Customer Reviews

Elysium

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

i have to admit, i had never heard of the velvet teen before this past summer, when i was invited to see them perform when they came around DC. a friend was visiting town from LA, where he had seen the velvet teen several times, and was very much a huge fan of theirs. i trusted his taste in music, so came along, however hesitant i was to see a band i knew nothing about.

as soon as they began their set, i was immediately hooked. their music is so incredibly unique, and they are beautiful live. elysium, is not, as others have stated before, something you just grab to listen for the sake of listening to music. you honestly have to LISTEN to this album, it's so amazing. each track has its own mood, message, and judah's voice soars through each and every one. hearing this great album is one thing, but seeing them live, and that being the first i have heard of their music, was a real luck of the draw. they are superb live. they really bring in the emotion to the music, and i admit, i loved watching judah pour his heart into his voice.

this album is truly one of my favorites now. great music, great experimentation with a new sound unlike their previous albums, great lyrics. can't recommend it enough!

The band stated on their website before this CD came out that "this may be the end of music as you know it"...or something to that effect....i must say that is totally correct!

I first hear the velvet teen on the show subterranean on mtv. They were playing the video for Prize Fighter off of Out of the Fierce Parade CD. I skipped over it for the first few seconds and let my mind wander, for it wasnt that interesting in my ignorant opinion, but within the first half of the song i realized this was nothing like i had ever heard...it was worth watchin and listening to...and so i did...and by the end of the song i was totally hooked, this song never left my mind, when it wasnt at the forefront it was entertaining the memories and thoughts a little less used....

And now, here we are with Elysium. This is the first album i have bought by them and it is, no joke, the end of music...you will never need to hear anything ever again! i bought it after downloading Forlorn from their website...if they choose a single from it i think it should definately be that song, but the whole cd is fantastic...i listened to it once through the night i got it, before i slept...and then as soon as i woke up i listened to it again...thouroughly enjoying every second of it....i couldnt leave my room and continue on with life...i eventually wandered away only to find myself in my car with the cd in my hands driving and listening to the whole thing yet again...this CD is it! its all over! it is magnificent....

There are entirely two different experiences to it...that which is listening to it on a minor stereo in whatever order you see fit...and then when you listen to the whole thing, from absolute start to finish on headphones or a great system with no outside noise...you find yourself lost in it...the tonal emotions are as vivid a painting before you eyes....

I cannot recomend this to anyone who doesnt take music seriously, for this is one hefty spoonfull to swallow, but if you are a true music connoisseur then you will need to buy this album...listen to it over and over again...and you will never need to hear anything ever again, these songs have been in my head every waking hour of every day just as thick as if i were listening to them at that moment, and it is glorious....

An awful lot of these reviews keep coming back to the point that this album is pretentious. Honeslty, I could not disagree more. Losing guitar in place of piano is not pretentious, its a brave move. Judah Nagler, a guitar player, wanted to make an album without guitar. Welcome to The Velvet Teen. In regard to the stickers on the front of the album, maybe slowdance records wrote about The Velvet Teen in glowing terms because they are close friends and TVT is their flagship band. Why anyone would criticize him for that is beyond me. As far as Thom Yorke similarities go, Thom and Judah have similar voices, Judah is inspired by Radiohead. Saying that Judah "rips-off" Yorke is rediculous. Lastly, in regard to poor lyrics all i have to say is when was the last time you wrote something better then this?

"half-full loses weight once you taste it / so for now my empty glass must mean i've chased it / but i'm not wasted and i'll not waste it / the dealer laced it with a new decree of our separation / how many have you taken? / and i could run off at the mouth / for hours on end, like i'd gone senseless / but i'm just speechless / rendered me defenseless / barred from your presence, my name from present-tenses "

This album is a beautiful deviation from the norm in this genre. The Velvet Teen proves through Elysium that they are a well rounded group who are capable of anything. This album is one of my top 5 albums of all time. I recommend it HIGHLY to anyone who enjoys good music.

This album will make you cry out from sheer emotive ecstasy, and I am not exaggerating. When Judah Nagler's voice soars towards the end of Poor Celine, you heart rises along with it; when he croons "you're not meant for me" at the end of Forlorn, the effect is dramatic, conveying a sense of, well, forlornness. The harmonious vocal arrangements and resplendent musical production make this a true sonic "elysium" you'll want to revisit again and again...and again.

Make no mistake...this album is extraordinary. If you are familiar with the band's previous recordings (Out of the Fierce Parade, The Great Beast February/Comasynthesis), I should warn you that this album is not as approachable as the first two. By that, I mean that it does not have the immediate hookish, hear-it-one-time-and-your-humming-it-for-the-rest-of-the-week quality. It is much more complex and ambitious than what I have been accustomed to hearing from this band...which is saying something! I would say that this album follows a darker direction, but that isn't quite the word I'm looking for. I would say it has a bleak feel to it, but that would make it sound boring, and it certainly isn't. I think the word I'm looking for is either "somber" or "mature", not that somberness or maturity were lacking from the previous albums of this band.

After listening to the album a few times, however, I found the album to feature some of the most beautiful and complex soundscapes I've ever heard, some of which could possibly make The Cure's Robert Smith wish he'd thought of them. Also, the band has not lost its sense of melody at all. However, rather than repetitive, catchy hooks, the band utilizes a number of different hooks in each song, some of which never repeat. It is a good blend between traditional, formulaic pop song writing and innovative, progressive experimentation. I think most would agree on this point after listening to the album's longest track, "Chimera Obscurant."

One of the more ambitious features of the Album is its instrumentation. This time around, The Teen makes use of strings, keys, electronic voicings, and even brass, while conspicuously avoiding the use of guitar. All the while, they manage to arrange everything masterfully, maintaining good dynamics and never once sounding too thick or syrupy. I can't determine whether the strings are authentic or synthesized, but they sound great, so who honestly cares (perish with your sniveling, ye indie snoots)? Also, the abscence of guitar was not an issue for me, since the songs are all perfectly energetic and well-rounded without them.

Judah Nagler's resonant voice seems to have increased in range since the last album. His voice itself is used as one of the most unique instruments in the album. Rich, three-part background vocals often add to the songs in subtle ways, and occasionally Judah will go off on a sort of lead with his voice. The overall effect is haunting and beautiful.

The album is only 8 tracks long, and only six of those are real songs. The first track is a bunch of weird electronic noises that leads nicely into the first song, and the 8th is a goofy hidden track added for laughs. However, the remaining six tracks are so full and lush that I certainly cannot fault this album for its brevity. Besides, it's still about 40 minutes of music.

I believe truly good music takes you to another place when you listen to it, and Elysium certainly does. One of the most impressive things about it is that it was all independently produced on Judah's laptop.

Long live people named Judah!

This album is a revelation. Words do not do it justice. Decide for yourself.

My first thoughts upon hearing Elysium (rather, before I even took the plastic wrap off the case) I thought, "God, how pretentious can you get?" My reaction was probably due to the sticker on the front which stated, as I remember it, anyway "BEHOLD: The 2nd Album from The Velvet Teen! No Guitars! For Reals!" Any band that introduces their cd with "Behold" must seriously be full of it I though, but having been a fan of their previous material, I decided to let that slide.

After listening to the CD, my opinion of their pretention remained the same, however the sheer beauty of some of the tracks is breathtaking. I admit, at points Jonah isn't exactly the greatest lyricist in the world, but at other points his words and his voice shine. I wouldn't compare his voice to Thom Yorke (we can save that for the guy from Muse), but I'd compare it closer to that of the late, great, Jeff Buckley.

Some of the tracks are kind of hefty to get through, notably the 13 minute aural adventure of Chimera Obscurant stuck right in the middle of the CD (just a heads-up, that song could probably win the award for most lyrics packed into a song in the history of man). Forlorn and A Captive Audience are some of my favorite tracks on the cd; the piano licks on both songs are very catchy, (and pretty fun to play, might I add).

Anyway, if you have a problem with pretention, then sure, go away and buy something else, but if you do decide to get this CD... Prepare yourself. Its a fantastic ride.

The Velvet Teen has become a pretentious and bloated mimic machine that churns out tired imitations of yesterday's genius. This album seems more design than art, more intellectual vanity than inspired musical experimentation, and more sequins than substance. A candle fancies itself to be the Sun. If Judah could only find a pocket of honesty and humility in his ever expanding bag of tricks, perhaps he would treat us to something truly remarkable. But alas, Ego wins the day, and we are given a shifting glimpse into a carefully fabricated soul loosely based on the lives of others. Maybe some are dazzled by the illusion, but I'm disappointed. I recommend you save your money for something a bit less forced, and a good deal more authentic.

My friends told me to buy this cd, and that it was overwhelmingly wonderful. I think its the silliest music I've heard in a while. There is almost nothing here worth mentioning of any quality at all. The album itself sounds quite good. Some of the string arrangements, which I understand the band didn't write, are pretty good. but none of the songs seem grounded in anything particularly genuine, none of the melodies are very moving, I just don't see what the big deal is about this band.

I cannot believe how weak this music is. The singer tries real hard to sound like York but he sounds like an idiot because his lyrics are so bad. And the music, while well-produced, is just annoying. These guys cant write, sing, or do anything right on this album. How old are they like 12? Sounds like it.