The Regulars - Campfire
I know some EZdrummer when I hear it. This reminds me of Calexico. The multiple vocalists keeps it interesting. My main criticism would be to add a mic to your DI'd guitar, but that may not have been in the cards and isn't a big deal. I give it a 26.
Pigeon - With the Tides
Ah, this intro is already spectacular. Those drums are perfect, which I may have said last time too. You guys capture a great "trashy" drum sound. Strong pacing overall. The guitar tone is spot on. I get the same zoned out feeling listening to this as I do when I listen to We Were Promised Jetpacks. Do you folks put anything out outside of RT?
Jake Pearson - Sanity - Representation/Recollection
This sounds like something the girls I knew in college would be listening to in their dorm. I guess by that I mean it has a 90's vibe to it. The acoustic has a nice balance. Vocals sit just right in the mix. I like the marimba, or whatever that may be, in Shimmer. A most solid submission!
Groove Suit - Smoke & Mirrors EP
My only real point of reference for this style of music is Why? and Clouddead. That said, I love me some Why?, and the flow here has that vibe in spades. Ha, fruity loops hat sound in track 2. A lot of great synth choices. I think track 4 may be my favorite. The mix is great overall, my only suggestion would be to try some vocal doubling to add that little extra something in parts. Hope to hear more next RT.
Eric Cripe - Whatever Unfolds
That's a ridiculous ukulele. Ha. And those are some ridiculous vocals in track 2. Oh man this whole thing is goofy. Is that a god damn cat synthesizer in Cat Lady? I have no idea what the fuck is going on, but its fun. I give it six ampersands.
Alan R. Rodriguez Ponce - Para Siempre and His Brother
I'm getting an old Minus the Bear and Hey, Mercedes vibe from this. The mix is pumping like a motherfucker, but it works. The crazy saturation on the guitars in Right All The Time is cool. The whole mix is very hot, way hyped in the highs. The old MTB stuff was always like that, maybe that's where I'm getting the similarity from. Vocals are good and sit perfectly in the mix. Town may be my favorite of the bunch, though I really like Where Would You Go? as well. Is that a sample or a synth for the main string line? Very cool. That bit reminds me of The Love Language. There is certainly a fanbase for this stuff and I think you'd fit right in.
Kris Eckman - Brain Glass
Yeah, now those guitars are getting appropriately thick. They have a stoner rock tone. Most excellent noodlin in Brain Glass and I like the electronic sounds. And theres the doom/stoner songwriting to match the tone in Broken Clocks. Bringing up the guitars' hi-mids in Free Will would make the faster bits more impactful. It works nonetheless. You're playing/songwriting gets stronger and stronger with each RT. Uh oh, someone just opened up this fucking pit in my room because of the end of Free Will. I was expecting Marietta to come back full force at the end, good choice of samples and ambient sounds. Noice Kris, noice.
Kevin Todd - And Then Love
Kevin, when are you gonna start making a living off this shit? I don't know if there's anything to say I haven't before. As always your voice has tons of great character. Very cathartic songwriting. Favorite track may be How Long Can You Stare at the Moon. I like them short and sweet, and that one is both. It'd be nice too hear more room sound in your vocals, but the production certainly doesn't hurt the songs.
Intraphase - Boy/Demon
Songs that start with court precedings have a history of being great.
This one is pretty different from your last RT album. This may be the most story I've ever heard in a concept album. The whole thing has a 70's noodly prog thing going on. I wish the drums were louder. Interesting approach, very unique.
f.e.a.r. - f.e.a.r.ology
Your stuff is always crazy as hell. The sound choices take me back to the late 90's. 7 sticks out the most to me. Personally, I get kind of lost in some of these tracks because the dynamic range is pretty constant. More peaks and valleys would add some more structure, but you may not be shooting for that. I hope to hear some more tracks with vocals in the future.
Brad Adams and Friends
Rockin from start, and I know there's some T Clax on the way. Nice verse/chorus setup. Oh shit, here comes T Clax with a breakdown. Ha, so so so ridiculous in the best way. Gettin more metal up in here on track 2. Crank those guitars mang. Solid riffage all around. Also, the 7 minutes of silence throughout really adds to the mood of it all. Maybe my favorite Brad submission yet.
Andrew Miller - Contentment Storm
What the shit is this? Shit's only 29 seconds or some shit. How is Brendan Frazier gonna defeat the mummy in 29 seconds? I gave Andrew shit about playing it safe, and he went ahead and did about the hardest thing he could. Turned out great and made apparent the beauty of modern electronic composition.
Weber - Christmas with the Webers
Sounds beautiful out of the gate. Mmm. I waited so long I really should have listened to this around Christmas...crap. Oh well, it close enough. Really great ensemble sound in Family when it blows up, and nice harmonizing at the end. Ha, HippotoppotoppotoppomasXmasEve is silly. I'm hard to please with lady vocals, but these are great. The main guitar line in I'll Miss You strikes a nice balance of holiday and just memorable. Are you using your Kel for the vocals? There's a real crispness on them in Midnight Clear. I like the choice for drum sound in this track. No One Stopping Us sounds like an 80's Christmas track, besides the drums not sounding terrible. That main string riff is just so poppy. And a beautiful end with Starlight. Ambient sounds really make this track. I always love your submissions Mike, this one is no different.
Merkelig Batteri - Blod I Himmelen
Yeah for this opening riff. Smashing foreign dudes' faces in. This album stays on target thematically without becoming monotone, which I think can be pretty hard in this style. Your new yelling fits perfectly. Though I will say you sound too nice for this when you sing. I believe yelling guy is gonna do something rude to a gentleman and his lady, while singing guy spends his time respecting his surroundings. The main riff in Northland is another great one. I like how high the bass is in the mix, but the low end seems to swim a bit in heavier moments. Really solid throughout Dan. It's cool to hear you do something heavy that's different but still very much you.
DEFEKTIV - Nu State of Mind
Three months out and I still haven't put this up on my bandcamp. This is the thing that my enemies will use to blackmail me in my later years. So dumb.
Bitchin Van - Bicoastal
Bitchin Van is back once more! Tell Me is a fun opening track. Hey, more lady vocals I actually like. Yay! I'm diggin the build up and release on that E minor in Motionless. Guitars sound great, well balanced with the vocals. Marriage is another fun one. That dog is howlin somethin fierce. Wish I had more to say, but it's just a good listen overall!
In conclusion, this was a really strong RT. Sorry it took me so long to get around to reviews, and thanks everyone for participating!
- Logan
