[LAU] Debut prog-rock album, all produced with Open Source!

[Julien Claassen]

Hello Ben!
   first of all, I'd like to say thanks for sharing these samples with us. I 
like them. I must admit, that the snipet around 55 seconds reminds me of 
"Cruel Summer".
   When you said, that this album takes us through quite a bit, I'd suspected 
something with even more different sections, but as you said, this is only a 
sampler and I can see, that this might really be worth to listen to as a 
whole. I'll see, if I can arrange to get it. I'm sure, this will be possible.
   It is all well played. I like the instruments and playing itself. Your 
singer is really good! I like her. The guitarist too appears to have his/her 
style. It's alwyas good, especially with a debut, to find musicians, who have 
found their own character.
   the only thing, that is still really young about this album is the mix. It's 
good and well balanced. I can hear everything and nothing disturbs me. Only 
the drum mix sounds rather nondescript. From personal experience I know, that 
it's a hassle to get a really good and characteristic sound out of a drumkit 
and still be able to integrate it with a full arrangement, so chapo to that as 
well. I'm sure such things will devfelop over time. Once you know, that you 
can do it, you get more and more creative and have more and more concrete 
ideas on how to evolve the sound into something very personal. the china 
already has that bit of "personality". It sounded rather strange to me the 
first time around, but now, that I've acquainted myself with it a little more, 
I hear it as it is and I hear it as something particular to your sound.
   Musically I already said, that a couple of sections sound well-connected 
harmonically. Since I like your chord progressions, that is no problem for me. 
:-) Over all the walk on the edge between slightly symphonic and band-oriented 
is well done. If I had to go into comparisons, I'd say on the line between 
Flower Kings an Spock's Beard. I had a very intense Flower Kings moment 
starting around 4:32min.
   As a last remark I want to add, that I also enjoyed the balance between 
harmonies and melodies. Both have their very distincitve moments and leave 
their traces in my ears, thus making for an enjoyable and capturing ride. I 
aprove. :-) Good job to all, who were involved!
   Warm regards
           Julien

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