Holy Fucking Shit: 40,000

June 28, 2008 7:03 PM

Connecticut's Have a Nice Life is responsible for one of the year's most acclaimed, highly conceptual albums this year, Deathconsciousness. The two discs (entitled The Plow That Broke The Plains and The Future, respectively) feature music spanning over five years of collaboration between the two artists, and are accompanied by a 75-page booklet on medieval Italian heretics in lieu of liner notes. Combining elements of shoegaze, new wave, ambient drone, post-rock, experimental industrial, avant-garde dark metal, and electronic music, and citing references such as My Bloody Valentine and Joy Division to their credit, the original and only pressings sold out within hours. Full stream of all 85 minutes available here. Direct mp3 samples here and here.

From their myspace:

What is Deathconsciousness?

Deathconsciousness refers to three things:

It refers to the debut double album from Have A Nice Life, featuring over 4 years and 2 hours worth of recorded material. All songs have been re-recorded, remixed, and remastered, including the songs from our demo release, Powers of Ten.

It refers to the short book of the same name that accompanies the record. Over 80 pages in length, written by a University of Massachusetts History professor, this book explores the deep religious symbology we used for inspiration while writing the record. The songs contain elaborate references to 12th century apostasies; the book will help those without a background in religious history to understand their meanings.

And, finally, Deathconsciousness is the concept that lies at the heart of the record itself: the overwhelming awareness, at all times, of death and it’s proximity.

posted by Christ, what an asshole (34 comments total)

While I think you're missing some other ridiculously precise genre, possibly something ending with a -Core, I'm enjoying what I'm hearing. You can really hear the influence of the periodic "starving times" of native Alaskans dependent on herds of migrant caribou. And the My Bloody Valentine.

Cool stuff, thanks!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:19 PM on June 28, 2008

The album is available as a $5 digital download at their website store as well.
posted by Huck500 at 7:29 PM on June 28, 2008

...shoegaze, new wave, ambient drone, post-rock, experimental industrial, avant-garde dark metal, and electronic music, and citing references such as My Bloody Valentine and Joy Division...

Why isn't it just art?
posted by cmoj at 7:55 PM on June 28, 2008

Will take a listen and see how it sits...

but if you need to read a book to enjoy an album, there's something definitely wrong.
posted by phylum sinter at 8:07 PM on June 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm liking this. I've found something that will make me look cool and 'on the in' for my next radio show, eat that Paste! Thanks!
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 8:12 PM on June 28, 2008

Okay, just listened to a half dozen of the tracks.

Meh. It sounds exactly like what you'd expect if someone sat down and tried to sound like a long list of trendy influences. stupidwordsrunningtogetheralbumtitle is annoying as well. The plodding drumming does really work for me in any of the tracks - much of Joy Divisions power came from their totally frenetic drumming style.

Over 80 pages in length, written by a University of Massachusetts History professor, this book explores the deep religious symbology we used for inspiration while writing the record.

Dude, did you just assign us some homework and gloat over how deep your symbology is?

That said, they do a good job at shoegazeyness on the second linked mp3.
posted by phrontist at 9:22 PM on June 28, 2008

the plodding drumming doesn't really work for me. gah, I need to get some sleep.
posted by phrontist at 9:24 PM on June 28, 2008

It refers to the short book of the same name that accompanies the record. Over 80 pages in length, written by a University of Massachusetts History professor, this book explores the deep religious symbology we used for inspiration while writing the record.

I think I bought that Tool album in high school, too.
posted by spiderwire at 9:38 PM on June 28, 2008 [2 favorites]

heh. It lacks the tension-resolve-tension-resolve of MBV, whilst lacking the (then) novelty of Sonic Youth.

That said, they do a good job at shoegazeyness on the second linked mp3.

Bah. It just goes to show how bad Ride would have sucked if they had taken themselves as seriously as these cats seem to.

If this is what is "acclaimed" nowadays, I'd like to have Radiohead back, please. Anyway, snark aside, I'm glad this was posted. I've never heard music that sounds exactly like this.
posted by Kwantsar at 9:45 PM on June 28, 2008

Slap enough reverb and fuzz on your guitars, and someone is bound to list you as the next big indie thing. Vocals are too generic and already sound dated, and are almost-but-not-quite drowned out by the guitar. Nice try, tho. ::returns to his Insane Clown Posse/Enya mashup::
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:52 PM on June 28, 2008

The production sounds really really cool. (That said, the next big thing is in hiphop, and will be for a long time.)
posted by Tlogmer at 9:59 PM on June 28, 2008

Man. Really, the production is really, really cool.
posted by Tlogmer at 10:01 PM on June 28, 2008

I guess it's pretty easy to sell out Aquarius when you only ship them 40 CD-R's. Also, this post reads an awful lot like PR for the band - the wiki page for Joy Division? Really? (Also, something about your favorite band)
posted by whir at 10:03 PM on June 28, 2008

Sisters of Mercy meets Jesus and Mary Chain at Psychocandy.

It's good the kids are listening to their parents' music, I guess.
posted by vitia at 10:12 PM on June 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Also I wish people would stop talking about "symbology" like it's a real thing.</small?
posted by whir at 10:12 PM on June 28, 2008

but if you need to read a book to enjoy an album, there's something definitely wrong.

I disagree. I think different media can work to complement one another. Music videos are a perfect example.

I guess it's pretty easy to sell out Aquarius when you only ship them 40 CD-R's. Also, this post reads an awful lot like PR for the band - the wiki page for Joy Division? Really?

CD-Rs? If you're going to be a blatant shithead, make your case in MeTa, please.

Man. Really, the production is really, really cool.

Definitely. From what I was reading, The Big Gloom has about 50 tracks of pure bass.
posted by Christ, what an asshole at 10:34 PM on June 28, 2008

An interesting sound, but - do they even have a drummer?

A real live drummer would really help them out, I think.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 11:07 PM on June 28, 2008

CD-Rs?

That's what it says at the top of the page I linked: "2xcd-r + book." Maybe I'm wrong and it's just some sort of unusual Aquarius terminology, though. I didn't mean to be a shithead about it.
posted by whir at 11:14 PM on June 28, 2008

Your favourite band still sucks.
posted by simra at 11:29 PM on June 28, 2008

That's what it says at the top of the page I linked: "2xcd-r + book." Maybe I'm wrong and it's just some sort of unusual Aquarius terminology, though. I didn't mean to be a shithead about it.

My mistake. I read "BUT, the band decided to not make any more copies, and let us have their last 40" and thought you were deliberately reappropriating it as some lazy slap-job to make a point. But it does indeed say "cd-r." I never got a chance to order a copy so I'll never know if they were professionally pressed. Sorry for the knee-jerk. I'm gonna go to sleep now. =)
posted by Christ, what an asshole at 12:13 AM on June 29, 2008

accompanied by a 75-page booklet on medieval Italian heretics

If it ain't Cohn's Pursuit of the Millennium I don't want to know about it.
posted by Falconetti at 12:32 AM on June 29, 2008 [3 favorites]

*COUGH* http://tinyurl.com/5zbudf
posted by vhsiv at 1:00 AM on June 29, 2008

-1 for the grocer's apostrophe regarding death's proximity. Punctuation and death should be taken equally seriously.
posted by Graygorey at 1:25 AM on June 29, 2008

the overwhelming awareness, at all times, of death and its proximity.

Apparently they haven't strayed too far from their Connecticut roots.
posted by Kinbote at 2:30 AM on June 29, 2008

A quick google garnered about a half-dozen mentions of this band on the first ten pages of results. All are little bloggy affairs. To call something "acclaimed," it needs to be mentioned--and then reviewed, favourably--by someone real. Getting a bunch of friends to help game rateyourmusic.com doesn't really count.

Something smells very broken and flowery about this post. I'm sure the mods are (or will be) having a fun time scouring your registration info for evidence of self-linkage, Christ.

I'd just like to know if the band is named after the album by Cyndi Lauper or the song by Hillary Duff.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:22 AM on June 29, 2008

I like the music well enough, but as an FPP, it's crap. If it's self-link Pepsi Blue, be less explicit with the dumb, celebratory copy.

If not, tell it like it is, and just say that HANL is some band from your local scene that Mefi users might like/be interested in, because other people's shitty copy isn't going to get people to seek these guys out.

Respect the intelligence of your audience, please. Here on the blue, they're pretty good at sorting smelly fish.

MefiMusic might have been a better place for this, with pointers to the free samples on the enemieslist.net website.
posted by vhsiv at 4:41 AM on June 29, 2008

A quick google garnered about a half-dozen mentions of this band on the first ten pages of results. All are little bloggy affairs. To call something "acclaimed," it needs to be mentioned--and then reviewed, favourably--by someone real. Getting a bunch of friends to help game rateyourmusic.com doesn't really count.

You're right, let's let Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NME, and their ilk be the sole arbiters of taste. Let's wait for them to happen upon something before we can deem it worthwhile.

I wouldn't be too sure on your "bunch of friends" thing either. Their myspace only has 880 friends and their rym has 550 reviews. For a band that doesn't seem to even have their own proper website, I'm pretty sure whoring and interneting isn't their thing.

I like the music well enough, but as an FPP, it's crap. If it's self-link Pepsi Blue, be less explicit with the dumb, celebratory copy.

I keep being accused of this. Take it to MeTa, dude.
posted by Christ, what an asshole at 6:34 AM on June 29, 2008

much of Joy Divisions power came from their totally frenetic drumming style.

When they played live I would agree, but I don't think too many people would refer to the beats on Unknown Pleasures as "powerful." Certainly not too many drummers.
posted by brevator at 6:55 AM on June 29, 2008

On the subject of drumming and power, I guess it really comes down to what you mean when you say "powerful".

Forcefully powerful. Technically powerful. Emotionally powerful (usually how I use it).
posted by Christ, what an asshole at 7:41 AM on June 29, 2008

More moderation of this post from OP, please!
posted by asok at 7:51 AM on June 29, 2008 [2 favorites]

If this was mixed in with a bunch of Pixies, Sonic Youth, some early Tool, and anything off of the "Crow" soundtrack on a streaming radio channel, I wouldn't be able to tell that it was actually new.

Which isn't a bad thing, I guess, as I still periodically listen to channels like that.
posted by thanotopsis at 10:33 AM on June 29, 2008

If you're going to be a blatant shithead, make your case in MeTa, please.

Sorry for the knee-jerk.

I keep being accused of this. Take it to MeTa, dude.

Defensive much?
posted by vitia at 3:05 PM on June 29, 2008

Good post, thanks.
posted by zarq at 8:24 AM on June 30, 2008

I think people are being a bit too harsh in their summation of what is obviously just a passionate reaction to new music that the OP has discovered and enjoyed (and wishes to share). The band does sound like they take themselves too seriously, but a lot of good bands do that. The influences make it sound like something right up my alley- I'll give it a listen when I get off of work. Thanks, CWAA.
posted by kryptondog at 8:40 AM on June 30, 2008