A Bad Think's Latest LP THE SAVIOR Now Available in 5.1 Surround Sound

A Bad Think, a musical project led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Marquart, announces the availability of its latest album, The Savior, in a new 5.1 surround-sound mix by multi-platinum award-winning producer/engineer Bob Clearmountain. The album is available as a 5.1 Blu-ray from CDBaby.com, as well as in lossless 5.1 digital files from online immersive audio stores.

The album was produced by Marquart and multi-GRAMMY®-winning producer/engineer Dave Way (Fiona Apple, Echo In The Canyon, Ringo Starr, Michael Jackson, Macy Gray) at The Bar(n) in Malibu, CA, Windmark Recording in Santa Monica, and Waystation Studio in Hollywood. The album was mixed in both stereo and 5.1 surround by Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Bryan Adams, The Cure, INXS) and mastered by multi-GRAMMY-winner Bob Ludwig (Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jimi Hendrix).

Cinematic in scope with a narrative through-line, "the album tells a story of the rise and fall of a reluctant king," states Marquart. The album's style shifts from classical to Americana, from lo-fi acoustic to hard rock.

Clearmountain remarked, "I don't get a chance to do music like A Bad Think very often, and it was like a jigsaw puzzle trying to figure out the music. Normally it is easy to figure out why something is recorded, but this was different, but once I figured it out, I said oh, I see how it goes now. This album is pretty damn incredible, in my opinion. The songs, sounds, and arrangements are excellent and quite satisfying for me to work with. I really hope the rest of the world hears it and gets it as I do."

Dave Way added, "Michael continues to raise the bar with each album, and with The Savior, he's dug deeper into storytelling, both lyrically and sonically. The atmospheric and moody nature of the music really lends itself well to 5.1 surround mix, and Bob Clearmountain did such a wonderful job. We got some amazing musicians that helped us let this music bloom into something more than just a collection of songs. It's more of an immersive journey to an unspecific time and place. A somewhat familiar, perhaps age-old story set in an unfamiliar landscape."

The surround mix was actually Clearmountain's idea. Marquart recalls, "When Bob Clearmountain began work on the stereo mixes, he called and asked, 'Do you want a 5.1 mix?' It hadn't been part of the plan at first, but he called Dave and me down to the studio to show us something, and we were sold immediately. I thought, 'This is an album that needs to be listened to in an immersive setup!' It's encouraging that someone like Bob Clearmountain is a fan of this project, to the point where he goes out of his way to propose a 5.1 mix. He has some of the greatest ears in the business, and he's a very deep listener. I'm blessed that he decided to really dig in with the mixing process for The Savior."

Clearmountain added, "When working on the 5.1 mix, there were so many fascinating elements to use, and the arrangements were very open with lots of space for me to add environmental effects and reverbs. All these elements together create a feeling of depth and width in stereo, and in 5.1, where it's spread out in all directions, it's simply stunning. I was also able to approach the 5.1 mix for each song differently. I generally put vocals and most of the rhythm section in the front, as if I'm looking at the band, but some of them are behind me and to the sides. Strings, horns, pads, some keyboards, etc., will be more in the rear, but there's always exceptions so no general rule. Once in a while I'll feature something in one of the rear channels just for fun, or if there's something appropriate to balance it out in the opposite rear channel. I was able to use different techniques depending on what each song needed."

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