sylkicks wrote:Damn! I didn't get to hear it before it got taken down. Guess I'll just have to wait, but I can do that I 'spose...
Right there with you, Brother. I am bummed that I missed it. I am getting jealous hearing all these reviews!
Looping green and blue, and you will go letting yourself certainly the meal once again through the head. But after the departure, you feel free and happily like after your first orgasm - and you will beg for addition. - German review of SYL's "Alien"
I've given it a listen, and while it's not a bad album, it's a bit too sugary for me. Some of the lyrics, Divine in particular, rub me the wrong way, because of how blunt they are (this has always been a problem I've had with Devin's lyrics, but more often than not the delivery of the vocals and the way they knit into the song make up for it nicely). I've never been particularly keen on Kingdom, I think Material would be a much more fitting choice for a remake from Physicist despite the fact that it's not a live staple. And I still don't really get the fuss over Liberation or Grace. The full version of Where We Belong is gorgeous though. I also bet Violet
I really, really love Save Our Now. As much as I love heavy stuff, strong melodies have always resonated with me the most and I think with Devin's stuff in particular most of my favorite songs of his are the ones that throw an unexpected really uplifting part in. I loved Planet Of The Apes for that same reason, that bridge in the middle makes me stop whatever I am doing and listen each time. That being said, there are a couple of things I am not a fan of. I never dug the live version of Kingdom as much as the more tortured approach of the recording, and I thought he had said he only changed it originally because it was difficult to pull off live.
The new one seems odd to me but it most likely won't to anyone that hasn't heard the original a thousand times obviously, minor nitpick there. The one other thing that has been bugging me though is the mixing of the vocals. Does anyone else think the layered vocals stand out in the mix a bit too much? I know he always mixes those overdubs to sound sorta like one vocal but there is normally a sense of air to them. It seems like they are a little too tight here. My favorite album of his vocal production wise was Terria because of the awesome low end that the vocals had but here it's like all the bass is cut and they are overly compressed. It's not super noticeable I guess but due to how many damn vocals there are I noticed it. Could be my imagination I suppose.
Save Our Now is awesome. It's got that stupid poppy 4/4 kick pattern that every song in the universe uses, but somehow when Devin uses it it doesn't sound stupid. Also, the layer of growls in the chorus is a great texture. Oh, and the Anneke choir transitioning into Kingdom is one of the best moments of the entire album.