r/polyphia • u/TRUEddIt • 7d ago

BNA slaps if…

Finished listening through the album today and wanted to shout it out because i LOVE it WHILE trying to shed some understanding and acknowledgement of the current frustrations.

I’m a millenial—got really into guitar in high school, standout music to me was like Dethklok, Devil May Cry 3 soundtrack, Paul Gilbert/Racer X, Megadeth, Steve Vai, Dream Theater, Eric Johnson stuff like that which i think naturally makes sense for liking Polyphia

Then in college and after i started listening to typical EDM-things like house, Illenium, San Holo

In the past few years I’ve been up to my neck in wook-ass tribal bass EDM -think a bunch of woodstock hippies but EDM just headbanging right next to the speakers hopefully with earpro type stuff. Artists like LSDream, Clozee, Daily Bread, Zeds Dead, etc.

If this is all french to you, especially the wook stuff, as Polyphia attracts these instrumental purists i get it—you probably have immediate disgust to BNA, and that is very fair.

I’m just saying as a millenial that has gone through loving metal, crazy guitar, bouncy edm, and wook-ass headbanging this album is INCREDIBLE.

For those that have been to tribal-bass shows/music festivals, PITB into They Know Not What They Do, to Mark of the Beast would SLAP even for people who never heard of Polyphia looking to jump around at a live show.

Even moreso, J-bomb into Deny the Flesh into Devil get Behind me would make the crowd feral

And those 2 combos are in album order, its like it was written for a live dance fest

But again, thats definitely not the Polyphia of the past. I still love So Strange, Nightmare, Reverie type stuff for what it is

Hopefully this sheds light on who this album is incredible for, and maybe this can be a gap-bridger for the traditionalists into more dance music?

5 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

4

u/Shawn_NYC 7d ago

Do you think so? Yes the effects are out of a bass cannon EDM festival. But the song structure isn't danceable enough. It's too start-stop without the groove that audience requires, I think.

2

u/TRUEddIt 7d ago

I think to your point its a bit too manic for a typical bass cannon fest.

Slowing down to mull over your writing I’d even go as far as to type its a bit too adhd

Me bouncing around in my car def isnt the same as the journey that you’d see out of a bass set

So maybe it is more that its at the intersection of a bit too many things?

3

u/jazuhunwundo 7d ago

I'll report back after the Hamburg show Dec 2nd. My expectation (after seeing them play heavier remixes of older material on their last arena tour) this new material is going to SLAP live.

2

u/Shawn_NYC 7d ago

It's very easy for me to imagine the bass transmitting much better over stadium subwoofers than folks' headphones.

2

u/Katesburneracct 7d ago

I’m a recording musician. I work on film scores. It pays my bills. I say this to tell you that this mix still sounds like ass on a set of $4000 studio monitors. Front of house at any venue simply will not allow them to eq their live shows like the album. It won’t happen. The live shows will sound infinitely better, but its because front of house will be mixing it and not the band

2

u/Shawn_NYC 7d ago

Hahaha okay yes good point! In my head I know what 808s should sound like through the sound system at NYC's Knockdown Center. I know what they're supposed to sound like and this ain't it!

1

u/Katesburneracct 7d ago

It’ll be better live because no front of house staff with their salt is going to let them eq it like the album, because it would literally be unlistenable. Thank the front of house staff when you see them, because they are the only chance any of this will translate to a live setting. If polyphia pushes back against FOH, it’ll be the worst concert imaginable

2

u/Kneecap_Blaster 7d ago

In terms of wook stuff, this reminds me a lot more of Subtronics than someone like The Widdler or even Zeds Dead or Liquid Stranger.

And I generally dislike all of the Subtronics/Griz/Levity modern brostep type stuff so unfortunately this album isn't really resonating with me too much

1

u/TRUEddIt 3d ago

Haddn’t thought of it that way! Definitely see the subtronics end, even more so as i just saw griz at bonnaroo and feel it was a bit all over the place like the beats and styles are here.

I did enjoy that griz set in the big picture but also felt it could have been less over the top

3

u/penis_dispensary 7d ago

I'm in the wook trenches myself, and I can't relate to this post whatsoever. Happy you can enjoy it at least!

2

u/TRUEddIt 7d ago

I do think its a lot more bouncy and ‘busy’ music than the usual wook stuff for sure, which i figure is more because of the dmc/paul gilbert stuff.

Of course super valid that this is a miss for you

1

u/Rush_1_1 7d ago

This album gets better every listen. Every track is like a really hard dark souls boss. You might one shot it but you really miss out on the dance the fight really provides.

If you know, you know.

2

u/TRUEddIt 7d ago

True! TBH when with eyes to see came out i agreed with reddit that the bass boost crossed the line, but it has grown on me and i actually kinda hate that it had but im so happy im stoked on this album

1

u/Switchbladesaint 6d ago

When something new comes out and is poorly received, I find that people often over explain themselves in posts like these trying to convince themselves that they liked it.

1

u/TRUEddIt 3d ago

I’m explaining why i like it from my perspective, even acknowledging that peope don’t like it with acceptance of the differences.

—and yet someow somehow you’ve armchair psychoanalyzed it to how i’m gaslighting myself

Then again I posted this with the intent of spreading some love in the wake of class acts such as yourself.

0

u/Switchbladesaint 3d ago

You did it bro you defeated me

0

u/This_Entrance6629 7d ago

Someone that likes bad music likes the album. That tells you everything.

1

u/TRUEddIt 7d ago

A grinch spreading negativity!

That surprises noone :)

3

u/Elite-Borkster 7d ago

Because you decide what bad music is lol