Fragile Gods - "Cold Comfort" (four track EP released)

[Frantz]

And I like the bridge, and particularly where it happens makes a nice form, and it needs exactly that contrasting section before it wraps up.
Very smart poprock.

The vocal lines and most of the lyrics for the first verse and chorus came to me very quickly while driving. However, I had to put in some work later to write the bridge. I am glad the sections fit together to complete the form.

Really good. The drum track brought me in, very happening groove and I find that 16ths in the one synth helps the propulsion factor right from the start as well.

I knew this downtempo track needed a decent groove to keep it interesting. You're right, the occasional 16th notes in the bass help a lot. Constructing a drum performance from BFD3 loops was a bit of a project. I am pleased to hear it worked for you.

Thanks for the thoughtful comments.

[fastlanephil]

Nice tune! Well done.

It does sound like post Spiders D.Bowie. The female vocalist seemed to have a nice country style voice in her solo.

[Frantz]

My Feedback

Music - 9
Instruments - 10
Performance - 10
Mix -10

Overall - 9.75

Comments: Another dude stuck in the 80s. LOL. I meant that as a good thing. Vocals a cross between Billy Idol and some other dude whose name I can't think of. Pisses me off that I can't do stuff this good. LOL. Love the way you recorded the vocals. Great production all the way around.

Stuck in the 80s. Guilty as charged.

I am not a fan of Billy Idol but he does work in a similar vocal range so it's a fair comparison. Glad you liked the vocals and production. I appreciate your enthusiastic comments.

[layzer]

ahhh electro-blues. i'm diggin it. takes me back to that GF that
came and went. no mix issues that i can hear. it sounds great.

[justin3am]

Well written and great sounds. I felt like the vocals were a little unbalanced from the rest of the mix when I started listening on laptop speakers but when I switched to headphones, they blended more nicely. Kinda the nature of laptop speakers to accentuate the frequency ranges which are dominant in human voice but it's weird how it kinda made the rest of the track sound more distant.

Thanks for sharing!

[Frantz]

Hmm...interesting.
For a noob like me it sounds crowded when you both sing with echo.
I don't think your two voices fit together it sounds a bit wrong.
That aside it is a nice song.

I am working on some subtle adjustments to the vocal balance in the chorus which may help a little. I may post a new mix tomorrow. Thanks for your feedback.

[rvkYoDleFool]

Yeah .. 80s style.

[Frantz]

You needed to grow up in the 80s to really get this song and how it was done.

I'd kill to be able to do something this good.

Thanks again. Your enthusiasm is appreciated.

I made some very minor tweaks to the chorus vocal levels and EQ in an attempt to declutter things a bit. The mix is far from perfect but I think it's done. I updated both Soundcloud and the MP3.

[Frantz]

I would place the female voice parts away from the middle, myself.

It is a good suggestion but since there are harmony female vocals in the chorus, repositioning them after I spent a week on the mix would be a lot of rework. However, I did make some small tweaks to declutter the chorus a bit.

I paid little attention to popular music in the 80s. I'm not going by any reference points, this has a good groove and is formally satisfying to me.

Glad you dug the groove.

[Frantz]

I created a minimal video that I hope fits the mood of the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB3cKZuu3uE

[jackoo]

I enjoyed this quite a bit!
Top notch synth sounds as usual. The female vocals are quite a nice addition to your usual tracks

Congrats!

[Frantz]

Vocals a cross between Billy Idol and some other dude whose name I can't think of.

Phil Oakey? Definitely getting a (more gritty) Human League feel here. Good stuff.

Gritty Human League. I like that comparison. Thanks for commenting DT.

[Local Man]

I love the back and forth with the female vocalist. Very complimentary voices. I feel like there is not enough of that sort of thing in pop music.

[Frantz]

Guy's got a real commercial sound. Well, for 30 years ago anyway.

Thanks, wags! I'm gonna build a time machine and go straight to the top of the 80s charts.

[Frantz]

Another good compact pop tune you've done here.
I like that it starts up quick with the vocals.
The vocals mix (man / woman), worked for me (just would have be interesting if the female vocals would have been more spread in the stereo field... but better?)
And also I'm no expert for 80s music
I liked the change at 2:28!
When the first refrain came in it was a tad too busy for my taste (but this is hi level nitpicking).

In the new mix, which is in the video, I changed the chorus slightly to remove some of the busyness. Thanks for your detailed comments!