music with electronic elements. Quite often I feel the modern Stranglers de-emphasises the keyboards in the mix and now that they attempted a fully electronic track, it sounds a little flat to me.
No Man's Land:
Still pretty good. Maybe the chaotic middle bit could be longer
The Lines:
Poignant but album filler
Payday:
Didn't do it for me at the time and still doesn't
Down:
Has actually grown on me. I find myself returning to this more lol
The Last Men On The Moon:
Would still say it's the best track of the album. One of the classics for me now.
White Stallion:
I don't feel like JJ's vocals are strong enough. It's okay overall but would usually listen after playing the previous track. Not one I search for on its own.
Breathe:
Not good lyrics imo. Music meanders a bit but kinda works.
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Overall good album and I still mostly come back to the same songs as I did 2 years ago.
Well time on now from it's release day and tbh I don't really play many off it nowday's but that hasn't changed my mind on a great album I thought so then and still think that now and apart from a few not so great fillers I still think it's a great album from them that was different and fresh with a few typical Strangleds sounding tracks like Water.
Fresh and different as in Moon,Breathe,Stallion I haven't heard tracks like that before from them and the one weak track for me still is Down.....so it's still a yes from me overall.
Last edited by toilerinblack on 16 Jul 2023, 22:42, edited 3 times in total.
toilerinblack wrote: ↑13 Jul 2023, 22:55
Well time on now from it's release day and tbh I don't really play many off it nowday's but that hasn't changed my mind on a great album I thought so then and still think that now and apart from a few not so great fillers I still think it's a great album from them that was different and fresh with a few typical STRANGLERS sounding tracks like Water.
Fresh and different as in Moon,Breathe,Stallion I haven't heard tracks like that before from them and the one weak track for me still is Down.....sol it's still a yes from me overall.
I fully agree, "down" is probably my least liked track, and sometimes (also) skip: "Dave", but as a whole to me the album works!
Where I have not played Giants or Suite in ages I still revisit Dark Matters. Especially Water, This Song and White Stallion are great imho. Not their best album of course, it is impossible to beat Raven or Rattus, but I do enjoy most of it. It less patchy than most post Hugh albums where, in my opinion, many great tracks are lost between filler. Norfolk Coast excepted.
--eric--
i was attracted by a night torchlight parade
and there i came
evonx wrote: ↑14 Jul 2023, 08:37
Where I have not played Giants or Suite in ages I still revisit Dark Matters. Especially Water, This Song and White Stallion are great imho. Not their best album of course, it is impossible to beat Raven or Rattus, but I do enjoy most of it. It less patchy than most post Hugh albums where, in my opinion, many great tracks are lost between filler. Norfolk Coast excepted.
I too agree with your three you still play on DM and when I do play the album Water and Stallion are the first two I'll select.
One track I also like that for whatever reason gets overlooked or not liked by the many is No Mans Land which I think is a cracking song and still waiting to hear what I think would make a great live track too,but maybe I'm in the minority on that track.
