MP3 of the Week

WEEK 83: Hell It Stays In Hell

2012-01-13T12:17:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody!

Here is another one of the 7 new songs I performed at my latest solo show!

I don't quite have a title for this one, though "Hell It Stays In Hell" may end up being the de facto winner.

The chorus for this song came to me in a dream. I woke up singing it and recorded it on my tape recorder. I based the rest of the lyrics around it.

Musically, I felt the song was a bit standard, so I implemented a cool trick where it goes back and forth between major and minor (changing in the middle of each chorus.) So the 2nd verse is all minor chords, then back to major, etc. Fun?

Here are the lyrics.

Grab my sleeve and lead me down
In the boat we'll go
Pick people up along the way
Drop them off and so

All the fools go up the river
All the Hell it stays in Hell

Lovely ladies, angel men
Never done nothing wrong
Not one drop of fun in their whole life
Now they're where they belong

(chorus)

Dump my body out and leave it
Naked, bruised and waiting
I'll be dragged in smiling
While they shake their heads with pity
But I don't need their pity

Download the song by right-clicking here!

Or preview it!

-Jordan

WEEK 82: Big Delay (live)

2012-01-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody!

NEW SONGS! A few weeks ago I performed 7 new (as in: never before played live...some of these are very old) songs at a show at Gizzi's Cafe, and I will be putting a bunch of them up in the coming weeks.

This first one is called Big Delay. I actually wrote the bulk of it in around 2006/2007, but only recently finished it. It's about a very very troubled relationship I was in, that was fraught with fighting and dying to be put out of its misery.

These lyrics are VERY personal and autobiographical, more so than usual. My favorite line is "hating every word you heard," because it's a funny roundabout way of saying how bad or cold the words coming out of my mouth were throughout the relationship, but from her point of view.

The line "miles of walking nowhere" is actually in reference to a very specific event, not just a simple metaphor for the relationship. In fact every line is referencing a very specific memory. Like I said, extremely personal.

I also love the melody, the chord progression, the feel of the song...everything. I've been dying to play this live for years and I'm glad I finally did.

Here are the lyrics.

I left you crying with a fake hug
Swept my feelings under the rug
After all the arguments
We can both agree this once

This man and woman failed
They're in each other's way
Miles of walking nowhere
One big delay

All along I tiptoed by you
Hating every word you heard
And on that day in that strange city
Holding hands seemed too absurd

With tired eyes and anger
Kicked you out of my bed
Tried to show how bad I was for you and you for me and we for us and well...

I'll be full without ever eating
Spend my days in waiting rooms
Anything to keep me strong
Anything to last us long

Download the song by right clicking here!

Or: Preview it here!

-Jordan

WEEK 81: I Care About You (Demo)

2011-12-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I know it's been more like "MP3 of the Month" but bear with me, exciting stuff is going to be debuted here really soon!

In a somewhat related note, this week's MP3 is the ORIGINAL late night (ultra steamy) demo for I Care About You.

In recent years this song has become a fast rocking exuberant explosive song, but this demo is a completely different approach. Creepy, quiet, a little disturbing, and intimate. Sung in a lower register, played a lot slower (well I just wrote it), and filled with lots of empty spaces and (intentionally) awkward pauses.

I actually REALLY love this version of the song, it's closer to the true nature of the lyrics. But the rocking version is just so much fun, I just can't NOT play it in that way at this point.

Here are the lyrics!:

I can't say anything too complex, I get stares
I want to not seem so obsessed, but I care

I care about you

I'm dismayed, I've misplaced what you gave me that day
Is it gone? What have I done? Has it run away?

I care about you

If I face the wall
WILL YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME?
If I cover my ears
WILL YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME?

I can't hold you hard enough, cause you squeek
I can't carry you far enough, cause I'm weak

I care about you

Preview the song here!

Or download it by right-clicking/saving here!

-Jordan

WEEK 80: Gudsnuk

2011-11-17T10:53:00.001-08:00

I bought 2 new instruments!

A melodica and a glockenspiel. Both very cheap but they sound great.

Here is a little MP3 I made in about 5 minutes, just to celebrate. Named after the great gal who informed me about the instruments being on sale at Amazon.

Download Gudsnuk here!

Preview it here:

Jordan

WEEK 79: Big Bonus

2011-09-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long delay! But I'M BACK.

This week's MP3 is a dreamy spacey nice instrumental called "Big Bonus." It was somewhat meant to sound like a bonus level in a videogame. I was planning on using it for Crime Streets but then it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the tracks.

This is just a good example of a really nice riff that I can add melodies on top of endlessly. The only difficult part is keeping it from being TOO overstuffed with counter-melodies until it all sounds like a mess. But I think this came out nice. Enjoy!

Download it by right-clicking here!

Or preview it:

Thanks!

-Jordan

WEEK 78: Yous Guys

2011-08-04T09:33:00.001-07:00

Hello yous guys!

This is one of my personal favorite instrumentals, from way back in 2003.

Not to be overly sentimental, and not to over-explain (being that it's an instrumental), but this was just meant as a happy ode to my friends. A very sweet and sincere "you guys are so great and funny!" exclamation, with each friend being represented by the different melody lines in the song.

This is one of the rare instrumentals that doesn't keep adding and adding elements, it's mainly just the main melody that just changes. Harder to do than simply building instruments (something that I could do on top of this chord progression for probably a million years.)

The ending, with the pretty acoustic guitar strum and some sort of suspended chord is the most glaringly obvious sentimental touch. Hope you like it!

Download it here!

Or preview it:

Jordan

WEEK 77: The Usual Way (live with drummer)

2011-07-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

This week's MP3 is a live version of one of my favorite songs, The Usual Way.

Instead of going into the whole background of the song, I'll mainly talk about this live mp3. Took place on May 13th of this year, at Goodbye Blue Monday in Brooklyn.

That's Will Kastner on drums, from my band Sally. This is officially a Trouble's Afoot performance. Will was a superhuman drum man for this show, learning around 15 Trouble's Afoot songs in like 2 days. This was a new song for Trouble's Afoot, but will probably stick around. Also of note is that we had no bass player for this show.

Also of note is that yes, people are talking about french fries at the start of the MP3. That's the nature of a live recording, folks.

Briefly, the song is about feeling like a disappointment in a relationship, and thus in your relationship with yourself. Enjoy!

Lyrics:

So what if I write a message down?

Not like I can say it outloud

I express myself in the usual way

So what if I wait a day or two?

Not like I'm in charge of when I get to see you

I express myself in the usual way

I'm running out.

So what if I'm feeling sorry?

Not like you can get it out of me.

I express myself in the usual way.

I distress myself in the usual way.

Download it here!

or:

Sample it!

-Jordan

WEEK 76: Trixaxis and Allies Score (AND SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!)

2011-06-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hello!!!

I have not updated MP3 of the Week in a long while, because I've been extremely busy. I have been busy with music though, so that's OK! And many of the things I've been working on all month will be posted right here!

Starting with this. Last week I was honored and amazed to win Best Musical Score at the 48 Hour Film Festival "Best of NY" show, where me and my friend's short film, "Trixaxis and Allies," was screened.

And here is a piece from the score, the infamous "chase scene" music that invaded our brains for the next week. We could not stop singing this.

I made it using all midi Orchestral sounds. I'm really proud of it, it just about almost sounds like a real orchestra. More importantly, it FEELS like a big Hollywood action movie score.

For the entire score I wanted to be strict with myself - ONLY ORCHESTRAL SOUNDS. I wanted to pretend that I had a string section, and a brass section, and only a few percussion instruments (timpanis, crashes, scary sounding gongs.) No guitars, not even piano or any electronic sounding drums of any kind. Just a string and brass orchestra.

Here it is! I'll post more in future weeks to come!

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!!

Preview it:

Hope you liked it! Check back soon for more! Lots of exciting new music coming up.

-Jordan

WEEK 75: Nice To Me

2011-04-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

This week's mp3 is an extremely sentimental instrumental that I made in 2002, called "Nice To Me."

It's basically about that feeling of "I can't believe how nice this person/these people are to me, I don't deserve it, I am so touched, I can't take it!"

That is literally the best way to describe what this instrumental is trying to evoke. I added applause at the end to push that feeling way over the top.

I really love this instrumental, and it gets me kind of choked up. The recording, being from 2002, is very old and not the tightest piece of work ever, but I love the arrangement. I could have kept piling melodies onto that chord progression forever.

Download it here!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 74: April Fools (Was Yesterday) Live!

2011-04-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well how can I NOT put this song up today?

This is a performance of my song "April Fools (Was Yesterday)" with my band Sally.

Featuring Meghan O'Neil on vocals, Will Kastner on drums, and me on guitar and harmony.

This was from our 2nd show, at Goodbye Blue Mondays on March 13th. The recording came out so nice, except for some digital audio blips.

For more info on this song, check out the older Mp3 of the Week entry here!

Download the song by saving it here!

Or preview it:

Jordan

WEEK 73: Party In the Gardens (demo)

2011-03-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Heeey!

This is a very solid demo from 2004 of a song called "Party in the Gardens." Solid in the sense that I can't imagine what else needs to be added. This is the song!

This is a Fall song. It isn't Fall right now, but Winter turning into spring has basically the same weather as Fall, so why not? This is also a Kew Gardens song, one of many many songs based around my hometown of Kew Gardens, Queens. See, the word "Gardens" is even in the title.

The recording: I EQ'd the vocals so they would sound like they were distant and thin, which for some reason makes me tolerate my own voice better. The drums are fake but sound surprisingly warm and real. The bass is a fake jazz upright bass. I very much enjoy the little keyboard sound in the last verse, as well as the hand claps in the middle of the song.

Here are the lyrics. The song is kind of about avoiding a house party in Kew Gardens ("take it with you") and wanting to run through the forest instead. It's also about a lot of other things, and some stream of consciousness stuff. Here you go:

Cool October air
Smells like Halloween
Sidewalk steps under feet

Branches gently comb
Through my hair
Walking to a Rainsuits beat

Party in the Gardens
Beg your pardon?
Take it with you, see you tomorrow
I'm walking through a forest,
running through a forest

Donut Dunkin's coffee
Muffins taste so good
Under the sun, under the shade

They taste exactly
The same
But with a different, different taste

Walking down a street
That's stayed the same
Looking at my feet
They've stayed the same

The sky changes every second
In the same way every day
Finding different things
A simple pleasure sings

Download the song here

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 72: Brown Paper Sign (demo)

2011-02-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

Woh!

Where did I go all month? Sorry, music things got very very busy, which is a good thing.

This is one of my favorite demos, and it's a song that I have never (? I think) played live. I have no idea if anything will ever become of this song. I can never remember all the lyrics so performing it live stresses me out.

I really like it though...it's way fun. It just needs a real chorus. The demo production is pretty simple...acoustic guitar, fake electric guitars, a bouncy fake bass line (that basically makes the whole song) and obviously fake guitars. The drum beat messes up and loses time once in a while but hopefully that isn't too noticeable. The entire song was based on a little instrumental I made once, which may be interesting to put up some time to compare it to!

The song is based in part on the X-Files episode "Home."

Can't you read the brown paper sign?
No one is allowed inside
All these years and still they hide
Giving up but doing fine

You make money you do alright
But you must be very bored tonight
Walk away back to your life
Don't ignore the paper sign

Whenever will they go
People wanna know

Neighbors come and neighbors go
But these folk haven't left their home
If you go near they disappear
Ring the bell they run like Hell

From the window they peak at you
A cracked broken and dusty view
Wandering around their yard
Wondering what left them scarred

In your car you'll drive away
Maybe visit some other day
The radio blaring loud
As they watch you pulling out

Everyone dropping by all the time
No wonder they'd rather stay inside
That must be the reason why
They put up the brown paper sign.

Download the song here!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 71: Grandaddy Eyepatch (Live 2002)

2011-01-31T14:52:00.000-08:00

It's freak show month at MP3 Of The Week!

Here is another bizarre oddball relic from my musical past. A song called "Grandaddy Eyepatch," written by myself and Dave Fox.

One week in 2002 we went to visit our friend Matt in New Paltz, and he let us open for his band. I brought my giant keyboard, Dave brought his electric guitar, and we rehearsed 3 or 4 weird songs that we had never planned on playing live. This is what happened. Dave plays a pretty rocking guitar solo.

This MP3 is ripped from an old video camera recording, so it is TERRIBLE audio quality. Here is a transcription of what you are about to hear. This makes me laugh.

Dave: This is another one...about um...(mic goes dead)...Did I just turn this off?

Me: YOU DON'T NEED IT!

Dave: CHECK. Yeah I did. (mic goes dead again.) Oh god.

Matt: SQUEEZE IT FROM THE BOTTOM

Dave: SHUT UP.

Matt: Alright.

Dave: I'LL SQUEEZE YOU FROM THE BOTTOM.

Audience: OHHH WOOO

Song Starts

Dave: I ain't no basket of sunshine
I ain't no bucket of rain
I got a refrigerator full of body parts
And that includes...your brain!
Let's go!

I ain't no basket of sunshine
I ain't no bucket of rain
Refrigerator. With body parts.
That includes your brain.

Alright that's enough of that. That's just a dumb song we wrote.

Download this masterpiece here.

Or maybe you'd just like to preview?

-Jordan

WEEK 70: This is how a song is made

2011-01-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

Doodles.

When I started MP3 of the Week, I wanted to show off the best things I've done, but also the worst. The final product of a song, whether it's a beautiful masterpiece recording, or a spirited live performance. But I also wanted to show the process, the clumsy demos, the cassette recordings, and the ideas thrown away and given a kind of afterlife on this blog.

So here we go. I have a massive folder titled "Song Ideas", that currently house over 300 MP3s that nobody has ever heard. Here is one of those MP3s. Some of them are dead ends, and some of them have led to a lot of my best songs. Some of them are even MP3s of full complete songs that I just totally forgot about.

This is highly embarrassing for me, but that's kind of why I made this blog in the first place. And no, this never turned into a song. But now that I'm exploring this folder I'm finding a ton of interesting and vastly different embryos for songs that became full grown.

Anyway, sigh, here's this. Enjoy.

Download here!

Or preview it (you should probably JUST preview it...)

See you next week, with a real song!

Jordan

WEEK 69: Sally: Have You Met Someone (live)

2011-01-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO WEEK 69!

This week's MP3 is ultra awesome super cool. I had a show last week at Hank's Saloon in Brooklyn, and my vocally gifted friend Meghan O'Neill joined me on stage for a mini-Sally set! (Sally is my band with all love songs and female lead vocals.)

My often-bass-player Dave Fox played drums along (after only hearing the song about 2 hours earlier before the show), and I played electric guitar, trying to do the best Johnny Marr impression I can possibly fake. I love how it all came out.

The quality of this recording isn't so great, mainly because there were a lot of people talking at the bar, and we were struggling to be louder than them. Still, I loved playing these songs live, and there will be more MP3s from this show and future Sally recordings soon!

Here are the lyrics. The song is pretty self explanatory:

I don’t regret the time we spent

In fact I think it’s splendid

The more I guess at your progress

The more it seems we’ve ended

I haven’t been with many people

Not after what happened with us

I don’t know why I feel like I must be faithful

But…have you met someone?

A guy at work is a big flirt

He asked me out for supper

My red cheeks glowed but I said no

It just doesn’t seem proper

Chorus

Is she pretty?

Is she happy?

How does she kiss

Does she exist?

My kitchens cold and all alone

I miss you at the table

I eat and go to sleep I don’t

Know if this mood is fatal

HAVE YOU MET SOMEONE?!?

Download the song by right clicking here and saving!

Or preview the song!

Jordan

WEEK 68: Hooded Man In The Snow

2010-12-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

SNOW.

A lot of snow fell the other day. So this mp3 will happen now.

This is just a cool (pun intended) atmospheric piece, almost threatening to be techno, but not quite getting there.

I really love this one mainly for the title fitting the music. I just really see a night time blizzard with a hooded man in the snow in the distance fighting the wind, drudging along. It was so clear to me when I listened, that coming up with the title was effortless.

It's a pretty old piece (2002), so the sound quality isn't great and there's a lot of awkward mixing (I wish those cymbals crashes weren't in it), but I still love this.

Download it by right clicking here.

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 67: I Know How To Cry (live)

2010-12-16T20:42:00.000-08:00

Hey lovebirds

This week's song is a real rarity. I've only played it live...twice? And like 5 years ago.

In early 2005, I had a subconscious sense that my girlfriend of 2 years was about to break up with me. I didn't even want to realize it, but it was coming out in all of the songs I was writing.

In February 2005 I debuted "I Know How To Cry", with her in the audience. A week later she dumped me. And right on Valentines Day too, isn't that nice? Here is a version from later that year, in December (keep listening to the MP3 to hear a joke at the end about the whole debacle.)

Technically this is a really complicated song, and I'm pretty damn proud of my vocal range and performance in this MP3. So hey!

The song is pretty clear. It's about being able to withstand so much pain because you've done it 100 times before. Unfortunately this song just keeps getting more and more relevant. Here are the lyrics. I think the line that tears me up the most is the last verse. Love is when you're smiling and for a brief second you're not thinking about WHY.

Where once you said you love me
Now you say "that's enough"
Where once we'd go to celebrate
Now we walk by and let out a cough

A million things were said that never meant not a thing

A lot has changed
But that's OK
If another one gets away
I'm fine this time
Cause I know how to cry
I know how to cry

There's a lot of real anxieties
Just hanging out by your side
And they may make you nervous
They may make you wonder why

A girl once through the haze of love would ever want to stay

chorus

Cry all night
And then again in the morning
In between yawning

For a long time I would smile
And I wouldn't even know why
For a long time you'd be smiling
and you wouldn't even know why

So long ago, so long ago
So long.

Hope you like it!

Download it by clicking here

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 66: Send Me On My Way

2010-12-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

This MP3 is a really nice little guitar instrumental I made back in February 2004. I hadn't even heard this one in years but discovered it just now.

It's almost all real instruments, no synth (except the clickety clackety percussion that comes in about halfway through.)

I count about 6 acoustic guitars (the riff, a bass line, the hitting percussion, the little noodling in the left and then in the right ears, and also a repeating pattern in the left ear), plus an accordion. All together a very calming and sweet sounding instrumental. Not something I can always tap into.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 65: Nerd Squint

2010-11-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long Holiday break!

This week's song is Nerd Squint, a little instrumental from 2002.

I really like this one because of how much the title nails what it sounds like. Usually I title these after I make them, and the phrase "Nerd Squint" was the only real choice. It SOUNDS like some fat nerdy kid walking down his school hallway and squinting, because his vision is bad, and feeling some weird sense of pride.

Musically, I just like the arrangement...the bass line, the way the beat comes in right when the melody picks up. The "electric guitar" repeated line throughout the whole thing (OK it's fake terrible sounding casio electric guitar.) Everything helps contribute to the title...Nerd Squint.

Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

OR PREVIEW IT:

Jordan

WEEK 64: Sally: April Fools (Was Yesterday)

2010-11-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Hey guys and gal,

This week's MP3 is a song I wrote called "April Fools (Was Yesterday)", and sung by the lovely Yoko Kikuchi. It is part of an ongoing project called Sally, where a female vocalist sings my sad or happy love songs. I play guitar and sing back ups ("oh no.") This recording is from 2005.

This song, and all the Sally songs, are fairly direct: It's a break up song. Here are the happy lyrics! My favorite line is "Let me down gently, but it's still gonna kill me." Ouch.

You say you love me
But you're breaking up with me (oh no)
You look so happy
But you're breaking up with me (oh no)

I don't know what to say
except that April Fools was yesterday

I made you happy
Now you can't even stand me (oh no)
Let me down gently
But it's still gonna kill me (oh no)

I don't know what to say
except that April Fools was yesterday
Unless I'm wrong and it's today
Let me be wrong, don't go away
Let me be wrong
And please say that we're OK

Holding you tightly
But I'm feeling you squirming (oh no)
Missing you nightly
God my stomach is hurting (oh no)

I don't know what to say.

Download it here

OR

Preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 63: Crime Streets: Level 1: Crime In The Streets

2010-11-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I am honestly quite shocked that I haven't put this up yet as an MP3 of the Week.

A few years ago I started a fake soundtrack to an imaginary videogame I made up called "Crime Streets."

The game would be a Double Dragon-type beat-em-up. Nintendo. Or an arcade. Whatever. I've made a small handful of MP3s to cover the first few levels, the start menu, the Big Boss battle, etc. The concept is that as you listen to the music, it makes you REALLY want to play this game. Visualize it in your head. Smile.

Although it may sound quaint and funny, I am so incredibly proud of these pieces of music. They are some of my best arrangements and I've worked as hard on these as anything else I've done. I plan on putting a lot more Crime Streets score on this blog, so keep checking back!

Anyway, enough of the talking. Let's play some CRIME STREETS! Level 1: CRIME IN THE STREETS.

Download it here!

PREVIEW IT:

-Jordan

WEEK 62: Halloween (live)

2010-10-26T19:57:00.001-07:00

Long time no see!

I took a break from this blog for-reasons-that-are-known-to-me-and-me-alone, BUT NOW I'M BACK. Let's start things with a BOO.

This week's MP3 is a really nice soundboard recording of my band Trouble's Afoot (currently in need of a drummer) performing my song "Halloween", at the Sidewalk Cafe in August 2009.

If you like, first check out the very rough and very quaint (read: "bad") demo of this song in this previous MP3 of the Week entry.

Once you've listened to that (or don't listen to it, what do I care?), you can see how AWESOMED UP it got once I brought it to my band. Dave's bass is crazy during the "party freak out" section, the drums are completely loose and fun and somehow holding this Frankenstein song together, and my guitar is...well, it's doing it's job. By which I mean ROCKING. HARD. REAL HARD. AND TOUGH.

Mostly because the amp at the Sidewalk Cafe only had one setting -- "ROCKING HARD AND TOUGH", which made the song sound a bit odd, but I like it.

This was always a song I considered a b-side, a little oddity nobody would ever hear. But my drummer LOVED it, and the more we practiced it the more we realized how much more interesting it made our show. All year round, not just in the Fall. I gotta write more like these.

Download it here!

Or preview it!

Hope you enjoyed. See you next week,

Jordan

WEEK 61: Once In A Smile Theme Song

2010-08-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, live studio audience!

This week's mp3 was made a few months ago. I am extremely proud of it. Here's the story:

Me and my 3 roommates entered the 48 Hour Film Festival. Our movie was about a former child star who was on a sitcom called "Once In A Smile."

We needed the theme song for the end credits. Well, OK, we WANTED the theme song for the end credits. On the morning of the due date, I whipped it together.

The idea is that it's a lame 90s (or 80s?) sitcom theme, with cheesy meaningless lyrics and a heavenly mix and terrible guitar soloing to be "cool", and of course, the bluesy and soulful ending of the song (my favorite part.)

Here are the lyrics:

Every once in a smile
You gotta be with the one you love
You gotta look right at the sun
Fits just like a glove!

Once in a smile
A brand new day
Through the dark
Your face will light the way
ONCE IN A SMILE!

Isn't that what life's all about?

We got far in the festival, making it to the "Best Of NY" screening and winning an audience award! Not bad at all. I think the song may have gotten a few laughs at the screening, but it was hard to tell if people knew what was going on.

I am so proud of this. Hope you like it.

DOWNLOAD IT AND CLICK HERE

Or just listen to it:

-Jordan

WEEK 60: Slow Me Down

2010-07-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hiya guyas!

This week's mp3 is a cool instrumental I made in 2004, called "Slow Me Down."

I just really like how the layers add up here, getting more atmospheric and melodic the farther along this goes. I also like the fake accordion in the last 3rd.

What's it about? Well you aren't supposed to ask what instrumentals are about, duh.

Download it here

or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 59: No Show

2010-07-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hiya fatsos!

This week's MP3 is a full length rocking instrumental from 2005 called "No Show."

I called it that because for the first time ever I had to cancel a show because I got sick. I stayed home that night and made this.

I've always liked this a lot, it's just really fun and and I'm definitely outside of my comfort zone with the guitar soloing. The ending wasn't really figured out, but hey, whateva woiks?

Download it heeere

Or just preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 58: Honest Guy (live)

2010-07-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

This week's MP3 is a live recording of a rare piano song, called "Honest Guy." It may be better if I don't ramble on about what it's about. Here are the lyrics:

The thing to know
Is I won't go
I've been mean
I've been obscene

I'd like to say
How I've done wrong
But you won't let
Me on your lawn

I've carried so
so much pain
I let it out
It looks insane

Well I've lived here
All my life
I've always been
an honest guy

I've never been
an honest guy
So of course I
was put on trial

The thing to know
Is I won't go
This is my home
This is my home.

I really like this song. I should make a nice recording of it one day. But until then, this is from a 2005 performance at the Sidewalk Cafe on Avenue A.

Preview it!

Or download it for your home or ipod!

CLICK HERE

-Jordan

WEEK 57: We Dream

2010-06-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hey you raviolis,

This week's MP3 is a cool ambient-like instrumental from 2005 called "We Dream."

Now I don't exactly remember MAKING it, but these are things I like about it as a listener:

I like the dissolving drum beat echo that pans the stereo field and gets more and more lo-fi.

Since I can make a lot of music that is hyper, tense, and upbeat, I like that I have the ability to do some dreamy atmospheric "chill" music. As in, music to totally "chill" to.

I like things that are about late at night and sound like they were made late at night.

So here you go, "We Dream":

Download it here

Or preview it:

Goodnight,

Jordan

WEEK 56: If We Had No Moon (demo)

2010-06-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hey!

This week's MP3 is one of my favorite songs. I was surprised I hadn't put this up yet (I had to google myself to make sure I didn't.) A lot to say about it, so let's go:

It's called "If We Had No Moon." It was based on the title of a scientific and doom-laden special I saw on the Discovery Channel, which basically stated that our moon is slowly being pulled away, and when it's gone Earth will spin out of orbit and kill us all.

Talk about dropping a love song right into my lap! What better romantic metaphor could there be for a relationship ending? Or the idea that a relationship needs the romance of the moon to keep it alive? Le sigh. This was originally going to be a "Sally" song (my side band where a female vocalist sings my songs), but I liked singing it too much.

The 2nd verse in the song is actually based on an episode of The Tom Green Show on MTV. He had a guest on his show who was obsessed with the "face on mars," basically a series of landscape formations that look like a scary sad face in the right light. This man (and many others) say that this face is proof of extraterrestrial life on Mars, or elsewhere.

He was on the show to be ridiculed, and I felt really awful for somebody who was so passionate about something that just was not true and so easily disproved. The idea in general was heartbreaking to me, so I popped it onto the moon song and there you have it, the saddest song ever.

The demo: I'm pretty happy with this demo, though it may be a bit "busy." My acoustic guitar is making little space beeps, the metronome is being used as the percussion track, and I'm proud of the subtle harmonies. No bass necessary, which gives it a more weightless outer-space zero gravity feel. Adding a bass line would have weighed things down a little too much.

Originally my main guitar track was very stiff and boring and "nice," but I realized it felt kind of dead. Inspired by the Rheostatics, I re-recorded it to be a lot more free-form and natural. Some random hits on random strings, not bogged down or sounding like a "scratch track" for people to easily play along with. Again, I was really happy with that.

Here are the lyrics:

These chilly nights make me think
I think of you and me, but also other things
I think about the laws of time and space
and what would happen if everything changed
I heard the moon is pulling farther away
And soon it will be gone, though soon is far away

And if we had no moon
the Earth would not just spin 'round
But sideways and upside down
And everything would be thrown around

You've heard about that face on Mars?
Some people think it's put there
By beings very far away
I'd like to think that that's the case
But evidence has shown that it's just not that way
And though the shadows make it look like a sad face
It's just not that way
It's just a mountain range

And if we had no moon
the Earth would not just spin round
But sideways and upside down
And everything would be thrown around

If we had no moon
No times for light or dark
Oceans wouldn't know where to start
Most certainly we'd be torn apart

Download it here!

Or preview it:

See ya!

-Jordan

WEEK 55: How Do You Fail?

2010-06-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

Hello there

Sorry for the delay. Crazy busy week! Next week there will be a very new and very surprising MP3. This week however is one of my favorite little instrumentals, from way back in 2004.

It's called "How Do You Fail?", which is kind of a pun ("how do you feel", in case you didn't get it), and has some cool effects and sounds that I can't remember making and probably can't replicate. For a while I made this one of the first tracks on a CD I gave out that showcased my instrumental skillz. I really like the sound and feel of this.

DOWNLOAD IT AND CLICK HERE!

Or preview it:

Goodbye see you!

-Jordan

WEEK 54: Held Her In My Arms (live)

2010-05-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

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

WEEK 53: Everybody's Crying

2010-05-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

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

WEEK 52: Miss Glasses (demo)

2010-05-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

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

WEEK 51: Swish (live)

2010-05-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

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

WEEK 50: Green Grass

2010-04-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I have been totally busy and totally slacked off Mp3 of the Week this past 2 weeks. So here is an MP3 now, with another one sooner this week. AUGH HERE WE GO.

This week's MP3 was made with my friend Matt Koff in 2002. He recorded a guitar part and vocals while I was in the bathroom. Then I came out and added some keyboard shenanigans for the 2nd half. I really like this. And I'm betting he forgot this existed.

Download it here

Or preview it:

- Jordan

WEEK 49: Grad Rat

2010-04-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

Heeey everyone.

This week's mp3 is an instrumental called "Grad Rat." I made it on May 17th, 2004, probably the day I graduated from college. I don't know what the title means exactly but when I googled it, that image above came up.

Not much to say. except I think this is a cool instrumental.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

OR PREVIEW IT:

-Jordan

WEEK 48: Sarah Epler

2010-03-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Heeeeeey

This week's MP3 was made...yesterday! A girl I've never met named Sarah Epler said she'd pay me a couple bucks to write a song about her.

Why the damn hell not?

So I did. I thought of the melody while I was driving 2 days ago and recorded the idea into my phone. I recorded the song the next day.

I really used it as an excuse to make my first ever recording with my new amp and my new drum program, making this MP3 very different sounding (in my opinion) than all my others. From now on the fake drums in my music will still be fake, but more real sounding.

EXCEPT!!! For the cymbal that I found in the GARBAGE, featured on this very mp3. In fact, I find it difficult to determine which is the real cymbal and which is the fake cymbal. Try and guess! GARBAGE CYMBAL!

Since I barely know her, I didn't try to pretend that I did, so the lyrics are (sort of) about how easily google-able she is, which hopefully this blog entry will help reinforce.

Lyrics:

Sarah Epler
I've never met her
But you bet I'll never ever forget her

She's the internet
She's an online chat
She's a jpeg and a profile and an iphone app

Sarah Epler wrote me a letter
Sent her back a letter in reply to her letter

Sarah Epler
I can't help her
But I'm gonna do what I can

Sarah Epler
Gave me a dollar
That I plan on spending on Sarah Epler

DOWNLOAD IT UGH!!!

Preview it AUGH!! :

GET YOUR OWN SONG WRITTEN ABOUT YOU AT:

Http://www.writeasongaboutme.com

Thanks!

-Jordan

WEEK 47: Horny Manatee (demo)

2010-03-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

Heeeeey!

This week's MP3 is "Horny Manatee", a song I wrote and recorded in one day.

Back in 2006, Late Night With Conan O'Brien was doing a running gag in their show about a website called HornyManatee.com, and asking for people to submit artwork.

I wrote a song, thinking maybe they'll play it on the show or even invite me ON the show. I was literally a day too late. That night, Conan enthusiastically debuted a band who "actually wrote a song called 'Horny Manatee'!" They sang their song, and I felt awful and annoyed. God fucking damn it! I mean, seriously!

I still sent mine in, with no reply. But I like it a lot. I think the recording is really nice, and the melody and chord progression are interesting. Maybe I'll change the lyrics so it can become a real song and it isn't so retarded.

Lyrics:

This manatee is good enough for me
Every girl I know's been wrong for me
I'm not a gay, and things are looking gray
Get me a big ol' manatee

A big ol' manatee
comes to me in my sleep

I've had enough of all this landlocked love
I'm heading out to the sea
No girl will find me
No one will mind me
Being away with my horny manatee

My horny manatee
Comes to me in my sleep
My horny manatee
Not half as horny as ---

(manatee roars)

DOWNLOAD THE GENIUS HERE

Or preview the genius:

- Jordan

WEEK 46: Skating

2010-03-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hey guys and dolls,

This week's MP3 is a very old instrumental I made on May 15th, 2002, called "Skating."

One of literally hundreds of instrumentals I was making nonstop at the time, this was one of the many where I thought the title really nailed what the music sounded like (I would usually make the music first, then title it.) I believe my friend James Jajac came up with the title after stopping by and hearing it. James also crushed a soda can at the very end.

If you can believe it, that horrible static sound about 30 seconds in is actually an electric guitar I borrowed. I had no good way of recording an electric guitar. So it sounds like crap. The accordion sounds nice though.

Download it HEREEEE

Or preview it!

Thanks!

Jordan

WEEK 45: Magnetic Fields RISK! Theme

2010-03-06T13:06:00.001-08:00

Hello there!

This week's mp3 is actually something I made THIS week. I've been submitting theme songs for Kevin Allison's (The State) podcast RISK!, as well as serving as part of the house band for the live shows. Here is one of many theme songs I've made.

It's very affectionately in the style of Stephen Merritt, or his band Magnetic Fields. I'm really damn proud of this. As my friend Daniel said, "you've got the moon, love, dancing, lullabies, and death, all in under a minute."

Download it here!

or

Preview:

Find out more about RISK here: http://www.risk-show.com

-Jordan

WEEK 44: Marry Me (Live)

2010-02-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hey! Sorry for the no update last week!

This week's song is from a live show I had a month ago! I explain the origin of the song to the audience in the MP3, so need to ramble over here! All you need to know is I handed out a list of songs, so that the audience can make request. That's what you hear at the very beginning of the MP3.

It's a happy loving marriage song. It also contains one of my only guitar solos. Enjoy!

Here are the lyrics, why not?

Here we are laughing at the same joke
Half an hour and it's time for the next show
For everyone who says that boring lives have no surprises, well
I've got one

Will you marry me so we can go to sleep?
Will you marry me so we can watch TV?
I've spent too much time by myself
doing things that never add to much
I'm one, you're two, and we'll be pooped together

For a time I didn't go out much
I met you and we don't go out much (but it's nice)
For every dollar bill I save by staying home for dinner
We get thinner

(chorus)

Counting down bringing in the new year
All around it's been a pretty good year
A simple resolution is easier to keep
And I'd like to keep you - keep you here

Download it by clicking hyaaaah!

- Jordan

WEEK 43: Ardsley High School Senior Revue

2010-02-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hello folks!

This week's MP3 is extremely special and random and rare.

Back in 1999 my friend Matt Koff gave me lyrics for a song he wanted to perform at the senior revue for his high school in Ardsley, Westchester. I put them to music, and the plan was for me to go to the piano and play while he sings. We were really happy with our work, but the people in charge didn't want us to take too much time away from the show (which is crazy now that I think about it..we wrote an original song for ARDSLEY HIGH SCHOOLl!), so the plan got aborted and we replaced it with something a lot weirder.*

This is the 2nd demo I sent Matt -- the first one was too fast -- and even though this was 1999, and possibly the first full song I ever wrote, I'm pretty impressed with how elaborate it is. And it's also fun.

Download it here!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

* Matt grabbed the mic, said "and now everybody, CHRISTOPHER WALKEN!" I came on stage in a suit, did a bad Christopher Walken impression and said "The fire exits....are over THERE....And over THERE....Please...remember that...or else you're gonna get caught in a FIRE...!" to much confused laughter and silence.

WEEK 42: Posters (Tear Them Down) (live)

2010-01-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hey punkers,

This week's mp3 is from December 10th, 2002. It is a very rare (and the only) live performance of a song called "Posters (Tear Them Down)."

This song, along with several others, was written as a kind of fake "punk" song, when me and my friend Daniel were set to perform at a punk show and needed some tunes. Daniel described the songs we wrote as "songs for teenagers." Other songs written that week include TV Girl, I Want My CDs back, and Movie Set Girl. These will most likely pop up on this blog soon enough!

So this song was about wanting to tear down the posters in your wall as an obvious metaphor for hating yourself and wanting to change your identity. I actually really like this song. It's in another confusing subdivision of songs that aren't exactly sincere attempts at writing a song but still come out to my liking, magically turning into a real song in the process. Here are the lyrics:

I'm sick of being used to
all the posters in my room
but i'm just too lazy to take them down

All the posters on four walls
with their colors loud and all
sing me a sad song in stereo sound

I'll tear them down
Let the scotchtape rip off the wallpaper
Then put up some more
To cover up the scars

There goes the one with the cartoon face
Smiling at me, taking up space
Now I'm Glad it's in the trash bag, buried alive

There goes the picture from the magazine
Years ago it wad added to the scene
Now I can finally see what's on the other side

chorus

These posters from the past have been up for way too long
I'd rather not stare at the squares that desecrate my wall
I'd rather stare at nothing at all.

All these posters in my room
seems like they've been up for a century or two
Now I know exactly what I have to do

chorus

Download the song by clicking here!

Or preview it:

- Jordan

P.S. Picture stolen from some random guy's website. Nice room.
P.P.S. Yeah that's supposed to be a pun on Glad brand trash bags.

WEEK 41: Never, Ever

2010-01-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hello mudda, hello fadda,

This week's mp3 is a fancy sounding demo for a song called "Never, Ever." I worked hard on this demo, especially the drums, which were sampled actual drums that I PIECE BY PIECE placed into the song BY HAND. It was insane and stupid but I was experimenting. Every little drum hit or hi hat hit or bass drum hit...all placed by hand as I desperately tried to keep the timing in line.

Upon listening to this now, I'm pretty happy with how this sounds. The guitar is really nice, the arrangement is interesting, with the acoustic guitar also doing a bass line...the harmonies are nice. Nice job, me.

Anyway, I'm not sure I want to say specifically what the song is about, but it's one of those epiphany type character studies I do enjoy ever so much. Also, I was trying to write a Morrissey type line for the end of the song. Here are the lyrics:

Things move so slow
They never go
In the window
She waves hello

Never, ever

The grass is cold
Between my toes
My big new home
My silk bathrobe

Never, ever, never, ever, never

Dirt in a hole
A boy grown old
The more I know
The worse it goes

Download it here!

Or preview it!

-Jordan

WEEK 40: Is It Free?

2010-01-10T11:07:00.001-08:00

Hey poop machines!

This week's mp3 is from one of my many "side projects", Proceed To Small Talk.

Proceed To Small Talk is an experimental recording project with my friend (and bass player) Dave Fox. We both do everything on the songs -- write, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, vocals, etc. You can learn more about us on our myspace: Http://www.myspace.com/proceedtosmalltalk

This track is a favorite among our friends, titled "Is It Free?"

The legend goes, we ordered a pizza, and were waiting for a very long time for it to arrive. While we waited, we created this song.

As I can recall, it's Dave on lead vocals and acoustic guitar. I'm on synths, and banjo. Possibly backwards guitar too.

Download it here!

Or just preview it...it's free!

-Jordan

WEEK 39: 1979 (live)

2010-01-03T01:14:00.000-08:00

Heeeey! BLARUGHH.

This week's mp3 is a live cover of "1979" by Smashing Pumpkins. Me and my band (Dave Fox on bass, Daniel Matz on drums) performed this at Pete's Candy Store in April, 2006.

We wanted to play a cover that people knew (for once), that was kind of a funny and odd choice, but that we were sincere about. Despite not even being Pumpkins fans, Daniel and I admitted that "1979" did mean a lot to us back in the day, and it still affects us (Dave not so much.)

I was really happy with how this came out, and the audience seemed to dig it. I definitely wanted people to be kind of confused about why we were even covering this song that everybody has heard 1000 times, but won over at the same time.

Download it here!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 38: The Holiday Song

2009-12-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays you little devils you!

This week was a no-brainer -- one of the first songs I ever wrote, EVER, was a holiday song. I must have been around 17 when I wrote this thing!!

The demo is a little embarrassing, but this live version is way better. It's a relaxed and casual performance from December 15th, 2005, recorded at Niagara Bar in Manhattan.

Here are the lyrics:

Merry Christmas, Hanukah
Hope you had a fun year
Happy new years everyone
Look back and laugh and cry your tears

For the next few years will be much more fun
Hugs and chocolates for everyone
Songs and sorbets get in line
ONE AT A TIME IN AN ORDERLY FASHION

Happy holidays my friends
Hope you like your presents
If you don't, I'll try again
Next year things will be different

For the next few years will be more organized
Time to relax and think about our lives
Chances to take and cakes to bake
And a holiday song with no mistakes

Merry xmas, hanukah
Hope you liked my little song thing
More to come if you wanna
Hear me proudly badly sing

The first handful of songs I wrote always contained some lyric about the fact that I am singing a song. It was just so bizarre and strange to me that I wrote songs, I had to point it out!

Download it here.

Or preview it here:

-Jordan

WEEK 37: My Eyes In My Hands

2009-12-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

Hey Mp3 of the Week-o's!

This week's entry is a weird demo of a weird song I wrote years ago called "My Eyes In My Hands." It was based on an instrumental I made, which I may put up in the coming weeks!

This demo is unfinished, I rewrote the song a bit after recording. I always forget that this song exists. But I think it could be pretty cool with a full band. IT JUST. MIGHT. WORK.

Here are the lyrics.

My eyes in my hands
Not part of my plan
My hands in your hands
My eyes in your hands

My eyes in your hands, ahhh ahhh ahhhhhhhh
My eyes my. My eyes my.

You think you know me?
Well you don't know me!
Just cause you have got
My eyes in your hands!
My eyes in your hands, ahhh ahhh ahhhhhhhh
My eyes my. My eyes my.

Give me another try.

My eyes in my hands
So glad to have them
My eyes in my hands
A birthday present

Happy birthday for me!
My eyes my. My eyes my.

The recording was done very late at night, so it's another quiet subdued demo. In actuality this song would have to be played very intense and loud.

Download it HERE!!

Or preview it here:

- Jordan

WEEK 36: Diagonal Crossing (live)

2009-12-05T00:07:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I took a bit of a Thanksgiving/Birthday break from MP3-OF-THE-WEEK (OK you got me, I forgot to update this), but I have a fun treat for y'all now.

This is a live performance of a weird fun song I wrote called "Diagonal Crossing." It's about crossing the street diagonally (duh) and how you feel like a total bad ass doing it.

Here are the lyrics.

Never mind the traffic laws
I don't buy them at all
I'm on top and everything is pushing to get out

Diagonal crossing

People think that I'm insane
They're just way too tame
Spitting on the face of death with every single step

Diagonal crossing

Old lady waiting for the walk signal grimaces in the sun
Her diagonal days are over
But mine have just begun!

Up and down and left and right
Cross the street, hope to die
Agony to me is walking 90 degrees

Diagonal crossing!

I'm pretty happy with the dia-agony pun there.

This performance is from a live party I played in 2004. This was a damn fun show with a lot of short songs and energy and no mic.

Here it is!

Download it here!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 35: Funky Frankfurters by Special Friends (live)

2009-11-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

Still no luck on the tooth front. Oh well. On to other things:

This week's mp3 is fucking crazy!

Basically, me and my friend Matt, as our weird on again off again comedy band "Special Friends", played the Sidewalk Cafe open mic in 2002. It was packed. I went on stage and said I found a man named "Mr. Supper" to play a song with me, and we did our amazing song "Funky Frankfurters." Matt Koff on lead vocals, and me on guitar. These are the lyrics:

Hey bitch, don't touch my franks
They're mine, not yours
Hey bitch if you touch my franks
I'll show you the door

DON'T TOUCH MY FRANKS (FUNK FUNK FUNKY FRANKFURTERS)
DON'T TOUCH MY FRANKS (FUNK FUNK FUNKY FRANKFURTERS)

You get the idea. Matt went up there with a big wooden spoon and banged in a pot. It was pretty fun, and you could hear how much fun we were having up there. The audience seemed to HATE US. And we weren't sure why. Our main goal was to be as energetic and fun as possible at a really low key and slow open mic. Everyone sitting there looked angry at us.

We found out later there was some mix up, and Moldy Peaches' girl Kimya Dawson was announced to go on, but for some reason we went up instead (we don't know if it was our mix up or someone else's mix up), and I think people were angry they had to wait 3 minutes to see Kimya Dawson. You can hear in the mp3, the open mic MC says, "right now let's welcome Kimya, FINALLY, to the stage." Some people in the audience gave us a good cheer but if you were there you would have felt the bad vibes.

I left some of her performance on the mp3 to show what people wanted to hear instead of us.

On another note, a guy came up to us after and said he thought it would have been a funnier song if we sang "hey bitch don't touch my FRIENDS, they're mine, not yours." But that's completely missing the whole point. We think it is a lot funnier for a weird character to be angry and overprotective of his frankfurters, rather than a dumb misogynist song about some girl fucking your friends.

Enjoy!!!

Download it here!!!

Or preview the madness here:

-Jordan

WEEK 34: My Fillings Hurt

2009-11-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

Ouch. Having a lot of dental issues lately. Just had a root canal. Awful.

This is an instrumental I made in 2005 when I got fillings put in. It's called "My Fillings Hurt." I haven't listened to this in years but it seems pretty appropriate right now.

CLICK HERE to download.

Or preview it here:

-Jordan

WEEK 33: Halloween

2009-11-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

Heeeeey!

So it's Halloween. SAY WHAT. My band Trouble's Afoot does a song called "Halloween."

I think you see where this is going.

Our version of that song is over at my website jordancooperlalala.com, but for your enjoyment I am going to post the embarrassing and crappy demo I made for the song many, many years ago. Another pre-tonsillectomy vocal performance where I sound all stuffed up.

Here are the lyrics:
Halloween's my favorite holiday
Everyone listens to what I have to say
Everything seems to go my way
On Halloween

When I see a Halloween cupcake
I get a jack-o-lantern smile across my face
Even though I don't like the taste
The very idea is just so great.

I can't recognize my best friend
I don't know what room he's in
He's not acting like he usually is

He's smiling under his skin
Halloween feelings may not last long
Before Thanksgiving they're already gone.

Download the demo here!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 32: RISK! Theme - Country

2009-10-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

So this week's mp3 is one of the theme songs I did for the podcast RISK!, hosted by Kevin Allison (The State.) They used this song in the 2nd episode, along with some other instrumentals of mine. This is very awesome of them. I am excited. I've made 4 theme songs so far.

Check out the RISK website here: www.risk-show.com

This was actually one of the first recordings I've made with my new mac. I haven't made any music in a really long time due to changing computers, moving, etc, etc. I really like how nice my acoustic guitar sounds in this.

So here it is, RISK!, the country theme song:

DOWNLOAD IT!

Or preview it:

WEEK 31: Punch in the Mouth (Demo)

2009-10-15T11:22:00.001-07:00

Heeey!

Boy am I late for this week's mp3. I'll have to add another one in only a couple of days to get back on track.

This MP3 is one of my favorites, a demo of a song called "Punch in the Mouth." I have very few fully worked out song demos, because they're very hard to make. They take me forever. This one came out pretty cool, though.

The song is entirely based on the first time I had to break up with somebody. The lyrics are basically putting across the guilty feelings I had. These are definitely some of my favorite lyrics. I really nailed the essence of the guilty feelings without being too specific or pitiful in the lyrics, I think.. Here ya go.

You lent me everything that belonged to you
Now it's all smashed and broken
Can I make it up to you?

When the sun comes out it's a punch in the mouth
If you don't believe me, stay still so I can punch your mouth

Falling in love's the worst thing anyone can do
You might as well just kill yourself before it happens to you

When the sun comes out it's a punch in the mouth
Just to prove my point let me punch you in the mouth

Hahahahahahahaha
Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey
No no no no no no no

After you left the room we made fun of you
I would feel better knowing that you made fun of me to

When the sun comes out it's a punch in the mouth
If you don't believe me stay still so I can punch your mouth
When the sun comes out it's a punch in the mouth
If you don't believe me...
Stay still.

I really did feel horrible about it, and the memories of the long and painful break up talk still bother me.

Anyway, the demo: I love the bass line, which is probably the 10th one I tried. It's really fun and bouncy and melodic. My friend Daniel helped me a lot in mixing the song, making sure things didn't clash into each other. The fake electric guitars, harmonies, all that stuff. It's maybe a little too tinny sounding. The acoustic guitar is EQ'd so thin that it sounds more like an egg shaker or something. But ANYWAY, I like it.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

Or preview it:

- Jordan

WEEK 30: Crashing the Ball (live)

2009-10-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is a really crazy song. It's probably my most complex musically...so complex I haven't played it in years because I worry I'll screw up. And it's very, very hard to sing! No home recording of this song exists, so here is a live version, from a party I played on September 25th, 2004.

The lyrics aren't my best or anything...it's basically about a homeless guy crashing a fancy ball. Yay? Here they are.

Millions of you reflected in a chandelier
And every mind will wonder what you're doing here
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

Crashing the ball you wanted to go but you're not invited
So you'll just drop in and drop to the floor

What a disgrace to have such a dirty face
Bring in a can of air freshener and a can of mace

chorus

You've got a beard so you don't need a mask
Pouring champagne into your silver flask

Crashing the ball you wanted to go but you're not invited
So you'll just drop in and drop to the floor
You'll stain the floor
You'll break the floor.

So yes. I love this song, mainly for the melody and music (OK, and the beard line.) But damn it's tough, especially that bridge. Hope you enjoy it. Who knows what the future holds for this one.

Download it here!

Or:

Preview it here!

-Jordan

WEEK 29: In The Dumps (live)

2009-09-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Keeping the theme of songs-I've-only-played-live-once going, and keeping with the theme of life being horrible, here is an mp3 of a song I wrote called "In The Dumps."

This is definitely a rare one...I only played it once, and at this show (Sidewalk Cafe, 2005) only 4 of my friends showed up. Something you'll hear at this legendary show is that there was a big group of people talking really loud, right under the stage. They were destroying my self esteem for the first half of the set, and you can hear in my voice how blown away I was by people being so rude, most notably in the beginning of the mp3 :
"Next song is called 'In The Dumps'....yeah....GRRRRR"

I sound so exhausted and defeated because of those people. And the "GRRRR" was directed at them. Maybe next week I'll post the song I made up on the spot about them.

So anyway, this song is pretty simple and basically from the point of view of someone dumping someone. Like many of my songs, it's inspired by stomach sickness and nervousness. Here are the lyrics, which in my opinion are just...OK. The song is more about the rhythm and intensity in the music and singing, that's for sure.

Hey hey, I don't know what
They say, but I know that
You and I are out of luck
For once I'm not stupid
You must not believe it
I know how these things end up

In the dumps, out the door
Under carpets on the floor
Don't think we're growing we've stopped.
And I'm not going to pick you up.

Last time that we met up
Got sick, almost threw up
I lied, said it was the food
I just get so nervous
Don't know how to do this
Don't know how to say we're through

(Chorus)

Sorry sorry sorry I can't give advice
Sorry sorry sorry I can't paint it nice
Sorry sorry sorry I'm sorry sorry sorry tonight

Next time you'll do better
Meet someone who's nicer
You'll have oh so much to say
Tell me now you're happy
Tell me you were crazy
To be with someone like me
OH YOU KNOW RIGHT NOW WE'RE

(chorus)

And I'm not going to pick you up from work.

That's a lot of "sorry"s in one song.

My relationship was doing OK when I wrote that song, but I think I was picking up on signals from my girlfriend and maybe wrote this song from her point of view. I wrote a lot of songs about her breaking up with me in the last few months of our relationship, yet if you were to ask me I would have honestly said we were doing great. Very subconscious, all of this stuff.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

Or preview it:

Hope ya like it,

Jordan

WEEK 28: Phone Call (live)

2009-09-20T10:33:00.001-07:00

Hey MP3 of the Weekers!

This week's mp3 is a crazy old song, recorded live at the Sidewalk Cafe open mic in the late late hours of the night, back in 2002. It must have been 1 AM, and I think there were 4 people there.

The song was basically about this girl I liked who said she'd call me back, but never did. Here are the lyrics:

What the hell do I do now?
I've had enough of this stuff
I can't try to figure you out
I'm not intact, you're abstract, it's

Not too fair that I'm in the air and I
Can't deny that you are unbearably great

Months go by and not a sound
Just think out loud, you're to proud
It's another singing clown
Fucked around, it's astound...ING

I can see you're not meant for me but if
You can show some decency I'll be
Free to believe that things can happen to me

What the hell do I do now?
I'm waiting for a phone call
Where the hell do I go now?
If I go I might miss the phone call
It's not a good thing that I'm not hearing that
Stupid phone ring and It's amazing that
I can sleep so late
Wake up even later
To an alarm clock playing that song I hate her

What the hell do I do now?
I'm waiting for a window
To turn bright red In my head...
It's simple.

Upon typing those lyrics I think the off phrasing throughout the song is kind of neat -- lines end with what should be the first word of the next verse. It's consistent through the whole song! That's cool. I don't remember planning that.

This is the only recorded live performance of this song, which I like a lot but is maybe more whiny and defeatist than usual, which may be hard to believe. Still I like the end, because I still don't know what it means. And I like the "it's another singing clown" line, because after being at an open mic where everyone is whining, that's really how it felt.

You'll hear singer songwriter Lach on this mp3, who hosted the open mic for many years. He, charmingly, liked to pop in on the song, with vocals, telephone ring sounds, and hand claps. His intense "OH MY GOD" after the performance definitely strokes my ego. It was fun stuff. Then he introduces my friend Dave Fox up to the mic. Weird.

Download it here!!!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 27: Frayed

2009-09-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone again.

This is an old instrumental from September, 2002, titled "Frayed", for reasons unknown to me. I like it a lot...it has a slow build up, some cool improvised guitar soloing from me (at a time when I can barely do that sort of thing), then things turn all happy and major key, then a subdued ending. I think this is a cool instrumental.

Thinking back, September 2002 was a very, very hard time in my life. Maybe Frayed has something to do with all that bad stuff.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 26: I Try To Make It Better

2009-09-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hello guys. Sorry for the delay. I've been busy trying to write some comedy sketches for National Sketch Month at my OTHER blog, http://jordancooperblablabla.blogspot.com, as well as dealing with awful things in my life. MP3 of the Week will still continue on schedule though.

This week's mp3 is an instrumental from April 2nd, 2006, called "I Try To Make it Better." What need be said that isn't already in the title? I'm a bit emotional about this one. Hope you like it.

Download it here.

Or just preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 25: Going Up Those Stairs

2009-08-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hello guys and ghosts.

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.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!

Or preview here:

- Jordan

WEEK 24: All The Hair

2009-08-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Joes,

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.

HERE IT IS. DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

Preview it here:

Bye

Jordan

WEEK 23: A.M. (Demo)

2009-08-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hey Guise.

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?

Download it here!!!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 22: Tent

2009-08-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

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!

Download it here!!!!

OR PREVIEW IT:

-Jordan

WEEK 21: All I Ever Wanted (live, solo)

2009-07-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hello! This is the first mp3 of the week from MY NEW HOUSE THAT I LIVE IN. I moved two neighborhoods over to Rego Park. First time I've ever moved in my life. FREAKY.

I had a nightmare about stepping on baby turtles and squashing them (a friend of mine was doing it, not me, and I was screaming for him to stop), and outdoor toilets flooding everywhere. It was awful and disgusting!

On to the, ahem, Mp3 of the Week: This week I think it would be apropos to put up "All I Ever Wanted", a song I wrote about my fear of never moving out. I'm not super crazy about some of the lyrics, but the focus is more on the ROCK and the ROLL if ya know what I'm saying, kids. Here are the lyrics anyway. Note: The old lyrics were about a town flooding ("my block is flooded and drowned", but then Katrina happened, and I changed it ("My block is shakin' around"), but still kept the flooding motif at the end ("my block is drying out.") Whatever.

My block is shakin' around
Ringed out, upside down
Everyone but me falls out
Halfway through that last song
I felt so BAD and that's cause
I...can't be trusted

When I was 9, and then when I was 15
and then when I was 18, and then when I was 19, and well

All I ever wanted was a chance, chance to get out of here

All I know comes through the phone
All I own is this moan
All I know is my home
That's the doorknob that I hate
That's the floor that hurts my feet
When it's COLD. When it's COLD.
When it's dusty and cold.

Back in the day when things wouldn't go my way
I'd temporarily stay inside my room all day and well

All I ever wanted was a chance, chance to get out of here

AhhhhhAhhhhhh

My block is drying out
Wrinkled up and flattened down
Everyone but me feels proud

It's bigger than you and it's bigger than me (x4)
And that's what they say when you can't speak up for yourself

There is a full band version on my website, www.jordancooperlalala.com (check it out!!!!!!!!), but here it is in all of it's solo show glory, possibly it's very first performance (which I'm basing on the fact of how slow I'm playing it), from a show at the Sidewalk Cafe on 2/2/05 :

Download it HERE HERE HERE!

Or preview it THERE THERE THERE:

At the end of the mp3 you can hear me tell the audience "I don't have too many moody songs like that, so that's my one moody song," then my friend Yoko proclaims with enthusiasm, "I liked that one." This whole show was very moody, as my girlfriend (who was in the audience) was slowly breaking up with me at the time (three cheers for that!) Just like last week's was clearly They Might Be Giants inspired, I feel like this one is obviously Violent Femmes inspired.

Maybe next week I'll put up the instrumental I made that inspired the song! Ah? AH?!? WOULD YA LIKE THAT BOYS AND GIRLS??

-Jordan

WEEK 20: Don't Watch Too Much TV

2009-07-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday.

My 3 year old niece Scarlett has been visiting from Australia this week. She goes back in a few days. When she was born, I made an album for her called Scarlett Songs: Music For Babies, because I am a nice song uncle. There is a very small crappy webpage for it here: http://jordancooperlalala.com/scarlet.html

Album cover by James Jajac!

Three of the songs are available there, and here's another! "Don't Watch Too Much T.V.", a lesson song that I am a complete hypocrite for writing. The song actually existed years ago, around 2001, in a version titled "CPU", which I think I'm too embarrassed to put up, at least for the moment (requests?). The lyrics were kind of awkward and about spending too much time in front of the computer ("pale skin, square death." Blegh.) I played it live once in 2002 and forgot about it. But I always liked the riff and the bass notes under it changing the feel.

This NEW version is a pretty nifty recording, and with slightly less awkward lyrics. Basically trying to describe what T.V. must look like to a baby ("Bright light, square friend, zigs zag, shapes bend. People, places, pretty faces.") I try not to make my influences TOO obvious, but even I can admit the arrangement and sound of this song has a very They Might Be Giants feel. SO THERE IT IS. I SAID IT. I'm still proud of the arrangement though. Epic.

Download it heeeeeeere.

Or preview it hereeeeee:

- JAWDEN

WEEK 19: Hi Eight

2009-07-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

YEAAAHHHH!!

This week's mp3 is "Hi Eight", which was an instrumental that was decent, then smashed with audio from an old hi8 tape, from when me and my friends walked around Manhattan during Halloween (2002? 2003?). I can't exactly describe the feeling of this mp3...the music, mostly made with my acoustic guitar, is relaxed and indifferent, but the audio sample is frenetic and full of energy, and even sounds aggressive.

This song was always odd to me because of that conflict. I didn't have a master plan, I honestly put the audio on it for absolutely no reason. I love the end result, though. At the end, my friend Dave says "Those are the kind of people you want to avoid on Halloween."

Download it HEEEERE!

Or preview it here:

-Jordan

WEEK 18: Rain As Of Late

2009-07-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th as of July. This week's mp3 is "Rain As Of Late", an instrumental I made in 2006.

I basically recorded the ambient sound in my room as it was raining, specifically the sound of rain on my air conditioner. Then put quiet music under it. I like this a lot. I wish I made it a little longer, but all of these instrumentals were made so spontaneously without any planning, I didn't even know if I'd like it as I was doing it. Put up the volume looooud on this one so you can hear the pitter patter of tiny rain steps.

Download it here!

Or preview:

- as of Jordan

WEEK 17: Prufrock's Theme

2009-06-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

This mp3 is special to me. Special in the sense that there is a lengthy and complicated explanation behind it's existence! So buckle up, assholes!

My 2nd year student video project was a loose (emphasis on LOOSE) adaptation of the poem "The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot. It starred Sam Brown (of Whitest Kids U Know fame) in a quasi-serious role, the sensitive J. Alfred Prufrock, but mainly he was playing me. The movie was basically him and a friend going to a party, feeling ignored, lusting after a girl, having a bad time and leaving frustrated. Essentially what every party I ever went to was like for me. And a sort of dumb literal interpretation of the sequence of events that occur in the poem. I think. I haven't read it in a while.

The only music in the video was this, the opening theme as Sam/Prufrock put his tie on, shaved his unibrow and washed his face, preparing for the party.

Now where the music comes from is another story. In 1999, the high school days, I wrote a 27 MINUTE LONG SONG. A song about a girl I had a huge crush on, who had basically crushed my soul after going on a date (my first date ever) and then rejecting me.

Yes. 27 minutes. I didn't have it exactly down, it wasn't some epic masterpiece or anything, but I had pages and pages of lyrics and one night pressed "record" as I played a piano riff and sang the lyrics on top. To my shock and horror the resulting recording was 27 minutes long. I had no idea. I thought it was going to be 5 minutes at the most.

I threw out 26 minutes and kept 30 seconds for the Prufrock theme! The topic of the original high school song made it all the more emotional for me, as this music played under Prufrock/Sam/Me getting ready to have a bad time at a party. Everything came together.

I still may turn this into a real song one day. And I may put the movie online one day too. Enjoy the accordion and the odd percussion. Enjoy enjoy enjoy!

Download it heeeeere.

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 16: Miss June (demo)

2009-06-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Summer songs (sort of) continues with the demo for my song Miss June!

I won't say what exactly it's about, but it's from the point of view of a 14 year old boy. Kind of based on someone I knew in Junior High.

This is an old demo, from 2004. I like how full the guitar sounds. Often on my demos the guitar sounds a bit thin. I also really like the accordion line that comes in on the last verse. Lyrics?

Hung up and stationed
Illuminated
I am awakened
I see your face and...

Oh, what would I do
Without Miss June

All of my friends and
Me think you're hot and
I've been rejected
Now I'm in Heaven

Oh, what would I do
Without Miss June

Oh what could I do
With Miss June.

You are so pretty
Now you surround me
You must have said "cheese"
I can see your teeth.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!!

Or preview it:

WEEK 15: Summertime Her

2009-06-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Another Summer song, this is an old demo from 2003 called Summertime Her. A few times in a row I've met someone during the summer. The first time that happened, it ended just as Summer ended. So the 2nd time it happened, I wrote this song begging the universe to let me keep this one past summer. Excited and scared.

The demo was made very late at night and very quick (there are mistakes in it!), but I like the empty trembling intimate feel of it. When I sang this song live I kind of rushed it and played it too fast. Never was happy about that. LYRICS BOYEE :

Summertime
Some hard times
You did fine
Or did you?

Comprehend
the message sent
She came and went
You won't forget.

Someone is
Very cute
Someone is
Very sweet

She can make you so happy
She can make you so happy.

Summertime
Second time.
Please be kind.

Download it here!!

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 14: A Summer Song (demo)

2009-06-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

It's "SUMMER" here at Mp3 of the Week! So this week and the next (AND THE NEXT??) will be all Summer related!

From Wikipedia: Sumarr, a personification of summer in Norse mythology.

Interesting, huh gang?

So anyway, this is an old demo for a song called "A Summer Song." It was written for my side project Sally, where a female sings the songs, currently female-less at the moment (story of my life!) It's basically about a summer fling that ended, and now everything is bleak and empty! Yay!

Here are lyrics:

Where did every day go?
I don't really wanna know.
Summer's over and I'm not over you.

I threw out my calendar
Cause every single time I check it
It's the day after the last, and I can't handle that.

Where did every night go?
Where did all of our fights go?
Now it's all too quiet, and a cool breeze has transpired.

No more June
Goodbye July
A black and white August
That was us.

Download the song here.

Or preview it here:

Hope you liked!

-Jordan

WEEK 13: Unzip

2009-05-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hello bee do bo do bo dooo,

This week's mp3 is "Unzip", a sleazy instrumental that I made after meeting this girl back in 2002. I was fairly inexperienced and innocent, and this highly sexual girl kind of seduced me, and it freaked me out a bit, and I felt very much like...well, how the instrumental sounds. Sleazy and kind of gross, kind of "adult", and also kind of awesome/manly/confident. I tried to capture all that in 45 seconds. And then I called it "Unzip", which you should be able to figure out for yourself.

This mp3 also exemplifies something that I hope people are following, which is that although they are short instrumentals, they are pretty much like diary entries. Very specific diary entries.

Download it here!

Or preview the nasty thing here:

SEE YOU IN 7 BUSINESS DAYS.

-Jordan

WEEK 12: We Will Take A Trip

2009-05-21T14:17:00.001-07:00

Hello! It's been singy songs for a few weeks, so let's hear an instrumental!

This is a nice full length ditty called "We Will Take A Trip." I don't have much to say about it that won't sound like self love -- I like the horn section nonsense that keeps interrupting the nice sounding song, which I then reversed for the end. I like the subtle climbing scale bass line, the fake fuzzy electric guitar riff that comes in towards the end, and the general feel of the whole thing. Just a bass drum and hi hat for percussion, which leaves a lot of empty space for other things to happen. Hope you think it's nice.

So come on! Take a trip! Download it here.

Or preview it here:

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE COMMENTS! It would make me so happy!

-Jordan

Week 11: Stumped (live 2003)

2009-05-15T16:14:00.001-07:00

Jumpin' Jesus the weeks are going by fast! This is freaking me out! I feel like I just posted "Folky Song" yesterday.

This week's song is "Stumped", a live performance from September 3rd, 2004, at the Sidewalk Cafe in NYC. This was a "new songs" show, where I only played...new songs. If we do the math (math is fun!), this places the song about 18 months into my relationship, where the problems were really starting to weigh me down. It's a purposefully minimalist song about not knowing WHAT THE HELL to do when your girlfriend seems mysteriously upset all the time. You blame yourself ("are things that bad?"), you try to distract her ("it's time for a movie, then you won't be sad"), you HATE yourself ("why am I stupid?") and you even get angry at her ("why can't you feel good?") Ultimately, it leaves you very very tired ("we should just got to sleep"), and...stumped.

This was kind of a potentially dangerous song to play at a live show in front of her, but I think she was absent at this particular show. I would have played it anyway. I think it's healthy to confront these things, with honesty and humor. Especially in front of lots of people who clap after you do it!

Download it here!!!

Or preview it right here:

-Jordan

WEEK 10: Folky Song

2009-05-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hellerrrrrooooo.

This week's mp3 is "Folky Song", which is a lame title, because I never thought of a good one for this song since it has no repeating phrases or chorus.

I like this song. It was based on a very specific night. I had seen a guy do songs similar to this, then came home and wrote how I felt all night. Which wasn't too great. I also like the performance in this live demo. Hooray for me! It's slightly underdeveloped, there's a few guitar noodlings and touches that I hadn't though of yet. I'll post a later version some other week! I like the line about "not being vicious." Sometimes you have to be vicious if you want to have a good night.

Download it here

Or preview it:

-Jordan

WEEK 9: I'm A Happy Dog

2009-05-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

This week's mp3 is "I'm A Happy Dog", a feel good full length instrumental from 2004. A very obsessively worked out instrumental that took me a million years to record. I went crazy arranging the bass line to fit intricately with the drum part, piano thingies, when the acoustic guitars come in and out, the percussion, everything. I'm pretty damn proud of this. It was a big lesson in learning when to drop instruments in and out, to prevent everything from sounding too cluttered. And of course the lead melody line is my ACCORDION. Say hello!

If you turn it up incredibly loud at the quiet part about 1 full minute in, you can hear that it was raining outside! That may not be true, but I remember it being true. You can also hear that I used my lamp for percussion.

Download it here!

And preview the thingy here:

Have a nice life!

-Jordan

Week 8: I Love You Alien by Three Lonely Guys

2009-04-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hewwoooooo!

This week's mp3 is dearly special to my dear heart. Me, Matt Koff and Tim Deery got together one day and made up songs on out of tune instruments and taped it with a video camera. I made mp3s from the videotape. We called ourselves "Three Lonely Guys."

This was a song where, as you can hear, we made it up one line at a time. The old Exquisite Corpse game put to music. The song is a bit SILLY WILLY but you won't hear an mp3 anywhere else that has more unrehearsed and genuine joy. There's plenty more where that came from too, many songs are featured on our myspace page, and more will be popping up on this blog!

Download it here

Or if you don't trust me, Preview here:

See ya next week, Scooby Gang!

-Jordan

Week 7: Order in the Funny Court

2009-04-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

Hello. This is a small instrumental I made in 2003.

I imagine a judge banging on a gavel, laughing hysterically, so hard that his face is red and he's crying, because something hilarious happened during the trial, and nobody can regain their composure. ORDER IN THE FUNNY COURT! HAHAHA.

Download it here!

And preview it here:

-Jordan

Week 6: Back Of Your Mind (live 2006)

2009-04-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

Woooo doggy! Here we go. This week's mp3 is a live solo performance of "Back Of Your Mind." This is from January 24th, 2006, at the Sidewalk Cafe in NYC. I quite enjoyed this particular performance.

This is a fun, short, but special song for me. It was based on a time I asked a girl out, she said yes, then brought her boyfriend along on the "date." It was a whole new shade of uncomfortable. So I wrote this song, the idea being that I'm saying how horrible and cruel her boyfriend is when I don't even know the guy, and for her to call me up when he dumps her. One of my many (many many many) lovingly misogynist songs where I care deeply for a girl for the wrong reasons.

THEN SHE DID CALL ME. Over a year later! She called me out of the blue one day, the first thing out of her mouth being "I dumped my boyfriend," and we had a date. It didn't work out, for reasons I won't go into here, but...the song actually worked! I stayed in the back of her mind!

Download it here!

Or preview it heeeere:

Thanks everyone! Comments welcome!

-Jordan

Week 5: Cat Genius

2009-04-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen,

The famous CAT GENIUS performs for you. A hushed auditorium watches as he rubs his paws together, steadies his sheet music, and sits up on his piano stool. His tail whipping and bending with each note.

And now...Cat Genius.

Listen to his performance here!

Or preview his breathtaking and heart shattering ballad here:

Applause!

-Jordan

Week 4: Dedicated Song

2009-03-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Well...my computer died. I had to get a new one, set up all the programs, and transfer all my files from the dead computer to the new one. That kept me away from mp3 of the week. BUT NOW I'M BACK! On with business (or is it...pleasure?):

This week's mp3 is "Dedicated Song."

Some guy online asked me to write a song for his girlfriend's birthday. I was in a wiseass mood, and kind of annoyed at my NOT having a girlfriend to write a song for (which makes you feel sad), and made this. The lyrics:

You're a guy's girlfriend that I don't even know,
And if you were my girlfriend I'd write you a song,
But you're not
So I won't
So you don't
Get to hear
My dedicated song.

It's a small thing that I did very fast, but I quite like it.

Download it here!

And/or preview it here!

Come back next week, lovelies!

-Jordan

Week 3: Czar (live May 2007)

2009-02-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hello again! So after talking to some friends, I have decided to have both the "preview" of the mp3, and the downloadable link available. THIS will start next week, because the flash player, for some reason, does not like this mp3. I have discussed this with DIVshare. They have not helped me.

This week's mp3 is a live cover of "Czar" by Frank Black (off of his self titled debut solo album.) Frank Black songs can be incredibly hard to cover, due to his INTENSE vocal range and mind boggling chord progressions. And I also forgot the lyrics at 46 seconds. Oopsies. This was from a very, very, very small show I had at at a lesbian bar. It was a very relaxed show, which is why I ventured out on a limb to do a cover of a song I wasn't sure I knew how to play. The show took place on May 29th, 2007.

Download it here! (right click Save As, ya know?)

Come back next week! Who knoooows what the song will be!

-Jordan

WEEK 2: Already A Baby

2009-02-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

Week 2!! This is exciting!

This week's mp3 is "Already A Baby." A short, cute (but strange) instrumental written March 13th, 2007. I don't remember what I was thinking when I made it, but I probably felt like I was being a baby. I still feel that way, often.

Download it here!

Come back next week! Hope you enjoyed it! Don't be a stranger! See ya in St.Louie, Screwy!

Also: Do you people also want the flash clickable thingy? I prefer to just have a file that you can save (and put on your ipod, etc), but let me know if you want me to ALSO have the flash player!

-Jordan

WEEK 1: Call Me Please Call Me

2009-01-26T16:42:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!

This is the new MP3 OF THE WEEK page! I am still experimenting with different ways to present the mp3. What do you think? Comments, PLEASE! Using DivShare, it's kind of a hassle if you want to save the file on your computer. But the way you can play it right there on the page is kind of quick and easy and fun. Let me know what you'd prefer!

Anyway, "Call Me Please Call Me" was about a girl I was obsessively waiting to call me. Obviously. I won't say when I made it...because then she may know who she is. Yikes. Please enjoy!

COMING SOON!!!!

2008-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Just in case you stumbled on this too early.

This is coming soon. More work must be done.

-JORDAN