Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/26 20:38Can anyone help in working out who in this thread still needs a review? Or come forward yourself? Can do a straight swap, if you like...
Cheers,
Nick
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Gumbo Stu _11:34 (hasn't received a full review) ericburt (chipped in a little one)
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ericpburt
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Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/26 21:05For Mick - Cool stuff, i especially liked tracks 4,7, and 8. Sonically it sounds wonderful as well. I felt like doing yoga, or at least learning how to do yoga while listening to this. Very relaxing. Cant find any critisism for it! Great playing as well.
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Note to the general public: You should probably expect a similarly thorough review for your album to the one you submitted for another's music. Of course, musicians of different writing abilities may come in contact with one another, with one person being able to be more detailed then another, but what I'm basically saying is....
If you want a long review, write a long review. If you write something like "I liked the album. Good job" don't expect for too much more for yourself.
Hopefully everyone will golden-rule-it-up, and write the kind of review they'd like to receive.
OkaygreatI'mdonethanks.
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Okay Stu, you're up for mastering so this is going to be technical in nature. Someone else can do the other part. This is a very detailed listen.
A Most Holy Rukus - It's a noisy track mainly around 5Khz. I'd use a gate to cut it and in fact did with an LF filter at 475.83 Hz, T -61.5, A 250.008, H 748.56, D 2001, R -20.876dB, This cut the noise but you need to add about 2 seconds of silence at the beginning of the track to give the gate time to operate. Mandolin peaks @~ 25Hz EQ peak from 2126-2090Hz peak at 7dB VOX is weak @~ 530Hz EQ peak from 468-710Hz peak at 4dB EQ from 25-144Hz at 25Hz 5db ramp to 144Hz 0dB EQ from 3108Hz-20Khz ramp up from 4db (end of Mandy peak) to 7db This separated the instruments nicely. Don't do this without hte gate since there's a lot of noise at 3200Hz. Gate should be pre-fader.
Left side is too heavy spatially. Banjo is just right of center, Gtr2 is right, but Gtr 1, Mandy, and mouth harp all all left. VOX center and where it needs to be. Something needs to be moved slightly left. I think GTR2 maybe about +11%.
Is this useful or more then you need?
Post edited by: mick, at: 2008/03/27 05:52
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Seriously though, thank you for listening so thoroughly, Mick. This is the troublesome track because it is based on a banjo that was recorded on my laptops internal mic which picks up all the computer noise. I'd spotted the L/R imbalance, and I'll use the figures there to adjust the banjo track (and probably get a degree in acoustic engineering when I'm finished).
How long did that take you?
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the16points
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Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/28 04:11OK, I know someone else called dibs on it, but I'm going to review the _11:34 album as well. I'm listening to the first couple of tracks right now and I already love the SST-ness of it. I hope to have something written up here over the weekend.
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Thanks for the reviews, 11:34 and Gumbo. I appreciate them both and can completely relate to just about everything you said. As you both picked up, mixing, mastering, and all that "production-type stuff" is not my forte, but someday with practice and the right setup I hope for it to be.
Great thread, keep it up! I hope to review another before it spins down Why are there two signatures?
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Eschertron
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Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/28 05:46Night Driving wrote: Awesome to see the thread still going strong, everyone. I hope a lot has come out of it for each artist that's been in here!
Note to the general public: You should probably expect a similarly thorough review for your album to the one you submitted for another's music.
OkaygreatI'mdonethanks.
And I thought February was a busy month! I've been trying to find time to join this thread... so far I've read some reviews and actually listened to the music up for review only through the first couple of posts. I seem to be falling farther behind, not catching up! I hope that I find time to <listen to> this thread all the way through soon, so I can find my place in line. The bonus side is that I'm enjoying a lot of new music! Keep it up, people!
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Seriously though, thank you for listening so thoroughly, Mick. This is the troublesome track because it is based on a banjo that was recorded on my laptops internal mic which picks up all the computer noise. I'd spotted the L/R imbalance, and I'll use the figures there to adjust the banjo track (and probably get a degree in acoustic engineering when I'm finished).
How long did that take you?
Took about 15 minutes mostly screwing around with the gate to get the settings right. With the right tools things go quickly. If the noise is just on one track it's better to gate that on -- so just the banjo here. I couldn't fix the stereo imbalance but I did make a pretty decent master out of it in the end.
If you're paying to get them mastered you might consider going over these very carefully to get any pre-master work done first -- stereo width and balance especially.
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First of all, let me say that there is absolute honesty and accuracy in _11:34's (nee Abraham Hmiel) description of his music. I was barely into "Ratter," the second track on In the Thick of It, when I thought, "If this guy isn't a Minutemen fan, I'll eat my hat." Sure enough, I clicked over to _11:34's profile, and found that Hmiel checks SST acts like the Minutemen and Sonic Youth as influences, as well as other famously abrasive artists like Fugazi and Big Black. Meanwhile, tracks like "Steady Diet of Footprints," with it's primal screams and collage of noise, hint at early Dinosaur Jr-era Lou Barlow/Freed Weed-era Sebadoh, and others are reminiscent of poppier Dischord bands, or an old Rodney on the ROQ mixtape. In fact, In the Thick of It would sit fairly nicely alongside Sister, Zen Arcade, and Double Nickles in the record collections of many 80s/90s independent music afficinodos.
All that said, it's hard to review this album without referring back to those touchstones. Opening tracks "Raggedy Sam Droggity" and "Ratter" sound like they've been uncovered from some lost early-to-mid 80s SST comp. Similarly, much of the album so well captures that decade's sound of American punk rock splintering, becoming either nuanced or harder, depending on the scene, and tackling political issues in a more literate manner. The MC5 may have been political in the 60s, but they weren't conspiratorially examining the big picture, like _11:34 does in "Westiclivity Accent." If you like your punk rock political, protesting, slightly paranoid, and still personal and playful (Subhumans/Citizen Fish British punk fans also spring to mind), then you will find something to enjoy here.
The opening spoken vocals on "Raggedy Sam Droggity" recall Minor Threat-era Ian MacKaye at his least proselytizing, but then forge ahead towards a head-bobbing chorus that seems catchier and more fun than most Minor Threat songs allowed themselves to be, save for "Cashing In." Catchier and more fun than expected, in fact, given that the song seems to be about a sexual encounter with a transsexual. And "Ratter" is unabashed in its love of Minutemen-style rock, opening with bouncing bass leads that are steeped in Mike Watt admiration.
OK, enough of the name-dropping. I don't mean to suggest that In the Thick of It is derivative or unoriginal (not to mention that my punk rock membership has long been revoked, so I'm probably overlooking a few important influences anyway). Yes, it's an easy shorthand for me - If you're familiar with the old SST stable or certain other punk bands, then you be might be immediately drawn to a number of these tracks on first listen, as I was. If all these names sound like Greek to you, but you saw the word "punk" above and thought of your favorite Blink 182 song, then you might find In the Thick of It to be a little more challenging.
The album is by turns abrasive, yet melodic. Primal, yet cerebral. Ultimately, it is difficult to categorize, as one can find elements of folk, jazz, punk, classic rock, and pure noise soldiered together in its tracks. It's easiest to say that it's some derivation of punk, but as mentioned above, that would be missing the point. I don't know; I'm kind of an out-of-touch guy. Maybe New York area is overrun with this sort of sound and _11:34 is just one example. But I tend to doubt it.
After three songs where you think you've got _11:34 pegged, Hmiel hits you up with the album's title track, which sounds like he accidentally left the tape deck recording while a time-traveling lowrider blasted Barrio music outside, slowly driving past Hmiel's half-open bedroom window. And that's a good thing.
This is followed by the slinky opening bass licks of "Tea Party." This jazzy intro leads into a two-chord drone accompanying some earnest-sounding vocals asking, "Have you found the light within your mind? And can you feel the inner echoes rise?" It's not a bad song, and I understand Hmiel's reasoning in putting it on the album, but it seems a little too out of place here. The album is varied enough in its own way that it doesn't need "Tea Party" to break up any monotony - because there isn't any. It almost sounds like the self-consciously-added song that bands tack on to show that they think deep thoughts, or to placate the songwriting needs of one of their members. If this were a Beatles album, this would be the George Harrison track, most likely, "Within You, Without You." Tongue-in-cheekiness aside, I reiterate, "Tea Party" is a good song, but ultimately it's better left for another album.
The album quickly rebounds with "Serpentine" and "We Are Friends, Friends Stick Together." The latter's crunchy, raw guitars - alternating between cacophonous chords and simple, hummable licks - are so propulsive that the canned Casio drumbeats never become a liability (they also recall Steve Albini's brush with drum machines in Big Black). The song is sloganistic in the extreme, as the only lyrics are "We are friends, friends stick together. Don't leave friends behind," coming in towards the end of this wave of distortion. But the vocals are not pleading or melodramatic; they are sung as a plain truth, almost coldly direct, like a soldier's battlefield mantra.
"Westiclivity Accent" is ripe for introduction into the pantheon of great pop-punk songs. One can almost envision Hmiel leaning into a sweaty mass of kids as the crowd surrounds the microphone in his hand, singing along with the chorus. Plus it has one of my favorite stereophonic endings.
While _11:34 has noted here that he considers "The Wall Within Me" to be somewhat of a triumph in its left-field abrasiveness, it ultimately seems a little self-indulgently combative, although at only 2 minutes and a skosh, it's over before you've even begun questioning whether or not the cries of "the wall's within me, man" are purposefully sarcastic in their stoner drawl.
I'd argue that the real contender for "best achievement" is the track that follows "Wall," the instrumental "The Power of Incompleteness." Opening with a rapid, repetitive melodic guitar phrase, the song quickly moves to an industrial (as in Ford factory line, not Skinny Puppy) percussion that drives a chugging, Sonic Youth-esque chord progression, backed by a melodic bassline. From there, the songs rushes forward in a variety of directions, progressing to catchy and appealing new sections without seeming to ever return to any previous one. This process continues for over three minutes, at which point the whole thing starts over again for one more pass, until it winds down with a little self-referential knob tweaking. Most importantly, though, it works. It's compelling and fun to listen to, even though it's one of the longest tracks on the album and contains no vocals.
Production-wise, this album's strengths are in its weaknesses. The production is lo-fi, yet not slapdash. Varying instruments are properly balanced against each other, but the overall sound is less than slick. As well it should be, as it captures the spirit and energy of the songs. It's even along the lines of any number of punk rock releases - you wouldn't want it too much cleaner, or else you'd lose some of the character and passion.
It seems condescending to say that _11:34 is quite good considering it's a one-man band. But it seems necessary. That's not to say that these songs would not be as enjoyable if presented in the context of a three- or four-piece band. I'm just always impressed with people who can command all of this on their own, particularly when many full bands have trouble capturing this sort of energy and passion in the studio. And for a 29-day RPM album? I think any number of indie/punk bands would kill to have this kind of result from 29 days of work. Heck, in some ways this is better than some albums that took much more time and money to record. I know I prefer In the Thick of It to a good bit of what I hear on regular commercial radio.
There is definitely some excess here, especially when one considers that this is a 15-track album. "Human Landfill" is probably the truest example of filler here, and at :41 seconds, could have been easily excised. As mentioned above, "Tea Party" is a good song, but seems out of place here (which is saying a lot, considering how varied this album is), and "The Wall Within Me" is just a little too self-indulgent, especially coming one track after the similarly noisy "Steady Diet of Footprints" (perhaps choosing one over the other would have been best.)
Overall, you have to trust where _11:34 takes you during In the Thick of It. The album is unstoppably catchy at times, and unflinchingly annoying at others, but it has personality and passion throughout. And Hmiel is kind enough to end it with "Svalbard Nook," a brief instrumental that is faintly dissonant yet soothing, a calm, appropriate coda; supposedly named after the Svalbard Seed Vault, the track’s cleaner, somewhat mellower sound seems to suggest that even if everything does go to hell, there just might still be an opportunity for something fresh to renew and spring forth out of the cacophony and grime of the current world.
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(ignore the comment on that page about skipping certain tracks - I put that there as a service to innocent listeners. If you're going to review the thing, you're going to have to suffer through all 13 tracks! )
I also have all of the tracks, in proper order, streaming here in my RPM profile. Of, and of course now that the 2008 Jukebox is up, it's available there as well.
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underscore1134
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Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/29 12:33WOW, sixteen points. You freakin' nailed it. You totally "got it", too! I'm really, really happy with that review and I'm know going to take a lot away from it to help me improve. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such an exhaustive review. Just about everything you said I can relate to, especially the business about track order, and excising. I think the reasons why I left Tea Party and Human Landfill on there is because I recorded them in early Feb., they didn't take too long at all to record, so I just added them without thinking about it, figuring them by default to be part of the project before I recorded things like "The Power" or even conceived of "Collections", "The Wall", "Steady Diet," and "We Are Friends". However, I feel that "Human Landfill" kind of foreshadows the noisier end of the album from where it's located, even though it might be a little too long for what it is (perhaps by about 30 or 40 seconds! ), but nevertheless paints a picture () and goes well with the album art. Meh.
I'm really glad it was you that did this critique; I feel that you hit upon a lot of important context that might have been lost with some unfamiliar to the sounds of the giants whose shoulders I stand upon and the blurb about some of the songs belonging on an SST comp really made me feel accomplished. It DEFINITELY has that 80's-alternative feel to it in both musicianship and production, after dozens of listens and comparisons to the stock I have at my disposal... something I wasn't necessarily 'trying for' and something absent, to some degree, from the other songs (about 13 in total) that I've recorded prior to this. I'm glad it happened, though. I'm going to listen to your album tomorrow or over the weekend, maybe write a review of my own to return the favor, maybe after someone else gets a first crack to be fair. You are seriously awesome for the time you must have spent picking it apart. I think the next one's going to be even better, though!
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Ticket: This track is rather up beat and funky. Vocals are nice and reasonably well written. I really like artists who do not try to forcefully granny-rhyme and he has certainly done that. The riffs are pretty nice too, although rather short. Perhaps instead of many short little riffs, a long one that really pulls-through all the way would have been better. Pretty standard rock ending, but fits the track well.
Golden Age: Nice feeling at the beginning. There is a very cool effect on the lead guitar that gives it a fresh feeling. I'm not sure what the song is about, but it feels like it's about freedom, letting go of cares and following dreams in the "Golden Age". Well executed, but a little fast paced, I thought. In spite of that, the repetition of certain lyrical portions compensates for that somewhat. Overall I'd say that the the track has a very nice feeling, but is a little short, would like to have heard it go with a bit more expansion on the lyrics. Again, well written. You know how to write good lyrics.
Forgotten Future: Much slower paced than the other tracks. A track much more focused on the modality of the two types of "feeling" that are interchanged between the chorus and the verses. The song is about the struggle of young people with their modern-day problems, and how to persevere in spite of these looming obstacles; rather cliché, but works well for the music. The solo of the guitar seems out of place around the 3:25 mark, it just doesn't seem to gel for me. The second solo is much better, but that's because it's the peak of the song, the climatic high. The fade at the end is probably the sanest decision for this piece of music, good choice.
Waking From a Nightmare: Starting with what sounds like we're about to warp through time, the guitar and drums break in to shatter our time machine! I like the melody after the guitar warms up, but then there's a break to a completely different feel that sounds awkward in combination. The synthesizer that comes in is reminiscent of Rick Wakeman, and could be a little less HFie. Once settled into the new mood, the flow is actually rather nice. Somewhat like a journey to the centre of the earth. Pretty good for the second half.
One Eye: Straight into the action, I like that from rock. Although this track is far from standard rock, and sounds more like a choral piece. I love the backing vocals, man. Great stuff. And the acoustic guitar is also very well recorded, but I have a personal preference for that steel-string sound. The song itself is about people being opinionated and not accepting alternative views. The kazoo bit rocks. It's cheesy as all hell, but funny and proves a welcome comical relief. I have to give this track the award for best pacing and time-control.
Think: An angsty song. Lyrics are a little hard to hear and I cannot quite make out what is being sung, except in the parts where the lead guitar is silent. Singing, like the other tracks, is good. Overall you have a good rock voice. This track is a rather stock rock track. You have a good control over what rock should be, because the structure is very professional and follows that which people expect of rock in general, I believe. For this reason I think your record will be very well received.
Chains of Lust: Ooooh. Lusty. A very different sound in this track, the lyrics are also very differently paced, plus they are also much more audible. The song is about the loss of a girl, I think. I love the choral/reverb sound of the lead guitar, it really lulls the track before the hit of distortion in the chorus; nice. I'd also add that the guitar work and drums (yes, both) in this track are the best of all tracks.
Masculinity: My favourite steel string sound. The string backing (real or synthesized) is a good touch for this style of track. The song breaks between two styles, again the verses and chorus, which are nicely complementary. The lyrics themselves are very mono-thematic wherein they follow a particular trend. The variation is minimal but you never seem to run out of original material; either that of i have an extremely short memory. The modulation on the riff at 4:02 is very well placed and breaks the track into a lighter feel that crescendos it towards the finale where the track ends with a quiet drop of all except lyrics and lead. A pretty solid effort.
Lunar Waves: The bongos are very cool, and I've never heard them used in context like that. The vocals are processed in such a way that it reminds me of Roger Waters and the like. They are rather hard to hear, but so was he =). My main qualm with this track would be the audibility of the lyrics. Musically, it's very nice with some good chord progressions and melodies. Overall, the track sounds almost... Irish. I'm not sure why, that's what it feels like, especially in the bits where the electric guitar doesn't play. I would have made the bongos have a bigger part in the percussion section than the standard rock kit, as it would have made the track differentiate itself from the others substantially.
Track Ten: Hahahaha.... Well, you've certainly kicked the Death Metal fans straight in the nuts after that performance. Well done.
A very well executed and produced straight rock album. Chains of Lust being my favourite track. You have a very good handle on the rock genre and the material is exceptionally well recorded and mastered. I give it 8/10.
Post edited by: entropy, at: 2008/03/29 13:32
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Jay Durfey
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Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/30 22:50I was having problems rendering some of my tracks to mp3 the other day, so I decided to wait for the jukebox to be done to participate here.
I'm hearing some great stuff on the juke.
Who is in this thread that hasn't been reviewed yet? I'm game, but need to do my duty first and review someone else's.
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1138 Overture - The album begins by immersing you in very resonant synthesizers, with a [real-sounding] drumline driving things along. It has shades of early Tangerine Dream [circa Green Desert], along with a little The Gathering [circa How To Measure A Planet?]
Villainous Backstory - While it still sounds electronically-generated, things head in a more movie score direction here, as a digitally-generated orchestra does its thing.
Heroes Entrance - This one heads back towards electronica, maybe with a little mock-hard rock vibe. It sounds like it would be right at home playing in the background in an old-school Japanese video game.
Khorosho for a Droog - The rock element introduced in Heroes Entrance is still strongly noticeable here. Plenty of guitar being thrown around over an electronic beat. (The guitar sounds legitimate. If it is digital, it's a heck of an emulation.)
Last Flight - We're awash in serious synth again. =) Part of me wants to compare this to Derek Sherinian/Planet X, with a bit more of a lo-fi electronica feel in spots.
Xiabalba - It starts off with a pleasant acoustic guitar riff, accompanied by very mellow synthesizers. This REALLY reminds me of The Gathering (How To Measure A Planet?).
Pray Sallah - A middle-eastern sitar-sounding melody permeates throughout this one, with some tribal drums in the background to help establish the mood. The electronica periodically peeks its head out from under the surface.
In The Shadow Of The Monolith - This one sounds similar to Tangerine Dream or Ayreon [around the time of Dream Sequencer].
Noir City - Emulated instruments again here -- it kind of wavers between some kind of world music melody and bluesy jazz. You can tell each song is trying to set a scene of sorts, and this one definitely succeeds. If you close your eyes, you can practically visualize the place he's trying to evoke. My only criticism is this one may run a little long.
The Chase - A droid rock band does the orchestration of an elaborate chase scene in some future world.
A Bit Of The Old Ultraviolence - The droid rock band vibe of the chase carries over to this track. It almost sounds like its a continuation of the same movie sound track. (I'm guessing the chase ended badly, and now the future people are duking it out or something.)
Larkhill - The droid rock band from the last two tracks is retired, and things get more mellow again. With a bit of classical undertone, a new scene is established. It sounds like a royal place, but there's something unsettling about it.
Doowop - A bit of a digression here. One of the only songs so far that has anything vaguely resembling vocals. It can be best described as funky electronic. Think Herbie Hancock or The Art Of Noise.. Perhaps the soundtrack of a robot sexploitation movie?
The Charms Of Calloway - A virtual string orchestra weaves its way through a constantly twisting melody.
Zax Ax Attax - This reverts back to the 'droid rock' vibe from The Chase or A Bit Of The Old Ultraviolence.
Alan Smithee's Oscar - Electronica again. This comes the closest out of all the tracks to being trance music.
Heart Of Leonidas - I actually hear some David Arkenstone in this track. He marries the classical orchestration and the guitar element very well here. The timing may need a little fine-tuning, though. ----
Overall, this is interesting stuff. It's not the sort of album you could listen to in one sitting, though. I'd probably throw it on my iPod and shuffle it. The songs that work the best IMHO are those that are emulating orchestra/classical, or just letting the electronica be electronic-sounding. The rock pieces don't sound quite as polished. (He may want to try assembling a real band, and doing some of these tracks with genuine instruments. A real drummer would really help things, I think.)
Post edited by: Lunarsight, at: 2008/03/31 13:07
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Holograph - A dulcimer-sounding melody plays over an orchestrated background soundscape lurking in the distance. Collectively, it sounds a little unnerving, like something is about to happen..
Decrypting In The Crypt - A fairly warm pipe organ briefly takes center stage here.
Brute Force - A loud rapping burglar (ROFL). I just can visualize the burglar from Sims 2 doing something like this. It's kind of the odd track out, though.
Of The Stars - Mellow ambient, moved along by a bass. Voices distantly whisper to you in the background, as there's this feeling of movement. This is nice - it reminds me a little of Gilead Limor (or maybe the earliest Porcupine Tree, before they began trying to do the hard rock thing.)
Tallis - Kind of an outro/transitional track. Very minimalist - the synth melody kind of lurks in the background.
Because I Can - Electronica with a stronger beat. Whereas Of The Stars kind of lulled you into a meditative state, this one kind of is like "Hey, wake up!". Peculiar synth noises give way to a piano melody, and the two duel throughout much of the song. (The piano part sounds a bit like Robert Miles.)
Astral - This reminds me a lot of Depeche Mode. The synthesizer element stays mostly in the background throughout most of the song, and a simple bass drum drives it along. This song has vocals. The lyrics are pretty good - the voice is okay, but a little reverb may have helped to blend it into the song slightly better.
Psycho - Mellow synthesizers are grounded by a bass drum and bass melody. While primarily instrumental, you have some vocalization and sound effects here and there, almost as if a scene is unfolding before your very ears.
Overall, this works very well, for an album that was assembled in 29 days. It probably could use some fine-tuning (the vocals and levels). Brute Force, while amusing, doesn't really fit in with the other tracks. I might start the album on a slightly different note as well (establish the mood he gets starting on Of The Stars right from the very first second.)
I think he could create some awesome stuff working with other vocalists. I think more voices could add something to some of the tracks.
Post edited by: Lunarsight, at: 2008/03/31 13:07
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Zum was the most memorable of all the groups I sampled last year. So I feel priviledged to put pen to paper, or keys to screen, and write about this year's work. First, let me say, the guitar work is always very good. The mixes are tonally well balanced. The effects are stereo on a full spread so every bit of space is used. That can sound very cluttered normally, but the slapback and echo effects diminish as they spread. All the music is instrumental, but unlike easy listening, this requires you to pay attention. It engages the listener, which is why I would guess most of the peices are fairly short.
Raindance 2008 Yes there is rain indoors...and its in this peice of music. Just the right amount of 'verb to hear the outdoors. I like the basswork. This peice is more contemporary and could easily slide in a opening sequence on a movie soundtrack. I would love to hear this peice at an outdoor concert...like the jazzfest in New Orleans. Spiriteaux Light, airy, early morning at the marketplace. People are setting thier booths. Morocco, before the hustle and bustle of the day. The shop owners are having coffee together. You can hear a feeling of familiarity. Earthman and the Virtual Age This one is king trippy. Not so much a mood as an expression. Lots of textures and movement, like waves on the ocean. Had the munchies after this one. Yeah, man, serious Whataburger run. Back in a few. View frm the Watchtower A dark and brooding little number. The view from the watchtower is at night. The streets are empty. The air is cold, and the watchman grows anxious, even chaotic with anticipation. The contrast of the clean bass sound with the effected guitar reminded me of some early Cure at times. Cherokee Sky walking Conjures up images of sky, birds, in sounds on a very subtle canvas. The looping effects makes the simple rhythems sound very complex. I can hear in my mind a single bass hit or kick drum though..with a slight echo..on the four. Footsteps.
I try to finish up later in the week. Dial up. Oy! This took 2 hours. Baby's First Ride aka Lyndell
Post edited by: thel1195, at: 2008/03/31 09:24
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Night Driving
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Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/31 13:54great last couple of reviews, guys. lots of time and effort spent on these! i'm looking forward to the end of this temp job so i an check out all of these albums!
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(ignore the comment on that page about skipping certain tracks - I put that there as a service to innocent listeners. If you're going to review the thing, you're going to have to suffer through all 13 tracks! )
I also have all of the tracks, in proper order, streaming here in my RPM profile. Of, and of course now that the 2008 Jukebox is up, it's available there as well. Dammit! You've beaten me to reviewing this album! I've been listening to it over the weekend, and against some of my initial expectations, enjoying it very much. What to do, though? As I'm clearly not as up on _11.34's influences as you, is there much worth to me reviewing it...?
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The16Points is due for review. If you want one, give one. This thing will collapse for sure if 800 People show up, don't read at least the first post, and clamor for the gettin' without the givin'.
Give, and you shall recieve...and with what measure thou shalt give shall it also be measured back unto you. Yeah, verily. Dammit.
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the16points
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Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/31 17:02mr_glide wrote: Dammit! You've beaten me to reviewing this album! I've been listening to it over the weekend, and against some of my initial expectations, enjoying it very much. What to do, though? As I'm clearly not as up on _11.34's influences as you, is there much worth to me reviewing it...?
Absolutely you should review it. I didn't expect my review of _11:34's album to be the only one. As I posted above, I know that you had also mentioned reviewing this album. There have been multiple reviews for the same albums elsewhere in this thread as well, so I think it should be fine.
More importantly, the fact that you are coming from a different POV means you should *definitely* post your review. Yeah, I can rattle off a bunch of band names, but that doesn't make my perspective any better than yours. Your review will have it's own unique perceptions.
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mr_glide
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Re:Critique thread...want opinions on your music? - 2008/03/31 20:28the16points wrote: mr_glide wrote: Dammit! You've beaten me to reviewing this album! I've been listening to it over the weekend, and against some of my initial expectations, enjoying it very much. What to do, though? As I'm clearly not as up on _11.34's influences as you, is there much worth to me reviewing it...?
Absolutely you should review it. I didn't expect my review of _11:34's album to be the only one. As I posted above, I know that you had also mentioned reviewing this album. There have been multiple reviews for the same albums elsewhere in this thread as well, so I think it should be fine.
More importantly, the fact that you are coming from a different POV means you should *definitely* post your review. Yeah, I can rattle off a bunch of band names, but that doesn't make my perspective any better than yours. Your review will have it's own unique perceptions.
Good point, well made...I'll have to try and finish up on it tonight.
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) and goes well with the album art. Meh.
