ghost

Maybe you should start pushing the CD on boards that count - ie: radio stations, labels (if they have boards)? Good to see folk keen about a band - it just needs channelling into something useful!

Ah, you remember! Although to be fair, the Burntisland lyrics were written by Frank Baird. I just added the music...

Certainly - will pick up the EP next time I'm in town.

I can only d/l from HUBL at home - next time I'm on the net there I'll grab the track. That sounds like a fair swap. If you go for soundclick, would you mind casting judgement over Way Down In Burntisland or You Wear My Sweater? The others are old or completely unready for review (My Funny Valentine is just a sketch). I'd love a CD review if you have the time - the more feedback on that the better as far as I'm concerned! Thanks - used to be involved in a lot of similar threads when mp3.com boards were busy - it does help to get other folk's opinions (hence the reason Frosty and others fought so hard for this forum I guess). As for becoming AUBLs official reviewer - probably not for me, I've got my own site for reviews anyway... Cheers!

Data Thieves - Rondo Nuveau Nerve-inducing synths and steadily growing tension is the order of the day in this track. Everything is deliberate and mathematical. The high pitched "love, love, love" (or is it la, la, la?) sample gives you a chill. As a guide, this is the kind of track you hear in film/game soundtracks just before the hero is ambushed by evil denziens of hell. There's a lovely constant bassline that bounces around the stereo field that probably wouldn't even be noticable if you weren't listening on headphones. A small gripe is that the track cuts sharply at the end, might have been an idea to fade it out instead. It's so well synchronised I'm not surprised the college thought you hadn't played it live. Because it's unsettling, it's probably not the kind of track I'd have as background music to a dinner party, unless I wanted a paranoia-fuelled bloodbath on my hands...

To give them credit (although that photo is pretty bad), it's not the artwork for their CD. This is: I wouldn't have said that was worth two month's work either though...

Kobi - Could I Move In With You Another one for the festival compilation tape, a pretty promising light rock driving song. The production on this one is a bit rougher and although you say it's a demo the hiss and the guitar mute/scrape at 2:04 needs removing post haste. Hints of the Verve from the vocalist and although he can sing really well and the levels are spot on in the mix, his accent starts to grate after a few listens. The bass bubbles along nicely, and although it's lost in the mix at the moment you do pick up the odd riff - I'd like to hear more of it to be honest. Drums are a bit tinny sounding as the guitar takes up the majority of the EQ range, but with a bit of tweaking they could have more kick. A song with commercial potential, that's for sure - but at the same time it's hooking you it's making you wonder where you've heard it before...

Sorry to hear that Ben - hope you stay up here and get to work on something new soon. All the best Ian

Expenses suck. But if you're booked to travel to another city to play a gig they should cover your transport costs and it should come out of the promoters takings BEFORE the split. He'll do the same with whatever expenses he incurred for posters & promo, so why shouldn't the bands get the same (within reason of course, why should someone pay for a taxi to the venue when there's a perfectly good bus service or the chance of a car/van share with another band?). If they're expecting you to play for nothing or (horror) pay for play - then tell them where to go unless you've just won the lottery. Out of all the bands I've been in over the last 9 years none of them have ever been more than 50 in profit. However, go solo - you suddenly don't need to hire practice rooms & transport is a breeze, even by bus. I managed to wipe out all the debt incurred by the bands this way. The DIY ethic helped a lot though - home made CDs sold at gigs, merchandise and posters (printed on the sly at work) cut my expenses down to less than 5 a gig once I'd done a bit of research on suppliers. Don't drink away your fee either - it's a round-about way of playing a gig for absolutely nothing - it could have helped you pay for a better quality demo to ensure you get a higher fee and more punters through the door next time... So, in summary: YES.

Unfortunately - yes.

Thanks Chris, firewall blocked it though - even the streams! I'll d/l at home.

Hey Chris, downloadcounter.com seems to be unavailable at the moment, so I'm not able to download any of your tracks via your signature links. Got direct links? "predictably unpredictable" - aw shit, does that mean I need a new angle now? Glad you found a way to avoid the buggers from taking your vital stats. I sold my soul to them a long time ago...

Hi Kobi - for reasons only known to my work firewall I can't download squat from HUBL in .mp3 format. If you have the song loaded anywhere else let me know and I'll try to grab it at work, otherwise I'll download from home. Might take a while as my modem was made in the stone age, but you'll get a review eventually.

Tav - thanks for your comments. The keyboard part is there to keep the interest up during the acoustic section. It'll be a while before the new CD is done (as this is only the second finished track) but 'Citizen Awake' is still available in One Up for a bargain 3. (10 tracks) or the same price direct from my website (inc. postage) - there's a sample on www.lofimusic.co.uk (snowfall) if you want to try before you buy... Let me know when you've got songs recorded and online (or pass me a CD) - you'll get your review!

Noise Pollution - You Or Them Crisp, clear production - this track has been well recorded! The instrumentation has a lot going for it - riff is catchy, drums are varied and interesting, the bass gets a bit lost in my headphones behind the mighty guitar - some low-end EQ tweaks would bring the bass out a lot more without audibly affecting the crunch of the guitar. Vocals are clear but drift a little out of tune here and there. For some reason I think the vocals fall flat in the mix, the guitar has more "life" to it and therefore gets the attention - the vocals are very smooth sounding, which doesn't stand a chance against the gritty guitar! This meant I had to listen three or four times to actually hear the lyrics. Not sure how to fix this, maybe reining in the instrumentation a couple of dbs and doubling the vocal track? Or perhaps tweaking the high-end vocal EQ for more presence? Certainly an impressive track though - I hadn't heard anything by you before either. I know quite a few folk at work who would like to listen to this, so I'll pass the word around.

Suvara - Brass Eye I love the ticking-clock style intro, is that fret noise? It counters the rising/falling lead guitar and building drums nicely. When the chorus kicks in the harmonies really expand the stereo depth of the track - plus they're in tune! I really like this track - it's the kind of track you wouldn't think twice of popping on to a compilation to drive to a festival in the height of summer. The lyrics stir up some delicious imagery. Mix wise, I'd bring up the levels of the guitars in the chorus - for some reason everything falls a bit flat when listening on headphones. It's like the instrumentation has been squashed into a wall of sound (ie: everything is limited to -6db behind the vocals - this is just a guess btw). Some EQ to separate the instruments from each other might help. In the verse you don't have this problem though. If you still have the separate tracks, bung it into Cool Edit and run the 30-band Graphic Equaliser over each one. I'll try and remember to post a thread on key frequencies (picked it up off the net a few years ago, but the website isn't there anymore) soon.

Blimey - a better response than I expected - especially over the weekend! Hog - thanks for your feedback. I was so happy when your file was a .wma - no problem downloading them! Spike Pile Driver - Mind The Gap Reminds me of those minute-long vignettes that Peel loves to throw into his show and I think this, at 29 seconds, could grab his attention as a segue between tracks. Despite the overall sound being firmly in the lofi camp, the guitar sound is meaty and I love the riff - simple but effective! However when the fast section kicks in it turns to white noise. If this is what you want the track to sound like then you've managed extremely well. How are you managing that? Is someone hissing into an echoed mic to up the distortion of the song? Personally I'd be tempted to up the drum level a bit. The more I listen to it though, the more I like. Got any more tracks like this?

I'll comment on your track if you comment (and I mean REALLY comment) on mine. Feel free to rip away, as long as you have something constructive to say. Posting a one-liner and then expecting me to dissect your song note by note is rather pointless, you get what you give etc. Only potential problem here is that my work firewall is a bit of a hoor at times and will refuse to download .mp3s from certain sites. However, I'm able to stream from soundclick at the moment if that helps. If I have real problems getting to your mp3 I'm sure I'll be able to download it (slowly) from home. You won't lose out on the return review. Right, thems the rules. Here's the song: Soup stream | download

Unfortunately Big Boys Radio one is now rather shite....

i know people who eat paper. it's disgusting. you hear?

Has that been two years already?

I've used the live deal at Toms and found that they're not that hot at getting good dry acoustic sounds - tend to layer the reverb on a bit too much. However, it was a live deal - they might spend more time with you on the sound if you're paying by the hour. Can't fault the folk there at all - very helpful. Tried to record at Exile, but the bugger rarely answers the phone. Too busy obviously... If you have the cash however, I'd vote for the Mill. If you don't have the cash, I'd recommend a home recording.

Downloaded the mp3s - like the instrumentation although the electric guitar needs a tune up in 'Poor Old'. The singing needs something too, whether it's a touch of reverb to stop it sounding so dry and up-front or just a few more takes to get in tune is a matter of preference. Vocallists intonation reminds me of Bowie. 'Inside1' is a dark number. However I can't make out much of the vocals - need to get rid of the mumbling in this track. On the plus side the instrumentation is varied enough to keep your interest for the 6min+. For now, a tentative 4.5/10 mainly because of the vocals.

i agree - much better drumming when it had to be put through a wall of reverb to sound in time...

intentional.