HiRez Poll Wilson, Steven - THE RAVEN THAT REFUSED TO SING [Blu-Ray Audio]

[minimumtumbleweed]

OK, I think I'll get shouted out for this, but... I don't like this album. In fact, I think it is his weakest album since his final Porcupine Tree albums, which were also a bit uninspired. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Steven Wilson mega-fan and have been since I first heard In Absentia back in 2003. Something about this album just rubs me wrong. The Holy Drinker is painful to get through with unmemorable riffs and cringey lyrics. The Watchmaker starts out pretty good, but the second half is meh. The Raven is OK, but just that, OK. I would say the same about Drive Home and Pin Drop. Just OK. Luminol is the only track I really like. There really is a feeling of trying too hard to mimic certain 70's bands here, a problem that Opeth were also developing around this time, now that I think about it. Unlike Opeth though, Steven broke out of that trap and has since made work that is much more original and unique to him; even if it has been polarising, I always respect artists who are willing to experiment and think outside the box. For the record, I liked HCE and TTB much more than this album.

So that's it for me musically,; as for the mix itself, well, people have heavily praised this mix and I guess it is pretty good. I don't think it's his best honestly, but not his worst. I give this album a 7 overall.

 

[WBP]

just picked this one up - very good album - some tracks dont work for me - but Luminol is fantastic - good mix - 9 from me overall

 

[Beefalo]

As if my vote of 10 needs further explanation...

Just ordered one on eBay. Very reasonable $14 total delivered. And I'm glad it's not "a collection of funeral dirges"

 

[sjcorne]

The end guitar solo in "Drive Home" actually blew the tweeter in my center speaker last night

 

[himey]

The end guitar solo in "Drive Home" actually blew the tweeter in my center speaker last night

The Covid challenge!

 

[edisonbaggins]

Someone recently commented on a LiS video that the tracks that are common to the album bluray and the Drive Home bluray are mixed far better on Drive Home. Anyone investigated this?

 

[Beefalo]

The Raven that refused to sing.
The end guitar solo in "Drive Home" actually blew the tweeter in my center speaker last night

Another tweeter martyred for the Raven....

 

[JediJoker]

Someone recently commented on a LiS video that the tracks that are common to the album bluray and the Drive Home bluray are mixed far better on Drive Home. Anyone investigated this?

I haven't investigated, but I just can't imagine that being the case. Different mixes? Nah. Slightly different peak levels due to different "flat transfers" and "masters" of the mixes (but retaining the same dynamic range and EQ)? Possibly.

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

Just giving this one another listen, after a very, very long while. I gave it a ten first time around, but I'm tempted to knock it down a mark, because I don't think the production is quite as good as I first thought. To be clear; the recording, song writing, musicianship, surround mix, dynamics are all incredible. Easily a ten. But to my ears it's sounding very slightly stilted at the top end. Now, I'm normally someone who would mark an album down for being too bright, but this one (I'm playing the LPCM on the BluRay) is over warm and loses some of the impact that it could have had as a consequence. I don't think I'll change my score, because overall it's just so damned good, but I no longer consider it to be quite as perfect as I once did. But it's still very close.

I'm going to listen to some of his later albums now to see if that changed on them. The Incident next, I think.

 

[sjcorne]

For me, it's the dynamics that are the issue with this album - the loud parts seem so loud and the quiet parts so quiet that I find it uncomfortable to listen to without constantly riding the volume control. Crank it up and the quieter parts sound incredible, but when things really get going (endings of "Watchmaker" and "Raven", for example) it gets to be just too much for me. Conversely - lowering the volume reigns in the louder bits, but the detail is lost in the quieter sections.

I find that all of Steven's solo albums have this problem, but this is one of the more egregious offenders. Those "quiet-LOUD-quiet" moments really pull me out of the music.

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

The wamth of the recording, including a softer top end, is what makes this record great imo. As if it was a pristine 70s recording but I can understand your point.

I'm pretty sure that's what I felt when I played it (a lot) when I first listened, but I guess I've been listening to (and listening for) more edge recently, and it may be because my new amp is more refined at the top end. I've also been listening to a lot of material that has that edge too. Interestingly "Hand Cannot Erase" (I'm listening to it now) is slightly brighter - not excessively so - but better for it, I'm thinking.

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

For me, it's the dynamics that are the issue with this album - the loud parts seem so loud and the quiet parts so quiet that I find it uncomfortable to listen to without constantly riding the volume control. Crank it up and the quieter parts sound incredible, but when things really get going (endings of "Watchmaker" and "Raven", for example) it gets to be just too much for me. Conversely - lowering the volume reigns in the louder bits, but the detail is lost in the quieter sections.

I find that all of Steven's solo albums have this problem, but this is one of the more egregious offenders. Those "quiet-LOUD-quiet" moments really pull me out of the music.

I've found that on a few albums I've been listening to recently. The best example being the DVD-A of "Koyaanisqatsi" I want to crank the gain up by several db on the first half, then wind it back down from "Vessels". Whoever would have thought we would complain about releases being *too* dynamic, eh?

 

[ar surround]

For me, it's the dynamics that are the issue with this album - the loud parts seem so loud and the quiet parts so quiet that I find it uncomfortable to listen to without constantly riding the volume control. Crank it up and the quieter parts sound incredible, but when things really get going (endings of "Watchmaker" and "Raven", for example) it gets to be just too much for me. Conversely - lowering the volume reigns in the louder bits, but the detail is lost in the quieter sections.

I find that all of Steven's solo albums have this problem, but this is one of the more egregious offenders. Those "quiet-LOUD-quiet" moments really pull me out of the music.

So one of the rare instances where too much dynamic range is problematic. I really need to give this one another listen when it’s neither heating nor A/C season. (My system is in the basement man cave.)

 

[ssully]

For me, it's the dynamics that are the issue with this album - the loud parts seem so loud and the quiet parts so quiet that I find it uncomfortable to listen to without constantly riding the volume control. Crank it up and the quieter parts sound incredible, but when things really get going (endings of "Watchmaker" and "Raven", for example) it gets to be just too much for me. Conversely - lowering the volume reigns in the louder bits, but the detail is lost in the quieter sections.

I find that all of Steven's solo albums have this problem, but this is one of the more egregious offenders. Those "quiet-LOUD-quiet" moments really pull me out of the music.

um...maybe add some compression? (on most systems called 'night mode', 'Dynamic Volume', etc)

I hope everyone gets the irony of this

 

[ssully]

I'm pretty sure that's what I felt when I played it (a lot) when I first listened, but I guess I've been listening to (and listening for) more edge recently, and it may be because my new amp is more refined at the top end. I've also been listening to a lot of material that has that edge too. Interestingly "Hand Cannot Erase" (I'm listening to it now) is slightly brighter - not excessively so - but better for it, I'm thinking.

Your amp is EQ'ing the top end? That doesn't sound good.

 

[bluelightning]

For me, it's the dynamics that are the issue with this album - the loud parts seem so loud and the quiet parts so quiet that I find it uncomfortable to listen to without constantly riding the volume control. Crank it up and the quieter parts sound incredible, but when things really get going (endings of "Watchmaker" and "Raven", for example) it gets to be just too much for me. Conversely - lowering the volume reigns in the louder bits, but the detail is lost in the quieter sections.

I find that all of Steven's solo albums have this problem, but this is one of the more egregious offenders. Those "quiet-LOUD-quiet" moments really pull me out of the music.

It is most ironic that you should mention this. On one side people on this group and elsewhere complain about compressed recordings and then when they get uncompressed recordings, the dynamic range is too much to handle. This exemplifies the recording engineers dilemma. Can't please everyone. Apparently even for some audiophiles, the DR is too much. Either you want the DR or you don't. For such instances, where you don't there is always the DR control , as @ssully mentioned. On the scale of dynamic ranges, this is hardly the most dynamic recording. I can think of plenty of classical recordings (in fact most half decent ones with orchestra) with far more dynamic range.

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

Your amp is EQ'ing the top end? That doesn't sound good.

On the contrary; it's quite incredible! It has a Dirac Live processor. Not EQ as such, but a set of mixed-phase and impulse response correction filters that use the frequency response recorded via a calibration mic from a set of sweep tones played through each speaker at nine points around the listening position to tune the system. It's primary purpose is room correction, but it can also flatten any quirks that may be introduced by speakers to effectively emulate the "perfect" speaker response. I've got mine set up for a very transparent response. As well as removing any untowards phase issues at lower frequencies it's also improved staging and clarity.

 

[JediJoker]

But to my ears it's sounding very slightly stilted at the top end. Now, I'm normally someone who would mark an album down for being too bright, but this one (I'm playing the LPCM on the BluRay) is over warm and loses some of the impact that it could have had as a consequence.

Interesting. I've always found "The Pin Drop" in particular to be quite strident. Does that one sound dull to you?

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

Interesting. I've always found "The Pin Drop" in particular to be quite strident. Does that one sound dull to you?

I don't think any of them are "dull" by any stretch of the imagination; it's a very subtle "warming" and, I should stress, really isn't a problem. I just find myself wondering if the sound could have been even better than it already is.

 

[skherbeck]

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For me, it's the dynamics that are the issue with this album - the loud parts seem so loud and the quiet parts so quiet that I find it uncomfortable to listen to without constantly riding the volume control. Crank it up and the quieter parts sound incredible, but when things really get going (endings of "Watchmaker" and "Raven", for example) it gets to be just too much for me. Conversely - lowering the volume reigns in the louder bits, but the detail is lost in the quieter sections.

I find that all of Steven's solo albums have this problem, but this is one of the more egregious offenders. Those "quiet-LOUD-quiet" moments really pull me out of the music.

I agree with you here, although I'll take a high DR, unmastered recording any day over a squashed-to-death, DR 5 release... rather than add compression, I just take the SW songs I like and tweak the levels of the quieter passages in Audacity to a level where I don't feel the need to adjust the volume while listening. To some this may be sacrilege, but I love customizing songs for my playlist and I'm always happy with the results (or it doesn't make the playlist!)