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sir_quirky_k ([info]sir_quirky_k) wrote,
@ 2007-07-23 23:34:00

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Provisional birthday haul, 100% music
The ones I've listened to at least in part so far...

* My Chemical Romance, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. Opening track Helena and the album's best-remembered single I'm Not Okay (I Promise) (the latter was my first exposure to the band) stand out; there's plenty of potential for either to be rearranged. My point of comparison is with Yellowcard, and I do think the comparison edges in the latter's favour, but I'm biased towards their novel approach of having a violinist very much integrated into the band.
* Eurovision 2007 official album. Dancing Lasha Tumbai was better live, Song #1 sounds better on CD. Still love Molitva, the Old Eurovision family still don't. 'And we've been singing the winning song ever since', remarked Quirks-mother snidely. The answer I didn't give but should have done: 'I have, and a melodic fragment I wrote last month was nagging away at me until I realised it was very similar to the instrumental bridge.' Of course, Eurovision weekend and my adventures with woodwind instruments are inseparable, given that Alice was purchased on that Sunday...
* Sarah McLachlan, Touch. Need to give this a proper listen, I used it as background muzak for lunch and it was almost inaudible.

And the ones I haven't even listened to at all yet...

* Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine. If I'd known she was on the Sony-BMG label I may not have asked for this.
* Embrace, Drawn From Memory. From their forgotten period. If Chris Martin did one good thing, it was writing the song that reignited this band. McNamara would go on to write several more songs that are rather better, but unfortunately had his career killed a second time with his commissioned piece for the FA.
* Sigur Rós, (). One of the classical soprani I know from Fitzpatrick-era LJ loves this album, and I need little more incentive.
* Melanie C, This Time. The way the Spices' individual careers went in this country was beyond belief.
* Regina Spektor, Soviet Kitsch. Featuring at least one song with a piano accompaniment so easy I can play it. I know this because I've been taught it...

Separate post coming up soon, of things I didn't think of on Saturday and developments of things I did. This will probably be once I've formalised the Clarkson-Lewis method...


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An interesting haul
[info]daweaver
2007-07-25 05:38 pm UTC (link)
I'm adding in years for my own reference, because that's how I remember them...

My Chemical Romance, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2005) I've not yet worked out if this lot really mean their image, or if it's all a huge and ever-so-subtle joke.

Eurovision 2007 official album (er, 2007) Only the Czechs seem to be friendless amongst my friends, and they came so close to being pointless, too.

Sarah McLachlan, Touch (1988) I used it as background muzak for lunch and it was almost inaudible. The (1988) is important: at this date, audio mastering was still mainly done for vinyl, not CD, and the loudest passages are about 5dB short of the CD's maximum volume. Since the late 1990s, the standard has been to have even the quietest passages within 3dB of the format's maximum. Hear also: the difference between Radio 3 and your ILR.

Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine (2005) I got her previous album, When the Pawn..., for about £4. Poor buy, even at that price.

Embrace, Drawn From Memory (2000) It is slightly disconcerting to realise that the group went from 1998 to 2004 without any top-ten hits. I'd cite If You've Never Been (2001) as the real lost album, and the year off did them a lot of good. Far too soon to say they're history again.

Sigur Rós, () (2002). Not one I'm familiar with.

Melanie C, This Time (new). If she were a new act, there would be a huge groundswell of opinion behind her.

Regina Spektor, Soviet Kitsch (2003). For completeness: I have no comment.

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Re: An interesting haul
[info]sir_quirky_k
2007-07-25 08:01 pm UTC (link)
I've not yet worked out if this lot really mean their image, or if it's all a huge and ever-so-subtle joke.

Either way, they're worthy standard-bearers in the Colonial Rock League (Emo Division).

The (1988) is important: at this date, audio mastering was still mainly done for vinyl, not CD, and the loudest passages are about 5dB short of the CD's maximum volume. Since the late 1990s, the standard has been to have even the quietest passages within 3dB of the format's maximum.

There is precisely one thing good about this, and that is that I can play most such compressed music without having to worry about certain passages being either a) inaudible or b) deafeningly loud (for I can play the music at low volume, and everything is quite clearly audible). It's a very marginal benefit in comparison to the loss of sound quality.

Note to self: I'm hoping to produce a CD of my own music in the medium term. Audio compression will be notable for its absence and I may use this as a selling point.

If (Mel C) were a new act, there would be a huge groundswell of opinion behind her.

*cue Mr Babbage correct answer sound*

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