sondod Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I really like the songs but have a hard time listening to it because of things to my ears just sound distorted. Maybe I need to do some more acoustic treatments here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bresnark Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Nope, you're bang on. It sounds like it was recorded in a home studio and... erm, it kinda was recorded in a home studio (the home being a bloody big mansion but there you go). The panning is arsurdly over-the-top while never being daring (is that what they were attempting?) Thom's vocals are drenched in effects, as if he'd forgotten how to sing and was trying to cover something up. The drums sound like wacky loops ripped from some crummy freebie magazine DVD. And the whole thing sounds like someone slipped on a Vintage Warmer dial and saturated the entire album until it resembles (and sounds not unlike) a soggy teabag. I could go on, but I gave up reviewing music years ago Still, at least you "really like the songs". Strange cos, from where I'm listening, there's only one song ON the damn album. One song and a gutload of beardy jams. Okay, really must stop now. I'm regressing to a past life here... R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 i'm currently in another country and without decent monitors, so use a decent set of grado headphones as reference and believe me, these things are so clear as to make things really uncomfortable to listen to when too harsh and distorted.... sure...there is a lot of distortion happening, but it is instrument specific, not applied to the whole mix...the 2nd track - bodysnatchers....there's some crazy-ass distortion, but thoms voice cuts through clear as a bell 'nude' sounds both open and close to me at the same time...yes there is a lot of reverb on thom, but this emphasises what , to me is some of his best 'sung' stuff for a long time.....listen to this tune again, maybe this stuff is always subjective......one mans 'too much reverb' is anothers evocative and dream-like yes, things are panned more extremely....but it's all available stereo field...only those that follow rules of how things SHOULD be or are NORMALLY placed would find these things strange....at what point do things become "absurd" ?? i feel, bresnark, that your apparent dislike of the material may influence your feling as concerns it's technical merit....this is in the same way as my love for it must obviously influence mine....... but truly, this has become my favourite of all of their albums..and,funnily enough, i think it has a lot to do with it's recording and mixing....there are great moments of contrast running through these songs and the whole album, but there are some really open, naked parts to this album....it really breathes (god i sound like a hippy )....and it really does get better each time to the original poster...make sure you have the 320kbps version and try listening in a good set of headphones...this further enhances the panning, but it feels right like this...like it was mixed in headphones....baring in mind that this is probably how most music is listened to these days, it wouldn't surprise me oh, and incidentally, it would be a dream for me to get this kinda sound in my home studio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 oh...and they've blown the dust of their acoustic guitars...great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonecluster Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I went from listening to Radiohead almost every day a few years ago to now, where I'm patiently waiting for the normal CD (not really interested in the extras in the box set) to come out. I've heard a total of 15 seconds of this new one. Maybe it's just that my life is a lot brighter now than it was then. Anyway, bresnark, that's one of the funniest reviews I've read in a while. Perhaps you gave up too soon. Soggy teabag. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bresnark Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I was just kidding there, el-bo - i'm glad you love the album. In spite of my slightly tongue-in-cheek chiding, Radiohead are, of course, to be loved and respected in general. I did find the album a bit cruddy quality-wise though - perhaps it was just a very poor quality MP3. I'm sure the CD release will be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 yeah, bresnark, i look forward to the cd too...don't worry, i wasn't pissed at you....don't get me as a fan-boy, either....i just really like the direction this one took...production-wise also i guess i like all of the albums for different reasons...this one seems (to me) to have a much 'lighter mood' than the last few and may be as instantly likeable as pablo honey..... ok...review-hat off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sondod Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 See that's my biggest issue. They went in some amazing directions production wise that all went down the toilet in a poor mix. I was chalking it up to mp3 compression at first but now I'm pretty sure its just poorly mixed. There are producers working out of bedrooms smaller than the bathroom where they recorded that could have gotten better results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 it probably differs a lot on speakers (though my headphones are very telling) i think this is a subjective issue...you don't like the mix as opposed to it's a bad mix i probably am totally wrong though, as i don't have either the professional credentials or experience to judge this on a technical basis.....i can only say that it sounds good to my ears...some things may seem over-loud or over-driven (guitars in places are quite loud in the mix) but i feel these are obvious and therefore intentional, not overlooked at the mix stage......again, i might be wrong it's probably overcompressed...isn't everything these days.... i guess the cd will sound better, but i doubt it will change the things that you are hearing....oh well...it's a shame this is getting in the way of you enjoying this album...you're missing a lot did you try with headphones ???? oh, and one other thing....if you are listening to this in itunes, make sure you dis-able the sound enhancer...this could be adding a lot of unnecessary noise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kouly Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Feeling bored today so I thought I would check out some of the non technical areas of the site and this thread caught my eye (probably because of its technical undertone, God I'm hopeless!) I have to say that even though I have never heard the album in question, the colorful exchange has peaked my interest. I will assume that it is Radioheads pay what you feel it is worth album and it would be interesting (given the wide spectrum of thoughts on it), what each of you felt it is worth? Not being a fan, I have only heard part of one song, because of this thread I will give them a serious listening. Tthanks for the colorful commentary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deif Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 On 12/20/2007 at 6:22 PM, sondod said: I really like the songs but have a hard time listening to it because of things to my ears just sound distorted. Maybe I need to do some more acoustic treatments here. Has your opinion changed? In Rainbows became a classic. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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