Review:

on 2010-02-01 Brightstraw Said:

I bought a copy of this CD during open mic at my favorite coffee shop a couple weeks ago.
I was pleasantly surprised. The music has such a wonderful variety. Some tunes are upbeat and fun, with clever, cute lyrics. Others are sad and you can actually feel the pain when Maryam sings. It kind of pulls your heart in all directions.
The songs really remind me of underground 1980s pop music, especially when the electric guitar is playing in Detoxing. There are also some really cool special effects which help add to the quirkiness of the overall sound.
This is definitely a CD worth buying! I can't wait to hear what else Maryam has up her sleeves in the future.
Not Rated

on 2010-02-01 marymargaret Said:

Ididnt hear "my pain my pain". I heard "My words, my pain". I went to her myspace and the lyrics are there too. I love the fact its just her and a keyboard . Its very unique sounding.
Rating: 4/10

on 2010-02-01 rottenronnie Said:

This review reminds me of those people who stand very close to an oil painting & say "all I see is dots & splashes." Anyone with a heart who listens to THERE ARE SONGS gets drawn in. Look Im a metal person & hardcore punk & I happen to love this CD. If I had a nickle for each time in the review this person said "supposed to " or this is the way things "ought" to be Ild have gas money-lol. Seriously This is the kind of mentality that would have booed the Beatles off the stage for having a backbeat, would have put Cobain in tight leather pants & would have said rock & rap arent "supposed" to be together coz they are 2 separate genres.

It music for crying out loud not computer programming. Does it touch the listeners. After all that is what music's all about. I know a lot of listeners who have heard my copy of THERE ARE SONGS and they are very excited about it. Its fresh innovative and without artiface. The effects , the sound quality everything is so cool & different. Its retro & new at the same time. Some of us are READY for it!
Rating: 10/10

Review:

on 2010-02-01 RYAN_STATION Said:

My drummer had this cd in his car and I put it in for kicks. Boy what a mistake! I think this music is very sloppy. It is obvious from listening that the chords in the piano are auto-modulated. In other words, that she isn't playing the chords but hitting a note and then the keyboard automatically shifts key. And, unfortunately for the listener, the keys shift while her singing stays in the same key center.



One thing I thought was over-the-top was when I heard a song where she literally sings "my pain! my pain!" You can't just do that... it's kind of an emo cliche. But when she plays those little melodies-- those pseudo-melodies between the verses, she could at least take note of the rhythm and contour of the melodies instead of just flat out doodling them incoherently. It sounds very amateurish, sloppy, and really takes away from the songs themselves. But please somebody teach this woman a few chords, PLEASE!



I really hope that MARYAM and the recording engineer have other career propects in mind. This is the type of music and its production is very amateurish. The lyrics, to add to it, just aren't as profound as the singer tries to make them. Mainly, she needs to learn that real musicians at least know a few chords and take time to learn song-structure, and learn about what a "key" is. You can't just go out there without knowing a thing about music and expect to have something you can "make it" with. There is a lot of potential in these songs, but without any music to back them up what are they? Doodlings in sound.



And as for the sound engineering, well no matter what equipment you use if you can't get a drum track to hit the beat on time it is all useless.

Lastly, she isn't even playing the keyboard. She is singing over pre-programmed tracks in her keybaord. That is like karaoke on your own songs.
Not Rated

on 2010-01-29 theryanexpress Said:

I was the sound engineer on this recording and actually for the record an original Rode Nt1 was used for the recording. These things are legendary, and there is no such thing as a worn out microphone. Neuemanns that were made back in the 70s are stil worth thousands of dollars to this day. The sound I was going for on this recording was a cross between a vintage and modern style. Vintage recordings usually carry with them a bright upper band of frequencies.For this I used a multiband compressor, which is built into my Focusrite Voicemaster Pro. These units are also quite expensive and of the highest quality. That is the way my studio works, through and through. All the way from recording, to mixing, and mastering everything is either 24 bit or higher. The Mackie mixer I use is true 64 bit, which means the bit depth gets a higher sampling average and a greater resolution of audio that we interprate as quality. So all the way from the mic, to the preamp, and all stages in between the production quality was extremely high quality. I have no idea what mounttaloha is talking about. Try arguing with a sound engineer anyday

-Ryan Hubener
MultiDose Records
Rating: 10/10

on 2010-01-29 mountaloha Said:

I agree with Emmy on this one. This sounds like it was recorded in a garage, and not in a good way. The vocals are only the tip of the horrible iceberg. It sounds like a shitty keyboard, a cheap drum machine, and a girl singing into the most worn out microphone in the world. There is nothing good here.
Rating: 1/10

Review:

on 2010-01-28 ld_hippie Said:

Wow, i really love this artist. It is so refreshing to hear a new artist whose words are so very real, and are written directly from the heart. No phony here, i could tell she had lived these songs and i could feel all of the passion that they were delivered with. Passion to me makes all of the difference between a great song that really reaches out and grabs on to you, or one that you just look past. This artist definately has the passion and the poetry in her songs. I loved all the songs but Short Attention Span and Cellophane really were heart touching songs. Such a beautiful voice i look forward to more songs coming from this awesome lady!!!!!!!!! I would have to rate this album a solid ten, i loved it. Give us some more beautiful poetry in song Maryam, i cant wait!!
Rating: 10/10

on 2010-01-28 Maryam Said:

Rating: 10/10

Review:

on 2010-01-28 Maryam Said:

THERE ARE SONGS....
A theme seemed to emerge with my new CD. The fact that THERE ARE SONGS. Songs in my head. songs that explain & simplify complex feelings, mixed feelings, sad, happy, snotty, angry, silly, tender, whatever the feeling . I really wanted to focus on songs that were part of my survival, that uplifted me or told a story of my pain. They span over 20 years ( the most recent being from late November this year, the oldest from sometime in my teens).Some of you know that the idea for my CD "Nothing Nice to say" (the song and later the CD) same from an offhanded remark by an elderly drunk at a bar I was playing at in 2003. The man said to me after a very well recieved set of Novelty tunes mixed with the usual female angst ... "Don't you ever sing about anything NICE? Like moon tune June stuff, you know nice love songs ?" I think I said "I guess not sir." or words to that effect. As I drove home the idea for that song and also the theme of my CD... Just saying whatever rediculous things were on my mind ., not caring if they were "nice" thoughts or not. Around October 2008 one evening on the way home I remarked to Zack " I have a song that's in my head ." He quipped "I have a brain in my head". So thats where the line comes from
"There are songs
stuck in my head,
Where most people have a brain..."
Flash forward November 2009 .... After completing 5 tracks at Multidose , I wondered where the CD was heading thematically. The song "There are songs" grew on me. I thought yeah. there ARE songs. In my life there have always been songs. Songs always got me through the hard times in my life. It's like that song from this summer HEY YOU by 311. When you first hear it it sounds like it's for a best friend or lover. Then you realize towards the end that the song is about MUSIC itself.
I have made a very deliberate attempt to branch out from the purely pop punk- novelty tune nitch that i enjoyed previously. I think its important to take risks in life. Those of you who know me personally know full well i have this push-pull in my soul between wanting to be settled , comfy, & "perfect" & wanting to deconstruct... innovate... start over... The thrill of the blank canvas .
This CD does a great job i think of showing both sides of me- The hurt vulnerable needy side & the fiercely independent rebellious side. Wanting that gold ring, that elusive relationship, lost love, lost money, lost time. Yet never wanting to feel "stuck".
I never consider myself a singer or keyboardist - i consider myself a preformer & songwriter & hopefully a healer. This CD made me realize that the song itself is more important than the genre, the instruments or the artist themselves. I do sacrifice myself personally for my music. I quit my counseling practice to be true to myself & pursue what I love. Most songs were borne from pain... dysfunctional painful unrequited love & relationships. I hate the pain but the pain brought beautiful things later... the songs.
Everything in fact to me is subordinate to THE SONG. To me vocals are not gymnastics to show off how well i can sing like a gymnast on a highbeam . It not important that I be "pure" to any genre. It's also not important that I always make you laugh, dance or whatever if that doesn't fit the song.
I was so fortunate to find a producer Ryan who understood what I was trying to do here. Multidose is a label that does allow for co-production on the part of the artist.
It seems that my music touches people . I feel very happy with that.
It makes all the tears & sacrifice worthwhile. I became a counselour
because i did want to help folks sort out their feelings. But there are times when THE SONGS do a better job of that than any therapist ever could.




Rating: 10/10

on 2010-01-28 rottenronnie Said:

This Cd rocks! Detoxing is killer and the guitar is super duper. Dangerous willing live no hiding place are songs to rock out while poking U is fun and original. The sad songs are cool too. What woman cant relate to short attention span? You cry & laugh with this CD you feel something & thats so rare in the plastic world of music. Maryams vocals send chills up my spine. MORE MORE MORE... I want to hear what else she can do. I was totally spellbound the whole time. Its not pretensious. Its honest & real and sweet yet forceful. A parodoxical tour de force. I tend to listen to Punk Metal and industrial, yet the softer tunes on this one I love because they are so gutsy. The funny thing is the more I listen to each song the more I love the songs. And the CD as a whole. It so different from the fake music that's so common now. I could see hardcore punkers & sentimental softies uniting on this one. Definately a must have.
Rating: 10/10

Review:

on 2010-01-28 marymargaret Said:

I must admit, when I first read this it peaked my curiousity. I have been a long time Fiona Apple fan. How can a CD suck SOOO badly yet be compared to Fiona Apple? I had to find out for myself.



Well what I discovered was probably the most refreshing and emotionally honest CD I have heard in a long time. The words original, innovative, Intellegent ,tender and gutsy come to mind. Yet it is not a hollow excercize in uniqueness or quirkiness for quirkiness sake. Every note every reverb every piece of it makes sense to me. It tells a story. It is thematic as albums used to be back in the day. There is a punk sensibility commbined with a blues earnestness that I havent heard anywhere else before even from (gasp) Fiona Apple.



I think its really cool also and should not be viewed as a negative that with a few exceptions it is pretty much a one woman band. Maryam seems to be doing with her keyboards what takes must musicians several other players to achieve.



I love every song. Now thats rare for me. Even my most favorite Cds I dont love every single song yet with this CD I do.



There are songs reminds me of Lesley Gore or Karen Carpenter in its sweetness and angst. The smell of new things is Clever and has a Lily Allenesque quality. Im definately buying this Cd & I have a feeling this girl is taking off and Im thrilled to be discovering something new and way cooler than anything else I have heard.



Detoxing , Will to live and Dangerous are POWERFUL songs! With universal yet personal themes.



Not since I discovered the Pixies back in the day have I been this stoked about a Cd or new Artists. I gfeel like she opened my journal and put it to music.
I give it ten stars!!
Rating: 4/10

on 2010-01-27 theryanexpress Said:

Andrea Marie (Jumping Trains)
You have a nice variety of songs. They are all so unique which is quite refreshing. And you have a lovely voice.

Warner Brown (Writer/Director)
I really like the new songs. There are Songs is a fave of mine and should be no.1 along w/ Detoxing

Lemur (Fan)
I'm surprised by you & your driving, gripping, charismatic music!

Jose The Guitarist (Fan)
I love your music and your voice is truly mesmerizing. I really like short attention span

Steve (Fan)
I think everything presently on your MS player, taken together, is really good at creating a mood so it's hard to single out one song I like best.

Rating: 10/10