Electric Scar - Rubber Boy

WarmJetGuitar

New member
So I'm in this duo with an old mate. Till March last year we had never actually played together despite of a similar taste in music and love for analog recording.
We've finished an album of mostly classic, dirty rock and roll with him singing lead vocals, writing the songs and me playing the drums and engineering. The guitars, bass, percussion and backing vocals are done by both of us depending on the song. We had some friends making guest appereances as for Freja on backing vocals on this one.
All analog recording and mixing. Hope you enjoy.

https://soundcloud.com/electric-scar/rubber-boy
 
Sounds real good to me, I do hear this distracting cardboard sound in the drums (I think). Mostly in the right channel, throughout the song. Great track.
 
A cool track. Definitely like the edgy, raw vibe. I think the last third where it builds is the best.

My thoughts on taking it to the next level:
1) Guitar timing seems noticeably loose before the drums kick in
2) Vocals are a bit too present, or out front, for this kind of track, IMO. I would back off the volume and let them sink into the mix more.
3) For the style, I think the track is too long and flags a bit in the middle. I'm looking for a 2:30 punk experience
4) The second verse is a bit blah, arrangement wise. Like, sounds the same as the first. When you add in the extra guitars and backing vocals it gets more interesting, but I would say you need more to keep me interested before that part.
5) Guitar maybe a bit too big, drums a bit too small

Impressive all analog effort!
 
I thought this was pretty good. I was waiting for the drums to kick in, but when they did the entrance was kind of blah. The drums sound good otherwise.

Interesting sounding guitars. The sound works well.
 
Love the style.
Agree with 3M: I was waiting for the drums to come in. When they did, they were just kind of...loud, but not much impact. I think you needed more cymbals. There's a low end build up between the kick and bass. Sounds like the bass is masking the kick.

I liked it a lot. Great, actually, but the mix gets in the way of the song a bit.
 
Has a bit of a Stones feel to it, love it. Really cool tune and I hope you take some time with it and nail it good. ....Would live drums and guitars be an option, to get some raw life into it?

The music just doesn't do the attitude in your voice justice.
 
Did the guitars seem super-dry to anyone else? I like the fuzzy tone, but it doesn't sound like an amp in a room. It sounds like fuzz pedal DI'd right into your board.

I like the one-note lead line! :D

I agree with the earlier posters that the drums aren't what I'd expected them to be when they came in. It's a basic rock beat, but I was expecting some big fills or something.

The vocals are probably actually at a good level once the drums kick in.
 
2nd the Rolling Stones sound...also maybe some oldies Rock-a-Billy. I dig this tune man. I love the looseness of it as it sounds like you were just jamming in your garage in front of a small crowd. As far as mix, I would just point out that your background vocals(female voice) seem to be buried in there. Either they are getting walked on or they just need to come up. Cool tune man.
 
2nd listen today. Now I like the subdued drums, think they fit perfectly, and wouldn't change them.
Great song. Jeez, love this vibe. Sounds like early Velvet Underground + Stooges at a CBGBs show. Also, analog sounds so great.
 
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Sounds real good to me, I do hear this distracting cardboard sound in the drums (I think). Mostly in the right channel, throughout the song. Great track.

Thanks :-) Well, you're right. I didn't hit the tape hard enough on the floor tom track so had to compensate by gaining the track a great deal during mixdown. So it has a curious sound to it and also increased the hiss on the right channel as the tom is hard panned. I do like my LCR mixing :-)

I don't know how to multiquote because I'm a dumbass with the interface of HR despite many years of reading and writing. But there's no DI on the guitars at all, the guitar is a Gibson Melody Maker through a AC15 and the drums, main guitar and lead vocal are played live in a room. Personally I dig the extremely dry guitar and vocal sound with this kind of music. And we are indeed both huge Rolling Stones fans.

I sure admit to not being much of a drummer. The mentality behind this album we've finished is to do most things as spontaneous as possible. Basically I've only heard one of the nine songs on the album before the day of recording them. I liked this approach a lot as it keeps the songs fresh but yeah, it has its payoffs too. Perhaps we will do more takes on the next album on which I'm more likely to focus on engineering and guitars :-)

Thanks for the feedback guys. I better go check out some of the tracks people have posted in here :-)
 
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