Author Topic: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)  (Read 811326 times)

Offline Tankchucker

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #180 on: June 10, 2015, 01:18:10 AM »
See tapatalk issue thread.
Eta. Here- http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=16108
Thanks
His pathetic marketing strategy is to create some "controversy" over his music... No one cares anymore.
+1

Offline YitzyS

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #181 on: June 10, 2015, 10:24:31 PM »
My initial feelings on B.S Blesofsky's album are that it is basically a Yeedle album with a less annoying voice. I.e. a well produced album, with great musicianship, fun songs, a couple of beautiful ballads, and less than stellar - though tolerable - vocals.

Seeing the videos he has put out over the past few years, I was expecting a lot of cringe-worthy material, including cheesy lyrics, over-the-top theatrics attempts at sounding "hip."
Looking at the track list, Screaming your Name and Shuva jumped out at me as potential culprits. I was pleasantly surprised. Shuva - a remix of a Chabad Niggun - was tastefully done and was not given the inappropriate beat or techno arrangement I was expecting. Scream your Name has simple -not cheesy - lyrics, set to a powerful melody with fantastic vocal and musical arrangement. (vibes of "Stay")

A Guteh Voch is another standout which has hip hop as its driving style, and Bishvili is another fun song - though I much prefer the arrangement to his interpretation of the lyrics. Lo yemalet and vayechulu have that distinct Yeedle sound, with the former getting the signature Blesofsky riffs and style. The rest is pretty forgettable.

Again, these are first impressions, and will likely change as time goes on.

Overall, as I said above about a typical Yeedle production, it's a fun album with a few beautiful songs thrown in to keep it interesting. The vocals aren't the strongest, but the production and musical arrangements are terrific.
Thanks for your great review. You really summed up the CD in a short, yet pretty complete, review. There just one thing that you didn't mention which stood out to me more than anything else. The sound quality and the layered surround sound. I don't recall ever hearing a Jewish album that had that quality. Maybe you didn't listen with headphones or on a high quality player, but try it out and you'll be amazed.

Offline Yehuda57

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #182 on: June 10, 2015, 10:45:45 PM »
Thanks for your great review. You really summed up the CD in a short, yet pretty complete, review. There just one thing that you didn't mention which stood out to me more than anything else. The sound quality and the layered surround sound. I don't recall ever hearing a Jewish album that had that quality. Maybe you didn't listen with headphones or on a high quality player, but try it out and you'll be amazed.
I didn't. Hopefully I'll be able to soon

Offline Hatastah

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #183 on: June 11, 2015, 01:00:27 AM »
Thoughts on 8th days new album?

Offline Yehuda57

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #184 on: June 11, 2015, 01:03:36 PM »
Thoughts on 8th days new album?

In short, if you like 8th Day, you'll like this album.

In a  few more words: as has been the case with every album, the music and production quality on Inner Flame is much improved over its predecessor. This time, it seems someone gave Bentzi a string section as a gift, and he uses it often throughout the album to great effect. His guitar solos are crisp, and the "electronic" music is not overused and done tastefully.

One early favorite is Utzu Eitza, "When time can't heal that wound that feels like you can't take much more, keep the calm beneath, let your smile speak, 'cause I know this for sure - chitter chatter, doesn't matter, no denying, they keep trying but Heaven's helped so far ... utzu eitza v'sufar, I've heard them talking like this before..." set to a groovy beat and arranged beautifully, even if it could do without that Middle Eastern twist it gets.

Akivah is a stunning melody - almost haunting, and yet another terrific job lyrically. The arrangement is simple and beautiful, with the aforementioned strings giving it an emotional feel that really pulls you in. Tears is another song I could say the same thing for, though the arrangement gets a more electronic, "rock ballad" treatment. "And your cries were not in vain, small tears they link into a golden chain, pulling down the walls that divide us - al eile ani bochiya, Sara Rivkah Rochel v'Leah... Now their tears are in your eyes."

One of 8th Day's strengths is using creative wordplay and fun music to bring Chassidic messages to life. Off the top of my head, CDSG, All You Got, Little Johnny, Never Afraid and Tatenyu are such masterpieces. Just Like You is this album's rendition of a Chassidic tale turned "pop with a message," but it isn't of the same quality as the others mentioned.
 
Celebrate is the classic fun, rock 8th Day song you've become accustomed to, while Days R Coming is a cutsy, funk song, "Good luck trying to catch a cold when disease is on the run." I do like the horn arrangement, and I'm not sure if the "yeah yeah" harmony bit was put in purposefully as a call back to their older stuff, or just happens to sound exactly the same. Whisper has the same message as Days R Coming and is quite forgettable.

Champions is a fun, anthemic track repeating another oft used 8th Day theme - the value of each individual (child?) and G-d's love for each and everyone. I loved Rain the first time round, and Rain 2.0 doesn't stray too far from the original. At the beginning of the second verse, it gets slowed down to the point that lyrics don't match the tune, and it sounds off beat and awful.

Jerusalem Stone is weak, both musically and lyrically, but the true disaster on this album is Inner Flame. I don't like that song at all.

I'm an unabashed 8th Day fan, and gobble up every note they put out. Though it seems 8th Day puts out an album every ...8th Day (sorry), and it might serve them well to wait a little and be more selective with their song choices and put out albums with less frequency.

/rambling. (Though, you did ask for some thoughts!)
« Last Edit: June 11, 2015, 01:44:26 PM by Yehuda57 »

Offline Mordyk

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#TYH

Offline Baruch

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #186 on: June 11, 2015, 01:32:07 PM »
@Yehuda57, I love your reviews. Keep 'em coming. Thanks.

Offline yitrap

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #187 on: June 11, 2015, 01:46:47 PM »
@Yehuda57, I love your reviews. Keep 'em coming. Thanks.
+1

Offline yitrap

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #188 on: June 11, 2015, 01:54:28 PM »
Lol!


It gets better, if you click yes they hit you with this...

Offline yesitsme

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #189 on: June 11, 2015, 02:02:47 PM »
Whatever happened to the shtik that we are only leasing and not buying the album?

It gets better, if you click yes they hit you with this...

soon they'll start leasing sessions, on condition that you first read all the ads
["-"]

Offline Yehuda57

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #190 on: June 11, 2015, 02:05:18 PM »
Anyone want to start a Go Fund Me campaign for Kikar Shabbat, for those that read articles while using an ad blocker?

Offline joshnuss

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #191 on: June 11, 2015, 07:39:30 PM »
Anybody know when the 8th day cd comes out in  iTunes? I know it came out on the jewish sites but Eta on ITunes?

Offline YitzyS

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #192 on: June 14, 2015, 03:54:37 PM »
Is it just me, or are 8th Day's songs really much easier to understand than their previous albums? I mostly understood most of their messages the first time I heard the album, whereas their previous albums, I have yet to understand many songs. ("Your blocking my driveway"?)

Offline Yehuda57

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #193 on: June 14, 2015, 05:05:59 PM »
Is it just me, or are 8th Day's songs really much easier to understand than their previous albums? I mostly understood most of their messages the first time I heard the album, whereas their previous albums, I have yet to understand many songs. ("Your blocking my driveway"?)
It would appear they are making a concerted effort to be understood and therefore appeal to a more mainstream audience.

They imply this in their interviews and publicity, though IMHO it is to their detriment. Make the music you like, not the music you can think you can sell. That's why we started to like you in the first place. As for understanding lyrics, leave it to the imagination. Look at Motti Illowitz's album, those aren't songs, they're essays set to music. Get creative, you don't always need to spell everything out.

I remember a discussion forum on their website after Tracht Gut came out where people were discussing the meaning of "lamma balue." The best one was that it's a song about booze. Good times.

Offline Got a clue

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #194 on: June 14, 2015, 05:09:32 PM »
It would appear they are making a concerted effort to be understood and therefore appeal to a more mainstream audience.

They imply this in their interviews and publicity, though IMHO it is to their detriment. Make the music you like, not the music you can think you can sell. That's why we started to like you in the first place. As for understanding lyrics, leave it to the imagination. Look at Motti Illowitz's album, those aren't songs, they're essays set to music. Get creative, you don't always need to spell everything out.

I remember a discussion forum on their website after Tracht Gut came out where people were discussing the meaning of "lamma balue." The best one was that it's a song about booze. Good times.

I feel like all their songs sound the same

Offline Yehuda57

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #195 on: June 14, 2015, 05:14:31 PM »
I feel like all their songs sound the same
You can say the same for almost any band or even sub genre. It probably just means you don't like them.

Having said that, I do feel they are too prolific, and they could stand to be more picky with song selection and put out albums less frequently.

Offline Got a clue

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #196 on: June 14, 2015, 05:31:49 PM »
You can say the same for almost any band or even sub genre. It probably just means you don't like them.

I used to love them. I followed them from when they started way before they became popular with Yalili. I just feel that in their last few albums they have been mashing a few old songs together and changing the lyrics..


Offline YitzyS

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #197 on: June 14, 2015, 10:34:08 PM »
Anyone heard the new Ohad yet? On Mostly Music it's still pre-order, but I heard that Israeli radio stations are already playing the whole album.

One thing that looks funny is the cover. On top it says "Dovid Fadida Magish" and on bottom it says "A Yossi Green Production". I wonder who did more. Based on Yossi Green's recent track record (Shragee, Tzuddik, Yiddish Nachas), I would hope that it's more Fadida! (They happen to be nice CDs, but there's nothing exciting about them.)

Offline Cheesecake

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #198 on: June 14, 2015, 11:01:25 PM »



In the secular music world, evidence seems to lean toward the copying and spreading of music actually benefitting the artists, leading to increased sales in the long run.


Interesting. Why, then, has the industry put so many millions of dollars into fighting it?

Offline yochiek93

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Re: Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)
« Reply #199 on: June 15, 2015, 07:23:42 AM »

Interesting. Why, then, has the industry put so many millions of dollars into fighting it?
because if everyone that listens to their music would buy it then they wouldnt lose as much so in the long run they would make more but its true ive spoken to singers and they said they dont make money on CDs its their for advertising