Looking for feedback
The Home Guard
listen to it here:
<http://www.thehomeguard.info/music.html>
or stream it directly here:
<http://www.thehomeguard.info/mp3/a_head_of_steam.m3u>
If you're into screaming Emo kids or Goth rockers, you'll most likely
hate us. We are rather more Britpop/indie-influenced, with a hint of
prog thrown in. Think Jethro Tull meets The Kinks via Blur, if you can
imagine that.
We're not setting ourselves up as the world's greatest musicians, but
what are your opinions on the overall sound? The songs? The production?
Any comments and constructive criticism will be gratefully received.
(I've set up a guestbook on our site in case you don't want to clog up
the NG.)
--
Feedback on my band's indie/rock/pop music always welcome:-
www.thehomeguard.info - Listen to our entire album for free
www.myspace.com/thehomeguardinfo - Send us a friend request
http://cdbaby.com/cd/homeguard - Buy our album (CD or mp3s)
EDTHEWARD
"The Home Guard" <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote in message
news:5u9hn8F...@mid.individual.net...
> My band has just released it's debut album, and if you like you can listen
> to it here:
>
> <http://www.thehomeguard.info/music.html>
>
not my type of music, but it was well recorded and well done.
jthread
"The Home Guard" <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote in message
news:5u9hn8F...@mid.individual.net...
Good song writing. I'm a huge Tull fan.
Singer is very weak. Too much techno keyboard. Needs more cowbell (piano.)
<g>
I was going to give you a desc. of each song. But they are all the same. I
like your song writing but your keyboard, cheesy mix and weak singer throw
me off.
Great song writing. You need some talent in the singing department. I think,
if I listened to the words, I would really like it. But I can't endure the
singing and the 80's techno keys. And the singing is not bad in a Dylan way.
It's just weak.
Jim
The Home Guard
Thanks for listening. A lot of people would have thought to themselves
"not my type of music", so thanks especially for taking the time to comment.
The Home Guard
Thanks for your comments. Glad you liked the writing.
Of all the things you said, the one thing thing that came out of the
blue was what you called the "80s techno keys". I presume you mean the
synth rather than Hammond organ? Because the sound is from a Moog
Modular (virtual, of couse) and we thought we'd done all we could to get
a decent 70s synth sound. But your first impressions suggest otherwise.
Did it sound like an 80s synth to anyone else?
Incidentally, is there any band our music reminds you of? Just wondering...
Thanks again, though. All duly noted for the "difficult" second album! ;-)
Keith Adams
its good". I wish you success. It would be nice to see the music industry
reverse its current downward spiral and record musicians that play
something that resembles music. One thing though. I think that it would be
wise of you to also write the occasional hard edged song. Versatility is the
key to success in music.
"The Home Guard" <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote in message
news:5u9hn8F...@mid.individual.net...
jthread
"The Home Guard" <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote in message
the 1st one was styx then moody blues then tull (then magical balloons that
took me away to musical nirvana) but I had to see through the forest for the
trees.
if i were you I'd stick to piano. your music is soulful and 'that' organ
sound doesn't fit yet. when in doubt break it down.
try doing it w/o the singer too. i'm not sure what is wrong with your mix.
get wm. shatter to do a vocal for you. leonard cohen on a couple of numbers,
maybe dylan. i don't think your singer is pro quality yet. mr. spock may be
available. i can see spock on cowbell....yeah....
Keith Adams
"The Home Guard" <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote in message
news:5u9hn8F...@mid.individual.net...
RichL
news:5u9hn8F...@mid.individual.net...
> listen to it here:
>
> <http://www.thehomeguard.info/music.html>
>
> or stream it directly here:
>
> <http://www.thehomeguard.info/mp3/a_head_of_steam.m3u>
>
> If you're into screaming Emo kids or Goth rockers, you'll most likely
> hate us. We are rather more Britpop/indie-influenced, with a hint of
> prog thrown in. Think Jethro Tull meets The Kinks via Blur, if you can
> imagine that.
>
> We're not setting ourselves up as the world's greatest musicians, but
> what are your opinions on the overall sound? The songs? The production?
> Any comments and constructive criticism will be gratefully received.
>
> (I've set up a guestbook on our site in case you don't want to clog up
> the NG.)
As you know, I've commented on your music before on another newsgroup. I
listened to a couple of things I'd not heard before this time, and I've get
to stumble on something I didn't like.
I still hear the Kinks in there, not right at the surface, but clearly an
influence.
Good stuff! Keep up the good work!
Nil
> I still hear the Kinks in there, not right at the surface, but
> clearly an influence.
Among other things, I hear a bit of less-fey, more-proggy Sparks.
Grip
"Keith Adams" <keith...@socal.rr.com> wrote in message
news:478007a4$0$11046$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
I gotta agree......nothing weak...anywhere in MO. You grow with your music
and it progresses as you do. Your 4th album will not sound like your first.
It's magic the way it is, and I say that with an appreciation for all forms
even though this one is not really my bag either as others have stated.
Problem with some is we\they\anyone listens with a certain bias towards
his\her particular tastes, not in a hurtful way, but it's there underlying
anyway and can\will rip things that are different to an extent, like "if it
only has this" or "it needs some of that"...me? I am prone to a Hammond B-3,
VoxAC-30, and lots of harmonies kind of style, but I can really dig what you
guys did here, do not be swayed in any way, do it the way you hear
it.....good job
The Home Guard
> I could go on with flowery descriptions but am going to just keep it at"
> its good". I wish you success.
Thank you very much :-)
> It would be nice to see the music industry
> reverse its current downward spiral and record musicians that play
> something that resembles music.
We can all dream...
> One thing though. I think that it would be
> wise of you to also write the occasional hard edged song. Versatility is the
> key to success in music.
Good advice, that. Already we've got some ideas down for a second album,
and it rocks up a lot more. With hindsight, perhaps we erred on the side
of caution a little too much on this album. "Safety first", as they say...
The Home Guard
Thank you. Very much appreciated, especially as I know it's not easy to
appraise music you're not naturally drawn to.
It seems that the music industry today is all about first impressions,
so it's always good to hear those of fellow musicians.
Incidentally, there may be something subliminal going on here, as there
is a (virtual) Hammond B-3 buried in our mix, and our lead guitar goes
through a (virtual) AC-30!
Thanks again.
The Home Guard
> "The Home Guard" <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote in message
> news:5u9hn8F...@mid.individual.net...
>
>>My band has just released it's debut album, and if you like you can
>>listen to it here:
>>
>><http://www.thehomeguard.info/music.html>
>>
>>or stream it directly here:
>>
>><http://www.thehomeguard.info/mp3/a_head_of_steam.m3u>
>>
>>If you're into screaming Emo kids or Goth rockers, you'll most likely
>>hate us. We are rather more Britpop/indie-influenced, with a hint of
>>prog thrown in. Think Jethro Tull meets The Kinks via Blur, if you can
>>imagine that.
>>
>>We're not setting ourselves up as the world's greatest musicians, but
>>what are your opinions on the overall sound? The songs? The production?
>>Any comments and constructive criticism will be gratefully received.
>>
>>(I've set up a guestbook on our site in case you don't want to clog up
>>the NG.)
>
>
> As you know, I've commented on your music before on another newsgroup.
We must stop meeting like this ;-)
> I listened to a couple of things I'd not heard before this time, and I've get
> to stumble on something I didn't like.
That is music to the ears of any musician, if you know what I mean.
> I still hear the Kinks in there, not right at the surface, but clearly an
> influence.
>
> Good stuff! Keep up the good work!
Thank you very much!
The Home Guard
The singer especially will be delighted to hear that, as he is a massive
Sparks fan and they are definitely an influence.
Thanks for listening.
The Home Guard
Hmmmm... No-one's mentioned Styx before in relation to us, so that's an
eye-opener.
Thanks again.
jthread
"The Home Guard" <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote in message
my pleasure, i really did think of styx and in a positive way. try doing
some acoustic mixed in to balance out the retro thing maybe. the singer
isn't horrible he's just not what i'd call professional. i have a real hard
time starting songs and burning on the beat so-to-speak. i like your writing
and i'd bet that singer is pretty damn good but this just isn't one of his
better efforts. i'm a HUGE tull fan. I've seen him four times. I love that
style of thinking man's rock. Ian is an alien. <g>
in your mix the only thing I can guess is the mic. there is a presence.
sounds like an extra track.
sorry about the leonard cohen remark. i love that guy. i'm begging to get my
brother over here and "do him". he does LC: better than LC. shattner would
be too fukin@ cool. mr. spock.. now...you got a hit!
shattner has got to do another album. george takai should sing backup as a
little Asian girl. with pig tails.
jim
The Home Guard
No need to apologise for anything - we're just glad to receive some
feedback, and nothing beats the first impressions of complete strangers.
Above all, we're delighted that no-one has told us:
- we're useless guitarists (this is alt.guitar, after all)
- it's all out of tune/time/key etc
- the drums sound programmed (they are)
- our guitar sounds are 'fake' (they're put through Amplitube)
- we don't sound like a cohesive band (we're actually a duo, see our
MySpace for details)
Do those last three points surprise anyone? Or were they so obvious that
you didn't bother mentioning them?
In a way, we were treating this thread as an acid teat as to whether
anything stands out as fundamentally 'wrong' with our sound. I don't
know whether I should be surprised or not, but I think it passed.
jimmy
Gowan?? I like the vocals, btw.
jimmy
<keith...@socal.rr.com> wrote:
>Weak singing? You're outta your fu---ng mind.
>
Gotta agree Keith.
dv...@altavista.com
wrote:
> My band has just released it's debut album, and if you like you can
> listen to it here:
>
> <http://www.thehomeguard.info/music.html>
>
> or stream it directly here:
>
> <http://www.thehomeguard.info/mp3/a_head_of_steam.m3u>
>
> If you're into screaming Emo kids or Goth rockers, you'll most likely
> hate us. We are rather more Britpop/indie-influenced, with a hint of
> prog thrown in. Think Jethro Tull meets The Kinks via Blur, if you can
> imagine that.
>
> We're not setting ourselves up as the world's greatest musicians, but
> what are your opinions on the overall sound? The songs? The production?
> Any comments and constructive criticism will be gratefully received.
>
> (I've set up a guestbook on our site in case you don't want to clog up
> the NG.)
>
> --
Love the retro vibe, nice work guys. The singer's very good IMO, he
works well with the style of music. My only criticism would be is
that the production sounds a little cold...may want to think about
"warming" things up next time around. But, maybe mp3 compression has
something to do with that (probably). I'd be curious to hear some of
the original wav files.
Great article in Rolling Stone a couple issues back (I think it was
the year end retrospective). It's called The Death of High Fidelity.
Good read.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17777619/the_death_of_high_fidelity/print
-d
jthread
>
>
People like to blow smoke.
That's why I only trust a very few peoples opinions. If they have been
honest with me before, or they are currently giving me a bad review. People
that like you are likely to agree with you. Look for your nemesis.
For every 10 complements, if your not getting a thumbs down, you're not
getting the truth.
Dylan got booed...a lot. And sometimes he sucked.
jim
The Home Guard
>>but I think it passed.
>>
>>
>
> I guess it passed.
>
> People like to blow smoke.
>
> That's why I only trust a very few peoples opinions. If they have been
> honest with me before, or they are currently giving me a bad review. People
> that like you are likely to agree with you. Look for your nemesis.
>
> For every 10 complements, if your not getting a thumbs down, you're not
> getting the truth.
Absolutely. We've spent the last month or so listening to praise from
friends (and family), leaving us none the wiser. Of course THEY will say
they like it.
As they say, though, if you believe your good reviews, you've got to
believe the bad ones too. More than anything, though, I'm just relieved
that no-one has pointed out a forehead-smackingly obvious flaw.
The Home Guard
>>Thanks for your comments. Glad you liked the writing.
>>
>>Of all the things you said, the one thing thing that came out of the
>>blue was what you called the "80s techno keys". I presume you mean the
>>synth rather than Hammond organ? Because the sound is from a Moog
>>Modular (virtual, of couse) and we thought we'd done all we could to get
>>a decent 70s synth sound. But your first impressions suggest otherwise.
>>Did it sound like an 80s synth to anyone else?
>>
>>Incidentally, is there any band our music reminds you of? Just wondering...
>
>
> Gowan??
Really? That's another one (essentially the same one, admittedly) out of
the blue this thread. I can honestly say that Gowan/Styx have never been
an influence. Interesting they should come up.
> I like the vocals, btw.
Thanks very much for listening. :-)
The Home Guard
> On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:14:44 +0000, The Home Guard
> <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote:
>
>
>>My band has just released it's debut album, and if you like you can
>>listen to it here:
>>
>><http://www.thehomeguard.info/music.html>
>>
>>or stream it directly here:
>>
>><http://www.thehomeguard.info/mp3/a_head_of_steam.m3u>
>
>
>
> KIMONO MY HOUSE
That's a comparison we can definitely live with! :-)
Did you read in this thread (or on our site) that Sparks were an
influence, or did it come to you as you were listening?
The Home Guard
> On Jan 5, 9:14 am, The Home Guard <contac...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info>
> wrote:
>
>>My band has just released it's debut album, and if you like you can
>>listen to it here:
>>
>><http://www.thehomeguard.info/music.html>
>>
>>or stream it directly here:
>>
>><http://www.thehomeguard.info/mp3/a_head_of_steam.m3u>
>>
>>If you're into screaming Emo kids or Goth rockers, you'll most likely
>>hate us. We are rather more Britpop/indie-influenced, with a hint of
>>prog thrown in. Think Jethro Tull meets The Kinks via Blur, if you can
>>imagine that.
>>
>>We're not setting ourselves up as the world's greatest musicians, but
>>what are your opinions on the overall sound? The songs? The production?
>>Any comments and constructive criticism will be gratefully received.
>>
>>(I've set up a guestbook on our site in case you don't want to clog up
>>the NG.)
>>
>>--
>>Feedback on my band's indie/rock/pop music always welcome:-www.thehomeguard.info- Listen to our entire album for freewww.myspace.com/thehomeguardinfo- Send us a friend requesthttp://cdbaby.com/cd/homeguard- Buy our album (CD or mp3s)
>
>
> Love the retro vibe, nice work guys. The singer's very good IMO, he
> works well with the style of music.
Thank you very much!
> My only criticism would be is
> that the production sounds a little cold...may want to think about
> "warming" things up next time around.
Definitely on the 'To Do' list for the next album. We did try a load of
tape saturation and valve simulator plug-ins, but you can only push
things so far before you get a really flappy low end. But there is
something nagging in the back of our minds about our mixing, and maybe
you've hit the nail on the head.
> Great article in Rolling Stone a couple issues back (I think it was
> the year end retrospective). It's called The Death of High Fidelity.
> Good read.
>
> http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17777619/the_death_of_high_fidelity/print
That's an interesting article. Odd that they should make the mistake of
lumping compressors, limiters and finalizers together as if they were
interchangeable (but then I suppose Rolling Stone is aimed at music
LISTENERS rather than music MAKERS). But they're right that everyone is
trying to outdo each other in the attention-grabbing loudness stakes.
It's a really tricky balancing act. If you're an independent musician,
you can't afford for your album to be too different from a commercial
CD, technically speaking. If you're too quiet, many listeners won't give
you the time of day. Besides, not all compression is bad. Adding some
1.5:1 compression over a final mix can really make it gel together.
We did our best to retain dynamic range between quiet sections and loud
sections on our album. We were intent on heavy choruses crashing in
louder than acoustic verses, for instance (tracks 3 and 10 demonstrate
this, I think). Do you think we managed it satisfactorily?
--
Feedback on my band's indie/rock/pop music always welcome:-
www.thehomeguard.info - Listen to our entire album for free
www.myspace.com/thehomeguardinfo - Send us a friend request
http://cdbaby.com/cd/homeguard - Buy our album (CD or mp3s)
dv...@altavista.com
wrote:
> It's a really tricky balancing act. If you're an independent musician,
> you can't afford for your album to be too different from a commercial
> CD, technically speaking. If you're too quiet, many listeners won't give
> you the time of day. Besides, not all compression is bad. Adding some
> 1.5:1 compression over a final mix can really make it gel together.
Again, it depends on the style. If dynamics define your sound, then
why would you want to squash? Like you said, a little is fine.
>
> We did our best to retain dynamic range between quiet sections and loud
> sections on our album. We were intent on heavy choruses crashing in
> louder than acoustic verses, for instance (tracks 3 and 10 demonstrate
> this, I think). Do you think we managed it satisfactorily?
I didn't notice anything that didn't belong the first time I listened,
so I would say it's good.
I'm assuming the CD tracks are in full uncompressed audio? I
forwarded the link to your site to my daughter and her boy toy, and to
a friend of mine; I think they'll be interested.
Again, really nice job. It sounds sounds more than just two guys
jamming on a PC ;-) Other than the harshness...top notch for that
genre.
-d
jthread
"The Home Guard" <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote in message
> jthread wrote:
>>>but I think it passed.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I guess it passed.
>>
>> People like to blow smoke.
>>
>> That's why I only trust a very few peoples opinions. If they have been
>> honest with me before, or they are currently giving me a bad review.
>> People that like you are likely to agree with you. Look for your nemesis.
>>
>> For every 10 complements, if your not getting a thumbs down, you're not
>> getting the truth.
>
> Absolutely. We've spent the last month or so listening to praise from
> friends (and family), leaving us none the wiser. Of course THEY will say
> they like it.
>
> As they say, though, if you believe your good reviews, you've got to
> believe the bad ones too
i like that.
lately i've been really understanding the phrase: keep your friends close
and your enemies closer.
The Home Guard
> On Jan 7, 5:31 pm, The Home Guard <contac...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info>
> wrote:
>
>
>>It's a really tricky balancing act. If you're an independent musician,
>>you can't afford for your album to be too different from a commercial
>>CD, technically speaking. If you're too quiet, many listeners won't give
>>you the time of day. Besides, not all compression is bad. Adding some
>>1.5:1 compression over a final mix can really make it gel together.
>
>
> Again, it depends on the style. If dynamics define your sound, then
> why would you want to squash? Like you said, a little is fine.
It seems that since everything's "gone digital", we settle for less.
128kbps mp3s aren't great quality, but they outsell CDs, which in turn
trounce SACDs and DVD-As. And not just music - standard definition
digital TV in the UK pixellates on busy shots due to low bitrates, while
there are a fair few websites complaining about DVNR on DVDs. (That's
Digital Video Noise Reduction - it's meant to automatically remove dust
from film frames, but has been known to get rid of a lot more.)
My theory is that it's not the tools themselves, but how they're being
used. Heavy-handed engineers (who are probably only just learning the
technology) push them to the limit with little thought of quality control.
>>We did our best to retain dynamic range between quiet sections and loud
>>sections on our album. We were intent on heavy choruses crashing in
>>louder than acoustic verses, for instance (tracks 3 and 10 demonstrate
>>this, I think). Do you think we managed it satisfactorily?
>
>
> I didn't notice anything that didn't belong the first time I listened,
> so I would say it's good.
That's a relief. As I think I said elsewhere in this thread, this is our
first attempt at this sort of thing, and the fact that no-one has
pointed out a rookie mistake is as welcome as those who say they like it.
> I'm assuming the CD tracks are in full uncompressed audio?
Yep. Well, 16-bit/44.1kHz dithers direct from the 24-bit masters. That's
as "uncompressed" as CDs get.
> I forwarded the link to your site to my daughter and her boy toy, and to
> a friend of mine; I think they'll be interested.
Thank you very much - a little word of mouth can go a long way!
> Again, really nice job. It sounds sounds more than just two guys
> jamming on a PC ;-) Other than the harshness...top notch for that
> genre.
Very much appreciated. Thanks again.
dv...@altavista.com
Don't know if you'll take this as a compliment or a criticism...but
the vocalist reminds me of Al Stewart (besides Ian Anderson). His
voice has that bard quality about it.
-d
The Home Guard
As musicians, I think as long as you accept before you start that some
people will like your material and some will hate it, you'll rarely be
disappointed.
The Home Guard
> On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:11:56 +0000, The Home Guard
> <cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote:
>
>
>>RC_Moonpie wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:14:44 +0000, The Home Guard
>>><cont...@REMOVEthehomeguard.info> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>My band has just released it's debut album, and if you like you can
>>>>listen to it here:
>>>>
>>>><http://www.thehomeguard.info/music.html>
>>>>
>>>>or stream it directly here:
>>>>
>>>><http://www.thehomeguard.info/mp3/a_head_of_steam.m3u>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>KIMONO MY HOUSE
>>
>>That's a comparison we can definitely live with! :-)
>>
>>Did you read in this thread (or on our site) that Sparks were an
>>influence, or did it come to you as you were listening?
>
>
>
> didnt read anything on your site, just reminded me of Sparks
I think I mentioned elsewhere that our singer is a very big Sparks fan,
so I'll pass on the good news.
By the way, thanks for listening!
The Home Guard
Well, I'm not the singer, so I'm not sure either whether that will be
taken as a compliment or criticism. ;-) (I can think of many worse
potential comparisons, at least...)
When we finished our album and listened back, we had absolutey no idea
who we really sounded like (you somehow lose that perspective when
you've been mixing and remixing for just a little too long), so this is
all good to know.
--
Feedback on my band's indie/rock/pop music always welcome:-
www.thehomeguard.info - Listen to our entire album for free
www.myspace.com/thehomeguardinfo - Send us a friend request
http://cdbaby.com/cd/homeguard - Buy our album (CD or mp3s)