So I am finally listening to the album and here are my thoughts.

It’s much more structured and grooving.
This album has grooves that have me bobbing my head much more than previous albums.
There are some wonderful sounds chosen and everything blends nicely.

The only thing I am slightly disappointed in is the song structure.
Previous albums have had great transitions into different parts making them feel more like a journey. This album feels slightly more cut and paste.

There are some good transitions but they are more sudden and everything feels very structured. Part plays, add segment, remove segment, add different segment, etc etc.
I understand that previous albums have similar structures but they had transitions that felt more fluid.

Personally my all time fav track of Shpongle is Shpongleyes. That particular track grooves as well as having great atmospheres and crazy transitions that tingle my spine. Shpongleyes just feels “Shpongle” to me. When I think of Shpongle that song usually comes to mind first.

Yes there is some great material on the new album and plenty of glitching goodness but it feels a slight bit lacking in said areas.

Either way it’s a great album and I am proud to have it in my Shpongle collection.

Here is to pure insanity and journeys for the next album!

There’s like…40 million topics on this already… (yes, I went through and counted)
No need to make a new one.

Cloudwalker - 07 November 2009 06:07 PM

There’s like…40 million topics on this already… (yes, I went through and counted)
No need to make a new one.

Oh well I guess there are now 40 million and 1.  Didnt mean to clutter the forum with redundant info just wanted to put in my 2 cents.

Dont want to be a bitch, BUT:

I’ve supported Twisted for years, have bought 14 albums by them and seen them (supported by bying a ticket) 6 times.

The new Shpongle was a disappointment. Still a fan who took a 40h train to see you, nevertheless, the new album was a HUGE disappointment.

no way all of them are my favorite but I dont need favorites it’s music that has alot of hard work put into it and you take it for what it is…. it’s amazing…. it’s shpongle…. theirs no dissapointment here come on!!!! Love it Twisted Great Job!

I would actually really like to hear a Shpongle album with almost no world and acoustic elements. They have their place but I really feel that simon excels most at sonic trickery, moods, and well chosen sounds. I dont even mind a bit of Raj’s flute here and there but enough with the guitar already.

Well totally agree with Jono. To me the album that was the best compromise between electronic instruments and recorded instruments is nothing last. But we should probably understand that as artists, they can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over. I guess it gets boring after a while to only work with synthesizers and samples. With the technology that made it easier for recordings(they talk about it in the interviews of the twisted dvd), why bother using drums samples and instruments samples when you can get talented artists to do the job exactly the way you want?
But it’s nonetheless not surprising that the fans of the early shpongle(me included) may be dissapointed with the latest releases. I am not disapointed because I know it’s just the direction they’ve chosen, so when a new albums comes out, i know it won’t be comparable in any way to the first shpongle, and even though I am not fully satisfied either with this release so far I’ll give it its chance for what it is, a fucking very good and original piece of music. And it can take some time before you appreciate a record anyway, so just give it time…

I have to say I always go through the same stages with a new Shpongle album.

First listening “Hey, this doesn’t sound like Shpongle”
Second - I get hooked on one or two of the songs
Third - Hooked on the album.

I don’t know how people can claim that it doesn’t sound like Shpongle. First of all, it is Shpongle, but also every one of the albums is unique.
It’s taking slightly longer for one or two of the songs to integrate into the album as a whole piece for me, so yeah, maybe slightly disjointed, but it’s not something I’m paying attention to.

Overture - 09 November 2009 09:32 AM

I have to say I always go through the same stages with a new Shpongle album.

First listening “Hey, this doesn’t sound like Shpongle”
Second - I get hooked on one or two of the songs
Third - Hooked on the album.

I don’t know how people can claim that it doesn’t sound like Shpongle. First of all, it is Shpongle, but also every one of the albums is unique.
It’s taking slightly longer for one or two of the songs to integrate into the album as a whole piece for me, so yeah, maybe slightly disjointed, but it’s not something I’m paying attention to.

Not for me. Usually with a Shpongle song it takes just one listen to know if I like it or not. It’s extremely rare that a song “grows” on me.

jono - 09 November 2009 09:43 AM

Not for me. Usually with a Shpongle song it takes just one listen to know if I like it or not. It’s extremely rare that a song “grows” on me.

I used to be the same, but I’m finding it easier to give things a chance these days. Almost a necessity for Shpongle IMHO, given the changing / evolving style :p

Overture - 09 November 2009 09:49 AM

jono - 09 November 2009 09:43 AM

Not for me. Usually with a Shpongle song it takes just one listen to know if I like it or not. It’s extremely rare that a song “grows” on me.

I used to be the same, but I’m finding it easier to give things a chance these days. Almost a necessity for Shpongle IMHO, given the changing / evolving style :p

Funny thing about this new album….and alot of Shpongle come to think of it; Some of the songs have simply brilliant parts that I fall in love with but then Si transitions to something totally different and keeps evolving it and never comes back to that brilliant part!!!  I guess he isnt a fan of recurring themes!!

But I know, I know….It’s supposed to be a journey…....but during journeys its nice to come back to familiar territory once in awhile.

Dorset Perception for example has a very lovely gated female vocal that, to me felt like a chorus. Luckily he came back to that chorus as a recurring theme which is why I like that song so much.

In Electroplasm around 5:20 Si has this gorgeous synthline he is slowly raising the volume and cutoff frequency to and has a slick gated vocal on top…..when I first heard this part I was like YES this sounds so SICK!  But then he evolves it more and never comes back to that part. Damn him for teasing me with the goodness!

Heh. Different strokes I guess, which is why it’s a stops-all-stations journey rather than a city-loop trip :p

Overture - 09 November 2009 11:32 AM

Heh. Different strokes I guess, which is why it’s a stops-all-stations journey rather than a city-loop trip :p

lol

jono - 09 November 2009 10:11 AM

But I know, I know….It’s supposed to be a journey…....but during journeys its nice to come back to familiar territory once in awhile.

This drives me through the wall too…

BUT

I love the fact that he does it. It reminds me of Buddhist monks who spend months making these big, incredibly elaborate sand paintings (using colored sand as “paint”) and once they finish the next thing they do is sweep it all away.

Suzkuz - 10 November 2009 01:04 PM

jono - 09 November 2009 10:11 AM

But I know, I know….It’s supposed to be a journey…....but during journeys its nice to come back to familiar territory once in awhile.

This drives me through the wall too…

BUT

I love the fact that he does it. It reminds me of Buddhist monks who spend months making these big, incredibly elaborate sand paintings (using colored sand as “paint”) and once they finish the next thing they do is sweep it all away.

Are you serious? They dont even take a picture? Seems like a waste.

Nah, it’s the Buddhist mantra on the impermanence of all things. I was going to say something similar about the Shpongle albums, letting things go, but I got beaten to it