I'm in love with both albums now but was really put off at first. I'd done so with another favorite band, Katatonia's last two albums, too, so I should have known I needed to keep listening to "get" it before judging.
There's just a few parts on Sky Blue that I'm not fond of. Hard to describe, but one of my issues with Deconstruction was the same. Sometimes the lyrics and/or their cadence feels out of place, distracting or too cliche. I wasn't a big on Epicloud but want to listen to it again to give it fair attention so at first I felt like SB was just more Epicloud/er. I was surprised at the tone of SB, too. There's a lot of bits that bring me back to Accelerated Evolution, Infinity, Synchestra, and Ocean Machine.
A big factor of like for me is if while listening to something I get reminded of, then excited for the next part coming up or that I keep turning the volume up. Parts of SB do so, but oh man does Z2 meet that. ZTO has been a top favorite since it's release and although it's quite different in scope, Z2 is becoming a treasure to me, also.
Z2 was so difficult at first to go through as it is so busy and I was at first disappointed. I'm grateful for the raw disc as it helped me finally parse the parts and now I love either version depending on the mood. The production, orchestration, and performances are so good. I guess it's just the right mix of sounds that my brain likes to analyze and figure out. Love the sound of the Poozer racing through space, and Ziltoid's sarcastic tone.
There're just some moments here and there where I wish the main vocals were more audible and some guitar work was more central. Also wish a few parts were a little more sustained like how the ending of By Your Command and Solar Wind carry for a bit with their immense soundscapes. I think some of the non-metal liking family/friends I have might enjoy it, too, since it's a fun mix of musical/theatrical/ comedy/music/energy stuffs and unlike Herman they enjoy musicals. I regret not participating in the choir submissions, too.
I've been re-watching the in-production vids now that I know the parts a bit better. The
Framas one with Dave Young is great. Anyone know if he wrote stuff, too, or is it just Dev's writing and Dave then playing for the recording or how that process goes? I've been really impressed with Dave's contributions to the live shows. RVP's drumming is great, also along with his progression all these years, with what feels like throwbacks to Gene's and Dirk's Decon styles.
Also, is Anneke or Dominique singing on From Sleep Awake?
Took quite a few listens, but I am super happy with these albums.