|
Post by skyscape on May 14, 2008 8:37:33 GMT -5
What struck me about the album 'Amarantine' when I first heard it was the clarity of production and the volume of the sound. Everything sounded just better.
Compared to the older albums there was a very accomplished sound to be heard on this album - full and dynamic. I remember sending Kerry a PM after my first listen to announce that the album was a 'masterpiece'!
Do others agree that this album showcases a newer, clearer, more polished sound?
|
|
|
Post by Treecat on May 14, 2008 11:54:35 GMT -5
I need more free time than I've got now to jump into this thread (very interesting, Sky!), but IIRC, I once read a comment from someone knowledgeable that he thought there was a tad too much compression to the music. I won't mention his name, just in case I'm mistaken in what he said. He's not a member of this forum.
Maybe Ahrod could comment on this? He's equally well-versed in the mechanics of sound and production.
Amarantine does have a crystal clear clarity to it.
|
|
|
Post by Moe on May 14, 2008 13:05:34 GMT -5
To my "amateur" ears Amarantine does indeed have this quality. I don't know anything about the technology Aigle used for this album, but the result is a much clearer voice: Enya seems to sing even better (with one caveat: I don't like her voice on Sumiregusa, or maybe I just don't like the song itself....). So I would agree with what you say here, Sky.
|
|
|
Post by marie on May 14, 2008 15:56:13 GMT -5
I also agree with Sky. The sound is much clearer and her voice is more clear. This album definitely reminds of winter accept It's in the rain, that one reminds me of spring or fall when we get a lot of rain.
|
|
|
Post by Treecat on May 14, 2008 21:28:25 GMT -5
Sky, whatever they've done production-wise, Amarantine lacks the 'warmth' of previous albums. I don't mean that in an atmospheric sense, but in the sense of sound. As some audiophiles say that digital lacks the warmth of analogue, so Amarantine lacks the warmth of previous albums, particularly when compared to TMOT.
The crystalline sound of Amarantine fits the kind of album it is--very spartan, very oriental perhaps. But next time around, I'd like to see more warmth, more depth to the sound. I think she can do that without resorting to a return of the massive vocals and production extravaganzas of TMOT.
|
|
|
Post by skyscape on May 15, 2008 13:44:47 GMT -5
That's a good point re: warmth TC. I suspect that now that I've hear how clear and precise the sound can be that I'll want the same level of production from now on.
I found the songs on SOTS sounded like they hailed from an earlier production technique, being more gauzy and fuzzy with a warmer and deeper sound.
But, you know what? Even though it was the 'wall of sound' that endeared me to Enya's music I now like this spartan sound and want to hear more of it.
P.S - I'd love to hear people's comments on Sumiregusa and why they dislike it. I like it apart for the "ha ha ha ha ha ha" section which sounds sampled and I thought Aigle said they never sampled.
|
|
|
Post by riene on May 15, 2008 19:44:28 GMT -5
Perhaps her voice sounds more "clear and polished" on Amarantine because Team Aigle wasn't using the massive amount of layering on these songs as they had on prior albums?
I confess I've often had trouble understanding the lyrics on many of her songs. (Fortunately there are lyrics listed on many sites that I've sought out and read through). I've wondered if this slightly "blurry" sound is due to the laying technique. Amarantine is easier to understand, but then, the lyrics weren't, IMHO, up to Roma's usual standards.
|
|
|
Post by skyscape on May 27, 2008 11:13:11 GMT -5
Good point Riene....do you prefer the layers or the less-layered approach?
|
|
|
Post by Treecat on May 29, 2008 8:41:36 GMT -5
I'd like to see the next album even more spare in voices and layered instruments. Enya unplugged with piano only would be veddddddy interesting. If she did that, I don't think any music critic could say, "It's an Enya album, it sounds the same."
|
|
|
Post by riene on May 29, 2008 9:00:00 GMT -5
Maybe less layering, on at least a few songs.
|
|
|
Post by skyscape on May 29, 2008 10:38:37 GMT -5
I'd like to see the next album even more spare in voices and layered instruments. Enya unplugged with piano only would be veddddddy interesting. If she did that, I don't think any music critic could say, "It's an Enya album, it sounds the same." I would also like to hear Enya explore this sparse sound in more detail. After the palate-cleansing of Amarantine I sometimes find the older work too hazy and fuzzy now.
|
|
|
Post by Treecat on Jun 2, 2008 8:07:11 GMT -5
I thought of a word that describes how Amarantine sounds to me: astringent. It's like a bracing splash of alcohol--crisp, dry.
I like the sound, but it hasn't influenced the way I feel about the sound of the other albums. I love the warmth and depth of the voices on TMOT. To me, TMOT is a logical conclusion to the trilogy that started with WM and continued with SM. I'm not sure I could imagine WM or SM recorded with quite the same clarity of Amarantine.
All said and done, I'd love the next cd to be even more pared down of multi-vocals and very Amarantine-clear in sound. However, I wish they'd return to the variety of song endings that they explored in TMOT--these complicated, sometimes humorous endings, like OMWH. The song endings in Amaratine too often just ended with an "ooooooohhhhh" fadeout and a hint of a piano chord.
|
|
|
Post by skyscape on Jun 8, 2008 13:46:18 GMT -5
When I head SOTS I asked myslef 'How could these songs have been produced AFTER Amarantine?' - their sound was warm and fuzzy and not cold and wintry like Amarantine.
I agree about those endings TC. Some of the earlier ones like OF and CB even had a discordant feel to them which added to the diversity of those earlier albums.
|
|