Wanna hear my Stage 1? Check out my band's new songs !

Ian

Ian

The Undecided Frog
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Hey chaps !

My band is releasing some new stuff. We have recorded 6 songs for an online EP, and we've already put 3 of these songs on MySpace. We have 3 more to share with you all. It's all home-studio: vocals, bass, guitars, keys, drums, everything ! Even mixing and mastering are home-made, so please be indulgent with the sound quality.

I've used my Streamer Stage 1 5 string CS on all the songs. I plugged it into a SansAmp (with blend in the middle so that I could keep most of the bass' true sound) then straight into the table.

Our style is pop-rock mostly... Our influences are Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Keane, Bloc Party, Radiohead.... English bands !

You can listen to the songs here:



And don't forget, 3 more songs to be released soon !

Feel free to post any comment here. Any critics (good or bad) about my bass sound or the songs are welcome !


Thanks for checking out !


PS: put your headphones on, you'll have a much better experience ;)
 
That's the most amazing comment I've ever read about our music !


:-D
 
You need to get a little more adventurous. I think everything I heard was root notes, there's lots of room in the music for some nice bass. You need to figger it out, don't be the lazy bassist like me. :)
 
First of all congratulations for your music, it is something I really dig Also the Myspace page is cool!

If you really need comments about your playing here, I can bring them, since it is easy. Wtf, we can comment even Trujillio's playing why not commenting yours :-)

- You have a good sound and a good rhythm, congratulations.

Every Saturday I have a Workshop at my shop trying to help the local bassplayers. Since they are not all of them kids who have time to learn and experiment, I try to give them quick tips on "how to play like a pro".

A "pro" will chose simple lines, musical lines, and repetitive lines. He will have a good discipline in the bass lines. You have this covered.
A pro will try to play the rood notes, and be as less adventurous as possible, so this is cool again :-)

After he finds the root notes, a "pro will do two things"

1- Finding passing notes, (sorry I don't know the correct term), like when you go from E to A, you might want a G between them, or even a Ab. Start doing this, they will add a lot of musicality in your playing
2- "Coming from a 4th down" Sorry I don't know how to call it :-)) When you play A A A A A A A , you might want to play EA A A A EA A A A

I have also two "Stylistic" recommendations, that are only for my taste...
- I would play with a more relaxed feeling this music. You seem to be very careful with the rhythm, and this can be a little bit "tensed" Just loose the playing. Avoid very short "funky" notes, imagine your bassline like a big truck driving, they don't break too much.
- I would chose higher register, and avoid below E with this music. I would play some parts with eights around octave too, this is cool

I hope it helps buddy :-)
 
Thanks for the comments!

I stick to root notes for two reasons: that kind of music requires simple bass lines, I'm not there to show off, and I dont have that much room with two/three guitars and a keyboard. Plus i'm not technical at all, i prefer a laid back playing than putting too many notes and be lost. But if you listen carefully you'll notice little variations ;-) . Anyway i'm trying to serve the music as much as possible.

And Flo... I dont go below the E on any songs, i dont use my B string with this band actually...
 
Yes. I hate it when a bass player puts too many notes in a pop-rock setting. Just my thought.


To me, good pop-rock bassists include Adam Clayton or Guy Berryman. Simple and straight to the point.
 
Too POP for my tastes, keep on the great job, anyway. :)
 
@Sam: it doesnt require it, but I just prefer when the bass stays simple in that kind of music.


Funny thing is that I'm the metalhead of the band... I listen to many metal bands, whereas the other guys dont.
 
Thanx for sharing Ian...8:

Yo bass soundz beautiful, and tho I'm not a regular listener of da music style, I understand wut ya say about keepin yo bass linez simple and straight to da point...otoh I think there's enuff space for a little twiddely-diddeley here and there to spice up da songz a bit...:lol:

Wut struck me more is that after I had listened to all 3 songz, I still didn't have a clue in wut language da lyricz are written/sung..:confused: Relying on da song titlez it's prob english but tbh I don't understand a single word of it...

All in all, I think yo band (and these recordingz) sound almost professional....;)
 
Great stuff Yann. I dig the sound of the band and you are on point with the sound of your influences. My band has a similar aesthetic so I was really happy to hear this was the style of music you are doing. Very nice. Your bass lines are solid and fill up the sound of the band. For the sake of evaluation I will give my perspective, by no means do I mean to diminish your performance or studio work.

I would advise bringing up the bass in the mix, not necessarily louder but a broader presence/frequency in the mix (more front pickup or playing close to the neck), don't be afraid of using a little bit of dirt on your tone, especially if your are using a Sansamp and blending (75% your bass 25% pedal). It helps the overall tone. This bit of advice is very personal, I prefer a rounder, plucked near the neck tone. Drums could also sound bigger, a little more live sounding.

In regards to your lines, you might try sliding up and playing the same figures up an octave. A little movement gives the bass some more life. Don't be afraid to be a little more emotive (expressive) with your lines. Not busier or a lot of notes just a little more "life". I would love to hear how you guys sound live, its probably a lot more powerful than what was captured on tape.

Creative lines will come, but forcing them will only make them sound... forced. It takes maturity to sit on the track and play long fluid eighth note grooves. Great work!
 
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Thanks for the feedback.

As for the language, he sings in english but i already told him that his accent could be a bit better.

I know i could be a bit more adventurous, and to be honest with my other band my lines are a bit more... Complicated ! I do melodies on the upper frets too... We have an album to be released... Someday. Not finished yet!

Creative lines will come as you say, but i wont force it. I learn new things every day, even if i've been playing for almost 8 years (OMG! Time flies!).
 
Yann, Ellips is a cool project, these recordings are great and with a little more production they would sound awesome. I would not complicate these tunes, I really liked all three songs and it would be really cool to see you post a live video of the bands rehearsal or a live song.
 
Everyone has their own style and sometimes (quite often) less is more.

I like it Ian. Ofcourse you could play wild melodic lines, riffy riffs or technically astounding doublethumb stuff. Often it is better to stick to your own feeling though. More adventurous grooves will come by automatically when you feel they're needed, they usually just pop out of your fingertips and make you wonder "did I just play that?". Just go with the flow.

Keep em coming dude.
 
We just put online a new track entitled "Picture". It's my favourite, i would have sex with this song if i were a song myself :-) !
 
Man, I really dig your band's sound! I keep listening now as I am packing my stuff for one short Europe Tour :)

Like Flo, I would also try to smoothen the lines a little bit... screw the kick, go your own path :)

Cheers from the stone age of Europe...
 
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