Common - Universal Mind Control
I’m not sure I can make it through this album all the way. It sounds like spiders are eating into the back of my brain. I need to hear some Missy Elliott or something else similar that I like, to make sure I’m not coming down with mind-shingles.
The problem is that the mixing/mastering of this music is designed to force us to hear it. It’s distorted, and as loud as is physically possible. Just as Mencius asks if there is anything you value more than your life, and just as businesses should recognize that profit is only a desirable second effect of accomplishing a good purpose, musicians should ask if attracting attention at all costs is wise.
5 months ago
I’ve been told to check this out, as a return to form of sorts for a band who rivals Guns And Roses for detractors, an impressive feat considering GNR has Axl Rose spending ten years obsessing over an album with no songs. Then I also realized this is the album which has audio people freaking out even more than ever about over-compression (ie reducing the range between loud and quiet, so as to make the whole thing loud and therefore audible in a modern music listening environment).
Actually, I’m just listening to some stuff off this album from Metallica’s myspace page, because I can’t find any other free source of complete tracks.
My first impression listening to “Broken, Beat, & Scarred” is that the crunch guitars sound really nasty, like spraying mayonnaise through a garden hose nozzle. That’s good.
Then the vocals come in and it sounds like the guy is a little bean sized fellow at the bottom of the sink. That’s not too good.
My conclusion is that the studio tools to mayonnaise-nozzle guitars are much more effective than those to un-bean-sink-bottom vocals.
Over-compressing the final mix is also to blame, as of course if the guitars are already at maximum volume, the vocal has no room on top to make noise of its own.
7 months ago
