Wall of Mouths

Agreed, I know quite a few Germans who like the band. The media however, seems to have turned sour. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but they just get a little too nasty for my liking in the review.

As I said, maybe that is cool in the German music press, I however just find it a little over the top.

Well, it is just too quiet. If they boosted the sound like they did for the Nurse tracks on So Much for the 10 Year Plan, it would probably be fine.

Yeah, a decent remix of Nurse, or even re-recording the whole thing would be fine by me, tis my favourite album despite the production.

Joel wrote:

“They just don’t seem to get thebandat all - don’t really want to be labled and certainly won’t be making Troublegum II anytime soon (thank God!).”

Yeah what a stupid idea to record an album with great rock tunes that everyone loved/loves which was critically acclaimed and sold by the bucket load leading to high up festival billings and all round general greatness. Absurd notion.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Troublegum, but it was always intended to be a once off (as others have already mentioned, High Anxiety is the only one sort of close).

What you are implying also doesn’t really hold up due to the following:

- the music industry has since changed many times over, who knows if that type of music would be as successful today as it was back then
- the band may not have lasted as long as they have (Fyffe was the unfortunate casualty of those days)
- Listening to all their albums, Troublegum is very unique in it’s own right, not to be seen as the natural sound of the band
- they quite simply didn’t want to do it

I love Troublegum also, and they kind of lost me as a fan during Semi-Detached (took me a while to come round). Eventually I just came to the conclusion that the band will do whatever they feel like doing and that is what I like about them.

As tempting as a Troublegum II may seem at times, I find the route which they have chosen more exciting and will ensure that they stick around for longer.

Ever since Neil has joined they have come full circle sound wise IMO.

oscott wrote:

The reviews in Germany are indeed bad, as far as I read. The same as it was with Crooked Timber. The last time I read a really really euphoric and good review was for Suicide Pact in a 1999 Visions magazine. There it was even “Record of the month”. Maybe the reviewers here need some label money to write good reviews:-s

As for me, this record is really great, maybe the best of the after-Suicidepact-releases. It’s the only one since then on which I really like all songs. Have really to control myself to not listening to it all day long.

Didn’t mean to start a political war ;-)

I just find it strange, they were pretty much getting love from German Music critics all the way up until Crooked Timber (some really nasty, scathing reviews there). They either seem to try and use another band as benchmark to compare them to (e.g. Helmet) or seem to be yearning for a Troublegum II

They just don’t seem to get the band at all - don’t really want to be labled and certainly won’t be making Troublegum II anytime soon (thank God!).

I am not sure if it is due to a general shift in musical taste in Germany or what the deal is. You can’t base the opinion of the entire German Market on a couple of reviewers, but they seem to like taking the nasty route lately (maybe just to make a name for themselves?)

Recently moved back to Germany and will be checking out the gig in Munich (would have loved to be at the Dublin one) - hope they get a bit more love there.

I really like this album (even though it is too short), but can understand that it would lead to divided opinions.