| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Track Structure | 9 |
| Interest | 9 |
| Melody | 8 |
| Performance | 8 |
| Lyrics | 9 |
| Enjoyment | 9 |
| Recording Quality | 8 |
| Commercial Appeal | 9 |
| Overall | 8.6 |
Next up is a track that has been doing very well on the site, 'Misery Loves Company' which Craig (Pidgeman) released a while ago. Commented on the track when it came out and stand by all my original views but will attempt a more in depth overview of the track. Track is very much in Craig's comfort zone, a guitar led power pop/rock track, a genre that has always been popular in the charts (especially in the USA) What immediately strikes you about the track is is written in a slightly more sombre key than his usual songs, going for a more introspective subject matter and a slightly more rocky feel than usual. Lyrically song suggests a slightly more mature subject matter than usual, perhaps a slightly older mans feelings of longing and the need to share is feeling with a significant other. Lyrics are kept sharply focussed, they tell a story, and Craig always has a excellent turn of phrase. "Why don't you come over ? till the morning light ' Indeed most of the men and women reading this will have felt a similar feeling from time to time, Misery does indeed love company. So lyrics do the job, no flashy stream of conciousness stuff here, a simple story told well.
Moving on the the meat of the track, the arrangement and the instruments used, guitars sound nicely played, particularly the lead line which is quite musical but never overbearing. Nice synth drone to introduce the song as well, tells us straight away we're in a slightly more adult area. Bass is nice and crisp, well balanced, not overbearing. Rhythm guitar is nice and crisp, perhaps slightly toppy but not terminally so. Guitars are panned hard left and right, and sound rhythmically sound. I didn't detect any jarring timing errors. Drums are nicely mixed as well, good choice of snare, quite snappy but enough reverb to suggest an element of space in the mix. Solo comes in and is nice and sharp and well played and cuts through the mix very well. Arrangement is solid, well spaced, tracks moves at a fair old pace and doesn't overstay it's welcome. Track feels short (but isn't lol) which is always a good sign.
Now on to the bit I think could be tightened improved, you know you're not getting a free ride lol :) Backing vocals sound really cool, no complaints there, they are well mixed and in tune. Occasionally the lead vocal drifts slightly flat, which is a problem I have noticed in a couple of your track, actually think you have a pretty decent set of lungs on you, think the problem is one of laziness lol. Do more takes of your vocals lol, and pick the best bits with a bit of audio editing, If you need to do ten or twenty full takes then so be it, just mix and match the best parts. Be senstive to your breathing, a lot of the problem I think is not giving yourself enough air to achieve the notes you need, practise the track and get your breathing sorted :) And the last notes go wandering all over the place, shorten length wise and fill in the blanks with your solo guitar line (as the arrangement screams for a wailing guitar here anyway) By the way I'm not saying your singing is bad in any way on the track I actually think it's one of your best vocals, I'm talking about making the track perfect and getting it to the very best level it can be :) To conclude, very cool track, no mayor complaints at all other than small nit pics and well deserving of it's popularity in every way :)
To listen to the track Click Here