Criticism Wanted

[xero287]

Hey my band uploaded a handful of mp3s to www.purevolume.com/caution/music and i was hoping you guys could tell us things that are particularly positive or negative about our music, so that we can get better!

 

thank you!

[Fred_Zeppelin]

I liked it ! Especialy the first song whichgrabs the attention well.

 

Criticism ? (well you asked for it)

 

1. The guitar sound is pretty grating - maybe intentional ? sounds like its recorded directly from a distortion pedal- I would try and improve this but its just a taste thing maybe its just the sound you want.

 

2. Singing - Maybe the singer should concentrate more on the singing and less on playing the guitar. The voice actualy did remind me of someone ( although I cant remember who )

but could do with a bit more work.

 

Hope you found this usefull. If not please feel free to ignore totaly

[MONGOOZ]

dont' take this too hard but....

on your third song....use a click track on the intro....the timing goes fast then slow......etc....

[THB]

I thought the guitar tone was thin to the point of being irritating and the keys were completely out of place. In The second song it sounded like you were all playing for yourselves, rather than playing together and the singer has way too much on his mind. You'll probably be signed next week for $2.5 million.

[B Money]

hmmm, where to begin?

First, I give you a lot of credit for posting your music and asking for criticism. It takes guts to do that, I know it's not easy to lay it all out there. Please keep in mind that my comments are not intended to insult or demean in any way. We all have to start somewhere and songwriting is an art, not a science.

Having said that, I gotta tell you that I think the songs are pretty bad. The production is terrible, specifically the guitar tone and the vocals.

It sounds like the guitar was recorded direct; no mics, not even a speaker sim. The tone is so harsh it forced me to stop listening to the songs before they were finished.

The singing was so out of key at times that I was getting queasy. Maybe Robert Smith can get away with it, but your singer can't. Too breathy, warbly, pitchy,...needs work.

The songs had potential, but need some editing. I didn't really hear a strong hook in any of the songs. Nothing that would make me want to listen to it again. In fact, the guitars were so bad that I definitely DON'T want to listen to it again. Maybe shorten up the length of the verses, and get to a hook.

The average listener isn't going to wait around for you to make your point. You need to bash them over the head with it, fast.

Intros, cut them in half. Again, keep in mind the incredibly short attention span of the average listener.

Since music is so disposable to most listeners, you really need to grab them immediately and hook them into listening to your song. Repetition is good, but not too much It's a delicate balance.

Keep hacking away at it, keep getting feedback from your audience, and don't quit just because some a-hole from an internet forum doesn't dig your music.

[musk]

I liked the music, reminded me of the 80s British stuff. I agree with the comments on the guitar tone, and I'd try to bring the kick and snare out a bit in the mix. But keep at it you guys have a good thing going.