LEVITATOR: The Album

Just go off to <a href="http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/318/nick_nunziata.html" target="_blank">http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/318/nick_nunziata.html</a>

Let us know when the new version of 'Bloodless' is up, please. I think the song is pretty great as is, but I'm up for hearing it tweaked.

I am listening to Mental Paradise, which to me sounds like Pink Floyd + the score from Ladyhawke divided by the score The Bounty x a garage band.

Interesting stuff, fellas!

Just listened to Mental Paradise...

Holy shit, that was a good song...

That's because John couldn't appear LESS on that song if he tried.

Hey Nick, how can I go about purchasing PKG and Nightstick albums?

flyers, go to these links to purchase the good stuff...

<a href="http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/14/package.html" target="_blank">PKG</a>

<a href="http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/318/nick_nunziata.html" target="_blank">The Lucky Nightsticks</a>

My top 5 for this record so far:

1. Liquid Lunch/Perfect Misery
2. Bloodless
3. Mental Paradise
4. We Are
5. Beyond the Bones

I'm really liking this record so far.

Mental Paradise gets my vote as tops - the keyboards are really well done, and I'm digging the vocals.

Liquid Lunch is a close second - great song.

Levitator is hilarious, and quite frankly, so is the circus bit in No One Special. It makes me laugh every time I hear it - I hope it's supposed to

Keep up the good work - those other tracks coming anytime soon?

sounds really good, Mental Paradise is the best

1. Mental Paradise
2. Infinite Lives
3. The Night We Lost Our Spines/Bloodless
4. Beyond the Bones
5. We Are

I have to tell you, Nick, that I have been listening to Every single song that is available for download right now. I love them all. Can't wait for the finished product. (I always get the first part of the Mental Paradise mixed up with another song. But I don't know what it is.)

EXCELLENT.

Nice.

That is some amazing artwork. And the songs are fucking great, I can hear the progress. Can't wait to get my hands on this baby.

Awesome. And by "awesome" I mean totally sweet.

I will purchase this.

When listened to as an entire album, these songs cannot be beat. Great work putting it all together Nick.

That is good to...hear.

Oh...my...Goodness. That is the most badass "back of the liner" I have ever seen. I would buy the CD just for that. Well, maybe not, but you get my point.

Icing on the cake, I tells ya.

This was already a must-buy...Now you even thank us.

Nick: the pleasure is all ours. Seriously.

I have only download a couple LN tunes, I like, so I'm going to save the rest to listen to as a whole.

When will we be able to order this?

*sniff*

I'll still buy it, you bastard.

If the liner note font is the same size as in "The All-Devouring Beast", my eyes hate you. But the tray art kicks all sorts of ass and makes up for it. And thanks for the...thanks!

I'm interested in how the whole process of publishing an album through mp3.com works. If you have a spare 30 seconds in your day, please explain.

*Runs out, buys a schedule book, finds Friday Jan. 31st, writes "Order LN's Levitator," smiles*

Thanks Nick.

Listening to the songs in proper sequence now with the latest mixes and no forwarding...

Levitator CD Review:

"Beyond the Bones" - Interesting choice for an opener. It doesn't reach out and grab you, but the sheer abrasiveness does at least perk your ears up. A good melody and furthermore a good song. Just the harshness of the mix puts me off. A little TOO industrial. Not too big a deal, tho.

"Blood Gulch" - A-1 little funk ditty. The Mak delivers yet again. Love this one on all counts.

"We Are" - Very appealing, yet somber LN tune. A side of yourselves you should explore more. I like the dichotomy between the Mak songs and the Nick/keyboard ones alternating. My only quibble is the vocal effects here. Just overdone. A cleaner, simpler and subtler delay/reverb would've worked a lot better. The warbling chorus vocal effect isn't welcomed, either.

"No One Special" - Little reluctant to rate this one as the latest mix I could get still has that nightmare carnival part at the end, and I seem to remember you saying you were going to remove it from the final version. Maybe not. In any case, I kind of like the beginning, but after the 2:45 mark - as I said in my original comments - not my cup of tea at all. Not too much for me to grab on to with this song. Just kind of is....there.

"Greek Mythology" - Little bit too much jamming on this one. I don't mind you guys stretching your instrumental wings, but when you do, you have to tear it up. You never really cut loose instrumentally here. It's like a pot that simmers, gets near boiling, and then the oven range goes out. Still...the song is good. Small quibbles.

"Assassination Enthusiast" - Nothing but love for this one, and probably the best tune that ALL THREE of you have functioned as a band ever. Awesome main riff by Steve, even better tangy funk chord vamping from John at the end with the icing coming from Nick's keyboard licks and tones here - both of which are well-done. The highlight of the CD so far.

"Perfect Misery" - A welcome blast of Steve-ness as he's been kind of subdued and transparent on the CD so far. A very classy pop song. Good hooks, good harmonies, and good guitar work. My only minor quibble would be that I wish Nick would stretch his vocals a bit more. Explore that upper range that I know is there. It could be done tastefully on a song like this. There's some of it near the end, but not enough in the whole song. MINOR quibble. I always laugh that Steve hates country music so when his playing is country-influenced especially on songs like this and PKG's "Whistlin' Dixie in the Pisser."

"Zartan Boogie" - I kind of like this one, but it's just missing...something musically. Can't put my finger on it. Love the lyrics and vocals, tho. This song is so Steve, it's not even funny. Again, a very country-ish song, even going so far as to quote "Dueling Banjos" in the midsection. Country-funk is a relatively new genre, and you're pioneers, boys. Congrats...I think it's just you and Cake doing it.

"Liquid Lunch" - I've always loved this one. Nick's best keys on a LN record, and the song is so textured and multi-faceted, I find it gripping every time. Only minor quibble would be Steve's guitar in the beginning. Just the incessant Emin chords don't do much for me. There was space there for something with a bit more flair and emotion to it, and I didn't hear it from you, Murph. Alas, it's a quick section, and the song (and Steve's guitar choices) go on to improve and soar from there. One of Nick's best musical outings, composition and performance-wise.

"The Night We Lost Our Spines" - Excellent placement of this on the CD, BTW. Seems to come in at the perfect moment. LOVE the intro. The rest is just not my bag. Too 70's cop show-sounding. And it's inferior to the funk jams that proceeded it, even "Greek Mythology." One thing that's begun to bother me a bit, tho, is the abundance of keyboard bass or no bass whatsoever on this record. I think this record is missing something in the bottom end that would really help fill out the sampled drum kits you guys use, which tend - just by virtue of being samples coupled which John's personal preferences - to be a bit on the thin side. For a band that relies so much on funk, you don't have enough BASS, both in the literal figurative sense.

"Silenced Forever" - I'm still kind of indifferent to this one. I love the verse bits because John's doing something really different with the beat...almost hip-hop-ish. But the keys are layered on a bit too thick here. It's like it's caught uncomfortablly between the old spy aesthetic of Bond music and the new spy aesthetic of the XXX type. And that quiet little keyboard flurry thing that repeats for the second time around 5:05? Just deflates the song a little. I can't help but hold it up to "In Plain Sight" which was infinitely catchier and more consistent.

"Levitator" - Like "Greek," this kind of simmers, but ultimately fails to boil. I didn't get ANY link or cohesion between the clean and heavy parts here. They just switch from part to part with no bridge, completely different keys, and little in common. Like two songs that just don't go together. I like the clean stuff the best. The mid-part around 2:57 was a chance to take it a notch higher, and it didn't really happen for me. Then, it just ends.

"Mental Paradise" - Sparklingly good. And so unexpected. Genesis...early Yes...ELP...kind of all here. And hell, I like prog a lot, so this song brought that out in me. Sonically, very interesting. Another great key performance from Nick, and Steve's guitar here is the most creative and interesting it's been on the disc.

One thing I can't cite enough is how well-sequenced the disc is. Even the stuff I don't like is well-placed.

"Infinite Lives" - Fantastic. Amazing intro. Great energy. Good musicianship. Nick stretching the vocal range with no effects. ALL things I love. The song is also quite memorable and the chorus kills all. A-1.

"Bloodless" - I always get put in the unenviable position of being invited to play on a LN record, doing so, and then ending up loving the track I'm on above many others. Then, it's hard not to appear as if I'm some egomaniac who thinks he's bringing some golden touch. Alas, this is one of my favorites on the disc. Cracklin' funk arrangement. Cool, atonal chorus guitars. Wall of distorted guitar in the middle. Percolating drums from The Mak. Just tres fun all around. I'm proud to have done the guitar (except for Steve's unique and ear-tinglingly good solo) on this cut. Didn't really miss the bass either because the keyboard and guitar are locked so as if to create the illusion that there is a bass playing. A neat and totally unintentional trick.

"Dust to Dust" - I love the intro, but I don't like the rest of this song as I used to. Here's the sole misstep in sequencing for this CD, I think. "Infinite Lives" would've been the perfect way to send people out on a charged high note.

Overall, I liked it better than "Exploder." You're still kind of finding your identity, and I think it'll be important for LN3 that you guys collaborate more so that more smoothly integrated and fully orchestrated songs like "Assassination Enthusiast" come about. A lot of the songs here are Nick keyboard showcases with a background swash of guitar and drums, and while I'm glad he's coming into his own on the instrument, it minimizes the rest of the band too much if done this much.

Nonetheless, there's some really good stuff here. I still think "In Plain Sight" is your best tune, but "...Enthusiast""Bloodless" and "Liquid Lunch" are close contenders.

[EDIT] I know a lot of these songs are newly mixed, but I don't think too many of my comments will be affected, except for "Beyond the Bones."

This I don't get at all. I'm not in even in the music forums enough to even dream about laying claim to such a title, and even if I was, there's people here whose scope and tastes are more far-reaching than mine.

More importantly, I had no idea I had any influence over anyone who listens to either PKG or LN or that I'm that well-regarded. In fact, my music (Darker) gets the least amount of response out of our respective bands, and while it's generally positive, you sell way more CDs of both groups than I do and get more praise to boot.

I'm not sleighting LN as a band, or even this album. I own very few CDs I paid for that were commercially released from major labels wherein I really liked NINE of the 16 songs on the disc. In fact, I don't bother to give detailed assessments of anyone else's work except yours. From where I sit, these are all good things.

I can see you disagreeing with me (which makes sense being that you wrote so much of this material and would naturally have to love it all to record it) on the aesthetics, but my criticism isn't mean-spirited. It's constructive.

I want to see MORE of you stretching your range. I want to hear MORE of Steve's musical influence. I want to hear MORE of all of you playing on a given song. I want to hear MORE real bass as you ably played on this record when you played a real bass.

All good things that I just didn't get enough of. Not "I hate X guy's playing" or "I hate X this or that." The stuff I didn't like I took great care to say "not my cup of tea" and "it didn't work for me" rather than "This sucks."

I'm now a little reluctant to offer any more comments on LN stuff because it just seems both here and in the "Zartan Boogie" thread as if they irritate you no matter what my intent is.

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Thanks for the specific input, but not only do I like some of our "goof" songs, I happily played on them. "OPSS""Mongorr""Porn""Bitches Leave" "Smacked With Motorcycles"...the list goes on. Hell, I like LN ones I had nothing to do with like "Ballad from the Pit..." as well. I'm not sure when you decided I just wouldn't like ANY of them and decided to create them only with Steve, but that was your decision. I love to have fun. I laughed myself silly recording some of those and have never had a disparaging word about them.

There's nothing wrong with fun songs. But the reason I loved those and didn't love "Weequay" or "Greek Mythology" is because the latter songs didn't do anything for musically, while the aforementioned songs did. It's just personal taste. Not a blanket dismissal of anything fun. I didn't say you had to show off, but I felt like you were approaching a plateau in intensity you never reached.

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I do, too, except for the chords at the beginning. Not effected much. Same chord. With all of the interesting keys and drum stuff percolating around it, it sticks out in its plainness. His guitar on the rest of the song is much more to my taste, and overall it's a very accomplished guitar performance. I mean, I have plenty of solos or musical parts Steve is just "ehh" or "ahh...it's okay" on, but I'm not going to take it personally. Our different tastes are what make us work as a band. None of what I said was a knock on Steve. Just plain honesty, respectfully expressed. I made a note of how I loved the rest of his guitar stuff the first time and have several other praises for him sprinkled throughout my review.

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Well, this just comes down to opinion. By no means should what I say influence anyone else, and I don't think it has. Often, my critiques are quite in the minority like in the thread for The Night We Lost Our Spines, for example.

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Love every facet of this song dearly, especially the vox.

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No prob. I'm just a guest on this disc. I never meant for the squal to be a untouchably permanent part of the song. No real thought to it...just couldn't figure out another way to end the song. If it or the song itself has to go from the CD, such is life. I have a copy of the track and I love it.

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PErhaps I should've been clearer here. This CD has a lot of Nick songs. And a lot of John songs. And a couple of Steve songs. But the majority of the tunes are dominated by your individual respective influences. Not coincidentally, my absolute faves - "Assassination Enthusiast""Liquid Lunch" "Infinite Lives" "Mental Paradise" - tend to have multiple sections that carry the mark of you all in a smoothly integrated manner. Certainly, I love some of the ones where one guy tends to dominate - "Perfect Misery""Blood Gulch" - very much. But I think your identity as a group lies with the ones where all three of you guys are doing it as you do.

That's not to say that every song has to be co-written by all 3 of you. But I think you kind of get my drift.

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Apparently, my original comments seemed to allude to you being some kind of dictator keeping the others down or something based on this reply. NOT my intent at all. I've never implied there was static or dissent. Clearly, you all love to play together and that's great. But it just goes back to what I said above.

One of the things that made me so happy about ADB was that we did a lot of songs that weren't immediately recognizable as a "Micah" song or a "Steve" song or a "Nick" song.

Grappling? You hear all that guitar noodling and harmonics? Must be a Micah song. Nope.

Sunspots? Slow. Semi-countrified. Must be all Steve. Nope.

Forget to Breathe? Bass and keyboard heavy. Lots of vocal effects. Must be a Nick song. Nope.

I felt it was our most "gelled" or cohesive record so far. And I think you guys have such a record ahead of you, and it'll most likely be your best since you imporve with every record. I just didn't think this record was it.

I understand. Our songs are our children, and no one likes to to see their kids criticized, but the criticism pales to my enjoyment of this record. I love the majority of the songs, and had at least sections of the rest I loved as well.

But it's going to take a mighty song to topple "In Plain Sight" and I don't think you have anything equivalent in sound to "Exploder," so those two songs are safe for the moment.

But on the whole, I agree. It's a better record.

No baggage, chief. Honest injun.' My sole transgression is jealousy over losing a "Bedlam" or "Liquid" to LN, when I think they'd both make awesome PKG tunes totally in the same tone of what we're doing currently.

I'm...flattered about the music thing, because honest-to-God, I've never felt that. I make a shitload of recommendations, and a whole lot go ignored. VERY few listen to Darker stuff, and when I started a thread on a new group I like (The Tin Hat Trio) recently and tried to bump it several times, I got a whopping TWO responses.

Then, I look at the Pearl Jam, White Stripes, and Neptunes threads flush with comments, and I feel every bit out of touch with their tastes as you do.

I'd be happy to revisit the CD because you do seem to care what I think, and I appreciate that. I swear to you I never meant to marginalize any of the hard work you, Steve, or John put into this. Just trying to be helpful with both praise and my humble guidance, and you're certainly not bound to take either to heart.

It's just that when PKG puts out a CD, I dream of guys like Outlaw Torn who take the time to do a detailed song-by-song review that acknowledges specific musical bits that loved or didn't love that much. I LIVE for that one lengthy post. And I thought I was giving a gift in bestowing you guys with one, and I made every effort to be respectful, make clear what my opinion dictated, and give you an honest appraisal.

I will order this album Friday. Thanks for the mention. It's a pleasure to listen to L.N. no matter how the songs sound.

Damn.

Keep us informed.

There's this little riff, near the end of Spines ( in the last 30 seconds or so ), that is stuck in my frikkin head, and I wish would be the whole damn song.

Well, for what's it worth, I look forward to hearing what both of you have done on recent endeavors. Straight through. No interruptions. Crisp with no preloads.

Nick, the artwork it great. I particularly like the inside liner.

And, thanks for the addition, but you really don't need to thank us.