Downes Braide Asscociation: Pictures of You

[Patelena396]

This has pretty much been my music of choice for the last month or so. First the vinyl and now the CD and it has grown into one of my favorites of the year. What an outstanding album this is. I don't know what sales are like, but whatever they are, I can safely say that many more people need to hear this album. I wouldn't say it is a true prog album by any stretch, but it a classic old school keyboard laden pop rock album. The true charm of the album is in the fantastic songwrting. The performances are top notch and the chrouses are true ear candy. Big thumbs up on this one from me. This is classic Geoff Downes and Chris Braide has now played a big part in two of my favorites of the year. This and the Producers CD. I hope he keeps working with prog related musicians because it is resulting in some fantastic music. Buy this and then recommend it to a lot of friends.

[Patelena396]

Bump.

Surprised there seems to be very little interest or love for this CD. It really is good if you can take your prog on the poppy side of things.

[timmy]

found the CD last week on amazon and its on the way. i can't wait to hear it.

[Scott Bails]

Bump.

Surprised there seems to be very little interest or love for this CD. It really is good if you can take your prog on the poppy side of things.

It's not that there's no interest - I had no idea it was even out yet!

[harbinger58]

I listened to it Pat...very nice CD. Yes....not crazily proggy by any means...but nice keyboard-driven music that most folks should warm up to...really good songwriting. Thanks for the recommendation!

[timmy]

a link for convenience: http://amzn.com/B009GAUCX0

i managed to get a copy from the reseller MovieMars-CDs for $16.78. they might be sold out at the moment.

[Patelena396]

I thought for sure Downes Braide Association was a charity raising money to find a cure for an illness, and I thought this was a fund raising CD.

After starting the thread, I thought I should have included Downes and Braide's first name in the title. It may have helped from a recognition standpoint. I definitely like this album a lot. Great stuff and the song Pictures of You is an excellent heartfelt reflection on the magic of discovering music in our youth.

[Dan Roth]

It's not that there's no interest - I had no idea it was even out yet!

Yeah - same here. Definitely interested in the CD of this!

[Patelena396]

Yeah - same here. Definitely interested in the CD of this!

I ordered the CD from Amazon UK. I see that it is also available from sellers on Amazon.com. As a side note, my comment about no interest was based upon my original post that got no response for a week. I am glad to see that there is interest in the CD. It deserves it.

[Reginod]

Good rekkid. I got the LP a few months back. Kinda like an extension of the Producers album.

[Arkangel3]

I just downloaded it off of iTunes and waiting for Amazon to send when they get in stock (still have my order in w/Amazon though...this album is so well produced that it's got to sound absolutely incredible on a serious stereo in uncompressed glory). This album is lush, its warm, its inviting, its electro-pop at its absolute finest. It's f-ing brilliant. There are so many good hooks in every song; impeccably arranged and produced. The playing by Geoff is stellar and Chris Braide's vocals are moving and absolutely beautiful! There is most definitely a Producers-vibe to this, but there's some Buggles influence in here as well as a little bit of Yes-meets-Squeeze in a few songs. There are many musical cues and themes repeated throughout the album...a few bars here may wind up being a full blown song later on in the album...or a theme is reprised later on in the album as a segue between songs. It all holds together as terrific electro-pop. The song writing is absolutely top notch too. Impressed? ABSOLUTELY! This is in the running for my Top 10 (definitely Top 15) releases for the year.

WOW! What a great find on a rainy Saturday Night bringing a bit of sunshine in the Jersey drabness. A no-brainer of a download and a great find if you can get the CD (whenever mine gets here I am going to crank that baby through my "A" system BIG TIME :))

[Scott Bails]

Man, Ken, you really know how to hype an album!

Can't wait to hear this!

[Patelena396]

Man, Ken, you really know how to hype an album!

Can't wait to hear this!

Ken nailed it and is spot on. The album IS that good.

[ombasan]

I can only echo what other posters said: The album is really good!

[JKL2000]

I suffered from Downes-Braide Syndrome for much of my childhood, but thanks to the Downes-Braide Association I can live a normal life.

[Bruno Sampaio Barbosa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFFYuAI-OSo

[JKL2000]

Not to be a Yuppet, but those are really old photos of them, right?

[Arkangel3]

Not to be a Yuppet, but those are really old photos of them, right?

I think those are current; Geoff sure as hell looks like he does in that photo these days. (And after reading that last sentence, that is the best way I could have phrased it :D )

[soundchaser93]

First post here, but I've lurked on PE v2.0 for a while. Here's my review of the album from amazon.co.uk:

What a surprise this album was. Of course, it is "pop music," so if you're one of those people with a particular stigma against that, you may very well not want to pick up this album. I have to say that I feel genuinely sorry for you if you're one of those people; and I implore you to give it at least one listen if nothing else. So, why do I beg like this? Because the album is DAMN good. Each track is gloriously-produced and full of beautiful and memorable melodies. Lyrically, the songs speak mostly of heights of the past and falling from grace, experiences any music fan can relate to.

It's strange listening to what is clearly meant to be a very nostalgic album as someone who never experienced the particular period towards which the nostalgia is focused. In a way, though, this separation makes the penultimate track "Live For the Moment" all the more touching; its pulsing hip-hop bass line and plea for the listener to "let go the past" is incredibly haunting after hearing tracks that reference both "We Can Fly" and "Video Killed the Radio Star" fairly explicitly. Don't let the mostly-80s soundscape fool you, though--this record is incredibly tender and surprisingly deep.

I got this album on vinyl from Plane Groovy (along with an mp3 download for iPod listening and such). For those wanting to pick up the CD, I want to say this: as someone of the youngest generation currently classified as a generation, I didn't grow up listening to vinyl. I got my music on cassettes and more recently on CDs and computers, so I'm not sure how much authority I have when I say this; but this is an album that begs, no, DESERVES to be listened to on vinyl. The demand for this sort of listening experience is hewn into the very nature of the album, given its themes and lyrics. It's well worth shelling out the extra money for. But the final song (on the LP, at least) begs the question: should musicians strive to make EVERY album worth listening to in this intent way, or (to paraphrase) is nothing forever? Can this never last?

Seriously, though, GET IT ON VINYL!!!! You won't regret it!

[ombasan]

I have it on vinyl since about October, but I didn't get the download!
:(

[Kcrimso]

This did not do much for me. Quite bland adult pop in eighties style. First song (13 minute pop-epic) was the most intresting one.

[Arkangel3]

Haven't stopped listening to this. It's just an incredibly "catchy" album...these songs stay with you and replay in your head (which is a good thing with this album) constantly. Just so well done, and the lyrics are intense and hit home for me on certain songs. I cannot say enough positive things about this album.

[Arkangel3]

I just got the CD in the mail...and the production is absolutely *impeccable*. What an incredible sounding album! If you think the download sounds good, wait till you hear the actual disc. Wow.

[Kcrimso]

I just got the CD in the mail...and the production is absolutely *impeccable*. What an incredible sounding album! If you think the download sounds good, wait till you hear the actual disc. Wow.

Try new Scott Walker album if you really want to hear GREAT sound production.

[Patelena396]

Not to be a Yuppet, but those are really old photos of them, right?


Not at all actually as Geoff looks like Geoff and Chris looks much younger because, well, he is.

[Arkangel3]

Not at all actually as Geoff looks like Geoff and Chris looks much younger because, well, he is.


Thank you! Much better phrased than my poor attempt above! ;)

[ChrisXymphonia]

Ok, on my first listen now:

1. Sunday News Suite
Definetely hear the classic Buggles sound. Love Braide's voice and the vocal melodies are great. Is the Goodbye Johnny segment a reference to Johnny On The Monorail from the first Buggles album?

2. The Radiant Children
Hmm, artwork seems a bit screwed up as it doesn't have the full lyrics to these. Song is great though. Really nice synthladen pop song with a (real or virtual?) guitar part / solo at the end.

3. The Superfortress
So far on the album drums are programmed but they sound really nice. Instead of trying to make them sound like real drums they have a synthy quality to them. A nostalgic sense of days gone by seems to be the theme of the lyrics throughout the album.

4. Pictures Of You
Again a nostalgic theme. References to The Police song Walking On The Moon, Numan's Cars and Blondie's Heart Of Glass. Classic string synths sound in abbundance.

5. Songs That Can Heal
Is the opening of this song quoting Sunday News or is it a Buggles song quote? Sounds really familiar. Production is really warm and full so far on the whole album.

6. Ride The Waves
Ah, Downes is playing a game with us, the opening isn't but it sounds quite like Video Killed The Radio Star. Strings, piano and acoustic guitar (first time it pops up on the album) dominate this ballad.

7. Road To Ruin
Lyrically it seems to be alluding to the rise and fall of Amy Winehouse (the first section of Sunday News also seems to be dealing with that). This is a great classy pop song, well played and sung, expertly recorded and produced. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the artists Braide writes / produces for picks one of these songs to record themselves.

8. Live For The Moment
Love the deep sound of the rhythm track. Quite current sounding but it is offset against the airy keyboards of Downes. It somehow reminds me of Art Of Noise's Moments In Love. There is a short instrumental attached to this song which also in the sounds used hints at Moments In Love.

9. Sky Sailor
Hmm.. No lyrics for this one provided. Piano + vocals and some strings make up the sound of this one. Maybe the 'sweetest' song of the album. I had a bit of a Jon Anderson does pop vibe to it. Nice closer of the album and Downes found a spot to add a nice organ touch to the proceedings.

Overall I really like this album so far, we will see if it holds up as well as the Producers album did. It sure is recommended for those who dug that Made In Basing Street album.

[maribor]

Here's my review:
http://www.therocktologist.com/dba-ndash-pictures-of-you.html

It's a very good effort, but the vocals do seem a bit "autotuny", but definitely not as annoying as some people can make it. I think Braide has a really warm voice, but it feels it's constantly hidden by effects.

[ChrisXymphonia]

Here's my review:
http://www.therocktologist.com/dba-ndash-pictures-of-you.html

It's a very good effort, but the vocals do seem a bit "autotuny", but definitely not as annoying as some people can make it. I think Braide has a really warm voice, but it feels it's constantly hidden by effects.

I don't hear any autotune going on but what I do hear is very good vocal production with a very subtle layering of parts. Jem Godfrey does similar things on Frost's EIMA album where he pulls vocal parts through crude guitar effects and puts that under the main vocal part. There is a Frost report on Youtube where he actually shows what and how he did that.

[maribor]

Well, I guess you can't please them all. In this case, these effects didn't really do it for me. But the song-writing is top notch. Nice to see both these guys branching out with The Producers and this album. Very cool stuff.

[Patelena396]

Chris is a strong vocalist. The live Producers clips on YouTube are a testament to that. The music world is really an interesting thing. Chris is a very talented performer, but the bulk of his wealth and prominence comes from being a songwriter and producer for more mainstream artists. His own product seems to get very little attention which is a shame, because I have a few of his albums and they are pretty entertaining. They aren't prog, but good pop rock stuff nonetheless. I am definitely a fan of the music that he released in 2012 with the Producers and the DBA album. He also put out an interesting project called Hello Leo in 2012 that was all new material but an homage to the synth pop albums of the late 70s/early 80s.

[dregsfan]

I've had this for about 10 days and am really digging it. It really harkens back to Geoff's Buggles work and some of the New Dance Orchestra. Love the Solina! Chris definitely has pop sensibilites, and the two complement each other well. It would be nice if the instrumental moments were a bit more frequent, as well as a tad less of the synthetic "clap" rhythms, but all in all a very enjoyable release.

Favorite songs are Islands, Anywhere (great lyrics) and Pictures of You.

Very curious to hear where they can take DBA #2.

[bondegezou]

I like the album, but it does feel slightly like it was done in constrained circumstances. I'd like to hear some more musicians on it and, in particular, some additional vocals. Just adding some backing vocals by someone(s) else would be valuable. The album is harking back to The Buggles and The Buggles was not just Geoff and Trevor Horn: there were additional musicians and vocalists involved.

Henry

[Scott Bails]

IThe album is harking back to The Buggles and The Buggles was not just Geoff and Trevor Horn: there were additional musicians and vocalists involved.
Henry


Oh WHA-oh!

[battema]

I like it quite a bit. Geoff's synth textures are terrific and the songs stick in my head. I do hear bits of what sound like autotune on the vox in places, but it isn't enough to detract from the music.

It will be interesting/fun to see what sort of songwriting contributions he brings to Yes this time around.

[bondegezou]

I do hear bits of what sound like autotune on the vox in places, but it isn't enough to detract from the music.

I think you're mistaking autotune with deliberate-wurbly-effect-put-on-the-vocals-to-give-a-certain-feel-to-the-song.

Henry

[battema]

I think you're mistaking autotune with deliberate-wurbly-effect-put-on-the-vocals-to-give-a-certain-feel-to-the-song.

Henry

I DON'T MAKE MISTAKES I MAKE HAPPY ACCIDENTS :yell

You might be right. There are a few spots which Braide is doing short melodic runs, and there is a slight "stepped" feel that makes me think of autotune. It isn't super obvious or over the top, just subtle but still a bit present. Some of the sustained/held notes also feel just a bit like they could be slightly pitch-corrected.

Without meaning to slam our "ex", when we did our first album with our vocalist, we got a lot of experience with autotune and pitch correction, so the results afterwards are familiar to my ears.

Again...not saying it is awful or distracting. Just a minor observation.

[Patelena396]

I've had this for about 10 days and am really digging it. It really harkens back to Geoff's Buggles work and some of the New Dance Orchestra. Love the Solina! Chris definitely has pop sensibilites, and the two complement each other well. It would be nice if the instrumental moments were a bit more frequent, as well as a tad less of the synthetic "clap" rhythms, but all in all a very enjoyable release.

Favorite songs are Islands, Anywhere (great lyrics) and Pictures of You.

Very curious to hear where they can take DBA #2.

I hope there is a DBA 2. There should be. I have said it in previous posts, but I really do like this album a lot. I hope the sales have been significant enough to warrant a second album. There are some songs on here that should get radio play if in fact there were still some radio stations that played decent music.

[PlaneGroovy]

Sorry to have been off the radar for a while, and very grateful for this feedback which I'll send over to Chris straight away. Here's some background to explain the evolution of the DBA project.

Plane Groovy was initially set up specifically because I wanted to put out on vinyl, albums which had only ever been available digitally.

I was contacted by Chris Braide (who incidentally 3 days ago was looking *exactly* like he does on the cover picture of the DBA album!) through our mutual pal Chris Difford from Squeeze. He explained that he had a complete album which had always been intended for release on vinyl, and that he was looking for a label who would be prepared to release it. Having heard the songs which he sent over I was delighted to get the opportunity to put it out on Plane Groovy and it became the second "brand new" release on the Plane Groovy label, following echolyn.

There were complications due to Geoff's involvement with other major projects (!) so after delivery from the manufacturer in late June the completed vinyl album sat in our storeroom for around 3 months before we were permitted to release it! In the meantime it received rave reviews and as a result a decision was made that there should be a CD release as well. That release doesn't involve Plane Groovy as we're strictly Vinyl only - for the moment.

Sales? Well, despite all of the hype about increasing sales of vinyl it's still very much a niche market and sales are hard to come by. The album will break even some time this year and that will free up funds for other projects. Other Plane Groovy releases are still coming along regularly; we've just released Big Big Train "English Electric Part 1" on double heavyweight vinyl with a side of bonus tracks, and early feedback from recipients of the pre-ordered copies is extremely positive which makes me very happy. One of the greatest things about modern vinyl is that moment when an album release finally spurs people to dig out their old record decks or to invest in a new one; the "switch" back to vinyl is as eye-opening as was the change to CD in the 80's.

Back then the thrill was the shiny new format with which it was possible to finally work out what was being said in the background of the tracks on "Dark Side of the Moon" - a whole extra layer of detail with no background noise which seemed like the ultimate way to listen to music. Now, it's hearing a "new" format which offers back all of the emotion and connection which is missing from CD and which personally I just thought I had grown out of as I got older. Turns out not to be the case at all and I'm now getting a whole lot more enjoyment out of albums which I had only previously heard in digital form.

An added bonus of the advances in technology and materials is firstly that modern pressings are made with unrecycled vinyl (no great surprised that records popped and crackled back in the 70's and 80's when companies were obliged to use recycled vinyl full of mashed up labels etc!) so are almost silent in terms of background noise, and secondly improvement in manufacturing tolerances mean that the groove cut into the master is more accurate giving higher "highs", lower "lows" and a wider overall dynamic range.

Try it - I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised...

Back on topic; for those of you who are interested in Chris Braide's other work we're very excited about PLG011 which is a vinyl release of Chris' album "Life in a Minor Key" which had releases in Japan and the USA on CD but has been out of print for years. Chris has remastered all of the tracks and it's a wonderful looking gatefold release on transparent red vinyl. This should be up on the Plane Groovy site www.planegroovy.com within the next week and is strictly limited to 250 copies. I'm taking some copies out to Tokyo next month along with the Hello Leo album and it may be that everything gets snapped up by stores out there; Chris was particularly popular in Japan a few years ago.

Happy New Year to all,

Chris from Plane Groovy

[Patelena396]

Thanks for the information Chris. I have both the vinyl and CD of the DBA album. The vinyl packaging is really well done and to your comment above, the album sounds great! Kudos!

[PlaneGroovy]

Thanks for that; we put a lot of effort in to getting it just right on vinyl. Now just waiting for the next PG release - by Chris Braide - to arrive en masse on Tuesday; things are starting to get busy here with some really exciting announcements imminent!

[ombasan]

Yesterday by chance I noticed there was a release for record store day 2014 by DBA. One or two "new" tracks are on it. It's called "Dreaming of England". I also hope there will be a "DBA 2" sometime!

[battema]

Ditto...I really enjoy Pictures of You, and hope to hear another one sometime soon(ish).

[JKL2000]

I just hope the Association continues its vital medical research.

[bondegezou]

Ditto...I really enjoy Pictures of You, and hope to hear another one sometime soon(ish).

Yes. And I hope the new material on the Record Store Day vinyl gets a wider release.

Henry

[battema]

Yes. And I hope the new material on the Record Store Day vinyl gets a wider release.

Henry

I am not 100% clear on how "exclusive" the RSD stuff is anymore...I scored a RSD release via Amazon (and not from a 3rd party seller) last summer, after its release.

But yes, point taken...I'd like to have a copy of this as well, vinyl or otherwise.

I know they are different bands and different creatures...that being said, I find myself wishing there was a bit more of the DBA sound on the last Yes record. IMHO Downes really shines both in terms of the composition as well as his sound choices.

[Scott Bails]

Ditto...I really enjoy Pictures of You, and hope to hear another one sometime soon(ish).



I know they are different bands and different creatures...that being said, I find myself wishing there was a bit more of the DBA sound on the last Yes record. IMHO Downes really shines both in terms of the composition as well as his sound choices.

Agree on both counts. DBA has some of that "Trevor Horn quality" to the production that H&E would have benefited from, in addition to much better songwriting and arranging.