Soulfish
ubw luminary
Joined: Nov 07, 2004
Location: Brighton
Posts: 707
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:24 pm |
 |
Soulfish reviews Michael Frazier
Free and Flying - Nice relaxed acoustic guitar song. Nice start to song with 2nd guitar noodles (could maybe have incorporated a hook here which returns whenever 2nd guitar returns) Nice ambience to the track. Simple and effective
Enjoy the ride - acoustic+vocal again nice combo of rhythm and noodle track. Lyric pretty much says it all. Sense of story in the lyrics touched on - would have liked a bit more. As the vocal repeats quite alot at the end would suggest some kind of backing vocal
Spirits - Nice opening discord with sound effect, best use of two guitars so far. Flute caught me by suprise. Sounds like a bamboo one. Fits in with the subject (spirituality). Have a little trouble picking out some of the words but only some. Shaker percussion sounds a little hesitant at times.
A Tear - Got a nice Dylan vibe. Twelve string(?) combines well with the descriptive lyrics. Nice moments. Any chance of a harp?
Turn Around - Short, and to the point.
Running for our lives - Lyric something like "Running from the cops or running from my wife...." made me smile. With obvious "irish folk" feel, I could imagine Shane (Pogue) giving this his unique edge.
Murphy's Law - Nice moments in the lyrics. Probably my favourite so far (lyrically) Again - I think a bit more thought in the second guitar part would elevate the song. Punchy delivery of vocals keeps interest in the story.
Fallen Star - Nice guitar part - interesting chords. Nice Middle 8 and resolved into final bars....Start lyrics sound a bit predictable but gets better.
Spend a little time - Only song with harmonies (tracked up vocal on verse though seemed a bit unecessary as Michals vocals are strong enough to stand alone and it would also make the chorus sound fatter)
General comments - Neatly written and well played songs in the classic folk guitar+voice style. Good vocals with moments of real emotion. Feels very much like an insight into Michael's personal world. The down side is that if you're not familiar with his world it may feel a little like being a voyeur in a stranger's front room.
The character in the voice stops it sounding too twee and Michael's music obviously means alot to him.
The only real criticism I have is that some of the songs feel a little underdeveloped-both lyrically and melodically. I don't mean they're unfinished - just more could be made out of them. A middle 8 that goes somewhere else would break up some of the ABABAB (Verse Chorus Verse Chorus) structure and also give a sense of "arrival" which would make last chorus's really stand out.
This kind of music I think you either love or hate. It demands real honesty, integrity and character to pull off as you've got feel the personality behind it. Michael has managed it and I would suggest his next step is to move away from areas he feels safe in and start exploring dischords,interesting harmonies and playing with peoples heads lyrically (by this I mean if there is an obvious lyric that rhymes and fits - then don't use it - use something that people wouldn't expect and makes them sit up and go "huh??!!". -Lyrically I think the songs are strongest when Michael is telling a personal story (ie.Fallen Star) but in some of the others there weren't enough suprises for me personally but then I really listen to lyrics above the song itself.
Anyone else want a rinsing??! (I feel like a bit of a ungrateful arsehole after you wrote such nice things about us!Figured you'd want more than a pat on the back though - or else you wouldn't be her at UBW!!)
Keep on keepin on!
 |
|
|
michaelfrazier
ubw rookie
Joined: Oct 14, 2004
Location: Salem , Oregon, USA
Posts: 123
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:08 pm |
|
I did not expect this much review. Thanks a bunch for checking out my tunes and passing along your thoughts. I am not offended in the least and welcome your comments. I have heard some similar to them in the past. I think it is pretty obvious that a lot of these tunes could use bass and drums and an actual lead guitar player. Still, without those particular talents or direct access to folks with those talents, I've got to keep doing something. And I guess this is it for now. I do appreciate your noticing some passion in my work - that's mostly my direction anymore. I'm not trying to write music for others to enjoy - I'm writing what I need to write for myself and hoping someone will appreciate something. I have no great desire to be in the big time so I don't spend much time thinking about it in a commercial sense. It just is what it is and you may be right that I'm too comfortable with that attitude. I'll consider those thoughts as I go along. Thanks again for all the feedback and I will keep on . . . . Michael. |
|
|
