Away From The World (Deluxe Version)
Away From The World (Deluxe Version) Reviews
Big Whiskey came at a puzzling time. Founding member LeRoi Moore passed away August 19th, 2008 and amidst discussion of whether or not the band would continue they pulled up their drawers and went into the studio with some previously recorded ideas and created Big Whiskey, with much Moore studio material preserved. Fans had long since clamored for an album to live up to the "Big Three" of 1994's Under the Table and Dreaming, 1996's Crash and 1998's Before These Crowded Streets and had been somewhat jaded by DMB's studio output since 2001's Everyday usurped the universally praised scrapped album known as "The Lillywhite Sessions", the last body of work by DMB featuring Steve Lillywhite as producer. While those songs were re-worked into the 2002 release Busted Stuff they simply didn't resemble the sound that came out with Lillywhite at the helm. It is likely for this reason that many fans on message boards like "Ants Marching" and "These Days Continue" have long held to the belief that DMB would not see a true return to form until Lillywhite returned to take over the console again. Perhaps adding fuel to that argument was what is considered the worst of DMB's studio releases, 2005's Mark Batson-produced Stand Up. Members of DMB have commented since then that those songs never translated well to the live setting although the odd song like "You Might Die Trying" did eventually become not only a live staple but a well liked song by hardcore fans. While it wasn't universal acceptance from the type of fans that take to the internet to discuss DMB every day of the week, it was for the most part a big sigh of relief and if not the album that would join the "Big Three" it was at least a massive step in the right direction over Stand Up. The album received very favourable reviews from the press with Rolling Stone going so far as to call Big Whiskey their "Best Album Yet" on the June 2009 cover. Gone was the sampled and electronic sound of Stand Up, gone was the polished chrome pop sound of Everyday. Big Whiskey sounded more like DMB than at any point since The Lillywhite Sessions but still had a little ways to go. The most unfortunate part of Big Whiskey was the mastering, it was louder than any other studio album and the CD and digital downloads had been dynamically crushed by the hands of "Death Magnetic" mastering engineer Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound. The vinyl release saw nearly double the dynamics and is the best way to listen to Big Whiskey. So in late 2011 the message boards were alive with chatter that Dave Matthews and Steve Lillywhite had met after a performance and had a great chat and the whispers of heading into the studio to see what may become were alight. The result of that time in the studio in Seattle is today's biggest new release (sorry Dylan, but no doubt DMB will sell more in the first week), Away From The World. Many fans have been listening to the iTunes stream that started premiering last week, others have waited to experience the CD or the vinyl for their first listen. The songs Mercy, Sweet and Gaucho have been played extensively from the start of the tour (with Sweet showing up in a few 2011 Caravan shows as well) with other tracks like The Riff being added as the tour progressed which wraps up with tomorrow night's "Release Party" show in Hollywood Bowl, California. Now we get to hear all the results, including the tease that we heard on the band's YouTube channel which turned out to be Drunken Soldier. When I first heard "Mercy" on Jimmy Fallon I was definitely underwhelmed. It was nice to hear a new song, but I thought it odd they would play a solo song as the first preview of the new album. When I heard what it became as a full band song I stood utterly corrected, beautiful and haunting. The gorgeous outro is every bit as beautiful as anything they've ever created in the studio. Whether or not you feel like this album is a Big Three quality one thing is for sure, this band definitely puts out great sounding music with Steve Lillywhite at the console. Where Big Whiskey was in your face not just because of over compression but because of having a rock producer putting Tim's electric very much up front and in your face, Away From The World puts everyone back tastefully in their place. Tim Reynolds stylings add to the songs rather than controlling them. Boyd Tinsley actually plays on this album! Okay I know he played on Big Whiskey, but Boyd's parts are no longer relegated to being largely out of hearing but back as a co-star of the album just like they were on the first three RCA releases. When you hear the delicate bow/string bounce on Gaucho it clicks right away: THIS is DMB and Steve Lillywhite, this is the sound I've been missing. This is the evolved sound. Everyday wasn't an evolution of DMB, Stand Up wasn't an evolution of DMB. Big Whiskey came close, but Away From The World now has this band pointing back in the right direction and as a long time fan I say thankya big big. The ending two tracks Snow Outside and Drunken Soldier mark the best ending to an album since Before These Crowded Streets. It's DMB not afraid to explore a song and not confine it to some standard that other producers seemed to be chasing with them. Where Mark Batson may have taken a 5 second snippet and looped it, Lillywhite wants to see where it would naturally progress. There's also a really nice honesty here to Dave's lyrics, like in The Riff when he says "Looking at the cracks creeping across my face. I remember the little kid living in here." Dave's voice sounds as amazing as ever during the falsetto on "Sweet" and I think they nailed the running order of the album too. If today's release debuts at #1 DMB will be the first artist in history not including live releases or compilations to see SIX studio albums in a row debut at #1, although it's likely that Eminem's next release will put him in the same company. DMB has also sold more tickets than anyone else in the last decade. Having got through the loss of a founding member it was this Summer Tour that the new incarnation, including Tim Reynolds back permanently, Rashawn Ross who had been on trumpet for the last few years playing with LeRoi before his passing and Jeff Coffin who before joining permanently had guested with DMB more than any other artist (Butch Taylor was never really a guest guys), finally gelled live. That's not to say that there weren't some amazing shows in 2009, 2010 and 2011, but this year even the songs you didn't want to see or hear left you saying "holy crap that was amazing" or "wow, my face just got melted off". One word about the compression: Away from the World doesn't have the same over-zealous dynamic range compression as Big Whiskey, but it's no winner. There were five songs on Big Whiskey with 6dB or less dynamics, there are NONE on the new album. The lowest is 7dB and the average is 8. That is roughly the same as Before These Crowded Streets. If you want to hear a really dynamic recording of DMB then pick up the latest DMBLive release of Masquerade Nightclub, Tampa, FL 3/2/1994. The average dynamic range is 13dB. It's the most dynamic release from the DMB camp since Remember Two Things. Truly spectacular sound. Big Whiskey was released also as a 2LP vinyl, just like Away From The World. While the vinyl of BWGK came from a separate 24-bit master and had substantially more dynamics than the CD, the new album was cut directly from a Redbook CD 16/44.1 master. The vinyl is clear, but quite a few people are already commenting on lots of non fill (scratchy sounds when no music is playing) and off-centred pressings which are not the fault of the mastering house (Sterling) but the pressing house. I too notice too much non fill, and my copy is very noisy. The little "u" in a circle in the deadwax lets you know this was pressed at United in Nashville, synonymous with poor vinyl pressings unfortunately. What a shame this wasn't cut from a high resolution source (better yet, analogue tape) and pressed at RTI in California or Pallas in Germany. You have to ask yourself, what's the point of releasing a vinyl of the CD master? Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm very disappointed about this. Don't bother wasting money on the vinyl, there won't be a sonic advantage. 5/5 for the album. 1/5 for the vinyl issue. What's next for DMB? Sure would be nice to finally get that B-sides album with Lillywhite at the helm and get studio versions of #40, Granny, Crazy-Easy, Idea of You, Sugar Will, Kill the King, Break Free, one of my favourite unreleased tracks Shotgun and others wouldn't it?. this is my Away From The World (Deluxe Version) reviews
Away From The World (Deluxe Version) Specs
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- This item: Away From The World (Deluxe Version) ~ Dave Matthews Band Audio CD $13.81
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- Everyday ~ Dave Matthews Band Audio CD $6.99
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