What's The Most Difficult Album You've Ever Listened To?

I agree with Bitches Brew for sure. Found that one extremely tough.

Earth - Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version

I really don't know what to make of this album. I like slow, droning music this album is just... an endurance test. I understand you're supposed to turn it up good and loud and immerse yourself in its intense atmosphere, but I was just crying out for some sort of dynamics to break up the otherwise monotonous wall of noise. The only cool thing about it is when you've finished listening to it and you take off your headphones everything sounds trebly because of the amount of bass.

rcaz wrote: »

John Coltrane's Ascension is kinda hard going but it's really fantastic stuff. I usually find it best to have a few beers and put it on without trying too hard... Just let the sound come at you and wash over you. That's where the real enjoyment is for me, anyway.

And Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz is a ****ing great album, another one where it's not worth trying to follow the lines or anything, just get stuck into the sound. Play it LOUD.

Two absolutely cracking albums there! These 4 albums took me a lot of effort to really get into, but they're all amazing and highly recommended

The most recent jazz record that i picked up that took more than a few listen was Coleman's 'Sound Grammar'. No, your ears aren't deceiving you, that is in fact two bassists:



Soft Machine's 'Third' is probably best tackled one of the four near-twenty minute tracks at a time:



Fredrick Thordendal's (he of Meshuggah fame, who aren't exactly the most accessible band out there to begin with) absolute head trip Sol Niger Within needs to be listened to as one piece. Think i listened to for about a year on and off bfore it finally clicked:



Fitting that Gorgut's 'Obscura' has been described as the 'Trout Mask Replica' of metal. The entire album features similar oddness and intensity. This is a great video of the title track getting hammered out live

mosstin wrote: »

Ye Gods. You don't know what you're missing then. One of the finest albums of the 2000s.

Aye! It's lovely too, perfect late night listening. Maybe the geek in me gets giddy hearing pi recited to a tonne of decimal places in such a soft, smooth manner!

snausages wrote: »

Does music have its own Finnegans Wake?

Uh, I don't listen to a lot so for me a 'difficult' album might seem a bit tame to a lot of others here. I had a hard time figuring out if people actually enjoyed 'In the aeroplane over the sea' un-ironically or if it was all just a big joke. Anything from Sunn O)))) and Merriweather post pavilion confuse me as well.

I don't think In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is that inaccessible, I just found it to be a bit uninspiring and boring. I never really understood it's reputation as I think there were far better lo-fi indie albums in the 90's. Merriweather Post Pavilion is actually Animal Collective's most accessible album funnily enough. It's actually poppy enough in places yet still has an overall experimental bent.

Everything about that album is great. Even the bit with the old dude reminiscing about Coney Island.