Search - Eric Matthews :: Foundation Sounds

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 7/5/2023...

Interesting sound!

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Could have been better.

D. Bencuya | 09/16/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well. The warning signs were there, I remember how excited I was when the "six degrees of kind" ep came out (his previous album "the lateness of the hour" is one of the greatest albums ever made, I swear!), I put it on and sure it was Eric singing and it was nice but something was lacking, well, I thought, he was probably saving the best songs for this album.



Unfortunately foundations sounds is not a return to the world beating form of "lateness of the hour" and it suffers from the same problems the "six degrees" ep had.



Number one problem for me is the production, I know Eric wanted to play all the instruments so the album has a unique sound but what made "lateness of the hour" so special was the brilliant kaleidoscope sound, it was baroque and orchestral and never dull.



Foundations sounds on the other hand sounds, well, dull and lifeless, it really sounds like one man is playing all the instruments, the group dynamics of a band are greatly missed, the album sounds like a bunch of brilliant demos that are yet to be finished and mixed.



Quality control of the songs could have been better as well, many of the songs sounds too similar to another and at worst, unfinished, for example a song like "all the clowns" has potential for greatness, yet it sounds undeveloped and unfinished, over before it starts taking off.



There's nothing on the album that comes close to the beauty of "fanfare" or "my morning parade" or my "gashing teeth".



Eric stuff is still miles better then most rubbish released today and he has an amazing voice, but from somebody who made brilliant albums like "it's heavy in here" and the amazing "the lateness of the sky", I was expecting much much more.



7 out 10."

Beautiful and Worthy

Mark Roland | 05/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think there have been too many unfavorable reviews and comments about this cd. I understand that fans of his first two, nearly flawless musical offerings wanted more of the same. And I admit I still find 6 Kinds Of Passion to be somewhat disappointing. Foundation Sounds though, is a work that should appreciated for it's own merits. While some of the songs may have benefited from the expansive arrangements and contributions of musicians like Jason Falkner, Eric has accomplished what he set out to do, I believe. The intimate nature of the songs work in the simpler, but still lush melodic performances. I don't think these sound like demos by any stretch of the imagination, and while they could have been embellished, they stand on their own merits. Don't pass this one by; Eric is a brilliant songwriter/composer finding his way, out of the mainstream and true to his vision."