christopher
Group: Members
Posts: 270
Joined: Nov. 1999 |
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Posted: Feb. 28 2014, 11:52 |
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First off, just bought and downloaded a copy from HighResAudio. Thank you Nezzico
GREAT ALBUM!! However... here is my play by play on first listen.
Sailing - Great, fun, commercial. Could have done without Lukes excessive talking towards the end and the extra verse at the beginning that seemed to be lost and completely unnecessary.
Moonshine - One of the best songs on the album, IMO! Truly a fun song in every sense of the word. Completely unexpected Irish section.
Man on the Rocks - Flawless in every sense.
Castaway - Do not like the opening. The organ should have been constant with no variation. That would have given it a solid 1960's feeling. By the end it has found it's feet and the guitar solo is a contender for best on the album.
Minutes - One of the favorites. A great track all around. It could have been a track by Fleetwood Mac on Rumors. Only thing missing was the extraordinary harmonies of Fleetwood Mac.
Dreaming in the Wind - Meh. It's an Ok track to me. It picks up steam halfway through, but otherwise this is an "Innocent" style throw away.
Nuclear - Excellent track. Solid through out. Great guitar work. Good imagery. A solid track.
Chariots - A completely missed opportunity. It is one of the best on the album. The arrangement and mixing is dodgy, IMO. There is a hole in the mix by the lack of acoustic guitars. Which, in a track of this style, needs more than an electric guitar to guide it. It is a rocking track, though! That is for sure. The mix at the end seems to be completely bottomed out and completely distorts. Atleast in my FLAC copy. That to me is a sign of poor mixing. I honestly feel the acoustic version from the video is far better... giving it that umph.
Following the Angels - Hands down the best track on the album, IMO!!!!! The imagery that springs to mind, the peace it brings, the comfort, is outstanding!!!!! Though, I will say again, the mixing is a completely missed opportunity for sheer power and depth. The choir definitely should have been brought out of the background and Lukes voice drowned out. This song has the feeling of the early 90's when gospel R&B was huge (Boyz-2-Men, Mariah Carey, etc.). Actually, when R&B was R&B and not the crap they call R&B today. Give me a go at this track, on mixing, and I'll give you a stellar version!
Irene - Can we say Rolling Stones? Yes we can! And that, is a very good thing!!
I Give Myself Away - I'm going to put it out there that I am not a fan of "Christian" music. Although, it is a lovely and beautiful song. The one thing they NEVER should have used was an electric piano sound. Oh God, it just sounds like traditionally bad Christian music played in the early 90's. That is my only complaint.
All in all, this is stellar album!!!!! In stars, I give it a four. I would put this up there with FMO and Crises as an album not be missed!!
Now, my one chief complaint, the one-dimensional vocals. Don't get me wrong, I love Luke's voice!! I don't know who made the decision or if one was made, but there is a serious lack of harmonies. Several tracks could have used harmony to enhance them. I'm awaiting the SDBoxset. So, we shall see about the demo's and alternative mixes. I do hope with the alternative of Following the Angels, the mixing is is more in keeping with the style of tune!
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