Prelude To Ecstasy (studio album) by The Last Dinner Party

From cestuneblague 04/23/2024 04:53

As usual my old foagie ass only hears about albums that are apparently So Big Hype right now when there's usually some crass controversy surrounding it, and lo and behold that's where I first heard about this album and well curiosity of course still kills the elderly cat. Again I don't really care about the terminally online arguments about them being Trust-Fund Nepo Babies, or Too Pretentious, or Too over hyped because they're g[don't at me]s who occasionally talk about sex and marketable feminist themes like it's a novel concept in 2024, again just put on the music and see how it vibes

And it's good. I'm glad that this actually pulls from some new corners of 80s fetishism and has some notable ambition to boot, and I definitely wasn't expecting the occasional detours into Jethro Tull style light prog or euro folk even if it's a bit of a underdeveloped and conspicuously extraneous detour, though perhaps expected in an album that blithely favours excess. The not-really-controversial feminist lyrics are fine but also, um, very very Collegiate White Girl Feminism, which kind of hinder the attempt at crafting a more underdog persona they're occasionally going for with this album. I guess to pointlessly add fuel to the worst argument against this album or the band's existence, the work's rather trite theme of "Men Have it All, If I were a Man SO WOUlD I!" probably would have a bit more sting if it wasn't coming from a place that sees the kind of privileges 99 percent of men could only dream of. Not really a huge knock that a first time band is still circling shallow waters on bigger issues, but it's an album works better when it leads into More straight-up bawdy art-school camp or is even genuinely a bit mysterious. More so that criticism kind of leads to how repetitive the overall songwriting can get, where the grand instrumental swelling and operatic bellowing seem to come in at far-too-similar intervals.

So it's good, still very beholden to it's influences like most debut albums and works better cut into large chunks, a promising first album that inevitably the hype has over praised and can kind of make the occasional wart seem more blatant up close. Still, I'll check back in round 2.

Outstanding debut album. An overall terrific sound with pop melodies and post-punk guitars. Lyrically interesting, a strong unique voice. Overall a really good album.

I've heard comments like an industry plant and the lead singer is a bit full of themselves. I can only go by what I hear musically and it sounds great I can see these being a huge draw at festivals in 2024 .really refreshing album and shows huge potential for future releases

It sounds like they've actually thought about every single element of their music and presentation. Pulling elements from every decade and as many different genres as they can. It's probably the best thing I've heard from a new band/artist since Arlo Parks debut and the best record of 2024...so far.

From LebowskiRams 02/04/2024 20:42

This was an incredible first listen. Operatic glam rock that tackles love and gender with nuance, vivid imagery and heart.

A fantastic record

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