I'm surprised I haven't put this week's mp3 up already. It's a full length instrumental from 2004, and one of my favorite things I've ever made. It's very simple but I think effective. Acoustic guitar, piano, drums. That's it. The title "Going Up Those Stairs" evokes some sort of haunting imagery for me, the idea of the stairs in your house having so many memories and associations that sometimes it's too painful to walk up them. That's what I get out of it, anyway.
You may notice I have a lot of songs about houses, rooms, furniture, etc. Interesting.
This week's mp3 is an instrumental from November 21, 2006 called "All The Hair." I'm debated on whether to spell out the inspiration too clearly, but I guess that's the point of this blog, no? It was based on when you are lying with a girl, and all her hair is in your face, and the nice uncomfortable ticklish feeling going on. It's a good thing. At least, I think that's what it's about. Maybe I got a haircut and recorded it? It's a mystery.
This Mp3 of the Week may be of interest to some. It's a long lost song called "A.M." I really don't think there's any human being on this planet who has heard this song. I wrote it in maybe 1999, or 2000, though this demo is from June, 2001 (the info I put in at the time says "old song, new recording.")
This was definitely one of the first songs I ever wrote, not just in general, but on guitar. The chords are all made up -- I didn't know what I was playing, I just put my fingers on strings to get interesting sounds, inspired by XTC's methods, probably. I'm still kinda proud of that, it's something I don't do much anymore.
This (EVERY PARAGRAPH STARTS WITH "THIS" AUGHH) is also one of my late night songs about late night stuff. It's basically describing (as poetic as my 17 year old brain could muster) the sounds I hear when I'm up late at night and can't fall asleep. I had sleep problems for a while in high school. Here are the lyrics, which I'm a bit embarrassed by:
It's yellow out the window, and out in the hall The neon from the clock shines it on the wall I think I'll let my arm drops, I think my hands will fall
The rain pellets on the roof, the toilet flushing next door The squeek of the lock, to the footsteps towards their door The footsteps of the rain, hear the clouds snore
The heartbeat of the pillow, the subtle movements in the mirror The longer I can focus the shapes become clearer The farther away the day goes, the more it gets nearer
I wish you were here to sing me to sleep If I knew who you were I might be put at ease I promise to dream of you, if you promise to dream of me.
That last verse was probably about my high school crush, or maybe I just threw it in there to make the song about something other than sights and sounds of my room, which seems to dominate a lot of my songs.
SHITTY STUFF: The track skips at one point. The singing is bad because I had big fat tonsils, and I also didn't know how to sing quiet, and I also wasn't sure what melody to sing over certain chords. That last verse makes me cringe a bit.
NICE STUFF: It's kind of a nice, atmospheric little tune, ain't it folks?
First of all - FUCK BOLT BUS. BOLT BUS IS BAD. I HOPE PEOPLE GOOGLE BOLT BUS AND FIND THIS BLOG, WITH ME SAYING THAT BOLT BUS IS VERY, VERY SHITTY AND ABANDONED ME AND A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE IN NEW JERSEY EVEN THOUGH WE RESERVED TICKETS. THEN ONLY TRIED TO GIVE ME A PARTIAL REFUND OVER THE PHONE. Ha, anyway, on to the Mp3 of the Week -
This mp3 is a comforting, adorable, icy warm little mp3 called "Tent." I don't remember making it, but apparently it was done December 22, 2002, which would explain the icy warmness (I swear I didn't know the date when I typed that!)
It is mostly all made up of organ sounds, and it reminds me of my old Ghostbusters tent I used to have over my bed when I was very very little. I would look forward to going into that tent as if it was an amusement park ride, with total enthusiasm. I like this little mp3, and I hope you do too!
