Just wondering what peoples opinions are about Travis' choice to use the 16 track 'Beatlesy' machine to record Ode - how do you feel this method of recording contributed to the album? Do you think Travis should record more albums like this in the future? Or do you think it should only be a one-off, or even that they should never have recorded this way in the first place?
I'm just curious to know 'cos, even though I love the fact that Travis chose to experiment by recording in this way, I'm not sure whether I like the finished effect. I just feel that the songs sound more distant and two-dimensional... not as immersive as previous albums. I think if you blast it out on a hi-fi then its brilliant, the whole rough-around-the-edges sound adds to the vibe. But the way I usually listen to albums is on my ipod; I like the intimacy, if that's the right word. And I really love some of the Ode songs, which just makes this certain missing clarity all the more frustrating.
Having said all this, Abbey Road is one of my favourite albums of all time - I don't consider that to sound the slightest bit two-dimensional - but that was no doubt recorded in the same way. So maybe its something else, I dunno. Anyway, perhaps I'm the only one who thinks this, but I just thought I'd throw my thought out there.
I know what you mean about the 2-D feeling, there's something cold about the way Ode sounds despite it being a very colourful album. I don't know why that is, I doubt that it's because of the recording process or the production or anything specific but Ode makes TMW look like a dynamic mountain range even though a lot of the songs are of similar brilliant quality.
On a related point, The Seldon Seen Kid is the purest soundest album I've ever heard. Even the live gigs don't sound as live as that album :)
When i first heard it i was disappointed with it. I think i told you in the chat Luke for me it'd be closer to a 3 star than a 5 star album. One reason was that it didn't sound as great as i had hoped. But i really love it now. I think Chinese Blues, Quite Free, Last Words, Song To Self, Before You Were Young, Broken Mirror all sound amazing. Even though i'm not a massive fan of the song, Friends also sounds great. Get Up doesn't. I find it flat. Personal opinion. It never takes off for me, whereas Something Anything and J Smith do. The other one i am disappointed with is Long Way Down. Live, it was/maybe still is my favourite but it's lost something on the album. It's very raw. Too raw. If that makes sense, i don't know. lol
My opinion on the future is that they should do this again. I see no reason to go back for the next album. Except maybe if they were to find a more 12 Memories sound. It's still the best sounding Travis album. The production on that is brilliant, even though i don't like the songs themselves so much. :) Though i still love the album. Love Will Come Through, Somewhere Else, Re-Offender are great songs. 3 or 4 let it down for me. :)
I know what you mean about the 2-D feeling, there's something cold about the way Ode sounds despite it being a very colourful album. I don't know why that is, I doubt that it's because of the recording process or the production or anything specific but Ode makes TMW look like a dynamic mountain range even though a lot of the songs are of similar brilliant quality.
On a related point, The Seldon Seen Kid is the purest soundest album I've ever heard. Even the live gigs don't sound as live as that album :)
Yep I agree. The sound on The Seldom Seen Kid is amazing... I got it and Ode around the same time actually so the contrast was even more obvious. Since we're on the topic of Elbow, I got their first album (thanks to Nikki, as part of our CD trade) too and its really cool. Gonna get the other two soon, and I'm seeing them live at Blackpool in March. :D Have you been to see them live yourself, or are you just judging off live performances on TV etc?
When i first heard it i was disappointed with it. I think i told you in the chat Luke for me it'd be closer to a 3 star than a 5 star album. One reason was that it didn't sound as great as i had hoped. But i really love it now. I think Chinese Blues, Quite Free, Last Words, Song To Self, Before You Were Young, Broken Mirror all sound amazing. Even though i'm not a massive fan of the song, Friends also sounds great. Get Up doesn't. I find it flat. Personal opinion. It never takes off for me, whereas Something Anything and J Smith do. The other one i am disappointed with is Long Way Down. Live, it was/maybe still is my favourite but it's lost something on the album. It's very raw. Too raw. If that makes sense, i don't know. lol
My opinion on the future is that they should do this again. I see no reason to go back for the next album. Except maybe if they were to find a more 12 Memories sound. It's still the best sounding Travis album. The production on that is brilliant, even though i don't like the songs themselves so much. :) Though i still love the album. Love Will Come Through, Somewhere Else, Re-Offender are great songs. 3 or 4 let it down for me. :)
Yeah I remember you saying initially how you were a tad disappointed with Ode. Good to hear your opinion on it has improved a lot since. For me though, whilst the songs themselves are some of the best and most interesting they've written in a long while, the way they've been produced, or recorded (or whatever it is!) just doesn't do the songs justice. I still think its a good album though, I'd give it about a 7, possibly 8, out of 10.
12 Memories is a mixed bag for me: Love Will Come Through, Happy To Hang Around, Re-Offender and Quicksand are my highlights. Oh and Walking Down The Hill actually, although I get the impression most don't like it much. :P
One Day Like This....only Elbow song I know, but it's super.
I agree the recording of Ode is curious, I think it's lacking something, but it's only something I hear on a few tracks, like there's been an exerted effort to sound as raw as possible.....something on Long Way Down, Get Up and Something Anything (which should sound more massive than it really is.....)
Chinese Blues, Friends, Song To Self sound as perfect as possible.
When i first heard it i was disappointed with it. I think i told you in the chat Luke for me it'd be closer to a 3 star than a 5 star album. One reason was that it didn't sound as great as i had hoped. But i really love it now. I think Chinese Blues, Quite Free, Last Words, Song To Self, Before You Were Young, Broken Mirror all sound amazing. Even though i'm not a massive fan of the song, Friends also sounds great. Get Up doesn't. I find it flat. Personal opinion. It never takes off for me, whereas Something Anything and J Smith do. The other one i am disappointed with is Long Way Down. Live, it was/maybe still is my favourite but it's lost something on the album. It's very raw. Too raw. If that makes sense, i don't know. lol
My opinion on the future is that they should do this again. I see no reason to go back for the next album. Except maybe if they were to find a more 12 Memories sound. It's still the best sounding Travis album. The production on that is brilliant, even though i don't like the songs themselves so much. :) Though i still love the album. Love Will Come Through, Somewhere Else, Re-Offender are great songs. 3 or 4 let it down for me. :)
Yeah I remember you saying initially how you were a tad disappointed with Ode. Good to hear your opinion on it has improved a lot since. For me though, whilst the songs themselves are some of the best and most interesting they've written in a long while, the way they've been produced, or recorded (or whatever it is!) just doesn't do the songs justice. I still think its a good album though, I'd give it about a 7, possibly 8, out of 10.
12 Memories is a mixed bag for me: Love Will Come Through, Happy To Hang Around, Re-Offender and Quicksand are my highlights. Oh and Walking Down The Hill actually, although I get the impression most don't like it much. :P
Really loved Ode since mid-October. :) It's really BRILLIANT but Get Up really annoys me when it comes on. lol I think the opposite. I think the production has made the songs as good as they can be. I think that for TBWNN. It could have had better production. Songs like My Eyes. Brilliant tune, wonderful song, but it lacks something special. I think an Ode-like production would have given it that. :) Or a 12 Memories type production. I'm no expert so i don't know what it is that makes a difference. TBWNN is just too clean and shiny i think.
Happy To Hang Around and Quicksand are also great songs. Walking Down The Hill is musically fantastic. Again, the production on that song is brilliant! :)
I think it is because of the production rather than the recording. Since the producer of Ode is Emery Dobyns, producer of Antony & the Johnsons and Patti Smith, but not Nigel Godrich. Well, I prefer Nigel Godrich. He is a genius.
I think this is funny, because my impression when I first heard the album the other day was that the quality of the sound was really great. At the begining I thought the voice sounded a bit low on Chinese Blues, but then I got used to it, I think... I don't know haha.
I'm glad it was recorded this way.
I need to listen to it for a few months and see if I still feel the same once the novelty is over, but I think it might be Travis' best album so far! :o)
Walking Down the Hill is a very special piece of music . Not necessarily for every day listening as it stirs up some eery feelings quite powerfully. Gold nonetheless.
I think the recording method really suits Ode to J. Smith. For example listen to the bass on 'Friends' its awesome . It far reached my expectations on quality and has turned in to one of my favourites .
Most of the tracks on Ode are really good songs, but I think that Frans voice melts together with the music at some points.
Sometimes everything just blends together and becomes a bit messy. I would have liked the album to be a bit more sharp(don't know how to put it).
hmmmm I'm still not very sure about it. Although I love the songs on Ode, it feels not 100% right as a Travis album. The recording is too much 2D, too 'simple'.
I am a big fan of the 'Nigel Godrich school of producing' :)
Most of the tracks on Ode are really good songs, but I think that Frans voice melts together with the music at some points.
Sometimes everything just blends together and becomes a bit messy. I would have liked the album to be a bit more sharp(don't know how to put it).
I agree with this. Fran's voice seems to blend in more with the music on some of the tracks. I thought the same thing about Oasis' "Shock of the Lightning" the first time I heard it. I don't necessarily think this type of sound is bad, just different and something that takes a little getting used to. I think Ode is an amazing album. I'm in love with it. I can't choose a favorite but...it is one of Travis' best albums for sure.
I'm also a fan of the production on The Man Who and 12 Memories. They are perfectly produced albums - not too rough like Ode and not too polished like TBWNN. Good Feeling and TIB have great production as well, but there is something about the atmosphere created on The Man Who and 12 Memories that I love.
Most of the tracks on Ode are really good songs, but I think that Frans voice melts together with the music at some points.
Sometimes everything just blends together and becomes a bit messy. I would have liked the album to be a bit more sharp(don't know how to put it).
I agree with this. Fran's voice seems to blend in more with the music on some of the tracks. I thought the same thing about Oasis' "Shock of the Lightning" the first time I heard it. I don't necessarily think this type of sound is bad, just different and something that takes a little getting used to. I think Ode is an amazing album. I'm in love with it. I can't choose a favorite but...it is one of Travis' best albums for sure.
I'm also a fan of the production on The Man Who and 12 Memories. They are perfectly produced albums - not too rough like Ode and not too polished like TBWNN. Good Feeling and TIB have great production as well, but there is something about the atmosphere created on The Man Who and 12 Memories that I love.
I think Nikki means "ambience", more professionally I guess. lol.
