<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
Lunarsight
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 184
graphgraph
Karma: 4  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/05 05:24 Will Matos wrote:
what is the name of lunarsight's project/album? Can't find anything!

It's under Alternate Modes Of Underwater Consciousness. (Midnight In The White Room is the album name.)

(I feel bad for the poor volunteers that had to type that into the jukebox..)

--
I might try a review of the Piecey album as well, but this is very extensive. It might take more than one sitting to absorb this all in. What software was used to make this?

Post edited by: Lunarsight, at: 2008/04/05 05:56
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Will Matos
User

Gold Boarder
Posts: 44
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/05 22:39 Okay, here is my crack at it, and please keep in mind my musical style is quite different than this but I'm fascinated by some of this work already:

Panopticon:Like the beginning a lot, interesting mixture of death and sex if you ask me, continues on well for a while to an almost arabian melody then I lose you about 1:27 into the track. But wait, I fall in love with the track and that neat almost acoustic percussive sounding instrument later in the track at about the 2:00 mark. Overall there is some great stuff in here but I'm having a hard time listening to it as a complete track.


Empty cup: Like the idea of the repeating voice "empty cup" but sounds rather flat to me tone wise and not placed right in the mix to do what I think you are trying to do with it. Overall I don't care for this track as much as the first one.

Telegraphinar pt 1: Like the looped vocals, sounds almost like an analog delay loop, which surprised me and enjoying the percussive instrument. Also I think the lyrics such that they are work well in this track.

Satan Lives in the Toy Aisle at Walmart: Love this one. Its brillant actually. Love the sound of the instruments, effects, works well with the theme of the song. I could listen to this one again.

Music Box of a Madman Pt1, 2 and 3: I'll take these tracks all at once since they are part of a series. Part 1 doesn't do much for me. Not memorable and didn't hold my interest like you do on Part 2, "Dancer" which picks up quite a bit where I think 1 falls flat. Part 3 is erie and beautiful. I actually like this piece a lot. I think I like your more erie side. Part 3 is excellent.

The High-Tech Shower of a Time Displaced Sailor: This one is quite literal, more so than the rest. Not sure I get the vocals on this one, I find them harder to hear than the other tracks. Like the singing in the shower effect on the voice. In the end, this is a good track. I like it.

Mitwr Pt1, 2 and 3: Like this one (Pt1) again like the percussive instrument and this one has a little more of a driving beat to it. This track works for me. Comes in rather abruptly but works out nicely as it gets going. "Grandfather Clock" Pt2 of this series has me rather lost. Not sure what else to say about this one. Although I'm noticing a pattern here, not sure if its intentional, but a lot of these tracks start out rather very lose and unstructured then gain more structure and recognition as they go on. Not a bad tactic if its intentional. Pt3 starts abruptly (again) and overall this part "Vanity" only interests me in that I like the second voice, as in the voices in the authors head. That works well.

Lazarus: I was instantly attracted to this title when I first saw it in the playlist and it didn't dissapoint me. The vocals in this one are better than most so far and there is an interesting contrast along a tonal plane that I can't describe that works well at about the 1:30 mark. Not sure how else to say it but I like it. That is followed by a little percussive section that works well to bring the song to the next section which in my interpretation rather brings us back to where the song started. I'm totally with the "Shut the fuck up" voice at the ending. Haha.. I would have ended it before that annoying voice. Funny, but to me tainted what may be one of the better tracks on here.

Death by Karaoke: This one is rather too experimental for me. The out of tune twangy guitar part is not pleasing to my ears, but that is followed by a neat guitar/synth like melody that works well before the cats and dogs start interrupting the flow. I'm lost on this one!

Grime: The melody on this one is rather off for my taste. I think these types of melody's and effects don't work as well when you don't have some interesting instrumental melody or percussive sounds behind it to hold it up. Grime just stands out there alone, exposed and rather tired sounding. Least favorite so far.

Final Flight: Sounds rather "holy" or church like at the beginning and as in some tracks gets better with that neat organ sound holding the foundation in place to support your voice. When you do that kind of thing I enjoy it a lot. Okay track.

Icarus: Best beginning for me so far. I like this track. Like that you dried out your voice on this one as well. Separates it more from the rest of the tracks. Like the vocals more than the rest as well. That crying elf like voice sound (don't know how else to describe it) works really well. This is a great part to the song. Actually this song works as a complete piece more so for me than some of them. I like Icarus.

Telegraphinar Pt2: Like the first one, I like this one overall. Even though this version of the song is much more experimental in my opinion than the first, I like it.


Well I hope I did this some justice. Overall I did enjoy this album, some of them as I noted stand out very well for me as complete tracks that I would listen to again. My only overall issue was the vocal melodies, which were all very similar from one track to the next, which for me almost made me put them aside in my listening and focus on what else was going on. If you were going for a melodic theme throughout the album, then you were successful.

Good work!

Post edited by: Will Matos, at: 2008/04/05 22:43
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Lunarsight
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 184
graphgraph
Karma: 4  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/05 22:57 Thanks for the feedback..

I agree about a couple things - I wanted to redo the middle of Panopticon, and I would love to find a better vocalist overall. My voice is okay, but not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.

I wanted to bolster some of the vocals on Empty Cup and "Hi-Tech Shower"..

Lazarus is kind of the wildcard - people seem to either like the ending or hate it. (At any rate, I wanted to actually convert that ending into its own song - I had lyrics written out, and just ran out of time.)
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Will Matos
User

Gold Boarder
Posts: 44
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/05 23:04 I hear you, time was not on our side and I would have done several things differently as well on my album had I had more of it.

I hope you didn't miss-understand my point, I don't dislike your voice itself, just that the melodies you sang from one track to the next were similar. I think overall your voice supports the music well. I did like Lazarus and Icarus and thought Satan Lives in the Toy aisle at Walmart was great.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
mr_glide
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 86
graphgraph
Karma: 2  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/06 02:10 artwhore wrote:
first reactions not-withstanding, i will be re-listening to some of those tracks long after. much with any full length album, i think there will be things you like and things you dont like. i found over-all more things i like over those i didn't. and over-all my taste does not tend towards music like this, so i think it's successful. i love yer voice by the way, wish you had sung my album.

cheers!


Thanks very much, sir! Maybe a collab could be in the offing next year...?

@Lunarsight - it was made on a battered old Powermac g4(vintage:1996) and an antiquated copy of Logic Audio Silver. So, real high-tech!

Post edited by: mr_glide, at: 2008/04/06 02:11
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Gumbo
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 535
graphgraph
Karma: 12  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/06 12:46 Just catching up here after my enforced week offline (due to lightning damage). Gumbo's album Shake My Bones (at Last.FM) is still queued for review
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Lunarsight
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 184
graphgraph
Karma: 4  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/06 19:54
Just catching up here after my enforced week offline (due to lightning damage). Gumbo's album Shake My Bones (at Last.FM) is still queued for review


Aw crud - how did you get missed?

Let me see if I can do a review. I think I still have one or two left in me.

Desperately need coffee first..

Post edited by: Lunarsight, at: 2008/04/06 19:55
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
tangmo
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 304
graphgraph
Karma: 11  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/07 01:14 This is a bonus review, simply because I have (and love) the album. I am not in the queue.

Don't ask me who is.


Broken Promise Keeper: The Avocado Age of Radio

www.brokenpromisekeeper.com


I first became aware of this artist from last year's RPM. Anybody who could name his act 'Broken Promise Keeper' had my attention and I tried to keep up with him throughout the '07 Challenge, and was pleased to see his return. This year, I got the CD--The Avacado Age of Radio. Overall, this is a labor of love dedicated to power pop and rooted in an era when melody was king, rythm was queen, and every player in the band delivered hooks. Think early Stones, mid-Beatles, pretty much the entire British Invasion as well as the late 60's, early 70's California sound. Nostalgic? Unflinchingly!

Dated? Not hardly. There's enough distorted tone in his rythm guitars, enough fire in the drumming, and enough 'slacker' in the vocals to make the overall sound fit in very nicely for a younger audience suckled on a heavier vibe. If 'name-your-favorite-current-band' draws any of their inspiration from late-60's, early 70's popular acts, then this CD should appeal to them as well as to those of us who love this stuff from the source.

The difference is mostly in the songs--tightly structured, more hooks than my grandpappy's tackle box, well played, instantly memorable and accessible due to length and frequent changeups. The guitaring is rythm heavy, never wandering too far into flighty lead solos, but providing short hooks in the manner of Keith Richards until it's occasionally called upon to be a more solo entertainment. The bass also delivers the hooks, reminiscent of McCartney.

The voice (replete with short backup sections) carries the bulk of the songs. While it's not an award-winning voice, it works very well in delivering the songs. This guy knows how to sing--but more importantly, he knows 'where' to sing. The vocals are almost always right there with the rythm section, and the melodies hit a lot of notes with clear connection to the lyric to make the delivery sound natural.

The lyrics themselves are very good...very, very good. I never winced once at a tired cliche and there are moments of sheer brilliance. Overall, they are very accessible and (there's that word again) hooky.

In production, this feels very much like a vinyl LP. It opens with the sound of a needle drop and the spaces between the songs are not the standard 2 second gap. Some tracks punch in quickly after the previous while others are framed with more silence. The overall effect (as well as the consistency of sound) make this a true 'album' rather than an assortment of singles.

Listening first on my decent computer speakers and subwoofer, it seemed like a four or five piece band (depending on the song) with flashes of extra production. Listening on my good quality headphones revealed a much richer tapestry of layered guitars, keys, and production not apparent at first. This leads me to believe that these songs could be played live rather simply, but that the album itself is a 'studio' product. Whether that's good or bad is up to him (and you). Personally, I'd have liked some of that 'extra' production more clear in the final mixes, more upfront and with a somewhat wider stereo separation.

I haven't taken a look at the waveforms, but I'm betting this is pretty dynamically-intact mastering--in other words, a bit quiet. The volume knob was indespensible, but once set never had to be reset. The usual caveats of '29 days', 'home studio' and blah blah apply--this is not the highest of hi-fi, but it sounds pretty damn good, and I forgive all when I'm served up such a heaping helping of delicious songs.

I'll move on to impressions of individual songs with three thoughts to leave you concerning them. 1. I really, really like this album, but want to offer you the service of my own ears. 2. I can't praise every new hook without typing all day. 3. I'm not a music critic, but a fellow songwriter. I'd like to say I was your 'equal'--whether it was true or not--but I am your peer. I'm also a fan-boy now, but will try hard to keep that side in check.

Welcome to the Circus. Opening lo-fi circus theme music, played by his son, sets a great mood before opening up quickly and broadly to a sweet power instrumental (with stabs of voice) and cool production. Maybe the most psychedelic track on the album, but it's a fairly light buzz grounded in rythm and melodic lead guitar.

I Know You Know. Opening lead guitar hook and great bassline. Introduction of vocals. Really fine and fun lyric about a couple whose been seeing each other in secret finally throwing the doors open. For personal reasons, probably my favorite lyric. Some attention to the syllabants and plosives in the vocals would have helped here.

Not There. Follows quickly on the previous track and has a similar feel--good choice. Driving drum line and solid bass. Another I-You lyric. Solid progression spendidly milked for melody. Great ending in keeping with the overall influences.

Innocent. Shades of early Stones here with a solid rythm and blues inspired progression in the verses. Opens into some sweet guitar lead and bridge. Lyrically different from the previous two with a more narrative style. She's not as innocent as she seems.

Then She Turns the Radio Down. Back to a psychedelica feel, again without going over the top experimental and sticking with driving rythm and good form. Hooky back up vocals and counter melodies. I think you should drag that rythm guitar up in the mix a bit. The highs in the drums (snare and cymbals) are somewhat overdone here, and the center is kinda crowded.

Light on the Snow. Rolling bassline here to open. Sexy blues feel and great vocals here. Organ and keys make great play. Much better stereo mixing here. More stuff has it's own spot. Descriptive lyric also tells a good story. My favorite track--at least for now.

No Choice. Short, Driving, Well structured and a very interesting lyric about the damned election season. A bit of a tamp down on the syllabants might be in order here, as well as a bringing the vocals a bit more forward. Probably the best lyric on the album, and that is saying something indeed. Cool little ending...kid's voice.

Done Everything. Infectious boogy. Nice backup vocals. Little lead break feels a bit off-time. Very fun lyric about the honey-do list and the hopes for reward.

And Life Goes On. Slips into a calmer feel here with a super guitar hook and vocals. Backup vocals singing counter-melody and counter-lyric. Another splendid lyric with a bit more poetic imagery here. Love the long slow fade with lead and vocals. This one is still in my head as I post this review. Love them triplets.

St. Simons. The most 'acoustic' sounding song on the album and the most laid back. Is it wrong to say 'this is pretty'? The melody really moves here, and into the bridge is transporting. Probably will be my favorite track on the next listen. A really nice coda to the whole effort.

Thirty Four and a half minutes without a dumbed down, filler track. Unwaveringly respectful of my favorite period of popular music. Hooky, hooky, hooky. Really fine voice that wavers on the edge of breaking, but holds it together and delivers. Tight songwriting constantly freshened with new stuff. Way superior lyrics with a bootful of lines as sweet as I've ever heard anywhere at any time, delivered with unselfconcious naturalness. A treasure--and I thank him for sending it to me.

Post edited by: tangmo, at: 2008/04/07 01:15

Post edited by: tangmo, at: 2008/04/07 01:17

Post edited by: tangmo, at: 2008/04/07 01:19

Post edited by: tangmo, at: 2008/04/07 17:14
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Bigstarlet
User

Expert Boarder
Posts: 33
graphgraph
Karma: 6  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/07 05:51 Well, since noone's gotten to him yet:

Will Matos (Everyman) - Digging Up the Past

First off, let me say that I'm impressed with the level of detail many of these critiques I've been following have provided. There's a lot of care here given to the music being reviewed. It's pretty nice compared to some of the other sites I've visited.

That said...

I tend to review whole, rather than the pieces. I'll do my best to pick out the best parts and state why the were the best. As well as with others that may need improvement (IMHO) As Will said, if we had more time...

Anyway...the critique.

Will's music is blissful and calming, much along the lines of, say, David Gray or an acoustic Dave Matthews. On his CD, Digging up the Past, he brings his impeccable guitar playing skills and rough-hewn vocals together with clean, precise production, and lyrics dealing with subject matters such as redemption, love and loss.

Among the best things about the project are Will's skillful strumming and his heartfelt, sincere vocals. He's off key in a few places (particularly in Lost and Found), but there is never any denying he always means what he sings, and you are right a long there with him. This is especially evident in the song, "Shelter" where, even though his voice never seems to move beyond a medium whisper, you sense his frustration toward the subject of the song. The guitar playing, while simple, is masterful. Every pick is in it's right place. Nothing sloppy in the playing here.

The only two things I found that could have the CD better were perhaps less generic lyrics (This is just my opinion, but a lot of them had that moon/June scheme going on in them). There was also a sameness to the compositions that had me wondering if I had moved to the next song or not. I got jolted out of this trance by the Nashville shuffle that is "Mechanic's Son". More of THAT next time, please. The stereo effect in "Shelter" around :16 threw me off as well.

Overall, however, this was a strong, heartfelt earnest CD full of comfort and strength.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Bigstarlet
User

Expert Boarder
Posts: 33
graphgraph
Karma: 6  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/07 05:51 I accidentally duped my previous post, but, what the hey? It's an excuse to do another review.

Stuart Walker (GumboStu) - Shake My Bones

Stuart Walker (aka GumboStu)'s music is a wonderful mix of classic Americana, and English Folk. It's all here, from Zydeco (I've Lived in this Town - LOVE the ethereal French voices) to acoustic blues, to heartworn Civil War ballads. You have a touch of Bluegrass here and there, and even the beautiful, tender love songs are worked through without sounding sappy (Twilight is a supreme example).

Stuart is a thoughtful songwriter and arranger, and every composition on this CD is considerate of time and place, whether it's the whimsical old time blues workout with modern lyrics of I Won't Say Where, the tired soldier in Calvary, or the resigned lover of "We All Gotta Go Home Sometime". His lyrics are both thoughtful and thought-provoking, and in "Twilight", even downright poetic. He's also a versatile vocalist, inhabiting the smartass character with ease in "I Won't Say Where", the happy go lucky traveling musician in "Dixie And Back" and the troubled soul of Calvary, where he rasps his voice to effect. His accompanying musicians always seem to have a good time, with the harmonies even reminiscent of the Small Faces.

The only draw back I could see with this collection was that it started bogging down toward the end. A more balanced mix between the slower and more fast-paced songs would have been appreciated by these ears. Also, I thought the drums in "Rainin' Blues" were mixed too far to the back. And yes, I heard a few bum notes from the band here and there. But then again, given the speed the project needed to be recorded in, it's understandable. It's also part of the charm.

Overall, a well-played, well-written effort by Mr. Walker and band. This is one I'm definitely downloading! And perhaps purchasing if it ever went on sale.

Post edited by: Bigstarlet, at: 2008/04/07 07:17
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Bigstarlet
User

Expert Boarder
Posts: 33
graphgraph
Karma: 6  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/07 07:22 Oh, and if anyone is interested in reviewing moi, I don't recommend the songs currently in the RPM Jukebox, as they were not professionally mastered.

Feel free to either preview at my Sounclick Music page (the first 9 songs are all in the order they appear on the CD), or you can download a zip file containing the whole kittenkadoodle (with lyrics as well), from my website. (feel free to ignore the donationware button; I don't think it's going to do me much good anyway. )

Post edited by: Bigstarlet, at: 2008/04/07 07:23
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Night Driving
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 91
graphgraph
Karma: 6  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/07 07:26 nice bit of effort put in by big starlet.

and tangmo!

good work.

Post edited by: Night Driving, at: 2008/04/09 01:38
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Bigstarlet
User

Expert Boarder
Posts: 33
graphgraph
Karma: 6  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/07 07:47 Awww, thanks, hon. Since I haven't been posting here much, I needed to play catchup.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Lunarsight
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 184
graphgraph
Karma: 4  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/08 04:14 [Note - I didn't read the other review prior to doing this. I didn't want any bias from it. Now I want to go back and look at what the other guy said.]

Piecey - Chorine

1) My Brain Is Trying To Kill Me - This sounds like the soundtrack to a really trippy Japanese video game that nobody has any clue how to win. The synth-shredding around the 2:00 minute is pretty stunning. I like the little vocal interludes, that know enough to stay far enough in the background. There are enough twists and turns to keep this interesting.

2) Souls On Board - Slower-tempo and more minimalist. If the former track was a never-ending machine, this is kind of like the slow roar of an engine that's about to be ignited. (It is ignited towards the end.) Even better than the melodies is the space where nothing is happening.

3) Provost - This sounds like a robot tribal party of some sort. Maybe a droid luau?

4) Drickle - This has a Future Sounds Of London vibe to it, particular the drums. A very simple piano-esque synth melody gives away to a very complex broken-beat sort of percussion. A virtual orchestra takes this one home at the end.

5) Lull and Befuddle - This sounds like surf music, if it were done by a Jack Johnson of a parallel universe who was a computer geek and didn't really surf, but rather just played surfing video games on his Super Nintendo. It sounds partially composed, and partially fractal - almost as if the notes were being randomly pulled out of the air by some algorithm. (It almost has a windchimes sort of feel - if a gust of wind were hitting the strings on an acoustic guitar.)

6) Fat Compost - This comes as Nintendo-meets-industrial, with understated rap verses driving it along.. The production is quite good..

7) You Twat - Largely percussive, with vocals that remind me a bit of Peter Gabriel.. This is assembled very well - I'm surprised he was able to get everything arranged so perfectly with only 29 days to work with. I'm quite jealous of the sense of space he's created here.

8) The New Carriage - I'm willing to bet this is the sort of music Trent Reznor was making when he was three years old. Xylophone never sounded so industrial..

9) That's Enough - I like this - it's an interesting marriage between old and new. This has an old-school rock vibe to it (think Paranoia-era Black Sabbath). If Black Sabbath were trying to do new wave or electronica, it probably would sound something like this. (Perhaps a Black Sabbath/Buggles side project?) The vocals sort of take on a Doors-vibe around the three minute mark.

10) T.R.O.R - A human beatbox 'narrating' his addiction to old-school arcade games. I think that sums it up nicely. =) It sounds like he's beatboxing his way through a game level. The synth begins to dominate towards the end, as the beatboxing moves into the background. Around the three minute mark, it sounds like the human beatbox walks away from the video game, and Jimi Hendrix wanders in, looking to beat the beatbox's score.

11) Slosh ­- You get the sense of some weird creature sneaking or 'sloshing along' through a sonic background that changes during the course of the song. Some of the areas he wanders through sound off-kilter, and others are more church-like. The ending puts the whole song in perspective - I won't give it away.

12) Pinna - It sounds like sampled-breathing, with tribal percussion and vocals gradually working their way in. It's a little slow to start - I was bored for the first fifty seconds or so. It doesn't really pick up until around the 2:30 mark. This one doesn't engage me as much as some of the others - it sounds like it still needs something to flesh it out.

13) 5-Point Penalty - It starts off with some of the 'breath-percussion' from #12, followed by the British-sounding rap from #6. It has some fantastic synth progressions midway through (bridging the verses). This is okay, but it's not my favorite.

14) Thinngs Teenagerrs Knnow - This is probably the most straightforward 'rap song' of all the tracks so far. I'm admittedly not the best person to critique this one, since I'm not really a rap fan. His rapping sounds good to me. The only spot where the vocals may be a bit lacking is the sung chorus.

15) Supercenternarian - I like this one. It sounds like more recent NIN, with little nuggets of old-school rock mixed in. The synths and melodies have a very 'epic' feel to them in the middle of the song. The end of the song transitions to rock and trance (both at once! - it sounds like some bizarre hybrid).


Overall, I think this was a solid release for something done in a month. It's a little lengthy, and hence might be tricky to listen to all in one sitting. It definitely covers a lot of ground genre-wise. While there's definitely something here that will appeal to everybody, I bet only a select few will be able to listen to the whole thing from beginning to end without hitting skip at least once or twice.

My personal favorites are those where he's sticking to synthy-electronica, or incorporating the industrial/synth into old-school rock. (#9, for instance)

Post edited by: Lunarsight, at: 2008/04/08 04:15
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Jeffrey David Archer
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 78
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/08 18:14 Hello, I know that I am a little late to this thread but I would like to participate in this. Is there anyone who would like their RPM album reviewed? Just let me know and I will do my best to give it an honest review. If your album is available for download please let me know where so I can get it for listening in the car (which is where I can concentrate the most).

I don't know if I am supposed to post a link to my RPM album now or not so I'll do it for the next person.

http://www.virb.com/spookygarcia

The album is "Molten Gold And Brimstone" by Spooky Garcia.

I look forward to hearing some good stuff. I think that this critique thread is a really good idea.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
artwhore
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 107
graphgraph
Karma: 3  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/08 18:32 Can we get a definitive list of who's waiting for a review. I'm just sitting at work listening to the Jukebox all day.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
kavin
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 104
graphgraph
Karma: 3  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/08 18:57 I want your job, artwhore.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Lunarsight
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 184
graphgraph
Karma: 4  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/08 19:24 I think Big Starlet is next..

I'm on vacation this week. They won't let us access the page from my job. I'm in the IT department, so it's like ground zero for the internet web usage policy. =)

Post edited by: Lunarsight, at: 2008/04/08 19:25
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Jeffrey David Archer
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 78
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/08 20:18 I'm not finding "Big Starlet" anywhere in the jukebox or on the RPM site itself.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
mick
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 864
graph
Karma: 24  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/08 20:33 Big Starlet is "Helen Sventitsky " as the band. So a participants search or click on the little green guy on the left in a post she made.

I know it's confusing. For the compilation project last year I was dealing with RPM name, band name, and E-mail address which are pretty much all different. Took me awhile to organize everything.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
tangmo
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 304
graphgraph
Karma: 11  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/08 21:57 Bigstarlet wrote:
Oh, and if anyone is interested in reviewing moi, I don't recommend the songs currently in the RPM Jukebox, as they were not professionally mastered.

Feel free to either preview at my Sounclick Music page (the first 9 songs are all in the order they appear on the CD), or you can download a zip file containing the whole kittenkadoodle (with lyrics as well), from my website. (feel free to ignore the donationware button; I don't think it's going to do me much good anyway. )<br><br>Post edited by: Bigstarlet, at: 2008/04/07 07:23


All the info is in there. Click 'sounclick music page' or 'my website'.

Info is usually found by clicking the little head under the profile name (there by the PM button) as well.

Class dismissed.

Post edited by: tangmo, at: 2008/04/08 22:01
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Jeffrey David Archer
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 78
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/09 02:36 Thanks for the info Mick and Tangmo!

I will download and get to writing some notes.

Post edited by: Jeffrey David Archer, at: 2008/04/09 02:38
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Will Matos
User

Gold Boarder
Posts: 44
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/09 04:06 Thank you so much for your critique and comments! I'm especially impressed that you "got" what this project was about for me. You were absolutely right about "lost and found" and I have issues with my vocals on "Cherish You" as well. My issue aside from time to re-record was I had a very bad cold, almost flu like cold for a good week during these recording sessions and a couple of tracks suffered from that. Those that were passable, just had to go as is. Thank you also for your comments about my guitar playing, very nice of you to say.

My goal was to write and record and honest album and I feel like I did so its nice to hear when others think so as well.

Thank you,
Will
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Zanois
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 57
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/09 12:31 I'd like it if somebody wouldn't mind reviewing my stuff.
You can hear the whole RPM album at virb.com/zanois

Let me know!
-Zanois
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
mr_glide
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 86
graphgraph
Karma: 2  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/09 12:35 @Lunarsight

Thanks for the review - most kind of you to do so. True, it is an unusually diverse album, but it was never an intention! It's just what happens when I let my brain freewheel, clearly...Most of my stuff comes under the rock/electronica frankenstein heading, normally.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
artwhore
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 107
graphgraph
Karma: 3  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/09 17:16 ok, so i've listened Hellen's album "Monochrome in Technicolor"
i don't really feel like doing a track by track critique.
i have basically 3 comments.

1. the operatic vox have got to go. when you sing like you do on track 3 Incident, it's beautiful, genuine and powerful. this is my unqualified opinion, but ditch the operatic vocals and stick with the regular gal vox.
2. story telling is your forte and these are some mighty powerful tunes. you did a great job of mixing the sounds with the vocal track and the words are quite clear and easy to understand. to me this is a folk album. i would love to hear these songs with just vox and an accoustic guitar.
3. that being said, the instrumental bits are sometimes too long. it can be distracting in music that is really about the words and melodies when it has a breakdown in the middle of it for no apparent reason. you are an awesome songwriter, but don't try to fill space, don't try to add filler when none is needed. like i said, i would love to hear this entire CD with just vox and accoustic guitar, sung in your normal voice. my appreciation of it would probably double or triple.

don't take any of this wrong, i'm just telling you personal feelings about your CD. without knowing what your frame of mind or direction that you were going for, it's possible that you succeeded. i think you did anyways.

Post edited by: artwhore, at: 2008/04/09 17:20
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Bigstarlet
User

Expert Boarder
Posts: 33
graphgraph
Karma: 6  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/09 22:35 Hi Will,

You are quite welcome. I pretty much appreciate honesty when I hear it, no matter what genre of music it is.

Artwhore (God, I love that user name).

Thank you for your honest comments about my recording. I appreciate the feedback. I

About the operatic vox, I took classical vocal training for a good 5 years. It's been a while and normally, I do sing in a "regular gal" vox, however I find when I'm feeling insecure about my voice being off here and there on a tune, out comes opera voice! So, if it wasn't being used for effect (as I will admit was done on several of the tracks), then that's more than likely what you are hearing.

Also, I, intentionally or not, set out to make an electronic folk album. An electronic folk album because my guitar playing skills (and I have no other way to put this) suck. Sure you hear some strumming in there, but that was after about 50 takes. From your critique, it appears that I have succeeded, though I will admit that some of the tracks would have sounded better with a live band. I may do that next time.

I also wanted this to be a pop/dance record, which accounted for some of the lengthy instrumental breaks. But I see your point. Some of them weren't necessary, given the kind of songs they are.

And, I really appreciated your comments on the mix. I literally went through hell trying to get this thing to sound right. I still hear things that need to be tweaked here and there, but the fact that you found it seemless to me tells me that getting sick from staying up late trying to get the mix right was so worth it!

Again, my thanks!

Helen

Post edited by: Bigstarlet, at: 2008/04/10 01:50
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Jeffrey David Archer
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 78
graphgraph
Karma: 1  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/10 03:47 Zanois, I would be more than happy to listen to and critique your album. I was going to review Big Starlet's album but as that has been taken care of I see no reason not to give yours a couple of spins.

Give me a few days and I will post my review of it up.
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Jimmywes
User

Junior Boarder
Posts: 5
graphgraph
Karma: 0  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/10 04:19 I would love to read what some of you think of my work. Although I am not in the Juke Box, you can listen to all my songs in my profile. Thank you.

-Unichorn and the Thin Lipped Lizard Women
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Mosfet
User

Platinum Boarder
Posts: 347
graphgraph
Karma: 21  
Click here to see the profile of this user
Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/04/10 06:23 Jimmywes wrote:
I would love to read what some of you think of my work. Although I am not in the Juke Box, you can listen to all my songs in my profile. Thank you.

-Unichorn and the Thin Lipped Lizard Women


OK.. 8-bit blipcore to the MAX! Your tracks are varied and fun! I need to ask though - did you, or did you not - submit an album to the challenge? If not.. then fine.. if so.. then you missed the step of actually submitting online... and we've got no record of your submission..

Anyhow.. your work is well worth a review by someone with way more time than me.. I give it ten thumbs up and I think you're making it to the next round FOR SURE! And actually.. I really wish you were in the Jukebox.. your stuff is awesomely fun.

Post edited by: Mosfet, at: 2008/04/10 06:34
  | | The administrator has disabled public write access.
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
 
   
Home
Read the Challenge
Sign up!
Participating Artists
Latest Blog Entries
Discussion Board
Band Map
Contact Us
How Can I Help?
Who Can I Blame?
In the News
Partners & Regional Hubs
FAQ
Miscellaneous
Listening Parties
 
time left to finish your album:
00
00h : 0min
log in, or sign up!
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
No Users Online
 
latest blogs
Prosperos Live 2008
uploading songs tonight
Tradition?
most of you don't care
A way to make some $ and expand the RPM community
LABEL for VIVIAN CIRCLE
Songwriters Festival
Press Coverage, or There's No Such Thing as Bad Publicity
The Return of Tangmo
Just when I thought I know some $@#!
new EP
Live at the Players Ring Theatre - Portsmouth, NH.
hot diggity dawg!
Two New Demos
So long...
latest posts
 
add this site