Stand Up Articles/Reviews Thread

[Nitro1515]

From ufck:

Stand Up may sound like a call to attention, but for Dave Matthews Band, the title of their brand new RCA Records album was not about command performances. Instead, the band took a decidedly fresh approach towards the recording sessions for their sixth studio album.

With more than 30 Million albums sold over the past 12 years and a permanent position as one of America’s top concert draws, Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer Carter Beauford, violinist Boyd Tinsley and saxophonist LeRoi Moore took a collective leap of faith and, in doing so, discovered a new strength.

Working for the first time in their redesigned Charlottesville recording studios with a brand new producer, the band aimed not so much at re-invention, as reinvigoration. “Recording Stand Up felt like the beginning of the band again” says Tinsley. That sentiment is also shared by Moore and Beauford, who “felt a door open for us to be more creative.”

“This album is the first time that we have been captured in the process of being creative, when we were all witnessing the fireworks together,” says Dave Matthews. “It’s what we’ve always wanted to get out of being in the studio. Not just making the record, but that we’re all equal contributors to a great band.”

From the massed choral voices that open the loping, lazy-days-of-summer romantic ballad “Dreamgirl” to the insistent rock of “You Might Die Trying” to the jazz-funk rave-up title track, Stand Up builds on the dynamic range that DMB consistently achieves on stage and in the recording studio. This collection of 13 new compositions travels a world of soundscapes from South American samba sway to Louisiana swamp stomp.

The sessions for Stand Up, recorded in the band’s hometown, gave Dave Matthews Band an opportunity to reconnect as a recording combo after Matthews and Tinsley released solo CDs in 2002. Mark Batson, a Grammy Award winning producer, jazz pianist, and multi-instrumentalist whose recent credits include Eminem, India.Arie, The Game, 50 Cent and Anthony Hamilton, was the catalyst. In the sessions for Stand Up, each member of the band pulled up a chair and made thoroughly contemporary music with an old-fashioned vibe.

“I don’t know that we made a conscious decision to make a different record,” explains Beauford. “But I think we made a conscious decision to go through a different process, trying to find a way to make the experience fresh and Mark played a big role in all of that.” Batson’s organic approach captured DMB at their most relaxed and authentic.

“Although the songs are spare and carefully orchestrated,” says Matthews, “there’s a kind of playing-on–the-back-porch indifference, a real spontaneity to the music. It feels like when we do a sound check and just start jamming and fall into a groove. There’s something cool about that music -- there’s no intention, there are no strings attached -- and there was that quality all the time we were in the studio.”

Each of the members of DMB imprinted their musical personality in unexpected ways on Stand Up. Matthews created a piano drone for “Out of My Hands,” a hushed and haunting prayer of resignation, told by a man contemplating suicide. The album’s first single, “American Baby,” began with Tinsley finger plucking a folksy riff on his violin, which became the plaintive underpinning of an anthem about the promise of life in the United States during such divisive times. Moore’s saxophones weave the melody through “Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd.” The angelic voice singing the refrain in “Old Dirt Hill” is none other than Carter Beauford’s. Swapping bass for guitar, Lessard thrashes out a grungy rhythm on “Hunger for the Great Light,” a song that begins like a sacred hymn and goes in an entirely different direction.

“Each member got to create their own sound and make a complete statement,” says Batson. “This album represents the vision that Dave Matthews Band has as a modern continually progressing band in the tradition of jazz greats like Miles Davis. When you look at the great musicians, there’s the young lion stage and then you get to the more mature and beautiful place, where they realize there’s more coming from two or three notes instead of ten.”

Matthews credits Batson with helping him to find a new tone for his already expressive vocals. “He pulled a voice out of me that I had not used before. I never sounded so relaxed, because I didn’t have any time to get uptight. Mark would just say sing now.” While there are mellow moments that reveal tenderness, such as the consoling tone of “Steady As We Go,” Matthews also rises to the rowdy role of rabble-rouser on the title track and leering lover man on “Smooth Rider.”

“I don’t think I was as self-confident in the past,” Matthews admits. “I’m not saying I sucked as a singer, but I learned a lot from Mark about letting myself get inside of the songs.”

“I remember sending him home to write the lyrics of a song we had just finished and he gave me this look like ‘What did you just say?’” Batson recalls with a laugh. “And the next morning Dave came in with this big wolf grin on his face and had the words to ‘Dreamgirl.’”

“There’s been a realization that we are more of a family than just musical peers and we all look out for each other,” Matthews says. “In the past, we have made records that tried to capture our live sound. When the “record” light went on we would stand at attention and stiffen up a bit to achieve our best performance. With this album, things unfolded so naturally and at such a great pace that some of the best things on it were recorded before we even knew we had come up with them. We had a great time making this record.”

[HCHaikuWarrior]

great eyes, thanks; it was another good article

[shess22]

good find.

[Coldchillin]

You never cease to make us happy.

[Kahn]

seriously brotha, you are out of control.

[jsgksu]

I didnt read all of it, mostly just the first half. If a band I love more than any other band, comes up with an album they seem more happy about then any album they have in a long time, I cant help but think Im going to love it. If you hate it, maybe theres a problem, if you dont care for it you cant stand change and growth as a musician. Its from DMB and they seem to be in love with it, I think Im going to be and I hope others at least give it a chance instead of condemming it after hearing 40 second clips of less than half the album.

[Blake]

Good call Jayme

[jsgksu]

Good call Jayme

thanks

my lack of punctuation and correct spelling made it hard for me to even read a second time through, glad you could understand it.

[Nitro1515]

I didnt read all of it, mostly just the first half. If a band I love more than any other band, comes up with an album they seem more happy about then any album they have in a long time, I cant help but think Im going to love it. If you hate it, maybe theres a problem, if you dont care for it you cant stand change and growth as a musician. Its from DMB and they seem to be in love with it, I think Im going to be and I hope others at least give it a chance instead of condemming it after hearing 40 second clips of less than half the album.

Good post. There are so many people bashing this album for no apparent reason, at least wait until you hear it in its entirity before you judge it. All the people that have actually heard the album at listening parties have given very postive reviews so I don't see why there is so much negativity right now.

[jsgksu]

I didnt read all of it, mostly just the first half. If a band I love more than any other band, comes up with an album they seem more happy about then any album they have in a long time, I cant help but think Im going to love it. If you hate it, maybe theres a problem, if you dont care for it you cant stand change and growth as a musician. Its from DMB and they seem to be in love with it, I think Im going to be and I hope others at least give it a chance instead of condemming it after hearing 40 second clips of less than half the album.

Good post. There are so many people bashing this album for no apparent reason, at least wait until you hear it in its entirity before you judge it. All the people that have actually heard the album at listening parties have given very postive reviews so I don't see why there is so much negativity right now.

Exactly, I like it, and I get mad at people that say they think its going to suck. Neither one of us have any merit to say its going to be good or bad and I feel almost hyprocital in saying dont judge it because it hasnt came out but I guess thats because Im not on the negative side of the arguement. We really cant tell yet, I dont like that people dismiss it but at the same time I dont have the right to say its going to be really good. I just have to take the bands feelings for it right now and hope its all theyve built it up to be. We'll see on the 10th, until then, at least have an open mind, I think it could be their best in BTCS (not that thats an incredible feet) we'll see.

[whip3512]

Jayme, I couldn't agree with you more.
I think I've said something like this in another thread, but I'm going to smoke some weed to loosen my mind before I pop in the disc when I get it. Maybe it doesn't have to be weed, but I want to have a relaxed and open mind when I listen to this thing. Listening to music that way helps to soak it all in and notice things in a different way. Which isn't to say that pot will somehow make DMB better, but being in that state of mind will certainly be better than being up tight about it and trying to analyze every second of it (which I already do way too much). In any case, I just want that fucker!!

[GSR]

12 days.

[carter29]

I didnt read all of it, mostly just the first half. If a band I love more than any other band, comes up with an album they seem more happy about then any album they have in a long time, I cant help but think Im going to love it. If you hate it, maybe theres a problem, if you dont care for it you cant stand change and growth as a musician. Its from DMB and they seem to be in love with it, I think Im going to be and I hope others at least give it a chance instead of condemming it after hearing 40 second clips of less than half the album.

Good post. There are so many people bashing this album for no apparent reason, at least wait until you hear it in its entirity before you judge it. All the people that have actually heard the album at listening parties have given very postive reviews so I don't see why there is so much negativity right now.

Exactly, I like it, and I get mad at people that say they think its going to suck. Neither one of us have any merit to say its going to be good or bad and I feel almost hyprocital in saying dont judge it because it hasnt came out but I guess thats because Im not on the negative side of the arguement. We really cant tell yet, I dont like that people dismiss it but at the same time I dont have the right to say its going to be really good. I just have to take the bands feelings for it right now and hope its all theyve built it up to be. We'll see on the 10th, until then, at least have an open mind, I think it could be their best in BTCS (not that thats an incredible feet) we'll see.

Good posts

Some people here feel the band owe us because we are such die hard fans, but they dont owe us anything, they have made nothing but great music so far. I mean theres a few songs here and there we may not prefer, but compare that to other bands who only have like 3-4 good songs per album and therefore and the same setlist every concert. This is a special band, and if they love the way they do I am definately going to listen with an open mind and hope to progress with the band I love.

[c_tietze]

I'm happy for the guys, they're just dudes who play music for a living, albeit great music and they perform on a grandiose scale, but if this recording keeps them fresh and happy, that's cool with me.

I must say though that these clips are not impressing me at all.

[Speenis]

I didnt read all of it, mostly just the first half. If a band I love more than any other band, comes up with an album they seem more happy about then any album they have in a long time, I cant help but think Im going to love it. If you hate it, maybe theres a problem, if you dont care for it you cant stand change and growth as a musician. Its from DMB and they seem to be in love with it, I think Im going to be and I hope others at least give it a chance instead of condemming it after hearing 40 second clips of less than half the album.

Good post. There are so many people bashing this album for no apparent reason, at least wait until you hear it in its entirity before you judge it. All the people that have actually heard the album at listening parties have given very postive reviews so I don't see why there is so much negativity right now.

Thats why I haven't even listened to anything besides American Baby. Clips do nothing but piss me off one way or another. I like to listen to songs in their entirety, thats why I haven't wasted my time with those clips.