Leaves Turn Inside You
 

I know most of you probably know this record well, but I thought I would make a topic about it. My car's been out of commission lately, so I've been taking the bus. I take my droid with me and listen to music on the way. I put this album on yesterday on my way home, and found that it's really the perfect winter soundtrack. The music seems to totally correspond with the scenery: dead trees, snow flurries, cars and houses caked in white.

It still amazes me how atmospheric and powerful this album is. It really is beautiful!!! I think the album deserves a shout-out just because it's winter and this record is just so perfect for that! I can think of very few post-punk albums that stay close to the genre while still eliciting so many different emotions.

So speak up if you think Unwound is awesome!!

i listen to this album only during winter time, it's so amazing! on par with the greatest SY albums for me.

To me it's more like a Spiderland for the 00's, only I don't know. It might even be better!!! Definitely more overtly experimental. It's the post-punkers' Kid A. :cool:

But on par with SY? Not for me.

nice comparsion. they all blew me away when i first heard them!

I like your evaluation, and I completely agree. This was actually my first Unwound album, and I bought it in 2001. I had heard of them before, but never heard them, so needless to say my first time listening to the album was pretty bizarre, as I had really no clue what to expect. What I got was a mottled and hazardous but perfectly paced combination of Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Slint, and the Beatles (four of my favorite bands at the time, and now), and was completely blown away.

I'm not to claim to be some o.g. Unwound fan, because I'm not, and mainly bought the album because of its awesome packaging, but I did hear it without the influence of hype or historical precedent. It was an experience I'll never forget.

Top 5 of the 00's, most likely

What makes that band so fucking awesome is not only the music, but the fact that they called it quits on the peak of what dubiously could be regarded a career.

In plain language: they quit at their very fucking best unlike that band sonic youth.

very true.

And unlike Radiohead. And the Beatles. And pretty much everyone everywhere except for Orson Welles, Slint, and Seinfeld. :)

I still wish they'd made more music.

Oh, and Fugazi called it off at their experimental peak too, after their absolute best album ever.

I agree. But i'm not sure they actually called it off.

I could just listen to the beginning of this record for 45 minutes and be completely satisfied. Shudder to think about the rest of it how good it is.

I thought they did, back in '03 or '04, making it official. An official "long hiatus" at least. I'm pretty sure I remember seething with anger after reading the exact phrasing somewhere. I knew it was over.

Sucks. I never got to see them post-Red Medicine, and that kills me.

I never saw Fugazi or Unwound. Painful to this day.

My gosh, just how many threads on this record will there be?

I never saw Unwound either. Saw Fugazi, but long long ago. And I'm mostly a fan of the Red Medicine and after stuff, so I've never seen most of my favorite tunes played live, except on video. :(

I saw unwound in a basement in my swedish hometown. I am urged to say that this was before they were cool (Challenge... era). It was pretty sweet. I remember Vern Rumsay playing the verse for fascination street in between two songs (which is one of the most brilliant bass lines of all times, by the way).

This was around 1998 and by then not everybody owned a cell phone, and it was still considered a bit goofy. In the middle of two songs this overstyled punk dudes phone rang and completely blew his overdone fuck the world pose. Justin sarcastically commented "your phones ringing" as the punker ran out the room in shame.

A solid grampa simpson reminiscence.

^^ Sweet!!

Let's turn this into a "WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE NON-LTIY UNWOUND ALBUM THEAD" since there are so many on the album itself already.

That would be repetition in my opinion. The thing with unwound is that they used a radio friendly music concept such as the hook, but in their own fashion, which sort of created an unsatisfied itch in my case. Corpse pose is a good example of how listening to their music became an experience equivalent to scratching a mosquito bite. I never liked the experimental dub stuff though...

Hmm. You should expand on this more, because I think I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure. About the "unsatisfying" quality of their music, that is, not about the use of the "hook".

When i discovered unwound, listening to a lot of their music gave me the feeling that i wanted to hear it again, not because it gave me a fulfilling or satisfying emotion as in other music, but rather because the music created a desire for itself. I had the same feeling when i discovered sonic youth's "sister". Total addiction.

What caught me in these experiences was a sense of lack, rather than fulfilment.

Fake Train is easily their best. It's so wonderfully agressive and noisy, the guitar playing is very raw and I love it. Post-hardcore done right. Repetition and New Plastic Ideas are fantastic as well. And LTIY, obviously. Fuck, everything except maybe the S/T is great.