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August 26, 2004
Editorial Corner
Here at greenideas, we take it to be our civic duty to help make the world a safer place for good music. In view of this commitment, we feel obligated to shed some light on a growing problem: good records that would be great if only the production on them wasn't so goddamn awful. Here, for the greater good of mankind are a couple such records that have come out recently.
Graham Smith - Final Battle (March Records)
Okay, just so everybody's clear on this, we've been listening to this record pretty well continuously since we got it a couple of weeks ago. So whatever maladies are suffered by the production are by no means terminal.
Truth be told, the only severe flaws on this record are the absolutely terrible guitar sounds, particularly the ultra-compressed digital distortion. We understand that, given Smith's songwriting style, comparisons to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea are inevitable. As such, he can be forgiven for trying to distinguish his sound from Mangum's. Unfortunately, when they manifest themselves in such chintzy guitar sounds, such efforts do the recording a tremendous disservice. If only Smith had allowed himself to at least approach some of the fuzzed-out bliss of Mangum's Opus, his own songs would sound infinitely more self-assured, and we wouldn't have to love this record despite the production.
Still, if we may risk a little conflict of interest, you should buy this record and support Graham and his label.
The Mendoza Line - Fortune (Misra/Bar-None)
Despite the fact that this record has been fawned over by no less than Greill Marcus himself, it has some altogther questionable production choices made be Elk City's Ray Ketchem.
Again, like Final Battle, the songs on this record are characteristically great. The Bracy/Hoffman brain trust is at their usual creative heights, and we're especially happy to hear Shannon McArdle getting to step up to the mic a little more. The problem here, however, is that every single track is positively drowning in reverb. It's certainly the case that Tim Bracy's mumbling has gotten worse, and it can't be overlooked that he's somehow passed it on to McArdle. Nonetheless, both would still be intelligible if the olympic-sized jello-mould of reverb wasn't causing their phonemes to overlap and bounce off each other. This is all saying nothing of the fact that this misguided Spector-checking does not abate for a moment, thereby making the whole affair sound hopelessly samey.
Don't get us wrong, it's still good. It's just so frustrating to have to try and imagine what it would sound like if only it had been produced better.
Posted by matt at August 26, 2004 12:55 PM
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Comments
you know, i really agree that this is a shortcoming of the record, and i would only add that i believe the fault lies with myself and not Ray. i don't know why it just sounds like mumbling when i sing. i try to articulate words, and everyone is concious of trying to get me to do so, but it seems regardless when it goes on tape it just sounds like some sort of alcoholic muttering. i can only conclude (contentedly) that i have no business singing on the records, and i am doing everything in my power to turn all of my singing duties to Shan, who i believe (unobjectively) to be a really excellent singer. anyway, thank you for the thoughtful commentary.
Timothy
Posted by: timothy bracy at November 19, 2004 12:58 PM
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