My friend Gary Flanagan, who supported this project with comments, advice and even some vocals, was kind enough to write a very glowing review of the cd that resulted from this whole project. For anyone coming here as a result of his review, I thought I should finish re-making the songs available.
And here they are, as a Soundcloud set: http://soundcloud.com/christianleblanc/sets/52-weeks-1/
See, garageband (where I had my songs hosted during the project) went under sometime in 2010, so I'm currently in the process of rehabilitating this site. Expect some updates soon(ish) that will include:
*working links on each song's page
*links to youtube video of the 52 cd release party
*a brief summary of said party
*images of the finished cd and its packaging
See you in a bit!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Electronic Show - February 20th
EDIT: Troy Chenier has been added to the bill! That's 6 acts for the price of - cat food, if you want!
The date is Saturday, February 20th. It's at Sunstar Lounge. It's an electronic music showcase. We'll say the show itself starts at 9, but the music starts at 10. And I'm more than excited to announce the following acts:
Dok Rogers - will be bringin' the noise with his first live appearance. I have yet to confirm if he will be bringing the shiznit as well, but chances of the shiznit being brought are very good.
Cryptowen - ambient electronic. This will be one of his first live appearances, as well. Kinda like ambient Aphex Twin, but without the microphone in the blender.
Troy Chenier - The weird guy. This man's music makes you feel smart, funky and dangerous.
Dan Chamberlain (the purple cool aid incident) - He says: "Experimental. Psychedelic. Electronic." I says: His microphone has spikes all over it. That really fits his music really well :)
Christian LeBlanc (I could link to my blog, but you're already here!) - I'll be performing somewhat mixed, mashed and expanded sets of some of the better songs I've recorded this year. I want to make you sad and whistful for like a second every so often, and then dance it off. That's the plan right now.
The Trick - Fredericton synth rock/pop that rewards you for 'listening local.' I don't even care how badly he'll outperform me, I'm that happy to be seeing him play again!
So there's your lineup, and I think you understand now why you have to attend. What do you need to get in? It's looking like you should either bring $5 with you, or, instead, just some pet food for us to pass on to the animals at the Saint John Animal Rescue League. U-decide!
Keep watching this space!
The date is Saturday, February 20th. It's at Sunstar Lounge. It's an electronic music showcase. We'll say the show itself starts at 9, but the music starts at 10. And I'm more than excited to announce the following acts:
Dok Rogers - will be bringin' the noise with his first live appearance. I have yet to confirm if he will be bringing the shiznit as well, but chances of the shiznit being brought are very good.
Cryptowen - ambient electronic. This will be one of his first live appearances, as well. Kinda like ambient Aphex Twin, but without the microphone in the blender.
Troy Chenier - The weird guy. This man's music makes you feel smart, funky and dangerous.
Dan Chamberlain (the purple cool aid incident) - He says: "Experimental. Psychedelic. Electronic." I says: His microphone has spikes all over it. That really fits his music really well :)
Christian LeBlanc (I could link to my blog, but you're already here!) - I'll be performing somewhat mixed, mashed and expanded sets of some of the better songs I've recorded this year. I want to make you sad and whistful for like a second every so often, and then dance it off. That's the plan right now.
The Trick - Fredericton synth rock/pop that rewards you for 'listening local.' I don't even care how badly he'll outperform me, I'm that happy to be seeing him play again!
So there's your lineup, and I think you understand now why you have to attend. What do you need to get in? It's looking like you should either bring $5 with you, or, instead, just some pet food for us to pass on to the animals at the Saint John Animal Rescue League. U-decide!
Keep watching this space!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Pre-orders
Red means reserved, green means available
Remember that cd's are only $5.20 (plus shipping if you're outside of Saint John, NB), and the entire $5.20 will be given to the Saint John Animal Rescue League.
Release date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The Next Step
As the project was drawing to a close and I had more and more songs to work with, I toyed with the idea of producing a cd and playing in a show to promote it. Then I chickened out. Then I thought about giving all proceeds (not just net profit) to a local charity. Then I chickened out again. Then I told the fine folks at the middle audio forums my plans; a little bit of encouragement goes a long way, and here we are!
Above, you can see that I'm showing off some preliminary album artwork by Lisa Freeze. Because I think it's awesome. Saturday, February 20th - 52 days from this, New Year's Eve 2009 - will mark the release of a cd with all 52 tracks on it. Here are some reasons to buy it, even if you've already heard every song on the site here:
- It will only cost you $5.20 - that's only 10 cents a song! (In today's downloady age, if you're willing to pay $1 for a song that you like, and there's 52 songs on this cd, the odds are in your favour of getting yourself a bargain!)
- the entire $5.20 of your money will be donated to the Saint John Animal Rescue League. Any supplies and materials to make the cd, come out of my own pocket.
- There will be a new track order, to capitalize on the strengths and weaknesses of certain songs (they'll still be named so that you can rearrange and play them in chronological order, if you're into that).
- a few tracks will be cleaned up (as much as I want to leave all my mistakes in, there are a few tracks that have static going through them that shouldn't; the only reason it's in there at all was because I didn't find the master faders in my software until late in the project...if it's such a quick and simple fix, I feel like I can get away with it).
- in addition to the hand-made packaging, your cd will be one in a limited run of only 52; I'll be displaying a checklist of numbers that have already been claimed by people. Email me in advance (chrisleblanc79 at gmail) if you'd like to claim one for February 20th! To help promote the cd and get the word out there (because I seriously don't want to be left with a pile of 40 or 50 cds burning a hole in my self-esteem!), Dan Chamberlain is helping me to set up a show at Sunstar Lounge, Saturday night, February 20th. I'll be providing more details as they become finalized, but it's shaping up to look like a solo electronic showcase, if that's something that interests you! And if it doesn't: c'mon out anyway. C'mon, it'll be fun!
Anyway: keep watching this space for more details as they become available. I also still plan on posting a few articles here about what I thought of the project, some thanks, and some spotlights on other people out there that have done the '52' thing before.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
52
52:52 by ChristianLeBlanc
I may have had better songs, but I've never had a 52nd song of the year before. So that has to count for something :)
As promised a few weeks ago, I tried getting drunk and doing this song all in one session. Didn't quite work out as planned; I did get slightly buzzed on absinthe one night, with the lights off and a full moon reflecting off the freshly-fallen snow on the trees outside. This produced the jangly guitar line and half the lyrics. I had some more absinthe and finished it off tonight, but I didn't really get drunk either night, so nothing all that weird.
Thanks, reflections, and a spotlight on other '52' artists to come, along with rumours of a cd and a show a little later! Stay tuned!
"This is my last song
So I don't want to get this wrong
You must know how I feel
By now
A fracture and a bond
I suspected all along
Nobody's wrong
But me
Can someone draw this picture
Of daylight on the trees
'cus this is what you mean to me
One last chance to say I love you
So let me get this right
You're the fire in my cold winter night
It's only my last song
This year"
I may have had better songs, but I've never had a 52nd song of the year before. So that has to count for something :)
As promised a few weeks ago, I tried getting drunk and doing this song all in one session. Didn't quite work out as planned; I did get slightly buzzed on absinthe one night, with the lights off and a full moon reflecting off the freshly-fallen snow on the trees outside. This produced the jangly guitar line and half the lyrics. I had some more absinthe and finished it off tonight, but I didn't really get drunk either night, so nothing all that weird.
Thanks, reflections, and a spotlight on other '52' artists to come, along with rumours of a cd and a show a little later! Stay tuned!
"This is my last song
So I don't want to get this wrong
You must know how I feel
By now
A fracture and a bond
I suspected all along
Nobody's wrong
But me
Can someone draw this picture
Of daylight on the trees
'cus this is what you mean to me
One last chance to say I love you
So let me get this right
You're the fire in my cold winter night
It's only my last song
This year"
Saturday, December 19, 2009
51
52:51 by ChristianLeBlanc
Here it is, part 3 of my little 'trifecta.' As you can see, all I did was mix elements of songs 49 and 50 together to make 51. The impetus for doing this was to give myself a little bit of a break near the holidays, but I think I ended up with one of my stronger-sounding tracks. I don't necessarily love the tune itself all that much, but I believe the song sounds a lot 'stronger' than previous efforts - that is, there's just a lot more going on, and in different places, which is what I'd like to be able to write more of.
So when I started writing 49, I also recorded some of the synth lines from 50, kind of working ahead on 51, but then I muted all the electronic tracks and just finished making a straight-ahead guitar tune for 49. For 50, I just muted the guitar tracks, and added more electronic parts to what I already had to make a new song. 51 took the original song I started working on for 49, and then added all the embellishments that I made coming up with 49 and 50. I may just have to try this technique again in the future :)
"That was a darker time, up until I met you
(Where did I go on a wind that won't blow)
Robotic response in kind, warmer than a virtue
(And it's starting to show, fly as high as a crow)
These simple words at night, helping you to pull through
(I'm not on my own, temperature flow)
Artificial as a satellite, no less of a world view
(Now it's starting to snow, barometer's low)
That was a darker time, up until I met you
(In those darker times)
Robotic response in kind, warmer than a virtue
(Your words felt so kind)
These simple words at night, helping you to pull through
(Helped me sleep at night)
Artificial as a satellite, no less of a world view
(In my old satellite)
Where did I go
Where did I go
Where did I go
Where did I go
Here it is, part 3 of my little 'trifecta.' As you can see, all I did was mix elements of songs 49 and 50 together to make 51. The impetus for doing this was to give myself a little bit of a break near the holidays, but I think I ended up with one of my stronger-sounding tracks. I don't necessarily love the tune itself all that much, but I believe the song sounds a lot 'stronger' than previous efforts - that is, there's just a lot more going on, and in different places, which is what I'd like to be able to write more of.
So when I started writing 49, I also recorded some of the synth lines from 50, kind of working ahead on 51, but then I muted all the electronic tracks and just finished making a straight-ahead guitar tune for 49. For 50, I just muted the guitar tracks, and added more electronic parts to what I already had to make a new song. 51 took the original song I started working on for 49, and then added all the embellishments that I made coming up with 49 and 50. I may just have to try this technique again in the future :)
"That was a darker time, up until I met you
(Where did I go on a wind that won't blow)
Robotic response in kind, warmer than a virtue
(And it's starting to show, fly as high as a crow)
These simple words at night, helping you to pull through
(I'm not on my own, temperature flow)
Artificial as a satellite, no less of a world view
(Now it's starting to snow, barometer's low)
That was a darker time, up until I met you
(In those darker times)
Robotic response in kind, warmer than a virtue
(Your words felt so kind)
These simple words at night, helping you to pull through
(Helped me sleep at night)
Artificial as a satellite, no less of a world view
(In my old satellite)
Where did I go
Where did I go
Where did I go
Where did I go
Saturday, December 12, 2009
50
52:50 by ChristianLeBlanc
Drums from the Triton, everything else from the Moog.
Part 2 of a 3-part cycle of songs (49-51).
"Where did I go
Temperature flow
Barometer's low
Now it's starting to snow
Fly as high as a crow
On a wind that won't blow
I'm not on my own
And it's starting to show
In those darker times
In my old satellite
Your words felt so kind
Helped me sleep at night"
Drums from the Triton, everything else from the Moog.
Part 2 of a 3-part cycle of songs (49-51).
"Where did I go
Temperature flow
Barometer's low
Now it's starting to snow
Fly as high as a crow
On a wind that won't blow
I'm not on my own
And it's starting to show
In those darker times
In my old satellite
Your words felt so kind
Helped me sleep at night"
Saturday, December 5, 2009
49
52:49 by ChristianLeBlanc
As promised, Jill helped me with some of the music on this one (thank you Jill!). This is also part one of a three-part cycle.
Overall, this song sounds really far away and underwater - which wasn't intentional, and doesn't sound good to me. Methinks I had too many delay, reverb etc. effects, which makes things sound further away. I have a harder time mixing strictly guitar sounds (of which there are three on this one: ebow, chords, and plucking, not to mention a bass guitar), which is why last week's song sounds so much better (no guitar in it at all, save for the bass). I can start to understand why guitar people spend so much time on their tone, now :)
"That was a darker time
Up until I met you
Robotic response in kind
Warmer than a virtue
These simple words at night
Helping you to pull through
Artificial as a satellite
No less of a world view"
As promised, Jill helped me with some of the music on this one (thank you Jill!). This is also part one of a three-part cycle.
Overall, this song sounds really far away and underwater - which wasn't intentional, and doesn't sound good to me. Methinks I had too many delay, reverb etc. effects, which makes things sound further away. I have a harder time mixing strictly guitar sounds (of which there are three on this one: ebow, chords, and plucking, not to mention a bass guitar), which is why last week's song sounds so much better (no guitar in it at all, save for the bass). I can start to understand why guitar people spend so much time on their tone, now :)
"That was a darker time
Up until I met you
Robotic response in kind
Warmer than a virtue
These simple words at night
Helping you to pull through
Artificial as a satellite
No less of a world view"
Saturday, November 28, 2009
48
52:48 by ChristianLeBlanc
Two different bass lines, a few lines on the Triton (including drums), and I decided to keep my demo vocals recorded earlier in the week instead of re-recording them.
As I approach the end of this project, it strikes me just how much effort I've been putting into these songs, and how glad I'll be to have the free time back. Between work, CGA courses, and a song a week, I can tell you that I really need a break (almost any vacation I've taken in the last two years has been to ramp up my studying for CGA courses, and most of my work on this project takes place over the weekend - specifically, late Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday morning. So, weekends haven't exactly been all that relaxing for me, either).
With that in mind, I'm going to try to make the last four songs of the project as easy on myself as I can. Jill's going to help me with 49-51, and I have the general notion that I want them all to be connected somehow. Whether I pull that off or not will remain to be seen.
52 itself will be a lot of fun - to celebrate the completion of the project, I plan to drink heavily and do the song in one session, and just see what kind of mess I come up with. Since one of the goals of this project has been to experiment, I see this as valid! ;)
"There's noone around me so
It leaves me free
To build this busstop, yeah
Where I will meet you there
Travelling
To far-off places
I'm already starting to
Lose my nerve
So I'll work quickly, yeah
Lay the foundations down
Put a cover on
My three-sided structure"
Two different bass lines, a few lines on the Triton (including drums), and I decided to keep my demo vocals recorded earlier in the week instead of re-recording them.
As I approach the end of this project, it strikes me just how much effort I've been putting into these songs, and how glad I'll be to have the free time back. Between work, CGA courses, and a song a week, I can tell you that I really need a break (almost any vacation I've taken in the last two years has been to ramp up my studying for CGA courses, and most of my work on this project takes place over the weekend - specifically, late Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday morning. So, weekends haven't exactly been all that relaxing for me, either).
With that in mind, I'm going to try to make the last four songs of the project as easy on myself as I can. Jill's going to help me with 49-51, and I have the general notion that I want them all to be connected somehow. Whether I pull that off or not will remain to be seen.
52 itself will be a lot of fun - to celebrate the completion of the project, I plan to drink heavily and do the song in one session, and just see what kind of mess I come up with. Since one of the goals of this project has been to experiment, I see this as valid! ;)
"There's noone around me so
It leaves me free
To build this busstop, yeah
Where I will meet you there
Travelling
To far-off places
I'm already starting to
Lose my nerve
So I'll work quickly, yeah
Lay the foundations down
Put a cover on
My three-sided structure"
Saturday, November 21, 2009
47
52:47 by ChristianLeBlanc
The Triton rises again!
Motives this week:
- work a little more dry
- get it done quick. Exam in 9 days (!!!)
Consciously went with one vocal pass instead of doubling, in an effort to force a better vocal performance. Great for recording 'good' versions of songs, but takes forever just for making a demo. Unless you're a good singer.
(crickets chirp) :)
Anyway: I wrote these lyrics for a reason, which you will hopefully see in a couple of weeks. It was interesting writing with a goal in mind; I really enjoy limiting myself to spark creativity. With no limits, it's easy to get lost sometimes.
EDIT: Here's the reason I wrote these lyrics the way I did: a light-painting video!
Also worth mentioning! My original vision for this week was a slow, sensitive acoustic guitar song with some glockenspiel. I enjoy letting something change direction, if it wants to.
"I had a flashlight in my room
It lent wonder and warmth and it dispelled the gloom
I fell asleep with it on all night
So in the morning it would not light
Your eyes used to shine with that very same light
They gave colour and fear and a secret delight
But the power expired through a force I can't see
Now your eyes, they still shine, but they won't glow for me"
The Triton rises again!
Motives this week:
- work a little more dry
- get it done quick. Exam in 9 days (!!!)
Consciously went with one vocal pass instead of doubling, in an effort to force a better vocal performance. Great for recording 'good' versions of songs, but takes forever just for making a demo. Unless you're a good singer.
(crickets chirp) :)
Anyway: I wrote these lyrics for a reason, which you will hopefully see in a couple of weeks. It was interesting writing with a goal in mind; I really enjoy limiting myself to spark creativity. With no limits, it's easy to get lost sometimes.
EDIT: Here's the reason I wrote these lyrics the way I did: a light-painting video!
Also worth mentioning! My original vision for this week was a slow, sensitive acoustic guitar song with some glockenspiel. I enjoy letting something change direction, if it wants to.
"I had a flashlight in my room
It lent wonder and warmth and it dispelled the gloom
I fell asleep with it on all night
So in the morning it would not light
Your eyes used to shine with that very same light
They gave colour and fear and a secret delight
But the power expired through a force I can't see
Now your eyes, they still shine, but they won't glow for me"
Saturday, November 14, 2009
46
52:46 by ChristianLeBlanc
While not my favourite tune of the project, and there's still plenty of room for improvement, I think that this week's song represents a lot of growth for me. I have the lovely folks from the Middle Audio forums to thank for their comments and suggestions for things to try this week...these people are something akin to mystics when it comes to critically listening to music. They can divine quite a lot by communing with a piece of sound, and I'm grateful (and humbled!) that they would answer my call for help.
My focus this week wasn't so much on the tuneage, or even song structure (you'll notice it's a very simple, two-chord song); I more had things like dynamics, compression and eq in mind.
First of all, vocals: I tried standing up and givin'r (2nd part of the song), instead of sleepily sitting and singing (1st part). I recorded two takes, and panned both square in the middle (usually I pan about halfway left and halfway right, close to where the guitars are sitting at hard left and right). I also compressed the vocals harder than usual to try and get them to stand out better.
Dynamically, I was made aware of how 'loud' the last few tracks were. I peeled off some higher frequencies on the guitars, which I think helped. What also helped was finally finding the 'master mixer' panel in Cubase (face palm!), where I noticed the audio levels for the song happily going into the red. I dialed it down (a lot) and exported it into Cool Edit, where I could tell just by looking at the wav form that things would sound better this week (jagged, as opposed to friggin' SQUARE).
I normally have trouble hearing the bass guitar when I use it, so my bass hasn't made many appearances in this project. I was feeling pretty confident this week so I brought it in, and actually used my low B string just so I could try hearing the low, low frequencies. They're too loud in the first part, but sound a little better in the second.
In other news: bought a small, indoor faux-rock water fountain for a certain kitty this week who won't drink out of her water dish.
(photo by C.S. Graves)
"What I wanted was not you
If you would be honest you'd see it too
This awful revelation is not that bad
There's a harmonic resonation that drives the past
There's no more room for our pictures on your shelf
I don't have you but I have myself
I used to have some good friends - I'll reconnect
They can help me make it through what must come next"
While not my favourite tune of the project, and there's still plenty of room for improvement, I think that this week's song represents a lot of growth for me. I have the lovely folks from the Middle Audio forums to thank for their comments and suggestions for things to try this week...these people are something akin to mystics when it comes to critically listening to music. They can divine quite a lot by communing with a piece of sound, and I'm grateful (and humbled!) that they would answer my call for help.
My focus this week wasn't so much on the tuneage, or even song structure (you'll notice it's a very simple, two-chord song); I more had things like dynamics, compression and eq in mind.
First of all, vocals: I tried standing up and givin'r (2nd part of the song), instead of sleepily sitting and singing (1st part). I recorded two takes, and panned both square in the middle (usually I pan about halfway left and halfway right, close to where the guitars are sitting at hard left and right). I also compressed the vocals harder than usual to try and get them to stand out better.
Dynamically, I was made aware of how 'loud' the last few tracks were. I peeled off some higher frequencies on the guitars, which I think helped. What also helped was finally finding the 'master mixer' panel in Cubase (face palm!), where I noticed the audio levels for the song happily going into the red. I dialed it down (a lot) and exported it into Cool Edit, where I could tell just by looking at the wav form that things would sound better this week (jagged, as opposed to friggin' SQUARE).
I normally have trouble hearing the bass guitar when I use it, so my bass hasn't made many appearances in this project. I was feeling pretty confident this week so I brought it in, and actually used my low B string just so I could try hearing the low, low frequencies. They're too loud in the first part, but sound a little better in the second.
In other news: bought a small, indoor faux-rock water fountain for a certain kitty this week who won't drink out of her water dish.
"What I wanted was not you
If you would be honest you'd see it too
This awful revelation is not that bad
There's a harmonic resonation that drives the past
There's no more room for our pictures on your shelf
I don't have you but I have myself
I used to have some good friends - I'll reconnect
They can help me make it through what must come next"
Saturday, November 7, 2009
45
52:45 by ChristianLeBlanc
There's a lump in your throat 'cause you're singing so foolish.
There. I said it.
This week's song: trying out new things, for me; the only other time I tried singing like this was for my metal sendup; I don't have satire to hide behind this time (although I'll understand if you disagree with that!).
I also finally found my ebow, and used it in two ways: as a pad, and as arpeggios, quickly moving vertically up and down the strings (you can particularly hear these near the end of the song).
Way too many different elements competing to be heard in this song, but I think I can at least say that I probably did a better job mixing than I would have if I tried this even 10 weeks ago. So that's something to be said, at least.
"This isn't working out like I hoped
Nobody laughed and nobody spoke
There was no fire, there was no smoke
File another night away
Quietly feeling out of place
What I fear has taken hold
Another evening wearing out the cold
If something warm would touch me
Perhaps I'd find it easier to breathe
I'll say it again
This isn't working out like I hoped
Nobody laughed and nobody spoke
There was no fire, there was no smoke
Tell me why is there a lump in my goddamned throat"
There's a lump in your throat 'cause you're singing so foolish.
There. I said it.
This week's song: trying out new things, for me; the only other time I tried singing like this was for my metal sendup; I don't have satire to hide behind this time (although I'll understand if you disagree with that!).
I also finally found my ebow, and used it in two ways: as a pad, and as arpeggios, quickly moving vertically up and down the strings (you can particularly hear these near the end of the song).
Way too many different elements competing to be heard in this song, but I think I can at least say that I probably did a better job mixing than I would have if I tried this even 10 weeks ago. So that's something to be said, at least.
"This isn't working out like I hoped
Nobody laughed and nobody spoke
There was no fire, there was no smoke
File another night away
Quietly feeling out of place
What I fear has taken hold
Another evening wearing out the cold
If something warm would touch me
Perhaps I'd find it easier to breathe
I'll say it again
This isn't working out like I hoped
Nobody laughed and nobody spoke
There was no fire, there was no smoke
Tell me why is there a lump in my goddamned throat"
Friday, October 30, 2009
44
52:44 by ChristianLeBlanc
I usually have no trouble coming up with melodies for songs; this week, I just let myself go crazy coming up with new lines, to the point where I already had more than enough but just kept adding more and more. The Moog solo at the end is one of my favourite lines I've written (although that could change by tomorrow morning, who knows).
My problem with this song: it still follows my old habit of just writing a chorus, and extending it into a full song. Yes, you can tell there are different sections to this tune, but I'd still like to write sections that are a little more distinct from each other. Although I wonder - if I put more time into the drums, would I have the same complaint? What do you think?
Guitars are either too loud for the rest of the track, or need the high end rolled off. I had already put too much time into it to mess around much further.
The last two lines of lyrics: pun fully intended, I think I was digging around too much for an important-sounding metaphor. In my opinion, I came up short, although with the background vocals, I feel as though there's enough there that the music helps make the words seem more significant than they actually are.
Despite the impression I'm giving, I'm actually quite pleased with how this one turned out!
"And I know things have to change
And I know things have to end
Why can't it be the rain that disappears?
Why does it have to mean we can't still be friends?
I think I have to really push this time
'Cuz if I don't, I'm pulled in again
When the ground's full of so much rain
We must allow for saturated clay"
I usually have no trouble coming up with melodies for songs; this week, I just let myself go crazy coming up with new lines, to the point where I already had more than enough but just kept adding more and more. The Moog solo at the end is one of my favourite lines I've written (although that could change by tomorrow morning, who knows).
My problem with this song: it still follows my old habit of just writing a chorus, and extending it into a full song. Yes, you can tell there are different sections to this tune, but I'd still like to write sections that are a little more distinct from each other. Although I wonder - if I put more time into the drums, would I have the same complaint? What do you think?
Guitars are either too loud for the rest of the track, or need the high end rolled off. I had already put too much time into it to mess around much further.
The last two lines of lyrics: pun fully intended, I think I was digging around too much for an important-sounding metaphor. In my opinion, I came up short, although with the background vocals, I feel as though there's enough there that the music helps make the words seem more significant than they actually are.
Despite the impression I'm giving, I'm actually quite pleased with how this one turned out!
"And I know things have to change
And I know things have to end
Why can't it be the rain that disappears?
Why does it have to mean we can't still be friends?
I think I have to really push this time
'Cuz if I don't, I'm pulled in again
When the ground's full of so much rain
We must allow for saturated clay"
Saturday, October 24, 2009
43
52:43 by ChristianLeBlanc
It's getting pretty close to Halloween, and I felt like youtubing Mad Monster Party, a children's stop-motion special made decades ago that I've heard lots of good things about, just to preview it a bit to see if I wanted to spend $10 and get it on dvd.
The very first comment on the video that I read started talking about "the idiot liberal agenda that says such characters are too violent" for kids today to be familiar with, suggesting that children today would be unfamiliar with such mainstays as The Mummy, Dracula, the Wolfman, etc.
People today are way too willing to fight. News media sources play a huge role in this; people like Glenn Beck exist strictly to piss people off. Because when people are happy, they don't say much. When people have an axe to grind - especially in today's internet age where everyone has a loud, anonymous voice - they talk about it: at work, at school, on message boards, and, yes, even in the comments section of clips from children's videos.
So as I say, the media has figured out that the easiest way to get people talking is to piss them off. Hopefully, all this talk takes place on said media's message boards, or the media source is mentioned during these angry conversations. Links are freely passed back and forth and advertised, so everyone else can read the article that got their friend so angry. The media gets ratings, page hits, etc, all good things they can show their advertisers.
The huge drawback to all this, of course, is that people are so riled up by this 'us vs. them' (left vs. right) dynamic that the media promotes, that noone is willing to work together towards the greater good. Noone is willing to compromise, or relent their position.
A common right-wing complaint is that the left has become far more intolerant of the ideas of the right, than the right is of the left. I can understand. Let's say someone tells you that segregation could maybe use another try; hopefully, that idea is offensive to you, and you would be intolerant of it. I think that's a natural reaction, and I think that's what's behind a lot of indignant reaction from any angry lefties.
The thing is, is that the right is not necessarily the bogeyman that wants segregation, racism, intolerance etc.
Take the issue of gay marriage, for example. The common generalization is that lefties are for it, righties are against it. Both sides feel quite strongly that their position is the right one. It doesn't take very much for a shouting match to happen over the issue.
The thing is, is that if people would stop yelling long enough, they might find that their positions on the issue are startlingly close. The problem that some people have is the idea of the government forcing churches to go against their beliefs and perform ceremonies they don't believe in. Seen from this angle, many lefties and righties could compromise, say, and only have gay marriages performed outside of the church, as well as by churches who are ok with it.
Obviously, this is an oversimplification of things. Still, hopefully it illustrates what I mean, and shows the idea that there are many other contentious issues that have a lot of potential middle ground.
Vegetarianism is another such issue, in my opinion. For something so simple as what a person decides to have for supper - a decision which affects only themselves - there has been a tremendous amount of anger, hatred, bad feelings and circular arguments generated out there. I find it extremely difficult to find a neutral voice on the internet about it; as a friend of mine put it recently, either you burn in hell for eating meat, or you're crazy for not eating it.
Now, as for my stance: I believe very strongly in not eating meat, that the nutrition I lose can be made up by eating a variety of certain foods, and that, simply put, if I can have a meal without something having to have died for it, then I'll have that meal. No big deal. However, screaming my righteous beliefs isn't going to change anyone's mind about it. And telling people who are curious about it propaganda-style exaggerations about how easy it is to start, also doesn't help (this is partly why I only lasted 6 months with it the first time I tried it out). Having a rational conversation about it, just might change an opinion. One patch of middle ground out there that's a good starting point for rational, non-accusatory discussion: free-range, as opposed to factory, farming.
Lately, whenever I see Stephen Harper's name brought up anywhere, there's such an immediate hostile and mean-spirited reaction from the left that it just makes me cringe. This is the same man who, I could be wrong about, was the first prime minister in Canada to finally issue an apology to Canada's First Nations: Click here
This actually details a little more reaction on the apology, and shows a touch of suspicion towards Harper still, just in case I'm appearing too biased here :)
At any rate, no matter the justification, I've never seen fighting and shouting change the way anyone thinks. And that long-winded, full-of-holes nonsense up there is what this week's lyrics (a mere 5 lines) are about :)
I am no kind of expert on politics, and am woefully underqualified to even write the above blog entry. I do feel, however, that we could get a lot further as a country if we could stop yelling at each other so much, and start working together. The current state of the two-party system seems like a tug-of-war, not the well-implemented three-legged race that it should be :)
If any of the above pisses you off: I'd like to think I'm still too young to get in real-life arguments over politics. And I don't think there's anything too outrageous in the basic message I'm trying to promote:
Don't be a dick.
Ok, so music this week: not my best Dave Gahan impression, but that's still what I was going for. Also trying out tremolo picking (finger, I don't use picks) and hammer-ons. Whee. 9 more songs to go!!!!!!!!!
"We're opposition only in name
What we both want is roughly the same
So hold on tonight
Hold on tonight
We've been your enemy since you were a youth
We've pissed you off so long that you won't listen to truth
But hold on tonight
Hold on tonight"
It's getting pretty close to Halloween, and I felt like youtubing Mad Monster Party, a children's stop-motion special made decades ago that I've heard lots of good things about, just to preview it a bit to see if I wanted to spend $10 and get it on dvd.
The very first comment on the video that I read started talking about "the idiot liberal agenda that says such characters are too violent" for kids today to be familiar with, suggesting that children today would be unfamiliar with such mainstays as The Mummy, Dracula, the Wolfman, etc.
People today are way too willing to fight. News media sources play a huge role in this; people like Glenn Beck exist strictly to piss people off. Because when people are happy, they don't say much. When people have an axe to grind - especially in today's internet age where everyone has a loud, anonymous voice - they talk about it: at work, at school, on message boards, and, yes, even in the comments section of clips from children's videos.
So as I say, the media has figured out that the easiest way to get people talking is to piss them off. Hopefully, all this talk takes place on said media's message boards, or the media source is mentioned during these angry conversations. Links are freely passed back and forth and advertised, so everyone else can read the article that got their friend so angry. The media gets ratings, page hits, etc, all good things they can show their advertisers.
The huge drawback to all this, of course, is that people are so riled up by this 'us vs. them' (left vs. right) dynamic that the media promotes, that noone is willing to work together towards the greater good. Noone is willing to compromise, or relent their position.
A common right-wing complaint is that the left has become far more intolerant of the ideas of the right, than the right is of the left. I can understand. Let's say someone tells you that segregation could maybe use another try; hopefully, that idea is offensive to you, and you would be intolerant of it. I think that's a natural reaction, and I think that's what's behind a lot of indignant reaction from any angry lefties.
The thing is, is that the right is not necessarily the bogeyman that wants segregation, racism, intolerance etc.
Take the issue of gay marriage, for example. The common generalization is that lefties are for it, righties are against it. Both sides feel quite strongly that their position is the right one. It doesn't take very much for a shouting match to happen over the issue.
The thing is, is that if people would stop yelling long enough, they might find that their positions on the issue are startlingly close. The problem that some people have is the idea of the government forcing churches to go against their beliefs and perform ceremonies they don't believe in. Seen from this angle, many lefties and righties could compromise, say, and only have gay marriages performed outside of the church, as well as by churches who are ok with it.
Obviously, this is an oversimplification of things. Still, hopefully it illustrates what I mean, and shows the idea that there are many other contentious issues that have a lot of potential middle ground.
Vegetarianism is another such issue, in my opinion. For something so simple as what a person decides to have for supper - a decision which affects only themselves - there has been a tremendous amount of anger, hatred, bad feelings and circular arguments generated out there. I find it extremely difficult to find a neutral voice on the internet about it; as a friend of mine put it recently, either you burn in hell for eating meat, or you're crazy for not eating it.
Now, as for my stance: I believe very strongly in not eating meat, that the nutrition I lose can be made up by eating a variety of certain foods, and that, simply put, if I can have a meal without something having to have died for it, then I'll have that meal. No big deal. However, screaming my righteous beliefs isn't going to change anyone's mind about it. And telling people who are curious about it propaganda-style exaggerations about how easy it is to start, also doesn't help (this is partly why I only lasted 6 months with it the first time I tried it out). Having a rational conversation about it, just might change an opinion. One patch of middle ground out there that's a good starting point for rational, non-accusatory discussion: free-range, as opposed to factory, farming.
Lately, whenever I see Stephen Harper's name brought up anywhere, there's such an immediate hostile and mean-spirited reaction from the left that it just makes me cringe. This is the same man who, I could be wrong about, was the first prime minister in Canada to finally issue an apology to Canada's First Nations: Click here
This actually details a little more reaction on the apology, and shows a touch of suspicion towards Harper still, just in case I'm appearing too biased here :)
At any rate, no matter the justification, I've never seen fighting and shouting change the way anyone thinks. And that long-winded, full-of-holes nonsense up there is what this week's lyrics (a mere 5 lines) are about :)
I am no kind of expert on politics, and am woefully underqualified to even write the above blog entry. I do feel, however, that we could get a lot further as a country if we could stop yelling at each other so much, and start working together. The current state of the two-party system seems like a tug-of-war, not the well-implemented three-legged race that it should be :)
If any of the above pisses you off: I'd like to think I'm still too young to get in real-life arguments over politics. And I don't think there's anything too outrageous in the basic message I'm trying to promote:
Don't be a dick.
Ok, so music this week: not my best Dave Gahan impression, but that's still what I was going for. Also trying out tremolo picking (finger, I don't use picks) and hammer-ons. Whee. 9 more songs to go!!!!!!!!!
"We're opposition only in name
What we both want is roughly the same
So hold on tonight
Hold on tonight
We've been your enemy since you were a youth
We've pissed you off so long that you won't listen to truth
But hold on tonight
Hold on tonight"
Saturday, October 17, 2009
42
52:42 by ChristianLeBlanc
I meant to start writing this week's song using the guitar, like I did for last week's song. However, I got my third keyboard stand back from some friends this week, who I wish the best of luck to in Toronto and in the future, as they're some of the most talented and creative (and plain friggin' nice!) people I've had the good fortune to play with. iSonic FTW!!!
Anyway, this all meant I could set up my Roland EG-101, which has a really fun arpeggiator on it. I think you can see where this went from there (you still don't hear the Roland this week, as I simply programmed the arpeggio pattern it helped me come up with into the QY-70, and then had that play the Moog for me).
I kept discovering fun noises on the Moog during the recording process, which is all that garble you hear at the start and end of the song.
"I lie awake at night
Remembering such good times
I'm planning more to come
Hope I don't fuck things up
The red is all I know
Once more you overflow
I like the way you fight
Teach me your moves so bright"
I meant to start writing this week's song using the guitar, like I did for last week's song. However, I got my third keyboard stand back from some friends this week, who I wish the best of luck to in Toronto and in the future, as they're some of the most talented and creative (and plain friggin' nice!) people I've had the good fortune to play with. iSonic FTW!!!
Anyway, this all meant I could set up my Roland EG-101, which has a really fun arpeggiator on it. I think you can see where this went from there (you still don't hear the Roland this week, as I simply programmed the arpeggio pattern it helped me come up with into the QY-70, and then had that play the Moog for me).
I kept discovering fun noises on the Moog during the recording process, which is all that garble you hear at the start and end of the song.
"I lie awake at night
Remembering such good times
I'm planning more to come
Hope I don't fuck things up
The red is all I know
Once more you overflow
I like the way you fight
Teach me your moves so bright"
Sunday, October 11, 2009
41
52:41 by ChristianLeBlanc
Click here for "41(synth)"
With proper production, I really believe this could be a good song! As it is, I'd like to think that it at least hints at its potential :)
The main motivation this week was to do something along the lines of Silversun Pickups and their 90's-revival loud/quiet/loud formula. Sure it's cliche, but, so is everything else I write; looked at in this way, this is a serious step up for me in terms of writing! I'd like to try more songs like this; it just feels a lot less flat than most of my other tunes.
What I still need to work on: creating different lines for different parts of the song. Despite the differences in volume, this one is still basically the same lines over and over again.
What the hell is going on with my voice this week? Well, since I was attempting to rip off Silversun Pickups so closely, I figured I might as well try ripping off their vocal style, too! I like the results, but I sure understand if noone else does :) (I even do a good scream like them, but it was pretty late when I did the vocals, so...bad idea!)
The synth was a last-minute addition, and it made the mix even muddier than the guitar-and-bass-only version, so I count the official '41' to be the one without any Moog on it. The organ-sounding line is repeating the actual bass line, just to try and help it stand out better. The lead synth line was just sooooo much fun to play! I got to use my pitch wheel and my mod wheel!
Lyrically, nothing is going on here, but I like that the music tricks me into thinking they're somehow significant :)
Also this week: zomgNylaissocuteandshessuchasweetkittyilovehersomuchzomg!!!<3<3<3
"We're not falling down
You can push
And you can bite
You can even kill
But we won't fight
In a parking lot
That you forgot
We fucked up a lot
But we won't fight
We're not falling down"
Click here for "41(synth)"
With proper production, I really believe this could be a good song! As it is, I'd like to think that it at least hints at its potential :)
The main motivation this week was to do something along the lines of Silversun Pickups and their 90's-revival loud/quiet/loud formula. Sure it's cliche, but, so is everything else I write; looked at in this way, this is a serious step up for me in terms of writing! I'd like to try more songs like this; it just feels a lot less flat than most of my other tunes.
What I still need to work on: creating different lines for different parts of the song. Despite the differences in volume, this one is still basically the same lines over and over again.
What the hell is going on with my voice this week? Well, since I was attempting to rip off Silversun Pickups so closely, I figured I might as well try ripping off their vocal style, too! I like the results, but I sure understand if noone else does :) (I even do a good scream like them, but it was pretty late when I did the vocals, so...bad idea!)
The synth was a last-minute addition, and it made the mix even muddier than the guitar-and-bass-only version, so I count the official '41' to be the one without any Moog on it. The organ-sounding line is repeating the actual bass line, just to try and help it stand out better. The lead synth line was just sooooo much fun to play! I got to use my pitch wheel and my mod wheel!
Lyrically, nothing is going on here, but I like that the music tricks me into thinking they're somehow significant :)
Also this week: zomgNylaissocuteandshessuchasweetkittyilovehersomuchzomg!!!<3<3<3
"We're not falling down
You can push
And you can bite
You can even kill
But we won't fight
In a parking lot
That you forgot
We fucked up a lot
But we won't fight
We're not falling down"
Saturday, October 3, 2009
40
52:40 by ChristianLeBlanc
Dear heavy metal,
Sorry for writing a song that I know you'll think is making fun of you. It's not. I had the best intentions - write a nice, ballsy metal song. The guitar fell into place easy enough, I thought.
The problem came when I used a preset pattern on the QY-70 as a placer for my rhythm track. All of a sudden, the song became industrial. I'd also been thinking about Trailer Park Boys a lot, especially Ricky always saying he wants to get drunk as fuck. That made me want to call the song "Metal As Fuck."
Things just kind of deteriorated from there.
Sincerely,
-Christian
P.S. Recording notes: I used a bunch of reverb on the guitar to try and thicken it up. Next time I try something like this, I think I'll try something I read about using delay, instead.
I normally would never use a pre-set pattern in any of my songs, but I just got used to how this one sounded. No big deal.
Also worth noting: the ColdPlay slag is fairly obvious, the U2 and Bono ones I maybe have to point out. "Morning comes too soon and from behind" is one of the weirdest double entendres I've ever written. "Fill your mouth with metal" = verrrry greasy!!!
"This handjob is for losers
It's just cold play in your trousers
You too must cast off wankers
And fuck the boner in your tangas
In the night we ride what you've been denied
We're metal as fuck!
Morning comes too soon and from behind
We're metal as fuck!
Cease your rapping, please shut up, my precious petal,
We're metal as fuck!
If you must sing, let's have you fill your mouth with metal
We're metal as fuck!"
Dear heavy metal,
Sorry for writing a song that I know you'll think is making fun of you. It's not. I had the best intentions - write a nice, ballsy metal song. The guitar fell into place easy enough, I thought.
The problem came when I used a preset pattern on the QY-70 as a placer for my rhythm track. All of a sudden, the song became industrial. I'd also been thinking about Trailer Park Boys a lot, especially Ricky always saying he wants to get drunk as fuck. That made me want to call the song "Metal As Fuck."
Things just kind of deteriorated from there.
Sincerely,
-Christian
P.S. Recording notes: I used a bunch of reverb on the guitar to try and thicken it up. Next time I try something like this, I think I'll try something I read about using delay, instead.
I normally would never use a pre-set pattern in any of my songs, but I just got used to how this one sounded. No big deal.
Also worth noting: the ColdPlay slag is fairly obvious, the U2 and Bono ones I maybe have to point out. "Morning comes too soon and from behind" is one of the weirdest double entendres I've ever written. "Fill your mouth with metal" = verrrry greasy!!!
"This handjob is for losers
It's just cold play in your trousers
You too must cast off wankers
And fuck the boner in your tangas
In the night we ride what you've been denied
We're metal as fuck!
Morning comes too soon and from behind
We're metal as fuck!
Cease your rapping, please shut up, my precious petal,
We're metal as fuck!
If you must sing, let's have you fill your mouth with metal
We're metal as fuck!"
Saturday, September 26, 2009
39
52:39 by ChristianLeBlanc
Originally, every melody in this song was on guitar. This meant lots of static when it played back, despite my best efforts at equalization. So, I replaced two lines with my QY-70, sang another line, and left the last one alone. You can still hear some static when the guitar melody plays alongside the guitar chords. Anyone feel like giving me some tips on how to avoid that?
"You've been away now
I've been away too
It always works out
I don't know that's true
If I can't take it
If I can't make it
I'll at least face it
Until it makes sense
Maybe I'll win
And see you again
Or maybe you'll win
And you won't hear from me again"
Update: I made a music video for this song! Simple travel footage, from going to meet the Allreds last week, but at least it sort of commemorates the 3/4 completion point!
Originally, every melody in this song was on guitar. This meant lots of static when it played back, despite my best efforts at equalization. So, I replaced two lines with my QY-70, sang another line, and left the last one alone. You can still hear some static when the guitar melody plays alongside the guitar chords. Anyone feel like giving me some tips on how to avoid that?
"You've been away now
I've been away too
It always works out
I don't know that's true
If I can't take it
If I can't make it
I'll at least face it
Until it makes sense
Maybe I'll win
And see you again
Or maybe you'll win
And you won't hear from me again"
Update: I made a music video for this song! Simple travel footage, from going to meet the Allreds last week, but at least it sort of commemorates the 3/4 completion point!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
38
52:38 by ChristianLeBlanc
Speed record! This one took me half of a lunch hour, and then another half hour later that night.
And it SHOWS! :)
(EDIT: Crom's balls, this one is rank! Sorry project, sorry anyone who listened to this!)
Why the rush? Busy week! Jill and I are going to Montreal this weekend to the Montreal Comic Con to meet my comic book hero, Mike Allred. There's also a CGA assignment due a few days after I get back, so I wanted to get most of that done first. And also also, I was approached about joining a band two weeks ago. One and a half practices later, I joined up and played my first show with them, in Fredericton. So practicing my parts at home was taking up a little time too :)
"This one's a song
That acknowledges how
One day I'll be gone
Bring it on bring it on bring it on
I'm accumulating songs
as fast as these wrongs
like this growth that's on my shoulder
Already feel colder
Like this numbness in my leg
Or click in the joint of my thumb
Each year I grow another ring
Like ripples that go they're going and going
But they don't 'cus they stop
And maybe I just thought
If I could write something strong enough
That I could be remembered by
Some small part of me won't have to die"
Speed record! This one took me half of a lunch hour, and then another half hour later that night.
And it SHOWS! :)
(EDIT: Crom's balls, this one is rank! Sorry project, sorry anyone who listened to this!)
Why the rush? Busy week! Jill and I are going to Montreal this weekend to the Montreal Comic Con to meet my comic book hero, Mike Allred. There's also a CGA assignment due a few days after I get back, so I wanted to get most of that done first. And also also, I was approached about joining a band two weeks ago. One and a half practices later, I joined up and played my first show with them, in Fredericton. So practicing my parts at home was taking up a little time too :)
"This one's a song
That acknowledges how
One day I'll be gone
Bring it on bring it on bring it on
I'm accumulating songs
as fast as these wrongs
like this growth that's on my shoulder
Already feel colder
Like this numbness in my leg
Or click in the joint of my thumb
Each year I grow another ring
Like ripples that go they're going and going
But they don't 'cus they stop
And maybe I just thought
If I could write something strong enough
That I could be remembered by
Some small part of me won't have to die"
Friday, September 11, 2009
37
52:37 by ChristianLeBlanc
I have two favourite poets. One Canadian (actually, he lived a few blocks away from where I grew up), and one American. Alden Nowlan, and then Alden Nowlan's US counterpart (imho), Hayden Carruth (who, I just learned this morning, passed away almost a year ago at age 87. The write-up here serves as a good introduction to him). To be honest, I only have the one book of poetry by him, "Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey" (whose title, I'm happy to say, I tried out one time while celebrating with some friends one morning), but it's one I really enjoy, and for the same reasons I enjoy Alden Nowlan's poems.
Carruth's poem "The Brook" is reproduced here in its entirety; just scroll a little bit down until you see it. In it, he's just describing the sounds of a brook and how he likes how unconnected it is from humanity's touch; the sounds it makes, its meaning (or lack thereof); you can just lose yourself in all of it. I always liked thinking of that poem in terms of experimental electronic music, which I guess fits if you start throwing buzz-words like 'organic' around. Here's pretty much most of the poem right here, from the book "Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey":
"A music extraordinarily variable.
Each passage of water against its stone
sounding a different pitch and rhythm."
"...syllables
of unknown meaning, notes on an
unknown scale..."
"...Without art, the song was perfectly
artistic. The unmeaning music
and the unknowing listener were one
in the loneliness of those distant
late summer nights in Vermont.
Truly the music meant nothing,
no intimation, which was why
I liked it so much, my brook
murmuring all night in the darkness,
and I meant nothing, and I liked that too."
This week's song just happened all in one session, last night. I've been hanging out with too many creative (CREON) people (scroll down to RoB Patey) lately not to do a little experimenting of my own (experimenting, for me, means paths well-trodden by others...an apology that needs only be made for these styles of music, I think).
The wonkiness is from me playing with the sample and hold LFO on my Voyager, and the organ and other melodies are coming from the Triton. I don't usually play chords, but I got some high 7ths and low 5ths going on (...maybe? I think?).
And while this song is quite long in terms of this project, it's still much shorter than it could have been; I could probably just listen to, and tweak, that sample and hold bit for hours. I really liked the randomness of it, which is why I linked to that Hayden Carruth poem above.
As always, comments are welcomed and invited. Is this tune too self-indulgent? Too melodic? Too sloppy? Too unlistenable? Should I have tried going wonkier with it? Or getting jiggy? A beat of some kind? I'm open to anything, here. Let me know!
I have two favourite poets. One Canadian (actually, he lived a few blocks away from where I grew up), and one American. Alden Nowlan, and then Alden Nowlan's US counterpart (imho), Hayden Carruth (who, I just learned this morning, passed away almost a year ago at age 87. The write-up here serves as a good introduction to him). To be honest, I only have the one book of poetry by him, "Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey" (whose title, I'm happy to say, I tried out one time while celebrating with some friends one morning), but it's one I really enjoy, and for the same reasons I enjoy Alden Nowlan's poems.
Carruth's poem "The Brook" is reproduced here in its entirety; just scroll a little bit down until you see it. In it, he's just describing the sounds of a brook and how he likes how unconnected it is from humanity's touch; the sounds it makes, its meaning (or lack thereof); you can just lose yourself in all of it. I always liked thinking of that poem in terms of experimental electronic music, which I guess fits if you start throwing buzz-words like 'organic' around. Here's pretty much most of the poem right here, from the book "Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey":
"A music extraordinarily variable.
Each passage of water against its stone
sounding a different pitch and rhythm."
"...syllables
of unknown meaning, notes on an
unknown scale..."
"...Without art, the song was perfectly
artistic. The unmeaning music
and the unknowing listener were one
in the loneliness of those distant
late summer nights in Vermont.
Truly the music meant nothing,
no intimation, which was why
I liked it so much, my brook
murmuring all night in the darkness,
and I meant nothing, and I liked that too."
This week's song just happened all in one session, last night. I've been hanging out with too many creative (CREON) people (scroll down to RoB Patey) lately not to do a little experimenting of my own (experimenting, for me, means paths well-trodden by others...an apology that needs only be made for these styles of music, I think).
The wonkiness is from me playing with the sample and hold LFO on my Voyager, and the organ and other melodies are coming from the Triton. I don't usually play chords, but I got some high 7ths and low 5ths going on (...maybe? I think?).
And while this song is quite long in terms of this project, it's still much shorter than it could have been; I could probably just listen to, and tweak, that sample and hold bit for hours. I really liked the randomness of it, which is why I linked to that Hayden Carruth poem above.
As always, comments are welcomed and invited. Is this tune too self-indulgent? Too melodic? Too sloppy? Too unlistenable? Should I have tried going wonkier with it? Or getting jiggy? A beat of some kind? I'm open to anything, here. Let me know!
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