"Let Go" - New (better) song, any feedback would be great!

[pluginbabies]

I've just finished recording a new song, "Let Go". I'm pretty pleased with it, as much with the arrangement as anything...any opportunity to put in strings!

 

Any feedback you guys can give me would be very gratefully received, especially regarding whether i can get away without a different progression for the bridge? I've kind of gone for the same sequence all the way through - Snow Patrol thing. Is the verse sufficiently different from the chorus? What does the recording need - i'm not all that experienced with mixing!

 

Thanks!

 

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=653481

[bluesway]

cool. very good for the target you're aiming at. i like that i hear the accent in your voice. that adds to it so much.

 

there are some flat notes in the verse that need to be addressed. you have the voice to do better, so i'd do it. take it line by line....and fix the some of the flatness in the backing vocals (there is someone going "OOOOOHH" in the back, right? it's a bit flat)....oh...and the last line of the chorus.

 

this is a great song, man. good work.

 

g

[pluginbabies]

Wow, thanks g!

 

I'm not happy about the vocals either, basically, i just recorded 6 takes in a row, then chopped it up to get the best take for each phrase, now i need to go back and redo the ones that still aren't in tune! Unfortunately, i live in a shared house, so finding a time when they're all out makes it difficult!!

[bluesway]

Wow, thanks g! I'm not happy about the vocals either, basically, i just recorded 6 takes in a row, then chopped it up to get the best take for each phrase, now i need to go back and redo the ones that still aren't in tune! Unfortunately, i live in a shared house, so finding a time when they're all out makes it difficult!!

sure thang...although, now i would suggest you go and listen to a few others' music in here, or else this might be the last time someone comments on your stuff in here ....it's definitely a healthy 'give a little/get alot' environment, so don't think you have to kill yourself critiquing, but DO listen and give your $.02, since you seem like a pretty strong writer.....truth be told, i was going to tell you to read the sticky on the top of the page about that instead of commenting on the tune, but i liked your song, so i had to comment.

 

welcome to HC. this place can and will make you better at what you do, if you let it.

 

 

g

[mekke]

Good tune, great arrangements; this could easy become a hit.

I

[DaSpider]

Very nice tune! Wish I wrote it

 

+1 on Bluesway's vocal comments. You have a nice voice, so might as well perfect them!

[ChordGirl]

Great Song!!!

 

Only suggestion I have. Perhaps during the verse, you might consider dropping the guitar (or whatever the hell that is, starting at about 24 seconds the first time) backing part out, and bring it in mid-verse, both to intensify the song and prevent monotony. Maybe just bring it back down to the bass intro type thing. I think this would just add a bit more texture. Does that make sense?

 

Regardless... very impressive, and it's probably fine as is.

[Li10]

It IS quite Snow Patrolley!! but I think it has a little more depth to it, musically, than snow patrol's songs. It's got more layers of sound. i thought it was mixed pretty well, the bass is audible, drums get quite heavy in parts (heavy = good!) and I liked the chord progression.

 

Nice.

[oddestmoose0]

I started to write about Snow patrol when I was listening to it until I read what you wrote so yeah.... It really does sound a lot like Snow Patrol and it sounds like that was what you were going for so you did a great job. I'm in the same boat as you as far as living in a shared house and you don't want to be a jerk and be playing and singing all the time. So I end up not being to play as much as I want to. I enjoyed the song, my only complaint would be you sounded like Snow Patrol a little too much. That may be perfectly fine with you so if it is just disregard that statement. I did enjoy listening to it a couple of times so keep up the good work and I'll be ready to hear some more soon.

[Chicken Monkey]

I don't disagree with any of the good things said here. You don't quite have the vocal range to pull this off--the verse is really low, and the chorus is high, and your voice is somewhere in between. The second verse is a lot stronger than the first, but you'll have to work on your low register to pull this song out, especially live with a too-loud drummer. I don't think the song needs any more variety--verse and chorus are different enough from eachother.

 

As it stands, the guitar solo sounds unnecessary. I don't know how the song would sound without it, but it doesn't add anything to what you're saying. It's just filling space at this point. Flip over to the Oldies station in your area for a few hours, and you'll hear a lot of instrumental breaks that are essential to the song--that's what you should go for. Off the top of my head, King Curtis' sax break in Aretha's "Respect" or George's guitar solo on the Beatles' "Something" are good examples of what you should go for. You've only got 3 minutes of song to say what you've got--don't fill 40 seconds with some purposeless lickage.

[eeglug]

When I first listened, I was ready to give it a thumbs down - particularly because of the first verse and chorus. But you built it up nicely and I wound up liking it. You definitely need to work on the vocals in that first verse and chorus...it needs a more assured and confident performance. But overall, it really grew on me.

[pluginbabies]

Thanks for all your comments, its really helpful to get other people's opinions, especially when you've listened to it 20 times in a row, you stop being able to look at it critically!

 

It's a bank holiday over here in the UK, so while housemates are out i'm going to have another stab at the vocals, as they seem to be what's letting it down the most. I'm not really much of a singer (more a keyboardist / guitarist / drummer / jack of all trades), but after 20 takes I can usually get it just about in tune, maybe time to purchase an autotune plugin! I'll try taking out the guitar from the first verse, bring it in with the drums and bass in the 2nd verse to give it a bit more of a build, and see whether it works better without the guitar solo.

 

Thanks also for all the positive comments about the song, its nice to be reassured that you're on the right track, you've really encouraged me to write more (this is only the third song i've written in about the last 7 years!), I now really really want to get at least 10 songs together that i'm happy with, it's just finding the time!!

 

Thanks all!

[dbd1963]

I like this song. I think your voice is very good, so add that in as one of your trades.

 

I dig the lyrics; you did a good job with "ight dear" rhymes -- I was sure you'd run out, but you didn't.

[Floophead3]

Ok, I know you've heard some comments about the vocals already, but I think just rerecording won't get the best sound. Personally I think the vocals sound too karaoke the way they are now.

 

Verses feel too soft in the mix for me. Choruses are the big problem for my ears - I suggest holding out the lines much longer, and something about the backup vocals doesn't sit right. I don't know if you have good recording software, but perhaps try taking the lead line and using a pitch corrector to make it a harmonic line to avoid what I hear to be fluxuations in the harmony. OR, if you're cheap/stupid like me and don't know how to do that or don't have the software, I suggest just doubling the tracks with a slight delay and doing simple harmonies that follow a simplified contour of the actual line.

 

If you understood that rant you're a very estute person, because I don't know how much sense I can make so late at night =D

 

Nonetheless, it's a good song and I think with some more work it can turn into a truly great piece of music. Keep working with it, it's worth your time to make this one into the best possible.

[lunaticRobot]

I agree with others that this is a Snow Patrol sound-alike. I don't really like Snow Patrol but I'll say that your tune may be a bit better in some ways than what I recall of the Snow Patrol tune that was getting airplay (didn't hear much of it because I changed station when it came on - that's how much I dislike Snow Patrol - very boooooring). Anyway, my advice is find your own voice. If you're ok with being a cover band that plays sound-alike originals, then you're doing great. If you want to make it in the business, you need to avoid copying someone else's sound and develop your own. From this example, it sounds like you have the ability to do that. Figure out what you want to communicate and do it in a way that's uniquely you. Bad but original is better than good but derivative IMO. (Actually, Snow Patrol is already derivative sounding which is a big reason I dislike them).

[Dack]

Clean recording, maybe a little bit too much like snow patrol... if you could find a way to change the opening riff around, it might really put it into its own.