Customer Reviews

Subliminal Plastic Motives

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One day back in '96, I heard "Cannon" on the radio, and didn't pay much mind. Then, a month or so later, I heard "So Low" on the same radio station, and I decided to buy this album. It wasn't the straight-faced lyric reading that caught me, it was the truly interesting music I heard behind the vocals. Buying this album was a great decision. The rest of the album is a unique pastiche of rock, pop, sound effects and interesting lyrics. To appeal to those of you who don't know anything about Self, Self is Garbage with a young male as the lead singer, and without the New Wave tendencies. Buy this album. See them live (they rock). Buy "Breakfast With Girls". Experience Self.

The synth-pop stylings of Self seem straightforward and thin at first, but the inventiveness and ingenuity displayed on SPM surprise me everytime I pop it into my Cd player. This album sets a precedent for the genre which is rarely touched. Considering it was one of my first albums and it has not worn with time, I feel quite certain that SPM will be a permanent fixture in my collection. Highlights include Borateen, Sophomore Jinx, Stewardess...hell the whole album is one big highlight.

Self is one of my favorite bands, and they (well he) hails from my hometown of Kingsport, TN, which is why I bought the album in the first place. I instantly fell in love with it. It's a definite must have for all. Every song grabs your attention and will not let it go. This album is a redemption for all of you left out to dry after the death of the infamous Alternative explosion (psst...you can stop listening to Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins now) However, the not-yet-released album sounds like it might even be better. If you want to hear how Self sounds now, then check out their song on the Deadman on Campus soundtrack. But if you want my advice...BUY THIS ALBUM NOW...you can thank me later.

This is one of the more underrated, unheard of albums I've come to know and love. The eclectic mix of influences in Matt Mahaffey's life are obvious as there are tones of hip-hop, tones of pop and tones of rock splashed within it, and has some of the best pop music that's been released in a long time.

Marathon Shirt is one of my favorite tracks of all-time and the singles, "Cannon" and "So Low" were large reasons why I became addicted to the infectious music that Mahaffey puts out.

This is probably the most accessable Self album that was ever put out (Breakfast with Girls is fairly accessable too), and remains as one of the better albums, though "the Half-Baked Serenade" is absolutely GREAT, but good luck either FINDING it or finding it at an affordable price (I paid $45 for mine about a year ago, and it took me about 2 months for one to catch one go on sale on Ebay).

Gizmodgery, another Self project, is also a good album, but the fact that it's as experimental as it is just makes it a little less open to the average listener.

If you've never heard of Self, buy this album. It's well worth it. If you HAVE heard of Self, you've probably got it already, and for those of you who HAVE heard of Self, good luck finding "half-Baked" and "gizmodgery." I've come to find that most people who buy this album end up fanatic like me...

This is one of the most listen-to albums I own. Self grew on me rather briskly. I bought it because I had heard "So Low" once on the radio in 1997. Even though I like it enough to give it a *** 1/2 rating, that single doesn't do the entire album justice.

Self is a cross between Beck and Stereolab, and if you are a fan of either, then pick up Subliminal Plastic Motives. In this album, the band does a great job weaving various musical styles in various songs, all held together with strings of bubbles and spaciness.

Motive's tendency to experiment with the sounds of music is infectious. "Borateen" is the album's strongest cut in my opinion, and I like the jazzy feel to "Big Important Nothing". Fortunately, the creative strength of Self rubs off on almost every song here. I should get more of their records.

I heard this album through a friend at first...I had convinced myself that I wouldn't like it, and was pleasantly surprised. My tastes usually run more towards industrial and heavy alternative, but good music is good music. SPM is possibly the best pop album I've ever heard. Marathon Shirt and Big Important Nothing in particular are fantastic songs.

I love Self. They are the best. The way the music fuses different sounds together is genius. No matter what music you like, you will like Self.

Easily the most melodic release of the year, put together with delicate craft. Matt, an amazing drummer-turned-multi-instrumentalist, unleashes the freshest collections of songs in a long time. From the growl of "Borateen" to the odd-time grit-groove of "Lucid Anne" to the unbelievable twists and turns of "Superstar," this album has NO weak moment; it re-established my faith in new music. Just to exemplify how blown away I was by this CD, I confess to having bought twelve copies to give out as Christmas presents. Check out Matt's follow-up EP, entitled "The Half-Baked Serenade." And if you hear anything out there that is along the same vein, would you please let me know?

SELF's nucleus, Matt Mahaffey, is a musical genius. It's too bad he hasn't become mainstream, even though his low profile is part of the appeal to most fans.

Subliminal Plastic Motives is the first SELF album, and is an enthusiastic and edgy power-pop album. The lyrics are deceptively light; beneath the poppy exterior, SELF's songs are thoughtful, funny, and provocative.

A superb album for any music lover.

I heard Cannon on the radio years back when Self first came out in america. I had been a nirvana freak back when i was 12(93) and then of course Kurt died. I had been listening to NIN to try to feed my angst for songwriting as I was a young aspiring musician. Self was the first band that actually hit home to some ideas i had, that noone had been using in music. They used all but standard time signatures yet still wrote amazingly catchy, emotional songs. All the rock without too much jazz. Depending on how smart of a listener you are.
If you like self, chances are you're intelligent but don't like the status quo of intelligence in music.
If you don't like self, you're a turd.