Stand Up Articles/Reviews Thread

[Nitro1515]

New article gives a nice review, good read.
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle. ... 3&pid=1299

[Coldchillin]

Despite Batson's contention to the contrary, several of the songs do seem to have messages. Both "What She Said" and "Out of My Hands" have militaristic elements and seem like potential political protest songs.

What is "What She Said"?!?! Am I missing something?

[Nitro1515]

Despite Batson's contention to the contrary, several of the songs do seem to have messages. Both "What She Said" and "Out of My Hands" have militaristic elements and seem like potential political protest songs.

What is "What She Said"?!?! Am I missing something?

It turned into the AB Intro

[Coldchillin]

Phew...ok. Thank you.

[mattinbeloit]

Ya there are too many people out there bashing the album which is stupid to me. Like the band has said, this is one ofr the first if not THE first album where the whole band put their voice into the songs. This may very well be the first true dmB album where we are hearing what the band really sounds like, not just dave songs where a few amazing musicians jam along. They have put their collective voice into this album and it is going to be a DMB album, if you don't like it that's fine, there are thousands of other bands out there, stop saying they suck. If you think you have the right to say they suck, you create something better yourself and come back and i'll listen to you, because chances are even if you hate stand up, it's probably because it does not sound like the old DMB. It would be interesting to see what people would say if another band came out with stand up.... In other words drop your DMB classic DMB stigma and listen to the album as a peice of music...

[Nitro1515]

From amazon

'Don't let the headless CGI dancer on the cover fool you. While Stand Up has a more organic feel than 2001's radio-ready Everyday, it is hardly an invocation for carefree days spent twirling on the grass. Instead it is a call to arms that carries over much of the insurrectionary spirit the Dave Matthews Band brought to 2004's Vote For Change Tour. Matthews, sounding rawer than ever, swerves between optimism ("To change the world you only start with one step," he sings on "You Might Die Trying") and angst ("See the man with the bomb in his hand/Everybody wake up," goes "Everybody Wake Up [Our Finest Hour Arrives]"), while producer Mark Baston, best known for his small-time work with big-name pop acts like Beyonce and 50 Cent, responds by putting the marching band rhythms of Carter Beauford in the front and galvanizing the music with a crisp R&B edge, most evident in the totally--okay, partially--crunk "Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd." --Aidin Vaziri

[Nitro1515]

Billboard.com article

DMB Gets Its Groove Back On 'Stand Up'



Dave Matthews Band puts a renewed emphasis on rhythm and groove on its new album, "Stand Up," due June 10 via RCA. Producer Mark Batson worked with members individually to build tracks from even the most basic of ideas. "In a way, it got each of our voices out more clearly than in the past," Matthews tells Billboard.com. "I think we've had tightness on record before and the band has sounded 'big' before, but it never had this sort of natural quality."

First single "American Baby" is No. 14 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart this week. Other highlights include the funky "Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives)" and "Louisiana Bayou" and the multi-faceted closer "Hunger for the Great Light."

Matthews says the band's creative juices flourished under Batson's guidance. "When he first met us, he said, 'You guys have been playing so long together you get into a habit of reacting to each other in one way,'" he offers. "He would grab [violinist Boyd Tinsley] and say, 'Play something, get a vibe going,' then call me in and say, 'Play something with that.' It opened our eyes to each other in a really cool way."

This led to an overarching spontaneous vibe in the studio, according to Matthews. "[Batson] had this ability to capture us so instantly that it had an element of effortlessness," he says on the line from final rehearsals before heading to a weekend gig at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. "Now sitting around playing these tunes, they've got a giant pocket and are so much fun to play, it's sort of second nature."

Matthews is enthused about showcasing the new tunes, only a handful of which have yet been played live, on the band's annual summer tour. The trek begins June 1 in Maryland Heights, Mo.

"I'm so looking forward to it. Right now we're sitting around playing and it's sounds cool as hell, and I can only imagine it growing," Matthews says. "I think it's going to be magic, a new phase for us, because the groove is so much. We've got an obsession with groove, but the groove is so strong here [that] the room for improvisation is pretty vast inside these tunes, rhythmically and melodically."

-- Ray Waddell, Nashville

[Coldchillin]

You...are...the...man...

[Nitro1515]

New review on the first 9 songs off the album from designer43 who has the cd on ants

Ok, so I FINALLY got a chance to sit down and type up a review for all of you wondering what the new album is like. I’m sorry for the delay, but I jus switched jobs last week and really didn’t have the time to spend on writing up this review. So here’s the first half of the album. I hope you like it; but if not, then you can make your own decision about the album when it comes out in about a week.

1. Dream Girl -

Drums, Percussion - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Soprano & Tenor Saxophones - Leroi

Violin - Boyd

Keyboards, Piano - Butch

Keyboards, Piano - Mark

Additional Percussion - Lee Grove

Very nice way to start the album in my opinion. Kind of mellow but funky at the same time. Dave does a sort of Paul Simon/African vocal intro with a whole slew of layered voices; most of which to seem to be his. Carter keeps it simple on the kit, but it’s a nice funky beat that really helps the song to be more likable. Violins add a nice touch to the overall feel of the song, very dramatic at times, and soft at others. This song is definitely one of the more typical DMB style songs (in my opinion), with the acoustic guitar, Dave’s very natural sounding voice, Leroi’s standard sax style, Stefan keeping it flowing on bass and Boyd adding a nice additional touch to the rest of the violins.

2. Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back) -

Drums, Percussion, Vocals - Carter

Bass- Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Violin - Boyd

Piano, Wurlitzer - Butch

Rhodes - Mark

This is a fun tune. Nice guitar progression by Dave on an acoustic. Dave and Carter’s voices have always complimented each other’s, and this song really proves it again. Really nice playful melody that puts you in a good mood from the start. Mark did something to make Carter’s snare sound much different in a bunch of the songs for this album, this happens to be one of them. It almost sounds electronic at times, but I think he just wound up that snare pretty tight to get that sound. I feel this song is focused on the vocals and music, but not complexity or jamming. The band also brought the strings back into this one as well which is a nice touch again..

3. Stand Up -

Drums, Vocals - Carter

Bass, Vocals - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Tenor Saxophone, Vocals - Leroi

Violin, Vocals - Boyd

Keyboards - Mark

Ok. This one has Mark Batson written all over it. Definitely very hip-hop/funky. Most of you have now heard the clip of this from the Jazz Fest show last night, so I’ll keep this one short. Carter once again doesn’t do anything too special on this one, but he definitely has a good time with the beat; and it’s different than his usual style. Dave plays an electric on Stand Up and it’s very repetitive throughout the song, but that’s basically the overall feeling of the song, so it fits nicely. Boyd and Roi add some nice parts in this one. Roi has a short sax solo just past the mid point of the song, plus he jams out near the end as well. I have to say that in a lot of the songs, I feel like Boyd’s violin is too quiet and should have been brought up in the mix. A nice touch was having all of the guys sing backup.

4. American Baby Intro -

Drums - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Piano - Dave

Tenor Saxophone - Leroi

Violin - Boyd Tinsley

Additional Piano - Mark

Very nice, mellow intro into American Baby. I think Roi is in control of some sound effects/Pyrotechnics of what seems to be bombs going off and machine guns firing….that is the backdrop for the entire intro. This is pretty much like one of the Intro/Outro’s on BTCS. Dave plays a nice piano tune, Carter has a little more freedom in drum style since this is more of a jam.

5. American Baby - Do I really need to say anything? I didn’t think so.

6. Smooth Rider -

Drums - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Piano, Organ - Mark

Personally, my least favorite track on the album. Just very mellow, and jazz/blues based. Not a bad song, but just not a highlight for me. If any of you are thinking why Carter doesn’t go crazy like on previous albums, just wait until you hear this one! You’ll be wondering if someone else sat in to play on this track. It’s just so simple, 4/4 beat and doesn’t have anything special in it. In a nutshell, Dave plays guitar, Batson plays Piano and Organ, and Stefan on Bass. No Boyd or Leroi. Thank God it’s only 2:18 long. You can make the call when you hear it.

7. Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives) -

Drums, Percussion - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Tenor & Baritone Saxophones - Leroi

Electric Violin, Mandolin - Boyd

Rhodes, Organ - Butch

Mellotron, Vox, Percussion - Mark

Boyd starts this one off with some plucking on a mandolin and then the full string section jumps in and it’s reminiscent of “The Stone”/“Halloween” ala BTCS. Carter plays a straight forward beat, but some of the hi-hat work is syncopated, with some of those off beat hits on the toms. Besides the fact that it’s a pretty straight forward beat and rhythm, this song is by far one of my favorites. Nice percussion on some bongos and such in the background, the different style keyboards are sounding sweet. It sounds like they did a lot of production work on this one, to me somewhat reminiscent of Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds. A lot of thought put in and arranging of instruments. Definitely a great tune.

8. Out of My Hands -

A home recording

Drums - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Piano, Vocals - Dave

This song is amazingly beautiful! Dave, Carter and Stefan must have been playing around with this one day and decided to record it at some point. The note I got on my track listing has it listed as “a home recording”. Just a beautifully composed song by Dave and his voice doesn’t get more pure than this on the entire album.

9. Hello Again -

Drums - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Tenor Saxophone - Leroi

Violin - Boyd

Organ - Butch

Just like it was played during the Summer tour of 2004. I also need to express how I feel this song doesn’t really fit on this album. It may fit with the entire theme, but the recording and style of Hello Again is very true to DMB’s original format. With this album being a major departure for the band, this track doesn’t really fit on the album for me. Anyone else feel the same way from hearing the clip? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great song, but after you hear the rest of the songs, there’s just something about it….

[Kahn]

good find. only 10 days.

[MattyTrane]

good stuff, thanks

[Nitro1515]

Got the last half of his review

Here's the rest for you all to enjoy! Thanks for all of the compliments. I was completely honest and hopefully you'll feel similar once you hear it.

10. Louisiana Bayou -
Drums - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Violin - Boyd

Wurlitzer - Butch

Organ, Clavinet - Mark

Another one of my favorite tracks. Great country feel to this one, with Boyd driving the feel of the song along with his violin. I’m pretty sure this song is in 6/8 time, but I’m not 100% sure. Carter again does standard playing on both the hi-hat and snare, but it fits very nicely with this song and drives it along. Definitely a head bouncing song, and a song you’d crank up in your car. Dave’s vocal style is very cool in this one…very loose and free. Butch plays the Wurlitzer which is a type of piano….very deep and heavy sounding, so it really adds to the Southern feel of being on the bayou on a hot summer day to the song. My one small problem with this song which also has to do with Hello Again, is that they basically run together. Hello Again, as you have probably seen by it’s length in time is only 3:53 long, and it ends with Carter playing a fill; then abruptly stops and Louisiana Bayou starts with Dave playing chords on his guitar. This song is the longest track on the album mostly because the band jams the last minute or two, with Boyd jamming out, Butch helping out, and after hearing the recording from last night’s show, it’s sounds as if they added Leroi into the mix nicely. Should be one of the long jam songs on tour this summer.



11. Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd -

Drums, Percussion - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Tenor Saxophone - Leroi

Violin - Boyd

Rhodes - Butch

Synthesizers - Mark

This is the second track that Mark had his hands ALL over. When I initially heard this one I thought they had put some random track by some other pop artist on here; but then I drastically changed my mind after listening to it a couple of times. A very hip-hop feel from the start, but then the acoustic guitar kicks in and Leroi starts adding some sax. Great lyrics true to Dave Matthews’ style and a beautiful melody to go along with it. Leroi adds some great sax throughout the song, while Boyd adds some very pretty violin.

SIDE NOTE: I know I haven’t mentioned Stefan much throughout this review, but I honestly can’t say that much about him. He plays great, but he’s low in the mix and it’s sometimes hard for me to decipher what he’s doing. Once you all have it, and for those of you who are bass players, I’d like to hear your comments.



12. You Might Die Trying -

Drums - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Tenor & Baritone Saxophones - Leroi

Electric Violin - Boyd

Background Vocals - Butch

Organ, Wurlitzer - Mark

Dave plays an electric guitar on this track again. This one is very Rock & Roll in my opinion…although some people may disagree once the album comes out. But once all the instruments play together, it’s very much like your typical rock & roll song you would hear on the radio. I’m actually surprised they didn’t consider this one as the second single. Carter mixes this one up with some straight snare hits and also hits on the rim while resting the stick on his snare(I forget what that’s called, but he’s not doing a rim shot). Boyd does a nice mix of plucking and standard violin playing on this track and at the same time too which is very cool; adds a lot to the overall sound of the song. Leroi has a small chance to shine near the end of the song as well. Overall, not a bad tune, not my favorite, but I don’t skip it.





13. Steady As We Go -

Drums - Carter

Bass - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Tenor, Baritone Saxophone - Leroi

Violin - Boyd

Piano, Organ - Mark

The second mellow song on the album. This one is more upbeat than Out Of My Hands though….more drums and instruments in general. The beginning is very jazzy….gives you the feeling of being in a dark, smoky jazz club with the guys sitting around drinking whiskey. At the 2:30 mark in the song, Carter kicks in with some hits on the snare and toms and the songs explodes. Someone asked me if Carter does anything fancy other than the ending in American Baby, well he does blow up for a little bit in this one. Don’t get too excited, it’s no Hello Again or Halloween jam, but he definitely throws down some quick fills and hits. Everyone on this song plays pretty much all at the same level, with equal parts.

14. Hunger For The Great Light -

Drums - Carter

Bass, Guitar - Stefan

Guitar, Vocals - Dave

Tenor Saxophone - Leroi

Violin - Boyd

Organ, Background Vocals - Butch

Moog - Mark

Can you say Beatles-ish? Wow. This song rocks! The second of the very Rock & Roll tunes on this album. The band incorporated the strings in this one as well and it simple adds to the airy feeling of this song. Stefan plays a killer electric guitar which only adds so much to the rock feeling of this song. With the driving force of Carter’s drums, the electric guitar, Butch on organ and Dave playing acoustic…it’s a great tune. The chorus is so reminiscent of a Beatles song, which one, I’m not sure…but in my opinion, it’s incredible. The Moog adds to make it sound timely and like a classic song that we all love. The song ends with Carter doing some quick fills on the snare and then a few seconds later just the strings start up and play the melody of the song.

All in all, I really like this album. Definitely not like Everyday, but by far a departure for the band. I think working with different producers is having a major effect on the sound we may see from DMB in the future. We already know it from Ballard and Everyday, and you’ll all hear it soon enough with this album. In my eyes, it’s good for a band to grow, but not stray too far away from the formula that has gotten them to where they are today. This album shows that they know how to mix it up and be true to themselves as musicians.

[DJR]

nice job bro - its nice to hear solid feedback from some guy instead of all speculation

[gumbomadness]

fuck the only thing im upset about is carter.

its like he's being lazy or something...

but other than that..

[GSR]

"Carter plays a simple beat but it fits the song, so it's okay."
"Carter plays a simple beat but it fits the song, so it's okay."
"Carter plays a simple beat but it fits the song, so it's okay."
"Carter plays a simple beat but it fits the song, so it's okay."
"Carter plays a simple beat but it fits the song, so it's okay."
"Carter plays a simple beat but it fits the song, so it's okay."
"Carter plays a simple beat but it fits the song, so it's okay."
"Carter plays a simple beat but it fits the song, so it's okay."