Quote: wrote:I think there's too much opportunity. In general, opportunity tends to kill creativity. I think people don't realize that. A painter goes into an art supplies store and sees all these different colours and supplies and thinks, "Oh, goody! This is going to make me a better painter." Of course it's not. It's just going to make it harder to decide what not to use and what not to do. That's what happens with a group of 20-year-old kids who walk into a studio with ProTools and a computer and they can record 400 tracks if they want to. Maybe now with the state of the music industry they'll start spending less on albums and people will go back to reality. They should put up a plaque in every studio that says, "The Beatles recorded Revolver and Sgt. Pepper on four tracks." That'll clear everyone's head.
i think the general idea of this applies to the bishop allen progression over the last couple of years. for me the ep versions of most of the songs are really enjoyable, and there's a nice emotional connection--buying all the eps as they came out. waiting for the next one every month. finally hearing it. etc etc that really colors the way i hear the songs, which is a good thing.
but to me the best versions of most of the ep project songs are the versions recorded live at KPSU in November 2006, mp3s of which you can find in this forum somewhere. at that point the songs had been worked enough to sound polished, but not enough to sound worn, and bishop allen is such a tight live band and they come across so well in that setting that those versions of the songs are brimming with excitement and earnestness and energy. i'm trying to hold off on really getting into the album until i can buy it, but what i've heard, while still very good, is sort of a letdown. not because i don't like these versions of the songs--most of them are near equals to the originals, some better (though the percussion on the monitor is disappointing, and i really miss the original opening and bassline)--but because i know these songs so well, and any repackaging of them was going to be disappointing, no matter how it was done.
but it's fine. i understand why they did it this way. it's not a cop out at all. they wrote 40 some odd new songs last year, most of them corkers. that's more songs in one year than, for example, the shins have officially released in their entire existence (it's been 6 years since oh inverted world!). i'm always happy for a new release from this band. but the fact is that i don't really need one right now. i'm still knee deep in 12 eps from last year.
i'm just not nearly as excited for this album as i am for the next one, which will be full of new songs. but this album is full of new songs for hopefully a lot of new fans for bishop allen.
go bishop allen. glad to see you're planning to come back to phoenix. best venue in town is modified arts, if you can get in there on the day you have here.
