VEGA - Who We Are

[Geoff]

"On the subject of production, I think the snare is not quite in sonic alignment with the deeper tone of the rhythm section, and the vocals continue to be too far down in the mix. But minor points amongst a hundred other positive superlatives."

 

This, 100%. I have recently discovered iMovie and only been here in small bursts between trying to edit the last 10 years of home video clips... looking on this site while iMovie is working it's magic, then going back to the videos when they're good to go... and by the end of the night it's so late I just close about 5 pages on the interweb I have forgotten about... but anyway, my point is, my initial post on this album (which I forgot about and closed the page at the end of the night) suggested that I didn't like 'We got it all' and the ballad, but my main issue was by far the snare drum production.

 

I just don't understand it. As I listen to the full length of the album I kind of get a little bit over it, but then I play the next album I am listening to (whatever it might be) and the drums are produced well, and I think why the fuck did Vega just not do that again? Why, on album number 4, do they suddenly feel like they need a new drum sound? Especially after 'Stereo Messiah' sounded so amazing.

 

I'm trying to look past it because I love the album for the most part, and the band... but I hate stupid decisions and this, to me, seems like a really stupid decision I just don't understand at all.

 

And not to be harsh - Hess is part of one of my all-time favourite bands, but he has no business on the production table, imo. Excellent vocalist and song-writer... terrible producer. IMO.

[Glen]

"On the subject of production, I think the snare is not quite in sonic alignment with the deeper tone of the rhythm section, and the vocals continue to be too far down in the mix. But minor points amongst a hundred other positive superlatives."

 

This, 100%. I have recently discovered iMovie and only been here in small bursts between trying to edit the last 10 years of home video clips... looking on this site while iMovie is working it's magic, then going back to the videos when they're good to go... and by the end of the night it's so late I just close about 5 pages on the interweb I have forgotten about... but anyway, my point is, my initial post on this album (which I forgot about and closed the page at the end of the night) suggested that I didn't like 'We got it all' and the ballad, but my main issue was by far the snare drum production.

 

I just don't understand it. As I listen to the full length of the album I kind of get a little bit over it, but then I play the next album I am listening to (whatever it might be) and the drums are produced well, and I think why the fuck did Vega just not do that again? Why, on album number 4, do they suddenly feel like they need a new drum sound? Especially after 'Stereo Messiah' sounded so amazing.

 

I'm trying to look past it because I love the album for the most part, and the band... but I hate stupid decisions and this, to me, seems like a really stupid decision I just don't understand at all.

 

And not to be harsh - Hess is part of one of my all-time favourite bands, but he has no business on the production table, imo. Excellent vocalist and song-writer... terrible producer. IMO.

 

personally I couldn't give a stuff about the drum sound - never have.

 

what bothers me 100% more is that the vocals are buried in the mix.

 

Just listen to 'What The Hell album' in comparison.

 

It's poor but I try not to think about it.

 

What is really annoying is if I didn't read these things it wouldn't bother me half as much until some pedantic () person points it out. Then all of a sudden its blaringly obvious and you cant ignore it.

[kourosofsteel3]

"On the subject of production, I think the snare is not quite in sonic alignment with the deeper tone of the rhythm section, and the vocals continue to be too far down in the mix. But minor points amongst a hundred other positive superlatives."

 

 

Wow! Thanx for posting this! Who is the artist?

 

I love me some Sonic alignment and I adore "It Doesn't Matter with Tony Harnell. Mighty bassline and chorus.

[Glen]

Set list on Saturday - awesome it was

 

Explode

Kiss Of Life

Not There For You

Gonna Need Some Love Tonight

Every Little Monster

The Wild, The Weird, The Wonderful

We Got It All

Stereo Messiah

White Knuckle Ride

Hurt So Bad

All Or Nothing

What The Hell

White Flag

Wherever We Are

Hands In The Air

------------------------

Into The Wild

Saving Grace

[lettard]

Set list on Saturday - awesome it was

 

Explode

Kiss Of Life

Not There For You

Gonna Need Some Love Tonight

Every Little Monster

The Wild, The Weird, The Wonderful

We Got It All

Stereo Messiah

White Knuckle Ride

Hurt So Bad

All Or Nothing

What The Hell

White Flag

Wherever We Are

Hands In The Air

------------------------

Into The Wild

Saving Grace

same on fri night excellent,was well pleased

[Geoff]

Just can't get past the production on this one. I was on the train for over 3 hours yesterday evening and listened to this pretty much the entire time, over and over again. I am in love with the songs, but the (drum) production is just shit. For me, the big guns of the year so far are Wigelius, The Defiants, Ted Poley, Treat and Vega. Listening to them all back to back it sounds like the Vega album is a demo compared to the other very well produced finished products.

 

Like I said above, I just can't understand why they went down this path this time. Why? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Their other albums sound great... why go out of your way to sound like shit? So frustrating, because song-wise, I think it's probably the best album of 2016 so far, but it's been deducted quite a bit, so far, from me, for production quality.

[Glen]

You and your drums lol. Still doesnt bother me that much....although i do agree the Defiants is amazingly well produced.

[Geoff]

You and your drums lol. Still doesnt bother me that much....although i do agree the Defiants is amazingly well produced.

 

It's not just that I like drums n' stuff. It's like looking at a nude female and then a dude says, "Did you like her norks?" And you reply with, "Oh, sorry, I didn't notice."

 

Wouldn't happen.

 

Well it's the same with music. At a glance, you'd note a lady's face, norks and buttocks... at a glance. With music, at a glance, I guess it's the vocals guitars and drums that you note. I mean, keyboards and bass all sounds the same. But yeah, there's so few elements to music that it's kind of really inattentive to not notice something so obvious.

 

And like I keep saying, it's when you play it back to back with proper stuff. Playing Vega back to back with The Defiants is actually embarrassing. Songwise, Vega is probably better, but The Defiants just sounds immense.

[Glen]

But i dont like the drum sound on Defiants. I was thinking that the other day.

 

Im guessing my cans make Vega sound better as they are pretty basey. At least the snare sounds like a snare and not a base drum like on some albums.

 

The vocal mix is more of an issue but nothing that bothers me that much.

 

To me most rock albums are weakly produced compared to mainstream stuff.

[Geoff]

But i dont like the drum sound on Defiants. I was thinking that the other day.

 

Im guessing my cans make Vega sound better as they are pretty basey. At least the snare sounds like a snare and not a base drum like on some albums.

 

The vocal mix is more of an issue but nothing that bothers me that much.

 

To me most rock albums are weakly produced compared to mainstream stuff.

 

You mean within "our genre?" You don't mean modern rock stuff, do you? I agree for the most part, but some are definitely up to par.

 

I hear the vocal thing, but yeah, it doesn't bother me too much either. He still sounds great to me.

[Glen]

No mainstream charting artists

[Nightrain]

If you all can get your hands on the Jap press, go for it, the bonus track, 'Look The Other Way' is excellent

[kourosofsteel3]

If you all can get your hands on the Jap press, go for it, the bonus track, 'Look The Other Way' is excellent

 

 

Ha, no way I'm tearing my OBI blanket! Patience.

 

From what I've been told, (from a babe who studies in UK) Workman was brilliant last week. Spread the word

[Stefan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7HIDArk3j4

[Geoff]

Production on this really is a dog's anus, and the more I hear it the less impressed I am by the songs compared to their previous albums. It's good, but there's weaker stuff on here than their other CDs. And the production is a dog's anus. But they still do better than most bands with very little effort.

[Glen]

Production on this really is a dog's anus, and the more I hear it the less impressed I am by the songs compared to their previous albums. It's good, but there's weaker stuff on here than their other CDs. And the production is a dog's anus. But they still do better than most bands with very little effort.

 

Have to say I disagree - I love nearly every song on this album. The production is a little lacking I will admit but doesnt deflect my enjoyment of the album.

[Geoff]

 

 

Listened a couple of times and reminds me of Vega , for some reason.

 

Pretty good so far.

 

I hope you don't mean by that that it has the production qualities of (used) toilet paper. I hope you mean in terms of song quality.

 

 

Still don't get your moanings about Vega production - yeah its no Defiants, but its not that bad.

 

To be honest played on Google play on my phone is sounds OK.

 

 

My problem with it is how unnecessary it is. And playing it back to back with other great albums this year, like The Defiants, is just embarrassing. But like I say, the reason it really irritates me is for the simple reason... why? Why does it sound so shit?

 

If you look at all the top albums so far this year, the only two that sound considerably poor are the Catalano one and this. Now, I can forgive Catalano because they probably had the budget of my Friday lunch money, as well as no label backing either and there was no real expectation that this would sound amazing. Hopefully now that it's out there they can get a good producer in for album two and blitz it.

 

However, Vega are one of the biggest names... almost a "veteran" band of our genre. All their other albums have so far sounded quite pleasing to the ear. So why, on album 4 do they let one of the drawcard albums of "our genre" sound like a cut ballsack? Like I've said, as an artist Harry Hess is brilliant. A true gem. But his production credits are anything but. Any Harem Scarem album that he's had a hand in producing sounds like shit, production-wise. Great artist, but a poor album producer. His place is not on production duties, but as an artist.

 

So yeah, that's basically it. It's a good album (definitely not near their best) but there is no reason whatsoever it needs to sound like shit. Quite the opposite, as a marquee band of "our genre" it should sound excellent. Play it back to back with The Defiants, Treat, First Signal, Wigelius, Ted Poley, Palace, Reckless Love, Nordic Union, Grand Slam, Paris... the list is endless. Back to back with any current release, it just sounds like shit.

[Glen]

Mmm, I do think you are over-reacting slightly.

 

Crashdiet's Savage Playground sounds like shit - this is nowhere near as bad as that.

 

I do agree that Hess is not the greatest behind the switches, but like I said it doesn't detract that much.

 

Would I prefer it to sound like The Defiants - of course I would.

 

That said, I do think the songs are excellent and stand up very well against previous albums.

[simo]

Never had Vega on my map, listened to samples of this and their previous album but didn't bother with them further. Now last week when I was flying they had the new album on the plane's entertainment system so I gave it a go. I liked it, especially the first three songs but I will definitely have to give it another listen. Was looking forward to hearing ''Hurts So Bad'' cause I saw it mentioned a couple times as one of the best songs of 2016 on the forum. I don't think it's one of the better songs on the album, let alone of all songs released this year

[Glen]

Hurts so bad is great and stunning live

[Geoff]

Never had Vega on my map, listened to samples of this and their previous album but didn't bother with them further. Now last week when I was flying they had the new album on the plane's entertainment system so I gave it a go. I liked it, especially the first three songs but I will definitely have to give it another listen. Was looking forward to hearing ''Hurts So Bad'' cause I saw it mentioned a couple times as one of the best songs of 2016 on the forum. I don't think it's one of the better songs on the album, let alone of all songs released this year

 

What do you mean by this? You caught a plane and it had albums to listen to on their in-flight audio system, and one of them was Vega's new album? Seriously? What airline, and where were you flying from/to? This amazes me, if I understand correctly.

 

And yeah, Glen, it's not unlistenable. It's just irritating and shouldn't have happened. Completely unnecessary.

[kourosofsteel3]

Look at what the cat just dragged in!

 

It's almost typical, with zero standard deviation, for great bands to release the best songs of an album as Japanese bonuses.

 

[Glen]

What i dont understand is why these bonus tracks dont appear on Spotify.

 

Usual Vega standards....would have fitted in nicely just before the last track.

[Geoff]

Oh, ouch. Piss weak sound quality / production (like the rest of the album, I guess) but yep, I agree that would be one of the top three songs on the album. Killer tune.

[mrbandwidth]

Very good track. Thanks a lot!