Fishy

SUPER MEGA REVIEW (CD Baby is down or something atm for me) Hajime: There’s a reason this track was the top track on Ourstage in March, and its simply because it’s a great listening experience. It starts out slowly with everything gradually building up on the layers of the catchy motif, until the climactic key change at 2:45 that is really the point where you realise you’re in for something special with this album. I’m sure this will be a favourite. Red July: This piece has a lot of mystery and intrigue about it. The ostinato continues throughout the song, while Jill’s voice soares around it. The chorus on this one is epic. It’s a little melancholy with lots of sombre pan flute and rain effects that really suite the soundscape. The image of a bright red thunderstorm fills my mind while listening to this. The Winds of Change: The key difference on this track is the obvious electronic music influences, I wonder where she got them from? Seriously though, Andy did a great job of merging his electronic tendencies with the new age style of the rest of the album, it doesn’t feel out of place at all. I would say this track is one of the less memorable on the album, but its by no means weak. The Secret Guards of Kale: This track was really the high point of the album for me. The chord progression is fantastic, and the melody plays of it in the best way possible. The lyrical themes on this really make me smile, the little story is simple, but it has a lot of charm. Makes me want to go to Kale. Great chorus feel, with the layered voices and clapping. I’ll go out on a limb and call it my favourite. Wildland: This was great until I realised how short it was, then it was a disappointment. If this had been a full ethnic instrumental, it would have been great, but oh well, can’t have it all. Twilight Chaser: I wasn’t really feeling this particular track at first, but in the later sections after 2:51 it takes off. Suddenly it becomes a lot more engaging for some reason. You can really hear a lot of urgency and passion in the vocals as well, which is very rare these days. To The Forgotten Temple & Breathe and Dive: Again, these two tracks stood out to me so much. This pair was one of the most refreshing listening experiences I’ve had in ages. The introduction really made me smile, I love the tribal mystic feeling of the vocals, and the way the effects add up to set up the next track. Then when it played, I was really taken to another place. The use of dissonance in this track is astounding. I actually had to ask Jill if that was her singing the backing vocals, because it was just that spooky and hypnotic, I couldn’t believe it. This track has a fantastic energy in the weird chords and drips, and the vocal cameos from the previous track help set all the imagery up. What really impressed me about this sound was how I could see myself in the temple, rain dripping down through the ceiling tracks around me, while these temple voices sung me their mysterious message. I feel like a crazy describing that. Basically I love it! Avalon: This track reminded me of music from Eve Online, very atmospheric, with huge swirly synth pads. Very peaceful, drifting feeling. I can see myself floating through space as we speak. Not much to say about this track other then it’s a great feel good chill. Shadows: Andy strikes. Bring on the electro influence again. This could have broken out into proper dance music at any point and I would gladly have donned my glowsticks. It tends to stick to the album feel though, which actually disappointed me a little bit really. I would’ve quite enjoyed a proper dance track. Deliverance of the Heart: I already reviewed this as one of my favourite tracks from VotL. Anxious Hearts has always been a favourite track of mine, and these two really brought it to life. Very impressive and a great way to end the album. OVERALL: As whole, the album is coherent, impressive and refreshing. Its unlike any other vocal album I’ve heard before. It is more honest, and I hear almost no attempt at trying to “popular” for the sake of getting more listens. There is some great story telling going on, and it takes you to some great places in your head, conjuring lots of imagery. At times I wasn’t feeling some of the tracks. I felt tracks like Wildland, Shadows and Twilight Chaser could have gone a bit further, but they were enjoyable none the less. At the other end of the rainbow, The Secret Gaurds and Breathe and Dive will be eternal favourites for me. They are everything that is good about the album as a whole magnified by 10 to me. Jill’s voice is without a doubt impressive, and it really shows here. You could justify buying the album just to listen to the way it blends so well with the tracks (props to andy on the mastering side of things). But what I really wasn’t expecting was the depth of the writing and the story telling, which is a lot more important in this case. Jill could easily sing about nothing and get by on her voice, but despite this she puts everything into creating these worlds, and the effect for me was brilliant. Buy it if you need some easy listening music, or if you want to hear something interesting and with depth instead of the usually crap we get from the mainstream music industry. I don’t even like new agey stuff all that much, but I loved this.

Bizarre isn't it, I'm 19 ffs.

Fishy level up: Sexy +25%

I'll ask him whats up.

I used to go rock climbing twice a week with my buds, and the other day i saw a picture of myself 2 years ago, just before we stopped going. I'm not overweight in the least, but dayum, if you saw what i used to look like... I went climbing for the first time since then on Friday, and I will continue to go at least once a week. I'm in.

If I buy through paypal on your site, thats not another digital copy is it?

Wow... way to totally lose my respect. Theres only one thing more depressing then someone trying to disrupt creativity, and thats people disrupting creativity who have the potential to actually contribute in a significant way. Losers. Good luck to you 4 though, hope you all do well. Maybe I'll put something together for one month soon.

If you buy Logic Studio, you will get a whole bunch of synths and samples that can do the job for a very wide range of styles. Its cheap, its not too difficult to learn and a lot of pros use it. FL is one o' them things, you're either zircon and wave your zircwand and awesome music comes out, or you're someone else and it just seems harder to make good stuff with it :/. I recommend Logic Studio, but FL has much more compatability with sample libraries and plugins and stuff. Also it has VST support. I would say go with Logic unless you really really need to use a VST that doesn't work with it.

You just got PM'd foo.

Vai is awesome. I have 'flexable' and 'passion and warfare' on vinyl, and his autograph on a ticket on my wall <3. Also do what Tensai said except ignore the yngwie bit, waste of time.

Driving games are pretty much the only games that will ever be better on a console if your PC can play it just as well imo. PC.

"Voices" is the name of the vocal arrangements concert they did for Distant Worlds wasn't it? Are you sure it was a home made VotL shirt or a Voices one?

Well that was quick.

The drums are a VSTi called Addictive Drums, and I just used the Bitcrusher distortion in Logic on them. The intro drums are the bitcrushed ones, and from then on its 50/50 bitcrushed and dry drums.

Bitcrushed drums + sexy riff + duel guitars = yay. http://fishy.escariot.net/public/DevilsBit3.mp3

So you're never played FF7? That always surprises me for some reason. Dave hasn't played it either if I recall.

OA and Scaredsim regularly assault me to try and get me to participate, but I'm far too slow and picky to pick up a theme and finish it in time, but I really want to start getting into it more. I'll try and get in on the next month properly.

lol surf cameo, what the hell This is just generally bitchin' in every way. If I had to make a complaint; the halftime breakdown was a little empty at first, but thats about it. I liek.

Thats got to be the most nerdy proposal ever. ...I have to think of something nerdier now.

I'm clearly getting Silver and the bass one next week.

The University of Surrey to do the bombastic audio engineering "Tonmeister" course. Already got ma place, just bumming it 'til september comes.

Man... Why does EVERY daw have that feature these days?

The project hasn't been released yet, so while some tracks are finished, we're waiting until they're all done.

I just bought a white t-shirt aswell as my earlier briDONATION.

Who's McVaffe?