September 19, 2013

Music Weds: Catch Up Post

No armchair music theory this week. Catching up on reviews and the novel. More to come next week. In the meantime, have some reviews.

The Reviews:

Matchstick Men –Acoustic Grooves To Soothe The Soul–:(3.5/6 for the electric 4/6 for the acoustic)

The originals:
In the era of wavering voices, it is refreshing to hear a vocalist  who isn't  strictly  tenor but can still stretch into the tenor range without his voice breaking. The vocals do go a little flat, but that works with the overall sound. The background vocals work to round out the sound and serve to complement the lead vocals.
The guitar work is catchy and has a delightful grind to it, though I'm still not quite satisfied with the sound balance.
Overall, it was a good single

The acoustic versions:
I always brace myself for acoustic versions of any band’s songs as it really distils their sound, especially the vocals, and can bring out little problems that are not audible on the electronic versons.  Matchstick Men does a great job and avoids this problem.  Their acoustic numbers are, if anything, better than their electric stuff. I love the addition of the electric bass it makes the vocals shine and emphasizes the acoustic guitar work.  I'm delighted by the versatility of the lead singer’s voice and cannot wait to hear more.  The only complaint I have is that the guitar work is a little imprecise in places. However, I feel like that actually works with their overall sound.



October Game––Balancing(4/6)

"I don't need your advice, i need your silence instead"
Defiant, confidant lyrics, oddly simple sound or how layered it actually is. Delightful bass work. THe lead singer’s throaty, ragged vocals flex within a low tenor range that is nested in a musical sound that combines industrial sensibilities with a hint of 80s flair. My only complaint about the vocals is that the vocalist pushes his sound a too hard in places.  Musically, my only issue is that the bass is a too tight and focused  in places.

At times the instrumentation is disorganized. If the music itself was simplified a fraction these guys would have a really spectacular sound.
Make no mistake, these guys are good, but I feel like there's more there. I would love to hear a live track from these guys.

Released tracks below:


Traitors!–– Boys of the Double Cross EP––(2.5/6)
Traitors! are fun  and  have  a punk  core with a definitively British sound. The drum work is incredibly solid. However,  the vocals need to be honed to really cement the punk sound. I would encourage the lead to really go for broke in the punk sound and either blend in with the background vocals or completely stand out, right now it's somewhere in the middle and that doesn't work for their sound.  Boys of the Double Cross is  an average EP  and don't see a lot of potential in their music.



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