[IPodPJ]

Anyway, now that this thread has been resurrected, anyone hear the new Blackfield album yet?
 
My CD should be here any day now from the UK (the official UK release date is March 28 and April 19 in the US) but I just got to hear the full album today by doing some clever searching online.
 
It's very good, in fact probably some of the best work I've heard from SW in a long time (actually Aviv had more to do with the making of this album). With that said though, some of the songs seem to end a little too abruptly, and all the songs are fairly short. The abrupt endings seem to be a common theme with SW as of late, as there was plenty of that also on The Incident. But this album is very good, and everyone will love it when they hear it.
 
Stupid album name though, "Welcome to my DNA".  And at least one of the songs on the album, Zigota, is an english version of a song Aviv has previously done, but it's good.  Every song on the album is good.  Some are better than others as always, but I can't find one song that I don't like.

 

[salannelson]

Quote:

The simple truth is, we're all hypocrites. That's humanity. I've gotten over that fact a long time ago. Anyone that says they're not is lying.

Truer words have never been spoken.

 

[Zaroff]

I received it on the 25th, and agreed it's a great album. That being said, it's almost an AG solo album. For one thing, all songs but one are written by Aviv entirely, and he arranged 90% of the strings/orchestral stuff. It's clear he has been the driving force behind the album, not SW. And IMO it works pretty well.
 
Since we're on SQ matters, the mastering of DNA leaves me baffled. It manages not to be loud AND to sound fairly muffled at the same time. I'm all for it not being part of the loudness war, but if you do that, then give the thing some clarity and space, which this mastering singularly lacks. What went wrong here?... As a reference it's much quieter than the first two albums, or anything by PT.
 
Anyway, good album nonetheless. Very worth it.
 
Quote:

Anyway, now that this thread has been resurrected, anyone hear the new Blackfield album yet?
 

 

[IPodPJ]

Well I haven't received the CD yet still, and they sent it out on the 23rd.  I am in the U.S., but other people in the U.S. have already received it so I don't know where mine is.  But I do have both 320kbit and FLAC lossless files of the CD.  Unfortunately, I am transportless, DACless, and Power regeneratorless at the moment so I can't tell just how good (or bad) it sounds.  I am only listening through my computer speakers, which aren't very good.  But I can vaguely understand what you are saying.
 
Yes, it is definitely primarily Aviv's sound on this album which like you said, works well.  I just wish the songs were a little longer and didn't end so abruptly which is what happened with a lot of stuff SW has recently done.  I also prefer SW's voice to Aviv's without a doubt.  Aviv's voice is horrible.  Israeli's (who primarily speak Hebrew) have a very rough and forceful tone when they speak or sing, and it isn't pleasant to listen to.

 

[Gazza]

Got confirmation that my vinyl record has shipped. I can't wait to hear it. I personally love Aviv's voice and I hope there's a bit of the harsh vocals hinted at in the previous record. Blackfield would be perfect if they were a bit heavier.

 

[Zaroff]

Well, if anything it's more mellow than before... And the vocals, overall, are not harsher, even though some lyrics are (see track N°2

)
But I agree about Aviv's voice being efficient on certain tracks, definitely. I also follow his solo career, and the guy not only can sing, but is overall a great, if underrated, songwriter - and I'm of course including his Hebrew-sung albums. And, he doesn't do heavy stuff by himself, so it follows suit that DNA, since written by him entirely or almost, doesn't follow that trend either.
 
I've been looping the album since last Friday, and I confirm it's really excellent stuff.

 

[sonci]

It`s really low mastered, strange for a 2011 cd, I cant believe I`m saying this,
but still the sound doesn`t impress me, I think part is due to Aviv voice, being too weak?? so instruments follow,
this is my first Blackfield so I can be totally wrong,
 
btw, whom are the vocals on track 6? I hope the singing is intentional..

 

[hrjacob]

I personally love Aviv's voice - and the album as a whole. But i agree - the mastering is a disappointment compared to the first two Blackfield albums and the Live in New York DVD (which is great!).

 

[Gazza]

If previous trends are anything to go by, I'd wager that the vinyl version sounds considerably better. Let's hope.

 

[Zaroff]

Quote:

btw, whom are the vocals on track 6? I hope the singing is intentional..

Aviv sings that one, and is fairly recognizable as per his signature of guttural/rough vocals he emits sometimes. I think it rather works here, but that's up to personal taste... At any rate, he often sounds that way on his solo efforts.

 

[IPodPJ]

Got the actual CD today.  I noticed a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes in the booklet.  Plus, didn't they advertise this as a 64 page booklet or am I mistaken, because it's only 24 pages.  Quite surprised there's only one song on the album that SW wrote, and if you've seen the video for it, it's the worst POS I think he or anyone else has ever done -- not the music, but the video.  If you want to see it, it's here on the front page.  It's really awful.  99% of the posts on facebook about it also agree.
 
http://www.blackfield.org/

 

[Proglover]

No, where I was looking, the normal one had 16 pages and the limited digi version would have 24.
 
I'm pretty dissapointed by the cd and also the sound quality. It's not bad music, but until now (4-5 times listening to the record) I can't imagine it will even come close to the first Blackfield cd, that I liked pretty much.
 
But I have to say I'm not a very big Blackfield fan; i definitely like Steven's other big projects (No-Man, PT) much much more.
Going to see them live though in Holland, 10th of april.

 

[Zaroff]

Agreed about the SQ. I do like the album pretty much but then again I have a thing for Blackfield On the other hand, after a solid week of listening to it, the sound quality or lack of it thereof is inexcusable, even more so because it's a SW product. The guy who mastered it should be shot.

 

[IPodPJ]

The SQ of most everything SW has worked on in the past few years has pretty poor.  The second Blackfield album even had some clipping on at least one of the songs.

 

[Proglover]

Yes, very true. The time that you could count on a SW project to have super sound quality, is gone.
 
Quote:

The SQ of most everything SW has worked on in the past few years has pretty poor.