PhonoBrainer

Really good listen. What a great voice she has, perfect for this dreamy ethereal vibe with a groove. Do I need to understand the lyrics? I can only really get 50% of what the words are. About 50% of the time. Super cool guitar parts. I can hear the dreamy you were going for, very well mixed there. cheers, -Tom

I liked the harmonies on the bridge a lot. What effect are you using on the lead vocal? It shimmers sometimes in a panning kind of way, so chorus? Something is modulating your lead vocal, and for me, just a bit more natural would be better. It's a great set of vocal performances, no doubt. I would expect this song, being a traditional pop-country structure, to have maybe more reverb on the vocal, and not so much chorus, if that's what it is. Who cares about expectations of others! You've put together a good one here that can be sung to in honky tonks. cheers, -Tom

That was great. Love the groove. Maybe that cello part when it's featured could be brought up a bit. Say hi to Keller Williams and Michael Hedges when you channel them next time! cheers, -Tom

Notation written on paper being a necessary construct for those who can't follow a lead sheet or just play what they hear or are thinking. I now retreat into my paper mache bunker.

If you close your eyes, it's Mary Pooppins.

Is it my serial number for the Portal I purchased through the Black Friday sale at Musicians' Friend? "Friend"

It wil be $29 bucks inside of a year.

Your observation is factually correct. It's more instructive to ask - during which portion of those 4.5 billion years has there been 7.6 billion people cranking out carbon? If that is our most recent slice of time (50 years or so) then maybe our current footprint is something to focus on. In Before The Melt!

Best durn thing I've heard or seen on here in quite some time. Video is absolutely perfect match for that song, and the mix of the song is captivatingly clean. That is some cerebral slime mold you have there. Thanks, that was a treat for eyes and ears. -Tom

Well, something tells me I like your version better than the original, which I possibly have not heard. Great guitar effects, really cool mix candy there. Your entire drum kit is pretty compressed and narrow-sounding, as if you were trying to leave as much room possible for the excellent guitars. I'd wish for a bit more breathability in them drums. I'd like to call out the bass player - or programmer - some very tasty little fill licks and runs on that bass g. Cool beans! cheers, -Tom

Fun, meaningful, and throwback as all hell. Instead of bringing everything else up, you might bring the vocal down just a bit? There are some mouth noises that creep in every so often. As is, its psychadelic Cohen Kerouac Dylan Demento territory. Very fun. Your swing timing is spot on - listen to the fadeout at the end. Perfect. Good luck with that light. cheers, -Tom

So obvious that you had a plan, sweated the details, and brought it home. Very well done. I felt the electronic fireworks at the ending! I like how it's political but vague enough to not get anyone riled. Your vocal on this is a treat, and for my .02 ducats, could be brought up even half a db louder. Could be just me. I know you raised 'em up already! cheers, -Tom

Well you are casting about for mix thoughts, but first I would say, the "space" sounds really great. For me, it's the acoustic noodlement panned wide that should be dropped a tad in volume, particularly when the center lead guitar is playing. That center lead is a little prounounced in the attack of the initial transient, but honestly I didn't mind it at all. Really cool playing, without a crapton of fret and fingernoise. Nice. Good luck - I'd say you captured it all very cleanly so that's 90% of the battle right there. cheers, -Tom

Cool and yet, not cool, thematically. It's a dark tale orchestrated by Pink Floyd and sung by Peter Gabriel? Pretty awesome neighborhood. The song, that is, not the one in the song. You might bring that snare forward and make it more of a powerful contributor by pulling back a bit on ye olde reverb. Have you tried the snare crackin' right up front? Just a thought - maybe the tune would pick up a little more drive with a more present snare. But the drive is already there, it's a grinder. A couple of compression-y overload crackles? I dunno, :26? 5:00? That's a really cool vocal performance, dude. I didn't mind the length. Good tune, good job! cheers, -Tom

Like many, I have seen them multiple times. They were the first real rock band that I really liked, having cut my teeth exclusively on Beethoven and his pals during my adolescence. The primary reason why a wider fan base never materialized was probably Geddy Lee' voice. I for one couldn't imagine anyone but Geddy fronting that band. Neil RIP. Great lyrics and par excellence drums.

Way fun. Prog in 5. All of your guitars, drums, and keyboard parts are mixed great. I'd bump up the presence of that bass - if anything, you need more foundation to support the brilliance of what is going on upstairs. When it breaks into the 4/4, I really like your instrumentation and guitar features in that section! cheers, -Tom

Don't forget the nighttime projection light show inside the cathedral of Notre Dame. Awesome stuff.

Don't Panic.

Cool chords there. I liked the echoey roundwound slappy bass with the reverb, I think it cut through nicely. You might take the ssss-y stuff that's panned hard right and left down just a hair in your mix, and the very beginning could use a half second of air time before the tune begins, it starts a little abruptly. cheers, -Tom

Having heard some tunes here recently where the drums were a bit underwhelming, can I start by complimenting your drum kit, and programming if that applies? If those are live drums, as they sound, I'd say very good on those! Super tasteful. Oh, btw the guitar tone was friggin' fantastic. Your choices in the 2:50 area should be studied in an improv class. Wonderful! Love the smooth jazz genre, and thanks for sharing this! cheers, -Tom

I stopped watching the video so I could concentrate on the song (lovely) the vocal (amazingly clear) and the guitar work (beautiful). The mix of it all ain't too bad, I listened on my studio monitors. When the drums came in, they were just a bit of a letdown in their quality, it didn't quite match the level of your awesome voice and guitar. What did you use for drums? I dunno, that's a subjective thing. You might dig those drums! I really enjoyed your song (via Uriah Heep is it?) and the clarity of that mix was outstanding. For me, however, the video doesn't really authentically sell your song. I guess I would expect visuals, cutaways, scenes in a montage, etc. for this type of song. But to each their own. Those performance vids are a breed unto themselves and one needs to accept the limitations of a static shot, I reckon. You picked a great tune and did a great job of the rendition, and again, you have an amazing voice and guitar style. I look forward to hearing more of your stuff. cheers, -Tom

Songs are great, vocals are great. These two things never seem to vary when I hear your tunes. Awesome! It's an album already so mixing comments are less helpful I reckon. Your voice has a laid-back summer vacation quality to it. Just great! -Tom

I liked the bgv's a ton, and that flangey guitar noodle, and the elec piano has the wonderful warble chorus. Vocals in general were a highlight. I think your effort would shine even harder with more drum programming, for fills and variations. That's about it for crits! good one Paul! -Tom

Any interest in demoing it before announcing it DOA? 😊

Sleep lightly, Daddy