Tobias Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 It is a little surreal to me that Bloo is being discussed so much on the Cadets thread. That said, I have now heard pretty much all of Bluecoats' music. Electronic soundscape is still present, but isn't featured nearly as much as the past two years. Instead of being front and center and in your face, it is more of a backdrop and a a tool that is used to project or enhance the rest of the ensemble, at least that is my take on it. I am sure someone will accuse the show of being Tilt 3, but I suspect those who do are in the ax grinding business. I think the show has a lot of old school vibe to it, but updated--a fresh take, if you will.I said they'll need to evolve and if what you say is true (and I'm sure it is), then they ARE evolving which is what I said they need to do. My discussion was all in the top 4-5 must evolve. Cadets get criticism for stagnant design but have made huge changes in their visual program this year and I think that constructive criticism should hold for the other groups who have been using the same formula for a few years now, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) I agree with this. Last year's show theme did nothing for me. It did nothing for the show. Now, when I watched Cadets last year I was still highly entertained because I just watched music and movement. I ignored the theme, at least as much as I could. Sometimes things just don't work out. It's best to not compare shows when trying to seek answers. The other thing we have to remember is that the Cadets took 4th. Not 7th, 12th, or 20th. Clearly they did a LOT of good things. I think we lose sight of the greatness of these top corps because it's so easy to nitpick flaws in their productions. They did march some really cool drill, played a hellacious musical book, had a wonderful French Horn feature, and I really enjoyed the staging of their 2nd tune. They simply could not find the magic with that 2nd chart to make it "pop" a little more. They needed a stronger transition into the waltz, and the ending before the z-pull should have been left alone. But hey, those are just my opinions. I agree with you as I usually do. Your insights are IMO the best on DCP. I feel Cadets have addressed the deficiencies from last season (depth of concept, characterization, guard) and should evolve into a powerhouse by end of season. Sans the horrible vid from last weekend, I've seen about 8 min of show from up top and full field (thanks to volunteers I know) and it's my fav Cadet show since 2011. Edited June 8, 2016 by Tobias Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfirwin3 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 It is a little surreal to me that Bloo is being discussed so much on the Cadets thread. That said, I have now heard pretty much all of Bluecoats' music. Electronic soundscape is still present, but isn't featured nearly as much as the past two years. Instead of being front and center and in your face, it is more of a backdrop and a a tool that is used to project or enhance the rest of the ensemble, at least that is my take on it. I am sure someone will accuse the show of being Tilt 3, but I suspect those who do are in the ax grinding business. I think the show has a lot of old school vibe to it, but updated--a fresh take, if you will. Remember that discussion about "hype" that we had a while back? So hard to measure... but yet easy to see if you look for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 It is a little surreal to me that Bloo is being discussed so much on the Cadets thread. That said, I have now heard pretty much all of Bluecoats' music. Electronic soundscape is still present, but isn't featured nearly as much as the past two years. Instead of being front and center and in your face, it is more of a backdrop and a a tool that is used to project or enhance the rest of the ensemble, at least that is my take on it. I am sure someone will accuse the show of being Tilt 3, but I suspect those who do are in the ax grinding business. I think the show has a lot of old school vibe to it, but updated--a fresh take, if you will. Last year's show wasn't anything like Tilt musically. The use of electronics isn't enough to make that kind of idiotic leap. Visually maybe it was a little similar, but that's true of most corps every year. Their music this year is super repetitive. As far as the Cadets go, I think the music choice could be a bit trite, but if they play it well, I'll enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) Last year's show wasn't anything like Tilt musically. The use of electronics isn't enough to make that kind of idiotic leap. Visually maybe it was a little similar, but that's true of most corps every year. Their music this year is super repetitive. As far as the Cadets go, I think the music choice could be a bit trite, but if they play it well, I'll enjoy it. Many people last year said their music was repetitive too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Edited June 8, 2016 by Cappybara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Last year's show wasn't anything like Tilt musically. The use of electronics isn't enough to make that kind of idiotic leap. Visually maybe it was a little similar, but that's true of most corps every year. I agree, Kinetic Noise was not Tilt 2, but there are those who thought otherwise. This year's show is a further departure from Tilt, and Kinetic Noise for that matter, hence my comment about Tilt 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfirwin3 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Drumcorps develop an iconic program style over time. Some corps have a long-standing style (like the Cadets, SCV, or Phantom), some have clear periodic moments of varying style (like the Blue Devils - The 80's group well, then the 90's, then the mid-2000's to the present), and then some corps have been developing a style that will likely become long-standing to them (like Crown or Bluecoats). The point is that this talk of Tilt 1, 2, and 3 is really no different than leveling the charge that the Cavaliers were performing sequential programs in their dominant years of the early 2000's. What some are really recognizing is not a sort of repeat or linear continuation in content, but just the establishment of a programming style. We can say things like: 'Now THAT looks like a Cadet show!', or 'This music is meant for the Blue Devils', or 'This drill is SO Cavaliers' etc. Perhaps what people are really picking up on is... This is what a Bluecoats show looks and sounds like. I think that you can easily relate the Bluecoats design style back much further than 2014... it's just that they were so successful that year, and it has become a high-water mark measurement... and a good example of what they look like when they are 'doing everything right'. This Cadets show... (yes this is the Cadets' thread )... is certainly very much a Cadets show (moments of drill and music arrangement can be traced back decades in their style of design). BUT it has elements that look reminiscent of more recent shows in it with respect to staging and movement. It would be unhelpful or unfair to say that this show is merely, stylistically Appalachian Spring part 29 (or Appalachian Spring part 3 for that matter)... Or that Phantom Regiment is working on their show "Hooked on Classics - Part 47". You can certainly pigeon hole a corps design style... but the assertion that a corps may somehow be shamelessly plagiarizing itself, or sticking in a rut just because they have developed a programming identity doesn't exactly seem fair. It also contradicts the observable truth that many fans enjoy and follow the groups that they do BECAUSE of their clear identity, not in spite of it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Drumcorps develop an iconic program style over time. Some corps have a long-standing style (like the Cadets, SCV, or Phantom), some have clear periodic moments of varying style (like the Blue Devils - The 80's group well, then the 90's, then the mid-2000's to the present), and then some corps have been developing a style that will likely become long-standing to them (like Crown or Bluecoats). The point is that this talk of Tilt 1, 2, and 3 is really no different than leveling the charge that the Cavaliers were performing sequential programs in their dominant years of the early 2000's. What some are really recognizing is not a sort of repeat or linear continuation in content, but just the establishment of a programming style. We can say things like: 'Now THAT looks like a Cadet show!', or 'This music is meant for the Blue Devils', or 'This drill is SO Cavaliers' etc. Perhaps what people are really picking up on is... This is what a Bluecoats show looks and sounds like. I think that you can easily relate the Bluecoats design style back much further than 2014... it's just that they were so successful that year, and it has become a high-water mark measurement... and a good example of what they look like when they are 'doing everything right'. This Cadets show... (yes this is the Cadets' thread )... is certainly very much a Cadets show (moments of drill and music arrangement can be traced back decades in their style of design). BUT it has elements that look reminiscent of more recent shows in it with respect to staging and movement. It would be unhelpful or unfair to say that this show is merely, stylistically Appalachian Spring part 29 (or Appalachian Spring part 3 for that matter)... Or that Phantom Regiment is working on their show "Hooked on Classics - Part 47". You can certainly pigeon hole a corps design style... but the assertion that a corps may somehow be shamelessly plagiarizing itself, or sticking in a rut just because they have developed a programming identity doesn't exactly seem fair. It also contradicts the observable truth that many fans enjoy and follow the groups that they do BECAUSE of their clear identity, not in spite of it. I can always tell a Cadets show by the last 10 seconds of the opener. That's not a knock at all. And I agree that what people are talking about regarding Bloo is that they've developed a signature style. It's pretty neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfirwin3 Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 I can always tell a Cadets show by the last 10 seconds of the opener. That's not a knock at all. And I agree that what people are talking about regarding Bloo is that they've developed a signature style. It's pretty neat. Absolutely!... you anticipate it... you are waiting for it! If a year comes to pass where what you expect to see and hear isn't there... THAT'S when there is a problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogitom Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 I also disagree that BLOOO needs to evolve because the "electronic corps thing has run its course" as you say above. I think it's just begun. God let's hope not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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