Okay, Okay, I'll write another Sellaband Review

Alright! Okay! I promise that I will write some funny stuff soon. Also, I have noticed from my statcounter that there have been more than a few hits on the archived pages regarding Breathing and Support. So I promise that there will be an entry with some helpful support exercises for the singers in my audience.

BUT...as I've made some new friends on line through my association with Sellaband, I'm going to dedicate a paragraph or two of every blog entry to review some artists that I think warrant some attention. The ground rules I will adhere to are these:

1. I will not write about artists that I don't like.
2. I will be honest, positive and constructive in my comments.

ConFused5 is a band from my hometown. I had to give a listen to the boys from the 'hood, especially if the 'hood is Salzburg. I listened to the three tracks available on their Sellaband page and my first impression is that this band is not confused at all. There is a characteristic thread running through all three offerings. The main element that appeals to me is the effort made toward honest, vintage sounding instrument tracks.

The harmony lead guitar sections are played very musically and have real balls. The guitars sound LOUD...as they should in this type of music. And the interplay with the keyboards is also effectively executed.

The bass and drum tracks are also aggressively played although I get the Idea that the bass parts are occasionally a bit busy for the style and could stand to "lock" with the drums. The problem here is a technical one. In the old days of analog recording, the bass was frequently a huge gob of mud, pulsating low frequencies along with the kick drum. It was sometimes difficult to make out intricate parts and I think that many older records are perceived to "groove" harder because of a degree of muddiness. With the clarity of modern recording techniques, the mating of bass and kick drum has become much more critical and intricacy can sometimes be self-defeating. Nothing 50K and a good recording environment wouldn't straighten out.

I am very impressed with the vocal sound of the band. A hint of Jack Bruce comes immediately to mind on "Why Me." I would LOVE to hear something from ConFused5 in German...better yet in Austrian dialect. Everybody wants to sing in English, I understand the need to reach a larger audience. But this band is developing a signature sound, an aggressive, masculine yet controlled, characteristic sound of their own. I'd really like to hear them rip it up in German one time.

So, bottom line from the Bottom-End...ConFused5 is not confusing at all. Straight forward, ass-kicking singing and playing. Interesting songs and really good concepts in sound.

Alright then, next entry will be on support, I promise. Don't forget to visit my friends in the links section. Now beat it...it's late.