Amnesia Scanner // Another Life (PAN)

#21

some great singles on it, i think too wrong is the best track if not just like the best realization of the same idea as the other singles on the track. Its also just a straight up pop song
The rest, the ambient/mood setting pieces, just dont do anything for me. Theyre extremely boring, dont go anywhere interesting and dont really do anything to set the mood besides just break up the tracklisting

#22

I find myself more drawn to the conceptual work put into this album than the music - the visuals, website, and background are all interesting but I think the music just doesn’t deliver in the same way. I think a lot of the tracks sound extremely similar and there is very little development of the musical material that draws out interesting results.
An example would be the use of dembow/reggaeton rhythmic tropes on Unlinear, Another Life, Too Wrong, and Faceless. Amnesia Scanner are really interested in trying to juxtapose these tropes into different contexts and “maximizing” the impact that these tropes have but I think that listeners get the idea by the time Too Wrong comes around. This might have to do with the way this was mastered as well because I feel it is an entirely physically-exhausting album to hear on headphones. The compression on this album is insane and probably contributes to the feeling of “sameness” that all of these tracks have.
As @lynn noted above, the ambient/mood pieces are all sort of aimless and pointless. For instance, Daemon could have been an interesting starting point to investigate the different ways that its ubiquitous bass synth sound is used but instead we get a 3 minute melodic loop with no development and noodling on top.

#23

Some songs reminded me of Atari Teenage Riot and Nine Inch Nails… kinda depressing… LOL

#24

I find it incredible how they mentioned in an interview that they hired people on Fiverr to do some of the voice work and samples. Insanely contemporary techniques taken to the max. (from my RA comment lol). seriously have to give this album a proper listen

#25

Quick plug – Amnesia Scanner are the guests on my radio show Top Flight tomorrow (Sept 11), broadcasting semi-live from Funkhaus in Berlin. Should be pretty interesting esp as they’ve been so top secrit for so long!

I will definitely be asking them about Fiverr, I think it’s a genius touch.

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#26

had a proper listen to it finally. its alright, innit? a solid 7 or 8 outta 10 imo. it definitely has its moments but yeah im going to also agree the atmospheric ambiance stuff does very little for me.reminds me of how as ep was very similar in that it was overall just okay but with standout tracks, and everyone’s standout tracks were different

#27

i’m only coming back to the first half of this now, it just kinda fizzles out after Too Wrong

those first 6 tracks are mad tho

#28

I dunno, I think it’s pretty consistent (and consistently rewarding) throughout! I’m enjoying it. listened a couple times back-to-back and the “sameness” didn’t particularly wear on my nerves…

@POLY would absolutely love to blast this at ridonkulous volumes out of a big, lifted, murdered out Jeep with the top off

#29

This is so good. Another life and Too Wrong clear favourites for me would love to hear them on a huge soundsystem

#30

“It’s like Uber but for samples.” :roll_eyes:

Everything I’m reading on this is very dillaetant-ish art school moves in which the concept is overwrought and the end result kinda meh.

Would people honestly like this is if wasn’t on PAN?

#31

mmm this thread is getting good…gonna wait to toss my two cents in…keep em coming 555ers

#32

In some ways, articles like these dilute and sort of ruin the music a bit (your mileage might vary). I posted these articles on dubstepforum and one guy said how it just quantifies all this shit and in doing so completely undermines the whole point, just generating clicks and yelling into empty cyber space". Essentially a reflection of the modern day desire to attach quantity and value to music in as catalogued and understandable as possible.

IMO the album is banging with a good amount of standout tracks. I also personally think they overdone the dembow drum patterns as well, I would’ve loved it a lot more if they done something like Jersey Club type drums, or even something like a DJ Mustard style beat. That would’ve been so sick.

#33

I’ve only listened to it a couple of times, but thought every track more or less annoyed me one way or the other, kind of in the vein of Oneothrix Point Never’s latest release, which we’ve discussed on here earlier. Some of the ambienter tracks on here are decent enough, but don’t really stand out at all (in my opinion). I find absolutely no joy or interest in this stuff, but I’ve conceded I probably just don’t get it, I’m too old. I’ve read other people read similar things of music I personally appreciate immensely, so that’s probably the case.

Seeing as you wrote what you did though, thought I’d leave a reply anyway. I find most releases on PAN to be artsy fartsy farting in a can with some spring reverb-type releases though. It’s like conceptual abstract art has become music these last few years. “Yeah, I made this record only hitting sticks of wood against metal plates made from a purple factory in eastern China which is operated by donkeys” - as if that makes the boring shit pouring out of my speakers any more listenable.

But I’m ranting! Sorry. I just don’t get it!

#34

ok so now that i have a proper relationship with the album here’s what im feelin / not feelin…

its grown on me lots. it requires a certain energy in me to vibe with tho. usually a city walking caffeinated public transportation energy. for me, this album is amazing for walking through a metropolis full of people. I’ve had a blast walking around Manhattan with it screaming in my headphones. it also feels very teenage to me, something that feels like a sort of “Im 15 full of hormones and angst and can’t leave home and this shit is soooooo fucking annoying i hate it all” punk rock. Chaos and Another Life in particular feel like anthems I would have blasted out my Dad’s Corolla on a Friday night in the parking lot of the mall at 17.

This is not dance music for me, I havent experienced it in a club setting so don’t feel qualified to speak on what it can do to a dancefloor…I’m sure it can do big things, but in a poppy this is what’s hot for the summer/fall sort of way. Dosent seem like these tracks will age well in anyone’s set 3+ years from now. It seems like very present (and limited in that sense) music. For me this is the simultaneous strength and weakness of punk.

First half of the album is much stronger than the second half. I burn out around track 8 usually. They could have cut it, but they didnt. I don’t love the ambient tracks but I see how they play off the energy of the hyped tracks and create an album experience. Faceless, Chain and Securitaz are my least favorite tracks, but I see how they build into Chaos.

The videos are fun eye candy, the website seems fun, but I’m pretty sure I’m a bit older than the target audience, so yeah thats my take. I listen to this album when I’m angry, yanked on coffee, and when I’ve had a shit day and have to sit on a crowded bus or train. It’s a great tool for working out that energy. One day I hope to hear these tunes on a big system. Until then, that’s my take.

#35

Hi All

Anyone interested in speaking on how this album has aged for them? Or first timers giving input? Just re-listened for the first time in about a year or so an am interested in discussing…

#36

Like was the hype just hype or does it now hold sustenance and memory of experience!?!?

Last year
Was a
K Hole

#37

I remember over the summer of '18 I listened to AS Chaos and I was stunned by how abrasive and rough it was, and yet it was super catchy. I’ve heard of AS before but I’ve never really got into them cause I was always hesitant about avant-garde stuff. I fully took the plunge with Another Life and I really enjoyed it, despite how cynical they sounded in their interviews when talking about climate change or the chaotic nature of the internet slowly collapsing in on itself or how absurd everything is. I mostly stopped listening to it by next year cause: 1) I wanted to be in a better mood and 2) I listened to a shitton of Brockhampton :crazy_face:

lol. uh oh…

But yeah. It’s definitely an angsty album to soundtrack feeling disillusioned and wanting to ride the wave of bad vibes. 2 years before that, I was listening to WWWINGS - PHOENIXXX before I deleted it off my phone cause at the time, I felt it wasn’t conducive for my mental issues.

#38

Funny thing is, there isn’t a thread about their new album, Tearless. I bet that’s because how completely fucking exhausted and done in everybody is from covid happenings + riots + continued global political strife, and everything in the world pretty much speaks enough already. Personally I skimmed the album a bit and found it too rock / metal oriented for my tastes. Plus they kinda lost the club influence from Another Life which I really loved.

#39

i liked the album aswell! just the rock parts i personally found awful. but just on personal taste i think

#40

AS is crabcore with laptops