I think they should just drop the card concept after doing the next album. Its pretty clear they are scraping the bottom of the conceptual barrel. The mythology is already there. Take the pressure off of making a album based off of a theme and just make some good music.

Loyalty is the theme of this one and I think we can all imagine where this concept came from, especially since they brought up yet again the bands that didn't attend the march.

Lets not forget when we evaluate our loyalties in life that sometimes you have to let your loyalty to yourself and your values take precedent. Mob movies always throw that word around but in the end what does it actually mean? What does your loyalty mean when the people you are loyal to are only out for themselves?

Iris Said:
But the reason that it is so inconsistent is actually a good thing, they always want to sound different from album to album.

They are always trying something new, they didn't want to just make milenko again, nor should they. I commend them for it.

Sometimes they attempt a new sound and it completely blows up in their faces and makes a 2 part unlistenable waste of my goddamn time. 

But other times they make good ass shit that is distinct from the old good ass shit. 

I'll take new but inconsistent over formulaic but consistent any day of the fuckin week.    

idk.. I feel like good music is good music at the end of the day... it's not easy to make.. I do give props & respect to ICP, creatively & artistically, for always switching it up but I'm not gonna fault a dubstep or reggae producer for sticking with what they WANT TO make & not potentially "pushing the envelop".. I'm sure I'm bias because I do different sub-genres but I have a couple of staples i stick with.. but I feel if the music is good then do your thing.. formulaic may be predictable but most people dont like change.. I'm sure most juggalos would prefer this to be a dark & wicked record.. i dont think formulaic is the right word.. pop music is formulaic.. repetitive might be the more appropriate term for that kind of stuff..

Slumerican502 said
I think they should just drop the card concept after doing the next album. Its pretty clear they are scraping the bottom of the conceptual barrel. 

Nah. 

First off we haven't seen Yum yet, so we have no idea how well executed it's going to be. Second, we've had 11, even if you didn't like these ones there's still plenty of options. 

Third, there's more use for the cards than just the mythology, FFF used it to establish the overall theme. 

The influence of the characters have always been within some of the tracks on each album, but it's gotten more obvious now, and it's a great direction to double down on.

Missing link also did it I think but I blotted that album out of my memory via a bottle of everclear.

I'm pretty much certain that's what they're going to do with the characters from now on, and that's a great choice.

They ain't need to shelf it, if ya think they need to get better characters das fine, but like, it ain't a bad thing to have round.

And it's pretty ignorable if you ain't diggin it.

Slumerican502 said

Loyalty is the theme of this one and I think we can all imagine where this concept came from, especially since they brought up yet again the bands that didn't attend the march.

I can't believe they're still on that tip. Like how long ago was the march? Get over it that certain groups didn't show up. 

Of course, we all know who they're referring to when they talk about the loyalty concept. It's getting petty...

The Warlock said

idk.. I feel like good music is good music at the end of the day... it's not easy to make.. I do give props & respect to ICP, creatively & artistically, for always switching it up but I'm not gonna fault a dubstep or reggae producer for sticking with what they WANT TO make & not potentially "pushing the envelop".. I'm sure I'm bias because I do different sub-genres but I have a couple of staples i stick with.. but I feel if the music is good then do your thing.. formulaic may be predictable but most people dont like change.. I'm sure most juggalos would prefer this to be a dark & wicked record.. i dont think formulaic is the right word.. pop music is formulaic.. repetitive might be the more appropriate term for that kind of stuff..  

Aight, I prolly worded that way too harshly now that I think bout it. (specially wit the "any day of the week" comment).

I didn't mean to make it sound like everyone needs to do it and constantly switch shit up, but I really respect the artists who do. 

Slumerican502 said

That's the thing though. I don't want it to be ignorable. I don't want to drop 20 on an album only to shelve it forever a month later. I don't revel in not enjoying one of my all time favorite bands. If you've been enjoying the last few albums that is awesome. I mean that.

For me though, each album has been 3 or 4 good tracks surrounded by a bunch of mediocrity and I think that starts at the conceptual level. The first six have a theme but the albums don't rely on the theme except for the intro tracks and in the case of jeckyl bros a couple of interlude tracks. Adhering too closely to a theme puts you in a box creatively.  

I didn't mean the album was ignorable, I just meant the characters.

As for the concept thing, I mean if you didn't like the album you didn't like the album, but I don't see how the theming would be the problem, FFF followed it's theme the closest to date, and not only was it very varied in how it used the theme, but it was still only about 5 of the tracks.

There's a good chance most people didn't even notice how Game Over fit the theme, it's just a weird song about a guy addicted to video games.

Death pop only put it in the skits, and Bang Pow Boom did it more like the first deck did, because it didn't have any specific theme only a specific sound. 

Missing Link also stuck closely to it's theme, but was destroyed by horrible production and composition, not whatever the hell it was trying to do as an album. 

If you didn't like it, that's cool, that's your opinion, can't help what ya do and don't like, I was just defending the concept of the characters because they are just not the problem.

Another note, each album has loose different lyrical themes, but they also have different sounds production wise, which, if you think their concepts are flawed, is probably the concept that you'd end up not liking. 

I just can't wait to hear an entire album of ICP sneak dissing and throwing shade about peoples lack of loyalty..

Yum Yum Flower, is that what Yum Yum sauce is made from?

The Warlock said
I always looked at the jokers cards as genderless..

Come on now, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers clearly have a gender..

T.O. said

The Warlock said
I always looked at the jokers cards as genderless..

Come on now, The Amazing Jeckel Brothers clearly have a gender..  

thats true..

but they are not human, just clouds of fire.. clearly they dont have reproductive organs