Not Enough - Stone

Not Enough

Stone
self-released; 2016

3.6 out of 5

By J Simpson
​

Stone is the solo project of multi-instrumenalist Aleks Arzhanov. Arzhanov played every note, on every instrument, in his home studio. Stone is surprisingly thick and full, considering the rudimentary gear. Arzhanov lovingly polished every nuance of this production. It's clearly a labor of love, and it shows. 

Layers and layers of guitars, both acoustic and electric, crash and strum over crashing, thudding, heavy percussion, which was, quite amazingly, summoned using only the Superior Drummer software. It's almost harder to be an expert drum programmer than it is to just play a drum kit, so that alone speaks to Arzhanov's skill and commitment. 

Stone breaks down is in the mastering. Arzhanov did a good job with the mix, the frequency bands are all well-balanced and working in unison, but there are drastic volume jumps between tracks, most noticeably between album opener "Medusa" and the follow-up "Ranger Randal.l” This forces the listener to constantly monitor the volume, preventing them from truly falling under its alien spell. 

Unfortunately, in this hyper-vigilant state, one starts to find flaw with some aspects of Not Enough. Stone is, by-and-large, working in Emo's orbit - all epic guitars and heroic vocal harmonies. Sadly,  I've just never been a fan of this style or genre, which reeks of artifice, of style-over-substance, of pretense and masquerade. The emotions always seemed skin deep, as penetrating as a stick-and-poke tattoo. 

​For those that like artful pop punk/metal, like Thrice or Dance Gavin Dance, you'll be charmed by Not Enough’s Stone. For those who aren't the biggest fan of the genre, like myself, the erratic mastering causes you to find fault and flaws with the rest.

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