Technical and musical aesthetics analysis.

Song: Better Than

Artist: John Butler Trio

Album: Grand National

Instrumentation: Banjo, drums, bass, percussions, shakers, vocals, xylophone

Simple stereo image, most of everything is left in the centre, except for the cymbals, toms, xylophone and layered vocals, making it a really easy mix to listen to.

The choice of instruments is interesting, as they all have different frequency ranges, and therefore none of them clash with each other, nicely and softly filling the spectrum of the song. Add some keys or horns in the mix and it would probably lose this really comfortable-easy-to-listen-to feeling. Most of the time, less is more when done properly, and that’s the overall point of view I have about this song. No crazy effects, gentle reverb on the vocals and xylophone, nice clean drums with a roomy splashcrash combo, and a really clear bass line. The banjo brings the dirty unpredictable aspect of things, as its sound is spreading a bit on the spectrum, and takes a lot of room in the mix. Still, uses of overdub or loop pedal to multi-layer the banjo is done properly and the level balance stays perfect throughout the whole song, without affecting the vocals or the xylophone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79cG_F1GxfI