After five years of waiting, Moira's Lake is finally available!!
Get it now by going here:
http://envinity.org
Now that you have it, let me tell you something interesting about this record: it's not a first pass kind of album.
What does that mean?
Well, based on all of the people who have listened to the album before its release, it means that more than likely, you will not know what to think after listening to it the first time.
"Why is that?", you may ask.
Most new music these days is poppy, and almost instantly-accessible. They repeat the big hook of the song (usually the chorus), about 3 billion times so that the song really digs its way into your brain like a chigger, whether you like it or not (usually not).
However, Moira's Lake is not that kind of album. It's a long, complex, soundtrack-esque story with many, many different melodies and changes per song, and it does not repeat itself to the degree that many modern radio songs do.
Therefore, it simply takes longer to become familiar with it.
Most people who have completed the daunting first pass listen have confessed an odd feeling at the journey's conclusion:
"Wow, that was really amazing..... but I'm not even sure how I feel about it."
Interesting.
I even had someone say that they "didn't WANT to like it," due to how emotionally-drained and almost depressed he felt after listing through the whole experience the first time.
Not because he did not like the music mind you, but because the journey was so "overwhelming and sad" that he did not know if he wanted to feel that strongly again.
...But he could not stop listening.
(You can't ask for a better reaction than that!)
After testing the record with many people, we've learned that it is usually after the 3rd or 4th pass listen, that most people say they've suddenly "fallen completely in love with it"; the music, the story, the mood, the emotion.
So don't be worried if you don't get it right away, or don't know what to think right off the bat. Neither did anyone else. Neither did John, Bryan, or Eric when they first heard a rough version years ago.
But for those willing to make the long, demanding, and often intense journey more than once, you may discover a vividly tragic, emotional, and mysterious world, that for some strange reason, you may never want to leave.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Wait Is Finally Over...
Happy Halloween.
It's about time for a brand new Envinity album. Go get it now:
http://envinity.org
NIKO
It's about time for a brand new Envinity album. Go get it now:
http://envinity.org
NIKO
Monday, October 26, 2009
Five Years. Five Days
So it's official.
The date is set and there is no turning back now.
This Halloween saturday you will have a new Envinity album to snuggle up with in bed, as irritating children incessantly ring your doorbell in the hope of getting diabetes.
And though this should be an exciting moment for me, it comes with a tinge of the bittersweet.
This is an album that began over five years ago.
In fact the initial ideas of it were already taking shape as I was finishing up Empyreal Progeny. Yes, that long ago.
It is a project that has spanned important and dramatic moments of my life. Moments of personal growth, self discovery, sadness, triumph and loss. And though five years is a long time, it feels like it has been a part of me forever.
It is an album that has pushed me to my limits (for now), and the result is something I never imagined I could create.
I think the most fitting analogy as to my feelings at the moment is something akin to parental.
Creating an album is like raising a child. You spend years nurturing it and teaching it everything you know. But one day, that child grows up and has to leave the nest. No more sheltering your baby from the outside world. It must go out on it's own, and learn it's own lessons and have it's own experiences.
Ending a five year relationship is not easy, and yet there is still something satisfying about it. In my mind, I hope that my little girl will eventually bring as much inspiration, enjoyment, and significance to others as she did for me.
And then the inevitable question:
What will I do with myself after my baby is off on her own?
I don't know. Again comes that mix of excitement and something like postpartum depression.
So it's official.
The date is set and there is no turning back now.
But I still don't want to let go.
NIKO
The date is set and there is no turning back now.
This Halloween saturday you will have a new Envinity album to snuggle up with in bed, as irritating children incessantly ring your doorbell in the hope of getting diabetes.
And though this should be an exciting moment for me, it comes with a tinge of the bittersweet.
This is an album that began over five years ago.
In fact the initial ideas of it were already taking shape as I was finishing up Empyreal Progeny. Yes, that long ago.
It is a project that has spanned important and dramatic moments of my life. Moments of personal growth, self discovery, sadness, triumph and loss. And though five years is a long time, it feels like it has been a part of me forever.
It is an album that has pushed me to my limits (for now), and the result is something I never imagined I could create.
I think the most fitting analogy as to my feelings at the moment is something akin to parental.
Creating an album is like raising a child. You spend years nurturing it and teaching it everything you know. But one day, that child grows up and has to leave the nest. No more sheltering your baby from the outside world. It must go out on it's own, and learn it's own lessons and have it's own experiences.
Ending a five year relationship is not easy, and yet there is still something satisfying about it. In my mind, I hope that my little girl will eventually bring as much inspiration, enjoyment, and significance to others as she did for me.
And then the inevitable question:
What will I do with myself after my baby is off on her own?
I don't know. Again comes that mix of excitement and something like postpartum depression.
So it's official.
The date is set and there is no turning back now.
But I still don't want to let go.
NIKO
Friday, October 23, 2009
Hernia 2: A Love Story (My Battle With The Health Care System)
This post is not about music, but it's about me, and guess what? I make music. I also happen to be a guy with a band that starts with an "E".
I realized I never posted the link to my edge-of-your-seat thrill-ride that was my battle with the medical system. (I know you were all waited with bated breath).
Some of have already read my overly-dramatic retelling of the events, but there are a few of you who may be interested in following the year-long gripping adventure of my shitty luck with health care and near-death.
Still interested? No? Figured. Here it is anyway:
Hernia 2: A Love Story part 1
Hernia 2: A Love Story part 2
Thanks for reading and/or giving a shit (or not).
NIKO
I realized I never posted the link to my edge-of-your-seat thrill-ride that was my battle with the medical system. (I know you were all waited with bated breath).
Some of have already read my overly-dramatic retelling of the events, but there are a few of you who may be interested in following the year-long gripping adventure of my shitty luck with health care and near-death.
- I warn you, it's a two-parter.
- It requires you to read actual words then understand their meaning in a sentence.
- There may be some deftly-placed swear words.
- There may be some witty humor mixed with emotional vulnerability.
Still interested? No? Figured. Here it is anyway:
Hernia 2: A Love Story part 1
Hernia 2: A Love Story part 2
Thanks for reading and/or giving a shit (or not).
NIKO
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Artistic Integrity And The Dichotomy Of Success
Artistic Integrity And The Dichotomy Of Success
A few weeks ago, I posted an essay on my philosophy blog "The King Of Deprecation", dealing with the nature of art, creativity and success.
I'm re-posting a link to it here because I think the blog deals with subjects many of you might find interesting and relevant, plus it talks a bit about Envinity, and my personal philosophies with music in general.
Grab a soda or a beer, and take a read through the essay, let me know if you agree.
Artistic Integrity And The Dichotomy Of Success
NIKO
A few weeks ago, I posted an essay on my philosophy blog "The King Of Deprecation", dealing with the nature of art, creativity and success.
I'm re-posting a link to it here because I think the blog deals with subjects many of you might find interesting and relevant, plus it talks a bit about Envinity, and my personal philosophies with music in general.
Grab a soda or a beer, and take a read through the essay, let me know if you agree.
Artistic Integrity And The Dichotomy Of Success
NIKO
Monday, October 12, 2009
The 3rd Pass Mix Fiasco
Recording a full length album is a long and complicated process that most people never get to watch, be privy to, or even understand.
The common perception amongst the music laymen is that bands can fart out albums in their sleep (probably because many of them do), or someone just presses a magical "create album" button.
Obviously not all of you share this notion, but few people really understand the struggle, frustration, monotony, and drama that can transpire from creating a work of music or art.
To illuminate one particular example of this, I'm going to share with you a little story about Envinity's almost finished 3rd album.
But first off...
WHAT IS MIXING?
Most music listeners have a vague idea, or no idea at all about what mixing is. I mean, once you record all of the instruments, it sounds good and it's ready to go right?
No.
On occasion, I've told people I have to go home and do some more mixing, and they respond with, "Oh, cool, you have turntables?"
Sigh.
No.
Not that kind of mixing.
Mixing can make or break a song.
A simple way to look at it is adjusting each instrument so they all fit together in the best possible way. You can't have the bass guitar way louder than the vocals, right? And that snare drum is WAY too quiet, that needs to come up. There we go.
In addition to that you have to shape the sound of the parts (with EQ so that the vocals don't have too much low end, and the keyboard parts have a little extra brightness, etc ), give it width (panning each instrument within the left and right stereo spectrum, so they each have their own breathing space horizontally) and depth (effects like reverb and delay which put the instruments closer or farther away from the listener).
Needless to say, it takes a lot of time.
Mixing really is an art form, and the subtlety and nuances of getting a good sounding mix is generally left up to those with years of experience.
Unfortunately for me, I don't have the money to pay someone to mix my projects for me, so I do it all myself. Oh who am I kidding, I like having control over what I do.
With that explained, let's move on to...
THE SECOND PASS MIX
You may not know this, but I had a first pass mix of the new record done about a year ago.
Are you angry?
The first mix was never meant to be the final, perfect version. But even with it's glaring flaws, it was exciting, as it was the first time we could hear this whole album with all of the recorded drums, guitars, bass, and vocals together.
Unfortunately, due to some fun life distractions (I was going broke had to find another day job), I had to take time off from mixing a new version of the record.
After things got more settled, and with some help from friend Thomas Drinnen, I created a 2nd pass mix which far surpassed the chunky 1st version in near every way. Parts that were buried in the mix now stood out, like guitar parts or vocals that I had apparently shat on from a mixing perspective.
I burned off a copy for the band, and waited for a while to refresh my ears and get some feedback from the others. (By the way, this is the mix I used at our album premiere party earlier this year).
3RD TIME'S THE CHARM
The reception for the new mix pass was quite positive, but after putting some distance between me and the 2nd pass mix, I had time to digest what was still not working, and what needed to be worked on and improved.
In my mind, a lot.
So, after gathering my strength for yet another audio battle, I spent another month straight just doing super detail mix passes, bringing out all of the subtle nuances of the parts, eq, effects, balance etc. I worked long, boring, fatiguing hours listening intently for weeks on end and finally produced what I hoped to be the best version of the album so far.
THE BIG TEST
Excitedly, I burned it off on a disc, and headed up to my dad's place to show it to him, and to test it out on his big stereo.
Confidently, I put the CD in the player and pressed play.
This was going to sound badass. I was looking forward to my dad hearing all of the new enhancements to the mix, and the strong definition of the drums and vocals.
As we listened, I was confused by the lack of impact in the percussion, the guitars disappearing into the background and vocals being swamped behind the rest of it.
Wait...
This does not sound right. I just worked on this for a month straight making this thing sound awesome (for the 3rd time no less). As the songs continued to play, I became more and more frustrated, embarrassed and eventually defeated.
That's it! This sounded like shit (probably an exaggeration. I do that).
Overcome by frustration and anger, I ejected the CD not 4 songs into playing, and stormed over to the trash can. In a moment of dramatic stupidity not seen since my teenage years, I childishly started folding the CD, and snapped it into shards all over his kitchen floor.
"Well, that was dramatic," my dad said patronizingly.
I said nothing, and instead threw myself on the couch to sulk in my own failures.
I didn't speak for about half an hour.
It impacted me so strongly because I had been working on this for what felt like forever, and I still could not make anything sound right (so far).
This album had been five years in the making, I'd been mixing it since August of last year, and I just spent an intensive month listening to this over and over everyday thinking I was getting everything to sound miles better, when in fact, it sounded like donkey splooge to me.
After cooling down, I decided I was going to do one more brand new, ground up mixing pass (though I did not look forward to having to do it... again). This time I was going to go even deeper into the underlying fundamentals of the sound, retooling it completely from a sonic perspective.
Which is where I am now.
4TH TIME'S THE CHARM
After finishing a version 4 pass a little while ago, I've continually made incremental updates to it, finessing it and shaping it into a drastically more clear, separated and powerful mix.
And yes, the difference this time is amazingly better. (few, that's a relief!)
I because I know the question will be asked, yes, it's almost ready to go.
Not every musician has to deal with this type of drawn out process, nor should they have to. Making a record is a challenging process regardless if takes a few months, or a few years.
But, if any of your musician friends tell you that making albums is easy, they aren't doing it right.
The common perception amongst the music laymen is that bands can fart out albums in their sleep (probably because many of them do), or someone just presses a magical "create album" button.
Obviously not all of you share this notion, but few people really understand the struggle, frustration, monotony, and drama that can transpire from creating a work of music or art.
To illuminate one particular example of this, I'm going to share with you a little story about Envinity's almost finished 3rd album.
But first off...
WHAT IS MIXING?
Most music listeners have a vague idea, or no idea at all about what mixing is. I mean, once you record all of the instruments, it sounds good and it's ready to go right?
No.
On occasion, I've told people I have to go home and do some more mixing, and they respond with, "Oh, cool, you have turntables?"
Sigh.
No.
Not that kind of mixing.
Mixing can make or break a song.
A simple way to look at it is adjusting each instrument so they all fit together in the best possible way. You can't have the bass guitar way louder than the vocals, right? And that snare drum is WAY too quiet, that needs to come up. There we go.
In addition to that you have to shape the sound of the parts (with EQ so that the vocals don't have too much low end, and the keyboard parts have a little extra brightness, etc ), give it width (panning each instrument within the left and right stereo spectrum, so they each have their own breathing space horizontally) and depth (effects like reverb and delay which put the instruments closer or farther away from the listener).
Needless to say, it takes a lot of time.
Mixing really is an art form, and the subtlety and nuances of getting a good sounding mix is generally left up to those with years of experience.
Unfortunately for me, I don't have the money to pay someone to mix my projects for me, so I do it all myself. Oh who am I kidding, I like having control over what I do.
With that explained, let's move on to...
THE SECOND PASS MIX
You may not know this, but I had a first pass mix of the new record done about a year ago.
Are you angry?
The first mix was never meant to be the final, perfect version. But even with it's glaring flaws, it was exciting, as it was the first time we could hear this whole album with all of the recorded drums, guitars, bass, and vocals together.
Unfortunately, due to some fun life distractions (I was going broke had to find another day job), I had to take time off from mixing a new version of the record.
After things got more settled, and with some help from friend Thomas Drinnen, I created a 2nd pass mix which far surpassed the chunky 1st version in near every way. Parts that were buried in the mix now stood out, like guitar parts or vocals that I had apparently shat on from a mixing perspective.
I burned off a copy for the band, and waited for a while to refresh my ears and get some feedback from the others. (By the way, this is the mix I used at our album premiere party earlier this year).
3RD TIME'S THE CHARM
The reception for the new mix pass was quite positive, but after putting some distance between me and the 2nd pass mix, I had time to digest what was still not working, and what needed to be worked on and improved.
In my mind, a lot.
So, after gathering my strength for yet another audio battle, I spent another month straight just doing super detail mix passes, bringing out all of the subtle nuances of the parts, eq, effects, balance etc. I worked long, boring, fatiguing hours listening intently for weeks on end and finally produced what I hoped to be the best version of the album so far.
THE BIG TEST
Excitedly, I burned it off on a disc, and headed up to my dad's place to show it to him, and to test it out on his big stereo.
Confidently, I put the CD in the player and pressed play.
This was going to sound badass. I was looking forward to my dad hearing all of the new enhancements to the mix, and the strong definition of the drums and vocals.
As we listened, I was confused by the lack of impact in the percussion, the guitars disappearing into the background and vocals being swamped behind the rest of it.
Wait...
This does not sound right. I just worked on this for a month straight making this thing sound awesome (for the 3rd time no less). As the songs continued to play, I became more and more frustrated, embarrassed and eventually defeated.
That's it! This sounded like shit (probably an exaggeration. I do that).
Overcome by frustration and anger, I ejected the CD not 4 songs into playing, and stormed over to the trash can. In a moment of dramatic stupidity not seen since my teenage years, I childishly started folding the CD, and snapped it into shards all over his kitchen floor.
"Well, that was dramatic," my dad said patronizingly.
I said nothing, and instead threw myself on the couch to sulk in my own failures.
I didn't speak for about half an hour.
It impacted me so strongly because I had been working on this for what felt like forever, and I still could not make anything sound right (so far).
This album had been five years in the making, I'd been mixing it since August of last year, and I just spent an intensive month listening to this over and over everyday thinking I was getting everything to sound miles better, when in fact, it sounded like donkey splooge to me.
After cooling down, I decided I was going to do one more brand new, ground up mixing pass (though I did not look forward to having to do it... again). This time I was going to go even deeper into the underlying fundamentals of the sound, retooling it completely from a sonic perspective.
Which is where I am now.
4TH TIME'S THE CHARM
After finishing a version 4 pass a little while ago, I've continually made incremental updates to it, finessing it and shaping it into a drastically more clear, separated and powerful mix.
And yes, the difference this time is amazingly better. (few, that's a relief!)
I because I know the question will be asked, yes, it's almost ready to go.
Not every musician has to deal with this type of drawn out process, nor should they have to. Making a record is a challenging process regardless if takes a few months, or a few years.
But, if any of your musician friends tell you that making albums is easy, they aren't doing it right.
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