Originally Posted by Patelena396
Thank you! Much better phrased than my poor attempt above!
Thank you! Much better phrased than my poor attempt above!
"So...you seek understanding. Then listen to the music and not the song..." - Kosh
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.
Here's my review:
http://www.therocktologist.com/dba-n...es-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.
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.
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.
Last edited by Patelena396; 01-15-2013 at 01:46 AM.
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 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
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
Oh WHA-oh!
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
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.
I think you're mistaking autotune with deliberate-wurbly-effect-put-on-the-vocals-to-give-a-certain-feel-to-the-song.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
I DON'T MAKE MISTAKES I MAKE HAPPY ACCIDENTS
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.
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.
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
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!
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!
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!
Ditto...I really enjoy Pictures of You, and hope to hear another one sometime soon(ish).
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
I just hope the Association continues its vital medical research.
Yes. And I hope the new material on the Record Store Day vinyl gets a wider release.
Henry
Where Are They Now? Yes news: http://www.bondegezou.co.uk/wh_now.htm
Blogdegezou, the accompanying blog: http://bondegezou.blogspot.com/
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.
Last edited by battema; 09-04-2014 at 09:02 AM.
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
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.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
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