Special Effects

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End the other night. Basically it is a lot of eye candy, a ridiculous cameo by Kieth Richards, and a half baked and confusing storyline that is hard to follow. In this way the feel of the movie is a good representation of the theme park ride that it is based on. I'm sure there are a lot of people who loved it, but I think that this type of movie is best enjoyed when testing out a home theater package at Best Buy.

The thing about amazing special effects is that they don't really stand on there own apart from a good story. I've bought so many albums that, on first listen, sound so fresh and creative, but when you actually listen to them, they sound over-hyped and bland. It's a funny thing. Some of my favorite albums definitely have a distinctive sound that seems to lock them into a certain time and place - but in a good way. On the other hand, an album that lacks real depth in the songs seems to quickly sound dated - like a fad that died out as soon as you bought into it. I hate that!

In music production, there is a big temptation to gloss over the imperfections in the writing with clever production tricks. When it come to the mix, it's easy to get carried away. You can get peoples attention with "special effects", but without substance, you'll likely be forgotten quickly.