Record Time VI reviews from Reality Calls

Reality Calls – Jason McDowell and Stephanie Belesky

First of all, we’d like to congratulate everyone on a hard weeks worth of accomplishment for Record Time VI! We know that one’s schedule can really dictate how far you can really go with your creativity an d how much you are able to get done.

Below, we have our reviews of each contributing artist to Record Time VI in bold. The songs and overall comments are underlined, with each of our individual comments notated by either a J (Jason) or an S (Stephanie).

J: When we reviewed these together, we used consumer grade headphones, and as such we may have heard different things that would have sounded different on studio speakers, or really any external speaker that can produce sounds better in the lower range. Many songs I enjoyed, while others were just out of my taste and were more difficult to review.

S: I’m not a musician, and I have a hard time criticizing something that I couldn’t do a better job. There were some pieces that were truly fantastic, and others I had a more difficult time with. That being said, I commend everyone who was able to accomplish and submit anything for RTVI!

Andrew Miller

They're Hacking The Mainframe!

J: I love the big feel of the entire symphonic arrangement, especially the strings and brass. Sounds great!

S: Love the use of low brass! Makes me think of Braveheart or Gladiator, or even the music in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! Very cool use of repetition with different textures added into it! LOVE 2:20 and onward! Was this inspired by Hans Zimmer?

A Peculiar Afternoon

J: This has a very playful feel. Light and jazzy with some pizzazz.

S: Wow, big mood change. Very fun and light sounding! Again, very cool use of different instruments and textures. Keeps it interesting!

Intermission

J: Good.

S: Fast and rushed sounding, but in a cool way. Sounds like something you might hear in the background of a Mission: Impossible, 007, or some other spy movie.

Limbo of Infants

J: I could definitely see select parts of this arrangement in creepy, scary movies. It was a little drawn out for me, but I still liked it.

S: Love how the tension just builds on this one, then releases into an open, kind of confusing feel. (I’m a very visual person so I’m listening to the music and seeing images in my head as to what might be going on.) A lot of tension in the track overall, very cool mental effect, makes you wonder what’s coming next because it could be anything and it’s hard to know what to anticipate. I had a hard time skipping through this one like I was planning because I didn’t want to miss the break in tension and find out what came next! Was kind of expecting something big to happen at the end instead of it just fading out, but it still worked.

Overall:

J: Very high quality arrangements both sonically as well as musically. There was diversity among styles and you pulled each one off well.

S: Great job overall!

Binky – Big Shoulders

For The Love

J: I liked the beat+instrumental as well as the vocal performance. The vocals were well articulated and understandable. Sonically, the main suggestion would be to back off the compression. I felt the vocals and over all stereo master pumping too much. Overall, it was good!

S: Cool melody. Panning caught me off-guard, but worked really well. Interesting lyrics. Very easy vocals to listen to, very good enunciation. I like the juxtaposition of high and low tones and how they supplement each other. Very cool!

Cameron King

All We Soldiers

J: I really like the piano and acoustic guitar parts. I also love the vocals! Very chill and relaxing. I like the change just after 3 minutes into the song. It starts off sorta gloomy sounding and then becomes more “happy” sounding at that point. Sonically overall it sounds very good, with a few somewhat minor exceptions. There are a few places where the piano and/or guitar sound like they are clipping or distorting. I noticed a few small pops in the vocals (e.g., around 3 minutes in) that could be remedied with a high pass filter around 180 or 200Hz (6 or 12DB step drop).

S: Love the instrumentation. Great sounding piano supplemented by the guitar. Wow, great vocals! Sounds like a song I would listen to after a long, sucky day at work, very soothing and hopeful at the same time!

Eric Putnam – Night Time

Intro

J: Haha, pretty hilarious. I noticed a low-end pop or two in the vocals which could be remedied with a high pass filter around 180 or 200Hz (6 or 12DB step drop).

S: WHAT?!?! CHIPMONKS AND MILEY CYRUS?????????? Haha, funny ending!

Protector

J: At first I was trying to figure out what the guitar+scratchy noises were, as I thought it may have been the guitar and how it was recorded but shortly into it I noticed a separate instrument that blended so well with the rhythm of the guitar that it was almost indistinguishable during many sections. I liked the raw feel of it. Vocals sound pretty good. They go flat here and there, but overall are sung well.

S: Cool vocal effects, very strong instrumental rhythm. I like the natural sound juxtaposed with electronic effects as well.

The Bear Sky

J: I felt like I was tracking through the forest with Smokey the Bear, with the march driven beat and shuffling. This had a neat pacing feel, though it didn’t capture my attention as much as the first two. There were a few parts where I could feel some pumping, likely on the master track (e.g., just after the 3 minute mark). Overall, it sounded good.

S: Lots of texture. Cool bass melody! I like the percussion and strings that are (almost) constantly in the background. Bass sounds kinda stringy(?) plucky(?), don’t know if that was intentional or not, I’m sure it is but can’t be certain. Overall the song had a feel of walking in a natural area, grassy area, wooded area, something like that, at night looking up at the stars. Can’t be sure how much of that was influenced by the title of the song, but if that feel was the goal of this piece you nailed it!

Valium

J: I thought your vocal performance was better intonationally (hitting the pitches) than Protector. The panning gave the song an interesting feel, mostly shifted left. It may just be that I’ve heard that same (somewhat stock) tone generated screamer many times before, but I was getting bored with that same sound. Overall, not too bad.

S: Very different feel/mental image than the previous song. Depressing lyrics, dark imagery with this song. I like how the instruments are panned left and right for highs and lows, respectively. Cool effect when listening through headphones. Very different tone and feel than the rest of the album so far, but still fits well musically.

Future, Phantom

J: I do like the piano on this, it sounds good. Also, the bass is pretty cool too, though it has the tendency to rush slightly. I can hear the entries and exits of instruments more than I could in the other songs so far, specifically additional static and hum. I would clean up some of the entries by fading them in smoother. Overall, sounds pretty good.

S: Very different musically and vocally than the rest of the album to me. Again, not sure how much the title affected this thought, but it really makes me think of an electronic version of Phantom of the Opera, or a general electronic soundtrack a musician might use.

Overall:

J: A decent amount of the sound wasn’t my preferred cup-of-tea, however, I can still appreciate it, especially with the given circumstances of an entire collection created and recorded within a week. Good job!

S: I think Bear Sky and Protector were my favorites on this record!

Big Shoulders

ESean Taylor

It's A Chi-Town Thing

J: I like the beat+instrumental. The vocals sound really tight. The only suggestion would be to lower the volume of the backing vocal panned hard left, mostly prior to the 1 minute mark. After that, it is blended much better, at least to my liking. The master feels natural in terms of compression/limiting. Overall sounds good!

S: Cool instruments and layers. Vocals are very well enunciated and easy to understand.

Field Recording

Sounds Like I'm Hearing Chords...

J: I’m curious to see how this was recorded, if it was actually done live “in the field”. Admittedly, I haven’t read any blog posts recently to see if this was stated or not. I really like the transition to the next song, “Waiting For Your Call”.

SL Sounds Like I’m Hearing Chords…: I like the Latin sounding percussion. I like the sharp shift at the end and how it transitions to the next song. Would have to make sure that the tracks are in order to get that effect because otherwise it’s completely lost.

Waiting For Your Call

J: I like the feel of this song. The more distant sounding kit (hearing more of the room space) works for this song, whether that was intentional or not. The vocals sound natural and are well sang. Thumbs up.

S: Like I said at the end of he last review, really like the transition when the two songs are played back to back. I like the strong rhythmic guitar. Interesting topic, had a hard time figuring out what kind of call the song was about at the beginning, but the ambiguity kinda works.

I Heard It From Back There!

J: Sounds like you guys had fun on this one!

S: Like the use of the djembe! Sounds like a jam session, with people conversing while the mic is still going.

Welcome To The Subway

J: Are these live performances somewhere? I feel like I’m bouncin’ at a party as a spectator, though maybe that was the feel you were going for.

S: How were these songs recorded? I know you said you had a lot of help from Chicagoians (I think) that happened to walk by at the time of recording.

Great Plans

J: I am liking the instrumentation and progression. There are a few issues with timing, but not too distracting overall. I really like your vocals sonically on this one. I like the flavor of reverb mixed into this one. The vocals feel a little underdeveloped in places (such as when you go lower in your range) but are more expressive and creative in most sections of the song. The chimes at the end are a good touch.

S: Very different from the rest of the album. A few very very very minor melodic issues but overall very cohesive and neat sounding song.

The Harvest Is Great, The Laborers Are Few

J: Preach it Ma’am!

S: Not really sure what to say about this one… Was it actually recorded in a church as part of a sermon?

A CBS Newsroom Drama!

J: This is a fun song. The piano parts make it playful. I could have used a little more (pipe?) organ, and sooner in the song, but good choice to add some in there.

S: Ah! Another work-inspired song I’m guessing!

Overall:

S: Not really sure what to say about part of this album, very eclectic overall, yet the “Chicago” theme kinda runs through it all. Nice work!

Luxi – Sacred Geometry - EP:

J: Overall, very good. The vocals were well recorded, processed, and mixed! Wow, on Wrecktronix I seriously thought I was listening to Ke$ha vocals! Uncanny likeness. I think Alchemy is my favorite, I really like it!

S: (below)

Very cool artwork!

SPIROGRAPHIK: (feat ClassiCaL): Very cool techno sound. Lots of layers and lots going on - I like it! I’m usually one to listen to lyrics more than music, and while I like the lyrics, I really like the music on this too! Very good all around song!

WRECKTRONIX: Very solid all around.

Coral Castle (feat. ClassiCaL): Whoever the female vocalist is, be it ClassiCaL or someone else, I really like the voice! Very creative concept.

MOONDAY: Nice intro! Like the song overall a lot.

ALCHEMY (Feat A.T.): I like the Indian-ish influence. Very cool effect.

Overall

S: Not usually the type of music I listen to but I enjoyed it! Very creative all around. Very impressed on the quality of recording! Keep it up!

Osmin – Flow:

Que Te Ha Dado Esa Mujer

J: Cool guitars at the beginning, though they could have been tighter when the harmonic part came in.

S: Cool sounding piece.

Run

J: I’m a fan of the Spanish/flamingo genres and I so I like the progressions here. It sounds like you were having a little bit of trouble keeping your fingers completely depressed on the frets for the chord strumming. The instrumental and vocal timings could be cleaned up to be a little tighter rhythmically as well as sonically (recording).

S: Interesting piece. Sounds like there may be a story behind this one!

Macario en Macondo

J: Ooo! I really love the intro! This is the best sounding guitar yet. It is played much tighter rhythmically as sounds a little better sonically (perhaps you were slightly further away from the microphone or had the input turned down a little lower). There are some parts where it sounds like it is clipping, similar to some parts in the previous songs. I do, however, really like the musicality here! Starting around the 2 minute mark the guitar gets pretty crazy and wicked. I like it.

S: I love the guitar on this one! Very catchy, lots of textures and fun to listen to. Very good build up of suspense and tension in the latter half.

La Caida de Tleyotl

J: This sounds very soothing, I like it.

S: Similar comments to Macario en Marcondo. Simple, but very good.

I love Everything That Flows

J: I’m not sure how to review this. Interesting poetry and phrases. There is some good poetry in there, though I’m asking myself why the minor misspoken sections weren’t later edited out?

S: Who is speaking/what are they reading? Very impressive use of words. Makes a statement intelligently, but not using big words for the sake of using big words – a difficult task. The reader is reading very well too. Seamless transitions between topics. Wow… took a dark turn later on… A few minor slip-ups when speaking, but overall, very good. Was kinda surprised to hear the slips in the recording, but they were few and far between.

In Your Head

J: This is a fun song. Catchy. There are things I won’t mention again here that I have formerly already mentioned in other songs. Nice Spanish add-in J

S: Very raw lyrically. Just like the rest of the album when there have been words/vocals.

Overall:

S: Love the Spanish influence overall on this record!

Years To Remember

J: Sounds very good sonically and musically! I like it. I’m also enjoying the backing vocal harmonies, though a few times they get a little too overpowering on these headphones in the mid-upper frequencies.

S: I love the guitar on this one! I like the way the vocals sound as well. Very relaxing but not in the sense that I get tired or sleepy when listening to it. I really like this song! Looking forward to hearing more!

Strange Battery

Brushy Blues

J: Haha! I like it!

S: haha!!!!! That’s all I really have to say!

Flossy Funk

J: Hehe. Floss. I’m going to have to let my future kids listen to this to take a hint ;).

S: Makes me think of “Toast” by Bob and Tom forever and a year ago! Great job!

Ready to Dance

J: Wow, what diverse style changes! Had me cracking up!

S: Sounds like you had a lot of fun recording this song! Picturing you in a clown suit screaming this at a bunch of kids at a birthday party!

Bath Time

J: Wow, have you thought about submitting this to some TV producer/advertising agency for children’s hygene commercials?!? It sounds crazy, but it might just work.

S: All that’s missing is the rubber ducky! Kinda Owl City-ish!

Clean it up

J: Yes.

S: This one is kinda hard for me to listen to because my room is in a constant state of disaster.

Monsters

J: Love the line ‘daddy murdered them all, so don’t mind the blood on the wall’.

S: I like this song! Love the unexpected twist and mention of blood on the wall being something comforting!

Everybody Poops (And Everybody Pees)

J: Sooo true.

S: I beg to differ on this song… girls do not poop, we relieve ourselves! ;)

Orlok's Vowel Tango

J: Wow, much different style here. Nicely done.

S: Listen to Schoolhouse Rock much as a kid? Nice bassline!

Saturday

J: Very catchy greek sound and I caught a hint of the beginning of what could have busted out into crazy ska.

S: Love the fast-paced anticipation and longing for Saturday! I work every Saturday though, so I’ve almost forgotten what that feels like! The part starting at 2:00 (ish, maybe 1:50 or 1:55) is very Fiddler on the Roofish!

Bonus Track (For the Kids)

J: Ditto as others.

S: Going from Russian to Old West feel – nice! (and a few other influences I hear too, very cool!)

Be Yourself

J: I wished this one was longer because I really like the progression and instrumentation.

S: I really like this song, both lyrically and musically.

Finally

J: Beautiful piano, I like it! What a good ending.

S: Very different than the rest. Makes me think of Paul Cardall (One of my favorite pianists found via Pandora) I like this one a lot. Simple, relaxing, a good closer for the album.

Overall

J: Musically and sonically tight and creative. Definitely very different from your previous music! Very diverse. The huge shift in between styles gave it a light, playful feel laced with some intense riffs.

S: I think when I have kids in about 10 years or so, they will listen to this album!

Change

J: Catchy song. I like it. I have to say that the Trombone being a little flat was distracting for me, and the lyrics were a little shaky. I love the lyric “The only constant is change” J

S: The only constant is change… the only thing I would add is taxes. The only constants are change and taxes! ;)

Lobster Shanty & the Crab Rangoons

Friends of Mine

J: I really like your voice. Sounds good (though a little flat around 1/2 minute(s) in, right-panned). Catchy, playful song. Small timing issues in a few places, but not enough to distract much.

S: Very upbeat musically! Very cool lyrics and musical arrangement

Until Farewell

S: Very different tone than ‘Friends of Mine’. More downtrodden, and longing, sounding. Nice versatility.

Sing On

J: This is a fun song. Just before 1:30, you really got up there in your range and sounded pretty good (once you locked in on it)! I like the clap parts at the beginning and other select places.

S: Very cool. I like the tempo and mood change from ‘Until Farewell’.

Overall:

S: I think my favorite is ‘Friends of Mine’, but all are very different and really stand on their own.

Logan Bradley

Gin Soaked

J: I like it! Later on, especially in the drums, the mix gets pushed past its limits into clipping. Creative though.

S: During the first half I’m seeing a duel in a dusty old western town happening!

Eighth Day

J: Rockin! I wanna throw up my rawkfist! Creative, solid, and something I could listen to many times over. Nice job!

S: I like this one a lot! Very cool effects, probably one of my favorite RT songs I’ve heard yet! (Granted, at the time of listening to it, I was only about ½ way through listening to it!)

Head Down, Chin Up

J: I really like this style. It sounds good. Pretty solid all around.

S: Head down but chin up? Sounds painful… haha, I love the guitar on this song, and also what you did with the vocals. Never was sure what to expect next with this one. Great job!

Neon Cast

J: This is definitely a different style and sounds good. Nice experimental sounds. I like it.

S: Love the intro! Song kinda sounds like a lullaby with a twist, or more of an edge to it! Really like this one too! Kind of a Lincoln Park meets Owl City meets the musical score of Hook.

Throats

J: Nice hardcore metal! I think you’ve now hit about every major genre!

S: Wow! Very different! Nice job on the screaming vocals! How did you pull that off? Did you actually scream or were there mic effects involved? I’m thinking probably the latter, but to be honest, could be either.

Of Time

J: This has a softer rock feel and it sounds good.

S: Very good, well-rounded song. It’s got great lyrics, music, dynamics, the works!

Overall:

J; This is one of my favorite albums of RT. You experimented with different styles, from western, to rock, to beat driven (pop/hip hop esk), to Metal!

S: Lot’s of variety on this album, but not at the cost of losing cohesion. Well done!

Mike Weber - Flower

J: Mysterious and somewhat eerie opener. Well done. Most of it was okay for my liking, however, I got bored with it a little ways in. It may also be attributable to the fact that I have now been listening to RT songs for hours now and my ears are getting more irritable.

S: My initial thoughts on this album is that it will sound like Blast! Based on the titles of the songs!

S: (below)

Green: Certainly has a fantasia-esque feel to it. Lots of motion involved and lots of textures.

Swan: I’m seeing a lot outdoorsy images here, tall grasses, moving water, bugs, I’m sure some of this was effected by the title of the song but still very neat to listen to! Also kind of has a sci-fi feel along with the naturalistic tones to it!

Blue Then Yellow Then Red: Not really sure what to say, has a very interesting feel to it, but different than what I’ve heard to expect from you. I kinda have a blank slate but I’ve been told from others who have hear your stuff before what you normally do, that this is certainly very different. Way to branch out!

I didn’t know we had Hot Tamales in Here; Tanner Than: Continuing with the fantasia feel. I can hear the suspense build up towards the middle of Tanner Than. Very cool!

Overall

J: This is definitely a different style from last year (or at least the last year I remember listening to your RT music, assuming that was you I was remembering) which was more metal/screamo in nature).

Paul Marquissee

Bringer:

J: I really love the vocalists voice. It has an eerie feel. There were only a few small harmonies but I really liked them. I’m not a big fan of electronic music, but I could stand it.

S: I like the bells at the beginning. I like the effects done with the vocals. Very ethereal sounding. Mysterious. The female vocalist in this song, whomever she may be, really has a lot of talent. Love the sound of her voice.

Choice of Love:

S: I like this song even better. The vocals, the instrumentation, I like Bringer, but this one is a completely different flavor and I like it a lot.

Death for Love:

S: Seems to be some tension building, some anticipation, but I’m not sure what for. Very different than the first two, I missed the vocals that were present in Bringer and Choice of Love, but the musical effect/panning was pretty cool.

Elegy for Lovers Past:

S: Another mysterious sounding piece. I can’t really think of specifics to say about it, but it is very cool. Has kind of a longing feel to it.

Overall:

J: Choice of Love was by far my favorite song. This is more upbeat yet contains a mysterious element to it. The vocalist nails some parts that I consider to be tough, specifically some parts higher up in her range. Love it. It had a motivation air to it as well.

Flavor Town Voice Potential

Ode To Alejandro

J: I thought this song was really catchy and likable. It was fun, both musically and vocally. There were a few timing issues here, mostly vocally, that would sound great if lined up tighter.

S: Very upbeat song musically, not so much lyrically! Haha I don’t really like how the girls voice is panned all the way to the right and the guy’s is all the way to the left, but that’s really my only complaint.

The One About That Girl

J: Smooth. I really like this was. Very light sounding and chill. The timing on everything is tighter on this one.

S: Nice lyrics! I like the sentiment in them. Very cool song overall. Like it a lot.

To Baby X:

S: Very cute song!

Overall

J: I think you two have a lot of potential that could really shine through once a few things are cleaned up, mostly in terms of timing. You both have really good raw voices. There were a few times it sounded like the guitar was either clipping, or perhaps it was just some fret buzz, that was occasionally mildly distracting. Overall, I really enjoyed listening to you!

S: I have to say, I find your album artwork very whimsical! I see my dog lay in that position all the time! I like the musical style of this album, very easy to listen to, but not boring at all.

Kris Eckman

In the Sea of Creation:

S: Interesting. Cool effects with the instrumentation and vocals.

Rage of a God:

J: Wow, it gets intense after 2:45.

S: By the title of the piece I was expecting something much more angry/maybe metal sounding. More like what started around 2:38! Haha, this is what I thought the whole song was going to sound like! Maybe lyrically it didn’t change, as I don’t speak Japanese (or whatever language was being spoken there!).

A Prophecy:

S: Kind of an 80’s touch to the music… the intro set the tone with the ethereal feel and continued in the latter half of the song. Neat.

Orochi’s Fury:

J: Orochi’s Fury really rocked out

S: Definitely see somewhat of a battle going on here. Some anger and tension, by the title, I’m assuming that’s what you were going for, so good job!

The Great Clash:

S: Really little difference between this one and Orochi’s Fury. Great transition between the two.

The Descent/On The Floor of the Ocean:

J: I LOVE the chords and progression(s) around 2 minutes in for The Descent/On The Floor of the Ocean. I could have used much more of those J. Once again, around 5 minutes in, I really like the progression.

S: Really like the music starting around 2:03. Very mesmerizing.

Susanoos Great Ascent to the Sky:

S: Hmm… we’ve gone from aquatic Japanese feel to Star Wars! Or maybe I’m just showing how much of a nerd I am!

The Ultimate Storm/Lightning Blades/Aftermath:

S: Wow! Someone doesn’t sound happy! I like the guitar around 2:30 or so. LOTS of panning in the last part, weird to listen to on headphones. Must have taken a long time to do!

Overall

J: There’s a lot of creativity here, though not my particular taste. Interesting blend of effects and such. I like the asian-spoken vocals in some parts to add to the effect. I noticed several instances of microphone poping, that could be remedied either with a physical pop filter (mostly) or via some post-recording processing with a high pass filter around 180-200Hz. There were a few places where the upper-mids came in too piercing, though some of that may be attributed to the lower quality headphones I am currently using. Also, some parts were clipping and distorting. Overall, creative spin on the topic at hand laced with dynamic shredding guitars and effects.

S: Based on the titles of the songs it seems like you’re telling a story with this album, can’t be sure though because I couldn’t understand any of the vocals because I only speak English! Cool idea though!

Lake Euclid

Love You Anyway

J: Sounds great! I love the instrumentation, chord progressions, riffs, vocals, and instrumental beat. Well recorded and mixed. Great job! I only caught one minor vocal pop around 1:34.

S: Wow, I love the melody and the instrumentation on this song! Lyrics are really relatable (is that a word?) and understandable. I really like your voice in this too. Very smooth sounding and easy to listen to. Music is very textured and has lots of layers, but it’s not overwhelming to listen to! Fantastic song!

Pulled Myself Through

J: Another good one. Similar comments as the above.

S: I feel like this one could be a track on a movie soundtrack! Really solid, creative, and very good! I love the music layers and the rhythm in the last half or so. Great job!

You Won’t Know

J: This also sounds good and has a different feel, though I’m not sure I like it as much as the first two.

S: Another gem to listen to! Wow, this one is really good too! Good music, fantastic lyrics and vocals!

Overall

J: Very tight instrumentation. I love your voice and it sounded great in every song. The overall mix and blend of different ‘voices’ fit together well with each other, each with its well carved out space in the frequency spectrum. Everything sounds well compressed and definitely was not over done (or over-limited if any limiting was done on this) Nice Job!

S: I love the use of piano, guitar and bass throughout the whole album. None of them drowned each other out, but worked really well together, just as the vocals did when applicable. Wonder where you guys got the inspiration for both the lyrics and the vocals on these pieces! Keep it up, these were great!

Oryx and the Crakers – The Good Ship Apollo G

J: This was an interesting song with creativity, though I had a difficult time hearing the vocals. I liked the sounds driving the beat. Well recorded and mixed vocals would have launched this one higher up on my scale. Nice job though.

S: Have you heard of the band Brave Saint Saturn? Ska-ish band, but I think you guys would like them. Similar styles (kinda). Very simple, but not boring. Good job!

Randy Stary – Rock to the Big Game (2011 vers.)

J: Groovy. I’m not a big country fan, but that was catchy. Good job. The instruments and vocals were tight.

S: I’m told this song sounds like meatloaf, but I wouldn’t be able to confirm or deny that as I’ve never listened to Meatloaf (that I know of) but the person who told me likes Meatloaf so that’s a compliment!

The Killer Meteor – The Philosopher Stoned

S: Not the kind of story time I’ll be having with my kids! Haha, cool concept for lyrics though. Interesting story told in Sneaky Ko Sheng, some good character development in a single song! Fight with Self made me think of the scene in LOTR (Two Towers if I remember correctly) where Gollum is arguing with himself.

This particular kind of music isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I have to commend you for getting 45 minutes of music done in a week! Takes a lot of talent and I’m sure someone who likes rap music would love it, it’s just not my preference!

I'm late and a crybaby.

I've been listening to stuff and there are definitely some gems floating around in the RT6 material. Nice work, people. I'm way slow on this, but will post reviews.

I just noticed that I never actually designated proper track orders or something and my shit is just in alphabetical order. I'm going to give myself a big, fat, FUCK THAT. The order is EXTREMELY important, lyrically and musically. So for my own self-indulgent sake, I am posting the proper track order here:

1. Storytime 2. Sneaky Ko Sheng 3. Fight with Self 4. Master's Sacrifice 5. Eye of Knowledge 6. Daydream Style 7. Enter the Vile 8. Transmigration Style 9. Last Time I Tried Tiger Kung Fu I Couldn't Get it Right

I know this is my fault, but FUCK THAT.

Sorry guys, I'm just bummed.

Vol3 Reviews

And we're back with my review of volume 3!

Flavor Town Voice Potential-- I really like the vibe you have going for you. I have to agree with Dan that The One About that Girl is my favorite of the three songs. It fits together very nicely. Also, in Ode to Alejandro, I really liked the conversational thing you have going on between the male and female vocals. Great job!

Kelsi Ephraim-- I know a little about video and what goes into making it. That said, I'm not good at it at all. I really liked the lighting throughout the video, as it made the video seem very grungy. I also really liked the pairing of Radiohead's "Like Spinning Plates." Great choice. I also caught a few instances where you were kind of matching the video to the music. (Especially the part about laughing and the image of the gnome). Overall, great job!

Kris Eckman-- Very interesting concept. I love the noise aspect of this. The constant panning left,right,left,right, grates on the nerves a bit. If that's what you were going for, great job! Orochi's Fury is my favorite. I love how it starts off as a sort of experimental electronic thing and then morphs into this rock metal guitar solo. Awesome.

Lake Euclid-- I'm glad you guys did this. Love You Anyway is very emotional. Reminds me a little of The Fray's first album. Much more driving though. I really don't have any real criticisms. I second Dan's comments about licensing this stuff. You should get on that.

Oryx and the Crackers-- I generally liked this. Very dark depressing material with a nice hopeful lilt at the end: "make the mundane beautiful." The vocals are buried so much that I could barely hear them, and at the end that I couldn't really hear them at all. Really cool stuff here though.

Randy Stary-- Just in time for Sunday. I'm not really a football fan, or sports in general, but to each his own. It's very Nashville sounding. The guitar work is really nice. Not much more I can say about it. Good job!

Rebecca Allison-- Those cookies look delicious! I'm a little jealous of the study group, and now I'm trying to think of a way to digitize food and send it over the internet... hmmm..

The Killer Meteor-- Ed Mellen at his best. Wacky, zany, and a little crazy. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I think I have to let it ferment in my head for a while before I come to a clear conclusion. Upon my second listen through, I'm starting to like it a bit more than my first listen. I was focusing on the lyrics the first time through and kept getting distracted and thrown off by the instruments and the drums. Now that I'm listening to the whole thing together, I'm starting to hear some kind of cohesion. Also, this is the first KM I have actually heard, so that could have something to do with it.

Anyway, congrats to everyone who made stuff last week. I learned a lot from listening to all of your work and can't wait to hear more in the future!

Vol2 reviews

There's nothing better than waking up late on a Saturday and spending it listening to new music.

Cameron King-- I really enjoyed this song. Like other people have mentioned, the textures created by the piano and guitars are great. Also, the falsetto voice gives it this ethereal feel. Love it, and can't wait to hear more, hopefully, in the future.


Brad Adams--This reminded me of some kind of ending to a musical. With puppets. Nice message, nice lyrics. The harmonies in the sung vocals muddied it up a bit though.

Eric Putnam--The intro track cracked me up. I was a little afraid of what the unplugged electric bass was going to sound like, but it's actually really REALLY cool. I might have to try that in the future. The Bear Sky is probably my favorite track on the album. The ambient, kind of droning of the bass drum and the... I'm not sure what that is, but I like it... gives the song a trance-like feel, and then when the bass comes in, yeah. Cool. The vocals in Valium were great. I especially like where you took it on "we need something for the pain." I feel like a different synth sound would have made it better though. It's kind of in your face. Something similar, just not as edgy would give it the same feel I think. Future Phantom's lyrics were great. I love abstract lyrics. Great job!

Lobster Shanty and the Crab Rangoons--I thoroughly enjoyed these songs. It has that pop feel that is heard in Vampire Weekend and other bands like them. Sing On is my favorite track of the three. Love the edgy feel. It kind of reminded me of Jack White in some spots. I really don't have any real criticisms. Great Job!

Logan Bradley--I've heard most of your RT submissions from the past and I've always enjoyed them. This definitely has a different vibe (which you were going for). I was going to review each one, but it turns out that I was basically saying how much I liked each one. It was really nice to hear you doing different types of vocals. Quite a versatile voice. My favorite tracks were Gin Soaked and Eighth Day. Great work!

Mike Weber-- I've always been a fan of the electronic music we studied in college. Probably why I throw myself at it the way I do. The problem with a lot of electronic artists these days is that they don't connect with their audiences. I strive to create something for the audience to connect to when I create electronic music because, while I appreciate the work of Reich, Riley, Lansky, etc. I know a lot of people just don't get it. Mike's work does remind me a lot of some of the electronic pieces I and most of us created in computer music 1 and 2. Going back to those traditional electronic music techniques. My only wish for this would be to take it somewhere else. Try using those techniques in a way that you hadn't thought of before. I love this genre of electronic music, but it does get a bit tiring when every other piece sounds like the other.
1. Green: I love the minimal style of this piece. The steady vibe motif through the whole piece isn't overly distracting because it is buried within the mix and it has all of the swirling textures flowing in and around it.
2. Swan: I enjoyed the way Mike used the noise to bring in and out the different tones and sounds. There were moments where I felt I could feel some lower frequencies wanting to come in but they never did. It was both dis-heartening and satisfying at the same time, giving a feeling of longing almost.
3. Blue then yellow then red: I wasn't exactly fond of the beginning of this, but I always love granular clouds. So, once that came in, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great use of panning.
4. I didn't know we had tamales in here: This piece is very meditative in nature. It began to be a little predictable in spots though. Whenever a new sound would jump to the surface, it always originated in the right channel and moved over to the left with a higher bell/voice sound. It would have been nice to change up the pattern a bit.
5. Tanner than: The rhythmic pulsing really added to this track. It's always there, until it isn't. Very nice use of the build up to cover the clack's escape.
6. Blurring out the radio: I feel like this could have been made longer by waiting to bring in the bell/choir sound, and maybe fading it in more. It's a little abrupt. Other than that, great!
7. Lab dots: I was a little hesitant about this piece at first, but it grew on me with the introduction of the vocal. Again, I feel that it could have been a lot longer. Maybe playing with the vocal sounds.
8. Thr33: This should have been left attached to Lab dots. It's short enough and continues the vocal stuff along the same lines that I wanted in Lab dots. I feel that it cuts off rather abruptly though.
9. They call me cici: Probably my favorite piece on the album.

I really enjoyed the way each piece had a motif and stuck to it for the most part. The noise based sounds really create a feeling of cohesion between the separate tracks on the album. The only thing I wish was that it wasn't as "in the box" with regard to the traditional electronic music realm.

VOLUME Two Review by Eric

Brad Adams - Change

Awesome with the trombone(?)! Hah this song is so great. I'm at a loss for words. It does exactly whatever it was meant to do.

Cameron King - All We Soldiers

First of all, I really like the artwork for this one. Second, I really like this track. The layers and textures are nice with the piano and all the strings. The vocals are bold, pushing the limits of the voice. Bravo!

Eric Putnam - Night Time

I think my speakers just took a shit. Sorry, bud.

Lobster Shanty and the Crab Rangoons - Friends of Mine

There isn't enough of this kind of music around these days. This kind of vocal-reliant rock. Simple instrumental parts but the vocal melody plays a large role in the music. And I like the free feeling. Reminds me of Spacehog. 90s brit-rock. Which is a good thing. I'm really enjoying this submission.

Logan Bradley - Formulas

This may be my favorite album of Record Time VI. I really really like the drum work, especially on Eighth Day and Neon Cast. It's hard-hitting and creates a great texture. I like the variety found on this album. From Gin Soaked to Neon Cast to Of Time to the soul-splitting blasting on Throats. Of Time especially reminds me of Chris Cornell and his old team of fellows (Soundgarden). It's interesting to hear 90s influences throughout this whole Record Time. Maybe I'm only hearing it because I want to, but I feel like there are some clear influences. Anyways, thanks for this one Logan. It's a goodie!

Mike Weber - Flower

Mike and I discussed this album last night. So. He already knows how many sighs this album gets. Mike Pounds would be proud and probably would have added some pocket reverb.

Paul Marquissee - Bringer

Wow, this is raw talent. I heard through the grapevine the voice we hear is the wife. Gorgeous voice supported by great instrumentals. It's amazing this came to be in a week or less. I read somewhere that you hoped not to do something so avant garde, but if that's a peer pressure thing don't let it be. This feels like you were comfortable in this area of music and if that's the case, go for gold! I really enjoyed listening to this. It really opened up the scope for Record Time.

COMMENTS (From the producer of Lake Euclid)

These are the things that caught my ear...

ANDREW MILLER: Holy God. Whatever movie these tracks were in, I would go see. They’re Hacking The Mainframe! is awfully exciting. Limbo of Infants? I’ve heard pieces of serious art music that weren’t as well conceived. Well done indeed.

CAMERON KING: Beautiful, affected lyrics, arrangement, and melody. I’d like to hear more of your music. Hell, I wouldn’t mind making some with you.

FIVE MINUTE FANCLUB: Loved the lazy organic vibe on Great Plains and the cassette tape rawness of For The Love, though I don’t understand how taping other peoples’ performances amounts to writing tracks for an album.

FLAVOR TOWN VOICE POTENTIAL: Lots of, um, potential in the song The One About That Girl. I’d love to hear it produced up.

LAKE EUCLID: Hit and miss. Love You Anyway features some solid arranging, but probably the gayest guitar solo I have ever heard. Pulled Myself Through is a giant fucking turd of a song, but I did appreciate the intro. You Won’t Know… now we’re talking… pretty serious shit, but you need to work on that ending there, homeboy.

LOGAN BRADLEY: A Diva is a female version of a hustler.

LUXI: Fuck yeah. Really diggin’ the ambient, smart, modern vibe. I will actually play Coral Castle and Wrecktronix after this is all over, which I can’t say of any of the other tracks, aside from possibly my own You Won’t Know. I’d love to hear what you can do when you’re not limited to a week.

STRANGE BATTERY: So I’m playin’ through all this silly, crazy, creativity orgy, and then I hear Finally. Ahhhhhhh :) Seriously though, I don’t know how a person can be so creative and free, and I envy it.

VOLUME One Review by Eric

Andrew Miller - Self-Titled

Andrew, I'm really loving this stuff. It's very impressive! Sounds like it could easily be in any major motion picture, really. Except Danny Elfman pictures. Not nearly enough ostinato. :-) Sorry this commentary probably wasn't at all helpful!

Five Minute Fanclub - Big Shoulders

I'm having trouble understanding this kind of music is making it into Record Time. I remember when this thing got started we were recording things with our built-in microphones, hoping to get some 'semblance of a few songs out. Now we've got these tracks that could totally be on my iPod to listen to on a daily basis. I love the feel of this album. It's got a great laid-back vibe, which is great for my anxiety! haha. I really like the singer's voice and the rapper definitely has his own flow. Grand.

LUXI - Sacred Geometry EP

Again, production quality this time around is through the roof. Though this album is inundated with pitch correction, I still enjoy the beats. They're deep and complex. I love the hard hitting bass. I also love the middle-eastern influence that seems to have made it into this entire album. Great harmonies. Oh and I'm also a sucker for a fat synth (track 4). Another incredible week-long endeavor.

Osmin - Flow

Opening with a guitar choir was the right thing to do, first off. I don't know why, but the real question is, why the fuck not? This album covers quite a few bases from there as well! Great latin guitar tracks, great 90s acoustic feel tracks. The 18 minute track reminded me a lot of Sounds of Animals Fighting for some reason. Good show, sir.

Reality Calls - Reality Check

The first thing I thought of on Endless Night was Nirvana. It took me back to hot summer days in my youth, listening to Bleach on my brother's boombox. The Nirvana didn't last long, but this is not a bad thing. The 90s feel, however, did. I'm digging it in a big way. 90s + Owl City. Was the pitch correction intended to be part of the sound? If so, it worked. If not, maybe ease off the gas a little next time. All in all, we should all be proud of anything like this done in a week! Keep on reppin'!

Rob Fisher - Years to Remember

So I heard through the grapevine that you were in Dan's music lab dealie. I enjoyed your track. Your voice, especially! It's got a unique sound. Thanks for contributing all the way from the UK!

Strange Battery - Tinkle

Dan. I laughed most of the way through this album. Ready to Dance is among my favorite tracks. It reminded me of that day you and Mike and I wrote a hardcore song in the basement of 913 Linden Street. Then the Squirrel Nut Zippers. But it was Dan throughout. I applaud your tuning bravery. I think we discussed briefly how it was time for a shift in Dan. And jokes aside, I actually found some profound meaning in this album. If I ever get married and my wife and I decide to put a bun in the oven, this is what I'm giving him for his first birthday! And of course, thanks so much for putting this together for the 6th time! It means a lot to everyone, I'm sure, myself included.

REVIEW, by the Strangest of Batteries

*Note: sorry that I am interrupting people's string of reviews with this monster post...I thought I would be the first to do this!

Anyways...

Hello all!

As you can see, It’s review time! Hopefully everyone is happy with their work…I know I am. I encourage everyone to post their thoughts on the music – feedback is totally sweet. Don’t feel obligated to listen to every second of every song – general impressions are just fine (although personally I like to go as in depth as I can). Don’t feel obligated to post your reviews at all! I enjoy writing and reading this stuff, but I don’t expect others to feel the same way.

Here are my reviews. More to review this year, and less time to review it…I will have to keep it a little shorter than usual!

EDIT: Whoops…so much for the shorter thing.

REVIEWS

ROB FISHER – YEARS TO REMEMBER: Rob is a friend-I-have-never-met from the UK. We make music together in the Intercontinental Music Lab, an awesome musical experiment I am very lucky to be a part of. As some of you may have read, he was going for a 7 Wonders of the World concept, but had to scale it back a bit, and now we have this track. I particularly love the background vocals (I love BG vocals in general)…there are some awesome harmonies in there – I think I heard more than one diminished something or other. I also the sort of natural ebb and flow of the track – starts out with just two chords, then starts building tension and going into more complex stuff without you realizing it…so great. And there is an overall pleasant, trance-like quality throughout. Rob’s silky-smooth voice goes without saying.

LUXI – SACRED GEOMETRY: Last year she was Alexandre Maxine, this year she is Luxi! The name change actually makes sense (I did the same thing, and I’d like to think mine makes sense as well)…this is a totally different artist…more underground hip hop than electronic pop now. Production has definitely stepped up, as she pointed out, and the guest musicians add a ton. I think I like “Wrecktronix” and “Alchemy” best – especially the guest artist in the latter. On a more general note – I really like how consistent Luxi’s whole vibe is – from what I’ve seen Alexandre seems to have a really bold, unique style that ties together all her artwork – musical, visual, and otherwise.

BRAD ADAMS – CHANGE: Nice debut RT track from Brad, who I met in drumline at Ball State. Don’t have a whole lot to say about it, except nice lyrics, nice message, and is that a French horn?!?

ORYX AND THE CRAKERS – I’m not really sure if there are more Oryx and the Crakers tracks besides this one and the one for RT5, but there ought to be. I think Nadia and I have a lot in common musically – she appreciates a good dose of humor and often uses it to sneak in some pretty serious and (in this case) pretty dark stuff. Though she denies it, Nadia plays a mean Jew harp here. Wish the vocals were just a teeeeeny bit louder…I generally like buried vocals but this is pushing it!

LOBSTER SHANTY AND THE CRAB RANGOONS – FRIENDS OF MINE: Gotta say, I was very surprised at how this record turned out, for reasons I will not go into. So poppy! This is a collaboration between my good from Joe Wilinski and my Facebook friend Nick Puglisi, although you’ll have to forgive me for seeing it mostly in the context of Joe’s previous records. Joe seems to have a major breakthrough every Record Time, and this one to me is pulling all of his previous lessons together – like he’s finally got all the elements in place, he’s finally got a unique style going, and I think it’s finally time he explored his songwriting career outside Record Time. Nick’s bass playing is incredible, though I would expect no less after hearing the new Kings of Push record. I say get a third member of Lobster Shanty and go on tour.

ERIC PUTNAM – NIGHT TIME: Eric and I have been friends for the better part of 700 years. He told me that this Record Time he wanted to experiment with unplugged electric bass, and at first I was skeptical, but of course it worked. Of COURSE it worked. Those bass sections are definitely the highlight for me. Eric has one of my favorite types of voices – kinda out-of-control but somehow always in tune. Now that he has a job, Eric just needs to buy REAPER and get his production value on.

LOGAN BRADLEY – FORMULAS: I always look forward to Logan’s music (and his artwork), and he never disappoints in either. As he posted, he was doing little homages to his favorite bands…though I don’t think he was trying to prove anything in particular, the album shows there isn’t much he can’t do. I was particularly impressed by his vocals, especially on “Throats” – don’t think I’ve heard anything like that from him. The Sleigh Bells track is my favorite. Logan also wins loudest album by far – I literally had to remaster my entire record after hearing his, and it’s still not even close.

CAMERON KING – WE ALL SOLDIERS: A great RT debut. It’s hard for me to comment on stuff like this that has no gimmicks, no tricks…all I can say is that Cameron has a great, very masculine voice (rarer than it seems), and I especially like the little bits of vibrato here and there. Sounds a lot like Bon Iver, or at least the one Bon Iver song I’ve heard. That falsetto is hard to pull off without sounding ridiculous, and Cameron pulls it off.

MIKE WEBER – FLOWER: The less I give away about this album, the better. But I will say that it gives me fond memories of college, and the worthless skills learned therein. Not that this album is worthless, of course. I think Mike would agree that this album could be depressingly popular in the right circles.

PAUL MARQUISSEE – BRINGER I think Paul has meant to do Record Time at least once before, and I always hoped he would follow through with it – I remember seeing him perform one of his pieces (violin + tape of some kind) and remember loving it. Paul and Mike’s albums show two sides of the computer music coin – Mike’s is…well, th0nk, and Paul’s appreciates the need for some kind of emotional anchor in this kind of stuff. His wife Kylene pulls everything together and it sounds like they had a great time making this – they’re also one of the few who planned on a concept and actually stuck to it! Very very impressive RT debut!

ANDREW MILLER – SELF-TITLED: Andrew is my roommate now, and I’m extremely jealous of both his talent and his rig. We’ve already discussed his album in person quite a bit, so I don’t need to go into too much detail, but I will say that Limbo might be THE standout track of this RT, and the other 3 are easily good enough to send to music libraries and make money on. So he needs to close this browser and DO IT NOW.

REBECCA ALLISON – COOKIES: Every year I mention that you can bake stuff, and Becca is the first to actually do it. What can I say? They look delicious. Props for a very thorough story, and for providing a recipe – it’s Super Bowl weekend, people…you’re gonna need a dish to pass!

THE KILLER METEOR – THE PHILOSOPHER STONED: Oh my Lord. Ed’s submission last year was teetering on the brink of madness…now he has gone completely off the deep end. At first I thought it was just too much for me, that I liked the last one better…but once I actually sat down to listen I changed my mind. I really like this. The beats are really something special, if you could call it that…it seems like all of the grooves that I hear in this are completely by accident – like each drum is doing its own thing and come together once in a while, but never for MY sake. Like some kind of phasing or algorithmic thing…I never completely understood Ed’s plan for this, but I think that may have been a part of it. I do kind of miss the weird voice he used on the last one. I almost want him to do something even weirder next time, if only because I literally can’t imagine it.

LAKE EUCLID – C SIDE: Definitely one of the most professional-sounding records we’ve had. I work at a music licensing company/library, and this is exactly the type of stuff we are pitching to TV shows every day. Nice, straightforward stuff, great vocals, good universal lyrics – you can make money doing this. If you’re into that sort of thing. My only complaint, and this is very nitpicky…I wish the pitch correction were a little more transparent. I only bring it up because that alone would put it over the edge quality wise, and you could seriously start licensing this stuff. Just a thought.

RANDY STARY – ROCK TO THE BIG GAME (2011 VERSION). Randy and the rest of the Starys are good friends of my family, though I haven’t seen them in a while! I’m really glad Randy was able to submit some music –a Packer song just in time for the Super Bowl, no less. Nice groove, nice guitar playing, nice lyrics…and it’s already up for sale to benefit cerebral palsy. Doesn’t get better than that.

KRIS ECKMAN – HIROCHI NO HI: So happy this album exists. Weird as hell, and an orgy of genres, just how I like it. And I’m really glad Kris followed through on the concept…almost makes a nice counterpart to the Killer Meteor record, conceptually and…sonically? Almost? A lot more noise-type stuff than I’m used to, but it’s very “colorful” noise. Also like the use of Asian instrument samples – really helps out the imagery and…stuff. Really cool.

FLAVOR TOWN VOICE POTENTIAL – SELF-TITLED: Great band name. Legendary even. I’m always happy when people use all real instruments...the production on this one definitely has a certain charm to it, especially “Ode to Alejandro.” I think my favorite of the three, however, is “The One About that Girl” – has a really nice, tight groove, and seems the most natural out of the three.

FIVE-MINUTE FAN CLUB – BIG SHOULDERS: I was so excited to have Eric Sherman back (from Record Time 2, I believe!) and this time with his awesome wife, both of whom I met in October at Mike Weber’s wedding! Such a small world, although not really, because all of that was organized…hmm. Anyways, to the record. I alluded to it a little earlier, but I love when male singers actually SOUND LIKE MEN. Eric’s vocals are my favorite of this entire thing. They’re not perfect, but they’re very rich, and for some reason I like the way he pronounces things. Some of the field recordings (I believe all done by Blythe ) are real highlights as well. Even though I think Eric said they were stepping back from the Chicago concept a bit, I think they really nailed that. This record is epic in scope – whether intended or not.

OSMIN – FLOW: I always have the hardest time reviewing Osmin’s (Oscar’s?) material. I just never know what to expect when the next song hits. He’s got an 18-minute track here! That actually might be my favorite one…not sure who the girl is or what she’s reading, but there’s a nice tone set there. I also like the last track…nice and direct lyrics, and I like the build toward the end. I know Osmin told me that this record isn’t totally finished, but I liked what I heard so far.

REALITY CALLS – REALITY CHECK: I can definitely hear Jason, Stephanie, and the rest of the crew trying out some new things here, especially in the drums…I think I remember their previous stuff being a little more square and straightforward. Love the keyboard sections. And overall, I gotta say again, you guys seem to have a very intuitive sense of arrangement and melody – the songs are catchy and easy to listen to, but never seem formulaic or forced. I think I like “History with No Beginning” best.

KELSI EPHRAIM – VIDEO: (Note: I would urge you all to look at the note along with Kelsi’s link…she was having some technical issues) This video is tiny, and awesome. Among many other reasons, I like Kelsi because she isn’t afraid to make things that don’t mean anything (something I think Record Timers can appreciate), and it’s hilarious when that makes people angry. Also kudos for finding a workaround to the shaky camera issue – it’s so small now that nobody can tell!

STRANGE BATTERY – TINKLE: Tinkle is exactly what this record sounds like. 0/10.