"Spider" (585K) RealAudio  Spider" (4.8Mb) MP3

Elfin

Recording Venue: Home

Recording Equipment: (owned) Roland VS880 digital 8-track, Studiomaster 8:2 mixer, Behringer Composer compressor, AKG D3700 and Shure SM57 mics, Spirit Absolute 2 monitors; (borrowed) TAC Scorpion, Behringer Multicom compressor, Drawmer Quad gate, AKG D112, Sennheiser MD421, Shure SM57 and 58 mics.

Elfin are one of those bands who have worked really hard to establish a reputation on the live circuit, especially at festivals, but are still not signed yet. Surprisingly, this is the first, self-recorded and produced CD from the Sheffield-based band who describe themselves as 'hypno funk'.

Kicking off with a mix entitled 'Spider', Elfin weave echoed electric guitar seamlessly with sampled harmony vocals, cuts from movie soundtracks, groove bass and drums. The production sound is very well balanced, clear and professional over my expensive speakers, and still good over the alternative Sony hi-fi monitors in my studio. At one point the open hi-hats started to sound a bit grainy, as if some of the sound was missing, but overall it was a pleasure to listen to.

The second mix sounds a bit thin in the upper mids, and some cut at 3.5kHz helped without damaging the clarity of the vocals. The slapped bass sections are also bass-light compared to the other, plectrum bass areas of the mix on this track -- something which could have been avoided by changing the EQ on the bass track at appropriate times. However Sean Elliott's bass playing and sound for most of the album is excellent, which is so important for a band like Elfin whose arrangements are formed around bass guitar grooves. I especially liked the full, warm tones he achieved on 'Lizard Jam' which were complimented by the punchy, attacking kick drum.

Interesting production touches adorn this album, like the time the whole mix cuts to dry for a section (something which Trevor Horn has been known to do in the past) and the effects are then reintroduced. Guitarist Dan Worrall brings a lot of light and shade into the pieces by clever use of effects like bowing-in, echo, pseudo filter changing using a wah pedal, and a nice line in modulation effects like flange and phase which are never overdone.

'Hypno funk' is probably a good way to describe the album, although it does verge into the realms of prog rock in places, but without the usual baggage of self-indulgent soloing.

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