Ah, Foo remembers when he was just a young fried dumpling and learned the hard lesson of pop music. You see Foo himself entered a song competition in engineering class and did not get chosen for the recording - But, why? Foo had great lyrics, awesome melody and hooks all day long!?! But, what he also had was an intro that was way to long. Nobody even had the patience to wait for Foo's kickin' chorus.
But, the multi-talented Steve Andrews (aka- Beyond From Within) knows....the majority of his songs, especially the lead track, "Seven Strangers" jumps right into the Wok with a sizzly splash of lyrics - he even starts w/ the hook! - (not always the best thing to do, but it works here. As a matter of fact Foo thinks his writing style is consistent throughout the majority of his current recordings.
Ah the classic, retro British sound - Foo Likes it! It's got all the great ingredients - Reverb on the vox with just the right amount of vibrato (all natural), haunting electric guitar lines blended nicely with the keys. What really amazes the Foo is that Steve plays all the instruments!! -Mucho Respecto.
As good as it though, Foo feels he must site some points for positive critique. Now, everyone knows a hot mix is a good one, you want it nice and loud so it will grab everyone's attention. But, this mix is hot hot! - It blares over the speakers and Foo must always tame his stereo a bit when it comes on. Perhaps during the final stages of production Foo would suggest trying out the mix on a few more stereos and speakers. Leave the volume the same and try out some different CDs to find where you should be. (Foo suspects that if this production was mastered - it was done at home. Which is fine of course, but, mastering is a bit more complex in the EQ/Compressor/Limiter World - perhaps a bit more studying is required for the home production). As for the mix itself (let's just say pre-mastering) it's got a good overall sound - Foo can always here all the instruments and everything seems blended pretty good except for the extra hot vox - maybe tis the cause of it all?!?
Overall Steve has got some awesome things going on here and he's true to his description of psychedelic folk rock. Anyone who can play every instrument in their own project will eventually end up somewhere fantastic if they keep at it. Foo will be watching this career with much anticipation.
beyondfromwithin
FooStats(out of 10):
Audio Quality: 6
Originality: 8
Spicey factor: 6
Chops: 9
Total: 29
