The Menzingers – “Toy Soldier” • Page 2

The thing about Will Yip is that his records sound "good" (i.e., cleaned up and clear) but lifeless. Like every drum hit is flat and in a vacuum. It just feels like the band really gelled and had an energy on their previous records that does not happen for me here.

I'm not saying I sonically dislike everything Will Yip touches (Death Chorus, Floral Green, Rooms of the House, and Feel Something come to mind as a couple I love), but sometimes he just makes it hard to enjoy it. A perfect example is the end of "Rainbow Signs" by mewithoutYou. When the heavy, delayed guitars come in, they should hit like a sledgehammer. Instead, they just kind of... happen (side note, most of that record is produced very nicely). And all of ATP sounds like that to me. It's hard to explain but it makes a big impact on me. And it's consistent across a lot of his work, even when he is just engineering and not mixing.

My friend and I literally will call each other up when a new Yip-produced record comes out and talk about how the band got Yip'd, haha. It's cool that you're into his stuff, I'm not claiming to have the "right" opinion or anything. It's just happened so many times it's a joke to me.

 

All these years later, and seeing a reference to Dead Poetic still puts a smile on my face. More than every other post-hardcore album of that period I loved (and there were a lot), that one hooked me in a whole other way.

 

It’s funny you bring up drums cause that’s one of the most praised things I saw being praised on the new Pianos album. (But let’s be real, I’ve yet to hear drums that too TWIAB) Again it’s all on preference. I really dig the stuff he’s doing. Never heard of movements before. Got half way through the second song on Feel Something and purchased the vinyl. I just don’t hear the “Yipping” on stuff he does.

Rented World is the album that got me into The Menzingers. (Thanks Thomas) If I had to rank stuff it would be ATP, RW, OTIP. I’ll

 

I'm liking this. Also a great reminder that I haven't listened to ATP in a while and the warm weather seems like a great time to revisit.

 

Yuuuuuuup, I dig it

 

Glad someone got a kick out of it! It was pressed to vinyl recently so I’ve been listening to it a lot.

 

This rocks