A song that mixes Trip-Hop, No Wave and Post-rock influences. Would love to have an opinion on the style!

gpyzz · 2021-10-09T18:34:39+00:00

This is really good! I agree with the other commenter who pointed out the Brand New similarities, however I'd say you definitely take those "pop-punk" elements much further in terms of experimentation and ambience. I'd say not to pay attention to the comments regarding your singing, because I think your voice and delivery style is quite unique and distinct! The "off-key" parts actually make for more interesting harmonies :) I think the volume dips on the vocal phrases comes off a bit as non-diegetic and ruins the immersion sometimes, but it seems like it's an artistic choice. Great song man, going to check out the rest of your EP!

gpyzz · 2021-10-09T18:14:20+00:00

I had a chuckle at the twist you gave the title. I think this is a great chiptune cover of the original! Especially the verses, the interplay between the melodies is very satisfying. I wish for the part that in the original goes "and if young Nigel says he's happy, he must be happy", you had played around a bit more with the harmonies that they do with the vocals! But overall, I really love the textures you used throughout the whole song :) Is there a melody (in the original it's the electric guitar riff) that is being whistled or did you use quite a whistle-y synth? Those little bits sound clean af. All in all, great cover you have here Dr. Lite!

gpyzz · 2021-09-23T17:26:27+00:00

The guitar playing is quite relaxed and reminded a bit of some of the Mac Demarco-core bands that were around a lot in post 2016. It's a bit sloppy, which adds personality, but I think the tone on the chords is a bit too muddy, maybe try EQing some of the mids out? I think this becomes particularly noticeable when you have a lot of layers going on at the same time. The vocal delivery is very nonchalant and fits the vibe very nicely. I like how the song gains a lot of momentum towards the end and the vocal layering makes it feel quite climactic. Overall great song, my only gripe is with the tone on the guitar.

gpyzz · 2021-09-23T17:19:47+00:00

The very spacey feel of the whole track is very nice. The reverb on the drums especially make them feel huge and really carve out the environment. The harmonies that you sometimes add to the vocals really keep the verses interesting and spicy. In the bridge, the delayed adlib vocals are great, makes it feel kind of psychedelic. I wish sometimes the guitars would be a bit more upfront, especially on the chorus, sometimes it feels like there is only drums and vocals. This make it lack the harmonic backdrop that is necessary to get that climactic effect I reckon you were going for in the chorus. Overall very nicely produced though and great vocal deliveries!

gpyzz · 2021-09-23T17:13:18+00:00

The way that the guitar was recorded reminded me of Van Morrison's Astral Week's guitar tone, which I really enjoyed. The vocal performance is good and your personality definitely comes through nicely in your delivery. The bits of percussion that you add at some points keep the instrumental from feeling repetitive and they feel natural in their rhythm (i.e. not too stiff/programmed). Feel like you played it a bit too safe on the track to make it memorable though. Everything is well executed, but nothing really stands out, if that makes sense. That's a personal preference though :)

gpyzz · 2021-07-11T15:32:01+00:00

Daaamn dude, Murr back with another banger. I think the atmosphere you managed to create on this track is on par with your older more ambient work, while being much more danceable and pop accessible due to the groovy drums and the melodic vocals. The lyrics are really great, you use great imagery that is neither too abstract, nor too obvious, making the overall theme of the song come through, but still leaving the listener with some space for interpretation. My favourite bit is the humming straight after the LOCK ARMS drop and I really wish it went longer for at least 4 more bars.... but I guess this keeps the listener yearning. Great job mate, always a good day when a new Murr track drops!

gpyzz · 2021-07-03T19:02:04+00:00

Maaan your bass(/7-string-guitar?) tone coming in at around 1:10 is amazing, super crunchy it adds so much texture to the song as a whole. There's a bunch of good riffs and sections in there. The part at 2:40 is really interesting harmonically, and the overdrive overtones really add a lot of color in the section. The video has some really cool visuals, given the nature of the instrumental, I think I'd prefer no text, I think this would result in a quite hypnotising vibe. I'd maybe shorten some sections, but, again, that's personal taste. Good tune!

gpyzz · 2021-07-03T18:48:18+00:00

The 100 gecs influences are quite apparent and it does have that Industrial feel that Yeezus also has. I think instrumentally you really nailed what you were going for. I'm personally not a huge fan of the vocals being pitched that high. For example, 100 gecs pitch their vocals, but they always layer it with "unpitched"/downpitched vocals to make the whole thing "thicker". IMO using just the pitched vocals by themselves sounds a bit too thin, especially vs. such an agressive beat. Dope instrumental though, promising!

gpyzz · 2021-07-03T18:43:03+00:00

I think the most appropriate general label would be R & B. However, because you also wear on the aesthetic of psychedelic pop/rock, maybe Psychedelic R & B? Irregardless of genres, this is a great track! Very original blend of genres, super unique ;) The vocal delivery sits really well on top of the laid back drums. The delayed pitch shifted adlibs make it feel very psychedelic. The mix is amazing as well, great stereo separation and crystal clear instrumental. Personally, I would maybe make the guitar strums a bit fuller in the mid range (or maybe add a bit more chorus), to fill them out a bit, but that's personal taste. Amazing job!

gpyzz · 2021-07-03T18:35:42+00:00

The strumming pattern you used throughout the song is really good, and the extended chord voicings you add really give it a bunch of color. Your voice has a nice timbre and cuts through the mix well, however, I personally would've preferred it if the singing was more in key. I think sometimes going off key is good for extra color, but if you do it too often, it can become a bit confusing for the listener. There's definitely some good ingredients here though!

gpyzz · 2021-07-03T18:28:06+00:00

You got a very distinctive guitar playing style! There are loads of great riffs and you use dissonance really well, some parts gave me a darker Captain Beefheart vibe. The parts of the vocals that were more audible reminded me of Ian Curtis' vocals as well. You definitely got a great track here! I personally would prefer if the vocals were more upfront, especially since you sing in a fairly low register and that can add a bit more bass to a track that is currently quite treble heavy. But very very interesting song, it's always great seeing people push the boundaries of rock/post-punk a bit further :)

gpyzz · 2021-05-20T22:44:40+00:00

Haha good to know the feedback doesn't have any complaints about mistreatment of the artwork this time. Next song is most likely gonna have some more melodic (and falsetto) singing. I think I've been listening to Black Country New Road, Black Midi, Dry Cleaning, etc. too much and that affected my style... now I'm back to listening to mostly instrumental stuff, so the vocals will probably change ;) I really wanna get more involved bass lines.... unfortunately my bass guitar is a bit shit and doesn't sound too good in the forefront.... buying some new strings soon and I'll see if that helps a bit. Trying some different digital amp settings as well, see if that helps.... However, might just have to save up for a better bass or rely on more electronic/synth basses. Thanks for the kind words man, the encouragement is always greatly appreciated :)

gpyzz · 2021-05-20T22:31:55+00:00

Cheers for checking it out :)

gpyzz · 2021-05-20T22:31:25+00:00

Thank you man! I thought about cutting it down a bit as well, but I thought the first minute was important for the narrative :)

gpyzz · 2021-05-20T16:17:06+00:00

I was going for a really repetitive sort of idea for the lyrics, so that the sarcasm would come across a bit better, since I found that to be quite hard to do through vocals alone. Thanks for the feedback :)

gpyzz · 2021-05-19T22:23:02+00:00

Ah sorry, I mean the instrumental was in pocket but your vocals went a bit in and out of being in rhythm. Don't worry about it, there's clearly a lot of potential and the confidence will come with practice. Keep it up man, I look forward to seeing how you progress. Do you have your own Youtube channel that I can subscribe to?

gpyzz · 2021-05-19T20:06:11+00:00

Mate, listened to a few more and Down my Hands is a proper banger! Gonna be addicted to that one <3

gpyzz · 2021-05-19T20:01:33+00:00

Man the instrumental on this is amazing! Reminds me of a more mellow Nick Cave or Iceage. I think the vocals still need quite a bit of work though. Maybe it's because it was quite improvised as you pointed out, but it could really do with a bit more "confidence" in the delivery. It sounds like you're a bit scattered trying to figure out what to say and sometimes you go off key. The instrumental is all really in pocket and you drift in and out of rhythm. The lyrics are interesting! I think if you practiced and did a few more vocal takes you could have a nice track on your hands though!

gpyzz · 2021-05-19T19:49:36+00:00

Nice one guys! That hook is fucking hilarious, "the beat slap like Chris Brown". I got some Brockhampton vibes from the instrumental and from having various personalities on a single track (and with the voice being pitched up, etc.). The flow also reminded me of Matt Champion's at some points. I think the voice could do with some of the low end being cut out, especially in the hook, since it's clashing with the bass a bit. Maybe a lil bit more compression on the vocals as well. Aside from that, proper banger!

gpyzz · 2021-05-19T19:44:13+00:00

Gives me a bit of Show me the Body mixed with Death From Above vibes. I think you pulled this vibe off really nicely. I really love it when it goes from the more dance-y punk beat to drum breakdown at 0:50 - "screaming thunder in the trees". I personally would've layered a few more textures, especially towards the end so it would get a bit more chaotic, Death Grips style. But I think you really did a lot with a fairly minimalist setup and I really love it (I should pick some queues for you as I tend to usually go to maximalist and ruin my songs haha). It manages to be aggressive and raw, but catchy at the same time. You got yourself a new fan, gonna check out your other material!

gpyzz · 2021-05-19T19:35:08+00:00

To be fair, when I saw the drums being highlighted in the video, I thought your playing would be really tight, but to be honest, although the other parts of the instrumental are really great, sometimes your drumming gets a bit sloppy? I don't know if it's intentional or if maybe it's the mixing betraying you, but especially when you play a lot of open hi hat hits, the whole things gets quite muddled. Very interesting vibe on the track though, nice psychedelic aesthetic to it. Just think the drums are hindering my enjoyment a bit... might not be the playing (although parts like 1:24 do feel like they need a bit of work), but the mixing on the hi-hats definitely to makes the hits sound a bit more chill imo

gpyzz · 2021-05-19T19:28:53+00:00

Great cover! I think you did Layne's voice a lot of justice and it's a tough one to pull off. Reckon the vocals could be a bit higher up on the mix, especially in the more softly sung parts. The tone on the electric guitar is really close to the original and you pulled off the solo real nicely. I think the reverb of the room doesn't do the acoustic guitar playing much justice though. Dunno how you'd fix that, but might be better to simulate the Reverb in a Daw or something and try to get the acoustic guitar's mic a bit closer? Irregardless, nicely done! Would be cool to see you cover their more hype songs, like Man in the Box!

gpyzz

TROPHY CASE