This is the Life sounding thin

[Ħ]

First off, I love the mixing/mastering/production/whatever for pretty much the whole album.
 
But the sound quality of This is the Life just irks me so much.  The instruments aren't crisp, James doesn't sound full, everything sounds like it's been processed through an AM radio station broadcast.
 
Does anyone else hear me on this, or am I just crazy?

[visitor]

I understand, when he sings the chorus for the first time he sounds odd, but good odd. 

[CrimsonSunrise]

This song is starting to grow on me a bit, Mix sounds OK to me, I'll listen a little more closely to it.

[Cranky]

I get what you are saying about the chorus sounding weird...
The mix on Jame's vocals is very flat, kind of muddy.

It is fine, in my opinion. It doesn't bother me.

[Pols Voice]

The song sounds fine in general to me, but there's some effect on James' voice during the first chorus.

I think BMUBMD has weird sound quality compared to the other tracks. Not enough bass.

[Jamesman42]

I like his vocals here, they sound great and like they tried something different

[BlobVanDam]

JLB's voice does sound a bit thin, like they've rolled off the high end. Similar thing for the ending of TCOT too.

Aside from that TITL sounds great to me though. Just a minor, minor issue on one part of the vocals.

[JPX]

You're trying to hard. It sounds fine.

[Priest of Syrinx]

First off, I love the mixing/mastering/production/whatever for pretty much the whole album.
 
But the sound quality of This is the Life just irks me so much.  The instruments aren't crisp, James doesn't sound full, everything sounds like it's been processed through an AM radio station broadcast.
 
Does anyone else hear me on this, or am I just crazy?

It sounds highly processed, like much modern music. /shrug

You might still be crazy, though. 

[Progmetty]

You're trying to hard. It sounds fine.

[senecadawg2]

YES! This was my initial reaction too. Right off the bat, I liked it a lot. It just felt like it was missing something. As opposed to the rest of the album this song, although really beautiful, felt like it was only 80% there. I still like it a lot, its just not in my version of the top half of the album.

[hefdaddy42]

First off, I love the mixing/mastering/production/whatever for pretty much the whole album.
 
But the sound quality of This is the Life just irks me so much.  The instruments aren't crisp, James doesn't sound full, everything sounds like it's been processed through an AM radio station broadcast.
 
Does anyone else hear me on this, or am I just crazy?

You're just crazy.

[Jamesman42]

First off, I love the mixing/mastering/production/whatever for pretty much the whole album.
 
But the sound quality of This is the Life just irks me so much.  The instruments aren't crisp, James doesn't sound full, everything sounds like it's been processed through an AM radio station broadcast.
 
Does anyone else hear me on this, or am I just crazy?

You're just crazy.

lol

[ResultsMayVary]

I think the whole song sounds fantastic.

[Bolsters]

I think the whole album lacks that high-end crisp sound, almost as if at mastering the engineer pulled down most of the high end a decibel or two too far. There's no sheen on the cymbals, no snap in the snare, the guitar doesn't have that crunch to it...it's not that the high end is missing or is terribly low, but it definitely does seem to be lacking to me.

[Implode]

First off, I love the mixing/mastering/production/whatever for pretty much the whole album.
 
But the sound quality of This is the Life just irks me so much.  The instruments aren't crisp, James doesn't sound full, everything sounds like it's been processed through an AM radio station broadcast.
 
Does anyone else hear me on this, or am I just crazy?

You aren't crazy. That's the first thing I thought of when I first heard the song too. It sounded like I was listening on a really crappy radio, but only for JLB's vocals.

[farsight]

Yeah, it's definitely there, but just the part from 1:18 to 1:50. Sounds intentional, maybe a poorly done high pass filter?

[InstrumentalFiasco]

I think this song sounds the way because they wanted it too. It reminds me of 90s Dream Theater.

[CrimsonSunrise]

I listened to it on the way home from work this morning... I'm not really hearing it.  Sounds great to me.

[lyfeternl]

First off, I love the mixing/mastering/production/whatever for pretty much the whole album.
 
But the sound quality of This is the Life just irks me so much.  The instruments aren't crisp, James doesn't sound full, everything sounds like it's been processed through an AM radio station broadcast.
 
Does anyone else hear me on this, or am I just crazy?

The only thing I could classify as "thin" would be JLB's vocals within the first chorus before the song resolves back to JP playing the "jazzy-clean" version intro. I like the effect though because it sets the mood for that softer lead-in.

All in all, TITL is pretty much amazing so, just get over it 

[reneranucci]

I don't have any problem with the sound of the song, either.

[Marion Crane]

I agree with the OP. The song overall is very weak in general. The "our gift divine" part is just lame. And the song is waaaaay too close to Sacrificed Sons

[reneranucci]

And the song is waaaaay too close to Sacrificed Sons

In what sense?

[The Silent Cody]

I like TITS very much, the only problem is vocal part where James signs Some of us choose to live gracefully... it has some ocal effect that grounds vocal too much for me...

[Marion Crane]

And the song is waaaaay too close to Sacrificed Sons

In what sense?

Meter, time signature (except for alternating back to 5/4), chord progression in the bridge IS the chorus to SS, and just the overall feel of the 6:8 parts of the song (JP plays the same palm mutes, and chord shapes)

[lyfeternl]

And the song is waaaaay too close to Sacrificed Sons

In what sense?

Meter, time signature (except for alternating back to 5/4), chord progression in the bridge IS the chorus to SS, and just the overall feel of the 6:8 parts of the song (JP plays the same palm mutes, and chord shapes)

Even if that's true (I don't feel like sitting and mapping the two songs out at the moment), the groove, mood, theme, etc. from TITL is totally different than SS. TITL, to me, falls within the classification of a heavy ballad and I couldn't see SS fitting that mold.

tl;dr ... Respectfully disagree 

[Millais]

i'm afraid I have to agree. probably, in terms of mastering and mixing, the song that doesn't sound as good as others on the album - especially when JLB comes in at 1:18ish singing "some of us choose to live gracefully" the recording sounds completely different than before?

[The Silent Cody]

i'm afraid I have to agree. probably, in terms of mastering and mixing, the song that doesn't sound as good as others on the album - especially when JLB comes in at 1:18ish singing "some of us choose to live gracefully" the recording sounds completely different than before?

That is what I posted a few posts above...

[lyfeternl]

i'm afraid I have to agree. probably, in terms of mastering and mixing, the song that doesn't sound as good as others on the album - especially when JLB comes in at 1:18ish singing "some of us choose to live gracefully" the recording sounds completely different than before?

I honestly found that effect to be deliberate and fitting. I liked it.

[Jaffa]

I think the whole song sounds fantastic.

[Bongasti]

Yup, I noticed that too. The first time I was listening and that 1:18 part came, I thought "What? Did the quality drop suddenly?" I think it really sounds like that. And because it doesn't sound like a distinct effect, but not normal either, it just seems like bad editing. But they wouldn't leave an obvious mistake like that in, so it pretty much has to be an effect.

[Bolsters]

I like TITS very much

Same here.