Recording for stereo is a fairly new concept. In fact, it’s a well-known fact that The Beatles mixed in mono and were indifferent about embracing the new technology of stereo. Since then stereo has become ubiquitous but the reality is that a lot of ways people consume music today is still in mono. If you are listening to music through your phone speaker, on your laptop or at your local Starbucks there is little to no stereo separation.
With this in mind the band Skiprope Cello intentionally made an effort to make sure their album Driving with Zelda was mixed for mono. I will say that since a lot musicians mix their own music and don’t have apt knowledge of engineering they often start panning right away when it comes to the mix because it sounds bad in mono. That being said any halfway decent engineer will know to check to see if their mix translates well in mono. If you aren’t you have no business being in the studio. The music on Driving with Zelda is a bit avant-garde and mixes multiple genres into an undefined blend of sounds. Up first is “Birds” which sounds a bit like Ariel Pink. I have to say for a group concerned with mono it is surprising that they didn’t have as much concern for other pertinent production elements. There is virtually no low-end and the vocals are way too low in the mix. Some parts were decent like when the female was singing but I could barely hear a word when someone was singing about something around the two-minute mark. A for effort but it came up short of what it could have been. The next song “This Side of Minnesota” fares better. There is low end this time around and the vocals sound better. The Ariel Pink vibe is still there although it sounds more dreamlike and psychedelic as if you were listening to one of his songs on a bunch of morphine. “Old St. Paul” in one word felt unsettling. It’s a mix between jazz and elevator music with a vocal performance that felt largely monotone and devoid of passion. I didn’t mind it but I didn’t love it. It felt like an episode of Twin Peaks. “High Point” is like a show tune but slightly more pretentious and artsy. He sings, “The pageantry and carnival of the misty streets / Makes it seem like a sensate walk of life / Like a half-dream and a string of countless lines / Is the promise of the night and streets and singing.” They close with the most traditional sounding song entitled “Divers of the Riviera” which unfortunately showcases the subpar recording quality; it is a decent song but didn’t quite hit its potential. Skiprope Cello feels like a work in progress. Their art house music has ears willing to listen but “Divers of the Riviera” is all over the place and does little to define what these guys are about. I would encourage them to keep at it and I can see things starting to click into a consistent sound. It may not be a bad idea for them to work with a knowable producer/engineer to focus some of their creative ideas and work behind the board so the sounds in their heads can become a reality.
11 Comments
8/30/2015 10:06:14 am
Thanks for the review. Some interesting comments. We do appreciate mentioning "This Side of Minnesota" from a fairly positive angle. Interestingly, in our overview of responses at Sound Cloud, that's perhaps the least favorite song of listeners.
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Francis H
8/31/2015 11:06:50 am
Richard, you're too kind. Yeah, albums that are all over the place. Let's see, how about Arcade Fire's debut EP. Or, hmmm. 4 words: of Montreal Sunlandic Twins.
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9/1/2015 01:04:22 am
TP marathon!
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Francis H
9/1/2015 02:51:08 pm
he he he. yeah, those silly beatles. "Black Bird" and "I Am the Walrus." C'mon you silly fools PICK A LANE!
Meghann S.
9/1/2015 01:18:25 am
Ok, so I am a follow of theirs on SoundCloud, and I have to say I love the "low-fi" production quality of their music. It's refreshing and also goes with their thematic use of F. Scott Fitzgerald material - responding to Richard Blaine's comments about that. It's sort of like an eclectic throwback to the "jazz age" so why would the production quality be glossy at all? -And I enjoy that all of the tracks are so different from one another. I think it's easier to compile a bunch of tracks that are way too similar, pay lots of money to get high-quality production, and come out with something that is completely uninspired and unoriginal, than to do something fresh and original with a less-produced sound for each individual track. If you guys review for Indie bands, then creativity should trump recording rules. At least that's my vote. Keep up the good work guys!
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Francis H
9/1/2015 02:52:45 pm
you, young lady Meghan, have great taste.
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Richard Blaine
9/2/2015 01:00:03 am
(chuckle). And to your other question. Yeah, perhaps.
Richard Blaine
9/2/2015 12:49:02 am
Thanks for listening! Appreciate the support!
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Francis H
9/2/2015 05:28:25 am
I hope you do the "ode." But I also think you should cover Spinal Tap's "Big Bottoms." Instead of 3 bass guitars, you could have 7 or 8 different bass sounds, like electric, upright, synth. That'd give reviewers all the bottom end then need
Richard Blaine
9/2/2015 04:41:06 pm
Frank (chuckle! ha!). Yeah, maybe (laugh!)
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Francis H
9/3/2015 06:37:31 am
he he he - YEAH, RIGHT THERE!
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