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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

http://img.4plebs.org/boards/tg/image/1375/33/1375335148508.gif

"Life is about movies; anything else is a bonus!"- Me   cool

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Is there anything more exciting than a long-awaited reveal?
http://i.imgur.com/8hwzH7W.gif

Disclaimer: if you dislike the tone of a post I make, re-read it in a North/East London accent until it sounds sufficiently playful smile

Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Oh, and obviously, reactions are welcome.

:-}

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

[reaction.gif]

Buying now, will burn to a CD for my commute tomorrow. Main one I'm looking forward to is Propaganda, but then I also have that YouTube video downloaded and have listened to that in the car as well. Interested in hearing the final mix!

Boter, formerly of TF.N as Boter and DarthArjuna. I like making movies and playing games, in one order or another.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Ranking it, after the initial listen:

1. ICPOS
2. Limp-Dick Christmas Lights
3. Writing a Letter
4. Blank Walls and Crowded Shelves
5. I Feel More Like a Leonard

Doing a track-by-track analysis from start to finish:

"Limp-Dick Christmas Lights" is a fantastic opener, and was the ideal choice for lead single. The horn section is a crucial asset, and the overall message is one that I think every single one of us here on the forum can get behind. "Blank Walls and Crowded Shelves" is sentimental without teetering into schmaltz—the string section could have come dangerously close to collapsing under its own weight, but it's just restrained enough to work very well for the song. Rather reminiscent of Folds' "Fred Jones Part 2". "I Feel More Like a Leonard"'s fusion of Queen and Green Day is quite the interesting sound, and as probably the straightest rocker on the album it succeeds in its task admirably. "Writing a Letter" was, for me, more emotionally affecting than "Blank Walls", probably because its first-person narration feels less distant than its predecessor's third-person. Again, poignancy without falling into something unintended (in this case the risk would have been whining rather than schmaltz, but yet again the writing soars over that and retains its quality). And of course, ICPOS is the crown jewel of the piece. Insanely catchy, an escalating trainwreck, lots of hilarious ad-libbing from the backup vocalists. It could only have been the conclusion.

The only negative point I can think of is that the vocals are mixed a bit low, but that's obviously largely down to personal preference. And look at all the positives that outweigh this: killer instrumental production, lyrics that are by turns witty and heartfelt, and a singer who's definitely come a way since Sad Max. Overall, this managed to be everything I was hoping for while still surprising me. And, as WAYDM says, an ending that's both surprising yet inevitable is what to strive for. Well done, good sir, well done.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

I can't tell you how good it feels to read that. Thanks for writing it.

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

At last I can follow through on a promise I made to you nearly 4 years ago and buy your album. Can't wait to give it a listen.

"ShadowDuelist is a god."
        -Teague Chrystie

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Teague wrote:

Alright, folks.

We're done here.

God that's great.

Warning: I'm probably rewriting this post as you read it.

Zarban's House of Commentaries

Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

That should bring a swift end to the Bieber comparisons.
<squreams like a Teaglemaniac>

(UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Darth Praxus wrote:

Ranking it, after the initial listen:

1. ICPOS
2. Limp-Dick Christmas Lights
3. Writing a Letter
4. Blank Walls and Crowded Shelves
5. I Feel More Like a Leonard

After a couple days of the album on my commute, I'm going to agree with that ranking, maybe flipping 4 and 5 depending on my mood. Insidious is by far my favorite of the album, though man I hope you release the lyrics because all I catch at the wedding is bar, shots, finally believed.

Someone mentioned that the vocals are mixed a bit soft; I agree, as it took me a couple listens on songs I wasn't familiar with to pick out what was being sad. At this point they're good, though.

Limp-Dick is another great one, with a great accompanying video. Obviously it's a Christmas song now, because of having the word Christmas in it and the instrumentation, even though you explicitly state that "this isn't one of those times".

Writing a Letter. Man, I was not expecting somber and heartfelt, but it makes total sense knowing some of the background of the project. It's a fresh take on a breakup and one that I really, really appreciated. (Also it took me three listens before I smacked my forehead and realized the song its instrumental was reminding me of was Ben Folds' "The Luckiest". I imagine that channeling him was intentional?)

Blank Walls took me some time to warm up to. Part of this is just me trying to create a literal image in my head of what's going on; why is furniture being moved out while they're demoing the place, whose place was it*, who is the narrator anyway. This morning I realized that I was trying too hard; you're not telling a story, it seemed to me, as much as painting a tone. The scene and vignettes described could make a beautiful painting, and it strikes me that any music video for the song could just slowly track around the painting a la the opening to the Stargate movie.

Leonard is probably my least favorite but it's not bad; its ranking is more a testament to how much Blank Walls and Crowded Shelves grew on me. I went through maybe a week wishing my middle name (Kevin) was my first but I also blame Home Alone. Fun fact: your vocal performance reminded me of Weird Al when he's doing the slightly crazier singing voices.

So, yeah. I definitely enjoy this and hope you get the chance to do more. Great job to everybody involved!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t35.0-12/10876883_590867057304_252000_o.jpg?oh=4101cd361e16d50b2558643f7772ecb1&amp;oe=549B80E4&amp;__gda__=1419481133_42abac720684c4638532b378b916588c

*As I think on it now, I'm deciding that the home belongs to the couple that passed away within days of each other in "The Luckiest". So hah.

Boter, formerly of TF.N as Boter and DarthArjuna. I like making movies and playing games, in one order or another.

Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

All five songs can now be listened to on YouTube.

So, if you haven't heard 'em yet, now's your chance.  cool

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P … 3R5j3fv-wo

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Oh merd!

The difficult second album Regan

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

It's oh merde.

Get your frenchie straight.

I'll be watching you.

Sébastien Fraud
Instagram |Facebook

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Pardon his french.

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

10/10

I'm not stalling giving you my french opinion, by the way. I'm just waiting to be back in a city with a decent Internet connection to buy the album and give it a listen.

Honeslty, it's more about giving you these few bucks. I love people to be my bitches (see member title).

Sébastien Fraud
Instagram |Facebook

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Man, why is I Feel More Like a Leonard on the bottom of everyone's lists? It's the one that lodged itself firmly in my head and wont leave. Seriously, I should be charging it rent or something.

Last edited by ShadowDuelist (2014-12-25 09:23:44)

"ShadowDuelist is a god."
        -Teague Chrystie

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

A random thought: Alex's backing vocals in ICPOS make my day every. Fucking. Time.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

big_smile

There's three voices. I'm doing the singing and I'm most-forward in most of the lah-da-da-da's. Alex is a lot of the throatier lah-da-da-da's and side comments. ("kin-der-gart-ten.") He's also the scream at the very end, which is a funny story.

The communist-Watto that's ranting at the end is Andy. 100%, undiluted, improvised Andy.

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Teague wrote:

big_smile

There's three voices. I'm doing the singing and I'm most-forward in most of the lah-da-da-da's. Alex is a lot of the throatier lah-da-da-da's and side comments. ("kin-der-gart-ten.") He's also the scream at the very end, which is a funny story.

The communist-Watto that's ranting at the end is Andy. 100%, undiluted, improvised Andy.

Nice! For some reason the "but none of us could bury our suspicions to be wary" vocal from Alex is one of my favorite parts of the whole song.

Heh, the raw footage of that from the doc is fantastic. I kind of feel like anytime there's a song that needs a little something extra in the studio they should just bring in Andy to rant about mooses and fur and vodka for an hour. Hell, just do that with everything. Turns out the only thing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was missing all these years was a forty-foot moose in the middle of "Lovely Rita".

Last edited by Abbie (2014-12-25 17:26:51)

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Oh yeah, I forgot I had that on YouTube!

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Ha, I also have this from around that time. My buddy Andy, ladies and gentlemen. I made a gif out of this at one point.

Teague Chrystie

I have a tendency to fix your typos.

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Teague wrote:

Oh yeah, I forgot I had that on YouTube!

You attributed Andy as Alex in that video. FYI.

Also, if someone would like to make a GIF of my eyebrow movements at 1:04-ish to 1:08-ish, I'd be forever grateful and would find near infinite uses for it. Not askin', just sayin'.

Last edited by Alex (2014-12-25 22:36:16)

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

As you wish.
http://i.imgur.com/OZ6h7CC.gif

Disclaimer: if you dislike the tone of a post I make, re-read it in a North/East London accent until it sounds sufficiently playful smile

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Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

YES oh my god!

Re: An Album Called Leroy: Adventures in Faking This [RELEASED]

Now that I've been listing to them for a bit, I'm finally going to attempt to rank these. Let me do a quick preface though: When I get critique-y I tend to start sounding really negative. This is because I tend to focus on the things that could be improved instead of the things that are awesome. So, before I start, let me say I fucking love this album and want more. You did a great job!

1. Limp-Dick Christmas Lights

Everything just seems to come together perfectly in this song, and it feels so... Teague. I love it. I could do without the spoken stinger at the end, but that's probably just me.

2. Writing a Letter

Jesus Teague. I expected songs like Christmas Lights and ICPoS, but I did not expect this. I expected you to make me laugh, not almost make me cry. And I love it. This convinced me that you're not just a gimmick, you really have to chops for this (not that I thought you were a gimmick before, this just proved it).

3. I Feel More Like a Leonard

With it's guitars and backing vocals, this song feels like it wants to be epic, but it's less than 2 and a half minutes long. It kinda feels like you didn't have a way out of the song so we get these odd, out of place "Hey!"s over a guitar solo to end it. Get rid of the "Hey!"s and have it epic guitar solo into another verse or even just the chorus again and I think this song much improves.

4. This Insidious Communist Propaganda of Steve

What? Why do I have this fantastic song way down here? Because it way overstays it's welcome. Half of this song is Andy's drunken ranting, and while it's funny, having now listened to this song a significant number of times, I find myself just waiting for the song to end for most of it. Part of it is that he's not actually louder that the lah-da-da-da's so he's hard to understand and part of it is that he's just not as funny the 12th time. Is cutting it worth missing out on the fantastic hilarity that is this song the first time you hear it? Probably not. But he could have been made easier to understand, and maybe he should have kept it a little shorter.

5. Blank Walls and Crowded Shelves

It feels like a disservice to put any of these songs last, but something has to be. I liked this one the least when I first listened, and since then it has really grown on me. Here, I think, is why: You're telling us this story, but it's from a disconnected 3rd person view until we get to the locket. Then the song swells and switches to the first person with strong emotions that invest us in this story. But at this point we're already most of the way through the song, so it's not until the next time that you listen, already invested in the story, that the song really works.

Over all I think it's great, especially for a first effort, and I can't wait for the next one. Which I would totally help Kickstart if necessary. wink

"ShadowDuelist is a god."
        -Teague Chrystie

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