The disc has finally been completed. I have rushed to do so and i fear it has a lack of depth because of it. However, i can’t say that i am unpleased with the results. I have uploaded the songs onto this post for download. This Post is specifically for your, my humble listeners’, reviews. Here are the rules.
1 - Don’t comment about Quality of recording/mixing etc. Im not a recording engineer. I knwo there are some clicks/pops/and other annoyances.
2 - Remember that this is Movie Music, not rock ‘n roll.
3 - Be completely Honest. I know some of these tracks are tired. These are just raw shorts of maybe what could be longer songs one day. it’s not going to kill me if you tell me what you really think, chances are i probably have an idea already.
Prociate it, Neggras. And here they are (try right click and choosing ’save target as’ to avoid quicktime from auto playing these files)…
April 2nd, 2006 at 6:36 PM
This is an unofficial comment. Xack makes music for a giving. You see, because I spoke to Xack one on one, it allows me to leave puns instead of actual input. Ha.
April 2nd, 2006 at 9:58 PM
I gotta disagree–Xack put it up more for feedback, less to share, though I do think both intentions are present.
April 3rd, 2006 at 1:15 AM
Mmm, music. It’s 2 in the morning, so don’t expect anything particularly eloquent out of me. (But I’m too excited about it to wait until tomorrow to comment!) Track by track, perhaps?
Earth Ever After - So yeah… I absolutely love this one. It sounds so movie-esque, not in a cliche way, but just… I can see this being paired with some really impressive visual stuff. It would stand on its own without taking away from what your eye is seeing, if that makes sense.
Little Blue Pills - I enjoy the layers of sound in this track, but something about this sound just leaves me completely anticipating vocals. I’m not sure why. Especially in the sudden change around :46 or :47, it almost sounds like maybe vocals are missing. My only suggestion might be using something other than a guitar for part of the melody, just for even more variety in timbre? I dunno.
Read and Greene - This track is gorgeous, in my opinion. I think one thing that could make it even better would be a sustain pedal for the keyboard, if you have one (or if you have the option of using one). I actually have a spare one if I can find it; if not, you could use my keyboard’s pedal if you were interested? They both have 1/4 inch jacks, I think (or whatever the proper terminology for that is). Lemme know if you’re interested, because I think it would add a lot to the sound, esp. around :47 and similar parts.
Energy Conversion (-) - I like the sound of this the way I liked Earth Ever After. I dig the kind of elegant simplicity you’ve got going on in this one in particular. At the same time, it’s subtly dramatic… it’s got a real underlying emotion to it. Yayness.
Ever After Earth - Ok, so I hear this and I think “end of a movie, transition to credits,” and I’m assuming that since this is the song you list last, that’s probably what it is. It’s got a full sound without being overwhelming, and a real sense of fulfillment and conclusion (although won’t I feel like a dumbass if this isn’t some kind of ending track). Neat-o.
So that was a lot of stuff; I’m sorry this comment is long. I suck. Overall opinion: I enjoyed them all. I found especially pleasing the continuity you’ve got going throughout all of the tracks (chiefly Earth Ever After, Energy Conversion, and Ever After Earth). Read and Greene stands out but in a good way, and I think it’s only natural that it would since y’know… it’s got the keyboard and whatnot. Little Blue Pills I’m just not sure about. Don’t be offended, but I just don’t see how it fits with everything else.
You already said yourself that some of the songs will be longer, and that would be my only other general suggestion.
Of course, all of this is based just on listening, knowing nothing about what this music is going to, so… I don’t know how valid my opinions are. Sorry this was so long… And P.S., I’ve listened to Read and Greene four times now, and every time the tremolo picking thing you’ve got going on at the end makes me pee my pants in happiness. =D
April 3rd, 2006 at 10:39 AM
i dig the long comments….more on this later….
April 7th, 2006 at 3:19 PM
I know precisely dick of the complexities and “goodness” of music. I will say, however, that outright the tracks were easy listening. I therefore reason that with the addition of compelling footage, the tracks will fulfill their purpose marvelously.
Robin Sulkosky raves: “. . .marvelous. . . .”
April 10th, 2006 at 5:49 AM
ok now you know that, unlike miss molden, i am no music major, and i do not have any sort of basis for complex music analysis. this doesnt keep me from having an opinion though being: i enjoyed this, not only because it came from xack simms (ah just the name is music to my ears) but because of the fact that it is the first original sounding music i have heard from someone i know in a while. it is obviously “mood setting” music, and i think according with the proper film, it could bear a beautiful child. earth ever after is really fresh and seems to be sort of an awakening to the rest of the music (a little “spinning plates” meets movie opening). little blue pills reminds me of a broken social scene song (cause=effect), but it is much simpler and without vocals, which i think is warranted for the effect that you want (or what i perceive to be the effect that you want). read and greene reminded me to a certain degree of the sort of soundscapes you might find in a wilco song (behind the actual music most of the time), while energy conversion gave off the feel of a lot of jon brion’s stuff..sort of organic mental trip sort of stuff.
i dont know..all i know how to do is compare it to what i know-and name drop as much as possible. i did really enjoy the vibe though and it makes me wonder what is in the works for the actual dialogue that will be covering this (because while music may be and untapped passion of mine, words are what i always fall back on)
April 11th, 2006 at 7:20 PM
man im really glad people gave me so much feedback.
thank you all for taking the time. I prociates it.
You can probly expect more….but not anytime soon. whether or not a film comes is up to the elements.
April 11th, 2006 at 7:21 PM
speaking of jon brion….the freakin OST for “I heart Huckabee’s” is sweet ass sweet.
April 11th, 2006 at 10:54 PM
i couldnt listen to number 5 because it wouldnt let me… n’junk. the other ones are muy excelente and pleasing to my cochlea. the 4th one reminds me of donny darko kind of mood music, which is cool because everyone enjoys the avant garde. paired with respectible and appropriate images, i can see these pieces of auditory candy producing the same kind of inner poking at one’s psyche present in films such as garden state, donny darko, and lost in translation.
so, in conclusion/summation/culmination/resolution, these tracks are supurb and well produced as well as worthy of being used in the context of a dramatic-y type (portion) of a film.
did you know that crabs have gills?
April 12th, 2006 at 6:25 AM
i….was not aware of that