2013-10-09 15:07:28 ¶ ●

Character relationships in Acts 1 through 4: the brighter the box, the more chat lines the characters shared. Makes sense that John and Rose have the most conversations, since they’re talking from pretty much the get-go. Dave’s the only kid who has conversations with himself (Davesprite) during the first four acts.

2013-10-15 4:21:36 ¶ ●

RATING: 6 / 13 – a little melodramatic in retrospect. Heavy-handed.

This is the first ‘theme’ album I’ve reviewed. And the theme is ‘time, and how to mess with it.’ It centers on The Felt, of course: that irascible gang of puppet leprechaun frog men. Some of The Felt are borderline clever and cunning, while a few of them are profoundly stupid in their time shenanigans.

Most of the album is dominated by that theme of time. There’s lots of backwards instrumentation, lots of rewind / fast forward effects, and plenty of ticking clocks. It’s experimental symphony, if that qualifies as a genre (there’s not much chiptune or rock to be found here: it’s pretty much all woodwinds, strings, and brass).

The majority of the songs take off in interesting, avant-garde directions to suit the time motif. Sometimes it works (English, Chartreuse Rewind), and sometimes it doesn’t (Clockwork Reversal, Omelette Sandwich).

With its experimental nature, it’s quite a bit more niche than most of the catalog. There are some very good tracks on the album (I’ve especially warmed up to a few after repeated listening), but the style makes it a little tough to get into.

Click here for individual song reviews for The Felt.

2013-10-26 1:40:00 ¶ ●

By David DeCou

Fanart source: tinikah. Seriously, go check her work out, it’s fantastic!

Wonderfully dark and brooding. The cello opening sets the tone, and this track features some of the best ambient effects (the rain, the heartbeat, and the clock) I’ve ever heard in a song like this. Effects such as these (including the pipe organ in the background) could easily be gimmicky, but they’re used sparingly, and they work great to accent the main melody.

All of this falls away for the harp interlude in the middle, though. And that little section is the best part of the composition.