WEEK 32: RISK! Theme - Country

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:

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WEEK 31: Punch in the Mouth (Demo)

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.


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- Jordan

WEEK 30: Crashing the Ball (live)

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)

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.


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Hope ya like it,

Jordan

WEEK 28: Phone Call (live)

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!!!


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-Jordan

WEEK 27: Frayed

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.

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-Jordan

WEEK 26: I Try To Make It Better

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.


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-Jordan

WEEK 25: Going Up Those Stairs

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!!


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- Jordan

WEEK 24: All The Hair

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)

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!!!


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-Jordan