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| From | "Peter Scott" <pmrscott@tpg.com.au> |
| Subject | Re: The American Professionals' New Record |
| Date | Sat, 22 Jul 2017 16:44:06 +0930 |
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Howdy, Chuck
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to listen to Sympathetic Overdrive.
I typed my responses as I was listening, so they may be a bit brief and/or scattershot. Sorry in advance.
Anyway, here's what I thought.
Have fun!
Peter.
-----------------------------------
First thoughts on the album:
I won't comment on the lyrics, as I tend not to notice them the first time I listen to anything. I focus on the melodies, harmonies, and production.
As for the melodies, I thought they weren't all that strong.
Overall, I thought the album was a little bass-light. I wouldn't have minded the bass guitar pushed up in the mix a little more than it was. Or at least having a bit more presence than it has.
I like the brevity of the first three songs.
Immediate reactions to each track:
Track 1 "In Case Of Emergency, Break"
I like the sound of the guitar in the right channel.
Track 2 "The Story"
A complete change in style -- and lead singer -- leads me to wonder, "Is this the same band?"
Track 3 "Just Do Something"
This was the kind of song I thought was going to follow track 1. There's a bubblegum feel to this track that I like.
Track 4 "Guide To The Perplexed"
A change back to the singer from track 2. Is this going to happen throughout the album (i.e., alternating lead singers from song to song)? I like the brass section. The part of the song from 3:14-3:29, with the vocal interjections, was fun.
Track 5 "Regret"
The lady lead singer again. I found the song low-key and interesting. Nice cello in the right channel.
Track 6 "Higher Degree"
The start of this reminded me of "The Way" by Fastball (https://youtu.be/b0wfu3tOrtQ?t=40s). This one didn't do much for me.
Track 7 "Civic Living"
I was going to say this song sounded like it was going for a moody alt-country / "murder ballad" vibe, but then the chorus (0:46 onwards), with its distorted guitar, put paid to that notion. I like the background vocal harmonies. They're a bit sparse, but at least they're there. I thought the middle 8 (2:07-2:24) didn't suit the rest of the song. I liked the unexpected ending.
Track 8 "Familiar Ghosts"
Another moody alt-country-ish ditty. 1:38: That was surprising. 1:55-2:06: A little bit of prog. This song's all over the place, but not in a good way.
Track 9 "Falling Down"
Back to the vibe of the first half of the album. The main melody is reminiscent of the verse melody in "Kids in America" (https://youtu.be/r_GH6M7cUq4). I thought the ending was a bit limp.
Track 10 "W.M.P.M.S."
Cute harmonica. Also cute: the song being in mono (except for the "di-di-di-di" backing vocals) -- it gives it a retro vibe.
Now that I've heard the album in its entirety, I can say I didn't mind it. As an album (as opposed to simply a collection of songs), however, I didn't find it very consistent. It veered from one style to another. For me, it didn't flow. The production was OK, nothing spectacular. But I really don't like the mastering. It's another instance of unreasonable peak-limiting/brick-walling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war), which results in a distinct lack of dynamics for almost the duration of the album. It also results in listener fatigue, because the songs aren't allowed to breathe naturally.
-----------------------------------
> -----Original Message-----
> From: audities-owner@smoe.org [mailto:audities-owner@smoe.org] On
> Behalf Of Chuck Lindo
> Sent: Friday, July 21, 2017 9:45 AM
> To: audities@smoe.org
> Subject: The American Professionals' New Record
>
> Hello Popsters,
>
> I need some honest feedback on our new record
> <http://theamericanprofessionals.com/epk/> “Sympathetic Overdrive.â€
> Password is “ampros†(no quotes).
>
> Thank you in advance.
>
>
> Chuck Lindo
>
> The American Professionals
> San Francisco, CA
> USA
>
> "We make it our business to be the very bestâ€
>
>
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