What don't you like about Irish Recordings?

PaulBrewer

I've just been looking at the TOP 5 Bands thread here and it got me thinking. Some bands get kudos, some a pasting and that's fair enough ...

What don't you like about Irish Recordings in general ? Do they compete, to your ears, with international tracks you like?

Do you think you'd enjoy a Irish band you like more if their recordings were better?

lordgoat

Not sure what you're asking? I see your Mod of music production is it that angle you mean. Or do you mean the quality of what's being recorded?

For example take Turn's In Position EP, i think that this is one of the best produced Irish 'album/ep' there is. It just works. I think it can stand next to anything and it's been out many many years. I think that alot of more recent irish recording are pretty standard - Casey - Frames - Regan. I just listened to Cathy Daveys first album today and i know alot of her more recent stuff. While the newer stuff prb has made her more successful i loved the recording of her earlier effort. Also Jape i listened to his new album yesterday and i don't really like it, lyrically i think it's poor.

PaulBrewer

lordgoat wrote: »

Not sure what you're asking? I see your Mod of music production is it that angle you mean. Or do you mean the quality of what's being recorded?

Both ! But primarily the former. If there was a band you like, live, would a superior recording increase the likelihood of you buying it?

PaulBrewer

lordgoat wrote: »

Regan.

Who's Regan then?

lordgoat

Hmmm, i'm not sure alot of what i like about music is in change. I love a band that continually strive to be better, musically and lyrically. Elliott Smith and Wilco being two of my favourites. They never settled for anything on a record. Just look at Yankee by Wilco and the story of that album could have doomed it, yet in my opinion it is one of the best albums of the last 25 years. Easily.

So to answer your question, i think i'd like an album to stand on it's own, and then for a live performance to show you something different.

Fionn Regan!

PaulBrewer

lordgoat wrote: »

Fionn Regan!

Ah yes ... How quickly one forgets ...

11811

sound of the drums...
can nearly always spot an irish recording by the drum sound,well to my ears, never seem to get anywhere near the sound of say, american recordings. in fairness there are one or two exceptions, but is that not enough effort is put into them or our studios here equipped with similar gear, or is it just irish drummers?

Frankiestylee

I dislike how "perfect" many Irish recordings sound. I've found many Irish sound engineers have a "this is THE best way to record something" attitude, regardless of the sound people are trying to achieve. I think sometimes it's a case of technology and maths being more important than sound. I'm sure this is the case in a lot of countries, but we just don't get to hear international albums that don't make the grade.

PaulBrewer

Frankiestylee wrote: »

I dislike how "perfect" many Irish recordings sound. I've found many Irish sound engineers have a "this is THE best way to record something" attitude, regardless of the sound people are trying to achieve. I think sometimes it's a case of technology and maths being more important than sound. I'm sure this is the case in a lot of countries, but we just don't get to hear international albums that don't make the grade.

Ah that will be Beat Detective putting the drums in time and autotune putting everything else in tune!

I do think there are well established methods to record which are vital to getting thinks done quickly. If an artist can't or won't pay to experiment the 'cookie-cooker' sound is inevitable, similarly if it's the same studios + staff making those records that will also contribute to the homogeny.

I also think the engineer should be behind band and producer in the pecking order, if he gets on top of the pile it's E =MC2 time!

Good point about other countries too, who was it said '90% of everything is shizit' ?

insinkerator

when it comes to irish music, i would prefer if they went about concentrating on improving the music more so than the recording. I am finding it increasingly diificult to find any good irish music these days.

My last couple of ventures to Cork City left me completely fruitless, at times even cursing irish bands, witht he possible exception of a young singer songwriter by the name of Steven Clifford. He wasnt too bad i must say, i unfortunately didnt get the chance to pick up his EP though, so i cant honestly comment on the recording quality. The live performance was pretty sweet though in fairness

PaulBrewer

insinkerator wrote: »

when it comes to irish music, i would prefer if they went about concentrating on improving the music more so than the recording.

Don't they both go hand in hand?

insinkerator

well you could do a really good job of recording some really bad music, which is what i consider most new irish bands to be doing - The Blizzards, The Script

PaulBrewer

insinkerator wrote: »

well you could do a really good job of recording some really bad music, which is what i consider most new irish bands to be doing - The Blizzards, The Script

Indeed!

11811

Frankiestylee wrote: »

I dislike how "perfect" many Irish recordings sound. I've found many Irish sound engineers have a "this is THE best way to record something" attitude, regardless of the sound people are trying to achieve. I think sometimes it's a case of technology and maths being more important than sound. I'm sure this is the case in a lot of countries, but we just don't get to hear international albums that don't make the grade.

this a good point, dont think I've come across a real raw sounding irish recording.....

what we need is an Irish Steve Albini!

statss

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

this a good point, dont think I've come across a real raw sounding irish recording.....

http://www.myspace.com/adebisishank

11811

statss wrote: »

http://www.myspace.com/adebisishank

good stuff! bit of shameless self-plugging eh? cant beat it!
sounds good, and wouldn't spot it as being Irish,

check out www.myspace.com/beastmenmusic - more raw un-Irish sounding stuff!

PaulBrewer

What's the attraction with raw? Anyone can be raw, surely?

11811

PaulBrewer wrote: »

What's the attraction with raw? Anyone can be raw, surely?

capturing the energy and feel of a performance I guess?
the controlled chaos! the more produced and perfect the recording,the more of that feeling is lost,well certainly with rock music.
Is it that the focus nowadays is been taken away from the music, and being focused on the "sound"?

PaulBrewer

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

capturing the energy and feel of a performance I guess?
the controlled chaos! the more produced and perfect the recording,the more of that feeling is lost,well certainly with rock music.
Is it that the focus nowadays is been taken away from the music, and being focused on the "sound"?

I disagree, there's not enough focus on sound.

If you look at stuff like the Who, the Stooges or earlier Zep or the Sex Pistols or Clash even, they were all raw records but recorded in Top Quality Studios.

Similarly the instruments and amps were also top notch.

This is perhaps all the more important insofar as capturing a performance that's 'raw' is actually in the performance, not the sound.

The higher fidelity equipment that's used to record the raw sounds captures more, not less of the rawness.

Perhaps we've slipped in to an area closer to my home turf, Music Prod, but I think the fact that those records are still being listened to now is partly due to their sound.

Lust for Life intro? That weren't recorded onto a Dictaphone!!

PaulBrewer

AND, WHAT'S MORE ....

You can't control Chaos now can you? Cos then it wouldn't be chaos, now would it?

11811

PaulBrewer wrote: »

I disagree, there's not enough focus on sound.

If you look at stuff like the Who, the Stooges or earlier Zep or the Sex Pistols or Clash even, they were all raw records but recorded in Top Quality Studios.

Similarly the instruments and amps were also top notch.

This is perhaps all the more important insofar as capturing a performance that's 'raw' is actually in the performance, not the sound.

The higher fidelity equipment that's used to record the raw sounds captures more, not less of the rawness.

Perhaps we've slipped in to an area closer to my home turf, Music Prod, but I think the fact that those records are still being listened to now is partly due to their sound.

Lust for Life intro? That weren't recorded onto a Dictaphone!!

hehe, of course not,

I"m all for good quality recording,with good quality gear,(altho there some great albums out there done very much in a opposite way) and you're right about the likes of Led Zepplin, the Clash etc. and how their songs have stood the test of time partly due to the quality of the recordings, but still these records have far more edge to them than most modern stuff.....
another part of this i guess is the increasing lack of dymanics in modern music, due to the auld loudness war perhaps?
to me a lot of stuff out at the moment (commercially) has a over-polished kinda vibe, almost takes the realness outta the music..

11811

PaulBrewer wrote: »

AND, WHAT'S MORE ....

You can't control Chaos now can you? Cos then it wouldn't be chaos, now would it?

didn't mean it quite that literally!!

PaulBrewer

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

, but still these records have far more edge to them than most modern stuff.....
another part of this i guess is the increasing lack of dymanics in modern music, due to the auld loudness war perhaps?
to me a lot of stuff out at the moment (commercially) has a over-polished kinda vibe, almost takes the realness outta the music..

Is that because bands won't put it in?

I agree about dynamics though - Elbow's Mercury winning Album certainly didn't suffer from that .... hard to listen to in the car with the roof down though !

PaulBrewer

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

didn't mean it quite that literally!!

:pac:

11811

Matter of interest, what do you not like about Irish recordings Paul?
be interesting to hear what you think, being in the business and all?

PaulBrewer

Ah, I think everything and everyone is great , especially The Squipt, they're me fave ....

11811

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Ah, I think everything and everyone is great , especially The Squipt, they're me fave ....

:eek:

lordgoat

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

Matter of interest, what do you not like about Irish recordings Paul?
be interesting to hear what you think, being in the business and all?

Go on sure and humour us give something ya like - if you dare...!

PaulBrewer

lordgoat wrote: »

Go on sure and humour us give something ya like - if you dare...!

Irish, or in general?

lordgoat

Little from column A little from column B please Bob!

PaulBrewer

Well, I just bought a Grace Jones collection and Friendly Fires CD.

I saw them both on Jools a couple of weeks ago and was reminded how great her old tracks were and impressed with FFs performance, and now their CD.

I also enjoyed Glas Vegas, The Last Shadow Puppets and Neon Neon.

Locally there's not much I love but rather, see potential in. I think The Aftermath could make a great record if they can loose the 60s fixation.
I like Jape and Neosupervital, Juno Falls and Republic of Loose.

I also like The Evora, a new band we've been working with. There's 2 tracks on our MySpace there.
It was their first visit to the studio so I think they'll only get better. They've a great singer, a solid and slightly eccentric rhythm section and 2 complimentary guitar players.

11811

The Evora sound good, like the guitars on the first track, kinda come outta nowhere. Fair play to them on a first outing!
Friendly Fires are great too...

PaulBrewer

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

The Evora sound good, like the guitars on the first track, kinda come outta nowhere. Fair play to them on a first outing!

Cool, Thank You. That was the idea, a Guitar Avalanche !

11811

Unleashing a bit of chaos, as it were?;)

PaulBrewer

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

Unleashing a bit of chaos, as it were?;)

Indeed, but in no way out of control ....