The impressive debut release from Connecticut's Have a Nice Life (released by the intriguing Enemies List and recommended to me by a kind reader a few months ago) is an incredibly ambitious 90-minute double-CD that was recorded over a massive stretch of five years (from 2002—2007) for a total cost of a mere $1,000—which insanely enough even covers the cost of the CD-R's and packaging... which includes a fucking 75-page booklet with lyrics, artwork, and a treatise written by a University of Massachusetts History professor. These contributions, which obviously make up the bulk of the booklet, "explore the deep religious symbology used for inspiration while writing the record. The songs contain elaborate references to 12th century apostasies; the book will help those without a background in religious history to understand their meanings." Lofty enough for you!?
The band cites amongst their influences My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, New Order, Swans, and Sisters of Mercy, to name but a few, and while my background is relatively inexperienced in most such niches, I'd say there's a solid parallel to be drawn here. Have a Nice Life just delves into a great deal of dark, droning, morose, sort of gothic, sort of new wave, sort of experimental compositions with additional industrial and post-rock smatterings—amidst other textural explorations—through angles that range from structurally loose and abstract to openly melodic and emotionally moving. Expect lots of billowy effects and flowing washes of reverberating sound, plodding basslines and bright guitars, both live and programmed drums (I think?), generally sparse monotone singing, etc. You just can't accurately describe the contents with words (much less wrap your head around everything being presented without some time to sit on it), and these two tracks certainly don't represent the entirety of the release, but... I've gotta try to let the music do most of the talking here:
Have a Nice Life "Bloodhail"
Have a Nice Life "I Don't Love"
Carved out of stone, earth, blood, and bone. Knock the mountains down. The earth's grating sounds, they soothe the great machines, that yearn so desperately just to lay them down within her gaping mouth. More than a symbol, more than I bargained for. They wander ridges high, between earth and sky, like spikes upon a crown we wear upon our brow. And want is not a need reserved for human beings, its fingers on your throat is pain that all things know. An army of the golems is stalking, now, the heart's lands. Eating all reality, producing only dust and sand. Nothing hurts them, nothing gets under their stone skin. And when their mouths will open up, just what words should come out but "we wish we were dead"?
"Deathconsciousness" was released in limited edition in late-January, and had already entered its second pressing by late-February. It took me a month or so to finally get around to covering it here on the site, and during that time the physical copies were entirely sold out by late-May!? But thankfully they're now selling the entire album as an extremely inexpensive digital download, so for a mere $5 you'll get the tracks from both discs ("The Plow That Broke the Plains" and "The Future"), the complete 75-page booklet in .pdf format, plus the tracklist and high-resolution cover art. That's a fucking bargain, folks...
Comments
fuck the digital bullshit I want real CD. Why I always found out so late such great music. I hope they will make some repress soon.
6.2.2008 | By Anonymous
If you feel that strongly about it I’m sure you could try to contact them and possibly work something out, though you might not be able to get the full 75-page booklet or something. Worth a shot.
6.2.2008 | By Andrew Aversionline
i found this to be HIGHLY overrated and boring. hate to be a negative nancy, but…
6.2.2008 | By -cja
different people different tastes. no offence but Aquarius records sold all albums in 2 hours which can speaks about quality imo. I hope I will be able to get some copy somewhere although is CDr not “normal” CD.
6.3.2008 | By Anonymous
maybe AQ received 5 copies?
they sell out of stuff very quickly all the time, so it means nothing. you could say instead of proving quality, it proved the buyers were fools. you could, but i’m not going there.
the band doesn’t suck, it’s just boring and over-hyped to me. like you said (before you threw the hatchet) different people, different tastes.
6.3.2008 | By -cja
i mean the talk about me like/me don’t like music is complete bullshit. for example for me most Meshuggah’s albums are way overrated but hay that’s life you know what i mean.
i don’t want to say that this album is soemthing very new and original. there are thousands of “post rock” bands out there so it’s really hard to pick something very briliant or fresh. also don’t start bitching about the term postrock i used before.
i want it because the music is still great for me and you know there are like 2 CDs in the “package”. The 2 songs that Andrew psoted aren’t the best at least in my opinion. Not to mention 75 page booklet which is for me always interesting. Although the music is most important I like some message, some meaning that is maybe put behind just because of music.
the things which are rare in the last few years.
not to mention that around 95% reviewers review just music not lyrics and booklets. which is crime against art, against humanity. and in the end pure stupidity. reviewing MP3s and “pretending” to review CDs is jsut compelte bullshit.
but hay people obviously like that…
6.3.2008 | By Anonymous
For what it’s worth, I never buy digital downloads, and I caved and bought this. I think it was very well done, and I’ve been enjoying it a great deal.
The book is also a very interesting read.
6.3.2008 | By Carlzilla
Aquarius had 40 copies…but I believe if you contact the band through their website you could get a hard copy. I’m guessing since this was created completely digitally over time the download sounds the same as a home-burned CDR. BUt I would enjoy a copy of the book as a printed piece.
As far as being over-hyped…hell, this is two guys putting out music for themselves and making it available as an after thought. The new Radiohead was over-hyped, this is just something different entirely. A few dozen positive blog reviews is far from hype. Part of the draw here (in my mind) is the thinking and feelings behind the music and the fact that it’s a bit different and a some what of a challenge to the listener. It’s a fresh find for me and I value that.
ANY WAY, thanks again Andrew for opening my eyes to some enjoyable sounds.
.: Chris
6.6.2008 | By Chris
Can’t say I’m familiar with most of the influences listed, save for Sisters Of Mercy, who I do hear a bit of in these songs - more so Bloodhail than I Don’t Love. Not sure if this is something I’d pick up, but who knows, maybe if I was in the mood for something outside my usual comfort zone. Based on what I hear, Have A Nice Life seems to be something that for most people will be a love it or hate it sorta thing.
I would agree that the booklets/layout/artwork and such often gets overlooked, something I am guilty of myself. There’s usually a lot of people involved in putting it all together and there are some albums where the stuff that’s not the music truly completes the album.
I don’t have any issue with digital downloads. Sure, it may not be quite the same as having the real thing in your hands and it does make the extras superfluous in most cases, but sometimes it’s the best way to get the tunes without resorting to torrents and peer-to-peer downloads. That you do get more than just a jpeg of the album cover sounds good to me; if only more albums purchased as digital tracks would include more than just the songs.
6.15.2008 | By Dichatomy