Total time: 32:06, 9 songs
Recorded 1996
Now, I know that as a reviewer I am supposed to listen to CDs in the
sense that even if I don't like the style of music, I should still
critique it fairly. However, I also want to tell the listeners what they
want to hear. Other than perhaps the family and friends of the people who
created this CD, I have no idea who would want to buy this. It is music
and lyrics written by Jeff and Helen Flaster. The words are classic folk
songs, and the music, even though it's for 4 voices, is boring. Simply
boring. Jennifer Brown and Jeff Flaster sing all four voice parts,
Jennifer doing alto/soprano and Jeff tenor/bass. Because of this, you
can't tell whether it's soprano or alto singing, and hearing the same
sound over and over again is terrible. Before you read the comments on
each song, I'd like to make several comments that apply to each and every
song on the CD. The female never changes the sound of her voice, which is
metallic and whiny, and the male is not meant to be a bass, but his tenor
range is fair. There is very little dynamic variation, there are no
melodies which you will retain after listening once, and the music is dry.
With lack of percussion, every layout of the songs starts to sound the
same. The soprano sings back and forth with the tenor and alto, and the
bass "chimes in" every once in a while with some words. I don't recommend
this CD unless you like the kind of folk music that is made fun of on
Saturday Night Live.
Rating: 3 (2.8)
When Jeff Flaster decided to make a CD of his original work, he gave it the ambitious title of "Still Time: Symphony for Chorus in G." I was really excited to hear it, expecting some sort of eerie avant garde contemporary recording. What I got was more along the lines of a garage-demo sound, of 4 voices singing folky songs. Tuning was not great, and chorus is not a word I would use for one man and one woman overdubbing themselves on a couple of different parts. So I was disappointed, particularly given the ambitious billing. I think it's great that Flaster made a CD of his creative work, and I support his decision to name it whatever he wants, pretentious or no. But I don't think it's the sort of thing that should be offered to the a cappella community at large without letting people know exactly what they're getting.
There are few interesting or surprising themes in the music, which has a traditional-protestant-church feel to much of it, with some odd musical-esque threads as it progresses. Much of what interest there is gets sabotaged by the empty feel — this stuff would sound much better with a blurry chorus instead of one voice on a part. Particularly since both of the voices combining on this project have such obvious flaws. Inconsistency plays its part, but Jennifer Brown (singing all the women parts, usually 2 or 3) has a real tendency to belt, be out of tune/flat, and or seem out of her league for most of the work. She does have some nice moments, I don't want to dismiss her out of hand, but the bad lingers in the memory longer and hurts the album. Composer Jeff Flaster sings the male lines (again, usually 2 or 3) and has a nice, classically voice for the bums and string-type lines. His solos are less successful, and he stretches his range way out of its element in a number of places.
I wish Brown and Flaster well in their endeavors; it's great to see
such dedication to amateur music, and this music may translate well to
a community chorus setting. As this disc stands, however, I cannot
recommend it as a random listen.
Rating: 3 (4.0)
I'll start with the obvious and work from there. This happens to be a CD of original pieces, or symphonies as the title suggests, by Jeff Flaster. From the title of the first track "Come Up the Mountain", it suggests of a classical/folk type feel, which actually most of the time was quite pleasant. If you enjoy Peter, Paul, and Mary singing Puff the Magic Dragon, you'll definitely enjoy it.
The trick to this CD is that the four-part harmony is sung by two people, Jeff Flaster and Jennifer Brown. Obviously, this wasn't accomplished immediately, but rather with some vocal editing. That being said, it must have been quite difficult to gauge immediate reaction in regards to pitch and tempo (blend would be a flick of a volume switch, maybe).
The music itself is well written and arranged, with occasional questionable scoring choices. Lyrically, it was inventive, if not always understandable. I do have to say that I had two favorites: Come Up the Mountain, and My Fat Cat (read the song reviews).
I applaud the effort though, as this CD must feel like quite an
accomplishment, and in the end I hope that regardless of how I or any of
the other reviewers feel, he feels satisfied to put all the work he did
into a worthy effort.
Rating: 7 (6.4)
a couple of words about jeff flaster's symphony for chorus in g: not a
symphony, not a chorus, not in g. well, to be fair, two of the nine tracks
are in g. excuse me. this album is absolutely laughable. there are two
performers, jeff flaster (who, with help from his wife on lyrics, wrote
this stuff) and jennifer brown. the lyrics are painfully trite, and often
so bad that they're just outrageously funny. each vocalist is overdubbed a
couple times, presumably at jeff's home studio (otherwise somebody spent
too much dough), and produced with a dab of reverb and nothing else.
there're really too many bad things about this album to go through, but
they're all things you've heard of: badly mixed, badly recorded, bad pitch,
bad voices, bad writing, cheesy little arrangements; so in my song by song
reviews i'll just get to the best part, which is the humor of it all. the
music is terrible, although i must say i've never heard anything like it,
so as far as originality goes, jeff's doin' a great job. i guess the tunes
are like really bad madrigals or something. but it's supposed to be a
symphony? i don't understand. maybe jeff's on some wavelength that's so
far ahead of it's time that i'm a fucking moron for dissing on this album,
but honestly, it's the worst a cappella album that i've ever heard in my
entire life. also one of the funniest, for the same reasons. wait'll you
hear the fourth movement, "my fat cat." i'll quote some lyrics later on
for your enjoyment.
Rating: 1 (1.0)
It is not often that you hear a substantial amount of original a cappella music when you are a RARB reviewer. In fact, most of what you hear is college groups who make a long album full of covers. This is the first time in a long time I have listened to an album that did not have a cover of some 80's tune. Kind of refreshing.
This album is in fact an entire composition. A symphony for the human voice. It is not classical, though. It's not really pop either. This piece is 9 songs over 5 movements. This is supposed to be a complete composition, where everything fits together in some way.
Hate to say it, but it doesn't. To me, the songs did not connect to each other in any way other than the fact that they are being sung by the same people. You jump from one to the next and you think, 'what the heck?' Things just don't seem to fit together. There is not a synergistic relationship between the lyrics and the music they are sung to. I found the words to many of these songs to be obtuse, usually trite, and sometimes downright wacky. They seem to flow like some odd 'stream of consciousness' experiment, looking good on the surface, but when you really listen, things just don't make sense. You'll see what I mean in some of the song reviews.
"Like a great symphony, Still Time's nine independent tracks are integrated into one complete thought. Its melody can stand on its own and can stand up to a lifetime of listening."
Ehhh, no. It's not like a great symphony. The nine tracks come together in no discernible way short of a couple of transition notes — they put together a rather discombobulated thought, in my opinion. There is no consistent melody, and a 'lifetime of listening' is beyond even my patience.
Musically, this album runs hot and cold. There are numerous tuning problems throughout this album, and most of them come from the bass line. Mr. Flaster is not a bass, and he takes on very strange intonation most of the time: he's working hard to reach the note with a dark tone, but just ends up sounding like he's choking on his tongue. His tenor is understated, and his falsetto is occasionally weak and unsupported. Interestingly enough, he does not blend very well with himself.
Jennifer Brown has a much steadier voice in this album than Jeff, a fine soprano voice that carried well into the not-very-low alto register. Her tone is bright and light, kind of like a first-year grade school music teacher. You know — the kind of young, ambitious, way too happy teacher who thinks music will change each and every child's life... that is until the kids find that spitballs are more fun.
Still Time is a piece that seems to be a labor of love for Mr. Flaster... an optimistic view of life as he sees it. The Web site for the album states that "Its lyrics relate to your life, and they make sense."
Fortunately or unfortunately, it doesn't relate to my life.
Swing... and a miss.
Rating: 4 (4.9)
The female vocalist has really good diction in this song, and even
though the recording said it is only four voices, at times it sounds like
more. The woman singing unfortunately sounds like she's singing into a
tin can, and it gets annoying by the end of the song. This is not a high
quality recording. The parts don't blend at all, and they don't seem to
have any kind of phrasing on this tune.
Rating: 3
Jeff Flaster's background actually sounds a bit like the cello and
viola parts of a string quartet. Simplistic, yet somewhat formal sounding.
But the whole thing is given a hymn or mountain feel by the voice of his
accomplice, Jennifer Brown. She sings through her nose and is consistently
under pitch. It's tough, particularly starting out, though the ear
acclimates somewhat as it goes on.
Rating: 3
The first five tracks run together without break, starting with this
melodic number that sets the CD off well. Following a frustrating start
when I couldn't judge the tempo, it moves effortlessly into Jennifer's
easy-going soprano line with more than capable support, proving the
ability to create a track such as this with a bit of electronic help.
Rating: 8
the best pitch displayed on the album. that's one of the few positive
comments you'll see in this review, so get ready. here we get a taste of
jeff flaster's non-existent bass range and his basically bad tone. he
sounds like he just had his bar mitzvah, his grandmother said "oh jeff,
you've just got the most wonderful voice," plopped down a couple grand,
jeff bought a da88, recorded an album at the urging of his entire family
(he's so TALENTED!), got married ('cause after all, once everyone hears
this shit, the money's gonna be in the bag! i can support a family no
prob, with my natural talent), and infected the world with the most
horrible music of all time. on the other hand, i feel kind of badly for
jennifer brown, who sings soprano and alto on the album. her voice can be
quite pleasant, and makes this recording almost bearable. but then you
hear track 2 and...
Rating: 1
The song beckons you in with the words "Come on" repeated over a few
chords. Then into the meat of the short song which is about love and
rainbows, and how heaven is here on earth. Nice harmonies, especially
from Ms. Brown. Here is your first hint that the bass line is not being
sung by a bass.
Rating: 7
The bass line and tenor voice aren't in tune with each other, which is
a surprise since it's the same person singing them! The syllables that
the bass uses are creative, because many a cappella groups get bogged down
with repeated syllables. This song is in dire need of percussion or a
more rhythmic part to keep it moving along. There is a nice tempo change
at the end of the song, but when it switches from the soprano solo to the
tenor solo, the tenor is very out of tune.
Rating: 2
This is like Amy Grant crossed with old motown.Very white, general
sentiments of "you'll be sorry if you leave him" songs. Brown opens up
from time to tome. Flaster is no bass, and his falsetto is just a bad idea
whenever it comes in. He has a very simplistic, resonance-free bassline
that contributes to the music's empty feel. His tenor/baritone range is
really quite pleasant, particularly when he's singing background. He shows
precision and semi-classical intonation wholly lacking in Brown, whose
pitch is just not consistent enough.
Rating: 3
The first transition which leads straight into this track is again
awkward. This also suffers from a high bass line which was difficult to
get used to throughout the CD. Although I would like to hear this with
a faster tempo and maybe a percussion beat, it still is a fun number
with well-written middle voices. I also really liked the transition
into Jeff's Tenor line. Still, another fun number that would benefit
from a better transition, but stands well on its own.
Rating: 7
...jeff's backups literally slay you. this is some kind of fifties tune or
something i guess. what kills me here is the "bass" line; apparently jeff
thought it would be clever to add one more "no" each time before the
"stop." here's a quote from his line: "no no no stop. no no no no stop.
no no no no no stop. no no no no no no stop. no no no no no no no no..."
just kills me. absolutely died laughing. AAAAGGH! jeff in falsetto!
help!
Rating: 1
An interesting tune about telling a woman that she is making a mistake
loving someone who does not reciprocate. The thing that stood out for
me was that the production gets a bit spotty. An added tenor falsetto
suddenly sticks out above the other lines and does not blend that
well. Another thing that does not blend is the lyrics in the last
part of the song. After a tempo change to slow things down comes this
line that just throw you for a loop. After being supportive, the
'first person storyteller' decides that he has to do his own thing and
"has no more time for you." Where the hell did that come from?
Rating: 5
This is one of the more solid arrangements on the CD, and there are
some really nice 7th chords, but they occasionally take time to settle.
The syncopation of the arrangement is its strongest feature, and the 4
parts blend well together dynamically. The biggest downfall of this song
is that the bass has a vibrato that is way too strong.
Rating: 4
Now we have segued into another ballady thing. This gets nice when it
goes jazzy toward the end, when Brown goes high and light and in-tune, and
they have some nice chords. This is great, around the 3-minute mark.
Before that, the backgrounds are all singing the same elementary rhythms,
and it still feels amateurish. I like Flaster better on backgrounds than
singing words, though neither Brown's solo voice and background grabs me.
Rating: 4
Translation (won't say more than that). I don't understand the lyrics.
It seems like a lot of nice images are conjured up, but don't make a lot
of collective sense ("I have no alibi for hearts in the snow, or for
letters on the table signed "xoxoxo"). I also had a difficult time
with constant shifting of solo lines through all four parts. It's not a
bad song, pleasant to listen to, if you don't pay strict attention to it
like I've been asked to here. There is a really nice end to this track
with Jennifer harmonizing with herself (that had to be difficult to get
used to and comfortable with).
Rating: 5
the track id is off, presumably because this song segues from the previous.
you see, it's a symphony, it's all linked somehow, it's just impossible for
a mere mortal like me to wade through the complexity of it all. i suppose
it's just one huge love song, the whole album, that is. check out this
rhyme: "i have no alibi for hearts in the snow/or for letters on the table
signed 'xoxoxo.'" fucking hysterical, i'm telling you, you can't believe
this stuff. the best is when jeff sings up high in some kind of
chest/falsetto combo thing and wavers like he's terribly nervous or
something, but that's not anxiety, it's just how he sounds up there. also,
these songs make no sense. musically, that is. there's always some sort
of ending thing with unusual chord progressions, and this section is always
slower than the rest of the song, i don't know, i'm just rambling, i'm in
some insane terrible-recording-induced state.
Rating: 1
The thing that seems so incongruous about the ending of that last song
is how it flows into the beginning of this song, which starts with the
line, "Why is everybody smiling when we're around?" Suddenly things are
so nice and lovey-dovey as to be pretentious. The music loops and
flutters around like a butterfly in a cool summer breeze. Which I
suppose is totally what he intended, but it did not jibe with what just
lead into this vocal expression of good feelings and giddiness. Who
knows, maybe I'm too cynical, but I shook my head in the way you do when
you wish you could retch.
Rating: 5
This song is flat-out terrible for the following reasons. The words
don't make sense, the word 'uncharacteristically' takes about 15 seconds
to come out, and the lead is changed too much between voices. This song
has no sense of direction, no phrasing, no sections, and even though
(again) the same woman is singing the alto and soprano part, her own
vowels don't match each other, like on the word "day." This song adds
nothing to the CD.
Rating: 1
Madrigalistic. Brown is again using her highest range, which I like better
than lower. The jazz-madrigal notes — sort of syncopated — aren't together
enough to be successful, nor do they really fit into anything. Flaster has
a nice bassish solo on the words "so shy and mysterious", but the chords
following are so imprecise that it just isn't much fun. Here all the parts
are slightly syncopated. There are a couple of really interesting chords
just past the 2 minute mark. Later, the "these are the days" cascades are
interesting, but pitchy — even when the tuning is reasonable, the sound is
too empty — this is not ideal one-on-a-part music — and the blend rarely
locks. It's frustrating.
Rating: 4
Tempo was not solid immediately. This is one of those songs that, by
title alone, could seem like "Ironic", but doesn't come close to that
descriptive feel. Rather it seems to be about a relationship (another
time where I felt confused by the lyrics). Again, the music is nicely
done and moves the tune and a pleasant pace despite it's walking tempo.
This song, like most others, has no problems with tempo, which must
have mixing easier (unless a lot of takes were done, but I should think
not, what with the final product).
Rating: 6
when jeff sings "so shy and mysterious," it's truly one of the great
musical moments of all time, captured for eternity on digital compact audio
disc. YOU CAN BUY THIS DISC! it's for sale! here! he's got his own
trademarked music company, complete with website! i haven't been, but i
can only imagine... melodic music (tm),
http://www.melodic.com/. it's
got to be worth the trip. buy the album! i guarantee you will enjoy
this thing on a level you've never experienced before and will never
again.
Rating: 1
The opening verse sounds acceptable on the surface, but when I looked closer the words did not make sense with what had been sung in the previous piece of the movement.
"Uncharacteristically, my loveI read that and I see "I needed help, and Whoa! You actually helped me this time! Cool."
I cried out for help.
Uncharacteristically,
you were there to rescue me."
The recording quality of this song is inexplicably lower, and the
tenuous balance of parts is blown because of it. The soprano suddenly
sticks out more than usual. The bass line sings the solo for a
moment, and his voice is so thick he sounds like a drunk on the verge
of belching. The soprano gets a bit shrill right at the end of the
last chorus.
Rating: 4
Another instance of bad recording quality. The tone is very scratchy
when the dynamics are louder, the soprano sounds like she is singing in a
separate room, and the moving "ah's" in each voice part are monotonous.
Rating: 2
This blends a little better, slow ballady at first, with the interesting
line "just say the word and the stars will fall like confetti." When the
familiar melody from track 1 comes back in, it's pretty and works well. I
like this better than any so far, it makes good use of the hymn sound and
Brown's higher, light, non-belty range.
Rating: 6
Transition (was nice this time). Like a symphony (aaaahh), it starts
with a beautiful vocal image of a forest, written beautifully with a
nice lyrical palette. And then the first tune is back, with no effort
whatsoever. A terrific ending to what was, overall, a pleasant
"symphony".
Rating: 8
thank god! i didn't get enough the first time. WAIT! THEY'RE CHRISTMAS
CAROLS! they're really bad christmas carols! i just figured it out! the
whole album is filled with a bunch of christmas carols that are about some
mountain hideaway or something with two lovers and no christmas. another
thing i've been forgetting to mention is that this entire album sounds
exactly the same start to finish, broken up by a few brief moments of utter
hilarity.
Rating: 1
Begins somber and thoughtful, and swells back to the happy chorus from
the first piece. Balance is too tenor-heavy in the ending chords.
Rating: 5
Pronunciation is a problem again in this song. Some notes are
basically just wrong. At first I thought it was supposed to be atonal,
but when the same phrases came back the second time and sounded totally
different, I knew it was a tuning problem. It's a nice melody, but not
for over 6 verses. It needs a little variation.
Rating: 2
This sounds like a children's song, with all the triteness and general
blah that a lousy lullaby can imply. Bass has a choral feel and is much
more successful than the attempts at rhythm earlier.
Rating: 4
Speaks of a person who speaks of not finishing perfect, but doing well
enough, and getting the support he/she needs. The slow tempo seems to
drag it back. It, again, is a nice track, performed well, but stirring
very few emotions or hitting with any impact.
Rating: 6
here's a good line: "while i still see myself as a winner, there's no test
for which i would give up dinner." hearing jeff try to sing notes anywhere
in baritone/bass range has to be one of the most amusing things of all
time.
Rating: 1
This is a song all about being happy with where you are. To me, it sounds more like the touching anthem of a couch potato. The line that clinches this whole feeling is when the bass sings:
"While I still see my self as a winner,Oy. The bass solo in the second half is weak and full of his 'thick-tongued' sound. Otherwise it was fine musically.
There's no test for which I would give up dinner."
This seems really atonal in the beginning which is definitely allowed,
but the first minute or so of the piece is like this, and then the rest is
very "chordal" and madrigal-like, confusing the listener greatly. There's
not much dynamics here, and the consonant "s" sounds very brassy.
Rating: 2
Hmm. Sort of Sondheimy. Flaws in the Flaster's voice come out. Brown's
thirds blend well, and in general she seems much more in touch with a
pretty tone for this — sort of a modern-musical feel to it. On this song,
she outsings him, which is a change of pace. Not sure at all where the
words are going, but hey, I don't care. Brown's ornaments are good, and
she blends with herself here — it's great. It's not belty at all, it's
pretty, her pitch problems only surface in a few places. If Flaster had
mixed some of his lines (particularly the wordless ones) down quite a bit
it might have been even better. In minute 4 Brown uses several "character
voices" to great effect, and Flaster tries the same. This is much better
sung than most of its fellows. (Longer, too; 7 minutes) Indian Summer
reprise actually has some oomph to it and picks up beautifully, by any
standard — nice for late in minute 5.
Rating: 5
The weakest track (to me) starts with a bass line that seems to be
getting down at the VERY bottom of Jeff's range. I didn't understand a
couple things: first, the beat/tempo changes (numbering greater than 3)
seemed like it was written with several song styles in mind, but not
being satisfied with using one or even two; second, the lyrics, making
reference to seasonal comparisons, seem like they're trying to tie it to
life, but the title doesn't make sense.
Rating: 4
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! HERE IT IS! THE ABSOLUTE
FUNNIEST PURELY VOCAL TRACK OF ALL TIME! FUCK THE BOBS! JEFF FLASTER IS
THE KING OF A CAPPELLA COMEDY AS WE KNOW IT! HE JUST DOESN'T KNOW IT! YOU
HAVE TO BUY THIS ALBUM, IF ONLY FOR THE FIRST 45 SECONDS OF THIS TRACK.
call me if you live through it. but try to stay tuned for the tango
section later on...
Rating: 1
The intro to this song is out of tune, and features Mr. Flaster's odd
non-bass bass voice. In this movement he is talking about wishing it
would not be so rainy in October around his birthday. He also makes
various metaphorical references to the weather being like life, and
looking to reach a high of 75. Is that the temperature or the age he
wants to reach? Ooohh, clever... What bugs me more is that the melody keeps
changing, and there is no consistency in the feel of this movement.
Kinda like the first movement. But at least he broke that one up into
separate songs. In this movement the melody changes 5 or 6 times, so
each melody lasts about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. That bugged me, especially
when an interesting melody comes in, and leaves just as fast to be
replaced by a plodding one. No sir, I didn't like it.
Rating: 4
This was my favorite song on the CD (which doesn't say much) because it
had funny lyrics which distracted the listener from somewhat boring music.
It has a nice canon style of each voice part coming in at different
measures on the lyrics. There is a really nice key change at the end of
the song which is difficult to do when one voice comes in at a time: they
all have to hit the key change solidly.
Rating: 6
Yawpawblaw. Uh, ok. Sure, start a new song. Keeps the showtune feel
of the first, but with a British canon feel to it that increases as
the patter speeds. Lyrics make little sense to me; granted I haven't
really studied them. Commentary on society and an (allegorical, I
presume) fat cat. I am kind of tweaked about the "my fat cat, my
black jewish cat. My fat cat, my little bubbeleh" (that's a Yiddish
endearment, by the way) lines. To me it reeks of anti-semitism,
particularly since many of the lyrics would corroborate with a "rich
uncaring Jew" stereotype. Blihh.
Rating: 4
Because I don't have much experience with Hebrew/Jewish music, I can
barely make comparisons, but it is very close to how I imagine such
music to be. It has a BOBS quality to it without being a parody. This
track stands alone as fun. It seems like Jeff had difficulty keeping
tune with...himself. This time, even thought he solo line moves through
all four lines, it serves well for the song. Lyrically, musically,
stylistically, it all blended together for a great track.
Rating: 8
WAIT! NO! THIS IS IT! FUCK WHAT I SAID ABOUT NUMBER 7! THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE SHIT! allow me to quote a selection.
"squirrels in the trees astound him.
when his blanket's wrapped around him.
metaphorically, i've found him like a chocolate blintz.
felis mendelssohn's his favorite composer.
mtv to him is an anathema of noise.
but this song, which he knows is entirely about him,
is the composition he most thoroughly enjoys.
chorus:
my fat cat, my black jewish dumpling.
my fat cat, my little bubbale.
my fat cat, yawning on the sofa.
my fat cat, stretching out in the sun."
This song is all about Mr. Flaster's cat. The most incongruous movement of the 'symphony'. Also the wackiest. Which of course means it's the one that sticks in your head the most... how ironic. I think the brain latches onto this one because of the conceptual loop-dee-loops in the lyrics you get to hear. Examples:
"If he were to speak in Englishor how about:
He would say ``The world's delicious.''
Or, were he to speak in Yiddish,
``Kreplach, halevai.''"
"He has all the worries of a toasted english muffin."better yet:
"Metaphorically, I've found himGod, that's so deep as to be ludicrous! I could not stop laughing! And the melody just sticks with you, even when you don't want it anywhere near you. Unfortunately, what else sticks is the bad singing by Mr. Flaster in the bass line this time. Just flat-out wrong notes all over the place. Ms. Brown is just fine. Mr. F is sloppy.
like a chocolate blintz."
A country style song? Where does this fit on the epitome of folk music
selections? The "ah's" between each verse are way too slow, because you
just want to hear the lyrics at this point. The soloist varies from one
voice part way too often, and it's hard to figure out who to follow for
the lead, because there's not much change in dynamics at all. This song
should've been interchanged with the previous- it's not a strong ending.
Rating: 3
This has that "school song" feel to it. Not great. Really, I'm ready to go
by now. The seventies-rock verse (empty trashcans, forgiven heartache, all
that) seems sorta weird after all this. The whole song — half formal, half
folk — takes about twice as much time as it has ideas. Patter at end is
weird, but better than rest, and Flaster's attempts at countertenor are
better than usual. Still a bit short, but for this album it sounds ok.
Rating: 3
A moving melody with well-written backing, it suffers from length.
Again, if you try to analyze it, you'll want to just move to another
track. It looks to be several views on how people approach going
home. I can't say much more here that I haven't said elsewhere. It
serves nicely as a final track. Well-sung, on-key, in tempo, it is a
competent effort that shouldn't be listened to with a discriminating ear.
Rating: 6
apparently this is the final movement of what was for obvious reasons
called "symphony for chorus in g." while this album may have been neither
a symphony, nor a chorus, nor in g, it certainly is of the magnitude of
the most dramatic and powerful of compositions. it actually is insulting
to anyone who's ever written a symphony. seriously, it makes me angry that
jeff flaster has the audacity to call this a symphony. a symphony is
something to behold, a real accomplishment by the composer, an arrival.
any composer worth a shit knows when he's written something worthy of that
title. jeff, listen to your mendelssohn, and while you're at it break out
some beethoven and some mozart and some stravinsky and some mahler and some
gorecki and some brahms and sit at home and think about what a symphony
really is.
Rating: 1
A strident sound reminiscent of trumpets as they sing about grabbing that train and going home. Bass tuning is still not all there as we begin this trip down memory lane. We hear about the things at home that he welcomes as good, simple memories of what is right and good in 'Home'. A trippy little section takes us through a number of states, just like a train line. But the lyrics make no sense. First he talks about his going home. Then it is 'us', he and his love. Then:
"I can feel the rumbling wheelsWhat did I miss? He could feel her train coming, then it was herat the station — not him — waiting for him to come home. Does that make any sense?!?
bring you home to me.
Now, here at the station,
You have been extremely patient,
And I see you've waited for me to
come home to you."
Screw it. Artistic license... topped off with a weak ending chord as
the icing.
Rating: 4
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