They don't need more distortion, they need better distortion. Manabe, ditch the pedals and crank the Orange Overdrive - the way God intended it.

I used to not pay much attention to production, but it really makes a difference for the lasting appeal of an album. I love the production on Please Mr. Lostman and Little Busters - it's occasionally tough to hear the instrument separation, but it has a very unique charm that, I think, helps to make those albums memorable.

And taking it a step further, Sawao could learn from the lo-fi grittiness of Number Girl albums.

But yeah, I agree with Last Dinosaur, whatever the next album is like, I want it to be surprising and different.

[quote="Thinliine"]They don't need more distortion, they need better distortion. Manabe, ditch the pedals and crank the Orange Overdrive - the way God intended it. [/quote]

In LA Sawao was using Manabe's Orange.

Heh. Interesting.

[quote="sheerheartattack"]I think "overproduced" is just another word for "well-done," or "high quality."[/quote]

no...

I'll second clouds. Overproducing is bad. If it sounds "perfect," then there's no charm.

I want quality songwriting and production similar to PML-HB era. Let's hear some motherfucking feedback.

haha, right jomei. if there's a decent amount of feedback on the next album, you know they're on the right track.

[quote="clouds"][quote="sheerheartattack"]I think "overproduced" is just another word for "well-done," or "high quality."[/quote]

no...[/quote]
Thanks clouds.

I wanna hear more of, No Self Control, or White Ash. White Ash had some of the best drums I've heard. Sick Vibration wouldn't a bad of a song to play like. Sawao's voice was pretty good in that one. But if they stick with what they got now, some like Slow Down would be cool. I like the heavy feel, but without the dropped D and mess that most heavy songs sound like. All I want is some distortion and a kick ass drum line.

Well, since "no..." isn't exactly an adequate response that I can argue against, I will say that the amount of feedback that is or is not on the track would really have nothing to do with how produced the album is. If the producer wants there to be feedback, he will get the artists to provide feedback; if he does not want it there, he will get them to reduce feedback. So if something doesn't have feedback, I wouldn't say it needs to be produced less, I'd say it needs to be produced differently.

A decent track requires a lot of production. If a song is mixed incorrectly, the whole thing will sound terrible. The manner in which a sound is recorded can have drastic effects on its tone. In my opinion, you can't really commit [i]too much[/i] effort to these things.

The only time when something can be [i]overproduced[/i] in my eyes is when a producer will manipulate a recorded sound as so it does not sound anything like the original, and I do not believe that the pillows have ever done this. A well-produced track will rely minimally on manipulating the sound, but will rather focus steadfastly on finding the perfect recording methods, as well as the perfect audio mix. Significant and skilled production is the difference between a professional artist's fine recording, and the neighbor's garage band's coarse recording in his basement with his MacBook.

Take Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." This track is absolute genius, and without significant production, it would be impossible. The producer would have had to record hundreds of vocal tracks, in addition to all the instrumental tracks, and then mix them all. This would require a significant amount of production, but I would never call the track "overproduced," but rather, produced just right.

overproduced generally means making something too slick. I suppose overproduced is in the eye of the beholder.

as for Queen recording hudreds of vocal tracks, I'm fairly sure those weren't all used, and the ones that were are locked in analog for that time period. Overproducing something is more of a problem in the present with digital media so widespread and tools to change everything so accessible. Take vocals for instance. The normal vocal pattern is a wave. Producers coud go in and layer another track that would mimic the track but cover up the waves to make it straight, but it's the balance between perfect vocals and good enough vocals that really appeals to people, generally. As with anything else. Guitars, etc. I guess if you were a sonicphiliac or something and wanted everything to sound like robots you could do it.
My friends doing his thesis for his masters in music on the direction music is going... as in, it's going digital. It questions how far we can go before it ceases to be music, but just pleasing sounds. weird to bring up in this conversation, yeah, but i don't really know how to define overproduced.

[quote="Thinliine"]They need to slow down, and be more melancholy, like on some of their best songs (Strange Chameleon, Something Like A Romance, Nowhere, etc.) They need to quit making trite, unmemorable power pop like Degeneration, Rock and Roll Sinners, Mighty Lovers, most of Good Dreams, etc. The biggest problem is that the band is content to keep doing the same thing, as the past three albums show.[/quote]

aye thats very true. their music has just been funky happy stuff. i think im ready to see a bit of the grown up side of them again.

[quote="clouds"]overproduced generally means making something too slick. I suppose overproduced is in the eye of the beholder.

as for Queen recording hudreds of vocal tracks, I'm fairly sure those weren't all used, and the ones that were are locked in analog for that time period. Overproducing something is more of a problem in the present with digital media so widespread and tools to change everything so accessible. Take vocals for instance. The normal vocal pattern is a wave. Producers coud go in and layer another track that would mimic the track but cover up the waves to make it straight, but it's the balance between perfect vocals and good enough vocals that really appeals to people, generally. As with anything else. Guitars, etc. I guess if you were a sonicphiliac or something and wanted everything to sound like robots you could do it.
My friends doing his thesis for his masters in music on the direction music is going... as in, it's going digital. It questions how far we can go before it ceases to be music, but just pleasing sounds. weird to bring up in this conversation, yeah, but i don't really know how to define overproduced.[/quote]

Bohemian Rhapsody featured 180 separate overdubs from the vocals of Freddie, Brian, and Roger. That's only the vocals, aside from the several instrumental tracks. It is probably the most "produced" song in music history.

However, you make a good point, which is parallel to my view of what "overproduced" is that I explained earlier. Manipulating the original sound to something different, generally using digital means. However, I do not sense that in the pillows' music, and if it's there, it's not very significant. It could be just as well that they have become more adept at recording techniques, and they can now appropriately mix their songs.

On a side note, what else is music other than "pleasing sounds"?

well, i believe you can say music is pleasing sounds, but you can't always say pleasing sounds are music, unless you are actively listening to it. i don't know. i got in this weird conversation recently about music and technology, and it's all kind of running through my head right now.

I agree, the songs are really overdeveloped. They take that edge and excitement out of Sawao's voice, and in turn taking out the emotional effect and over all feel. That's why the only reason I ever really understood Hybrid Rainbow was when they sung it at the knitting factory. The album version just seems so watered down, It's hard for me to listen throught the song.

well... live should be like that; more raw.

but i think the two most recent albums have not been produced to capture the energy of the pillows. in fact, the production has been pretty generic.