Friday, August 31, 2007
Fear of People Cover Art
Over the past couple days, Moses and I have been discussing front, back and inside cover art ideas, and we agreed pretty quickly on something that we think will say some things we want to say. And it shall be put to paper by the incomparable Mo Moussa Nice. Go Phillies!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Fear of People's Progress, Latest Edition
Last night, my folks drove me to the studio -- I had to stop driving 10 years ago -- and I laid down the vocal tracks for 3 songs: Moses's 'Waiting Game' and 'All I Want to Say to Sting' and my 'Livin on the Fringe.' I think I did really good work, and it went much more quickly than last time, that whole part of the session took like two and a half hours. Just like last time, Mike gave good feedback to guide me quickly toward usable takes when my initial ones were not good enough.
Then we did some drum edits and experiments with synth effects for other songs, but after a while Mike 'hit a wall' and we called it a night. Mike has to be at a video shoot for the song that the Boils wrote for the Flyers. That's one of his last commitments with those guys. Then BBH gets to borrow his drumming services for a bit, as he is filling in for our initial gigs till we hold our auditions and find our new bandmate. Mike is also helping out with that process and it's being held at his Second Story Sound Studio.
Then we did some drum edits and experiments with synth effects for other songs, but after a while Mike 'hit a wall' and we called it a night. Mike has to be at a video shoot for the song that the Boils wrote for the Flyers. That's one of his last commitments with those guys. Then BBH gets to borrow his drumming services for a bit, as he is filling in for our initial gigs till we hold our auditions and find our new bandmate. Mike is also helping out with that process and it's being held at his Second Story Sound Studio.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
80 South Forge Manor Drive
I found out two days ago that the next M Knight Shamalyan movie 'The Happening' is filming in Phoenixville, in a little roadside restaurant called the G Lodge on route 23. From 1971 to 1980 I lived literally half a mile down the road from there. I remember eating at the G Lodge maybe 3 times: once on the day we moved out of that house to go to Valley Forge, then twice during my more recent dialysis years when the unit was part of Phoenixville Hospital.
Nineties baseball phenom Mike Piazza lived near there too -- my mom used to drive him and my bro and other kids to kindergarten.
Also nearby, a diner and a movie theater were used in the original 1950s version of the Blob.
So there you go, a big dose of past present and hopefully future for you.
tI don't know if Shamalyan's 'The Happening' takes its title from anything related to the Pixies song of the same name.
Nineties baseball phenom Mike Piazza lived near there too -- my mom used to drive him and my bro and other kids to kindergarten.
Also nearby, a diner and a movie theater were used in the original 1950s version of the Blob.
So there you go, a big dose of past present and hopefully future for you.
tI don't know if Shamalyan's 'The Happening' takes its title from anything related to the Pixies song of the same name.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Didn't I Say this would Happen?
The garageband.com community has decreed that even 'Fairuza' is not a four star song. What a rollercoaster ride ending in disappointment, as predicted.
Gonna take a break from that site for awhile. Till the next reissue comes out. Octoberish I guess.
Hugely more important stuff going on, before then.
Gonna take a break from that site for awhile. Till the next reissue comes out. Octoberish I guess.
Hugely more important stuff going on, before then.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Up and Running
Thanks to a great deal of assistance from my dad, Joe O'Connor, Bruce Satinover, Mike Bardzik, and the M Audio tech support team, my little home studio setup is back in operation. I am doing the basics now; it's all just a matter of learning new terminology and gui buttonology when switching to new software. So there is still much to learn.
But now I can at least record demo versions of the parts I intend to record when I get to the studio, and be better prepared.
Today for about 4 hours I worked on my latest versions of the vox and gtr parts for a song called 'Room for Doubt.' I'm likin' it.
And the first word in today's jumble was DOUBT, so I took that as a good sign.
But now I can at least record demo versions of the parts I intend to record when I get to the studio, and be better prepared.
Today for about 4 hours I worked on my latest versions of the vox and gtr parts for a song called 'Room for Doubt.' I'm likin' it.
And the first word in today's jumble was DOUBT, so I took that as a good sign.
4.4 at 4:40
Here's an amusing review 'Fairuza' just got:
"Fast-paced.
I like the speed of this song. Also, the ascending guitar chords and riff are cool in parts. The rhythm, overall, is unique in a good way. I'm not sure I understand many of the lyrics, so maybe that should be worked on. I think I heard the word "yellow" in there, though. Oh, and shimmering.
All-in-all a good experience, though."
bringing its current rating to 4.4 stars.
My back end of this blog is still set to pacific time. It's actually 3 hours later, AFTER a full night's sleep. I'm not sure how I got onto this schedule.
"Fast-paced.
I like the speed of this song. Also, the ascending guitar chords and riff are cool in parts. The rhythm, overall, is unique in a good way. I'm not sure I understand many of the lyrics, so maybe that should be worked on. I think I heard the word "yellow" in there, though. Oh, and shimmering.
All-in-all a good experience, though."
bringing its current rating to 4.4 stars.
My back end of this blog is still set to pacific time. It's actually 3 hours later, AFTER a full night's sleep. I'm not sure how I got onto this schedule.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Just another lullaby...
Al,
Maybe it was just the collective subconsciousness we call the internet's way of telling you that there's no need to go to garageband at 1 something AM, and that you should instead go the hell to bed. :)
I think we should put something like that on our site. From 3-4AM, the headflap site should simply say,
"The members of BBH sincerely appreciate your interest in our band.
Kinda late, though, isn't it?
Maybe you should go to bed. We'll still be here in the morning."
Maybe it was just the collective subconsciousness we call the internet's way of telling you that there's no need to go to garageband at 1 something AM, and that you should instead go the hell to bed. :)
I think we should put something like that on our site. From 3-4AM, the headflap site should simply say,
"The members of BBH sincerely appreciate your interest in our band.
Kinda late, though, isn't it?
Maybe you should go to bed. We'll still be here in the morning."
Psychiatric Self-Diagnosis
Then again my most elaborate paranoiac delusions usually have some very very simple technical pc glitch as their root.
Okay?
Okay?
Butterfly Effect
I tried to get to my garageband account 5 minutes ago to reply to a recent message, and the entire site seems to be gone, not even the usual 'sorry, we are down due to site maintenance' message. Sure hope my recent posts didn't cause this.
?
Naaah.
?
Naaah.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Didn't I Say This Would Happen?
Yes, generally favorable reviews have indeed brought 'Fairuza' back to just above 4. I think I'll start acting Catholic again and arrange a rosary vigil to keep this rating up there.
Here is a particularly awesome review that a person of extraordinary taste posted yesterday:
" Atonality as an Art Form...
Bizarre scales and chaotic arrangement make this song an off-the-wall masterpiece. Unconventional (though masterful) guitar work somehow clicks perfectly with eclectic vocals to produce a technically and artistically brilliant song. This is a band you should know about.
"
Here is a particularly awesome review that a person of extraordinary taste posted yesterday:
" Atonality as an Art Form...
Bizarre scales and chaotic arrangement make this song an off-the-wall masterpiece. Unconventional (though masterful) guitar work somehow clicks perfectly with eclectic vocals to produce a technically and artistically brilliant song. This is a band you should know about.
"
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The Search is On!
It occurred to me yesterday: now that Creeping Weeds' mini-tour in support of their phenomenal debut full-length is over, maybe Chris' time commitments have lightened some, and he might be able to help out the flap in its attempts to gig again... like, be our drummer? I mean, wouldn't it be dumb if the offer were never made? So I emailed the man.
Long and short: no. CreeWees are intensifying their assault on indie rock, AND Chris is headed to grad school. Just can't fit us in at this time - but he did offer help in getting some initial gigs, and that is much appreciated.
So, the 'flap launches its drummer search. I have proposed a concept to my bandmates; details and dates just need to be agreed on by all bandmembers and other involved parties before anything further on the subject will be posted on the website.
I'm psyched.
Long and short: no. CreeWees are intensifying their assault on indie rock, AND Chris is headed to grad school. Just can't fit us in at this time - but he did offer help in getting some initial gigs, and that is much appreciated.
So, the 'flap launches its drummer search. I have proposed a concept to my bandmates; details and dates just need to be agreed on by all bandmembers and other involved parties before anything further on the subject will be posted on the website.
I'm psyched.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Another Thing About Jefferson Airplane to Consider
Several posts ago, I pointed out a few things about Jefferon Airplane that I never fully appreciated before. Now I see in a new light how they altered their very name as they entered significantly different phases -- but in a way so as to maintain a link to their past, for ease of fan recognition. Food for thought to feed my head.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
'Some You' Nearly Completed
Mike and I scheduled a short-notice session for yesterday at which I hoped to possibly complete what is expected of us to complete for 2 songs. But we had just four hours to work with so I knew a more reasonable expectation was that I would complete vocals, gtr, and editing drums on 'Some You.'
The bulk of the session was spent doing the vocals. Mike is great at coaxing the best possible performance out of a good singer with many good ideas. I did an initial 3 takes of the lead vox of the entire song. We listened to each section, each take in turn, and chose the best of each one. We agreed many were usable. For each section that did not have a usable take, I resang, with Mike's coaching, till I got it just right. We did this most intensively for the ending, which anyone who heard the demo would say had to be done just right. And I believe a very good rendition was nailed.
I did stick to the well-worded advice of Moses. I focussed my approach.
At some point I will have more to say about what my original point for this song was, and how I altered it after hearing advice from two very good married friends, one who was just writing lyrics to a song 12 years prior, and the other who might have really thought he was just coaching a vocal performance/ co-producing a record.
Then I did all the background vocals, combining what stuck out in my mind from my demo with on-the-fly attempts and Mike's suggestions and feedback.
The entire process was much more organized and yielded a better result than the haphazard approach I have been taking when recording at home. And simply more fun. Creative input from others is a good thing. Music making should be a communal event - in many to most cases. I still see one man band projects in my future.
After this 3 hour process of doing vocals I laid down a couple very very simple and totally unflashy gtr lines. Thanks to the tia, this took 45 minutes.
Mike performed the 2 minor edits I requested, which were merely the removal of two two-bar drumkit phrases at :04 and 1:10, to be replaced by original or royalty-free sampled breakbeats at some point.
And then we just need the horn section to come in. I have been assured that that will soon be scheduled to happen in a few weeks. Then all the files will be sent to fla for Kramer to mix and master, and you will hear the results in December or January or thereabouts.
The bulk of the session was spent doing the vocals. Mike is great at coaxing the best possible performance out of a good singer with many good ideas. I did an initial 3 takes of the lead vox of the entire song. We listened to each section, each take in turn, and chose the best of each one. We agreed many were usable. For each section that did not have a usable take, I resang, with Mike's coaching, till I got it just right. We did this most intensively for the ending, which anyone who heard the demo would say had to be done just right. And I believe a very good rendition was nailed.
I did stick to the well-worded advice of Moses. I focussed my approach.
At some point I will have more to say about what my original point for this song was, and how I altered it after hearing advice from two very good married friends, one who was just writing lyrics to a song 12 years prior, and the other who might have really thought he was just coaching a vocal performance/ co-producing a record.
Then I did all the background vocals, combining what stuck out in my mind from my demo with on-the-fly attempts and Mike's suggestions and feedback.
The entire process was much more organized and yielded a better result than the haphazard approach I have been taking when recording at home. And simply more fun. Creative input from others is a good thing. Music making should be a communal event - in many to most cases. I still see one man band projects in my future.
After this 3 hour process of doing vocals I laid down a couple very very simple and totally unflashy gtr lines. Thanks to the tia, this took 45 minutes.
Mike performed the 2 minor edits I requested, which were merely the removal of two two-bar drumkit phrases at :04 and 1:10, to be replaced by original or royalty-free sampled breakbeats at some point.
And then we just need the horn section to come in. I have been assured that that will soon be scheduled to happen in a few weeks. Then all the files will be sent to fla for Kramer to mix and master, and you will hear the results in December or January or thereabouts.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
A Recent Review and My Response
"[quote]
i enjoy dissonance a lot.
Off the bat, my face turns to a confused face. i can't hear anything concrete. The overall sound is very raw and natural which i generally like. The arranging is some of the most interesting i've ever heard. I can't understand the vocals. Some sections are fantastic and i'll call this progressive indie. I like it. however, there's too much going on and the sections move very quickly.
[/quote]
we feel that those reactions lead to repeat listening and those who care to listen as many times as it takes to figure it all out can be termed 'true fans.' a weeding out process.
please join, if you care to.
if not, no biggie.
alan"
i enjoy dissonance a lot.
Off the bat, my face turns to a confused face. i can't hear anything concrete. The overall sound is very raw and natural which i generally like. The arranging is some of the most interesting i've ever heard. I can't understand the vocals. Some sections are fantastic and i'll call this progressive indie. I like it. however, there's too much going on and the sections move very quickly.
[/quote]
we feel that those reactions lead to repeat listening and those who care to listen as many times as it takes to figure it all out can be termed 'true fans.' a weeding out process.
please join, if you care to.
if not, no biggie.
alan"
To which I Replied
Thank you for that detailed response. I understand
now the limitations of the current system. Seems
maybe just a little irresponsible of gb to use a
system that raises hopes early with its inflated
estimates only to dash them, so I hope you can
improve the system quickly.
The friend I mentioned who calculated (over the course
of lunch on a busy day) the impossibility of my star
ranking drop is actually my father. He has a ph.d in
math and has used it alll his life and as a result we
live comfortably. His company helped find the pieces
of the first space shuttle disaster. He loves to
solve challenging problems. Maybe he'd be interested
in helping you guys work on this one.
alan
now the limitations of the current system. Seems
maybe just a little irresponsible of gb to use a
system that raises hopes early with its inflated
estimates only to dash them, so I hope you can
improve the system quickly.
The friend I mentioned who calculated (over the course
of lunch on a busy day) the impossibility of my star
ranking drop is actually my father. He has a ph.d in
math and has used it alll his life and as a result we
live comfortably. His company helped find the pieces
of the first space shuttle disaster. He loves to
solve challenging problems. Maybe he'd be interested
in helping you guys work on this one.
alan
The GB Response
Thank you for contacting GarageBand Support. All reviews weigh in the
same and the algorithm is not something I can pretend to understand.
Here is a bit of information to help you understand the process... this
was written by a manager...
Prior to the genesis of the star ranking system, there was no good way
for the user to gauge how well a song was doing. They could tell that
their song was at X position in the charts, but there was no way to
really tell how a song was doing against its peers because all of the
songs are shifting positions.
We responded to overwhelming demand from our user base by creating the
star system as an early predictor of how the song is doing against the
galaxy of its peers. As a predictive indicator, the star system is not
highly accurate in the early stages and becomes more accurate as the
song approaches the end of its reviews.
One inherent problem right now is that both the chart positions and the
star rankings are calculated not only by the song's reviews, but by ALL
reviews of the song AND ITS PEERS. This causes understandable
confusion
among users.
For example, if I enter a new song, it will go through a period of
heavy
rotation and climb the chart. At some point, the review frequency will
decrease but OTHER songs are getting reviews. I may see a single
review
or even no review at all and on the same day see that my chart position
and/or my star rating will move quite a bit. It would be natural for
me
to assume that this condition was caused by the single reviewer when in
fact it is because there is a whole lot of other data being
considered--namely, the data of all the other songs in that genre that
are receiving reviews.
In truth, a single review can't substantially move a song's position
because we are using quantitative rather than qualitative analysis. I
do understand, however, that this can be the perception and that this
perception is very important.
We are planning to address the way our star system calculates the
ranking. While there is no way to 'fix' the inherent inaccuracy of a
narrow sample, there are steps we can take to offset the star ranking
to
reflect the confidence in the sample accuracy.
At this point, we have not fully discussed how we would implement this
but it is something of which we are aware and intend to fix.
Thank you,
Jennifer
GarageBand.com
same and the algorithm is not something I can pretend to understand.
Here is a bit of information to help you understand the process... this
was written by a manager...
Prior to the genesis of the star ranking system, there was no good way
for the user to gauge how well a song was doing. They could tell that
their song was at X position in the charts, but there was no way to
really tell how a song was doing against its peers because all of the
songs are shifting positions.
We responded to overwhelming demand from our user base by creating the
star system as an early predictor of how the song is doing against the
galaxy of its peers. As a predictive indicator, the star system is not
highly accurate in the early stages and becomes more accurate as the
song approaches the end of its reviews.
One inherent problem right now is that both the chart positions and the
star rankings are calculated not only by the song's reviews, but by ALL
reviews of the song AND ITS PEERS. This causes understandable
confusion
among users.
For example, if I enter a new song, it will go through a period of
heavy
rotation and climb the chart. At some point, the review frequency will
decrease but OTHER songs are getting reviews. I may see a single
review
or even no review at all and on the same day see that my chart position
and/or my star rating will move quite a bit. It would be natural for
me
to assume that this condition was caused by the single reviewer when in
fact it is because there is a whole lot of other data being
considered--namely, the data of all the other songs in that genre that
are receiving reviews.
In truth, a single review can't substantially move a song's position
because we are using quantitative rather than qualitative analysis. I
do understand, however, that this can be the perception and that this
perception is very important.
We are planning to address the way our star system calculates the
ranking. While there is no way to 'fix' the inherent inaccuracy of a
narrow sample, there are steps we can take to offset the star ranking
to
reflect the confidence in the sample accuracy.
At this point, we have not fully discussed how we would implement this
but it is something of which we are aware and intend to fix.
Thank you,
Jennifer
GarageBand.com
The GB Response
Thank you for contacting GarageBand Support. All reviews weigh in the
same and the algorithm is not something I can pretend to understand.
Here is a bit of information to help you understand the process... this
was written by a manager...
Prior to the genesis of the star ranking system, there was no good way
for the user to gauge how well a song was doing. They could tell that
their song was at X position in the charts, but there was no way to
really tell how a song was doing against its peers because all of the
songs are shifting positions.
We responded to overwhelming demand from our user base by creating the
star system as an early predictor of how the song is doing against the
galaxy of its peers. As a predictive indicator, the star system is not
highly accurate in the early stages and becomes more accurate as the
song approaches the end of its reviews.
One inherent problem right now is that both the chart positions and the
star rankings are calculated not only by the song's reviews, but by ALL
reviews of the song AND ITS PEERS. This causes understandable
confusion
among users.
For example, if I enter a new song, it will go through a period of
heavy
rotation and climb the chart. At some point, the review frequency will
decrease but OTHER songs are getting reviews. I may see a single
review
or even no review at all and on the same day see that my chart position
and/or my star rating will move quite a bit. It would be natural for
me
to assume that this condition was caused by the single reviewer when in
fact it is because there is a whole lot of other data being
considered--namely, the data of all the other songs in that genre that
are receiving reviews.
In truth, a single review can't substantially move a song's position
because we are using quantitative rather than qualitative analysis. I
do understand, however, that this can be the perception and that this
perception is very important.
We are planning to address the way our star system calculates the
ranking. While there is no way to 'fix' the inherent inaccuracy of a
narrow sample, there are steps we can take to offset the star ranking
to
reflect the confidence in the sample accuracy.
At this point, we have not fully discussed how we would implement this
but it is something of which we are aware and intend to fix.
Thank you,
Jennifer
GarageBand.com
same and the algorithm is not something I can pretend to understand.
Here is a bit of information to help you understand the process... this
was written by a manager...
Prior to the genesis of the star ranking system, there was no good way
for the user to gauge how well a song was doing. They could tell that
their song was at X position in the charts, but there was no way to
really tell how a song was doing against its peers because all of the
songs are shifting positions.
We responded to overwhelming demand from our user base by creating the
star system as an early predictor of how the song is doing against the
galaxy of its peers. As a predictive indicator, the star system is not
highly accurate in the early stages and becomes more accurate as the
song approaches the end of its reviews.
One inherent problem right now is that both the chart positions and the
star rankings are calculated not only by the song's reviews, but by ALL
reviews of the song AND ITS PEERS. This causes understandable
confusion
among users.
For example, if I enter a new song, it will go through a period of
heavy
rotation and climb the chart. At some point, the review frequency will
decrease but OTHER songs are getting reviews. I may see a single
review
or even no review at all and on the same day see that my chart position
and/or my star rating will move quite a bit. It would be natural for
me
to assume that this condition was caused by the single reviewer when in
fact it is because there is a whole lot of other data being
considered--namely, the data of all the other songs in that genre that
are receiving reviews.
In truth, a single review can't substantially move a song's position
because we are using quantitative rather than qualitative analysis. I
do understand, however, that this can be the perception and that this
perception is very important.
We are planning to address the way our star system calculates the
ranking. While there is no way to 'fix' the inherent inaccuracy of a
narrow sample, there are steps we can take to offset the star ranking
to
reflect the confidence in the sample accuracy.
At this point, we have not fully discussed how we would implement this
but it is something of which we are aware and intend to fix.
Thank you,
Jennifer
GarageBand.com
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
A Weighty Issue
I submitted this question to Garageband.com:
"are certain reviews more heavily weighted? reviews by users whose review rank is n/a? round 2 reviews?
i have a round 2 song that dropped from 4.5 to 3.6 after receiving 2 reviews that basically liked it, but had issues with it. i could see one being a 3 star and the other a 2. my mathematician friend says that even if they both gave me a zero, after 23 reviews my rating should only have dropped to 4.1, unless weighting is involved. So... is it, and how exactly? (I've been here for 9 years and have noticed that newbies can really burn you in round 2)"
I eagerly await their reply and will post it here.
"are certain reviews more heavily weighted? reviews by users whose review rank is n/a? round 2 reviews?
i have a round 2 song that dropped from 4.5 to 3.6 after receiving 2 reviews that basically liked it, but had issues with it. i could see one being a 3 star and the other a 2. my mathematician friend says that even if they both gave me a zero, after 23 reviews my rating should only have dropped to 4.1, unless weighting is involved. So... is it, and how exactly? (I've been here for 9 years and have noticed that newbies can really burn you in round 2)"
I eagerly await their reply and will post it here.
Djdn't I Say this would Happen?
Here's a message I just sent garageband.com reviewer loveandsunshine
"[quote]
Excellent Performance
Vocals are lost... I can't hear them very well at all.
This band sounds like it'd be really great live and the performance itself is excellent. I'm sad because it seems like something's been lost in translation as it was put online.
[/quote]
no one else has yet complained about the vocals being lost in this song. that has been an issue with some of our songs, and imo it is not an issue here. i am sad you cannot hear them. i am way way more sad that it appears to be your review that dropped us from 4.5 -- with what seemed like a real shot at holding a good star rating -- down to 3.6.
seems like being on gb.com just leads to sadness all round."
This member has reviewed 5 songs. Ah the power of one.
Hopefully the next one, 2,3,4,5 etc can build the score back up again...
"[quote]
Excellent Performance
Vocals are lost... I can't hear them very well at all.
This band sounds like it'd be really great live and the performance itself is excellent. I'm sad because it seems like something's been lost in translation as it was put online.
[/quote]
no one else has yet complained about the vocals being lost in this song. that has been an issue with some of our songs, and imo it is not an issue here. i am sad you cannot hear them. i am way way more sad that it appears to be your review that dropped us from 4.5 -- with what seemed like a real shot at holding a good star rating -- down to 3.6.
seems like being on gb.com just leads to sadness all round."
This member has reviewed 5 songs. Ah the power of one.
Hopefully the next one, 2,3,4,5 etc can build the score back up again...
Comparison Analysis 1: Modest Mouse
Depending on what song or album the listener/reviewer has heard, BBH gets compared to several bands frequently. The Stone Cold Blue album inevitably brings about TMBG and Devo references. I worship TMBG and only know "Whip It," "Satisfaction" and "Girl You Want" from Devo. Further investigation sorely needed.
"All the Mother" and other songs' reviews have brought about on more than one occasion comparisons to Modest Mouse. When Paul was in the band, he worked at The Wall for a bit. He would often bring back to the place in West Chester promos that were always worth checking out. If they had made their way to retail, then serious backing was involved, and if Paul digged it, I figured I might, too. so he brought back a Modest Mouse cd, and after looking at theit Yahoo Music Unlimited offerings last night, I assume it musta been The Fruit That Ate Itself
I remember after a 1 or several listens coming away with the impressions that definite catchy things were happening, there was a likable southern accent. a guy with a reasonably high voice, a good brand of humor, classic rock bent, and strong strong obvious Pavement influence.
Yeah. Definite strong Pavementesquiness, im late nineties o. Enough for me to be disturbed. Too slavishly imitative of a single pioneer, I concluded, and not yet individuated.
So as Mach 2 bbh disintegrated I got less and less into the general indie primarily gtr-based rock scene with the sole exception of Frank Black and the Catholics, more into very early synth stuff like Silver Apples, real jazz, where I discovered my ultimate hero is Monk, and, above all, Canterbury scene. I put in a good effort to remain aware of indie rock by listening to local npr affiliate wxpn, tuning into Conan and even MTV2 now and then. I think it was on the latter and on xpn where i cauht Modest Mouse's huge bustout onto the mainstream, "Float On." I heard th song a lot, paid attention to it, and was convinced they had indeed individuated, were no longer blending classic rock with a fixation on one contemporary pioneer. Sounded to me like they were throwing in some Talking Heads with a tried and true guitar hook thing, with some other truly original element that I still haven't pinpointed. It might be 'well defined personality."
Now that I've subscribed to a download subscription service, unbelievable music exploration is possible, and one avenue is to catch up and refamiliarize myself with the inde rock world's present and past.
I listened to Good News for People Who Love Bad News last night once. My first impression: it is good. Many funny moments with remarkable vocal performances. Overuse of multitracked lead vocals, especially when rhythms are not tight. I have been guilty of this too. Even though it is mixed to try and convince you this is ensemblework, instruments take a back seat because they rarely do anything more interesting than what the vocalist does. He is at his best by far when delivering desperate character monologues ('bury me with it', 'the view'.) He could stand to hit the notes more often than to yell them offpitch as much as he does. I have been guilty of this too, but have improved, I think, because hitting the notes does not sound as irritatingly Broadway as I always feard. I comment on his work as if he is a noname gb.com artist whereas he is actual rockstar and I am not. Opinion is opinion.
On first listen, 'The View' is my favorite album cut, and I will gladly check out their newer and older stuff, in time. For now, more Monk and Allen!!
And I do believe that mentions of Modest Mouse in reviews of "All the Mother" are warranted.
"All the Mother" and other songs' reviews have brought about on more than one occasion comparisons to Modest Mouse. When Paul was in the band, he worked at The Wall for a bit. He would often bring back to the place in West Chester promos that were always worth checking out. If they had made their way to retail, then serious backing was involved, and if Paul digged it, I figured I might, too. so he brought back a Modest Mouse cd, and after looking at theit Yahoo Music Unlimited offerings last night, I assume it musta been The Fruit That Ate Itself
I remember after a 1 or several listens coming away with the impressions that definite catchy things were happening, there was a likable southern accent. a guy with a reasonably high voice, a good brand of humor, classic rock bent, and strong strong obvious Pavement influence.
Yeah. Definite strong Pavementesquiness, im late nineties o. Enough for me to be disturbed. Too slavishly imitative of a single pioneer, I concluded, and not yet individuated.
So as Mach 2 bbh disintegrated I got less and less into the general indie primarily gtr-based rock scene with the sole exception of Frank Black and the Catholics, more into very early synth stuff like Silver Apples, real jazz, where I discovered my ultimate hero is Monk, and, above all, Canterbury scene. I put in a good effort to remain aware of indie rock by listening to local npr affiliate wxpn, tuning into Conan and even MTV2 now and then. I think it was on the latter and on xpn where i cauht Modest Mouse's huge bustout onto the mainstream, "Float On." I heard th song a lot, paid attention to it, and was convinced they had indeed individuated, were no longer blending classic rock with a fixation on one contemporary pioneer. Sounded to me like they were throwing in some Talking Heads with a tried and true guitar hook thing, with some other truly original element that I still haven't pinpointed. It might be 'well defined personality."
Now that I've subscribed to a download subscription service, unbelievable music exploration is possible, and one avenue is to catch up and refamiliarize myself with the inde rock world's present and past.
I listened to Good News for People Who Love Bad News last night once. My first impression: it is good. Many funny moments with remarkable vocal performances. Overuse of multitracked lead vocals, especially when rhythms are not tight. I have been guilty of this too. Even though it is mixed to try and convince you this is ensemblework, instruments take a back seat because they rarely do anything more interesting than what the vocalist does. He is at his best by far when delivering desperate character monologues ('bury me with it', 'the view'.) He could stand to hit the notes more often than to yell them offpitch as much as he does. I have been guilty of this too, but have improved, I think, because hitting the notes does not sound as irritatingly Broadway as I always feard. I comment on his work as if he is a noname gb.com artist whereas he is actual rockstar and I am not. Opinion is opinion.
On first listen, 'The View' is my favorite album cut, and I will gladly check out their newer and older stuff, in time. For now, more Monk and Allen!!
And I do believe that mentions of Modest Mouse in reviews of "All the Mother" are warranted.
Monday, August 6, 2007
'Fairuza''s First Few Round 2 Reviews
The song's rating has gone up a tenth of a star, and it will be the indie rock track of the day for August 11th. Here is a review I particularly appreciate I made it the signature review:
"Hooky and Original!
Cool intro. Vocals are engaging, original and not overly affected. There's a fantastic hook to this song, despite it being super original with the choice of guitar voicings and melody. Harmonies are tight and well executed. Drums and Bass keep it solid throughout. Guitar solo is clean, not overly noodling and the perfect length. The song, as well, is a perfect length and kicks ass.
Extra Credit: Production."
Nice, huh? Think this will finally earn BBH a place in 4 star land?
This and more all were bestowed upon 'All the Mother" and in the song's final week in the contest, several mediocre reviews from newbies knocked the song down into the 3.something region.
"Hooky and Original!
Cool intro. Vocals are engaging, original and not overly affected. There's a fantastic hook to this song, despite it being super original with the choice of guitar voicings and melody. Harmonies are tight and well executed. Drums and Bass keep it solid throughout. Guitar solo is clean, not overly noodling and the perfect length. The song, as well, is a perfect length and kicks ass.
Extra Credit: Production."
Nice, huh? Think this will finally earn BBH a place in 4 star land?
This and more all were bestowed upon 'All the Mother" and in the song's final week in the contest, several mediocre reviews from newbies knocked the song down into the 3.something region.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
New Review of Stone Cold Blue
Back in April, I figured before publicizing the 3 re-issues, I ought to do at least a little for Stone Cold Blue, as, back in 2003, I had no budget to do it and no energy either. So I joined indie-music.com and sent them a copy.
Here is the review they posted yesterday:
"While Bernie Bernie Headflap has grown in band members since this outing, Stone Cold Blue features the one-man-band styling of founder Alan McCabe boasting a collection of songs written between 2000 and 2003. The album shows off an interesting mix of instrumental and vocal tracks without ever letting one completely define the CD’s sound. Headflap’s music seems to be more about exploring the possibilities of the modern rock genre than either being a straight alternative or electronic band. McCabe never lets the music go too far in one direction and continuously employs both techniques in a pleasant balance. I have this feeling there’s a strong Devo and/or They Might Be Giants influence here.
There’s a lot to like in the music of Stone Cold Blue. McCabe really has a knack for creating some extremely catchy melodies. I’m very much digging the rhythm of “Action is Fast,” which features a bouncy xylophone/synthesizer sound (I’m honestly not sure what). It kind of reminds me of “The Nurse” from The White Stripe’s Get Behind me Satan album – just a bit more energetic (and electronic). Many of these songs feature some kind of particular beat that gets stuck in your head and refuses to leave. With this in mind, I think some of the CD’s strongest tracks are the instrumentals, which allow McCabe to truly show off his composition skills. The opening track “Icicles” is especially well put together, featuring an eerie little tune which carries almost continuously through the entire song. Once the strong drum beat is added, the track creates a sound that I can only describe as chilling. Very cool indeed.
So the music’s likable, but how are the vocals? Well, I feel like Bernie Bernie Headflap has potential to do better than this. Unfortunately, there are times where I think the recording equipment McCabe used is holding him back. Sometimes the echo’s a bit too strong or the singing gets to be more distorted than it probably should. These aren’t terrible problems really, but at times the vocals suddenly become louder and the effect can be a little grating on the ears. However, these are things that can sometimes come with the indie music atmosphere. It’s all part of the experience to see the groundwork for something special. Really though, I think if the sound were a bit more polished and McCabe worked on the vocal range some, Bernie Bernie Headflap could be an especially entertaining band. Hearing Stone Cold Blue makes me interested in seeing how the sound has evolved over the past few years. "
I cannot argue with one word of that.
Here is the review they posted yesterday:
"While Bernie Bernie Headflap has grown in band members since this outing, Stone Cold Blue features the one-man-band styling of founder Alan McCabe boasting a collection of songs written between 2000 and 2003. The album shows off an interesting mix of instrumental and vocal tracks without ever letting one completely define the CD’s sound. Headflap’s music seems to be more about exploring the possibilities of the modern rock genre than either being a straight alternative or electronic band. McCabe never lets the music go too far in one direction and continuously employs both techniques in a pleasant balance. I have this feeling there’s a strong Devo and/or They Might Be Giants influence here.
There’s a lot to like in the music of Stone Cold Blue. McCabe really has a knack for creating some extremely catchy melodies. I’m very much digging the rhythm of “Action is Fast,” which features a bouncy xylophone/synthesizer sound (I’m honestly not sure what). It kind of reminds me of “The Nurse” from The White Stripe’s Get Behind me Satan album – just a bit more energetic (and electronic). Many of these songs feature some kind of particular beat that gets stuck in your head and refuses to leave. With this in mind, I think some of the CD’s strongest tracks are the instrumentals, which allow McCabe to truly show off his composition skills. The opening track “Icicles” is especially well put together, featuring an eerie little tune which carries almost continuously through the entire song. Once the strong drum beat is added, the track creates a sound that I can only describe as chilling. Very cool indeed.
So the music’s likable, but how are the vocals? Well, I feel like Bernie Bernie Headflap has potential to do better than this. Unfortunately, there are times where I think the recording equipment McCabe used is holding him back. Sometimes the echo’s a bit too strong or the singing gets to be more distorted than it probably should. These aren’t terrible problems really, but at times the vocals suddenly become louder and the effect can be a little grating on the ears. However, these are things that can sometimes come with the indie music atmosphere. It’s all part of the experience to see the groundwork for something special. Really though, I think if the sound were a bit more polished and McCabe worked on the vocal range some, Bernie Bernie Headflap could be an especially entertaining band. Hearing Stone Cold Blue makes me interested in seeing how the sound has evolved over the past few years. "
I cannot argue with one word of that.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
A Helping Hand Steps Forward
That title is a mixed metaphor, isn't it?
Anyway, the helping hand is my fried from high school days, Gary. Gary seems sure he can transport me to these monthly gigs we're trying to pull together starting Octoberish. If you read my bio on this site, it's the position I describe there. Alas, to my tastes, Gary is not the sexy nurse I was hoping to hire. But he is a good, dependable guy and catching up with him while listening to golden oldies during the car rides seems like an enjoyable way to spend an evening once a month for a year at least.
Anyway, the helping hand is my fried from high school days, Gary. Gary seems sure he can transport me to these monthly gigs we're trying to pull together starting Octoberish. If you read my bio on this site, it's the position I describe there. Alas, to my tastes, Gary is not the sexy nurse I was hoping to hire. But he is a good, dependable guy and catching up with him while listening to golden oldies during the car rides seems like an enjoyable way to spend an evening once a month for a year at least.
IT Stuck. For Now.
'Fairuza' ended its round 1 review cycle on Garageband.com with a 4.5 star rating, at 80something in indie rock. That was good enough to get it into round 2 where it starts at 60something and will receive 20 more reviews -- plenty of opportunities for the newbies to waltz in with their uninformed, clumsily-phrased, terse opinions and knock my attractive rating back down into mediocreland, leaving my hopeful heart broken once again.
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