Monday, May 31, 2010

WEEK 54: Held Her In My Arms (live)

Hey everyone

This week's MP3 is a cover of the great Violent Femmes' song, "Held Her In My Arms," played live by band Trouble's Afoot on November 2nd, 2009, at Niagara Bar. As usual, Dave Fox on bass and Chris Roberts on drums.

This was our drummer's last show. We prepared this Violent Femmes cover very fast, then PLAYED it very fast, as you can hear. It was fun. Please enjoy it.


Download the MP3 here

or preview it:





-Jordan

Saturday, May 22, 2010

WEEK 53: Everybody's Crying


Sorry for the delay! The internet went down in my house for a lot of last week. ANYWAY...

This week's MP3 is one of my favorite instrumentals I've made from back in 2004. It's called "Everybody's Crying."

It's a rare full length (i.e. over a minute and a half long) instrumental. I borrowed my friend Dave's electric guitar. I'm really happy with the general production of the song. The big drum sound, the atmospheric stuff at the very end, the bass line, everything. The title was inspired by the presidential election results of 2004.


Preview it here!





Or download the guy by clicking here.




-Jordan

Sunday, May 9, 2010

WEEK 52: Miss Glasses (demo)


Oh my god!

52 Weeks!

ONE YEAR! It has officially been one year since I put the first MP3 on this blog!

I guess I better put up something pretty special. Please indulge me.

This is one of my biggest songs -- long, multiple bridges, elaborate piano arrangement. Probably one of the best things ever written. Perfect pop song.

But I rarely speak of it's existence.

This recording was made 10 years ago, in October 2000. The demo, as you'll hear, is terrible quality. My singing is quiet and unsure and awkward. The lyrics are uncomfortable for me to listen to, and I won't even mention all the timing mistakes.

But still...this is and will always be one of my best songs. It was essentially me trying to write a Ben Folds song. And in some ways I succeeded, but in other ways it's as much of a "me" song as any of the others. One day I'd love to make a perfect recorded version (there exists a 2nd unfinished demo which I may put up here on day), with a lyric tweak or two (or twenty.) In fact, I still play this song to myself about once a week, just so I don't forget how it goes.

In the meantime, here it is: Miss Glasses. About a girl I had a huge crush on in high school. The drawing at the top if one that I drew (I think someone else colored it...badly) at the time. I am extremely embarrassed by it.


Download the song here


Or just preview it:




-Jordan

Sunday, May 2, 2010

WEEK 51: Swish (live)



Hey everyone!

I haven't been updating this as WEEKLY as I'm supposed to. But anyway:

This MP3 is from my show last week. My friend Daniel requested I perform my song "Swish." "Swish" is definitely an odd one. It's lyrics were basically a flowing poem that I wrote and then put to music, playing a chord progression and not worrying too much about the melody or catchyness. Usually not my style, but I think the song has a kind of directness and raw quality that the others may not have.

The song was inspired by this crush I had on a girl. I was trying to get over her, and then I thought I saw her walking by my house. It wasn't her, but the feeling I felt when I thought I saw her (i.e. having a heart attack) made me realize I was in no way over my crush. These are easily some of my favorite lyrics I've ever written.

Here they are:


Eyes focus through the fence
down at the train station
Some straight haired girl
Stole your whole style
And I looked like a guy who
Had one too many
Too many things on my mind

And they fell out
Fell down
On the sidewalk
Dripped down
And in the stream of consciousness
A cigarette but couldn't help but...
resist

Like a log headed for a fall
it dripped down to the gutter
Underwater tunnel
And down to Brooklyn
Passed under your shoe
I think I hope for once you knew
I think I hope for once you knew
And while you had to STOP
Your friends made fun of your
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH

Thoughts fly like the breeze
Sometimes inviting, but sometimes chilly stinging
I can remember everything
In seconds flat it all comes back
In between 0 and 1
That's all it takes to break it down
That's all it takes to break down

I hate this bridge I'm on.



Preview the song:




Or download it here



-Jordan