Gigaton: Official album thread

[Mine]

I still think that the overall ideas behind the songs, the lyrics, the basic writing is still on par for what we've always expected from them.

That's the whole point.

But Eddie has lost a few steps, while they simultaneously adopted a presentation style that A: features him more prominently and B: makes the music a bit too clean (presumably to complement A)

I presume you're talking about the vocals here? This is something to be expected and i take it for granted with singers who reached a certain age.

The music isn't really cleaner, it's just messier and Eddie's vocals have nothing to with it, as there's nothing problematic enough that couldn't be handled in the mixing no matter what the music around is.

I meant cleaner in the overall feel of the sound. Something polished, occasionally bordering on antiseptic.

I understand, i just didn't get how it related to point A.

[stip]

I still think that the overall ideas behind the songs, the lyrics, the basic writing is still on par for what we've always expected from them.

That's the whole point.

But Eddie has lost a few steps, while they simultaneously adopted a presentation style that A: features him more prominently and B: makes the music a bit too clean (presumably to complement A)

I presume you're talking about the vocals here? This is something to be expected and i take it for granted with singers who reached a certain age.

The music isn't really cleaner, it's just messier and Eddie's vocals have nothing to with it, as there's nothing problematic enough that couldn't be handled in the mixing no matter what the music around is.

I meant cleaner in the overall feel of the sound. Something polished, occasionally bordering on antiseptic.

I understand, i just didn't get how it related to point A.

I lack the technical vocabulary to describe this well, but I get the sense that something about the presentation of the music is designed to provide a clean and clear platform for a focus on Eddie's vocals--like anything that is the slightest bit rough and abrasive that might be distracting or compete is sanded down.

[bodysnatcher]

the thing for me is that Ed's vocals are the least interesting part of PJ these days

[E.H. Ruddock]

the thing for me is that Ed's vocals are the least interesting part of PJ these days

Mike shredding or gtfo

[bodysnatcher]

the thing for me is that Ed's vocals are the least interesting part of PJ these days

Mike shredding or gtfo

ok nm, my list of uninteresting parts goes:

1) The same formula for every song
2) Making room for Mike Shreds
3) Ed's insistence on trying to sing like he's still 35

[McParadigm]

I think an honest 'cameras in the room' LB recording session doco would probably be really unintentionally funny.

"That bass line is so funky it's catching. Let's slow the whole thing down and ease up this song a bit...let the low end shine through. Pull back your guitar muscles, boys. Getaway is all about that bass!"

-

"I have the perfect idea for that o-"
"Sorry. It's 5:00. See you all in two weeks."

-

"That's a neat sound on [insert song title]."
"Hmm? Oh. That was something Brendan came up with."

[McParadigm]

"That one's got some atmosphere to it. Let's talk overdubs. We don't want to put people to sleep with this stuff."

[McParadigm]

"Wouldn't it be cheeky to open our record with the line 'everyone's a critic?'"

[McParadigm]

"It's an allegorical song about Tianimen Square? We can't write about that. It's not on the list of things we've already written about before. (thinks) What if instead of a lone Chinese protester, and instead of a brutal authoritarian government, it was about a boy who is really, really angry at his father? Fucking clever, eh?"

[McParadigm]

"You guys don't need to come in this week. We're working on one of Ed's songs."

[LoathedVermin72]

all hilarious

[Mine]

I still think that the overall ideas behind the songs, the lyrics, the basic writing is still on par for what we've always expected from them.

That's the whole point.

But Eddie has lost a few steps, while they simultaneously adopted a presentation style that A: features him more prominently and B: makes the music a bit too clean (presumably to complement A)

I presume you're talking about the vocals here? This is something to be expected and i take it for granted with singers who reached a certain age.

The music isn't really cleaner, it's just messier and Eddie's vocals have nothing to with it, as there's nothing problematic enough that couldn't be handled in the mixing no matter what the music around is.

I meant cleaner in the overall feel of the sound. Something polished, occasionally bordering on antiseptic.

I understand, i just didn't get how it related to point A.

I lack the technical vocabulary to describe this well, but I get the sense that something about the presentation of the music is designed to provide a clean and clear platform for a focus on Eddie's vocals--like anything that is the slightest bit rough and abrasive that might be distracting or compete is sanded down.

What may come in the way of the vocals is the frequencies in common with the instruments that may need to be dialled down to not bury the vocals. If anything the vocals were over processed in a way that thinned them down. Every track in a mix has to be processed for various reasons so it isn't something that comes from the vocals needing to sound a specific way.

Generally thin vocals aren't an issue as they can fatten them by layering a couple of takes as they did on a couple of occasions or use other techniques to achieve whatever they want. They tended to have the vocals lower in the mix but it was just what they preferred at the time.

It's not even just the sandiness you're talking about, it's literally what kind of a soundscape all the instruments and everything that affects their sound create together and how it works with the melody, lyrics and vocals. I don't see music discussed this way often but i think what ends up making someone like or dislike a piece of music is really what all those things together trigger (and some that i probably forgot to mention) in ones brain, which can't really be described as simply as the music adhering to a specific style or having an interesting chord progression or the lyrics being exceptional or what time signature the song is written in.

[Mine]

I think an honest 'cameras in the room' LB recording session doco would probably be really unintentionally funny.

actually it's sad because one thing i remember reading about their studio chatter is Mike saying to Ed he needs to look at a certain song through 3D glasses which makes your imagined studio dialogue sound as something they actually aspire to at this point.

[bodysnatcher]

"Hey Ed, check out this piano part"

in the background, Jeff is on the phone with Joseph Arthur

[LetMeSleep]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was Bob and Ed talking about colours and valleys while there are four guys on laptops working on their material in the background.

[bodysnatcher]

I'm pretty sure that if the band decided to call it a day, we would all know before Mike

[surfndestroy]

I'm pretty sure that if the band decided to call it a day, we would all know before Mike

Mike is the new Dave A. Likes being in Pearl Jam and being a rock star.

[PHATJ]

I'm pretty sure that if the band decided to call it a day, we would all know before Mike

Mike is the new Dave A. Likes being in Pearl Jam and being a rock star.

As if liking your job is some kind of unforgivable sin. Fucking Pearl Jam.

[Birds in Hell]

I'm pretty sure that if the band decided to call it a day, we would all know before Mike

Mike is the new Dave A. Likes being in Pearl Jam and being a rock star.

As if liking your job is some kind of unforgivable sin. Fucking Pearl Jam.

Dave Abbruzzese has been recording with Shawn Smith recently.

Shawn just posted that Brad are currently recording new material.

Guys, Stone is one small step away from jamming with Dave again.

[Leatherhead]

I'm pretty sure that if the band decided to call it a day, we would all know before Mike

Mike is the new Dave A. Likes being in Pearl Jam and being a rock star.

As if liking your job is some kind of unforgivable sin. Fucking Pearl Jam.

Dave Abbruzzese has been recording with Shawn Smith recently.

Shawn just posted that Brad are currently recording new material.

Guys, Stone is one small step away from jamming with Dave again.

Niiiiice