Nickel Creek's

J

Joseph Hanna

Active member
new CD "Why Should the Fire Die?" is out.

To my ear the playing and engineering is masterful on virtually every level. A moving audio experience.

Any thoughts?
 
How "far removed" is their new disc from their (fairly) traditional debut? I only have their debut and I love it, but the few samples I heard of their second CD sounded a little too "modern." or "experimental" The first disc sounds amazing. It was produced by Alison Krauss (whose own work tends to sound amazing as well!) I do think Chris Thile is freakin' amazing on the Mandolin. He makes me want to take my little cheapie Epiphone mando and chuck it out the window! Oh, and the Watkins kids aren't too bad either!
 
gordone said:
How "far removed" is their new disc from their (fairly) traditional debut?
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It's seems to be (given all these folks have done over the last seven years) a natural extension of the 1st CD. Time signatures are off the wall and the playing and tones are impeccable. Dynamic's are fantastic. Guitar and mandolin tones are.....stunning. There seems to be a whole new approach to panning.. sometimes almost early Beatle like. All in all it's a contemporary recording that sonically is unmatched.

Chris Thile continues to support my theory that there are indeed aliens on Earth as his virtuosity is well.........not of this earth.
 
I dig bluegrass but I gotta say I don't get Nickle Creek.

They get a lot of airplay up here on KMTT.

It comes across as kinda dumbed-down bluegrass for the unwashed masses to my ears.

Ever hear a Russ Barrenberg tune called "Gimmicks Ahoy"??? That's what NC reminds me of.
 
c7sus said:
It comes across as kinda dumbed-down bluegrass for the unwashed masses to my ears
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.

Sure to each their own.

I'm not sure how anyone could possible call the last several Nickel Creek projects bluegrass or for that matter "for the masses" as the complexity of the time signatures alone would indicate otherwise. Not to mention the complexity of the playing. Yes there is a mandolin and a fiddle in the band but their use of these instruments has LONG ago departed the bluegrass realm.

I'll also assure you that there is nothing "dumbed down" about these ridiculously complex arrangements.

I'll gladly support your right to express your opinion and to not like their music (it is obviously not for everyone) but to call this caliber of musicianship dumbed down is certainly curious.
 
For me, Nickel Creek is a bit of an anomaly. They occasionally throw in a different lead vocalist for flavor as well as the occasional cover song--everything from Bob Dylan (Tomorrow is a Long Time) to Pavement (Spit on a Stranger). And my oldest daughter (who makes fun of me for owning a banjo) has Nickel Creek loaded on her ibook! I'm also a not shure what to make out of the new song/video "When In Rome." The vocal sounds compressed and EQ'd with a sort of lo-fi telephone quality to it. It subtle (not as bad as Bad Brains "Sacred Love") but it's there. This is getting to be a very popular technique among bands these days and sometimes I wonder if there will be a backlash--much the same way that reverb was tamed after the 80s.

All in all I like that younger musicians are playing good acoustic roots music without falling completely into the new country hole. And with a little work, Nickel Creek will rank right up there with Gillian Welch and the Old Crow Medicine Show. Now there's a band!
 
dwillis45 said:
The vocal sounds compressed and EQ'd with a sort of lo-fi telephone quality to it. It subtle (not as bad as Bad Brains "Sacred Love") but it's there.
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Yep no question there's all sorts of experimental eq and panning ect going on and it's anything BUT subtle or ordinary. I'm not at all sure I'd call it bad as it sets up other tones and frequencies and deliveries so brilliantly.
 
The video clip of Smoothie Song even has Metalica's bassplayer on the upright :) how cool is that?

I'm so getting this one. Ever since I've first discovered them, I think they are without a single doubt left in my mind, the best musicians I've ever heard. And thank god they aren't limited to hell!
 
I look forward to hearing the new disc. I thought the first was well played but badly engineered. Sarah Watkins layed down several tracks on my partner, Maureen Fleming's, first album, "Dreamers". They are rather good friends. If you want to hear a jazz/folk fusion album that rocks, that is one. Check her out at www.mofleming.com. I'm going to be flying to San Diego to do some voiceovers on Mo's second album, and with luck, we might get to sit in on a Nickel Creek concert. That would be so cool.-Richie
 
Chris Thile is an awesome inventive mandolininst.

He is partially responsible for a resurgence of interest in mandolin, and that's cool.
 
mandocaster said:
Chris Thile is an awesome inventive mandolininst.
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And he's the only one that I've seen who can play mando underneath a freeway bridge while laying in a mudd puddle!

Even Bill Monroe didn't do that!
 
Nickel

yeah Nickel imo..was original and refreshing... as always like some tunes more than others...but the bluegrass type instruments and vocals always are a pleasure to hear...
I also love the Slipknot stuff too. This is the awesome studio sound at maximum strength, imo....

but recently saw Alison and Union in concert, it was great.. refreshing, due to such great music with just raw instruments and talent, no shmazery gadgery. it's so amazing, really. Encouraging for a home recordist due to the simplicity.
 
mandocaster said:
Chris Thile is an awesome inventive mandolininst.

He is partially responsible for a resurgence of interest in mandolin, and that's cool.
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There is a resurgence of interest in the mandolin?

I didn't get the memo :D

(just kidding)
 
COOLCAT said:
Encouraging for a home recordist due to the simplicity.
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My sincere hope is, as engineers, there is more to be gained (learned) by the listening to and critiquing of well recorded CD's and a discussion there in, than the usual gaggle over the latest pre-amp or converter.

When the topic constantly reverts to this pre-amp is better than that pre-amp no one really gets ANYTHING. There is no tangible means to that end.
A CD on the other hand (from any genre) provides audio, examples, sounds and ideas good bad or indifferent.

I'm not advocating Nickel Creek as the answer. They're just one in a string of many masterfully recorded projects on the market right now.

Since the title of this thread is "Mixing/Mastering" it would be nice from time to time to hear about projects that strike folks as sonically interesting. Perhaps then a discussion of what was used (Pro Tools or Logic ect) would then have some logical pertinence.
 
Joseph Hanna said:
Since the title of this thread is "Mixing/Mastering" it would be nice from time to time to hear about projects that strike folks as sonically interesting. Perhaps then a discussion of what was used (Pro Tools or Logic ect) would then have some logical pertinence.
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This is of course *your* opinion.
 
fraserhutch said:
This is of course *your* opinion.
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Well sure..... my intent was to proffer a thought. I would have hoped that was obvious although I am aware I often don't communicate as well as I'd like.

I post these ideas in the hopes that someone will respond and perhaps give me a point of view I hadn't yet considered and conversely my idea spark something in them.

You obviously disagree and that's cool as I like spirited debate but I am curious as to where your disagreement lies.
 
Joseph Hanna said:
.

Sure to each their own.

I'm not sure how anyone could possible call the last several Nickel Creek projects bluegrass or for that matter "for the masses" as the complexity of the time signatures alone would indicate otherwise. Not to mention the complexity of the playing. Yes there is a mandolin and a fiddle in the band but their use of these instruments has LONG ago departed the bluegrass realm.

I'll also assure you that there is nothing "dumbed down" about these ridiculously complex arrangements.

I'll gladly support your right to express your opinion and to not like their music (it is obviously not for everyone) but to call this caliber of musicianship dumbed down is certainly curious.
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The first single, the one they played to death up here a couple years ago...........

There isn't any complex time signature to it. It's just a collection of bluegrass licks strung together.

Maybe they come across better live, I don't know.

The Hot Buttered Rum Band was another one I heard raves about. I got one of their shows off internet archive, I think it was the Great American in SF CA. They sounded great until they started singing. Worst harmonies ever. i couldn't listen to the entire show. It was painful.

Sorry, but it's not very difficult to imagine some of these acts being put together by focus groups or something. About 10-12 years ago they were trying to market this music as "Americana". Now it's crossover country or something.
 
c7sus said:
The first single, the one they played to death up here a couple years ago...........

There isn't any complex time signature to it. It's just a collection of bluegrass licks strung together.

Maybe they come across better live, I don't know.

The Hot Buttered Rum Band was another one I heard raves about. I got one of their shows off internet archive, I think it was the Great American in SF CA. They sounded great until they started singing. Worst harmonies ever. i couldn't listen to the entire show. It was painful.

Sorry, but it's not very difficult to imagine some of these acts being put together by focus groups or something. About 10-12 years ago they were trying to market this music as "Americana". Now it's crossover country or something.
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Yep fair enough...not the case with this band however and in particular certainly not Chris Thiele. If you get a chance take a listen to some of the new stuff (you may be pleasantly surprised) or the even more virtuosic Chris Thiele and Mike Marshall projects.

Like him or not there's nothing "Americana" (assuming I understand what you mean by that and I think I do) about Thiele's abilities.
 
fraserhutch said:
There is a resurgence of interest in the mandolin?

I didn't get the memo :D

(just kidding)
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I sent out a notice to all 17 mandolinists living in the US. If I need to add you to the list it is further proof of a resurgence.
 
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