Solid review. Meh listened. Meh wants album! D:

Album Rating: 4.0

well, I don't think they have artistic similarities, if that's what you mean, but they are both incredible at the way they create mood and atmosphere, and I think they have a similar, albeit different, atmosphere.

Top Job man, have a pos.

Album Rating: 4.0

ATTENTION WHORING!!



oh and thanks guys.

I have a rar of this but no password :/

Album Rating: 4.0

yeah man guy

So, got the album today. I really like the mix of the calmness & atmosphere.
Think I'll give it a listen after I went through once again.

*rating. Stupid spelunking.

Great review which made me check out this great album. Thank you!

Album Rating: 4.0

No, no, thank you.

thanks a lot for bringing our album to the attention of others. it's been a real labour of love and we hope we'll be able to play a show in your country (canada?) in the not too distant future. performing our music live is what it's really all about for us. grt.brt

Album Rating: 4.0

sweet, I feel like you guys would have a great atmosphere live.

What a nice surprise this album was, great review too.

@ thebhoy:

we do our best! if you're curious, there's some live videos on youtube, they can give you an idea:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMNKVRseJRw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk-chUQjXC8&translated=1

anyway, the album was recorded live, meaning (almost) without overdubs (not in front of a live audience).

by the way, i'm happy to discover this site, it's fun. been reading and rating for hours.

Album Rating: 4.0

interesting, that is definitely a wise recording choice, it gives the music a more organic flow. I'm interested to see where you guys go from here, because although I like subtlety in my music, I feel like you guys could do with a bit more bombast, like the way the closer builds, kind of thing, but without capitulating your base sound too much.

shit, sorry to any reader if it looks like i'm just promoting my own music here; not really what this forum was meant for.

Album Rating: 4.0

pfff people do it all the time, don't worry about it.

in fact, we've already been through quite an evolution. the first two years, i used to play mostly intimate 'alt folk' gigs, solo or in trio with the two backing vocalists. then i recorded a studio album with arrangements created in the studio, with the help of guest musicians (the current band and others) and a producer. i looked for a record label or distributor for a year, but couldn't find one.
meanwhile, we evolved into a real band for which i continually wrote
material that we arranged together. when i finally did find a record company, they were more impressed by our live set than by the previously recorded album. so we set out to record a new album ('wild eyes') with mostly new material + 3 'live-arrangements' of older songs.

interestingly, those who have been following us from the beginning, often feel estranged by the more 'rock' tinged moments of the set / album. those new to us, find it often frustrating that we don't rock out more / longer.
i personally cherish the brooding quality of wild eyes - the constant
promise of more explosive things to come, only sporadically being fulfilled - but it does seem to divide the audience a bit.

still, in the future, i want to have even more extremes of dynamics and contrast in the music. those who are looking for OR mainly soft, fragile melancholy OR only bad-ass rock n roll, might better look elsewhere.
at the same time, to my own surprise, there's some very new material that tends to be more conventional than anything i've written until now. with real refrains and all. (those damn beatles)

about the previous 'lost' album ('echoes'): it hasn't had an official release (yet?), but it can be bought at concerts or through me personally. it's somehow, at least technically, a more polished affair than wild eyes, but i feel it has more flaws in the writing and inconsistencies in the overall atmosphere. quite some people i know (my parents!) prefer it to wild eyes nevertheless. it's definitely more 'accessible' (whatever that means). i can send you a copy if you want.

Album Rating: 4.0

hmm, I'm always interested in new music, so just send me a shoutbox message to set up sending info, etc. I think what I meant was dwelling more on my Godspeed reference point (I assume you are aware of them, and if not a simple youtube will get you on my train of thought), where from their first to second LP they upped their sound by making their climaxes bigger. I'm not suggesting that you guys necessarily should follow a similar pattern (that may be boring) I just think a few more songs that build into grandiosity might enhance your sound a little more; but of course, that is just my view.



Also interesting you started as "alt folk" kind of thing, I can see it, but personally I thought it evolved from a blues idiom, though listening to some of the scales you used you must be influenced in some way by blues and/or blues influenced bands.



Regarding your second paragraph, I think a familiarity with post-rock (not to suggest you are post-rock at all) would bridge that estrangement for some listeners. They would be more a kin to the structures of your songwriting. (ie. the brooding vs. the explicit)

I want to get into some more indie stuff, I'll look into this