ffffingloud Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 First I'd like to start with a few caveats: Musically, I'm a Blue Devils fan Visually, I'm a Cavalier fan Emotionally, I'm a Phantom Regiment fan Underdoggy, I'm a Carolina Crown fan Narrationally, I'm NOT a fan That being said, here are my impressions after listening to the musical performances of 5 of the top 6 corps at Murfreesboro. BLUE DEVILS: What can I say? They are fat with talent, and their hornline is quite impactful. The front ensemble sounds great as always, and the battery is really pretty good (just maybe not Phantom good). Thematically, I'm left a bit wanting this year (as I was last year). While I can't remember specific moments from this show, what I do remember is that it is generally loud. Like 'loud all the time' loud. I really think their show would be better served if they tried things like actually crescendoing and decresendoing rather than just adding or dropping sections for volume change. The show packs a real audio punch, but all the punches sort of add up to more of an aural assault. It makes me miss "Phenomenon of Cool". CAVALIERS: This show is musically well-nuanced and relies heavily on the front ensemble--which I generally like for the differnt colors and effects. However, I do wish the brass would play more. The brass book does have some technical things in it, there just isn't enough of it. Oh, and one of my biggest beefs with the Cavies of late is that the hornline never gets to cut loose and BLOW. Well, that issue seems to have thankfully been rectified. However, the blowing is a bit rough at the end and the last minute or so of music is a bit ragged. Maybe they are really moving at this point, but it needs to be cleaned up. Percussion in general sounds pretty good, and I love the mix of drums in the show. PHANTOM REGIMENT: Big, fat brass line and smoking battery. They probably (definitely??) have the the strongest brass book of the top shows. They play it crisply and well. They also have some big, fat brass hits with some real power to them. They have really been bringing the loud back to drum corps these past few years and I applaud that. I don't know if I like the "I am Spartacus" bits... but I get why they are in the show. My only beef with the show is that musically it doesn't feel cohesive. I'm not sure why I feel this way either, but it feels like maybe the music themes work for the story, but they don't necessarily tie together well. CAROLINA CROWN: Finally a corps that seems to bring the LOW back to the Brass sound! They have probably the best pyramid of sound when they do their big hits, and this is something I've missed since 2000 and the start of b-flat bugles. Crown has been working the HECK out of their hornlines, and they produce a fat FAT sound. Thank you for that! And I rather like the familiarity of all of their musical themes and how they meld together. This show could've been a trainwreck, but somehow it does flow. I think maybe this brand of musical "absurdity" works. There is some real demand in the book too, and they play it pretty cleanly and really well. The only issues I had were with phrases maybe not driving as much as they should, and perhaps some of the musical themes seemed a bit forced when melded together. CADETS: I didn't download this show. I'm sure the Cadets are playing the snot out of their music, but they've really lost me in recent years with the narration and their direction. Which is a shame too, since I worshiped the ground they marched on all through the 80's and through about 1/2 of the 90's. BLUECOATS: Narration in general = meh (for me). However, in this show it pretty much works. At least at the opening. Some of the Rocky Trainer dialog was perhaps a little... you know. But enough of that. As for the brass? Boy they can play! They sound really darn good- and perhaps my favorite moment of all these shows is when the brass line (alone) just blows the snot out of it in this ballad section, and then the corps sings. I LOVE the use of (unamplified) voice on the field for a change of color. The Rocky themes while recognizable didn't grate on me like I thought they would. The Bluecoat's pit is also quite excellent and really adds a nice dimension. Overall I think this show works very nicely thematically and flows well. I don't know if I'm a fan of the ending so much, but in general I really think the show is really solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pags Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 I get the feeling that this will be quickly moved to the Reviews section, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I do have one question. Someone else on the forums I dwell on purchased the BD APD. They stated that you can pretty much only hear the front ensemble, m uch like the Standford APD. What do YOU think of the balance? Is the brass drowned out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffffingloud Posted July 30, 2008 Author Share Posted July 30, 2008 Yes, the front ensemble for the Devils does seem a bit loud in comparison to the corps in the recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pags Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 hmmm, darn...I was really considering going ahead and getting the APD. Didn't want to wait for Semifinals. Oh well, it's only 9 days until then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peel Paint Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Nice job. I haven't heard these APDs, but I agree with your observations from the shows I've heard. How is the sound quality of these APDs? How does it compare to other APDs/DCI CDs or DVDs? /Love your screen name. Sympatico with mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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