New album info (as it rolls out...)

[lance]

Sweet, we'll be looking to you to supply the goods, then.

[buddhahat]

So, are people calling records "vinyls" now? Is this a thing? And if so, is it too late to stop them?

As for the record -- I'm afraid we're going to see a lot of lazy "Mike Love cashes in on his ill cousin" stuff. A lot of rote dismissals of half to three-quarters of the album. And it's going to be occasionally nasty. None of this has anything to do with how bad or good the record is. But having stuff like "Spring Vacation" or "Beaches in Mind" on there -- however good the actual songs are -- is baiting a certain class of reviewer. Sad to say.

There can be good songs and bad songs about beaches and surfing. The subject matter alone shouldn't determine the response. But oh, I bet it will. For some folks.

I think people need to brace themselves for bad reviews. From the samples, I think I'll probably agree with the reviewer that the intro, and last 3 are the real keepers, and that about another 3rd of the album will be a guilty pleasure and the remaining 3rd I can live without - and I consider myself a pretty blinkered fan. All I'm saying is there's a lot here to put off listeners and critics alike, and that doesn't necessarily mean that the fault lies with the critic because they are blinded by superficial, unimportant things such as subject matter and style.

I do think the autotune is a huge misjudgment and will be anathema to many. My kids were playing Justin Bieber this morning and I thought - that's where autotune truly belongs - to make young people sound even younger, or maybe the way Kanye West uses it - I think  it works well on those type of glamorous, excessive, high-gloss productions, where the artist and protagonists are young. But definitely not a Beach Boys' album! I think they can get away with a lot of dubious production gimmicks, but within that vocal blend and harmonies lies the identity of the band. If you mess with the voices, what are you left with? I guess they have a history of making poor judgements in an attempt to sound current and commercial, and this is part of who they are, love it or hate it.

[Wirestone]

Blinkered fans will review this album worse than most critics. Indeed, from your post, it seems one already has -- based on 90 second samples.

I predict a mixed critical reaction -- probably somewhere in the 70s on Metacritic. Some very high praise, some scathing pans, and a bunch in the middle.

And I would be surprised if even a single reviewer mentions autotune. A single reviewer. People here have a very strange view of music sometimes.

[seltaeb1012002]

The inevitable leak is most likely days away..

To anybody wanting to hold out till release day, best of luck

 

Haha. Well, if the whole album leaks, I'll download it. (But of course, I will buy the album on release day to support.)

Still haven't heard any of the samples. I'm considering allowing myself one iTunes sample per week til release day.

I figure I was able to quit smoking cigarettes, and I've lost 20 lbs so far (only eating salad, eggs, fruit & chicken.. 40 lbs to go! eek)

Which one would you suggest I check out if I could hear one out of the remaining 9?

[Wirestone]

This is not to say people can't disagree on the quality of the album. They certainly can! But it will be interesting to see how critical relations track with fan reactions. Here's one quick example: Getting' in Over My Head got decent mainstream reviews. Not much different from TLOS.

[buddhahat]

Blinkered fans will review this album worse than most critics. Indeed, from your post, it seems one already has -- based on 90 second samples.

I predict a mixed critical reaction -- probably somewhere in the 70s on Metacritic. Some very high praise, some scathing pans, and a bunch in the middle.

90 second samples allow me to hear enough of a song to make a judgement on whether I'll like it or not. I may change my mind, but for the most part that doesn't happen.

Anyway, I'm saying I like 2 thirds of the album! But just because I like it doesn't make it a great, or classic album, and I just think it's worth making that distinction here.

And I would be surprised if even a single reviewer mentions autotune. A single reviewer. People here have a very strange view of music sometimes.

I don't understand why expressing my disappointment at the use of autotune on this album equates to "a very strange view of music". Maybe you could consider any view other than your own "very strange"?

I'll be seriosuly surprised if no reviewer picks up on the autotune.

[Runaways]

but every brian album has autotune.  this is just the first time he's used it as a vocal effect.  not that i expect reviewers to see that.

This is not to say people can't disagree on the quality of the album. They certainly can! But it will be interesting to see how critical relations track with fan reactions. Here's one quick example: Getting' in Over My Head got decent mainstream reviews. Not much different from TLOS.

i'm preeeeetty sure TLOS got quite a bit better reviews.  their metacritic scores are 55 vs 70

[drbeachboy]

Just out of curiosity, can the enraged pitch correction discussion that's evident on this board be found anywhere else? Or are we the only ones who talk about it.

At one point on the Hoffman board it started heating up, just as it is here, until the mods got sick of the bickering and the same old tired arguments back and forth, and they started deleting posts and pretty much clamped down on the subject because the argument is just so silly, really.  It all boils down to this:

The production decisions have been made by the production team.  The recording is finished.  The songs have been chosen.  The songs have been mixed and likely mastered.  We will hear what the production team wants us to hear.  If you don't like the songs, you don't like the songs.  If you don't like the sound of pitch correction, you don't like the sound of pitch correction.  If you end up paying $12.00 for the disc, and you can't listen to it for whatever reason, then you're out $12.00.  Maybe you can sell the thing and get some of your money back. 

But why argue over something that we have absolutely no control over.  The Beach Boys are releasing a new album very soon.  As with every other album ever made by any artist in any era, you may like it and you may not.  You pays your money and you takes your choice.         

A healthy life philosophy, because no one ever changed anything.

Not on a record this late in the game. Some of you guys piss and moan just to hear/see yourselves piss and moan. In this case it is too late and they will do what they will do. If you really think you can change this, have them add Carl & Dennis to the vocals while you're at it.

[Wirestone]

but every brian album has autotune.  this is just the first time he's used it as a vocal effect.  not that i expect reviewers to see that.

This is not to say people can't disagree on the quality of the album. They certainly can! But it will be interesting to see how critical relations track with fan reactions. Here's one quick example: Getting' in Over My Head got decent mainstream reviews. Not much different from TLOS.

i'm preeeeetty sure TLOS got quite a bit better reviews.  their metacritic scores are 55 vs 70

That's more than I recalled. Still kinda middlish for each, though. Anyway, how many people here would honestly give GIOMH a 55?

[Runaways]

new issue of uncut is out and has a review of the new album.

i'm in america so i can't read it though.

wait, not till tuesday. FALSE ALARM ABORT ABORT

[Rocker]

To support any chart placing for our boys I just ordered the album on amazon.com although I would have it a few days sooner if I'd ordered on amazon.de

[southbay]

new issue of uncut is out and has a review of the new album.

i'm in america so i can't read it though.

wait, not till tuesday. FALSE ALARM ABORT ABORT

Looking at their website closely, looks like it is a concert review, not new album review.

[the professor]

New article in Spring Magazine coming out soon, not much info, but some nice re-assurance

"After eight examples of such unintentional self-parody, however, something unexpected happens. Partway through “From There to Back Again,” The Beach Boys throw off the pretense that they’re still adolescents and acknowledge they’re old men “thinking about when life was still in front of you,” as Al sings. “We had a lot to live; we gave it all,” Brian adds wistfully.
With this sudden honesty in the lyrics, the music changes too, busting out of its lockstep arrangements and forced cheerfulness into an ever-shifting tide of melancholy and resilience, represented by wordless choral vertigo, mood-turning piano chords, rhythmic decelerations and accelerations and happy-go-lucky whistling. It’s a tour de force that wouldn’t have been out of place on the Smile sessions, a reminder that Brian and his bandmates can still make ambitious music if they choose to.
One band member reveals that the 3:23 “From There to Back Again” and the 1:47 “Pacific Coast Highway” were at one point part of a seven-minute suite called “My Life,” but apparently ambition still has its limits in The Beach Boys camp. That’s too bad, because “Pacific Coast Highway” and “Summer’s Gone” are also terrific songs, suffused with the sadness that has marked many of Brian’s greatest creations. (If you’re a downloader, you should download these three songs and the gorgeous, wordless album opener, “Think About the Days.” Skip the rest.)
"

Really ?  I'd argue that point, and strongly.

Yes, Andrew is right.  There can be no "summer's gone" without , "daybreak" and "beaches in mind." I would be bold enough to aver that the album, as sequenced, is already a journey, a suite, a narrative, a progression that is more coherently linked than Smile, PS or St. Pepper (I won't debate this, but like Dennis, I am making a perhaps exaggerated point).  The BB starts with a sacred text, like "my prayer," to introduce the gravity of what's to come.  The playful, "fun" songs do not exist outside of the narrative context heading to the wistful melancholy of the final songs.  I would like to know if parts of the suite were omitted (as some of the "I-fear Brian was dissed by commercialism" members are worrying, or if the suite is not simply separately sequenced tracks that are not in "suite" form per se.  Does any one know?).

My other scholarly duties and the absence of the complete album prevent me from writing a longer essay in this forum, but I'll likely compose an Amazon review along these lines.

my point for today: the songs on the album get more mature in theme and lyric and musicality; we are experiencing the "ages of man," a classical and medieval trope, through the BB vision of themselves.

the album tells us "we're back to together" and "the past is all behind us." Then it asks a question: "isn't it time," and it answers it, somewhat tragically with the final suite:

"sunlight's fading and there's not much left to say" ; "I'm better off alone"

"old friends have gone; they's gone their separate ways"; "our dreams hold on for those who still have more to say"

In short, for our colleague from Spin: old age means nothing without youth. Are the BBs Cicero, as in his de senectute?  Well, pretty close. They are our modern philosophers about youth, age , and wisdom.  So "skip the rest" is very poor scholarly advice.

[Zach95]

To support any chart placing for our boys I just ordered the album on amazon.com although I would have it a few days sooner if I'd ordered on amazon.de

You're a good man, I applaud your dedication my friend 

[Runaways]

new issue of uncut is out and has a review of the new album.

i'm in america so i can't read it though.

wait, not till tuesday. FALSE ALARM ABORT ABORT

Looking at their website closely, looks like it is a concert review, not new album review.

i was going off a tweet by the guy who first tweeted about the album when he got a copy a few weeks ago, you might be right but this would be the issue with the review wouldn't it?

[bgas]

To support any chart placing for our boys I just ordered the album on amazon.com although I would have it a few days sooner if I'd ordered on amazon.de

You should order also, the vinyl from Amazon Canada, as it's being released on June 5th, unlike all other countries that don't release until July 3rd.
http://www.amazon.ca/Thats-Why-Made-Radio-Version/dp/B007U1FEQW/ref=sr_1_12?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1337449302&sr=1-12

[ArchStanton]

To support any chart placing for our boys I just ordered the album on amazon.com although I would have it a few days sooner if I'd ordered on amazon.de

You're a good man, I applaud your dedication my friend 

Very true!  That said, we don't want to punt the chart position over there either....  Ha ha ha

[bsten]

You can download the shows as podcasts  

Great, thanks!! And even better - you don't need ITunes!!

Go here:

http://www.podcast.de/episode/106928600/120513%2BAVRO%2BSchiffers.fm%2Buur%2B2

Select the show you want, look for Download, then right-click and Save as...
Use your favorite audio editing program and edit out the songs...

/B

I just compared the Itunes sample of Spring vacation with the "Dutch" version,
and the "Dutch" version is (just like TWGMTR) slightly different - the lead vocal is "further back" - it has a,
what should I say, softer approach, more enjoyable to listen to...

Is there another version of the album out there or is it the radio station using effects???

/ B

Funny, no-one's interested in talking about alternate versions of the new songs - and they're out there to download...........
 

[southbay]

new issue of uncut is out and has a review of the new album.

i'm in america so i can't read it though.

wait, not till tuesday. FALSE ALARM ABORT ABORT

Looking at their website closely, looks like it is a concert review, not new album review.

i was going off a tweet by the guy who first tweeted about the album when he got a copy a few weeks ago, you might be right but this would be the issue with the review wouldn't it?

yep, and it could be an album review as well.  The magazine cover is a bit vague, but the actual website appears to indicate a live review.  We'll see, I guess.

Also, looks like the negative review this was cited on the board from "Spring" magazine has now morphed into a review from SPIN.  I don't think anyone has seen or linked e review from SPIN, uness I missed it.

[ArchStanton]

You can download the shows as podcasts  

Great, thanks!! And even better - you don't need ITunes!!

Go here:

http://www.podcast.de/episode/106928600/120513%2BAVRO%2BSchiffers.fm%2Buur%2B2

Select the show you want, look for Download, then right-click and Save as...
Use your favorite audio editing program and edit out the songs...

/B

I just compared the Itunes sample of Spring vacation with the "Dutch" version,
and the "Dutch" version is (just like TWGMTR) slightly different - the lead vocal is "further back" - it has a,
what should I say, softer approach, more enjoyable to listen to...

Is there another version of the album out there or is it the radio station using effects???

/ B

Funny, no-one's interested in talking about alternate versions of the new songs - and they're out there to download...........
 

I'm not smart enough to figure out how to acquire them to talk about them despite the instructions... 

[bsten]

I'm not smart enough to figure out how to acquire them to talk about them despite the instructions...  

Well, Perhaps I can Make you happy in other ways...  
Cheers
/B

[b00ts]

Yes, Andrew is right.  There can be no "summer's gone" without , "daybreak" and "beaches in mind." I would be bold enough to aver that the album, as sequenced, is already a journey, a suite, a narrative, a progression that is more coherently linked than Smile, PS or St. Pepper (I won't debate this, but like Dennis, I am making a perhaps exaggerated point).  The BB starts with a sacred text, like "my prayer," to introduce the gravity of what's to come.  The playful, "fun" songs do not exist outside of the narrative context heading to the wistful melancholy of the final songs.  I would like to know if parts of the suite were omitted (as some of the "I-fear Brian was dissed by commercialism" members are worrying, or if the suite is not simply separately sequenced tracks that are not in "suite" form per se.  Does any one know?).

My other scholarly duties and the absence of the complete album prevent me from writing a longer essay in this forum, but I'll likely compose an Amazon review along these lines.

my point for today: the songs on the album get more mature in theme and lyric and musicality; we are experiencing the "ages of man," a classical and medieval trope, through the BB vision of themselves.

the album tells us "we're back to together" and "the past is all behind us." Then it asks a question: "isn't it time," and it answers it, somewhat tragically with the final suite:

"sunlight's fading and there's not much left to say" ; "I'm better off alone"

"old friends have gone; they's gone their separate ways"; "our dreams hold on for those who still have more to say"

In short, for our colleague from Spin: old age means nothing without youth. Are the BBs Cicero, as in his de senectute?  Well, pretty close. They are our modern philosophers about youth, age , and wisdom.  So "skip the rest" is very poor scholarly advice.

I like the lyrical analysis here. I noticed that almost every song on the album has references to the past, and I am digging the thematic continuity.

[EgoHanger1966]

Something I was thinking about - and (kind of) expanding on the thematic thing mentioned earlier. You can pick apart any album and find tracks you don't like as much as others. So, while we all haven't heard the full album yet, maybe try to take this viewpoint before judging it. This could be an album to grow on you as a whole. So, while, say,what I've heard of the lyrics to "Bill and Sue" might be a bit off putting as a single track, maybe it can be easier to dig as a part of the album, but only if the listener decides to think that way.

[Autotune]

Something I was thinking about - and (kind of) expanding on the thematic thing mentioned earlier. You can pick apart any album and find tracks you don't like as much as others. So, while we all haven't heard the full album yet, maybe try to take this viewpoint before judging it. This could be an album to grow on you as a whole. So, while, say,what I've heard of the lyrics to "Bill and Sue" might be a bit off putting as a single track, maybe it can be easier to dig as a part of the album, but only if the listener decides to think that way.

Bill and Sue... How can anybody not experience that unmistakable joie de vivre associated with BBs music when Brian sings the "from California to Mexico" part? His ageless sound bursting into the full-voiced imagery and musical colors that exist only in the mind of this distant man? When I hear a strong new Brian vocal like that I fall for his music and all that it represents all over again.

[the professor]

Yes, brothers, that's it. Let's embrace the thematic whole of  this album. The beach boys obviously being very retrospective and contemplative in a sometimes ironical and sometimes tragically melancholic way. Anyone who thinks the phrase easy money is not ironically contextualized is misreading the album. What they have done and what they are doing does not look easy, emotionally, physically.