[Stan]

Easy now

[Royal and Desire]

FEEL ON1NE!!! wrote:

This albums sound design is just fucking OD. Holy shit. Somehow the simpler song structures theres still a plethora of shit going on. It's mixed so well. The breakdown of Car Keys. This is something they haven't done in a while. It really gives me Chores breakdown if I had to compare. They're pumping the brakes. I had a postulation listening to the vinyl rip that this albums sound design was gonna be next level but i couldnt speak on it just yet.

It's like wizardy, I swear. There is so much happening but it isn't annoying either in the way PW was where it was like stabbing your ears. It just sounds so condensed but not in that muddy way that everyone disliked about CHz (I disagree with this one)

I don't think this record could've happened until now, they're like flexing on everyone

[destiny]

Royal and Desire wrote:

FEEL ON1NE!!! wrote:

This albums sound design is just fucking OD. Holy shit. Somehow the simpler song structures theres still a plethora of shit going on. It's mixed so well. The breakdown of Car Keys. This is something they haven't done in a while. It really gives me Chores breakdown if I had to compare. They're pumping the brakes. I had a postulation listening to the vinyl rip that this albums sound design was gonna be next level but i couldnt speak on it just yet.

It's like wizardy, I swear. There is so much happening but it isn't annoying either in the way PW was where it was like stabbing your ears. It just sounds so condensed but not in that muddy way that everyone disliked about CHz (I disagree with this one)

I don't think this record could've happened until now, they're like flexing on everyone

It's amazing. It's like they infused the airy-ness of Buoys/Cows of hourglass pond into the louder mixes of Jam, MPP and Chz. It makes for this amazing recording where you can just lead your ear all over the song. I'm listening to Walker rn and just love it. You can focus on the Gurdy, the marimba, the fucking breathing noise under the chords.

[TetsuoUnderFire]

Can someone smack my skiff up please?

[Stan]

On the one hand, mad thing is that they did it all remotely, but I wonder whether that means they paid extra individual attention to everything around the songs.

This really feels like SJ/WC tier production, where there's a shitload of delicately balanced little flourishes and loads of beautifully placed instrumentation, but in a more acoustic and airy, less dry electronic setting. It's absolutely stunning. So so many vocals are doubled in a really subtle way, but not necessarily buried or smothered in effects. Just subtle. Even in Prester I've now realised that there's a more aggressive, raw delivery of a doubled Deak line in that second half chant.

This is definitely one of the best produced and mixed records they've ever released, if not the best. I feel like I'll be hearing new gorgeous things in Cherokee for years.


It also makes me much much more confident that they really can nail Defeat when the time comes.

[coral lord]

wowowowowow this album is fantastic

[destiny]

THE UKUELELE MUSIC? THE SAMPLE IN CHEROKEE? Wow. Oh fuck

[awesome]

i wish cows had this deep and clear production, feels like these jams are on the same wavelength as those

[dio]

Singles finally settling into the flow and sequencing. They were all fantastic all along. which I knew, but like, you never know how its all gonna feel in the context.

and yes to Stan re this feeling like SJ/WC production/approach in terms of the kitchen-sink-ish myriad flourishes and instruments but there's also this air-ier, more acoustic leaning feeling.

[destiny]

Stan wrote:

On the one hand, mad thing is that they did it all remotely, but I wonder whether that means they paid extra individual attention to everything around the songs.

This really feels like SJ/WC tier production, where there's a shitload of delicately balanced little flourishes and loads of beautifully placed instrumentation, but in a more acoustic and airy, less dry electronic setting. It's absolutely stunning. So so many vocals are doubled in a really subtle way, but not necessarily buried or smothered in effects. Just subtle. Even in Prester I've now realised that there's a more aggressive, raw delivery of a doubled Deak line in that second half chant.

This is definitely one of the best produced and mixed records they've ever released, if not the best. I feel like I'll be hearing new gorgeous things in Cherokee for years.


It also makes me much much more confident that they really can nail Defeat when the time comes.

Second'd, third'd fourth'd and fifth'd. Those weird flourishes of instrumentation and sound are one of AC's biggest sells. But sometimes they would struggle showing it on record. They figured it out big time. Cherokee spit in the face of demoitis for me. The synths in Passerby Lol. Everything is the right volume.

Passerby climax is exactly what I fucking mean. There's just so much going on nit you can hear all of it. The avey overdubs dancing around panda's lead. They made the autotune sound organic

[Stan]

D.

Amen on the singles, totally. I'd been skipping Prester and Strung (though Walker I started loving more than ever) but listened to them again this evening in context and I was buzzing off both. I think Strung is almost too big for its placement but because it bumps along as soon as the drums kick in, and especially the vocals, it flies by.

[Me Tiger]

I love car keys now

everything has its place in the mix, I don’t get that impression of messiness anymore.

[Stan]

That YEAH sample (?) in WGB

[Royal and Desire]

Walker is so nice

Need some fellow walker lovers in this thread

[dio]

^I love Walker a ton. Its the most defiant reverse demoitis of all time. It shouldn't have been very good at al and it might be top 5!

And yes to the like.... deep-voice "yeaah" in WGB

[Me Tiger]

Stan wrote:

That YEAH sample (?) in WGB

I always think it’s Geo’s vocal contribution when I hear it

[dio]

lol

oh thank god the flute-y/wood wind sounding sounds in Cherokee intro no longer cause mega dysphonia akin to having chalk on my hands WOO

[Tropic]

We Go Back features someone doesn't it? Could be them

[Allatrobles]

Stan wrote:

I would love their next LP to just be called FUCK THE FANS

Hahaha

[dio]

Also coming to peace with no Gem & I or Broke Zodiac (or Stride et al).

Initially the vibes seemed so compatible to the Panda ones esp that as a hyper entitled fan I felt cheated (?)

But nah there's so much goodness here. Panda made the right choice holding those puppies back.

Now we can have like Panda's European dad-rock vibes on the same record as Defeat.

You really wouldn't be able to cram much more single-tier songs on this boy

the final freebird to be had: I need the lyrics

[coral lord]

Hearing Cherokee now makes me wonder why it wasn’t a single…

[opposite field]

So many thoughts but I gotta get these out there:

1. What the hell happened to car keys
2. Royal and Desire is without a question their best closing track

[dio]

Car Keys just is. Im surprised that seems to be almost the only one that at least a few people are thrown by. It, just like DS and most of this, sounds so accurate to the live version, I'm not even sure what the issue would be. If anything, I feel like I can finally make out Panda's verse melodies clearly. And the lyrics I catch are great.

[Stan]

I've gotta be honest lads, I'm 40 fuckin years old and too excited to go to sleep because of a new AC record I love this much.

Like the Christmas MPP present, I will never forget the night of the WAV bird.

Relevant

Spoiler: show

[famousprophets]

Could someone please send this new bird my way?

Edit: Thanks!! It's incredible!

[dio]

lol stan, hell yeah.

What a damn solid record, think I'll rinse it one more time on headphones, back-to-back

I love that yal love Research & Development so much cuz for me, that and CK (save for its outro) are just kinda neutral/solid to me. My wild ass might have even preferred Stride Right as a closer (!!!)

But ya wow this thing's so solid if I'm over here saying R&D is just "good" to me comparatively

im gonna make a "Favorite Skiffs Transition" thread on Fri. Would now, but I don't wanna spoil for abstainers where they all are. I count 5 pretty big ones! (the 3 singles + Car Keys outro + Cherokee outro)

[meemo]

This sounds transcendent. Car Keys became sublime. Prester sounds so good in context. Cherokee lived up to expectations somehow... I can't believe how good this actually is lol

[Stan]

I can't wait for Stride Right to hopefully get the Research & Development treatment. I really wanted that here in fact, but yeah, I totally think DDDD nails its thing, kind of like a much more grandiose NMR but with a kind of Albatross blissful weepy vibe.

Right, I must must try to sleep. Thanks all for the PMs and hope I could hit a good handful up. Enjoy the night x

[Hellomark]

Dragon Slayer sounds waaay better in 320, actually shocked at how much was missing from the vinyl rip. The bass just sounds so much thicker.

[evan6032]

Royal and Desire wrote:

Walker is so nice

Need some fellow walker lovers in this thread

I really enjoy walker. It serves as just a quick little breather in between two behemoths on this record

[blindmowing]

the real Christmas is here

glowing

[wilandhugs]

Finally just heard the wav and uhhhhhhhh man this album is a rainbow from the "red kite" of dragon slayer to the symbolism of purple in the title "royal and desire"

Gonna need more time to process this even further

Also Walker bros rise up. It's quickly become my go-to vocal warm up song. Mr Bear you fine.

[Spagett]

anyone got that full quALITY rip to send my way? would be eternally grateful

edit:thanks!

[dio]

Walker is the new Spilling Guts (slept-on Panda AC track). Maybe idk.

God I'm gonna start experimenting soon and doing this record INTO PW and other shit. Gonna be wild

[scrambledgreggs]

ok first listen thoughts. this album is incredible. but also it is puzzling and challenging, yet in an inviting way that makes me want to go back immediately and explore it further. like all their best stuff.

with each new release I can hear plenty of similarities between it and their older stuff, but it feels like this one even more intentionally incorporates sounds and emotions that they shifted away from a long time ago. not necessarily a return to form because they never fell out of it but a return to something

I actually understand all the MPP comparisons from review sites. not just the watery quality as some have mentioned, but all the explosive moments where all the different parts of the song swell together and release, like taking a big jump and splashing in a puddle. MPP had that all over and so does Time Skiffs. but Feels had that too and I think TS aligns even more that album than anything else

speaking of Feels, this was also my first time hearing Strung and holy shit that ending gave me Feels. the stop-starts are almost like an updated take on Native Belle structure

I can't believe I'm saying this but the studio Cherokee is actually better than the 2019 version. it is truly the new Banshee Beat. that ending... my god. I no longer miss Avey's screams from 2019 because they somehow managed to make it sound even more enveloping and overwhelming with the softer vocals panning back and forth, and it just goes on and on and on and I teared up because I just couldn't contain my excitement about it

also think We Go Back is a huge improvement. the floating voices going in and out of the distance around the main melody is almost Loch Ravenesque, though obviously the song is much more upbeat. at least until the last third of it which is a gorgeous comedown

[archie]

Stan wrote:

Apologies, PMs seem stuck in my Outbox.

I'm not ignoring anyone who's PM'd me, just wanted to let you know.

Edit: Agreed, anyone who doesn't buy this gets a 'nuclear winter wedgie' (you don't wanna know) at the next CA meet.

stanley may u please destroy my face with a lil hq? hope its cookd times

[Murphspree]

Am I to understand we got a real, true freebird?

Could someone maybe send a little love my way in these trying times. Much thanks.

EDIT: It's been received, I'm thrilled! Thanks yall!

[moop]

Stan wrote:

moop wrote:

Damn, that voice tho~

I can only apologise...

I hope I at least pointed in the right direction!

Nooo it was sexy and beautiful lol

[AmadeooedamA]

ahhh so hyped. I hope my bandcamp digital download magically releases early. By the way would it be available at Midnight or would I have to wait till Friday Morning?

[Collected Animals]

bc stuff gets manually set to release, it is entirely unpredictable