...is gonna be into this piece.

Myself, I enjoyed it. Nice sig changes. The funny thing
about listening to music here is thinking about what "i"
would do with the tune. I thought about that lots... but
that's not what we're doing here... =)

Alimar, you always amaze with the level of creativity and
technical proficiency in your compositions and this one
does not disappoint. My ratings would have been a little
higher if not for a few things (and i only criticize out of
respect... i think even YOUR bar can go up!)

The production felt a little cold. It was lacking some mid-
range warmth... and although this is your medium, this
song is crying out for the sensibilities and subtleties of a
skilled fusion/progressive drummer... and for that matter
bassist.

Again, the programming is your medium. I would love to
see your amazing work take that next step.

Amazing... added to my faves. 8-7-8-8

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Man, when you voice comes in, it is so-o-o cool. The
sparse bed is very neat. Nice separation of instruments,
mixing, dramatic storytelling in the composition. The
retro synth pads, use of piano, organ washes, and
judicous peppering of cool drums all works really well.
The sound of the music bed is slightly tinny, or perhaps
becuz of all that reverb there seems to be a lack of
monster bass sounds to balance out the large concept
drama of the piece. But your vocals sound perfect. Perfect.
And the surprises never lurch or hitch in the arrangement.
Very well done. Epic.

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This is one of those pieces which I have had to listen to
several times before voting or commenting. Why?

1). It doesn't fit into any particular genre; it's a
combination of many styles and moods. Therefore, it
stretches the ears and forges a new path.

2.) It has a "push/pull" quality which is subtle, requiring
careful attention of the listener. (More on this presently.)

3.) The lyrics are intense, yet sparse in the middle section.
The instrumental sections on both ends are rather
deliberate and drawn-out. This also requires more
attentive listening.

There is a great deal of depth to this piece which may not
be immediately apparent at first hearing. The instrumental
sections are complex in their melodic content as well as
rhythm. I particularly like the fast percussion riffs in the
middle of the slow, almost ominously deliberate tempo.

The lyrics express anger (energetic) and hopelessness
(non-energetic). So, this "push/pull" quality is expressed
in the words as well as in the music.

I think that this piece will elicit an interesting array of
reactions and comments.

I could say more about it, but will give others a chance!

Very fine job on this piece.

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This is a track that I can see being played live on stage. It
has a huge presence with the separated instruments
building up into the vocals. Fabulous drums in those short
fills. Your voice holds this thing together with an amazing
quality and of course wonderful harmonies. ( even with all
those cigs.. LMAO)
The time and care you have both put into this track I can
hear.
Wade, the lyrics are well written and fit the overall
atmosphere of the track.
Excellent arrangement and concept from both of you.
Fantastic production and congratulations to you both for
getting on to Progressive Soundscapes!

SlimGirlFat

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i enjoyed the many directions & non-linear quality of the
song, the parts that featured the vocals are my favorite.
the music & vox complement extremely well & create a
spooky, almost hopeless feeling considering the topic. i
think clipping off some of the 'fat' of the rest of the song
would really tighten things up-not sure if i fall for the
musical ramblings scattered about, altho from an artistic
& production point of view, they're just swell

i think a pared down version of this could infiltrate other
genres very well. don't take me as being too critical, just
some ideas from my head. some really great stuff

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Somewhere in the universe of The Moody Blues, Pink
Floyd, and ELP, this is a style of composition I can dig. You
present a well written and expertly mixed panoply of
sound. The words are a bit simplistic but perhaps such
stands in sharp contrast to the techno-politico-overspeak
of our military-industrial complex. Good job.

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...in conveying a sense of struggle, conflict and discord.
The use of varying time signatures, the consonant (in the
excellent vocals) and dissonant, the different motifs
woven in and out. To me, this is musical 'illustration' at
its best in conveying mood, texture and color--all in an
aural 'abstract expressionism' portrait.
Fabulous.

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Chapman saying "not everyone is gonna dig this" is a true
understatement.

Al, you're developing a real David Cousins sort of vocal
thing.

It is quite long, yet I have found no reason WHY the piece
is this long. The melodic and vocal story could have been
told in 3 minutes, yet it goes on for, what 3 hours?

I have a real problem with some of those drums.
Obnoxiously overplayed and fussy. It doesn't actually
sound like someone is playing them. It's the most
obvious sign in what is overall, an extremely overwrought
and pretentious prog overindulgence-fest.

Having a DJ write your lyrics is ONE way to get your songs
played on the air, I'll give ya that!

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Prog rock isn't really my bag, but I think I get what you're doing here. If I'm not mistaken, the idea is to apply rock temperment to classical construction. Yes, the piece is long, but I think economy isn't one of the goals. Accessibility takes a back seat to concept.

I do like the more ecclectic choices, such as the sudden drum fills and change-ups. There's also a lot to like in the instrumentation that has a classic Alimar touch. The instruments are well applied and the chord/melody contruction really shines!

There is something about the production that is irksome. Something I can't quite finger. Some of it may be the sounds of some of the software instruments, which sit a little uncomfortably between lifelike and synthetic.

Overall, I think this is a terrific exploration of arrangement. A piece for songwriters who will enjoy the construction moreso than a general audience, who may find it bit obtuse.

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Sure sounds better than it did streaming at 56k on that
streaming radio.

As I said before, nice Progressive progressive rock.

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Okay, let's get the bad stuff out of the way first… I
get what some people are saying about the sounds of
the synthetic instruments. They are a bit offputting,
not in a major way but just enough to make me feel
less than totally comfortable with the track.
Otherwise, this a great bit of prog rock. Not everyone
will get this but then this is a genre that alienates
many people anyway, just by its very nature and
complexity. Not me, though: I love the genre and I
really like this piece overall. I love the changes in
time signature particularly, plus the final Keith
Emerson stab at the end was a nice touch. It's got a
lot going for it. Well done. Keep 'em coming. Sorted!

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not for the next four years anyway

(/politics)

I like this a lot. The vocals, the arrangement, all very nice.
The tom breaks were a little up front for my taste at first,
but they began to sound like gunfire and grew on me.

One total quibble: the intro is not musically 3/4, but 6/4,
as the phrases resolve themselves in sets of six beats,
rather than sets of three. ONE two three four five six, ONE
two three four five six; instead of ONE two three, ONE two
three. Even better for prog rock cred, I should think.


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but I liked the way it changed time and found it very easy
to listen to...but not easy listening. There is a lot going on
especially toward the end that is very, very interesting and
intense.

There is no way I could critique this piece technically-
your skills are advanced beyond what I can imagine ever
being able to do...but (there's always a but, isn't there)
toward the middle I found this one repeated cymbal crash
on the right to be less than desirable. It just seemed out
of place (the sound, not the actual placement). Maybe
panned a little more to the center or a different cymbal
would have been less noticeable...okay I'm nitpicking.
COOL SONG!

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About as accessible as the peak of Mount Everest in a raging storm, this piece makes one question Apple's wisdom in including the "pencil" tool in GB in the first place.

And you know from me, that's a compliment, Al!

Nicely done!

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I loved the music track and even the sound of the vocals but the lyrics are somewhere beyond amateurish. I couldn't give the songwriting more than a "2" and that's only because all of the words are spelled correctly. Your music deserves better.

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I thought the piano sound was a little cheesy as was the
hornesqe analog line. It sounded dated to me. Other
than that it was quite beautiful in parts and quite
disturbing in parts. When your voice came in it heald me
in rapture, but I must say that I'm not a big fan of this
piece. It was too buisy, too scatterd, though that may ave
been what you were going for, it really didn't tickle my
fancy.

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kudos for sheer imagination. The changes are jarring and
cohesive at the same time. Like many of your other
pieces, it just seems to get better with repeated listenings.
I think that's because it DOES take some to time to "get" it.
That's part of the joy in prog, isn't it? Accessibility isn't
EVERYTHING, SmartAss. ;) Anyway, it has a distinctive
"Alimar" quality to it too that is beginning to become a
signature. That's a good thing. Sometimes when a piece
is a little "out there" it is difficult to critique, but I will
agree that the production sounds a little cold. Seems a
tad trebly, as though it needs more substance. Don't ask
how to fix that; my own stuff is fraught with production
issues!

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i really like the grand sense, and it goes with the lyrics you were given. i get what people are saying about the retro feel, like the bands that were so produced they lacked any rawness, even though they predated MIDI. but, given that you are writing in that part of the prog rock genre, this sounds really good. the introduction is quite long, and without your voice i won't have been that interested, even though the writing is very good, just because it sounds so far away and without human involvement. but i love your voice. even while singing lyrics that lack surprise and personality, you gave it something special. i think this is one of your best tracks and really enjoy how you are able to do so much with what you have, in this case not only GB but the lyrics and overall concept. high marks again.

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This is awesome!
Very relaxing and dreamy!
Rockn' Roll, man. Bring it on!
Very creative....i hear some Pink Floyd inspiration, some
James Bond inspriation and the rest it truely new to me.
Keep it coming!
You guys Rock!
OrangeFizz

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Very well done. I look forward to more. Do you have GB2/
JP4 yet? Imagine a tune like this splashed with dabs of
orchestral colors.

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The drums are the best part. Love them. may the nostrils of the world be forced to inhale them while in Purgatory.

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I can see what cameron means with the push-pull
effects... neat lateral thinking there. Also, the lyrics are
fairly balls. I am not sure about that synth solo near the
end.. sounds a bit much like to much someone running a
mouse over the onscreen keyboard for my liking....

I also think it has a nice reggae feel which suits the 'peace'
feel of the peace, especially the anymore? slice.

Keep it up. Archy

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This is a fabulous piece of work. I really like the overall
feel to this piece. Very haunting. Congrats for an excellent
song!

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Were not working for me, although not for the massively
over discussed reasons mentioned before. It just didn't
feel like a natural pattern to play...

Other than that, I dig the tune. I like the Sig changes and
how it pops in and out of an energy and sadness carrying
a few catchy note phrases along the way.

Alimar said "Bitch"!! Tsk tsk

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First of all, this sounds really good. Great production.

Secondly, I wouldn't worry about falling outside of genres.
It's still strictly tonal, based on some clear riffs, and a few
"wilder" passages are firmly anchored by the vocal
sections. Call it progressive rock. Ah, I see you already did
that :-)

Great composition.

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Man, you have a great voice. Sing more! Stuff like! This! I'd
love to hear you sing stuff with more edge. There is
something about your voice, the depth and low edge
ridges, that hooks me and makes me think, "Maybe
singers over 40 are cooler than kids who don't even know
what they're really saying." Maturity in action.

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Man, you have a great voice. Sing more! Stuff like! This! I'd
love to hear you sing stuff with more edge. There is
something about your voice, the depth and low edge
ridges, that hooks me and makes me think, "Maybe
singers over 40 are cooler than kids who don't even know
what they're really saying." Maturity in action.

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You have a very interesting creative style. I dig the way your songs
progress very unpredictably. The structure of them keeps you engaged at
every turn.

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I think everything in this tune is very, very cool. I like the beats, melodies, timing sequences, notes, harmonies, vocals . . . the whole thing. It is very well put together, played, sung and written. Extremely interesting and different in a good way in my opinion.

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Great work fellas. Enjoyed it. Indeed a very sad situation the world finds
itself in...

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Great work fellas. Enjoyed it. Indeed a very sad situation the world finds
itself in...

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