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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
