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.
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.
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?
