LLL Reviews

Yogi · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 3:21 pm Post subject: LLL Reviews

As I see reviews of LLL, I'll re-post them here. If you feel moved to write your own review, go right ahead. You're allowed to have your own opinions, I won't get all pissy if you want to criticize anything.

To start, here's a "I've just heard it once" review posted by a guy over on the Keneally Usenet board. He's a good fellow, loves music a lot, and has been very supportive of the stuff I've done in the past.

=========================

I just gave LLL a first listen, and while I doubt I've got a full
review in me, I will say "thumbs fucking up, dude." I adored ARF, but
to be honest I found myself decidedly "eh" about the various mini-
releases that followed, including the Half Zaftig Retrograde tracks.
Hearing the ARF tracks interpreted by HZ had me worried about this
album, frankly. Turns out I needn't have.

This album is the real shit. This album brings it and owns it. It's
a very nice balance of accessibility and what the fuck, so I'm able to
grab a hold of it right away but I know it's going to be many listens
before I've got this whole thing figured out. It's the follow-up to
ARF that I've been waiting for, which is not to say it's more of the
same. It's enough of the same to keep me on board, but this is its
own little beasty.

One critical thought? Every other time I hear a vocal harmony on this
album I'm momentarily pulled out of the experience by the thought
"jeezis that sounds like it was pulled straight off a King's X
record." And I mean distractingly so. Not necessarily a terrible
thing in an isolated situation, but by the fifteenth time I hear it,
the sonic similitude starts to wear. Maybe mixing a little more Lizzy
into the harmonies wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. Just a
thought. It doesn't come remotely close to downgrading my review of
the album, but it bugs slightly.

So again, yes. Thumbs, very much up. An album for deafening oneself
by. Highly recommended, practically insisted.
ron

Yogi · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 8:43 pm Post subject:

And here's one from DougO over on one of the 378 King's X message boards currently in existence:
===========================

This album shits everything put out this year, and by a freakin' mile! Awesome tunes, awesome production...just pure awesomeness.

The bonus disc is excellent, too. Fantastic cover of Cinnamon Girl. The F-bomb song was like Revolution #9 if it didn't suck.

My only bitch is...well there are two: The album case temperarily confused me. It's like it gives you two different options, with an extra booklet in case you want to go with a traditional jewel case and ditch the well-devised tri-fold digipack it comes in. So once my caveman-like brain was wrapped around the proper concept, I realized that I was actually bitching about getting more for my money. Secondly, I botched my order and got the wrong freakin' shirt. I thought I ordered the dog shirt, but actually messed up and ordered the people shirt instead...which is also darn cool. A little more girly, but shit...I'm secure enough in my masculinity to wear this sumbitch out.

Thumbs, toes and all available appendages are fully extended upward for Half Zaftig's "Life Like Luster"!

Witty · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:48 am Post subject:

Hi,

Yea, the case didn't necessarily confuse me, but it was certainly one that I hadn't seen before... not exactly anyway. So that was cool. But having to take the booklet out in order to retrieve the actual disc was a surprise. That doesn't seem "normal".

But overall (talking physical package here), it's really impressive. Great artwork, unique, great colors and so forth.

I'm still in a listening-mode actually. I'm STILL, although finishing up tonight I hope, moving... which is taking all of my time. Once that is finally over, I want to put this record on, pop open a beer and rock it out like a 17-year old.

This is fun!

-Witty

Witty · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:27 am Post subject:

Hi,

Yogi · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:40 am Post subject:

Kevin · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:05 pm Post subject:

This reminds me of every single review ever written about a King's X album. Their harmonies were always compared to The Beatles...the stock phrase being "Beatle-esque harmonies."

I personally try to block out anything I know about an artist's influences or musical tastes when I listen to their work so I don't make those connections. I always respect Ron's comments on new music, but I have to wonder if he'd have felt the same way if he didn't know Yogi liked KX, or if Yogi didn't like KX at all and the same harmonies were present on LLL. <shrug>

Sometimes too much info can get in the way of the listen, imo. As long as it sounds good and isn't a blatant copy then who cares?

I just got my package today and can't wait to listen to it on my commute tomorrow. I dig the packaging and the artwork, as well as the groovy t-shirt!

Kevin

posmaster · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 6

Love it love it love it.

You covered my all-time favorite Van Halen tune dude!

It definitely sounds more self-assured than ARF or Salve. The songs have a little more swagger and roll to them. The guitars are really breathing more.

More groove, less muso?

I do hear a lot of King's X coming out though. That's not really a bad thing as it sounds more like deep influence coming out. It's hard to shake those influences that work their way into the hindbrain, and in some cases not deliberately avoiding them is the only way to be true to yourself in your own art.

Did I mention I love it?

Alphatone · Guest

Initial thoughts...

The album is fantastic. Well done.

I'm glad you took the time to do it right.

Excellent work on the packaging. Seeing as I buy almost all my music via download nowadays, I miss real artwork and credits from time to time. And I even get a book with the lyrics!

Lizzy's tone is fucking scary. In a good way.

The most relaxed lead vocal performances yet I think. Lots of things I've never heard you do before, and all of them very cool.

As for other comments about potential influences elsewhere in this thread, the thought never even crossed my mind. You're past it.

Very happy to see the studio version of The Ending. The guitar solo in the Salve version is one of my favorite musical moments on any of your releases.

A far as anything I don't like about the album, I realized upon first listen that I may have inadvertently set myself up to be disappointed.

You see, I've been listening to the tracks you posted on myspace pretty much non-stop. In addition, I remember a lot of details from the "Bite Size" sample.

When I sat down to listen to the album for the first time, I realized that I had to learn the proper running order, which is not the same order I had been listening to the pre-released tracks. Listening to an album out of order is unthinkable to me. I'll have to listen a few more times to get used to the new songs that are sandwiched in between the ones I'm already familiar with.

And when I heard the 9/4 section at the end of Dusty Demonatrix, I almost fell out of my chair when I didn't hear the tambourine.

Of course, this isn't your fault. I think in the future I should just avoid any pre-released material until I've had a chance to hear the entire album as the artist intended.

Again, fantastic effort.

Yogi · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:13 pm Post subject:

Pete · Joined: 12 Mar 2005 Posts: 20

Howdy all y'all!

Huh, I didn't even know that "bite-size" teaser existed! It wasn't until I heard the tempo on 10 Print that I realized that wasn't me playing...

As for the tambourine on the demo version of Dusty D, well, I guess I heard it as being white noise-- an alternative to the usual crappy drum machine cymbal samples. By the time we got done figuring out how in the heck we were going to actually play that bit (not to mention the whole bloody song!) it was pretty clear that it needed to just explode by the end. So I did the most energetic (and menacing...GRRRRR!!!!) thing I could come up with. Unfortunately, tambourine was not part of the equation. Perhaps that was an oversight, as it might have given it a bit of a linear flow, and instead you have to wait for all that double bass nonsense to kick in (HA!) to get that propulsion effect. Uh, yeah... it's late, and I'm sure nobody cares about details that only exist in my mind... Wink

I am happy that there are folks out there who are enjoying the album. We all had a major blast creating it! Thank you all for listening and for the feedback. Very Happy

Pete
pFp
FB
DD
etc.
_________________
If you don't beat the drum the loudest, you don't get heard!

-- P.T. Barnum

Witty · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:00 am Post subject:

Hi,

Yogi · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject:

Mike, I just did a first-draft brain dump of a document that will eventually be my "official written commentary" ( Rolling Eyes

) once it gets re-written. BUT, it addresses a bunch of questions you raise in all those p.p.p.p.p.p.p.s's.

CLICK HERE TO READ

Pete · Joined: 12 Mar 2005 Posts: 20

Wow, Yogi, thanks for makin' up all that nice stuff you said about us! That's a nice read, and folks, it's every bit the truth. That's exactly how it all went down, wish y'all coulda been there. And just think, we wouldn't have to avoid explaining inside jokes about taints and squirrel fur. Not that two are related in any way, 'cos they're not.
_________________
If you don't beat the drum the loudest, you don't get heard!

-- P.T. Barnum

Yogi · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:55 pm Post subject:

Another nice one from a regular over on Keneally's Usenet group. (BTW - I'll post any negative reviews as I come across them, as well)

========

I got "Life Like Luster" on Friday, and have been listening to it fairly
steadily since then.

What a GREAT creation this is! Many congratulations to Half Zaftig on a
beautiful piece of work.

Thoughts arranged non-cohesively and in no order whatsoever:

- I love the overall sound of the CD. It sounds good quiet, it sounds good
loud. You can tell these songs were lovingly crafted. Nice separation, not
just a big mushy wall of noise. Love love the guitar tones, and the many
varieties thereof. Love love the bass sound. I like bass that you can hear,
as well as feel. And the drums is good, too!

- Great songs. If the CD had ended after "Our Guarantee", it would have been worth the price of admission. But guess what? There're 11 more songs after that!

- this CD grooves like a motherhubbard.

-Great guitar work. Interesting, fun solos. Always tasty, never "show-offy"
(does that make sense?) Lots of different sounds. Just great playing
overall.

- "In A Simple Rhyme" - I read the song titles before listening to the CD,
and this title didn't register at all. So it was a great to realize that it
was *that* "IASR". I wish HZ had redone all of "Women And Children First". (Great album with great songs, but I've always been less than a fan of the production of WACF. Now maybe HZ could do something about "Van Halen 3"...)

- great vocals. I can hear the King's X that Ron mentioned, and the
harmonies also remind me somewhat of Z. But I'm a sucker for well-done,
luxurious vocal harmonies, so this is a very good thing.

My only complaint is that I am not able to go to any upcoming Half Zaftig
shows, as I live a continent away from them. Come east, y'all!

So, anyway - I am very much enjoying "Life Like Luster", and am awarding it the highly coveted "Triple Double Award Of Merit And Valetorius Victory".

My blurb:

Wade B of Berwick, PA sez: "Lush & crunchy atypical melodic heavy music with a zingy pop aftertaste"

WB

Witty · Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 8:15 am Post subject:

Hi,