Veracohr Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Looking through the "Top 10 albums" thread and what not, it reminded me of how often I see people putting Pleiadians' "IFO" at or near the top of various Best Of and Favorite lists. Somehow I don't get this. I only heard it first sometime earlier this year, but I think I have a good idea of the album now (it always takes me a few listens through an album to get the "feel" of the album, and know what it's about), and I find it sort of forgettable in a way. I don't think it's a bad album at all, I think it's good and I enjoy listening to it, but there's nothing about it that really stands out. I can listen to the whole album and feel like every song was more or less the same. In contrast, other artists have songs that really stand out to me. There's nothing by Pleiadians I've heard that I would remember a melody or anything from. For instance, every time I listen to it, I am more and more enthralled by Chi-A.D.'s "Virtual Spirit", and it is quickly shooting to the top of my "Favorite Albums of All Time of Any Genre" list. Astral Projection has many very recognizable and memorable melodies, as does Hallucinogen, Transwave, and others. I stick "IFO" on my iPod to listen to at work every now and then, but I never have that "I want to listen to this album specifically" feeling about it. It would be good party music, but there's nothing about it to make me sit up and take notice, or make me reach for it at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Apparently different ppl, different tastes. There's nothing to feel bad about it. For me IFO is everything Goa (and Psy in gereral) was, is and will be. Ultra melodic, ubber maximal, totally psychedelic, colorful, spacey, intense, complex, fractal music. 11 years later and I haven't listened anything that comes close to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goa-Head Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Me too, never a favourite, altough it's unique in style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffymushi Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I stick "IFO" on my iPod to listen to at work every now and then, but I never have that "I want to listen to this album specifically" feeling about it. It would be good party music, but there's nothing about it to make me sit up and take notice, or make me reach for it at home.it works better 'on psychedelics' than 'at work'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oopie Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 If you don't get it - you forget people hear music differently. Even you hear music differently under influence than on normal circumstances. IFO's not on my top-10 list either. I enjoy Alcyone and Electra on it quite a bit, but reckon they've done better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdreNochrooM Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I like 'family of light' a lot more than IFO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mars Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 IFO was my favourite for a long long time. I used to listen to it once a week without skipping any track. Now it sounds older somewhat but it's still one of my favourites. I still remember back in july 97 when I went to my local shop and put the diamond on the LP. After 10 seconds of Maia it was a breakthrough ! It was released when Goa was really expanding to its best, it's to be seen in its context. Artists were all competing to blow our minds. But I can understand if someone that wasn't (or even was) in the scene by summer 97 could not be touched by it. It's rather extreme after all: no sample, very raw and fast, super synthetic, going in all directions at the same time, taking you from the rear sometimes... However to me, past the shape, the psychedelic content is one of the best ever delivered, together with Hallucinogen's Twisted and a couple of others. On top of that, I hate talking about drugs, but I admit that if you hear it under psychedelics, you will rediscover it a million times under a million suns and your life will change forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Never really got into it. Heard FOL first which in my opinion was much much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyLight Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 IMO Pleiadians lack proper melodic structure, no catchy melodies to remember, just an infinite drive of short notes.. or sometimes the opposite.. with the same melody over and over again throughout the entire track, this was kind of evident as well in their Crop Circles project.. i mean like in that track Lunar Civilizations.. that melody just goes on and on on top of that its very high pitched, and it gets tiresome. And im sure on a dance floor/festival it works wonders.. but for home listening in headphones or in ipod/mp3 player.. naah i pass. I always enjoyed goa from the UK, Sweden, Denmark and Israel and sometimes Germany more, somehow i found those to be less "blablabla" its as if the Italian lifestyle shines through in Pleiadians, you know Italy lot of fast staccato talking. :clapping: (probably something in the italian coffe) The Scandinavian old school goa was more "cool" and "down to earth" not so stressy. Of course just my own little view on it. I will always prefer music where the melodies stick like glue and you remember them. *Flame on hardcore Pleiadians fans* :clapping: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travbrad1001 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Apparently different ppl, different tastes. There's nothing to feel bad about it. Yep. If you really think about it, most people wouldn't like IFO at all (or even heard of it) It's not one of my favorite or most listened to albums, but I still consider it one of the all-time classics. I'm sure if you went back to 1997 it would seem more amazing too (I wouldn't know I've only been listening to psy for about 5 years..), although IMO it's still better than 99% of the crap being released now I don't even really like Astral Projection anymore but I still consider their early stuff "classic". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veracohr Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 but I admit that if you hear it under psychedelics, you will rediscover it a million times under a million suns and your life will change forever. Quite possible. I had that experience with L.S.G.'s "Into Deep". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Matta Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 One thing I've become sure of is that we often, maybe always, favor first experiences. When we have a powerful experience with something and pursue other things like it, the original tends to stay more powerful than its follow-ups. Like, say, your first roller-coaster ride. Or maybe your second. Every following attempt to relive the initial power of the first experience(s) just don't quite equate. Which means we're constantly in a losing battle to relive initial experiences with so many things. If we choose to chase after them, that is. Music is definitely like that. Drugs can also be like that. Girls, for sure. And then there are those rare times that you get to re-experience that initial thrill, and even rarer, surpass it. IFO was one of my very early psy experiences, and was extremely powerful to me, because it was also intended to be powerful. Ever since then I've been seeking that experience, and it has only occurred again in mini-versions a few times in 10 years. But because of its age and history in my mind, I don't think it can be topped. I can be a fool sometimes and think/hope that something is topping it, but that wears away. So it's highly subjective. Right place, right time. It doesn't mean that IFO is a particularly brilliant album, but the fact that so many people had a similar experience in the late 90s means that it contains a certain power that other albums didn't. I have similar landmarks from other genres and stages of my life that coat everything I listen to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rino Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 There's nothing by Pleiadians I've heard that I would remember a melody or anything from. For instance, every time I listen to it, I am more and more enthralled by Chi-A.D.'s "Virtual Spirit", and it is quickly shooting to the top of my "Favorite Albums of All Time of Any Genre" list. Astral Projection has many very recognizable and memorable melodies, as does Hallucinogen, Transwave, and others.I somehow always thought of the Pleiadians project to be much, much more than a memorable melody segment, if you follow me. Not that I don't see where you're coming from, but if you've ever come to question their ability to orchestrate a memorable lead, check out virtually any pre 1998 Etnica track, namely Full On, Vimana, Floating Universe, Chemical Trance, Starship 101 and Mystical Experience In Goa. I think that if they wanted to make an album packed with memorable leads, they would have done it. And they did too: it is called "Alien Protein", under their Etnica moniker. IMO Pleiadians lack proper melodic structure, no catchy melodies to remember, just an infinite drive of short notes.. or sometimes the opposite.. with the same melody over and over again throughout the entire track, this was kind of evident as well in their Crop Circles project.. i mean like in that track Lunar Civilizations.. that melody just goes on and on on top of that its very high pitched, and it gets tiresome.I'd actually quote myself and apply it to your post as well. I don't recall any Pleiadians track having the same melody reoccur throughout, and Lunar Civilization would be an exception, as the other Crop Circles tracks I know don't follow that formula... And I don't think, but that is only a matter of subjective opinion, how an eventual lack of obvious and in your face melodies means you don't know how to make them. Of course "I.F.O." is not down to earth as you pointed out, and I seriously doubt it was intended to be. It was the kind of music which levitated my kitchen elements six feet up in the air. But that is only me. I really, but really like that album, yet simultaneously I don't blame anybody else for not feeling the same. Diversity rules - amen to that! So it's highly subjective. Right place, right time. It doesn't mean that IFO is a particularly brilliant album, but the fact that so many people had a similar experience in the late 90s means that it contains a certain power that other albums didn't. I have similar landmarks from other genres and stages of my life that coat everything I listen to. Yeah, so true, albums like "Music For The Jilted Generation", "Public Energy #1", "Waveform Transmission Vol. 1" and "Discovers The Rings Of Saturn" or Joey Beltram's "Classics" all have a special place in my heart and on my shelf, regardless of what the masses may think of them today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qa2pir Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 How you guys can listen to "Maia" or "Asterope" without hearing a memorable melody is unbelievable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otter Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Thing about IFO is there's no production value at all, the percussion sounds like paper bags and it's very sketchy throughout. I think if you like it or not is determined by what chord the random-ish melodies strike in you. Or if you're on drugs in which case those melodies, containing basically everything and the kitchen sink, will guaranteedly hit several chords. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qa2pir Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Thing about IFO is there's no production value at all, the percussion sounds like paper bags and it's very sketchy throughout. I think if you like it or not is determined by what chord the random-ish melodies strike in you. Or if you're on drugs in which case those melodies, containing basically everything and the kitchen sink, will guaranteedly hit several chords. Try sequencing random notes in phrygian. It will not sound like a pleiadians melody. Sure, their melodies are based on constant 16ths, but they use note length and harmony to put rhythmic emphasis into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolyLight Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 but they use note length and harmony to put rhythmic emphasis into it. I think everyone who makes goa does that.. mouse clicky clicky Basically there was an epic battle up in space.. between Simon Posford, Pleiadians and Astral Projection.. Astral won the round on T.K.O. Topic Closed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Thing about IFO is there's no production value at all, the percussion sounds like paper bags and it's very sketchy throughout. I think if you like it or not is determined by what chord the random-ish melodies strike in you. Or if you're on drugs in which case those melodies, containing basically everything and the kitchen sink, will guaranteedly hit several chords. Either you deaf or don't know what random means. Random: lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance; "a random choice"; "bombs fell at random"; "random movements" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oopie Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Saying "this is bad", "overrated" etc. is pretty pointless. Especially when it comes to old releases which don't affect the current scene in any relevant way. Only circumstances where such style of writing or behaviour is any good is when you strive to change something. Will people who like IFO suddenly stop liking it after you express your negative opinion about it? No? What is the point of bashing something that is there and will stay there? IFO is what it is, won't be any different and won't be erased off the existance no matter how much you say it sucks. These sort of threads are the most idiotic of em all. It's obvious a thread like this leads to two sides, the ones who like and the ones who don't like, having friction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otter Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Either you deaf or don't know what random means. Random: lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance; "a random choice"; "bombs fell at random"; "random movements" Yes, I specifically used to play with randomized phrygian sequences and every 50 or so there'd be a pretty goa-ish melody going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Yes, I specifically used to play with randomized phrygian sequences and every 50 or so there'd be a pretty goa-ish melody going on. Then since you have created a melody it's not random. Melodies are never random. Maybe they have been created by chance, but they are never random, cause if they were they wouldn't be melodies. Not like this have anything to do wiht Pleiadians. Their melodies are simply genious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qa2pir Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Then since you have created a melody it's not random. Melodies are never random. Maybe they have been created by chance, but they are never random, cause if they were they wouldn't be melodies. Not like this have anything to do wiht Pleiadians. Their melodies are simply genious. Yeah. Just listen to "Vimana"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Yeah. Just listen to "Vimana"... The track of the tracks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otter Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 created by chance but never random I'm done with this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormion Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 I'm done with this topic. Well bye bye then! It's one thing to mess around with a sequencer and once in a while a great melody pops up (which btw it's great way to write melodies) and whole other thing to add notes in a complete random way without caring about rhyhthm or symmetry. If you create a melody with the first way even by chance (meaning without having in mind what exactly you want to create) is a melody so it's not random. Do you want me to create something random to understand the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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