BIAB drums, organ & high female vocals.
Cello by Alison Reynolds, choral vocals by Aaron Taylor.

This took a while but it's sorted from my perspective.
THANK YOU to those who lent an ear and offered suggestions...all were trialled at least.



All comments welcome and, if relating to the audio, will be applied "next time".


SoundCloud link

Hi Ray ...

Just watched and listened. I think this is your best all-around production so far. Everything on the musical side s at perfe3ctly in the mix - even got your bass line solid & shining! And Alison knocked it out of the park for you - really, really nailed it! A dramatic, mysterious sound that enveloped the listener - at least this listener. I'm not familiar with the background story - will have to look it up.

Can't find anything to complain about in the video, either. I have no idea - none - about how to create and post a video on YouTube. But it appears you put as lot of effort and time into this production. It was a really good listen - seriously!

Wishing you the very best. Merry Christmas.

Alan

ray,

Mix on this is excellent. Drums and Bass are terrific.

A very cool sound overall. Cello is nice.

And a very cool video. Might be your best to date.

fj

Hi Ray,

Well I was a bit amazed your song was so brightly recorded and very well mixed.
Why 'a bit'? Because I heard a lot of improvement in your later songs (although I have missed one lately I'm afraid) so the upward trend was expected to continue. And it did.
And what a nice play on the cello (?). Huge compliments for Aaron!
And for you, also for that misterious video. I liked it, also the end with that engine again. Funny!

But... I haven't the faintest idea what you were singing about.

Nice weekend,
Hans

So much coolness in one fell swoop. Love your creativity, Ray. Inspirational! Man, that bass is so perfect. I love the space. Speaking of space, your videos are always so cleverly spacey. The cello was a brilliant idea, and it sounds so good, especially the half steps. You look great singing the lyrics. You always write such cool changes, and get such accomplished folk to play them. Beautifully done Allison and Aaron.

That came together nicely!

Haunting music & Video.

Very well done!

Alison's cello is beautiful.
Bandi's contributions all sound wonderful.


moto

Morning Alan,
Thanks for your kind words
Alison did a fabulous job, I agree.
The background story was, momentarily, world new...another backpacker murder in Australia. It turned parochial and nasty when the Australian media decided that the survivor was "in on it". If you want to read a little search Falconio Murder.

Thanks Floyd.
I'm glad it's finished.

Thanks Hans,
Alison's cello is cool, I agree...definitely THE feature of the song.
The song is about a specific event in 2002 but also about a series of events involving backpackers and murder. The generalities are all that was needed for the song.

Thanks Marty,
Spacey vids are the key to avoiding effort and applying effective quality control.
That is - I cheat.
Cello - I'd auditioned BIAB ones and didn't get far...I didn't even mention th attempt but Alison volunteered her services and, as you can hear, it seemed to be the right thing, right time & right song.

Thanks moto,
Bandhi was the launching point, as usual for me.

What a production. Great use of the band. I loved the cello playing. Erie lyrics and vocals - they go great with the music. The video fits the bill too. Nice work.

Cool vid and song Ray. Got a Pink Floyd vibe from it. Cello and drums were very good. Super vocal. Well done

rayc,

Cool song!
I always feel very strange whenever I listen to your songs.
I think this is because your chord progression is very unique.
The cello is nice.
The video also has a unique atmosphere.
Enjoyed my listen and watch a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thanks jptx3,
Yes, the cello is ace.

Thanks Scott,
The BIAB drums were easy to work with...I look forward to tooling about with the new stems as they are released.

Sorry Shigeki,
my untutored, and deliberate, ignorance of comfortable chord sequences & resolution is the basis of that problem. I was writing with someone just recently and they were talking in terms of I IV vi V etc. and I horrified them by suggesting we just use the chords that sound interesting together. I did offer my latest song, still not quite finished that starts in C with vi to V then changes to Amaj for the chorus with vii to vi then I...it didn't seem to fit any of the prescribed patterns but it works for me.

Hey Ray, wat a marvellous video - absolutely perfectly chosen footage and fantastic effects. Top notch.

The song sounds very good, great bass and drums. The cello is mighty fine, too.

A great, great package! Enjoyed the full show.

Take care,

Stefan

Hi Ray,

This is GREAT!

Love the song, solid work on the bass and guitars, mix sounds right on the money too. And the cello is the icing on the cake for sure.

My favorite video from you.

Best to you and yours for the holiday.

Thank you Stefan,
with your amazing videos you provide the bar I'll continue trying to reach.

You, Alison, Aaron and Bandhi Nahbox performed most excellently.
The entire vibe driven by the ominous cello nailed the lyric.

Take all the above, wrap it in a creative video and you have a powerful engaging package.

Kudos to all involved!

J&B

Ray,

I definitely feel this is your best video production so far! Excellent musicianship abounds and the track has an overall Pink Floyd type sound! Don't know if that's what you were going for or not, but this thing sounds great! Thanks, Torrey

That was spooky.

Thanks J&B,
It came together well, in the end. The video version finally convinced folk that the vocal didn't need to ride the mix.

Thanks Torrey,
I think I came close to the vibe I was after. Glad you liked it.

Thanks dc,
objective achieved then.

Bandhi Nahbox ---that's great!

The mix sounds much clearer, and the vocal has more presence in the mix.

The lonely highway meshes well with the eeriness of the music.

Thanks ES,
the highway film is on the actual highway where the events, vaguely referred to in the lyric, occurred. Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek. Seemed appropriate.