HiRez Poll Birdsong at Morning - A SLIGHT DEPARTURE [Blu-Ray Audio]

[sbrom]

You're welcome. I discovered it through dumb luck

^^^^
So that's the trick!
Thanks, bro.

 

[SMS]

Excellent mix and fidelity. The songwriting and performance is very strong. This is the surprise of the year for me. An easy 10.

This is clearly a "labor of love" for Alan Williams. He has obviously invested a great deal of time and money into this album. The songwriting, performance, mix, authoring, packaging.... everything about this release is top notch. Alan, you should be very proud of what you have done here.

Go check out the samples on youtube and if you like what you hear, buy it! It might just be your favorite surround release of the year!

 

[woody]

Wow. Was buying this for Shipping to Australia. International shipping is $24 USD. :yikes Makes it too expensive I'm afraid. I can't justify spending more on shipping than on the actual content.

 

[Birdsong At Morning]

Excellent mix and fidelity. The songwriting and performance is very strong. This is the surprise of the year for me. An easy 10.

This is clearly a "labor of love" for Alan Williams. He has obviously invested a great deal of time and money into this album. The songwriting, performance, mix, authoring, packaging.... everything about this release is top notch. Alan, you should be very proud of what you have done here.

Go check out the samples on youtube and if you like what you hear, buy it! It might just be your favorite surround release of the year!

Wow - thanks for the kind words! The folks on this forum have been so encouraging - even when they don't love everything little thing about the project, the criticism is constructive. This has indeed been a labor of love, and it's so nice to get some love in return.

 

[Birdsong At Morning]

Wow. Was buying this for Shipping to Australia. International shipping is $24 USD. :yikes Makes it too expensive I'm afraid. I can't justify spending more on shipping than on the actual content.

So sorry - I know the shipping is prohibitive, but I don't have any other option. You might be able to purchase through CD Baby, and hopefully their distribution partnerships might make it more feasible.

Alan

 

[mixfo]

A very good batch of songs which take several plays to fully appreciate. Excellent vocals, beautifully recorded and with an understated but natural sounding 5.1 mix. Some good string arrangements too. A strong '9'.

 

[JediJoker]

My first listen to the album was in surround. The mix seemed pretty good until I got to "Midnight Vespers," which was truly magical. Well done, Alan et al. I'm so glad QQ turned me onto Birdsong At Morning.

 

[Fourplay]

For anyone who has missed this release, I highly recommend it!

I have had this in my player often since I received it in November, and when you think of the stiff competition of recent releases, that is really saying something. Heck, there is still some of the Pink Floyd box I have not yet heard.

So all the accolades accorded this release in this thread are well deserved. This is one of the reasons I love surround: not just the joy of a great mix (which this is), but also the discovery of a great new artist (which I also feel this is).

For some reason I have been holding back from the review even though I knew this was special when I checked the stereo before buying. I can now report the reason is songwriting. To be sure, there are some EXCELLENT songs on this disc. My favorites are:

The Great Escape (track 1)
Murderous Friend (track 3)
Midnight Vespers (track 5)
Mountainside (track 7)
Pages (track 8)
Kpahulu Sunrise (track 10 - includes musical saw!)
Lead Me On (track 12)

So what is my beef? I am just not a fan of lyrical repetition, and several of the tracks feature this. I know - put in "hooks" and the song sticks with people. I am just not a fan, so I will tend to skip those tracks. I am not even saying they are bad songs - just not my preference. In general this band should be wildly encouraged to do more of what they are doing, and keep working in surround. I would be very interested in more of their work.

I vote a 9!

 

[The Bright Side]

Been listening to this on Spotify in heavy rotation for easily the past 2 months. I will definitely buy the Blu-Ray very soon.

Most stuff that I have in surround, I only listen to the surround mixes on my home theater system, and I never put on the stereo versions. That's because I have another 700 or so titles in stereo, so if I'm in the kitchen, at the office or in a car, I put some of those on instead.

But this album is so good I just want to listen to it every other day at least, surround or not.

Honestly, this is hands-down the best discovery of this year for me. Judging from what you guys have been writing about the surround, I'm pretty sure this will be a 10 for me.

 

[quadtrade]

Never heard this, but if these guys are aware enough to skip a center channel, which does nothing but screw up a soundfield, then maybe they know what they are doing!! Keep it up guys, do it right!!!

After listening to this a half dozen times or so, its very hard for me to find fault with this release. The sonics are very good. Maybe not the jaw dropping, "Brothers in Arms" kind of awesome, but still very good. While some might nit pick the lack of center channel use on some of the tracks, the mix is discreet and quite effective. Very immersive and non-gimmicky. I wouldn't change a thing, empty CC or not. The performance and musicianship is top notch, as is the songwriting. Several of the cuts like "The Great Escape" and "Devils Stomping Ground" seem to linger in my memory. Very catchy but not overtly pop-ish. The extras like the videos, on screen lyrics, and nicely done packaging make the release even more desirable. For a release like this to be put out by a relatively unknown band is pretty amazing. Ill be on the lookout for more Birdsong in the future, especially if its in surround. I want to give it a 9.5, but since we deal with whole numbers here in QQ I have to round up to a 10. Thank you QQ member Peterzach for bringing it to our attention.

 

[neil wilkes]

I'm agreeing 100% with all that has been said so far. While I cannot pin point it, whatever this music has...is exactly what I love. Mysterious, beautiful and haunting. Devi's Stomping Ground encapsulates everything I love in a wonderfully recorded song. Call me crazy, but for some reason, parts of that song remind me of Kashmir by Zeppelin. And I mean that as a great compliment.

The vocals are top notch, the written music is top notch, the mix is excellent. I have to vote a strong 10.
This one should simply not be missed.

Well observed, and if you are going to borrow a riff then borrow it from The Zepps!

 

[sbrom]

Such sublime music, I'm hoping for more surround releases from Birdsong. Anyone aware of future plans?

 

[GOS]

Such sublime music, I'm hoping for more surround releases from Birdsong. Anyone aware of future plans?

I had asked Alan what plans were. Earlier this year he said for sure they are looking to release a new one in 5.1. He had hoped for early 2018.
Maybe we'll get an update from them.

 

[Birdsong At Morning]

Such sublime music, I'm hoping for more surround releases from Birdsong. Anyone aware of future plans?

Yes - we are currently at work on the next album. Basics and orchestra already tracked. Overdubs and mixing through the fall. The plan is to have video content for every song, so putting all of that together will likely result in a late summer 2018 release. We may put out a track or two early on...

Certainly planning on a 5.1 mix. Curious to see what the market is for Blu-ray format. Would love to hear suggestions for alternative distribution strategies, though I seem to gravitate back to more standard disc-based format.

Thanks again for the interest and support!

Alan

 

[4-earredwonder]

Yes - we are currently at work on the next album. Basics and orchestra already tracked. Overdubs and mixing through the fall. The plan is to have video content for every song, so putting all of that together will likely result in a late summer 2018 release. We may put out a track or two early on...

Certainly planning on a 5.1 mix. Curious to see what the market is for Blu-ray format. Would love to hear suggestions for alternative distribution strategies, though I seem to gravitate back to more standard disc-based format.

Thanks again for the interest and support!

Alan

Wonderful news. As for format: The BD~A/V format will probably be a wise choice. Videos will be in 1080p and music will be in his res, as well. The UHD 4K format is slowly making headway but will probably be more expensive to author/replicate.

Good Luck!

 

[SMS]

Yes - we are currently at work on the next album. Basics and orchestra already tracked. Overdubs and mixing through the fall. The plan is to have video content for every song, so putting all of that together will likely result in a late summer 2018 release. We may put out a track or two early on...

Certainly planning on a 5.1 mix. Curious to see what the market is for Blu-ray format. Would love to hear suggestions for alternative distribution strategies, though I seem to gravitate back to more standard disc-based format.

Thanks again for the interest and support!

Alan

Thanks for the update Alan! I am certainly looking forward to it!

The format you used for "A Slight Departure" was perfect. Bluray+CD in a CD sized package. That size is my preference, because I am not a fan of the Bluray sized cases.

You could consider bandcamp for distribution. I have bought physical items through bandcamp, and it seems to work fine. Plus, I believe you can offer 5.1 flac through bandcamp too, which is a good option for those who don't want a physical bluray, or don't want to pay the shipping.

Burning Shed has a fantastic online store. Even in Canada, I find their shipping costs very reasonable.

 

[Which_One_Is_Pink]

Finally sat down and listened to this on Youtube and I quite like it put in my order and looking forward to a proper 5.1 listen...sounded very nice with Dolby PLIIx

 

[weekendtoy]

Just received this one in the mail and it's as good as advertised. Great music with a wonderful surround mix.

 

[Which_One_Is_Pink]

I finally got around to getting Birdsong at Morning - A Slight Departure a few weeks ago and gave it a listen and really liked what I heard (I had previously listened to a few cuts on youtube and liked what I heard so...) fast forward to today and I gave it a 2nd listen and the highest praise I can give this release is every song had completely stuck with me and even though it was only the 2nd listen it felt completely familiar like I had been listening to it for years, an excellent effort for something new. I love the music, great catchy songs and the fidelity and mix are exemplary. Look forward to more from Birdsong at Morning. Giving them a strong 9.