Challenge the recency bias/new albumitis: Rerank Dark Matter

[ridleybradout]

thanks for all the hard work! ill try this album one more time.

Wasn't my hard work - I just created some artwork for it

[Strat]

6 stars

[Jaeti]

Excited to listen to this mix. People with "good ears," what're you noticing?

[stip]

more separation and a lot more bass, but at the expense of the guitars. You hear it right off the bat with scared of fear.

[Jaeti]

You're right. I noticed that immediately. Still working through the whole thing.

[VinylGuy]

downloading it right now

[stip]

gonna go give it a listen in a bit. I only had time for two songs this morning (SoF and Stevie)

[stip]

scared of fear is decidedly worse. i like jeff’s bass being more prominent but guitars are lost.
RR is pretty good - highlights a lot of cool stuff and the song lends itself to spotlighting individual moments


eddie front and center in both songs. volume comes in and out.

wreckage is like the SoF problem in the wrong song. the whole song is shouting to be heard over eddie when the music should be a backdrop for his performance. its like an obnoxious speed of sound. this one really didnt work for me

I am listening on airpods. maybe that matters?

[stip]

the dark matter mix was kind of badass. listened to it twice. it took a second to settle into the echo

[stip]

wont tell’s mix has pretty cool dissident vibes in the verses. for better or worse it makes the chorus poppier

[stip]

couldnt really get a read on upper hand. seemed to lose some impact even though the mix was fine.

okay, now the waiting for stevie test…

so waiting for stevie is a song that exists to get swallowes by a single monster riff with the rest of the music spending the rest if the run time struggling, ultimately unsuccessfully, to break through. this mix leaves more space for everyone else, but then i spend it wondering where Poochie is. one improvement- in the official mix the start of mike’s solo always felt a little flat footed to me and its not until the start of its second movement that it starts to work for me (at which point it is excellent). it explodes out from under the mix here, the first moment to really break free. very cool

[Jaeti]

Yeah, mixed feelings on this mix. My attention wavered a bit since I was also working, especially during the last three songs. But here are my crude impressions. Was not a headphones/Airpods listen.

Something lost: Scared of Fear, Wreckage, Running

Something gained: React/Respond, Dark Matter (but yeah, that echo)

Seemed the same: Won't Tell, Upper Hand, Waiting for Stevie, Something Special, Got to Give, Setting Sun

[Jaeti]

Actually, I think I thought Got to Give lost a bit of punch in the moment.

[stip]

that running mix is pretty great. feels looser, more garagey, just a bit dirtier. more sway. and makes it even clearer that they are all singing potato

it amplifies that cool effect throughout the song that makes it feel almost like you’re running backwards while eddie is struggling to move forward. it floats in and out but is especially prominent in the chorus

[stip]

something special feels a bit more open in a nice way. it gives the schmaltz a place to settle

got to give is already a kind of janky song - thats part of its charm and what sets up the ending. this doubles down on that, but it ends up simultaneously crowding itself and seperating itself a bit too much. cool to hear jeff so much more prominently, and i do think the ‘get to the point’ bridge sounds nice. like WFS overall i prefer the original mix but there are moments id replace with elements of this

[stip]

Actually, I think I thought Got to Give lost a bit of punch in the moment.

give running another shot. that was my clear winner (though i am just starting setting sun)

[stip]

setting sun - first half has a nice balance between ed and the music but the knocking drum part should be a little lower. there has always been a slight dynamics problem with the chorus this mix doesnt address, and it seems louder (not in a good way) after the first chorus

but this such an incredible song i dont really care

okay - outro. the outro transition is smoother since the first half is louder. more seamless and it lets the shift get defined through the change in everyone’s performance rather than the volume

fuck this song has a killer ending. climax on climax, the way the alive solo refuses to stop elevating itself

[stip]

this was interesting- there are versions id go back to, and i always enjoy an occasional visit with alternate mixes. but i prefer v.

Better: Running, Something Special

interesting alternatives: react/respond, dark matter

a little worse on balance but with moments that shine: wont tell, upper hand, wfs, got to give, setting sun

definitvely inferior: scared of fear, wreckage

[ridleybradout]

Thanks for posting your thoughts guys - interesting to hear your perspective.

I'm so unfamiliar now with the original stereo mix that I might do the reverse and post my thoughts here. I'm so used to the 'bass-centric' version of SoF that I'm actually looking forward to hearing the guitar-heavy mix

[stip]

definitely do that!

which songs are your favorites with this mix?