how do you feel today?

[~technosapien]

so after these many months after Awakening has been released.... how do you feel about the album now?

[~intro]

It's good. The mastering job annoys me. It did from the start. Too much bass. It wears my ears out. But that aside, it's a great record.

Wish I could say the same for the remix disc though. Aside from the Echoing Green remix of Endless, it's pretty disappointing. They could have done much better.

-Mark
www.djintrovert.com

[~Efreak]

One of my top three this year! :)
Jamie

[~melibita]

I agree with Jamie, I still like this album a lot. :)

[~Kumiorava]

It's great!! One of my favourite albums.

[~pencilgod]

My number one album of 2003, no doubt about it. It's such an energetic album, and it stays fresh and nice to listen to for a really long time. I still play it almost bi-weekly.

Another question for you guys, what would you like to see for the next album (even if it isn't going to happen ;) )? Personally, I think it would be cool if the band fully exploited all the talents of all it's members. That means some production by Matt, some collabs from Matt and Andrew (like on the Everybody is Life mix) and some vocals by Andrew. Ofcourse Reagan will still sing and Andrew will still do electronics.

[~conditioner]

How about a side-project with Mark Nicholas? They could call it
Retina. HA!

[~East End Boy]

Originally posted by pencilgod
Another question for you guys, what would you like to see for the next album (even if it isn't going to happen ;) )? Personally, I think it would be cool if the band fully exploited all the talents of all it's members. That means some production by Matt, some collabs from Matt and Andrew (like on the Everybody is Life mix) and some vocals by Andrew. Ofcourse Reagan will still sing and Andrew will still do electronics.

i agree. i would even go further and say that i wouldn't mind them using their live drummer on the album. maybe have him playing solo or in conjunction with some percussive loops. if they use him live, why not use him on the album? he does a really good job of pumping up the live shows without changing the overall atmosphere of the songs.

now, what about them adding some guitar to their mix? good or bad idea? i wouldn't mind it IF it doesn't overpower the songs or totally replace the keyboards.

--eeb

[~pencilgod]

I don't think guitars are a good idea. They used a guitar in When I'm not around and I wasn't too fond of it. Actually I think When I'm not around and Whatever are the least appealing songs on the album.

[~swfarrington]

I think it would work pretty well - the sound on the 2nd album "feels" pretty live anyway, so I can't see it detracting. But I agree it would have to be done in moderation to prevent it wrecking the balance from the rest of it.

Of course, electro-purists will be running around with their hands waving in the air in panic at this suggestion ;)

Simeon

[NJOberheim]

*runs around with hands waving in the air in panic*

:)

[~djrandeesha]

Ha ha ha. I'd be running around with hands in the air too Obie. I don't want to begrudge anyone evolution in their music and if Iris gets into some guitar, so be it. However it would be great to have some amazing bands who remain electronic throughout their whole career unapologetically. There have been a few, but not many that have managed to retain critical acclaim and a large audience. Iris' songwriting and style is strong and transcends the usual pitfalls of electronic music. I believe they could reach a large audience despite their electronics (meaning even those who feel a band must have a guitar, could probably dig Iris due to their strong song construction).

[~pencilgod]

I fully double djrandeesha's post. Iris should remain pure electronic.

[~gc42]

to quote an old Alan Wilder saying on the sound of DM "we use whatever instruments suit the atmosphere of the song"

i hope iris takes the same stance. guitars suited Whatever, so they used em, same with When I'm Not Around. neither song would have worked as well if they were purely electro.

you can't handicap a band like that. leave them be. if they think live drums would work well on a track, they should do it. if they think a accoustic guitar would sound great at a certain part of a song, they should try it. i can't stand these electro snobs that hate the use of any other instrument aside from the synthesizer. let the artists evolve! DM have used guitars a ton of times, but they always stayed true to their roots. as long as iris realizes where their strength lies, i have no problems with them experimenting with other sounds.

i hope there is another CD. i'll be really pissed if there isn't. Awakening is a masterpiece. iris has really become something special. they now have a style and sound to them that no one else has at the moment. to see them toss this "gift" away would really be a shame. i would kill to be in their position, and have that kind of talent. i hope they realize how incredible Awakening is. if i were in their position i'd start working on a new release as soon as they got back from Germany. unless they plan on doing more live shows next year.. but even so, i really hope to hear something new from them in 2004. atleast a new single or e.p.

just my 2 cents.

[~Reagan]

Originally posted by pencilgod
I don't think guitars are a good idea. They used a guitar in When I'm not around and I wasn't too fond of it. Actually I think When I'm not around and Whatever are the least appealing songs on the album.

Pencilgod won't be pleased with album 3. :(

Originally posted by djrandeesha
Ha ha ha. I'd be running around with hands in the air too Obie. I don't want to begrudge anyone evolution in their music and if Iris gets into some guitar, so be it. However it would be great to have some amazing bands who remain electronic throughout their whole career unapologetically. There have been a few, but not many that have managed to retain critical acclaim and a large audience. Iris' songwriting and style is strong and transcends the usual pitfalls of electronic music. I believe they could reach a large audience despite their electronics (meaning even those who feel a band must have a guitar, could probably dig Iris due to their strong song construction).

on second thought, maybe we'll stay the course. :)

[~skylla]

Well, since I apparently is one of the only ones who doesn't really like their first album all that much, but thinks Awakening is a great album, I have to vote for the guitars and the mid-tempo songs. Sorry...

[~technosapien]

anyone who has an opinion about what Iris should do in the future needs to can it because you don't seem to get it

Iris is what it is and whatever Iris wants to put on the album is what should be on the album... Iris will go DOWN IN FLAMES the second it starts listening to what everyone else wants and not what they want

trust in Reagan's songwriting...

[~East End Boy]

Originally posted by technosapien
anyone who has an opinion about what Iris should do in the future needs to can it because you don't seem to get it

Iris is what it is and whatever Iris wants to put on the album is what should be on the album... Iris will go DOWN IN FLAMES the second it starts listening to what everyone else wants and not what they want

trust in Reagan's songwriting...

ah!...but songwriting can only take you so far. case in point, DM's last 2 albums. nice songwriting, but not so good musically. while some still liked them, i don't think most did. likewise, the more U2 went synth the more their albums sales dropped off b/c they didn't start out as a synth band and their audience rejected those albums like "pop." i agree with an earlier posting about alan wilder's quote, but unless you have the right musicians and producers to experiment with the new instrumentation, it's likely that the album will only alienate it's fan base and not win any new fans due to the lack of experience with the new instrumentation.

--eeb

[~skylla]

Originally posted by technosapien
anyone who has an opinion about what Iris should do in the future needs to can it because you don't seem to get it

Iris is what it is and whatever Iris wants to put on the album is what should be on the album...

Doh... That goes for any band out there. No point in doing something you don't feel is the best thing for that particular album.

Still that's no reason why fans shouldn't express what they'd prefer for a new album. Hopefully they will still listen to the next album with an open mind.

[~jetjaguar15]

To be honest... I haven't played the album in a few months. I haven't felt drawn back to it.. lately, I've been listening to harder stuff a lot.. the Flaming Fish Automata cds (that have several industrial songs), The Way Sect Bloom... I don't know, I've just been in the mood for 'harder' stuff.. but that seems to be passing. I pulled out Mesh's Fragmente 2 and was loving it this morning...

To get back to Iris, I'm still hoping that the proposed remix album for awakening comes out.. I was interested to see what changes they'd make in the songs.

[NJOberheim]

I think a lot of the times electronic bands start using guitars not because they feel "handicaped" or "restricted" by using only synths but because of the notion that in order to be a "real" musician, you have to play "real" instruments. Therefore, once a synth band has a CD or two under their belt, a lot of them feel it's time to "show their real talent" by busting out the guitars.

The first three tracks of Awakening are great but they are also my least favorite on the album. Music is sound, is it not? If my ears are attracted to the sound of synths, it stands to reason that they will not appreciate the elimination of them. Especially in a band that was based on them to begin with.

[~gc42]

i think regardless of what they do on the next record it'll be something great... so long as it isn't hiphop! ;)

we're at the start of something special here.. so just sit back and enjoy the ride.

[~pencilgod]

Pencilgod won't be pleased with album 3. :(

Don't worry Reagan, I have faith in your songwriting and Andrew's production. I'm sure your song writing will grow the same way it got better from Disconnect to Awakening. I didn't like Whatever and When I'm not Around, but maybe those style of tracks still have potential to grow into something great ;).

on second thought, maybe we'll stay the course.

Good idea :D .

anyone who has an opinion about what Iris should do in the future needs to can it because you don't seem to get it

Iris is what it is and whatever Iris wants to put on the album is what should be on the album... Iris will go DOWN IN FLAMES the second it starts listening to what everyone else wants and not what they want

trust in Reagan's songwriting...

I see your point, but I still think we should be allowed to give our opinion. I never said Iris should listen to my suggestions, only what I would like to see for the next album. I'm sure they will figure their own course and do what they think sounds good, but we might as well give them some feedback along the way.

To get back to Iris, I'm still hoping that the proposed remix album for awakening comes out.. I was interested to see what changes they'd make in the songs.

Yeah, I'm still pretty excited about that too. I think some of the tracks have great remix potential, and I can't wait to hear the System 22 mix of Sorrow Expert.

[~kellyrenee]

Originally posted by pencilgod
I don't think guitars are a good idea. They used a guitar in When I'm not around and I wasn't too fond of it. Actually I think When I'm not around and Whatever are the least appealing songs on the album.

CRAZINESS!

The guitar in When I'm Not Around was a brilliant choice. I heard this song in the beginning stages, and as well as the final demo, and I was blown away at how the guitar on the official album brought the song to life. It was perfect.

Whatever is one of my all time favorite Iris songs. Its incredible songwriting.

You probably won't be a fan of the direction for the new album. aye me.

[test]

Whoa! I haven't read this thread. I see that I missed something big. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE When I'm Not Around and Whatever. The guitars that were used compliment those songs. They add something to them.

I put up my Christmas tree yesterday and Awakening was playing while I sorted out my things. I was blown away by the beauty of When I'm Not Around. I just stopped what I was doing and just listened. The vocals on that song touch me. Reagan put his heart into that track and I hear it each time I listen to the song.

Whatever is the song that gets me up and going. That song ROCKS!!!! Awakening is stunning! I play the album all the time. It has been a soundtrack for many days this past year. I cannot imagine not having Awakening. It's a masterpiece! It is one of *the* best albums of the year. It was definitely worth the wait!

I for one cannot wait to hear the new album. I know that I will love it. Just have the faith that Reagan will do what needs to be done. It's gonna be a fantastic album. :D

[~bill]

Originally posted by NJOberheim
I think a lot of the times electronic bands start using guitars not because they feel "handicaped" or "restricted" by using only synths but because of the notion that in order to be a "real" musician, you have to play "real" instruments. Therefore, once a synth band has a CD or two under their belt, a lot of them feel it's time to "show their real talent" by busting out the guitars.

The first three tracks of Awakening are great but they are also my least favorite on the album. Music is sound, is it not? If my ears are attracted to the sound of synths, it stands to reason that they will not appreciate the elimination of them. Especially in a band that was based on them to begin with.

mmmm
maybe they just like guitars
and for that matter programing a synth so it sounds interesting is a real talent.
as is playing a solid guitar line.
electric guitars are electronic instruments.
all music you listen to on a record player a cd player a mp3 a radio is electronic.
good synth music can have guitars kettle drums piccolos,
good music is good music.
its all just personal taste anyways.

[~gc42]

Originally posted by Stephanie
I cannot imagine not having Awakening. It's a masterpiece! It is one of *the* best albums of the year.

no no steph. it is the best release of the year. :)

[test]

Well, honestly it is tied with Martin Gore's album. Now, if you truly separate it by albums and cover albums, then Awakening is number one. :) Gotta give the credit to Martin. I'm not a Goregirl for nothing. :laugh:

[7red7]

Well, getting in on this a bit late, I can honestly say it took a little bit of time to grow on me as an album...However, only a small margin to that of Disconnect...This past week in fact, Awakening has been in constant play here at home, and I've really learned to appreciate the awesome production and well crafted songs on it I misssed out on when I first got it...

I'll be the first to admit, I love the more dancy bleepy synthpop of the late 80's/early 90's and thats exactly what Disconnect gave me...Hell my first contact with Reagan was an e-mail of praise about how much they embodies Celebrate The Nun in their sound...BUT what I realize now is that the band is so much more than that...They are a serious band and Reagan is a damn good songwriter...Awakening may be a bit slower in terms of the average BPM, but it's far superior in volume overall :)

DAN

[~andrew [iris]]

gc42: you will get one more iris record from me, after that reagan's scheduled to hook up with phil spector (assuming he gets out of jail in time). and i personally love hip-hop, in fact i'm working on a glitch-hop track right now with ned from stromkern (and that's not a joke)

we use guitars if the songs need guitars

we use Access Virus patch C-034 if the song needs patch C-034

we'll use sampled acoustic drums on top of electro beats, and time-stretched piccolos on top of kettle drums if we need to

i think the only safe thing to say about it (considering i haven't even started working on any tracks) is that it'll be more aggressive, and will blend even more genres together

right now i'm focused on putting the final tweaks on the new alpha conspiracy record, and also getting the sets ready for the german tour... after that we will crank out #3 and go for broke

btw, we actually have a secret perl script that parses EGN and takes everyone's suggestions, dumps them into a big text file, and runs a neural network to figure out the exact, precise direction the next record should take. i ran it today and it said the record should be: "6 hello magnetic oranges". hrm.

- andrew

[~technosapien]

Andrew is much more than your typical smartass... he is a computer nerd AND a smartass

just another twist that life brings you

[~cliffwalk]

I'm a johnny come lately on this thread.

I like Awakening. It's catchy andhas some really nice ideas on it.

I actually didn't hear anything from Disconnect except the three songs on here until shortly after getting Awakening. Hearing everything in reverse: I really think Awakening is a significant step in the right direction...

As for the question of what I think Iris should do in the future? Well the only opinion I have on that is: make music?? I mean for Christsakes... they aren't some sellout corporate band... they're an Indy band on a self-funded label that may or may not even support them all that well financially. That being said: do whatever the fark they want to do is what they should do. Less electronics if that's what they hear.

I find it interesting that the band on here most criticized for being laden with Presets and Clonish ideas used a free, open source, softsynth platform to produce most of their album and quite OBVIOUSLY drew their songwriting approach from several very obvious non-electronic artists (*cough* Glenn Phillips...). *shrug*

DM Clone or the Electronic Toad the Wet Sprocket?

Sometimes I wonder if some of the criticism on here isn't generated by a PERL script.

Peace
dave

[~Tekkrokk]

As a relatively new fan of Iris, I'm in awe of Awakening. It's probably my top CD pick of 2003. The CD does not have a single bad track on it.

[~gc42]

Originally posted by andrew [iris]
i think the only safe thing to say about it (considering i haven't even started working on any tracks) is that it'll be more aggressive, and will blend even more genres together

ahh aggressive is good. with that in mind, and given that Iris has done a cover on both their previous albums, should we expect a cover of Skinny Puppy's Anger on the next cd? i'm sure Reagan could really get into that. ;)

[~pencilgod]

gc42: you will get one more iris record from me, after that reagan's scheduled to hook up with phil spector (assuming he gets out of jail in time). and i personally love hip-hop, in fact i'm working on a glitch-hop track right now with ned from stromkern (and that's not a joke)

Sounds good! I'm usually an electro purist, but I tend to like hip-hop more recently. BT's Knowledge of Self is really good (granted, it's mostly electronic) and Outkast's Hey Ya is a great track too. It certainly would be amusing to hear an Iris cover of Hey Ya ;) .

i think the only safe thing to say about it (considering i haven't even started working on any tracks) is that it'll be more aggressive, and will blend even more genres together

Sounds even better. I'm guessing the new CD will be more along the lines of 'Sorrow Expert' then, since Whatever and When I'm not around aren't exactly the most aggressive tracks on Awakening ;) . I wonder what you guys will come up with next ;) .

right now i'm focused on putting the final tweaks on the new alpha conspiracy record, and also getting the sets ready for the german tour... after that we will crank out #3 and go for broke

Sounds awesome. I've waited for the AC album for a long time and I'm really excited about it. And I will go see you guys in Krefeld the 31st of january. I'm really excited about that too!

given that Iris has done a cover on both their previous albums

What was the cover on disconnect?

[~swfarrington]

"The Picture" by Hubert Kah

Simeon