Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Comming Soon.....
Reviews comming soon. I only just this morning noticed that all of the music was up so I haven't gotten a chance to listen yet. But I will.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Reviews -- Part II
Todd Kevin--Jejune Oeuvre (Ou Muerte Suicide)
I have to say, I was tempted to stop listening after the first song. I'm not a big fan of profanity for the sake of profanity. The first song reminded me of Afroman's "Because I got High" but it wasn't funny. That being said, I stuck through it and found the rest to be interesting and well written. You have some nice musical ideas. It's not exactly my cup of tea but I enjoyed it for what it is. Also, congrats on getting 37 minutes of music created! Great job!
Autumn Bluff--Lovesick Lullaby
This was produced well and had some potential to have some catchy sections. Having a more memorable hook in the chorus would really help. There were parts where I almost started to remember the tune, but as soon as I stopped listening, it was gone. It starts off feeling a little like 90's hip-hop, not that that's a bad thing. I started to get a little bored with it around 2:34... Also check the synth at the end. I'm not sure if you're using a sampled synth or something like a synth in reason... There are some really harsh clicks that pan randomly right and left. It's a little distracting. The vocals are nice and smooth and just right for this genre of music.
DJCleveland--Tessie(artwork)
I like the artwork. Is this for a fictitious micro-brew?
Five Minute Fanclub--Tongue-tied & Twisted and other Favourites
First, I want to say that I wish these had been labeled as to the order they should be played in. I played them in alphabetical order, so I hope that doesn't skew my interpretation too much.
I really dig this album. The banjo in "Cold Ground Blues" adds a nice rustic/Appalachian feel that I've been really into lately. The 50's "doo wop" section in "Mary-Ann" kind of cracked me up because of the jump from the uptempo folk stuff prior. The beginning of "No No No" reminds me of the Monkees. "The Secrets That They Keep" made me want to get my violin/fiddle out for the next RT. It's a nice touch. "The Sun is Only Shining at Me from the Bottom of a Whiskey Bottle" Hey Johnny. A little depressing, but great Johnny Cash tribute. "Tongue-tied & Twisted" is probably my favorite on the album. Only thing I would change is the mixing of the background vocals. They're too in your face and compete with the main vocal. Push them back in the mix and it will be great!
This is probably my favorite thing I've heard from your RT submissions! Keep it up!
Andrew Miller--Paroxysm
Exactly what I've come to expect from Andrew Miller. Great action music. It may be 4 minutes of music, but the quality is excellent! Great job!
Jiva--The Atma
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm really into non-western religions, specifically Hinduism and Buddhism. I try to meditate every day. This album is fantastic.
I think you really nailed each of these Hindu concepts. "Mantra" starts off subtly and grows into a spaciousness that pretty much encompasses what a mantra should be. "Jiva" seems to glow with the joy of being alive. It feels a little "Coldplay-y" at times, but that's ok. "Balance" definitely evokes a feeling of balance within oneself. There are times, especially at the end, where it feels as though the balance is being pushed on, almost falling. That is the nature of achieving balance in our lives though. We always have to actively strive for balance. I enjoyed "Atma" though it didn't quite fit with my Atman. Your Atman is obviously different than mine. I feel that you had some trouble exporting "Ascension." There were a lot of pops and skips in the music. Possibly encoding errors? The musical ideas fit right in with the idea of ascending beyond. The violin is a nice touch. "Enlightenment" is quaint and pretty, though the high bells were getting a little grating by this point.
Great job!
DonkeyDonker--King Henry VIII
"Epic" certainly lived up to its name! The beginning certainly is epic! Love how the beats build up in the middle and die out. Love the big wash effect.
The way "Epic" and "Burdens" develop over time is fantastic. The sound just washes over you in an undulating wave of sound.
"Grave Theory" is slightly different from the previous two. The rhythmic background is hypnotic when combined with the pulsating waves of noise.
"Oceans" is a little cliche. It's an ocean soundscape.
"Get Down and Move it Around" was a bit loud. I understand placing it after "Oceans" but that was so relaxing and gentle that this heavily distorted loudness overpowered it and erased any sense of peace the listener had achieved earlier.
"Bridges" was a bit too long. I'm usually a fan of using drones and repeating and changing simple motivic ideas... But only when they create interesting and new patterns or effects. This just seemed to drag on forever, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't skip parts of it.
I really liked the overarching flow of the entire album. The "epic" beginning with the peaceful middle section, leading into the HUGE dance-ish piece to the long wind-down.
Hope to hear more from you!
V.Mel--One Minute Rave
Great first foray into music! Keep working and learning!
Jonathan and Jason--The McWaffle
"Dancing in the Rain" great melody, structure, and lyrics. With some tweaks, I could hear a big christian artist doing this. Some of the phrasing doesn't do what it should. Vocals going up instead of down.
"The People's Champion" is much different than "Dancing in the Rain." You don't quite have the voice to do the rock thing.
Definitely like the ballad, not so much the rock/rap Linkin Park/POD thing.
Great 2 songs though!
Christian Lyon--Young Man EP
"Waves(Calculation)" very pensive and slightly hypnotic. It's hard to understand the vocals at times.
"Young Man" reminds me a little of Iron and Wine. Folky.
"Basic Beasts" is my favorite from this 2-song EP. The ethereal female vocal is really eerie. Like the other 2, the vocals are buried and unintelligible at times (bass notes on the guitar cover it up. Some EQ would go a long way to clean it up).
Great musical ideas. Keep it up!
Intraphase--A Boy and His Demon
I'm not the biggest fan of the growling vocal style. BUT, this is very well done. Spooky and musical. Just in time for Halloween. Great job!
That's it for now. I'll get to the rest of them sometime tomorrow!
I have to say, I was tempted to stop listening after the first song. I'm not a big fan of profanity for the sake of profanity. The first song reminded me of Afroman's "Because I got High" but it wasn't funny. That being said, I stuck through it and found the rest to be interesting and well written. You have some nice musical ideas. It's not exactly my cup of tea but I enjoyed it for what it is. Also, congrats on getting 37 minutes of music created! Great job!
Autumn Bluff--Lovesick Lullaby
This was produced well and had some potential to have some catchy sections. Having a more memorable hook in the chorus would really help. There were parts where I almost started to remember the tune, but as soon as I stopped listening, it was gone. It starts off feeling a little like 90's hip-hop, not that that's a bad thing. I started to get a little bored with it around 2:34... Also check the synth at the end. I'm not sure if you're using a sampled synth or something like a synth in reason... There are some really harsh clicks that pan randomly right and left. It's a little distracting. The vocals are nice and smooth and just right for this genre of music.
DJCleveland--Tessie(artwork)
I like the artwork. Is this for a fictitious micro-brew?
Five Minute Fanclub--Tongue-tied & Twisted and other Favourites
First, I want to say that I wish these had been labeled as to the order they should be played in. I played them in alphabetical order, so I hope that doesn't skew my interpretation too much.
I really dig this album. The banjo in "Cold Ground Blues" adds a nice rustic/Appalachian feel that I've been really into lately. The 50's "doo wop" section in "Mary-Ann" kind of cracked me up because of the jump from the uptempo folk stuff prior. The beginning of "No No No" reminds me of the Monkees. "The Secrets That They Keep" made me want to get my violin/fiddle out for the next RT. It's a nice touch. "The Sun is Only Shining at Me from the Bottom of a Whiskey Bottle" Hey Johnny. A little depressing, but great Johnny Cash tribute. "Tongue-tied & Twisted" is probably my favorite on the album. Only thing I would change is the mixing of the background vocals. They're too in your face and compete with the main vocal. Push them back in the mix and it will be great!
This is probably my favorite thing I've heard from your RT submissions! Keep it up!
Andrew Miller--Paroxysm
Exactly what I've come to expect from Andrew Miller. Great action music. It may be 4 minutes of music, but the quality is excellent! Great job!
Jiva--The Atma
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm really into non-western religions, specifically Hinduism and Buddhism. I try to meditate every day. This album is fantastic.
I think you really nailed each of these Hindu concepts. "Mantra" starts off subtly and grows into a spaciousness that pretty much encompasses what a mantra should be. "Jiva" seems to glow with the joy of being alive. It feels a little "Coldplay-y" at times, but that's ok. "Balance" definitely evokes a feeling of balance within oneself. There are times, especially at the end, where it feels as though the balance is being pushed on, almost falling. That is the nature of achieving balance in our lives though. We always have to actively strive for balance. I enjoyed "Atma" though it didn't quite fit with my Atman. Your Atman is obviously different than mine. I feel that you had some trouble exporting "Ascension." There were a lot of pops and skips in the music. Possibly encoding errors? The musical ideas fit right in with the idea of ascending beyond. The violin is a nice touch. "Enlightenment" is quaint and pretty, though the high bells were getting a little grating by this point.
Great job!
DonkeyDonker--King Henry VIII
"Epic" certainly lived up to its name! The beginning certainly is epic! Love how the beats build up in the middle and die out. Love the big wash effect.
The way "Epic" and "Burdens" develop over time is fantastic. The sound just washes over you in an undulating wave of sound.
"Grave Theory" is slightly different from the previous two. The rhythmic background is hypnotic when combined with the pulsating waves of noise.
"Oceans" is a little cliche. It's an ocean soundscape.
"Get Down and Move it Around" was a bit loud. I understand placing it after "Oceans" but that was so relaxing and gentle that this heavily distorted loudness overpowered it and erased any sense of peace the listener had achieved earlier.
"Bridges" was a bit too long. I'm usually a fan of using drones and repeating and changing simple motivic ideas... But only when they create interesting and new patterns or effects. This just seemed to drag on forever, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't skip parts of it.
I really liked the overarching flow of the entire album. The "epic" beginning with the peaceful middle section, leading into the HUGE dance-ish piece to the long wind-down.
Hope to hear more from you!
V.Mel--One Minute Rave
Great first foray into music! Keep working and learning!
Jonathan and Jason--The McWaffle
"Dancing in the Rain" great melody, structure, and lyrics. With some tweaks, I could hear a big christian artist doing this. Some of the phrasing doesn't do what it should. Vocals going up instead of down.
"The People's Champion" is much different than "Dancing in the Rain." You don't quite have the voice to do the rock thing.
Definitely like the ballad, not so much the rock/rap Linkin Park/POD thing.
Great 2 songs though!
Christian Lyon--Young Man EP
"Waves(Calculation)" very pensive and slightly hypnotic. It's hard to understand the vocals at times.
"Young Man" reminds me a little of Iron and Wine. Folky.
"Basic Beasts" is my favorite from this 2-song EP. The ethereal female vocal is really eerie. Like the other 2, the vocals are buried and unintelligible at times (bass notes on the guitar cover it up. Some EQ would go a long way to clean it up).
Great musical ideas. Keep it up!
Intraphase--A Boy and His Demon
I'm not the biggest fan of the growling vocal style. BUT, this is very well done. Spooky and musical. Just in time for Halloween. Great job!
That's it for now. I'll get to the rest of them sometime tomorrow!
Reviews -- Part I
Strange Battery--Grenadine
"Mabel and Me" was a little bittersweet feeling, yet humorous at the same time.
"Grenadine" really made me chuckle with the old time piano and the over the top lyrics well done!
"Watch Out"-- perfect timing for Halloween. Definitely reminds me of those old Halloween songs (for some reason it reminded me of Napoleon XIV's "They're coming to take me away")
"Ice Cream Man" Fantastic! If only corporate America marketed healthy food the way they market their ice cream.
"Horsies" Spot on with the carousel music!
"The Knight" very melancholy. Is the character wishing he weren't the knight in shining armor?
"The Princess" flows very nicely from "The Knight." I'm really liking the way you're tying everything together.
"Chuggin" really cracked me up with the Kazoo.
"Family Band" Hilarious!
"All of the Pasta" is an instant Italian restaurant classic.
"Long way Home"
"Sneaker Shoes" Very impressed with your tap skills. I took tap lessons for a few months in high school and could never get passed "rat-a-tat-tat"...
Overall: I really enjoyed this album from Strange Battery. The combination of humorous interpretations of vaudville-esque music with the melancholy ballads really sent it over the top for me.
Lobster Shanty--Tremendous
Overall: Great grooves and funky beats! I'm not a huge fan of funk because it tends to all sound very similar, but I enjoyed this. Also, was the innuendo in "Mr. Porcupine" intentional? Porn music guitars with a "pokey porcupine?" Just saying.
Logan Bradley--HzlHrst
"The Bathing of Pallas" is right up my alley. I love the text being read. I'd love to see it expanded upon more.
"From the Coast" Totally dig the ending of this one!
"Tinned Hide" The chorus is really emotional. The intense instrumental parts really make it seem like the vocals are begging for relief.
"Without a murder" is really cool. The electronics at the beginning create an anticipation for the guitars to come in. The delay on the guitar sounds a little U2-y.
"Collared Coward" I was really into it and then the bar scene came in and confused the crap outta me. It makes sense with the story though. Just broke the music up, which I guess was your point.
"Crossroads" Love the ostinato and how you cover it up and make it feel that it is changing and detuning. I feel like this could be turned into a longer, more minimal piece. The changes occur too rapidly for my tastes.
"Aint my baby no more" makes me feel like I'm downtown Nashville. (Except better playing and singing!)
Overall: I had a lot of fun listening to this, and anticipate listening to it a few more times to see if there's anything I missed or misinterpreted. Also, your album cover is killer!
Mike Webber- Morning Waits for No One
"Song 1" is a nice, feel-good, electronic introduction.
"The Candle March" I love the feeling of uneasiness and the light humor at the end.
"Morning Waits for No One" The lyrics are great! I particularly like the juxtoposition of "reckless and alone" with "cautious and prepared."
"Scarecrow's Song" I like the overall feeling I get from this song. However, all of the parts starting at 2:33 create a really jarring chord that I don't feel goes with the rest of the music.
Album cover makes me hungry.
Clock Systeme--"Droides"
I really liked the way this started off, though I started to get bored after a while. When the dance music came in, I kind of shut off. Not really my thing. The ending was really nice with the angelic plagal cadence coming out of the noise.This would benefit with a video to go along with it as well. The female voice reminds me of "GLaDOS" from Portal.
Lots of music to listen to an review and I'm hungry! Be back later with more thoughts!
"Mabel and Me" was a little bittersweet feeling, yet humorous at the same time.
"Grenadine" really made me chuckle with the old time piano and the over the top lyrics well done!
"Watch Out"-- perfect timing for Halloween. Definitely reminds me of those old Halloween songs (for some reason it reminded me of Napoleon XIV's "They're coming to take me away")
"Ice Cream Man" Fantastic! If only corporate America marketed healthy food the way they market their ice cream.
"Horsies" Spot on with the carousel music!
"The Knight" very melancholy. Is the character wishing he weren't the knight in shining armor?
"The Princess" flows very nicely from "The Knight." I'm really liking the way you're tying everything together.
"Chuggin" really cracked me up with the Kazoo.
"Family Band" Hilarious!
"All of the Pasta" is an instant Italian restaurant classic.
"Long way Home"
"Sneaker Shoes" Very impressed with your tap skills. I took tap lessons for a few months in high school and could never get passed "rat-a-tat-tat"...
Overall: I really enjoyed this album from Strange Battery. The combination of humorous interpretations of vaudville-esque music with the melancholy ballads really sent it over the top for me.
Lobster Shanty--Tremendous
Overall: Great grooves and funky beats! I'm not a huge fan of funk because it tends to all sound very similar, but I enjoyed this. Also, was the innuendo in "Mr. Porcupine" intentional? Porn music guitars with a "pokey porcupine?" Just saying.
Logan Bradley--HzlHrst
"The Bathing of Pallas" is right up my alley. I love the text being read. I'd love to see it expanded upon more.
"From the Coast" Totally dig the ending of this one!
"Tinned Hide" The chorus is really emotional. The intense instrumental parts really make it seem like the vocals are begging for relief.
"Without a murder" is really cool. The electronics at the beginning create an anticipation for the guitars to come in. The delay on the guitar sounds a little U2-y.
"Collared Coward" I was really into it and then the bar scene came in and confused the crap outta me. It makes sense with the story though. Just broke the music up, which I guess was your point.
"Crossroads" Love the ostinato and how you cover it up and make it feel that it is changing and detuning. I feel like this could be turned into a longer, more minimal piece. The changes occur too rapidly for my tastes.
"Aint my baby no more" makes me feel like I'm downtown Nashville. (Except better playing and singing!)
Overall: I had a lot of fun listening to this, and anticipate listening to it a few more times to see if there's anything I missed or misinterpreted. Also, your album cover is killer!
Mike Webber- Morning Waits for No One
"Song 1" is a nice, feel-good, electronic introduction.
"The Candle March" I love the feeling of uneasiness and the light humor at the end.
"Morning Waits for No One" The lyrics are great! I particularly like the juxtoposition of "reckless and alone" with "cautious and prepared."
"Scarecrow's Song" I like the overall feeling I get from this song. However, all of the parts starting at 2:33 create a really jarring chord that I don't feel goes with the rest of the music.
Album cover makes me hungry.
Clock Systeme--"Droides"
I really liked the way this started off, though I started to get bored after a while. When the dance music came in, I kind of shut off. Not really my thing. The ending was really nice with the angelic plagal cadence coming out of the noise.This would benefit with a video to go along with it as well. The female voice reminds me of "GLaDOS" from Portal.
Lots of music to listen to an review and I'm hungry! Be back later with more thoughts!
Monday, October 17, 2011
1st batch of reviews
I'll be working through everything eventually, but here are a few to get everyone started anyway. Sorry, these aren't going to be in any particular order.
Intraphase/A Boy and His Demon - This was really creepy at parts. For real. Using sound effects to link everything together was an awesome idea, and really added to the whole storytelling aspect of this. I love how everything flows here, really. From the knock on the door and on, it never loses your interest. Gnarly solos and riffing, and I love the start-stop blastbeats on the drums towards the end. The drum and bass part around 3:30 is sick. It reminds me of Tool, especially how the bass sounds. I love how this tortured music eventually just turning into a big ball of noise before cutting away to that last piano part. Awesome work on the keyboards all throughout. Everything sounds so cinematic. Dope job, you guys.
Strange Battery/Grenadine - This is really awesome, Dan. How you manage to write all of these perfect melodies is beyond me. I didn't know music could make me miss an era I never lived in. When I lose everything and everyone, when my life is broken beyond recognition, I will listen to "Chuggin'" and still giggle like a little girl. "The Knight" & "The Princess" are just gorgeous. Thank you so much for this album. I loved every minute of it.
R. Aaron Webster/Sex Affairs of Ghosts EP - This is chaotic and crazy, but once it locks in, it's tight. I like how the drums are constantly shifting, sounding like a disco beat that transforms into a metal groove that morphs into anything it wants because go to hell. The melodies here remind me a lot of 80's era Zappa. They have that bouncy, frantic sound. This was awesome, no filler at all, just straight chaos with a nice dash of pretty right in the middle.
Sorry guys, I'm getting too tired. More tomorrow.
Intraphase/A Boy and His Demon - This was really creepy at parts. For real. Using sound effects to link everything together was an awesome idea, and really added to the whole storytelling aspect of this. I love how everything flows here, really. From the knock on the door and on, it never loses your interest. Gnarly solos and riffing, and I love the start-stop blastbeats on the drums towards the end. The drum and bass part around 3:30 is sick. It reminds me of Tool, especially how the bass sounds. I love how this tortured music eventually just turning into a big ball of noise before cutting away to that last piano part. Awesome work on the keyboards all throughout. Everything sounds so cinematic. Dope job, you guys.
Strange Battery/Grenadine - This is really awesome, Dan. How you manage to write all of these perfect melodies is beyond me. I didn't know music could make me miss an era I never lived in. When I lose everything and everyone, when my life is broken beyond recognition, I will listen to "Chuggin'" and still giggle like a little girl. "The Knight" & "The Princess" are just gorgeous. Thank you so much for this album. I loved every minute of it.
R. Aaron Webster/Sex Affairs of Ghosts EP - This is chaotic and crazy, but once it locks in, it's tight. I like how the drums are constantly shifting, sounding like a disco beat that transforms into a metal groove that morphs into anything it wants because go to hell. The melodies here remind me a lot of 80's era Zappa. They have that bouncy, frantic sound. This was awesome, no filler at all, just straight chaos with a nice dash of pretty right in the middle.
Sorry guys, I'm getting too tired. More tomorrow.
Music is up!
http://www.danwaldkirch.com/recordtime/albums.html
GO GO GO GO GO!
I'll be posting a batch of reviews later on tonight. I didn't review last time, but I'll be able to this time.
Getting to hear all this stuff is seriously the coolest part of recordtime. Let's hear it for collective creativity!
GO GO GO GO GO!
I'll be posting a batch of reviews later on tonight. I didn't review last time, but I'll be able to this time.
Getting to hear all this stuff is seriously the coolest part of recordtime. Let's hear it for collective creativity!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Intraphase's "A Boy and His Demon" wrapped up
Well, it's finished and sent in. I was definitely a fun project for me personally and I will look forward to them in the future. This go-around seemed to flow smoothly from our collective mind to a finished product. There were things I would fix but every project is like that. It nice to just let it go.
We condensed the six tracks that divided the story into one single track since there was enough sound effects to connect them and tell the story. My personal favorite is what would of been the last track. It has a great vibe going into it. But overall the album is only 12 minutes long so give it a listen!
We had been talking about the story behind the album for about a month prior to writing anything. In doing this we had mention to a friend and local film maker that we might like doing a short film to go with the music. We're going to begin planning phases for that very soon. Hopefully have the video on YouTube in November. If you're interested please find us on facebook. We'll be keeping everyone update there.
Anyway, I've had a great time. I can't wait to download everyone's music! Happy listening
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Reflections On Tiresome Speed Composition
After taking an extra day to mix, and then another to correct a botched uploading attempt, Record Time VII is finally in the bag and I'm generally pleased with the results of "Jejune Oeuvre," my 37 minute opus to mental health problems. This is only my third time participating, 2nd time finishing. Because sometimes I'm a punk.
This time around I bit off way more than I could chew, settling on the cheery concept of murder, suicide, and the absence of God, hopefully set off by the juxtaposition of dark subject matter against slightly upbeat pop music. And before you go putting me on suicide watch, just know that the genesis for all the mental health and suicide songs came about in part b/c of Nevermind's 20th anniversary and me recently watching Mel Gibson's "The Beaver." Which I recommend. And lets be honest, as musicians, we all have to be a little intrigued by the subject considering self destruction took some of the greats. Also, screw you, it's art, stop judging me.
Now for what I learned this time around. My biggest lesson came when I spent the first 5 days trying to write concept songs, struggling, then scrambling to get all the songs recorded in 2 days. (Track 8 I'll admit was written months ago, but fit the concept too well to omit). In my opinion, not giving enough time to the recording, mixing, mastering process is the biggest drawback due to not de-essing, losing the beat often, keeping terrible first takes, etc.
Ok, gear. So after leaving BSU last year, and having yet to upgrade my personal studio to anything resembling professional, I decided to go the opposite direction, attempting to get decent sound out of the least amount of gear. My set up: a laptop, garageband (GB), acoustic & electric guitar. That's it. No preamps, no mics (except the onboard mic on the laptop). GB drums, GB loops, GB effects. With all that said, I think the songs make acceptable demos, but nothing more.
I don't know. What do you guys think? Can't wait to listen to everyone else's stuff, the best part of Record Time in my opinion.
Todd Kevin
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