Just Give In / Never Going Home

Let me start by saying this one star review has nothing to do with the Hazel's music itself, rather the production quality of the CD. And yes, it sucks, the mastering of these tracks for audio CD is beyond terrible. Every tune's peak value is so maxed out and "hot" that it basically ruins the sound quality and listening pleasure one would hope for. And its just not the audiophile in me saying this, but the lover of good music, and her music is great, so great that unfortunately one has to go to YouTube and listen to her live/concert versions to really appreciate it . . . and not the CD. Part of the problem comes from her style of music, her vocals are lay underneath the music and not on top or out in front, this creates a beautiful dreamy texture musically - but, when someone body at the record label 'normalizes' every track to peak at 0db it comes out sounding distorted, her vocals inaudible, like a layer of feedback trashing on everything. My suggestion, don't buy the CD, go to YouTube. I can only hope that Hazel listens to the CD herself and says "what the hell happened?"But, all that being said, if you would still like to buy the CD, because one still can listen to it, even if its not pure audio pleasure to the ears.A possible workaround I found was to roll off the bass, cut/lower the mid-range, and up the treble a little, on your audio device's graphic equalizer.Cutting the mid-range down primarily, since this seems the area most burned out from the 'normalization' process.As a note for those who might not know, 'normalizing' is a process that tries to make all elements in song come out evenly and level, to whatever volume you decide.So in Hazel's case, where her vocal is soft and sits at a lower level, from say the level of the guitar, the normalizing process will boost it - and in her case blow it out - in order to reach the overall volume goal of 0db. You can tell this by way of how clear and nice the guitar sounds sometimes and how bad and distorted her voice sounds in the same song.Making tracks so 'hot' and loud has been trending for a while now, and I don't know why. Put on any favorite CD of yours from 5 to 10 years ago and hear how much better it is, CD's back then where at -16db mostly, not 0db like this one.

A hidden gem with a beautiful catalog of songsI recently discovered this new musical artist (which is actually a band with an amazing front-woman) based on a fan recommendation on The Sundays nostalgia page. Fans of The Sundays (an alternative band from the 90's) often post bands and singers with a similar sound that others might enjoy, such as another indie-pop band called The Sun Days that put out a wonderful album a couple of years ago around the same time Hazel English was starting in the Oakland California Bay area. Hazel English is a hidden gem that deserves a more detailed and lengthy review here on Amazon to draw attention to this beautiful 2XEP of unforgettable songs. So here it is:Hazel English is a fresh and exciting singer in her mid-to-late twenties from Australia who teamed up with producer Jackson Phillips (aka Day Wave) and other talented musicians to release an eleven-song collection that is absolutely awesome from beginning to end. Record companies, other reviews, and Hazel herself eloquently sum up her songs and the band's music this way:“…beautifully blurry indie-pop music powered by transcendent melodies and caked in layers of Californian sunshine and redolent reverb…amidst the burgeoning jangling happenings of the Bay Area…soaring, hypnotic, vocal arrangements"“There’s a striking contrast between English’s lyrical subject matter and her musical style..... stress and confusion...but for the most part, Never Going Home feels like a day at the beach. It’s breezy, comforting, and sun-kissed — save for [a touch of] melancholy — she’s glowing with every note.”“Transportive. It makes you feel like you’re in a different place" I couldn't agree more or state it any better (unfortunately, I can't include the links outside Amazon to the sources of the quotes, but they are easy to find from a quick search for Hazel English).All of the 11 tracks on this double-length EP are rare treasures, but the ones that stand out to me personally are: “Never Going Home”, “More Like You”, “Fix”, “It’s Not Real”, and “Other Lives”. Hazel English is also a visual artist with a beautiful style on video beyond the audio recordings. Her colorful and unique clothing and smiling laughter while running and riding around the sunny/ breezy Bay area and playing her guitar make the music videos shine with joy and add to the musical experience. She also occasionally posts cool little books and poetry that she enjoys, and it is well worth exploring the song lyrics that are available online as well. Since the audio CD does not include all of this supplemental material, I encourage her fans to look it up.Bottom-line: You are going to love all things Hazel English, so buy this CD (with AutoRip mp3 download) now to support this new “DIY” band and get your “Fix” of her ethereal world.

First of all, I love Hazel English's music. This review has nothing to do with her as an artist. However, the vinyl quality itself is a different matter. The record was advertised as 33 rpm and it was clearly not when I went to play it, at 45 rpm it returned to normal'ish speed but had a concerning distorted sound quality. Overall, just a poorly made record. I may have recieved one of the few defective vinyls, but please proceed with caution if you are interested in buying this album on vinyl.

Only found out about her while just browsing old music on youtube. Interestingly (and if you know these bands) it went from Citizens Arrest, Rorschach, Neanderthal and Quicksand. And somehow in that browsing of completely unrelated music, Hazel English showed up on the right side of other videos, so I gave it a listen and was immediately hooked. Some other reviews on here will sum up her sound much better than I would describe it, but I really enjoyed what I heard and bought her Lp.--Cheers

This is a great album, but watch out! They didn't include every track on vinyl. It's missing That Thing. Good pressing on heavy vinyl, but it's 91% of an album.

Love this album. Every song is my favorite song. Beautiful music by a beautiful girl. Buy this album!!!

This album has a really nice sound and feel but I struggle to understand any of the lyrics. It would be nice if the vocals were clearer.

This is an essential purchase for 2017! Some stunning stuff on here including 'Love Is Dead' , 'More Like You', 'Never Going Home' and 'Make It Better'. I have found that the CD has much better audio quality than the mp3 versions which sound a bit too fuzzy (although they are fine if you like the lo-fi approach that she goes for). Indeed vinyl here would be the most authentic experience.The style pays jangly homage to 80s and 90s indie pop, for example The Sundays, Cocteau Twins, The Cure, Morrissey and The Smiths, with only the last track, 'I'm Fine' adding synths to the mix. Fans of Day Wave (Jackson Philips) will not be surprised to hear he co-wrote and produced on this amazing album.

Nice album. Very calming and relaxing, but with thoughtful lyrics.

Heard hazel on youtube, instantly ordered her cd. If thats not a good recommendation then have a listen yourself

A perfect transation

Mir gefällt dieses Album extrem gut. Hazel und ihre Band haben 10 Songs in einen Folk/Surf/Indie-Sound verpackt, der durch Hazels unverwechselbare Stimme eine enorme Anziehungskraft hat. Schön, dass das Album nicht technisch "überproduziert" wurde (wie bei Popsternchen á la Britney Spears und Konsorten) und somit einen ganz besonderen Charme hat. Ich vergebe sehr selten 5 Sterne, weil ich als Musiker immer was auszusetzen habe, aber hier tu ich es ohne wenn und aber. Übrigens: auch die youtube-Videos zu diesem Album sind schön!