The year 2000 began many changes in the music industry. For all of the 80's and a majority of the 90's recording studios used reel to reel analog tape consoles. Meaning, studios used magnetic machines to transfer waveforms, or sound, being sent from a microphone or instrument onto a reel of tape. The reels of tape would later be produced into a vinyl record, or now more commonly a compact disc. By the mid to late 90's software engineers were able to invent computer programs that could record waveforms and transfer it into a computer. So instead of becoming a waveform on a piece of tape, whatever was recorded into a computer would be come binary code. Then that binary code could be burnt to a CD, which is an instant action of transferring music date as opposed to making a vinyl which takes more time and work. This had a huge impact on the industry because recording engineers had access to a faster and more efficient way of recording music.
A band named Pinback, from San Diego California, became one of the first bands to take advantage of the advancements in digital recordings. In 2001 they released a full length album called “Blue Screen Life”. The CD features only two musicians, Rob Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV. Rob and Armistead switch between drummers for live performances and recordings, however for this album the drummers were all programmed digitally through a sound module. This is a huge part the overall ambience of the album, considering its one of few indie rock albums to not use an acoustic drum set. The song that best exemplifies the ambience of the album is the track entitled “Penelope”. The song has traditional instruments, such as acoustic guitar and bass. However it also features an electric drum pattern, a keyboard set to simulate a jazz organ, as well as melodies from a synthesizer. If one were to hear only the acoustic guitar “riff” than the song maybe seem boring, however when other instruments being performed digitally are thrown into the mix, it really adds a whole new perspective for the listeners ears. Another digital enhancement that really brings this album alive is the use of a pitch corrector.
A pitch corrector, today more commonly known as auto-tune, is exactly what it sounds like. It is a digital tool used to correct the pitch of any melody. Since its existence people have been turned off by the idea of a pitch corrector. However it is very uncommon for any producer or engineer to put out a CD with out it. It can be modulated to sound extremely digital i.e., T-Pain, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, etc. However engineers also modulate the pitch corrector simply to add a bit more strength to a vocalist with a softer or nasally voice i.e., Maroon 5, Fall Out Boy, Death Cab for a Cutie etc. Pinbacks 2001 full length album wasn't any different from the industry standard. Though maybe it is not a popular decision it definitely benefited the sound of an already strong singer.
Aside from all of the digital enhacements, “Blue Screen Life” is great album purely because it was written by two musicians with a fresh look on how to play rock music. It is the perfect album to put on after a long and stressful day. Halfway through the ablum one should find themselves nearly hypnotized by the ambience. Everyone knows that one can hear music, but one may not also realize that a listener can also feel music. Sound is just air pressure changing over time. The right combination of frequencies will make a listener feel a certain way. Pinback was able to feed off of that and bring their listeners an album that will put any one into a trance.
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