Bitchin', new rock SA-CD alert, get The Thorns (1 Viewer)

[Rachael B]

I picked up The Thorns S/T at Busted Buy yesterday. It's the kind of rock SA-CD I've been wishing for lately, new and good. What's really amazing is that it's a Sony hybrid, M/C disc too. Maybe the single-layer era has been put to rest? Let's hope! The album has a bit of a throwback sound. It's got a very 70's feel. I described it as very Crosby, Stills, Nash and sumtimes Young or Hollies or Seals & Croft like to somebody yesterday. I read a discription in an advert last night that said they might be the new C, S & N ? I aggree with that acessment. Maybe Sony has been listening to all the whining about stone age SA-CD's? This is brand new stone age music to my ears.

The songs are well written with purr-dy vocal haromonies. There are some keyboards but this is string music. About every cotton pickin' string instument that pickers use is used here. Even some that I have no idea what the hell they are...? Que, what's a Hurdy Gurdy (must be some inside joke?), what's a Marxophone? I didn't know electric Dulcimers existed. What's a Vihuela? What's a Ukelin?

Many of the songs start with an acoustic guitar and then the electric guitars and other thangs join in.

The Thorns are Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge singin' and pickin'. They have help from some other cats, most notably Jim Keltner on drums.

Ya'all need to hear this one! I'm giving it the Rachael seal of approveal.

 

[TomCW]

I've got this on CD, and like it quite a bit. I wonder if it's worth re-purchasing to get the M/C mix?



Is it a guitar? A mandolin? It's a Marxophone!

Tom

 

[Rachael B]

Tom, I'll try that soon.

 

[Rachael B]

The M/C mix is maybe, say, modestly aggressive. It's more than the front three channels anyway. Some songs keep you wondering because at the start there's nothing in the sides but as the layers of, mostly, string instruments and vocal harmonies build and join in, somethin' pops out the rears. There is a short little song that's mostly strings (Violins) and vocals and the 5 channels seem all together equal.

Myself, I think I like the stereo mix better but I've only heard the M/C mix once so far.

 

[TomCW]

Thanks, Rachael. It's only like 14 bucks at Deep Discount, but with all the other stuff on my wish list this may have to wait.

Tom

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Thanks for the review Rachael. For those who don't know him, Jim Keltner is a long-time session drummer who has been involved with some classic albums. He has been recorded several times for audiophile records as well. What a great lineup...can't wait to buy this one.

 

[Doug Otte]

A hurdy gurdy is a very old type of keyboard instrument similar to a harmonium, I believe. Remember Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man? Maybe not, you young punk! I think it has a small keyboard & air is pumped in by foot. I don't know about the other things, but Vihuela sounds familiar.

Regards.
Doug

Edit: Oops, that's what I get when I open my big fat keyboard. Here's what a hurdy gurdy really is:

http://www.hurdygurdy.com/hg/hghome.html

 

[Rachael B]

Doug, that was an intresting site. I've been to alott'a live concerts and never saw anybody play a Hurdy Gurdy. I loved the Donovan song, and album, but I thought it was some made up mumbo jumbo not an instrument. I'm gonna play HURDY GURDY MAN soon and see if I can pick the thang out of the mix which may not be easy with it's heavy nature???

I definitely do like old fogey music but I like new fogey music even better!

 

[Rachael B]

Lee, I thought this was maybe a new, actual, single-inventory disc until Tom said he already had the CD. How silly of me to think So-ny would do that!

I must have 100 albums, or more, with Jim Keltner on drums....

 

[Dan B]

I picked up this SACD today & I like it. Matthew Sweet's vocals are the most prominent in the mix (not necessarily a bad thing at all!), so any Matthew Sweet fan would enjoy this album.

The multi-channel mix is subtle...except for one cymbal or gong or something that really freaked me out. Like most of the multi-channel mixes I've heard so far, I think the first time will be the last time I listen to it.

 

[BrianS]

I love this album but only have a DVD-A player. I thought I had heard a rumor that this might come to DVD-A as well. Anyone heard anything like that?

 

[Rachael B]

Brian, don't hold your breath. It's a Sony release. It is a hybrid disc so you can buy it and play the CD portion for now.

 

[Dan B]

Pardon me for going off-topic a bit, but I just listened to the multi-channel mix of Peter Gabriel's UP & I've finally found a multi-channel mix other than Dark Side that I prefer to the 2 channel. ( just had to share the info )

 

[Scott Kriefall]

Are the dynamics of the SACD any less compressed than those of the earlier CD release?

 

[Rachael B]

Scott, I haven't even listened to the CD layer of the disc myself. It's hard to even want to when you have the players I have. Maybe Tom knows if he's bought the SA-CD?

 

[Evan S]

Are we listening to the same SACD? I especially think the backing vocals are prominently displayed in the surround field, which is good for some songs, not quite as good for others. I think this is a disc where you really need to be sitting in the "sweet spot" to get the most out of it.

 

[Rachael B]

What can I say Evan, but quote a famous song, "..compared to what...". Myself, I did listen to The Thorns a second time in M/C and it's more aggressive than I typically like and I don't like it. I prefer the stereo mix of it, absolutely, now.

Sometimes I think I'd enjoy most M/C music more if I just turned off the amp that feeds my side speakers. I tried that with a Yes DVD-A recently and liked it better that way. Anyway, sort'a like what Dan seems to allude to, I too get distracted when I hear some things in the rears. It's like my brain stops flowing with the music, and stops to inform my concious self that the sound doesn't seem natural, or right. That happened way too often for me with The Thorns. Then again, I get that feeling with the majority of M/C material I hear.

If you hear enough M/C music, me thinks you'll hear some that's somewhat more aggressive.

 

[FeisalK]

hmm I thought The Thorns were somewhat conservative compared to up, Avalon or even Frantic, and downright staid compared to Yoshimi

Rachael it may not sound natural probably cuz we've been listening in stereo for a long time, but if the artist had a hand in the mix don't you think it should sound "right" i.e. the way he/she hears it (in his head) when composing the song? to paraphrase a Peter Gabriel article - two channels simply aren't enough to fully render the sound in his head.

 

[Rachael B]

I think it's not just that I'm very used to stereo sound, which I am. My brain just reacts when I hear something that doesn't seem kosher. I'm expecting anti-kosher sounds when I hear really highly manufactured pop or rock in M/C. i.e. - Pink Floyd, Groove Armada, Boyz 2 Men, ect. Most of the centre of the band mixes just constantly make me stop and think about how un-natural that guitar or whatever just sounded in the rear channel. I may never never come to appreciate the centre of the band mixing style, in general...? There are a few I like, I'm not sure exactly why...?

 

[Dan B]

To clarify what I meant when I said it was subtle:
From what I recall, there is very frequent content in the surround channels, but lots of surround content doesn't necessarily mean "aggressive" to me if it blends with the front sounds.

Plus, I had been listening to Peter Gabriel's UP & The Who's Tommy prior to first hearing The Thorns, both of which are more aggressive than The Thorns.

FWIW, UP is the one recent multi-channel mix I've heard that I do absolutely prefer over the stereo mix. The one and only so far...

Now I will refresh my memory of The Thorns disc by giving it a listen today.