Remote Summer Clouds

[Paneye]

Hi, been a while since i've posted here. I thought you guys would find this album interesting - style is early BOC, techno, ambient, synth wave. I'd be keen on feedback.

http://thebutterpeople.blogspot.ae/2016 ... tered.html

[clenci]

"Leading To All The Living Things" is about all i like. Give yourself a better review, next time. There really isn't a hint of boc influence here. BoC are nostalgic. Damaged damaged recording's sequenced in the digital realm, analog synth's and samples. Good tune by the way its a keeper. I love the cover, that really caught me. The album's worth of material you have here, is all the same style though kinda boring. Why don't you put your best stuff on bandcamp and call it a day? I'm intersted in finding stuff like this "stuck in the internets corner" style of music. Your graphic artwork looks like it would get more attention than the music sad to say. Thank you!

PS: All i was able to download was "Remote Summer Clouds". And i worked on it.

[Paneye]

.......ker-splat!

Well, glad you found one song you liked and cheers for the artwork tick of approval. I actually did it in collaboration with the female vocalist who is singing on most of the album's tracks, so I can't take full credit there.

[Paneye]

second opinion anyone?

[Cupz]

mediafire says permission denied

[Paneye]

Thanks for the heads up cupz. My bellend music label has got a serious copyright protection team which has obviously managed to block this link. I'll upload another link shortly that they hopefully won't be able to track.

[Paneye]

This will work;

http://www.mediafire.com/file/q5f7y4fii ... Paneye.zip

Let me know if there are any issues.

[Cupz]

It worked. Thanks!

There's something interesting here, though I get the feeling it needs to sink in a bit. It has some really strange dreamy aesthetics I have trouble wrapping my head around. So far I'm really liking the gazey folk of Corridors the most, and something about At The End Of A Dream reminds me of a very simplified Osamu Sato track. But to be fair, the production values are a bit low which is charming in a way, but won't satisfy my hungry hungry hippo ears. I think it's the reverb staying static, very little movement so it's tiring on the ears. Throw some subtle pitch-lfo on those synths to smooth that out a bit. CosmicManta showed me a neat trick with a subtle chorus under the reverb, pretty effective. Things are also a bit sharp around the mid-highs.

I -really- love that knitted mask. Good job on the nose there!

"Why don't you put your best stuff on bandcamp and call it a day?

Probably because bandcamp is a bit dumb. I hate how every album page is basically the same template with a slight colour variation for almost every independent release nowadays. What happened to surreal minisites and whatnot?

[Paneye]

thanks for that Cupz! That mask was actually knitted by the female vocalist on the album for a live show I did. She's a trippy individual.

I take your point on the production. I'd say production, over composition, is my weakness as a recording artist. My biggest challenge was getting the bass under control for most of the tracks. The original recordings came out super bassy and sounded really poor. Beyond that, I didn't do anything else with the EQ or other mastering. I just tried to ensure the volume was consistent across all tracks. That's probably why it sounds so raw. I'm going for lo-fi charm, as you say. Satanstompingcaterpillars style.

[Paneye]

okay, so the second mediafire link has been found.

This file is much better hidden and should work;

http://www.4shared.com/zip/uSVFdln5ce/RSC_-_Paneye.html

[clocolan]

This music reminds me of Animal Collective, though more sensitive and way less frenetic. It's not unappealing music, but I second the other commenter--that each track sounds too similar to the next. The net result is a vague, reverb-heavy blur between tracks (although maybe this is your intention?).

I don't get BoC from this, but there's an artist called Last Days whose work you should seek out if you don't know it already. A similar sensibility, and he finds ways of mixing it up--to take the listener on a journey.

[Paneye]

Thanks clocolan. Yes, my intention was to create continuity and similarity between tracks so that the album is consistent. Although, the result was meant to be more dream-like and sublime rather than sameish and uninteresting.

I checked out Last Days and the music is really nice. I definitely notice the similarities although he seems more refined and the production much crisper. I also had a listen to your bandcamp and Colour of my Heart sounds amazing. The female vocalist blends very nicely with your melancholy electronics.

[clocolan]

Continuity is essential--it establishes your voice--but IMO it's the differences within that continuity that make something truly listenable. (I always think of Project Runway: related themes/sensibilities make a collection, but each garment still stands on its own.)

Thanks--yes, Color Of My Heart...my little foray into pop schlock xD

[Goiter Sanchez]

Listened through a few tracks. There are some nice melodic ideas here and I like the thoughtful, introspective titling of the pieces (titling is a glaring & often overlooked weakness for many).
The production sounds very spare and thin. In some places the tail of one chord overlaps with the attack of another creating muddy dissonances which do not sound deliberate. This may be a result of the heavy reverb thrown over everything. Individual elements like the drums and synths tend to sound quite 'stock' and not particularly unique. If you wanted to improve the aesthetic of your work then it would be a good idea to spend more time choosing cool and unique sounds, or spending more time processing the stock sounds. These can be deep rabbit holes that distract one from the adventure of composition, but the astute and learned musician shall be able to effectively split their time between these disciplines and create original and engaging works of art. Hope that helps.

[Paneye]

Hi Goiter,

Thanks for the input. I like your analogy of the tension between spending time 'processing stock sounds' and the joy of composition being a potential rabbit hole. When you say 'stock' sounds I need to qualify that for you. All my drums are samples which are sliced up, combined with other samples and rearranged with effects added to them. Or drum machines. The drums you are hearing are already heavily processed. On the synths, I know there are worlds of possibility for uniqueness here. I'm guilty as charged of playing synths from fairly mainstream instruments (e.g. Casios). Even so, I always alter the synths with effects such as bitcrushing, reverb, flanging, phasing or echoing. Expert ears like yours, Goiter, have seen straight through my ruse

The muddy dissonance is intentional. I love reverb and I'm a massive shoegazer/ stoner metal guy. There's a track on the album titled 'Under Lakes' which I'll now devote to my production.

Agreed, titling is so important and one of my favorite parts of the album making process. It's like choosing a name for your child.