MODERN PRIMITIVE
1 - Bop! : Interesting track. Very out there. Not sure I'd have used it as an opener though.
2 - Dark Matter : Good track. Kind of reminds me of a cross between Gravity Storm and Here I Am.
3 - Mighty Messengers : Nice hyperactive little track.
4 - The Lost Chord : This is perhaps my favourite song on this record. Love way the 7 string and bass seem to blend together towards the end. Fantastically heavy, yet not overdone. Very, VERY nice track with a great melody. Love the thickness of the vocals here, the multi tracking has been done really well and Devin sounds great! This is the direction I imagine the final Real Illusions record (and then the box release) will go (and the way I really want it to go!) This one will be on repeat for a LONG time.
5 - Upanishads : Everything about this conjures up The Moon and I, from the synth sounds to the solo. Great track.
6 - Fast Note People : Like the tempo change a lot in this one. May have overdone it a little with the vocal compression at 2:00, though that could just be my system.
7 - And We Are One : There are some really nice sounds and chords in this one. Love the call and response. Great choice for a seventh song!
8 - Never Forever : Very nice feel to this track. Fast moving yet tranquil (or should I say, Stillness in Motion?
)9 - Lights Are On : Man this one's all over the place. There's so much going on! I dread to think how many tracks this takes up in Pro Tools!
10 - No Pockets : The chorus of this one feels like a Vai interpretation of a stadium anthem. Loving the vocal harmonies. Quite catchy and straight forward, yet still has moments you don't expect.
11 - Pink and Blows Over, Pt.1 : I could have imagined this one on a Real Illusions record with different instrumentation. Its nice and gentle, then suddenly takes a big left turn. Love the unsettling chromatic phrases breaking things up.
12 - Pink and Blows Over, Pt.2 : Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy? Was that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? Really? Love the mysterious vibe to this one, almost like an old horror soundtrack. This sounds like what goes on outside and inside a creative's mind at the same time when writing/improvising/stream of consciousness. Sounds like Mike Keneally's piano reductions having a bad acid trip! I'd love to hear this one with an orchestra and choir.
13 - Pink and Blows Over, Pt.3 : Sounds like modern jazz fell through a guitar store backwards (thats not a bad thing by any means!)
All in all, the production on this album is really great. Nice bottom end clarity. I'd tone down the pitch correction a little though. It's a little too perfect - though its by no means a flaw. Steve says this is the missing link between Flex-Able and Passion and Warfare, but to me it honestly doesn't feel that way. It feels like more of a hybrid of Flex-Able and the Real Illusions records. I really, REALLY like it. I'd have loved just one more heavier track with a seven string, or a nice acoustic track just to break things up a bit. Very well done to you Mr. Vai!
PASSION AND WARFARE
The remastering on this is quite nice. It feels fresher, and seems clearer and with a more defined low end that the original record was really missing in my opinion.
1) - Lovely Elixir : This is one of my favourite Vai tracks. Why on EARTH didn't Steve include this on PAW?! Madman...
2) - And We Are One - Alternate Solo No.2: I'd have gone with this one, or a composite, but that's just me!
3) - As Above - Brian May much? How regal. Not digging the synth orchestral sounds though, but hey, it's a demo and that's what demos call for.
4) - So Below - These two tracks would be nice live on a String Theories record. Quite in the realm of film music, reminds me of old Disney films.
VERDICT
BUY THIS ALBUM
Really nice production, really nice writing. Liking this release an awful lot. I'd love to see Steve finish the Real Illusions trilogy and then finish as much on the shelf as possible. I'd also really love to see a new Sound Theories record with some of these tracks orchestrated/premiered along with The End of the World.
I've only listened to this once so far, so I can't comment much more than initial impressions. But, this album was a nice silver lining for quite a bad day in my country. SO! What do you think?
