New Brian Wilson song just premiered on radio

[SgtTimBob]

Heard this for the first time today. From a writing perspective, it's got a some nice chords and interesting structure. The chorus is one of those that just keeps going round in my head, hours after listening. I'm not too keen on the production. There's something jarring about the quasi-pet sounds arrangement being as heavily processed and compressed as this. It'd sound a lot better if we could hear a much more dynamic mix, in my humble opinion.

[GhostyTMRS]

I quite like it. Sure, the chorus is lifted from "Lay Down Burden" but this is Brian Wilson we're talking about here (All Dressed Up For School begat I Just Got My Pay begat Marcella, etc) and I'm fine with it. Actually, the tasty guitar parts presumably from David Marks really add something special to this track.

I've often wished that Brian would have Al sing leads on his solo albums because Al just has this timeless and youthful voice.

Are Al's vocals heavily processed? Yes, obviously. I don't know if it's auto-tune or whatever but the same can be said for TWGMTR and.. at this point in 2015, this is pretty much how everybody sounds. A friend of mine complained about how processed McCartney's vocals were on his latest album (although it's less than how Al is here) and it didn't bother me. Maybe I've just gotten used to it. Would I have wanted less of the hocus pocus? You bet, but I'm happy with what I'm hearing here.

[elnombre]

Just a heads up that the original Norwegian radio link no longer seems to be working. Just went to give it a listen again but alas. 

[the professor]

Listened for 5 hours on a loop; love this song....so soothing and peaceful, as is Our Special Love.  I hope it charts. A video comes out tomorrow on Yahoo music: I hope it has great footage of B, A and D in the studio. This is the "single" from the album so far.

[Nicko1234]

Just a heads up that the original Norwegian radio link no longer seems to be working. Just went to give it a listen again but alas. 

Video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTkM3uqWctg

[Niko]

ITS SO COOL

[RiC]

Great video, but where is Dave 

[Mendota Heights]

Great video, but where is Dave 

He is filming.

[Carrie Marks]

Great video, but where is Dave  

Brian wasn't feeling well the day David recorded his parts so they cancelled the camera-guy.  :-(

[Micha]

Great video, but where is Dave  

Brian wasn't feeling well the day David recorded his parts so they cancelled the camera-guy.  :-(

It wasn't the right time, was it...?

[HeyJude]

When I saw that it was listed as a “lyric video”, I got nervous, because those are nearly always awful. But at least this one has some actual studio footage. Probably mostly staged footage (e.g. they were obviously really in the studio, probably cutting stuff, but we’re probably not seeing the actual footage of the released vocal takes, etc.), but always cool to see Al and Brian in the studio together.

We obviously have to wait to see the album credits, but it’s certainly implied here that “The Right Time” is one of the tracks with Keltner on drums and Was on bass. Anybody know who the other guitarists are? I recognize Scott Bennett of course doing some apparent vocals, but there were one or two other dudes on guitar that I don’t recognize.

[the professor]

well, this is another serious problem; where is Jon S or perhaps Carrie herself on this subject?  What did Dave do on this song; there are many guitar parts, and he is nowhere to be seen on this staged video. Someone (not Dave) is depicted as playing the outro, no one doing the opening or solo guitar. I spend most of my BB time thinking about my fav. BB, and is it to much to ask from the producers,, again and again for 50 years, for an honest accounting and depiction of his work, especially since he is billed as one of the artists for this song. The word "featured" is not evident in this  otherwise inoffensive enough video, such as it is.

Hoping for clarification; obviously for the Professor the "best thing" about this song was that Dave was part of something so wonderful creatively.

[RiC]

Great video, but where is Dave  

Brian wasn't feeling well the day David recorded his parts so they cancelled the camera-guy.  :-(

That's a bummer. They should've put more thought into that. It now looks a bit weird, having everyone else there except him.

[Cyncie]

well, this is another serious problem; where is Jon S or perhaps Carrie herself on this subject?  What did Dave do on this song; there are many guitar parts, and he is nowhere to be seen on this staged video. Someone (not Dave) is depicted as playing the outro, no one doing the opening or solo guitar. I spend most of my BB time thinking about my fav. BB, and is it to much to ask from the producers,, again and again for 50 years, for an honest accounting and depiction of his work, especially since he is billed as one of the artists for this song. The word "featured" is not evident in this  otherwise inoffensive enough video, such as it is.

Hoping for clarification; obviously for the Professor the "best thing" about this song was that Dave was part of something so wonderful creatively.

Carrie says Brian was ill the day David recorded so they cancelled the filming. I guess they could have scheduled a "shoot" at another time, but maybe schedules just didn't line up.

[Carrie Marks]

What did Dave do on this song;

He’s playing the intro and the outro.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

Thanks so much, Carrie.  If there's one thing I've learned from filmmakers, it's how upsetting it is to leave great stuff on the cutting room floor, and in this case, the shoot didn't work out.  Once again, decision processes for something like this are often - if not always - difficult for the filmmaker.  Hopefully, we'll see more of Dave on the PBS special, etc.

[Smilin Ed H]

You should never take people who use the term "sheeple" seriously.

I try not, but he's right.

Doesn't that now make you a sheeple?

Nah, that was a considered response

[the professor]

Thank you so much Carrie. Did Dave also play those licks in the solo section, which is really an extended choral part, punctuated with surf guitar? Thank you for helping us to preserve and honor Dave's contribution. I speak only for myself, but I know so many here cherish Dave as well. Our affection and respect for him are such that every detail of his artistic and creative work means much to us. That the neighbor kid who played catch football with Brian in the front yard 50+ years ago is a creative collaborator with him in 2015 is ever amazing and also very spiritually satisfying. I always want to make sure that I know what and whom I am hearing for fear of misunderstanding or misrepresenting Dave's work.  The intro and the outro are masterful, contemplative and elegant, themselves a major contribution to the genius of the song. Please forgive me for hoping those other parts are his too.

again, thanks for your kind reply,
The Professor

What did Dave do on this song;

He’s playing the intro and the outro.

[Heysaboda]

Song's not bad.  Would have fit well on the 2012 reunion album.  But I think an important question persists:  how the hell is Norway getting to hear this song before everyone else?!

They obviously sent vikings to Los Angeles to pillage the song 

The Vikings are angry because they've never won a Super Bowl!!!   

[joshferrell]

I liked the video, I really liked how Brian and Al were laughing together in the one spot,,,that was really cool,,,

[Heysaboda]

This song is lovely, gorgeous, beautiful.  Yeah I admit I’m a fan of MOR type songs.  It really gives you a good feeling.  Love it!

It’s like Imagination, which is a personal favorite of mine.  It was Imagination that turned me into a Brian Wilson fan (and then later a BBs fan).  I’m admitting to previous ignorance here, but prior to Imagination I would not have been able to tell one Wilson brother from the other.

I love Al Jardine.  Great song, great vocal – this thing sounds radio friendly to me!

[Lowbacca]

Love it. I'm currently taking classes on production. That sound isn't autotune, it's just a more modern style of mixing double tracked vocals.

THANK you.

[Heysaboda]

I had to listen again with fresh ears, and heard more details. First, as mentioned, Al sounds terrific. I'm starting to think he found the vocal fountain of youth...man, this guy can deliver a lead vocal melody, right on the money. Very cool. I keyed in on the neat arrangement of the instrumental chorus after the bridge, it's cool how the vocal harmonies are swirling around their phrases (I especially like the way the bass voice is mixed, as well as the bass notes being sung) then get "answered" by a short guitar burst. Call and response between vocals and guitar rather than a full-blown guitar solo, very nice. Really nice falsetto part in there as well, I didn't expect some of the notes, especially the last part of the line.

What I keyed in on even more this time was the guitar arrangement. It's a pretty multi-textured and multi-purpose guitar arrangement, for all the parts. Actually, it felt like one of what I think is one of Brian's trademark arranging and orchestrating moves dating back to the Pet Sounds days...How he used multiple guitars in ways other than the usual ways guitars were used if that makes sense.  

Besides having the standard rhythm part doing chords and lead part adding on top and possibly soloing, we heard guitars on various Pet Sounds tracks acting as percussion instruments, acting like horn sections of a big band phasing with each other, and doing the usual guitar stuff we'd expect.

I zeroed in on this new track, how the guitars are being used and layered - It's a great thing to hear, honestly of all the guitar playing I hear during an average week on many styles of music, I think this kind of sound stands out, even though it's mixed into the track and not a prominent sound.

Listen to how he has one guitar doing the percolating percussive or guitar-as-percussion sound on muted arpeggio-type chord figures, then there is the acoustic adding some chords and intertwined single notes in between, then there are the "lead" electric parts, and also what sounds like some additional layering of the muted arpeggio, percolating sound (or it could be just an effect of the soundscape, I'll need to break out the "good" headphones...).

Whatever the case, I thought it was refreshing to hear that kind of guitar arrangement on a song like this, but coming from the guy who did it so well 50 years ago, it's not as much a surprise as a grand return of a sound I really enjoy hearing, guitar-wise. (or guitar"S", since they're layered...).

Lot of cool stuff going on in there worth checking out.

Thanks for this GF.

I also noticed the “muted guitar arpeggios” on From There to Back Again; reminded me a lot of Pet Sounds!

God what a great song this is!

[CenturyDeprived]

But I simply fundamentally disagree that copious use of pitch correction plug-ins can be equated to mic placement and the like.

I'm not saying this to be disrespectful to anyone, but that kind of thinking is what separates professional audio engineers from everyone else, including audiophiles. There are certain things that are learned, practiced, and perfected in the studio that go into creating the sounds of the end result, down to the basics of putting a mic in front of an acoustic guitar and choosing which mic to use, and those that are not or have not been in the business of recording and mixing professionally or even semi-professionally cannot fully appreciate the process until they actually do it hands-on and hear how much these seemingly tiny variables like mic placement and mic selection can alter and change the sound.

If you were to change the angle of a microphone on, say, an acoustic guitar even a slight bit off the soundhole and point it more toward the fretboard, it could have as much of an audible and consequential effect on the sound of that guitar in a mix as adding Autotune to pitch up some trailing notes on a sustained vocal note.

"Copious use" suggests the deliberate overuse of the effect, or of any effect, to the point where it is obviously audible in the mix. For this specific topic, and this specific track, do you specifically hear such a copious use of AutoTune on Al Jardine's lead vocal track? If not, I'm wondering why a detailed discussion of AutoTune is relevant to discussing this particular song in this thread.

Let me be clear. As I previously mentioned, I buy that autotune is not present on “The Right Time.” The discussion has indeed moved from a specific citation of autotune on that track to a more general discussion of autotune, and of how listeners who might hear it or discuss it are being portrayed. In addition, we’ve been touching on whether autotune is present on some or any recent BB/Brian recordings.

I’ve been discussing a more sort of semantic point about autotune in general; specifically that I disagree with the dismissal of a listener “hearing” autotune as an opinion of either ignorance or an opinion of no consequence (e.g. “mic placement can or does impact a final, finished, mastered recording as much as autotune, therefore why discuss it?). Both my own knowledge on these topics, in addition to my own ability to analyze various forms of rhetoric, suggest to me that, to generalize, “you don’t work in a studio, so you don’t know” is not *always* an answer I trust.

“Copious” use does not imply a deliberate overuse. Rather, it simply means something in abundance or quantity. There is a copious amount of autotune or other pitch-correction on items including the C50 live album and some of the TWGMTR album. I’m happy to absorb any studio professional’s knowledge on this and any related topics, and I’m happy to entertain analyses of specific recordings and why other studio techniques were at play instead of autotune. But I haven’t yet found someone who can produce compelling evidence that pitch correction hasn’t been used on some recent BB releases. If one acknowledges that it *has* been used, then it’s much more difficult to dismiss subsequent theories that it has been used on later recordings. It doesn’t mean that every theory or accusation is correct. But again, I simply don’t agree with the “microphones, mic placement, mixing, autotune, who knows?” angle, especially when it seems to imply, I guess, that anything or everything we’ve been hearing as potentially “autotune” on recent BB-related recordings isn’t autotune.

Implicit in any dissection of recordings is the fact that, with few exceptions, we weren’t there. We never know anything for sure. But I know I’m going to listen to an industry professional who says Recording A doesn’t have autotune if they also acknowledge that it has been used in other cases. If the discussion starts with an assertion or implication that we don’t know if it has *ever* been used (or an assertion that we’re not professionals, so we shouldn’t even wonder), I have trouble heavily weighing that opinion.  

Do most people hear compressors in use on recordings? Limiters? Aural Exciters or Sonic Maximizers depending on the brand? How about EQ, can most people tell that a track was sent through an expensive Pultec versus a 80 dollar Behringer? How about Eventides, they were even more of a rage at some points in the 80's than the gated snare sounds, can anyone spot them on a record?

When you listen to broadcast radio, can you tell what kind of compressor is on the host's voice?

Perhaps only if and when those devices and "effects" are deliberately overused to the point where they are noticeable, because above all these effects were designed primarily to be transparent. Which is how Autotune was designed too, and how I join Century Deprived in preferring it be used transparently to the point of not noticing it at all when I did use it.  

I feel safe in saying that the Gershwin album is the very best use in the BW/BB catalog of Autotune being used transparently. While I know some people have been able to point out a few instances if they really listen closely, there's nothing that jumps out blatantly as sloppy Autotune work. Whoever was responsible for production/mixing vocals on that record did a really swell job.

Not to nitpick, but as I mentioned earlier: Does anyone doubt that when Al sings "but ne--ver in a very straight line" in "The Right Time" that this is anything but an Autotune glitch (or a glitch in a similar pitch correction program, if in fact it isn't Autotune that is specifically the program being used)? Does anyone think that this hiccup is just the natural way it was sung by Al? I'd like to know if anyone believes that. Maybe it is, but I'm very doubtful.

I almost want to make my own mix and try to edit that hiccup out. I know it amounts to nitpicking, the way people were nitpicking pops that were on The Smile Sessions (which were presumably introduced not by source material, but by an engineer forgetting to put a crossfade on a waveform)... but IMO it's worth talking about because I think it's a glitch that's not supposed to be there.

[Les P]

Maybe this has been posted already, "The Right Time" is now available on Rhapsody.