New Album in 2012 - "Curve" April 3rd

[DG]

Just a suggestion, don't quote the entire thing next time.

And now, we have a page baby, so it doesn't really matter anymore. ha.

[OLPManiac]

There's still some falsetto in If This is It, it's just hidden in the outro. Didn't notice right away.

Shit you're right!! I heard and it gives me chills!

[DG]

Yeah, it's pretty stuck away in there. But it's there. Hopefully it's a little more audible on the CD.

[OLPManiac]

Ha! Sorry for the big quote! However i think that with the CD quality we can hear things that for now we can't! However this falsetto in If This Is It is fucking amazing!

[Flynner]

I do really like what if this is it became, but im not going to lie I liked the original chorus we heard in the ustreams more.

[johnpeterson]

mettle is reeeallly growing on me... it needs a lot of repeats to fully appreciate.

[Brooklin Matt]

I think the last 2 minutes of Rabbits are amazing. It is a really great song.

[todddowney]

Yeah, it's pretty stuck away in there. But it's there. Hopefully it's a little more audible on the CD.

[johnpeterson]

yikes, harsh... i've really been starting to see the hate for this album lately around the 'net.. this review, a few comments on youtube, general music forums at imdb, canada music forums... yeesh.

[todddowney]

^Same.

[runnersdialzero]

lololololol @ "grunge rockers". Didn't need to read further to know that this band is way out of this d00d's grasp and he doesn't really have any idear what he's talking about.

[runnersdialzero]

A guy with an obvious vendetta or at the very least, a strong dislike reviews the record, says they've done nothing special, then proceeds to proclaim himself a 'hater'

The saddest thing is these people are the ones who get to hear this material before fans or anyone else. These folks are paid to get the album for free and half the time, go into it with a shitty attitude before even pressing the play button. Strange world we live in.

[LifeRiot]

It's all just going on about how lackluster his vocals are. I love the album (not enough up tempo songs, though), but I sadly agree that this is where Raine will stay vocally. No more Countertenor and crazy falsettos, kiddies.

[johnpeterson]

It's all just going on about how lackluster his vocals are. I love the album (not enough up tempo songs, though), but I sadly agree that this is where Raine will stay vocally. No more Countertenor and crazy falsettos, kiddies.

no it isn't, i don't even think this tool has listened to one OLP song before 2002.

[LifeRiot]

I'm talking about not just that douche, but various comments on youtube etc.

[todddowney]

It's all just going on about how lackluster his vocals are. I love the album (not enough up tempo songs, though), but I sadly agree that this is where Raine will stay vocally. No more Countertenor and crazy falsettos, kiddies.

[Furious George]

Just to add to the vocal discussion. Raine still has a FUCKING SCARY FALSETTO (watch the video to the end):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWf5A5xc ... k8Rjb91Tg=

So any non-use of that on Curve was more his choice. Would love to hear it come back in the next album though wherever might be appropriate. Fucking gives me chills.

All in all. I think we can all agree Curve is one hell of an achievement. I can't stop going back to listen to it- something I can't say about Burn Burn.

[johnpeterson]

yeah, it may just be a matter of raine retaining in the back of his mind (willingly or not) bob rock's criticism of his countertenor technique, and maybe he just thinks it's too immature or ridiculous sounding. that's exactly what that shitbag bob rock told him too.

but if you listen to the last minute or so of "find our way" (my personal favorite moment of the record), raine dips back into his countertenor paranoid/edgy vocals for those four little "find our way home" recitations, two on each side of steve's epic guitar solo. that right there is what i wish he used the whole damn record. we're all not talking about the high "falsetto" in the likes of "the wonderful future" or "angels/losing/sleep", but just that same signature whine he used in otherwise mainstream ballad songs like "life" which, if sung in raine's 2012 voice, would have been much less impressive, resonating and memorable.

just compare raine's do do do do do do vocalization in "life" to the crappy la la la la la in "window seat". no comparison whatsoever, the latter is just plain depressing.

[Furious George]

Oh I don't debate you there. Raine's voice has definitely physically changed in terms of the usual "standard" tone that he employs. I gotta say I like his voice better on the tracks when he's NOT using that"low slurring voice" where's he's really stretching out the "o" and "u" vowel sounds a lot. A lot of the "lowness" (I'm sure I'm describing this horribly) is due to age and maturation which on it's own I actually have no problem with, but the slurring-which is a stylistic choice- I could do without. I mean it's clear that the guy can still sing..it's just that certain ways of singing for him now sound better than others. Like even though he doesnt really do a whole lot of crazy stuff vocally in songs like Rabbits or Window Seat - I really like the tone of his voice in the verses of Window Seat and his voice in Rabbits is especialyl gorgeous. He intonates well and it harkens back to Gravity and SM in terms of vocal tone. In a song like "Allowance" I feel the slurring does kinda get in the way.

Actually my favorite "Raine" tone is somewhere between Gravity and SM leaning more towards Gravity. It sounded deeper and more mature than earlier work , and also was WELL INTONATED- that is without the slurring that started getting intense with Burn Burn. What I'd find promising if anyone ever mentioned to him about the slurring being distracting is that the slurring is DEFINITELY stylistic. So I think that if he took that away, it's not a challenge for him physically and itd sound great.

I actually agree with you on the "do do dos" in Life as opposed to the "la la las" in Window Seat. However, it's actually encouraging for me cause mostly his main vocal tone is different but when dealing with anything in the falsetto region, Raine still nails it down- which includes the "do do dos' - so in terms that specific example It'd be more of a stylistic criticism than anything.

The extreme falsetto, is pretty much unchanged from back in the day - so that's an interesting remnant. I love "Window Seat" but I think some extreme falsetto near the end would've just been the cherry on top.

Ideally, realistically speaking, how I'd love Raine to sing now.. I think his main voice is fine, I'd just get rid of a lot of that "slurring" style he's employing a lot these days with the overexagerrated "o"s and "u"s, maybe add some paraonoia when its right, and also use of the more extreme falsetto sparingly (which is what made it awesome in the first place.. it'd just come out of NOWHERE.)

[johnpeterson]

yes i know exactly what you mean by lowness and slurring, it almost sounds like he's been drugged sometimes when he sings now (since burn burn). i think he has this idea that it comes off a certain way, but its just not suited to his vocal style at all.

i however do not think its unrealistic to think he could go back to the previous style, it might just be a matter of talking to someone about it like jason lader did about their music overall. he can clearly still sing like that, "find our way" is the proof, but i don't know what would convince him to do it more consistently.

it'll be interesting to see how he tackles happiness songs on this tour, whether he uses the paranoid whine or not, which he didn't really use for the SM/clumsy tour. he has been butchering "one man army" for the longest time live, i really hope he goes back to the record's version.