| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Track Structure | 8 |
| Interest | 8 |
| Melody | 8 |
| Performance | 9 |
| Lyrics | 0 |
| Enjoyment | 8 |
| Recording Quality | 10 |
| Commercial Appeal | 7 |
| Overall | 8.3 |
I have to admit that upon the first listen, I found this track confusing in that I was slightly unsure as to where it was going. It has an exceptionally complex structure which takes a few listens to really get to grips with. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however,btu in general, I do feel that the track is much longer than it needs to be. The 1:15 long intro builds exceptionally well, but there's very few people in the world who would wait that long to hear what a song is about. I fully understand that this is a meshing of two different styles and that lengthy introductions are an integral part of the dance genre, but in my opinion, this detracts from the commercial appeal of the track. The stops, starts, changes in feel, droppind in and out of guitars and vocal does keep the track interesting, but some of the interludes could be shorter. I would also like to point out my disappointment at the ending. I actually felt that it was breaking down in order to do something really special, but it just stopped dead, which left me feeling moderately cheated. From 4:55 to 6:23 (the end) of the track could probably be shortened considerably and I always enjoy it when a song finishes on a crescendo to a final chorus which means the hook and melody are locked firmly in your mind.
The musicianship is of a very high standard. Not only on the guitar playing, but the programming of the electronic elements is very pleasing. The thing that impressed me most is the timing of the clean guitar part, not only is it an incredibly difficult rhythm to play and sustain, but it is performed flawlessly.
The vocal is also as close to perfect performance as you can get. The complexity of some of the harmonies was magnificent to my ears and left me eager to hear what was going to come next. I would have liked to be able to read the lyrics for this one as well, but I understand that since this is a collaborative effort, Aaron may not have been advised of what the lyrical content is, word for word. The vocal melodies are very acceptable, however, a song with the energy and presence of this one requires what can only be described as an 'Anthemic' chorus melody that you end up humming for days after lsitening to it.
The choices of sounds in the electronic elements of the song are magnificent. Nice, simple sounds that don't leave your brain fried from trying to figure out what they are, where they're going or what they're doing. The kick drum sound was the perfect choice, since its the one thing that supports the rest of the track. It powers along happily without offending anyone but you never forget that it's there which is sheer perfection.
As far as production and quiality goes, this song is exceptionally hard to beat. I do have a few niggles with it, but I suppose that's because I'm being really picky with this one.
Everything is recorded cleanly and to a very high standard. I would certainly say it's nothing short of excellent quality. I did feel that in the actual mix, that the clean guitar was slighty too overpowering and sometimes clouded up the electronic backing. The lead guitar in the intro could certainly be a good bit louder. In fact, I really struggled to hear what was going on with that particular element. Those two slight complaints aside, everything else is spot on.
In general, I thought that this was a pretty good track. The commercial appeal of it is slightly hampered by both the length of it, and the ending of the piece. I did enjoy listening to it and found it really interesting although it was a bit of a challenge at first. For a home recording, there is very little wrong with this that couldn't be fixed with a few clicks of a mouse and sets the bar for the quality that all home producers should strive to attain. Overall, a thumbs up from me.
T-Bone Truj
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