Congratulations. You guys are doing something, at least. I'm doing nothing, which makes me reluctant to comment because it will come off as ego or jealousy or something like that instead of an informed opinion. Analyzing stuff to give an opinion takes precious time, so the worst you could do is just blow it off, and if that's the case, then JUDE shouldn't be asking for opinions. Maybe I could have written half a punk album in the three hours I took to write this. 😂😂😂. LONG VERSION (FAST FORWARD TO THE SUMMARY IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME) Thanks for posting the credits. It was critical in giving me a better footing for my opinion on highlighting and exposing my biases, as I was reminded you were adapting a poem. I usually don't pay much attention to lyrics but instead focus on the music, as now I know the poetry is calling the shots on the whole song. The overall music is dark for the lyrical content unless you were aiming to be ironic. I appreciate the intro being different from the verse; it shows some real thought went into the writing. Jude's guitar part in the verse matches the singer's melody, probably to keep things consistent. I can handle that for the first minute, but these days, I tend to get bored rather quickly with that. I felt the "we sat together" needed something else - maybe a change in the guitar part or the verse melody, some kind of surprise to chip away at the predictability. Gary told me years ago that it's like asking to play two different songs at the same time, but that's just how I roll these days. The heavy guitars coming in was a welcomed change so that this didn't become another unplugged vibe. The "Kiss Me and Change the World" with everybody doing the same thing at the same time brought me back to my earlier point about the need for variety. It has that dated 1980s-sounding Emmo's 'Born to Be Wild' vibe to it. I'm happy there was a guitar solo and for its technical level. The textbook-like note choice reflects how young Sam is. I'm already imagining him revising this a few years from now and putting in some Bactawarisms to make it even spicier. I'm elated he exists. I waited for someone like him for a long time to show up. Maybe you really wanted to highlight the solo, but the drums either disappeared or were mixed way too low unless you were going for the drums laying out altogether for that part. Take this song out on about five years of touring, and I think it will come out a little different and better. Kudos to the production values, as always, as it sounds more palatable than anything we could have done for ourselves in the '90s. SUMMARY • The music has that dark and dated European metal '80s feel for the lyrics unless it's intended ironically. • The different intro to the verse is appreciated. • The heavy guitars were a welcome change to get out of the verse. • The verse and chorus need more surprises and/or variety. • The guitar solo satisfies, but the drums were too low. • The song is a baby and needs five years of touring to see how it will really turn out. • The production sounds better than anything coming out from us in the '90s. In a nutshell, just keep going,
Congratulations. You guys are doing something, at least. I'm doing nothing, which makes me reluctant to comment because it will come off as ego or jealousy or something like that instead of an informed opinion. Analyzing stuff to give an opinion takes precious time, so the worst you could do is just blow it off, and if that's the case, then JUDE shouldn't be asking for opinions. Maybe I could have written half a punk album in the three hours I took to write this. 😂😂😂.
LONG VERSION (FAST FORWARD TO THE SUMMARY IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME)
Thanks for posting the credits. It was critical in giving me a better footing for my opinion on highlighting and exposing my biases, as I was reminded you were adapting a poem. I usually don't pay much attention to lyrics but instead focus on the music, as now I know the poetry is calling the shots on the whole song.
The overall music is dark for the lyrical content unless you were aiming to be ironic.
I appreciate the intro being different from the verse; it shows some real thought went into the writing.
Jude's guitar part in the verse matches the singer's melody, probably to keep things consistent. I can handle that for the first minute, but these days, I tend to get bored rather quickly with that. I felt the "we sat together" needed something else - maybe a change in the guitar part or the verse melody, some kind of surprise to chip away at the predictability. Gary told me years ago that it's like asking to play two different songs at the same time, but that's just how I roll these days.
The heavy guitars coming in was a welcomed change so that this didn't become another unplugged vibe.
The "Kiss Me and Change the World" with everybody doing the same thing at the same time brought me back to my earlier point about the need for variety. It has that dated 1980s-sounding Emmo's 'Born to Be Wild' vibe to it.
I'm happy there was a guitar solo and for its technical level. The textbook-like note choice reflects how young Sam is. I'm already imagining him revising this a few years from now and putting in some Bactawarisms to make it even spicier. I'm elated he exists. I waited for someone like him for a long time to show up.
Maybe you really wanted to highlight the solo, but the drums either disappeared or were mixed way too low unless you were going for the drums laying out altogether for that part.
Take this song out on about five years of touring, and I think it will come out a little different and better.
Kudos to the production values, as always, as it sounds more palatable than anything we could have done for ourselves in the '90s.
SUMMARY
• The music has that dark and dated European metal '80s feel for the lyrics unless it's intended ironically.
• The different intro to the verse is appreciated.
• The heavy guitars were a welcome change to get out of the verse.
• The verse and chorus need more surprises and/or variety.
• The guitar solo satisfies, but the drums were too low.
• The song is a baby and needs five years of touring to see how it will really turn out.
• The production sounds better than anything coming out from us in the '90s.
In a nutshell, just keep going,