Red Mosquito

Thurman Murman wrote:These songs are all growers. Yesterday was Scared of Fear and Setting Sun, today its Upper Hand and Got To Give that really clicked for me.

5 stars:
Scared of Fear
Wreckage
Won't Tell
Upper Hand
Waiting for Stevie
Setting Sun

4.5 stars:
React, Respond
Got To Give

4 stars:
Dark Matter

3.5 stars:
Running
Something Special

oftheearth wrote:
It's so interesting hearing how different everyone's listening experience has been. For me, the Apple Music Dolby Atmos (on AirPods Pros) has been the worst one. It sounds like all the instrument volume levels are all off with Eddies vocals being so far back in the mix. Last night I signed up for a "free" trial of Qobuz and that has been the best quality for me so far, everything sounds really balanced. I have not downloaded the Ten Club WAV/FLAC lossless yet.

96583UP wrote:
had to put on Blood Sugar Sex Magik right after to purge my brain of this filth and replenish anew

Clem Halibut wrote:

Ms Harmless wrote:what a gift of an album we have here folks

Someone on here said it earlier but I feel like my favorite sports team just won the championship

Juvenal wrote:

Clem Halibut wrote:

Ms Harmless wrote:what a gift of an album we have here folks

Someone on here said it earlier but I feel like my favorite sports team just won the championship

Perfect analogy. I just feel really proud of them. I know that may sound corny but fuck it.

Strat wrote:Is this the album with best Background and Vocal harmonies?

tree_ wrote:

Juvenal wrote:

Clem Halibut wrote:

Ms Harmless wrote:what a gift of an album we have here folks

Someone on here said it earlier but I feel like my favorite sports team just won the championship

Perfect analogy. I just feel really proud of them. I know that may sound corny but fuck it.

I agree. It's only corny when it's overly sentimental, but this is an appropriate level of sentimentality. We should have a parade and some kind of ceremony.

Buby wrote:

tree_ wrote:

Juvenal wrote:

Clem Halibut wrote:

Ms Harmless wrote:what a gift of an album we have here folks

Someone on here said it earlier but I feel like my favorite sports team just won the championship

Perfect analogy. I just feel really proud of them. I know that may sound corny but fuck it.

I agree. It's only corny when it's overly sentimental, but this is an appropriate level of sentimentality. We should have a parade and some kind of ceremony.

Yampy wrote:Got to give

We can, we can believe that we are better
Together, you and me, yeah
Can take on anyone
Anyone
If you can see

Crying, laughing, dancing so much emotion in this part of the song.

Unbelievable what a band, what an album.

This album is up there, don’t know exactly how high but is up there.


Oh first post

Haha

bluestate wrote:

darth_vedder wrote:I listened to the album this morning and overall liked it. I went in thinking I'll like some songs and probably not like some. It's exactly this. For me, it's kind of like parts of Backspacer, Lightning Bolt, and Gigaton mixed together. I hear Unthought Known, Got Some, Infallible, SBWM, Sleeping By Myself, Gonna See My Friend, Comes & Goes, and more all here. In a way, Dark Matter reminds me some of my favorite parts of those three albums rolled into DM, but with more soar.

Overall I like this album, but I don't see it ever replacing anything from 1991 - 2006 for me. There are some things I just don't get with modern Ed and his singing style decisions. Like things all y'all discussed before about warbling and such, while cramming in lots of words. He's at his best on DM during the soaring parts. Using his voice as an instrument, rather than being a lead singer singing lots of verses. Also, as noted by many others, the mixing/mastering/production is too loud, too digitized, etc...Seems like that's just par for the course now. It's like the 80's key-tars and electric drums and digital voices got mixed with power 70's rock. That's a different thread though...

So yeah, I'm overall liking what the guys are doing here and happy a bunch of old farts can still make some rockin' tunes. Not sure about new era Ed's singing styles (I'm thinking BS to DM) and the mastering/production choices (with music in general).

6.5/10

This is pretty close to my original feelings after the record store listen. I believe my handwritten notes are generally reflective of my initial lukewarm reception.

It has grown exponentially since then. From a 3 to a 5 star album.

lecherouslittlestump wrote:If Ten is Empire Strikes Back, Dark Matter is The Last Jedi

lecherouslittlestump wrote:If Ten is Empire Strikes Back, Dark Matter is The Last Jedi

darth_vedder wrote: In a way, Dark Matter reminds me some of my favorite parts of those three albums rolled into DM, but with more soar.

lecherouslittlestump wrote:If Ten is Empire Strikes Back, Dark Matter is The Last Jedi

Monkey_Driven wrote:

darth_vedder wrote:
So yeah, I'm overall liking what the guys are doing here and happy a bunch of old farts can still make some rockin' tunes. Not sure about new era Ed's singing styles (I'm thinking BS to DM)

I had similar critiques of Ed's current vocal abilities and choices initially. I have since started to focus on the melody and emotion in his delivery for subsequent listens and it has helped tremendously. His tone and ear for finding the space within the music is still top notch.

He's graded on such a ridiculous curve because we know what he was capable of at his apex.

darth_vedder wrote:

Monkey_Driven wrote:

darth_vedder wrote:
So yeah, I'm overall liking what the guys are doing here and happy a bunch of old farts can still make some rockin' tunes. Not sure about new era Ed's singing styles (I'm thinking BS to DM)

I had similar critiques of Ed's current vocal abilities and choices initially. I have since started to focus on the melody and emotion in his delivery for subsequent listens and it has helped tremendously. His tone and ear for finding the space within the music is still top notch.

He's graded on such a ridiculous curve because we know what he was capable of at his apex.

He really is, and I agree. However, he still adds unnecessary enunciation to the point of distraction for me. His actual voice still sounds great for a 60 year old smoker. In fact, I can't believe it still sounds so great, especially those soaring parts of the album. When he's just singing though, he doesn't have to do things like "hey-ayyy", or "whY-hi", or "abou-hout", etc...My complaints about his singing style are not complaints about his actual voice.

epilogue wrote:

darth_vedder wrote: In a way, Dark Matter reminds me some of my favorite parts of those three albums rolled into DM, but with more soar.

This hit right. Good observation.