I'm not sure how someone could view "Opaline" as "overproduced"
In fact, as a dishwalla fan since 1995, when I first heard it I didn't like it because I thought it was under-produced, it sounded like a batch of demos (which it essentially is, but still...)
The band personally chose Gregg Wattenberg to produce it because he has a long history for taking songs and breaking them down to their best element (keyboard, vocals, guitar, etc....) and focusing the arrangement on that
you end up getting a less cluttered mix and getting more sophisticated arrangements.
I read an article where JR sad they started each track with one acoustic guitar and then moved on from there, building the arrangement around the acoustic. and then did the take as a band once the arrangement had been made.
On both "Pet Your Friends" and "And You Think You Know What Life's About" the band used tons and tons of effects, both in basic recording and later in the mixing process (moreso on AYTYKWLA than on PYF), also, on both albums the electric guitars were stacked to give it a huge rock sound, this can reqire many overdubs, a far more "produced" sound.
On "Opaline", the guys used one or two acoustics per song, an electric, keyboard, drums, and vocals. they're very tasteful mixes and it's a very sophisticated
when you listen to it it's almost got a hollow sound to it, like they could have added alot more to it, but they left it and let it breathe.
so don't go slighting them fo overproducing something they worked hard to underproduce. if you go see the band live, they sound exactly like the CD. 5 guys in a room making music, with little else.
that's how "Opaline" is. it's not heavily overdubbed, it's not auto-tuned, it's 5 guys in a room, captured on disc. the way all music should strive to be.
They managed to create a beautifully haunting record in the mix (thanks to the genus of Brian Scheuble) out of a bare-bones recording aproach.
And after hearing some of the new songs live that they're working on for the follow-up to "Opaline", and in knowing that Gregg and Brian are producing and Mixing, I'm expecting another brilliantly crafted, easy on the ears masterpiece in 2005.
