Artist Name: Will Keizer Title: Take What You Want Genre: Post-Punk/Art Rock/New Wave Revival Rating:
Equipment
Tracking: DAW – Pro Tools on an iMac; Interface – Mbox; Monitors – KRK Rokit 6s; Microphone – AKG C3000 (vocal and acoustic guitars). Electric Guitar – St. Blues Custom Eliminator; Acoustic – Alvarez Cedar Top; Bass – Peavey Grind Bass. Electric guitars were recorded direct utilizing amp sim plugins. Drums created with modified loops and sampled hits.
Mixing: DAW – Pro Tools on Mac tower; Control Surface – Digidesign Digi 002; Monitors – Genelec; Plugins – primarily Waves Renaissance.
Music
Will Keizer’s “Take What You Want” is a post-punk/art rock/new wave revival guitar-driven track that combines a number of musical styles into an interesting mélange. Will Keizer wrote the song, played all the instruments and mixed the track. It was mastered at Wolf Mastering in Nashville, TN.
Reviewed By Dave Martin
Take What You Want” begins with a noir-ish post-punk feel that suits the vibe of the lyric. To accentuate that vibe, the second verse uses filters for a radio sound, and in the third verse, the vocal lines bounce between the right and left speakers. These effects are not a distraction, though, and they worked well within the context of the song.
I like the way that the electric and acoustic guitar parts are crafted. The guitars sometimes play the same part, at other points they fill different holes in the soundscape, sometimes doubling during a solo, then splitting out into harmonies. When multiple guitar parts are created in such a manner, the recording is much more interesting than simply having many guitars play the same thing throughout the whole song.
The electric guitar tones (created with an amp simulator) are also well done and offer a variety of sound that works well together. I do wonder if the acoustic (recorded with an AKG C1000 might have also been run through the amp simulator; there’s a moment (around 1:40) where it sounds like the acoustic note is allowed to feed back. While this could have been another electric brought in just for the feedback, it’s very interesting nonetheless.
Since I am a bassist, I should mention the true bass sound on “Take What You Want.” While programmed basses have become much more common in the last couple of years, the sound of a real bass makes me smile. This track, which was recorded on a Peavey Grind bass, is also proof that it doesn’t take an expensive instrument to create a great tone.
Suggestions
I don’t have a lot in the way of mix suggestions on this song. The vocal processing worked great for me and the guitar panning left plenty of room in the track to hear everything that was going on. I might ask if the guitar solo during the fade should be a hair louder (or if the acoustic guitar in the last verse and at the end might be a bit loud), but honestly, this isn’t something I would see as an issue, as much as it is a personal preference.
Summary
“Take What You Want” combines rock, post-punk, art rock and new wave revival into an interesting piece of music with hard-edged vocals, captivating guitar sounds and a lovely bass track!
Dave Martin is a producer, engineer and bassist. Dave owned Nashville’s Java Jive Studio for close to 25 years. Dave has recorded, produced and/or played with symphony orchestras, rock and roll icons and country music legends ranging from the Old Crow Medicine Show, The Dead Pickers Society, Porter Wagoner, Robben Ford, Billy Cobham, The Box Tops, Carl Verheyen, Richie Faulkner (Judas Priest), Adrian Belew, Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Eric Johnson, Robbie Fulks, Steve Vai, The Coasters and others. Dave is also a member of the Western Swing Hall of Fame.