Talk Like Blood

Product Description
Having received accolades from Magnet, Copper Press, San Francisco Bay Guardian, and many others, 31Knots return with their third full-length and first on Polyvinyl. They released two critically acclaimed full-lengths, toured with Q And Not U, and most recently toured Japan, selling out Tokyo. "31Knots know their Yes, and they know how to make Fugazi and Slint sound exactly like Yes. This is John Anderson fronting Modest Mouse, and it works so well that 31Knots will be the flagship band when the term 'prog pop' enters our lexicon" - Magnet.

Album Description

Japanese pressing features 1 bonus track & CD extra TBA. Stiff Slack. 2005

Customer Reviews:

there best work.......2006-06-08

this album is great they couldnt do any better you hsould purchase this cd i know someone who will send you a copy for free there phone number is (702)220-8330.

On The Verge.......2005-10-31

To fill out my monthly quota of watered down, esoteric comparisons, I'm required to say that this is kinda like the Mars Volta's "Frances the Mute" at half speed cut with a little Arcade Fire and Elbow (just when is government gonna get out of our lives, eh?). Talk Like Blood's take on neo-psychedelia remembers the cinematics produced by Yes and ELP in their peak years, though probably closer to Yes in terms of guitar sound. With their first Polyvinyl release looming, 31 Knots is a band on the verge of making it big.

Average customer rating:

I am a new fan of 31 Knots
The easiest 5 stars I've ever given.

Talk Like Blood
31Knots
Manufacturer: Polyvinyl Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000BB18HC
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

City Of Dust
Hearsay
Thousand Wars
Intuition Imperfected
Chain Reaction
Interlude
A Void Employs A Kiss
Proxy And Dominion
Talk Like Blood
Busy Is Bold
Impromptu Disproving

Album Description

Having received accolades from Magnet, Copper Press, San Francisco Bay Guardian, and many others, 31Knots return with their third full-length and first on Polyvinyl. They released two critically acclaimed full-lengths, toured with Q And Not U, and most recently toured Japan, selling out Tokyo. "31Knots know their Yes, and they know how to make Fugazi and Slint sound exactly like Yes. This is John Anderson fronting Modest Mouse, and it works so well that 31Knots will be the flagship band when the term 'prog pop' enters our lexicon" - Magnet.

Customer Reviews:

I am a new fan of 31 Knots.......2006-05-13

Hearing them for the first time most recently after purchasing a CD from Polyvinyl Records, Hail Social, I was also sent a sampler CD for free, and the track Chain Reaction by 31 Knots is awesome, I love it. The previous review wondered about the
hand-picked mainstream feel of the song, and I think it will
be loved by many, simliar to Radiohead, who is genius, but not mainstream to me. I give the song Chain Reaction 5 stars, and I will buy the whole CD soon.

The easiest 5 stars I've ever given........2005-10-13

Talk Like Blood is 31 Knots' third official full-length album, and it's quite possibly their best. While the band hasn't tamed down the technicality of their playing, the songs are truly the focus here. The record is dark and bleak. In lesser hands, it would probably come off as a litany of complaints. In the care of Joe Haege, Jay Pellicci, and Jay Winebrenner, it instead sounds like a celebration of life.

The lyrics have evolved to be more inclusive if still evasive. They're a puzzle, but we're now given large clues as to the rules. The recording is crisp without ever sounding overproduced. The album as a whole is somehow the most dense and yet most listener-friendly work they've produced. Unconventional and challenging as it may be, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if 31 Knots has made a hit record.

The songs:

1. City of Dust - Who the hell opens an album with an old school hip hop shout out? And why does it actually work so beautifully here? Over a guitar and beat that sound like a calliope nightmare, Joe Haege sings about... well, something. And it sounds beautiful. Some reviewers calls the lyrics politically timely, but I think 31 Knots is more concerned with the abuse of power in general than with whoever is in office presently. A stunning, strange opening to the album, with a clue that this one will be more personal than the back catalog.

2. Hearsay - Ah, back to the old sounds. Easily one of the most immediate, radio friendly tracks on Talk Like Blood. The opening drumming is primal, the bass actually grooves(!), and the ending 30 seconds or so will give you whiplash and a sore throat.

3. Thousand Wars - I once read a review for a Nirvana album that called one of their songs a 'two minute corker.' They should have saved the term for this song. Another one that questions absolute power in its lyrics. The music here seems simple until you pay attention. Jay P's drumming alone is a master class in quick percussion. Oh, and Joe whips out a mean falsetto.

4. Intuition Imperfected - It's not an accordian but a guitar that starts this song, no matter what your ears might tell you. The first line of singing is Joe Haege's finest, most confident vocal performance ever recorded, and the song only gets better from there. This one is a marvel.

5. Chain Reaction - This track seems to have been picked by the band's label as something of a single. At 6:07, that may seem an odd pick, but the simplicity (for 31 Knots) and beauty of this song make the choice rather obvious. With more linear lyrics than usual, off kilter sentiments, and a build to a vocal crescendo that will leave you breathless, this is the kind of song that would top the charts in some (smarter) alternate reality.

6. Towering Steps(?) - Yes, there's a hidden track, and yes, it's in the middle of the album. This is sure to throw some reviewers off. A great separation between the two 'sides' of the album. Not a song, just a chance to catch your breath.

7. A Void Employs A Kiss - A swirling guitar opening morphs into one of 31 Knots' most obviously personal songs. "Now I live inside of you..." Joe sings, and that's precisely where he burrows in this song. And when he threatens that he'll then "climb the stairs and break your heart," well, don't say he didn't warn you.

8. Proxy and Dominion - The first 31 Knots song to feature piano as the prominent instrument, this is another short, to the point rock song. Or so it seems. The piano goes off far into classical territory in the breakdown, and for as long as I live I will never understand how Jay gets these sounds from a guitar. The ending piano line is so beautiful it makes me almost forget the fierceness that preceded it.

9. Talk Like Blood - This is one strange bird. We open with a string sample, looped on skip mode, and some of Joe's most arena rock guitar work ever. Then the vocals, oh God. They're menacing enough to send small children and dogs under the bed. Only when the songs snap into a more traditional rock song is it safe to come out of hiding. Well, until Joe the killer returns and demands that you "react so I can act like a man."

10. Busy is Bold - The return of the 'wash of instruments' sound from previous albums returns, only to be wiped out by a syncopated breakbeat featuring sleepy, seductive vocals, gorgeous falsetto, and a brain warping bass line. The close of the song is philosophical, wise, and downright pretty. The vocal melodies are so pure you can't believe they're not stolen.

11. Impromptu Disproving - There is definitely a 'type' to the last song on any 31 Knots album. They are sparse, cagey, and melancholy. This one is no different. But unlike in the past, it's not really a departure from the rest of the album. It's certainly not a single, and it's not immediately catchy, but this is quite simply one of the most gorgeous songs 31 Knots has written.

Rock Music:

Rock Music