First Words

LIE has been online now for a couple of weeks, and the first comparisons are coming in. Quite good, in fact. A surprising number of people have noted a "Mark Knopfler" sound. I really didn't expect this - while I like Dire Straits, i've never thought of them as an influence.
I've heard "Bowie-esque," and that one was quite flattering. I could never hold myself up anywhere near that, but apparently there's an influence showing through.
One or two have mentioned "a stripped-down U2." Another good one.

You know, i don't think there have been any bad comparisons. Apparently i'm not influenced by "a steaming pile of deaf dung."

A couple of reviews have noted that the vocals are a little "pitchy," and i can accept that. I refused to use a pitch-shifter to perfect them, and was happy to get them to the level they attained. They're HUMAN.

This is getting off to a good start.



edit: One flummox - 'Wow' was called "dripping with sarcasm." It was actually expressing my awe of Tim Booth, of James. The man is one of the most eloquent pop stars in action these days. I guess people just assume that I don't give compliments...

Fait Accompli!

It's done! Last night I did the final tweaks to Love Isn't Enough.
When my wife came home, I was busy uploading to ReverbNation.com and setting up the packaging for sales. She saw what I was doing, and got excited. After congratulating me and being very excited, I think she noticed that I was somewhat blasé about the whole thing.

After listening to it literally hundreds (if not thousands) of times, I had to admit that I was in the close-out processes of this project. I don't perform live, so this is the end of LIE as far as my own interaction goes. Now it's just thrown at the Web for listening (and hopefully sales). There's a link on the right side of this blog to either buy or listen.

This morning, I left our apartment with my MP3 player blasting the album. When the first chorus hit in Don't Pity Me, I got chills. I'm excited. I'm proud. I feel like I've raised a child that is now leaving home. I want to see how it is received into the world, and whether it can stand on it's own feet without support.

As it is, I've spent the morning listening to it again and again. I like it.

:)

Cover Art

Jonathan Barrie came up with a fantastic cover for Love Isn't Enough.

While I piece everything together and master the record, feast your eyes on this:

Mixed!

Love Isn't Enough is mixed!
All i need now is a quick mastering job, and the final artwork. The mastering won't be an issue as I have no intention of compressing the life out of my project (unlike the general industry tendency these days).

For now, here are a couple of YouTube clips. At various points, these two tracks show the improvement a year's singing lessons can accomplish (thanks KH!).

Finishing The LIE

It's 10:30 on a Sunday morning.
I'm listening to the final mix of LIE, and can't sit still. I'm pretty anxious to throw this one out to the world.

LIE: Love Isn't Enough has been a long time in the making. Not just the 6 months or so that I've spent recording. The oldest songs, Love Isn't Enough and What To Say might be 18 months old at this point. But then there's the history. I've spent 37 years causing havoc, and it's these memories and experiences that have shaped me and my writing. Loving crazy women, loving one that's crazier than the rest, revenge, bitterness, awe, regret and ambivalence. They're all here. And they're all deeply embedded in my muses.

A year to write, 6 months to record, 47 minutes to air-guitar.



I may have to have a Sunday Morning Beer to calm myself down...

Plans For LIE

I think one more day in the studio should finish mixing Love Isn't Enough.

I have a cunning plan:

LIE: Status: LIE

Oh, are you still here? Wow, thanks. I've had my head stuck up my studio for so long I wasn't sure if anyone would be reading when I returned....

I've got LIE half mixed so far. I posted The Dream and All That Mattered on a production forum to get advice on my mixes. Some of the suggestions I followed, and some I didn't. However, I've now got a baseline set for the 8 others to follow. The really strange thing is that the two songs are very different but both got 'sounds like Pink Floyd' references. Don't get me wrong, I think The Wall is a fantastic album, but I don't get the comparison at all. This isn't as weird as the guy who once wrote "Matt must have a TON of Tom Petty on his iPod."
Then again, my favourite comparison was being called "Bryan Ferry on crack." This was especially flattering since his cocaine-fuelled 'Let's Stick Together' is one of the greatest pop albums of all time.

Anyway, here's the status:
All That Mattered - done
The Dream - done
Love Isn't Enough - done
What To Say - done
Swagger & Twirl - almost done, a little tweaking needed
Welcome To The Nighttime - almost done, a little tweaking needed
Home - tomorrow
Don't Pity Me - almost done, a little tweaking needed
Wow - tomorrow (hopefully - this one will be complicated. I'll be saying 'wow' once it's finished)
Burn - tomorrow

And if you're curious to hear The Dream and All That Mattered, click HERE for a temporary preview.