My band's first EP

[Vats]

Hi all!

 

I sing and play guitar for a progressive rock band called Rainburn. We released our debut EP a couple of months ago and recently made it available for streaming. Would love to hear comments on my singing or any other aspect of the music Here's the video: 

 

Cheers and thanks!

[ronws]

Awewsome, Vat. I liked every bit about this, including Neil Peart with an indian accent, I mean, your drummer. My favorite is probably "Veil." that ripping shred in the middle and then the drums later morphing into double kick machine gun rips. Too cool. Elements of Kansas, Dixie Dregs, some Billy Sheehan slap going on. Tasty indeed.

[Vats]

Hi Ron!

 

Thanks a lot for taking the time to listen...I appreciate your comments  and am glad that you dug it.

 

My favourite track is "Veil" too!

 

Thanks once again

[KillerKu]

I'm listening man. I like it so far. You have a darker, slightly woofier tone than a lot of singers in this genre. which I like, but I imagine being more difficult to perform than a brighter twangier sound. Most records might mix it a little punchier, but I like the change of pace. You may consider brightening the area around singer's formant (2-3 kh) if you wanted to meet genre expectations on future projects as it sounds a bit distant which is relaxing vs tiring on the divide. I like raw vocals quite a bit, but it might be just a bit on the under-produced side, not that I could produce it better.

 

I also wanted to compliment the additional use of the harmonic spectrum with a clearer focus than a lot of modern progressive music. The use of arpeggios and cleaner tones allowed a broader width of harmony with clarity. I know from listening to more modern Dream Theater (Black Cloud Silver Lining was perfect example), there is like this 'syrupy sounding keyboard' throughout making this vague thick harmony, but it's kind of undefined and not very rockish. You're exploring more progressive harmonies without losing a clarity to the listener.

 

Your whole band are quite skilled, the bass player is quite the slapper. Guitarist has a range of styles. I appreciate not everything all of his playing being a root and fifth when he cranked up. Drummer is more skilled than I am for sure, very polished and keeps great time in numerous time signatures.

 

As a listener, my tastes veer more towards the Bowie side of artish rock, which focuses more on timbre alteration, and eccentricity, than choppier time signature alterations, like Rush, but I can appreciate prog as well. You guys do prog very well. Rainburn is a cool catchy name too.

 

Congratulations on getting your stuff out there and trying to get 'somewhere.' I'm wishing you well and thanks for posting.

[Steven Brown]

I would like to say, one of the things I absolutely love about Robert’s Modern Vocalist World site is the amazing variety of artist from all around the world. This is truly become a site that is in a class all its own.

 

I know you weren’t necessarily looking for a review of the EP but if I were in a band, I would appreciate knowing what people thought about our music, so here goes.

 

  Well Vat, were to begin.  First, I must say that you and your band are the real deal.  How fun it must be to work with such talented and accomplished musicians.  The production of your EP is outstanding and very professional.  I have listened to several bands out of India and by far, yours is the most impressive. 

 

 Refuge – Your use of time signatures is crazy, - love it.  Very complex but it comes together wonderfully. I love your note selection for the vocals and harmonies.  Everyone has great chops.

 

 Canvas of Silence – Once again, very complex time signature.  Just the right amount of harmonies.  I really like your vocal runs; I can feel the Indian influence.  Your vocals remind me of one of my favorite singers “Brad Delp”of Boston fame, may he rest in peace. Your range is similar to his especially proven at the 10:27 mark of your EP video. Wow, that is nice.

 

 Veil – This one really has a feel of India to it, I love the sound of the harmonics on the Sitar or Guitar, good stuff. It builds and builds.  A nice mixture of clean and grit in the vocals.

 

 Time Turns Around – Guitar note selection once again very nice with a feel of India. The vocals are very beautiful and clean. Very progressive feel with the guitars.

 

 Fragments – This and Canvas of Silence are my favorites on the EP.  Very complex beginning with a beautiful overlay of simplicity, nice combination.  The harmonies have a feel of the Eagles and Crosby Still and Nash. I love the way the  song has very complex signatures and very simple 4/4 times as well, then back to an up tempo beat, nicely done.

 

I know I didn’t comment on the bass and drums but there is no doubt they are amazing musicians as well.  Ron was right with the Neil Peart reference and my guess is someone was a fan of funk.

 

Thank you for sharing your music with us and keep writing material, I know this isn’t the last we will hear of Rainburn.

[Vats]

Wow! Thanks for the awesome replies...I love the detailed posts! I'll try responding to them in depth, so please bear with a couple of epic-size posts from me.

[Vats]

I'm listening man. I like it so far. You have a darker, slightly woofier tone than a lot of singers in this genre. which I like, but I imagine being more difficult to perform than a brighter twangier sound. Most records might mix it a little punchier, but I like the change of pace. You may consider brightening the area around singer's formant (2-3 kh) if you wanted to meet genre expectations on future projects as it sounds a bit distant which is relaxing vs tiring on the divide.

 

Thanks for the analysis and the kind words. I agree with your comments on the tone. I think maybe the mic played a part too. On the recording we used a Brauner Phantom, which I found had a very warm sound. Live, I generally use Shure SM58s and I've noticed I tend to sound a lot brighter. Not that one is bad and the other good, just a matter of taste, I guess.

 

I like raw vocals quite a bit, but it might be just a bit on the under-produced side, not that I could produce it better.

 

That was my doing...I love the sound of upfront vocals on a recording, it takes a bit of guts to do it but it sounds very honest and sincere to me...maybe because many of the singers I admire, such as Jeff Buckley and Stevie Wonder, are far away from the prog genre and I love the immediacy of the vocals on some of their recordings. Also, we wanted the sound of the EP to be very "alive" overall...I love modern prog and djent but a lot of it is a bit too slickly produced for my taste. What bands like Opeth and Pain of Salvation have been doing the last few years is taking things back to a more organic sound and that's what I wanted to do with our music too.

 

I also wanted to compliment the additional use of the harmonic spectrum with a clearer focus than a lot of modern progressive music. The use of arpeggios and cleaner tones allowed a broader width of harmony with clarity. I know from listening to more modern Dream Theater (Black Cloud Silver Lining was perfect example), there is like this 'syrupy sounding keyboard' throughout making this vague thick harmony, but it's kind of undefined and not very rockish. You're exploring more progressive harmonies without losing a clarity to the listener.

 

Thanks, I'm so glad you noticed that! I love the sound of hard rock and distorted guitars but at times the sound also frustrated me a bit in its inability to voice complex/extended chords and not sound muddy. Everything became much better for me once I started writing songs for two guitars, using one of the guitars almost like a keyboard at times but with less sterility in the sound than many keyboards. And more clarity, like you said. I'm really glad some people have picked up on that.

 

Your whole band are quite skilled, the bass player is quite the slapper. Guitarist has a range of styles. I appreciate not everything all of his playing being a root and fifth when he cranked up. Drummer is more skilled than I am for sure, very polished and keeps great time in numerous time signatures.

 

As a listener, my tastes veer more towards the Bowie side of artish rock, which focuses more on timbre alteration, and eccentricity, than choppier time signature alterations, like Rush, but I can appreciate prog as well. You guys do prog very well. Rainburn is a cool catchy name too.

 

Congratulations on getting your stuff out there and trying to get 'somewhere.' I'm wishing you well and thanks for posting.

Thanks! I meet a lot of wonderfully talented people who aren't really doing anything in terms of making music because they think they're not "ready". I tell them they will never be ready in their eyes because they are comparing themselves to their idols and they will of course always fall short. So just make some music and if you're sucky in your own eyes, so be it, let that be motivation to constantly improve, not an inhibiting factor from doing something musically

[Vats]

I would like to say, one of the things I absolutely love about Robert’s Modern Vocalist World site is the amazing variety of artist from all around the world. This is truly become a site that is in a class all its own.

I agree...wonderful forum with many genuinely helpful people and a very positive vibe all 'round...everyone really wants to help everyone else.

 

I know you weren’t necessarily looking for a review of the EP but if I were in a band, I would appreciate knowing what people thought about our music, so here goes.

 

  Well Vat, were to begin.  First, I must say that you and your band are the real deal.  How fun it must be to work with such talented and accomplished musicians.  The production of your EP is outstanding and very professional.  I have listened to several bands out of India and by far, yours is the most impressive. 

Thank you very much, Steven. I'm particularly happy with your words on production values...I worked insanely hard at mixing it (not being very good or experienced)!

 

 

 Refuge – Your use of time signatures is crazy, - love it.  Very complex but it comes together wonderfully. I love your note selection for the vocals and harmonies.  Everyone has great chops.

 

 Canvas of Silence – Once again, very complex time signature.  Just the right amount of harmonies.  I really like your vocal runs; I can feel the Indian influence.  Your vocals remind me of one of my favorite singers “Brad Delp”of Boston fame, may he rest in peace. Your range is similar to his especially proven at the 10:27 mark of your EP video. Wow, that is nice.

Brad Delp is a great singer though I haven't heard much Boston outside of their greatest hits. On that part you mentioned, I go up to an A5, which is not far from my upper limit...a cute little party trick that I feel a bit sheepish about at times.

 

 Veil – This one really has a feel of India to it, I love the sound of the harmonics on the Sitar or Guitar, good stuff. It builds and builds.  A nice mixture of clean and grit in the vocals.

If you're referring to the sound at the beginning of the song, that's done using volume swells on a guitar

 

 Time Turns Around – Guitar note selection once again very nice with a feel of India. The vocals are very beautiful and clean. Very progressive feel with the guitars.

 

 Fragments – This and Canvas of Silence are my favorites on the EP.  Very complex beginning with a beautiful overlay of simplicity, nice combination.  The harmonies have a feel of the Eagles and Crosby Still and Nash. I love the way the  song has very complex signatures and very simple 4/4 times as well, then back to an up tempo beat, nicely done.

I'm happy to hear this is one of your favourites, I wrote this song about my father who died a few years ago and every time anyone says they like it, I feel it's a salute to his memory. We do a singalong thing on the chorus with the audience when we play it live and it always moves me.

 

I know I didn’t comment on the bass and drums but there is no doubt they are amazing musicians as well.  Ron was right with the Neil Peart reference and my guess is someone was a fan of funk.

Actually Praveen, our drummer, is more of a a "second-hand" Peart fan, I'd say...he likes Mike Portnoy, whose style of course is very much influenced by Peart. We cover their song "Red Barchetta" live sometimes. I'll post a video someday

 

Thank you for sharing your music with us and keep writing material, I know this isn’t the last we will hear of Rainburn.

Thank YOU for your wonderful and detailed post and of course, for taking the time to listen to it!