The Music of Sir John Reid Hatchporch

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Progress reports on the forthcoming music release from Sir John Reid Hatchporch!

I am currently in the process of planning out a full length album release. This is the spot where I will blab all about it, bore you to death with minute details and generally keep my thoughts organized about what I'm going to do and how I'm going about doing it. Most of all, it will help me kick my own arse. Kudos to those of you who find this even remotely interesting.

GENRE: New Romantic, Synthpop, New Wave.

INSTRUMENTATION: Three generations of vintage Casio keyboards (the most *recent* one is from about 1988), programmed MIDI drumbeats or sampled drumbeats, occasional electric or acoustic guitars. Only drumbeats are programmed. Everything else is played live by me.

INFLUENCES: This list could be endless, but these are the influences I see cropping up in my music the most these days, in rough order of inspiration: Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson, Thomas Dolby, Pulsars, The Cars, Future Bible Heroes, Joe Jackson, The Magnetic Fields, Pet Shop Boys, Human League, New Musik, Devo, Talking Heads, Vince Clarke, Frazier Chorus, Kraftwerk, Art Of Noise, Pete Shelley, Gary Numan, The Buggles, The Rentals, Wall Of Voodoo, XTC, Joy Division.

Hear my music on MySpace.

August 15th, 2007

• Sessions for the new album have finally begun! Please check my MySpace blog for continuous updates.

September 13th, 2005

Many apologies for the *long* silence between updates here. Here's the lowdown:

The synthpop album, "Quarter-Life Crisis," is probably about as finished as it's ever going to be. There were one or two little overdubs that I wanted to do, but since my software went kaput, that's going to be hard to accomplish. It will most likely come out within the next few weeks as-is.
I'll be starting a new album within the next few weeks. A friend of mine has built a miniature studio of sorts in his home, complete with Cubase and a live drumset, so I'll be doing the recording over there. So far, I'm planning on it being the "rock/power pop album," although I'm starting to have some other ideas as well. C.W.E., which I never got to finish for the synthpop album, will most likely go on this new one. It was a little guitar-intensive anyway.
Other songs that I plan on recording:
DISAPPOINTMENTS (written circa 1996)
POUR THE CHOCOLATE (written circa 1996)
PELVIC THRUST (one that's been in the works for a long time but hasn't been finished)
NEW WAVE SONG #1 (that's just the tentative title..not finished yet)
C.W.E. (written and demo'd, I just have to lay it down)
FLIGHT TO THE MOON (instrumental, written in college)
CAN'T SEE YOU (you can hear the demo of this on my MySpace page)
SHE WALKED RIGHT THRU ME (maybe...and I stress that maybe. It's an old rocker of mine that I'm rather fond of, but I dunno...)
And I've been toying with the idea of re-writing an old song of mine called STORM DRAIN. I just like the music a lot.
And of course there will be more compositions...

May 19th, 2005

I owe y'all an update. Unfortunately, it's with semi-bad news. The album is on hold at the moment, due to technical difficulties. NTrack, the program I've been using for years, has suddenly decided to give me trouble...specifically a lag problem with overdubs. I'm currently scurrying around to find a solution, which includes consulting the creator of NTrack and posting on the program site's forum. Hopefully I will get the problem rectified quickly. If not, I'm going to have to decide another plan of action. I only had one song left to record, so the timing of this whole thing is quite unfortunate. In the meantime, I will probably start writing the rest of the songs that will be featured on the "rock album." And if any of you out there have any ideas as to how to rectify this problem, PLEASE email me.

April 18th, 2005

It's been a while. Been busy with other projects (rehearsing for a wedding performance and I got roped into doing some short scenes at a local college) and procrastinating in general, but tonight I finally finished programming the drum track to "C.W.E." Now if I can find some spare time this week, I'll record the entire song. Shouldn't take too long. I already know exactly how it will sound, from the demo I made. After that it's tweaking a few other songs and this thing is finally done.
I now have a music page up on MySpace. No songs up yet, but I'll be adding some soon. At least one will be something that isn't on my Soundclick page. In fact, I'm thinking of uploading a demo of a song that'll be on the next album...

March 12th, 2005

More work done yesterday. I went back to the MIDI drumbeat for "Kim Says" and omitted the triangle from the mix. Then I re-recorded it and imported it into N-Track. It was slightly tricky...I had to make sure the drumbeat lined up perfectly with the song. But it all worked out perfectly. Then I re-recorded and perfected a couple of the keyboard parts.
I also took a look at "Incubator." In my opinion, it's the weakest song of these sessions. I like the song itself, but there's something about the mix that just does not work. I changed the synth string pad, re-recording it in mono instead of stereo and puting it more in the right channel instead of the middle. That seemed to help a bit. Then I recorded another pad to go in the opposite channel. It's a synth string, but with a thick, plunky, slightly flatulent attack at the beginning of each note. It might work...I'm not sure yet. There seems to be some phasing going on. Then I re-recorded the bassline entirely. Again, I used my Yamaha for this, with the Moog-y sounding bass tone. I also changed the line to something more funky, to go along with the funky guitars. It still feels like it needs something more, so we'll see.
I came to the conclusion that my music is actually New Romantic in spirit. I think I came to this concusion after listening to ABC's "The Lexicon Of Love" tonight (an album I only new about half of previously). My songs are melodramatic, they're mostly about relationships and they sound British. (At least that's what I've been told.) Definitely sounds New Romantic to me!
ADDENDUM: Important memo to myself! (1) Boost the high end on all vocals. It makes a HUGE difference in the final mix. They sound great now. (2) The ticking noise I'm getting after adding reverb to some songs has something to do with recording with a mic while the audio settings on the computer are messed up. I'm not sure what causes this, but it often seems to happen after I've been playing a MIDI file. So, from now on, when recording with a mic, make sure the noise is GONE before recording. In fact, it may be a good idea to restart the computer entirely before recording with a mic. For now, it seems the best way to fix files that have the ticking noise is to run them through the Goldwave de-hisser, in the Noise Reduction tools. I was getting a horrible ticking sound on the drumbeat in "All In Due Time," but I just ran it through the de-hisser twice and it appears to be almost COMPLETELY gone. Certainly a hell of a lot better than it was. YES! (3) I just tried an experiment. De-hisser seems to greatly improve the sound quality of other tracks, too. I just ran each track of the acoustic demo I recorded yesterday through it and it sounds FANTASTIC. Hmm...I might "remaster" all these tracks and see what happens.

March 10th, 2005

More work done, mostly in the wee hours tonight, but also yesterday evening. I'm fairly certain now that "Kim Says" will not have any lyrics. Yesterday, I started contemplating how I was going to structure the thing. I sampled the drumbeat of the live version of Gary Numan's "Bombers" and started laying the parts over it and came up with something I liked. After that, I began recording the proper version, this time using a MIDI drumbeat I devised. I spent a couple of hours finding just the right keyboard tones and coming up with some new parts and I must say I think I'm happy with it. I mostly used the Casio HT-700 on this one...my favorite keyboard. It's from about 1986 and has small keys, but man, does it ever have some fat sounds on it. To give you an idea, most of the sounds in "Invisible Me" are courtesy of the HT-700. Anyhow, I can't believe this ten year old song finally has a happy home. I'm seriously contemplating changing the title, though. I nearly called it "Ode To Joanne Catherall," but good sense soon prevailed.
Speaking of my HT-700, that poor little bugger has really seen better days. He's lost two keys throughout the years, and today, another one popped off. :-( At least I still have the key that fell off today. I'll have to figure something out to repair this puppy. I love him so. Mayhaps I should name him. (Sorry, it's late.)
Yesterday, I picked up my guitar, telling myself I was finally going to write lyrics for "Kim Says." Instead, an entirely new song came out. No lyrics, but a series of very strange chord choices. This one was inspired by listening to too much Love recently, although you can't really tell. I'm contemplating doing a sort of folk rock album, and that's most likely where this one will end up. But who knows...

March 2nd, 2005

Lots and lots of work done this week. Starting in the wee hours last night, I started doing more touch up work. It was devoted almost exclusively to "Simple-Minded Heart." I finally re-recorded the dodgy bass, and I finally came up with a tone (I think) I'm happy with for the chords that are played throughout the song. Last year it started out as a tinkly bell sound, then I changed it to a piano sound, and now I've ended up with a tinkly, Kraftwerk-y harpsichord type sound (think "Neon Lights," except with some sustain on each chord). All I have to do now is record a new drumbeat.
Today, I started out by re-recording (again) and perfecting the acoustic guitars in "Cancel My Subscription," and also added a plinky, chorus-y synth part in the second verse. It really needed something there and I think this might be the keeper. Parts of this song remind me very much of Wall Of Voodoo, and I think that's because the guitars have an Ennio Morricone vibe to them.
Also recorded *all* the vocals for "All In Due Time," and added a stuttery, synth choir "oh" type sound to the quiet, dramatic part near the end.
All I have left to do is record those drum parts for two songs, re-record "C.W.E." and (possibly) write the last song and this thing is done.
I put all the songs in Windows Media Player last night and came up with a workable running order. It is all finally coming together.
In the words of Alex P. Keaton, "not to toot my own horn, but...BEEP BEEP!" I have been getting a number of compliments on my stuff lately. An online friend of mine told me my voice sounds like a cross between Mark Hollis and Andy Partridge. Jeez, talk about spoiling me...

February 28th, 2005

Touch up work continues...at an erratic pace. I got quite a bit done today, though.
Started out re-recording the guitars on "Jilted Pantomime," as well as one or two of the synths. I also changed the melodic synth sound that took the place of the reverbed guitar, and added a keyboard in place of the quietly strummed electric in the quite parts. I think it's just about done now. This one definitely sounds the most Pulsars-like of any of my songs thus far.
Re-did the acoustic guitars on "Cancel My Subscription" and added a warbly synth lead solo near the end. I *think* I like it...not sure yet. I've decided that the idea to add chugging, metallic, distorted guitars in the choruses is probably a bad one. Again...I think this song is done.
Worked a bit on the re-remake of "All In Due Time." Recorded the acoustic guitars today, as well as a rough draft of the "monk" backing vocals and a triumphant ending that I will not spoil for you.
That's it for today. Can't wait to tidy this up and finish it so I can start the rock album.
I will be adding another song to to my Soundclick account in the next few days. Keep your peepers peeled!
I was at a wedding on Sunday and a friend of mine from the theatre festival is really dying to play some music again. It's sounding like he would like to throw some folks together and be my "backing band." He's a great musician and a nice guy, so I hope he's not flaky like every other creative person I know! He also works for Fender Guitars (he's the one that brought my electric guitar back from the dead...see the entry from August 30th, 2004) and said he can get us some great gigs. To be continued...
P.S. Been spending a lot of time with the first three Cars albums lately. Greg Hawkes is my new hero!

February 18th, 2005

I got inspired to do a little touch up work in the wee hours tonight. I started off by deleting the surfy, reverbed electric guitar part from "Jilted Pantomime," substituting a synth bell sound instead. I think it works pretty well. I just need to re-record the electric guitars and somehow fix a part in the synth lead where I messed up one note. I also figured out what to do in the last part of the bridge, adding a "cathedral organ" solo, with some interesting pitch bend work. It reminds me of Herbie Hancock for some reason. Not sure why.
I also started recording the remake of "All In Due Time." The drumbeat on this one is me playing a heartbeat rhythm on my floor tom, looped. It's a little faster than the original version, as I thought the original was a little too much of a dirge. Some of the synth tones are slightly different. The song now starts out with something sound like a funeral parlour organ, which is appropriate for the song. I'll overdub guitars tomorrow.
Ealier, I had mentioned this might be a nine-song album, but I dunno...I really want to see if I can try and write lyrics for "Kim Says." I already know what it's going to be about. It's just a matter of getting in the right mood to do the subject justice.
I've really been getting in a mood to write again lately. I feel like I have some more things to say...

February 4th, 2005

It's been a while, folks. Lots of new developments lately, most of which I do not want to say too much about right now. (Boy, that was a grammatically awkward sentence.)
I'm thinking of just leaving the sampled drumbeats on two tracks. There's one I will definitely have to change, though. Jacko's got enough legal problems these days. I'm sure he doesn't need to worry about some shmuck copping the beat from "Stranger In Moscow."
This might be a nine-song album. Whenever I start to work on "Kim Says," I realize I have said all I need to say on this album. To paraphrase something a friend of mine once said, it is better to say "I have something to say...I need to make an album" rather than "I need to make an album, so I need to have something to say." Well, she put it more eloquently than that, but hopefully you get the picture.

January 7th, 2005

Getting lots o' work done this week. Started out by polishing up my rough demo for "Jilted Pantomime." I'm actually so pleased with it that I might just end up making it the final version. There's one section I might want to do differently with the drums (I was planning on having them relatively quiet for the third verse) but it kinda of works well the way it is. I *finally* wrote the last line of the song, thereby finishing the lyrics once and for all, and I think I acheived the effect I was going for. I then recorded a rough guide vocal. I also overdubbed some chugging distorted rhythm guitars today, putting this song firmly in Cars territory. But hey, I'm using Elliot Easton's tuning peg, so I guess it's only fitting! I've also decided I'm going to replace the reverbed surf guitar with another keyboard...probably that tinkly, Kraftwerk-y Casio, like the one I used in the choruses of "Conflicting Emotions" and the bridge of "Incubator."
Speaking of "Incubator," while I had my electric guitar set up, I went back and re-recorded the electric guitar parts for that song. You might remember that I had directly injected the guitar when I recorded that tune. Well, the electric sounds a lot better when you just mic the amp. This gave me a much better sound, closer to the trebly, early Talking Heads guitar sound I was going for.
I also just made a cool discovery, fiddling around with reverb in N Track. "Incubator" and "Jilted Pantomime" sound much better with a lighter reverb sound, more akin to a small room. I brought the "Mix with early reflections" slider up to about 80%, which helped a lot. Improves the sound of the vocals, too, which often sound a bit muddy to me. I also had the "wetness" in about the middle. Oh, and I figured this out a long time ago, but I thought I should make a note here that it always helps to boost the Preamp and Post gain a bit. Makes it punchier somehow. I might try these reverb settings with some of the other songs. Gives a nice, altogether punchy but not muddy sound.
Did some more lyrical experiments with "C.W.E." to try and come up with a final verse, but nothing solid yet.
Sorry I had originally dated the last entry 2004. Hey, what can I say? It's Checkuary! (If you weren't a Sniglets fan in the '80s, you may have to look that one up.)

January 6th, 2005

This is proving to be quite a productive week. I recorded a rough demo for "Jilted Pantomime" today. I like this one even better than "C.W.E." With this one, I think I may have finally fulfilled my aspiration of sounding like Pulsars. Of course, it doesn't sound like a *ripoff*...I think the song itself is still uniquely me. Programmed drums on this one, along with several keyboards and a heavily reverbed surfy guitar, which I'll probably have to get rid of, since it's a little too Pulsars-esque. I might have a distorted guitar come in for the big finale, though.
One thing I forgot to mention last time was that I dug out some of my other keyboards recently to see what other kinds of sounds I have in my arsenal. I've been given quite a few keyboards over the years, and I have six in total. Mostly Casios, and none of them are probably older than the late '80s...early '90s at the latest. I was given a Yamaha that has some wonderful sounds on it. Best of all, it has a bass sound very very similar to that Human League/B-52's/Men Without Hats/Devo circa 1982 sound that I've been looking for for years. Sort of a thudding, plunky bass sound. I think the sound I'm referring to was provided by a MiniMoog, but this will do quite nicely for now.
I also added some more synths to "C.W.E." and recorded a rough vocal.
Only one song left to be writ, and the music is already done.

January 3rd, 2005

Today, I recorded a rough demo for "C.W.E.", even though the last verse has yet to be written. I know, I know...I said anything not written by the end of the year wouldn't be included on the album. But the bulk of this song is done, and I know roughly how the last verse is gonna end up anyway.
This song came out a little more rocky than I anticipated, with a Cars/Rentals/later Pulsars vibe, but I think it'll still fit the general feel of this album. We'll see.
Here are the ten songs that will be included on this album, in alphabetical order, with notes on what I have left to do:

ALL IN DUE TIME - Re-do drums...maybe just re-record the whole thing. It wouldn't take long.
C.W.E. - Record proper.
CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION - Re-do drums, add solo.
CONFLICTING EMOTIONS - Done (I think).
INCUBATOR - Done. Maybe re-do guitars.
INVISIBLE ME - Done.
JILTED PANTOMIME - Record proper.
KIM SAYS (TENTATIVE TITLE) - Record proper.
SIMPLE-MINDED HEART - Re-do drums...maybe even re-record.
SO I DIE - Re-do drums.

December 23rd, 2004

Okay, I think I got the drumtrack for "Conflicting Emotions" down. I've now uploaded the song to soundclick.com! So go stream it!

December 22nd, 2004

Okay, I've hit a little bit of a snag. Soundclick doesn't allow samples in their songs, unless they're "legal." So I have to go back and change the drum tracks on some of these songs if I want to post them there. It was probably stupid of me to sample drumbeats in the first place...I'd never be able to legally sell this music with samples in it.
So today, I spent some time recording some new drum tracks. The problem is I have to manually play them on a keyboard, so it's hard to keep them in perfect time with the rest of the music. I'll just keep trying, though. I don't particularly want to have to go back and re-record these songs. I want to move on.
I worked on one of the unfinished songs a bit on December 15th. I finished it except for the last verse. I will refer to it as "C.W.E." for now, since I still don't want to give away the title.
"Invisible Me" reached #43 in the soundclick charts! Thanks to those of you who played it and ranked it as "hot"!

December 15th, 2004

Alright, folks...I now have a page up at soundclick.com! This site is a lot like mp3.com used to be (before it went under). I can't promise that I'll keep my account there for an extended period of time, but right now it looks like my best bet. My page is here. You may have to register to view it, though--I'm not sure--but it's totally free.
I've uploaded one song, "Invisible Me," which you can now stream in low-fi audio (mono, even). It says a hi-fi stream will be available tomorrow. I'll probably rotate new songs in and out every week or so. I really hope you like it. You can post about it on my message board, if you like.

December 13th, 2004

Alright, I've made a couple of executive decisions lately. Here they are:
"Can't See You" will be shelved for the rock record, coming in the Spring, as well as the still unfinished titles "Pelvic Thrust" and "New Wave Song."
The rock record will still have keyboards on it, but the songs will be a little more rough around the edges and propulsive. Other songs destined for that album include "Disappointments" and "Pour The Chocolate," which were written 7-8 years ago.
December 31st is my deadline to finish this current album. Anything that isn't finished will be shelved for another release. These songs have sat around long enough and need to be let out into the world. In the words of one of my friends, "Don't let this be your 'SMiLE,' bro!"
So far, there are seven songs that have been recorded for this album. One more ("Jilted Pantomime") is completely written, save for one solitary line of lyrics at the end; another ("UNTITLED") is partially finished; and another ("Kim Says") has music but no lyrics.
The instrumental "Flight To The Moon" will most likely go on this album, at the beginning, although it's probably more suited for the "rock record."
At least one song from these sessions will be uploaded for your listening pleasure in the next few days.
I'm seriously considering doing a "weird" album sometime. I want to see if I can write random, semi-flippant stuff, since my current stuff is pretty "serious." There are already a few songs I have in mind to put on there, written many years ago. "Nebulous" (which was written in the whole tone scale) and "Anna Lee And Arvid" would be serious contenders for that album.

December 3rd, 2004

Did a little bit of work today. Re-recorded my vocals for "Invisible Me," perfecting the Buggles-esque, old-time radio sound. I did this by using the equalizer in Goldwave and slashing the three low bands, keeping the next one squarely in the middle, elevating the next one all the way up and slashing the final two high bands. This gives the radio effect but allows the words to be audible. I did this vocal in one pass and it might be the keeper. Came out rather nice.
In fact, when it comes to doing vocal overdubs, I'm thinking that it might be a good course of action to try one pass and if it doesn't work out, return to it another day. Recording take after take usually results in increasingly inferior takes. Maybe because you end up stressing about it too much. At least that's my experience. Doing one pass keeps it spontaneous and fres.
Also finished the drum track for "Can't See You" and fiddled about with a recording, adding some guitars. The drum track sounds really great for being canned. I'm not sure this song will fit on this album, though...it may be too heavy. Sorta "This Year's Model"-ish.
I've also realized recently that some songs can come to you in 15 minutes while others simply have to be labored over. I think I was reminded of this while listening to a Beatles bootleg that had Paul running through "Back Seat Of My Car" during the 1969 "Get Back" sessions. He had the chord structure down, but he only had finished one verse (with very rough lyrics). He proceeded to play the pattern over and over for about four minutes, even though the song was far from being finished. (He didn't put the song out until 1971's "Ram" album.) I feel that way with some of my songs...running through the chords over and over until divine inspiration hits.
That's another thing...I feel like these songs I'm writing are written by someone else, especially when I listen to the recordings. It seems like someone else's work. I used to get this kind of feeling when writing songs in high school, but not to this extent. I really do feel like I'm just a channel for something else...

November 12th, 2004

It's a bit embarrassing...I've had my own song in my head for the past two days. I don't necessarily know if that's a good or a bad thing. I will say I am really happy with how it turned out, though.

November 10th, 2004

Virtually finished "Invisible Me." I also added some vocals, but it's clear I'll have to re-record them. I was going for an old time-y radio type effect but I manipulated them too much and it's kind of hard to listen to. You have to be careful doing things like that because when you slash the highs and lows, it ends up peaking in the weirdest places and can be a little painful to listen to. Anyhow, I really like how this song turned out. The piano I added to it really puts it in another realm. The Buggles thing was kind of a surprise, too. I didn't consciously do it that way.

November 9th, 2004

Yesterday, I finally put some lyrics I had written a few weeks ago to music. This was the first time in quite a while that I began writing a song with lyrics first. It was a little awkward at first but I think it turned out nice. I recorded a demo last night and tonight I started recording the proper version. It has a bit of a Les Rythmes Digitales/Felix Da Housecat feel to it. It's another one of my songs that features two different generations of Casios. You just can't beat those old, fat '80s sounds. Anyway, the song is called "Invisible Me," partially inspired by recent events that have transpired, but also by certain trends that I see happening in my amorous life. The music partially came about when I recently decided I needed to write something you can dance to. Tomorrow, I'll put a vocal on it when I have the house to myself.
I'm going to try and finish up "Jilted Pantomime" tomorrow. I've already got (most of) the drumbeat programmed. I just need to figure out how the bloody song is going to end, which includes finishing the last line! I get stuck on the weirdest things sometimes.
A friend of mine paid me a very high compliment. He said my stuff has a "Future Bible Heroes, underground kinda indie synthpop" vibe to it. Wow, I'm honored!

November 7th, 2004

I want to personally thank the "friend" of mine who made me remember exactly why so many of my songs are about emotionally screwed up women. As long as there are girls like you in the world, I'll continue to write sad bastard songs about your shenanigans. Thanks for the inspiration.

October 31st, 2004

Haven't done much lately, other than kicking around ideas for the final couple of songs I need to finish. They're all started...I just need to finish them.
On Friday, I programmed the drum track for "Can't See You." It sounds pretty good. This MIDI program isn't nearly as canned as it could be. I will most likely start overdubbing instruments on Monday or Tuesday...as soon as I get some new strings for my electric guitar.
Saw the Pixies in Irvine on the 23rd. Mindblowing stuff...better than Coachella!
I won't get to dress up this Halloween...because I'm seeing Morrissey at the Blockbuster Pavillion!

October 7th, 2004

I've been thinking a lot lately and I have made some interesting discoveries about my songs. I'm not quite sure what they reveal about me, and I don't think they're overwhelmingly positive discoveries, but I think I need to document them:

The only subjects I seem to be able to write about are relationships, love/lust, boredom and misanthropy...sometimes even in the same song. I wish I could write about different subjects the way, say, David Byrne did. He wrote a song about paper. Who the hell writes a song about paper?!? And it's a good one!
My songs about relationships are always sad. The only positive lyrics I've written about relationships--well, specifically, women--concern women that I've lost and are now far away from me...or ones that I will never actually meet.
Most of my nw lyrics are far too prosaic for my liking. While they probably "connect with the listener" more, they're not very poetic or interesting. They don't abstract the human condition enough for my liking. In my writing classes in college, I was taught how to boil writing down to its "most essential language," in order to connect with people more. For some reason, I always equate this with being "prosaic," in my mind. Even after all these years, I cannot seem to boil writing down to its essence and *still* be poetic. I know many musicians and writers who can, but I can't seem to do it. I have never ben able to figure out that thin line between "essential language" and prose. Most of my favorite lyrics ever use essential language but somehow bring it all together in a poetic, profound way. I can't seem to do it.
I use the word "I" too goddamn much in my songs. And "you," too.
Oddly enough, I never start with lyrics first anymore. Always music. In the old days, 90% of the time, it was words first.
The harder I try to figure out what I'm doing wrong, the worse it gets.

October 5th, 2004

Got some good work done today. Recorded a simple guitar demo of "Can't See You" with me playing a distorted electric guitar and singing live, and then a more fully fleshed out (but still rough) demo. It's the heaviest, punkiest song to come out of these sessions so far, and I'm not entirely sure it'll fit on this album, but we'll see. It reminds me a lot of rockers I wrote ten years ago, like "Ladies Night Out"...except this song is much better.
In my attempts to make it more "new wave" sounding, I am afraid that it came out sounding dreadfully close to that genre known as--*shudder*--"Emo." Of course, to me, Emo will always be a standup comic, not a music genre. But anyway...
I discovered that live drums sound pretty damn good when recorded straight to my computer. I also discovered that electric guitars sound great when the amp is mic'd, as opposed to having the guitar directly injected into the computer.
Last night, I attempted to write a song based on only four chords that are repeated (most likely inspired by The Magnetic Fields). I was fairly successful, though I couldn't resist throwing some more chords in for the bridge. The song has a strange structure and is so far untitled. It also needs some more lyrics. It kind of came out sounding like Frazier Chorus, but by the time it's recorded proper, the resemblance will most likely have vanished.
Note to myself...song ideas I still need to finish:
FLIGHT TO THE MOON
PELVIC THRUST
KIM SAYS
"NEW WAVE SONG"
The other one whose title I don't want to give away just yet, since I think it's a really cool idea.

October 1st, 2004

Work has slowed down a bit lately. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to hit the projected Halloween release date, but I'm still going to try. I've got ideas for at least six more songs. Three are fragments, while three others have pretty much all of the music written.
I don't know what it is with me, but I only seem to be inspired to write when I'm sad or in pain. Can anyone else relate?
Well, okay. Since I wrote the above a few hours ago, I have written a new song. I'm not sure about the title--it could be called "I Can't See You," but I'll probably give it a more fanciful title. It's probably the most up tempo song I've written for this album, although the subject matter is still rather sad. It's almost too rocky for this album, but I think I can make it work...

September 22nd, 2004

Started out re-recording some synth parts, guitar parts and a fresh new vocal for "All In Due Time." Then I went back and recorded fresh vocals for a couple of the older tunes, namely "So I Die" and "Incubator." I plan on giving everything fresh vocals at some point, but those were a priority, since I had to tweak the lyrics a little. The vocals are definitely going to be the thing I'm the most fussy about with these songs.

September 21st, 2004

Re-recorded the entire backing for "All In Due Time," now that I know how I want it. I might have to redo the guitars tomorrow when everyone is out of the house. I did another whispered guide vocal, which will also have to be re-recorded.
Well, it looks like we're on the home stretch here. Just a couple more songs and I think I can wrap this album up. I think I may have to shelve a couple of the ideas I had for this album, though. These songs are taking on a life of their own and this whole project has kind of its own identity now. There is a definite theme running through these songs. Something like the frenetic synth rocker "Pelvic Thrust" (which I haven't even finished yet) might sound royally out of place on this album...but we'll see.

September 20th, 2004

Just recorded a rough demo of "All In Due Time," just to map out how I wanted it to sound. I even recorded a vocal, although I had to do it very quietly so as not to wake up anyone up. I recorded (and looped) a rhythm part that I played on a keyboard, then I added a lot of other keyboards and two acoustic guitars. The end result reminds me a bit of Art of Noise.
This one is so dour that I can't see it going anywhere but at the end of the album.

September 19th, 2004

I'm considering writing one--maybe more--"half hour song," just to see what comes out. But I dunno. I'm very leery of artists who poop out songs.

September 18th, 2004

Some say "if it takes you longer than 15 minutes to write a song, it isn't worth it." While I disagree, I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to see if I could do just that. After a particularly painful day yesterday (for reasons I won't get into), I made a Hollywood excursion with a friend. When I returned at about 3:30 a.m., I wrote and (I think) finished a brand new song in about a half hour. The song is called "All In Due Time" and was inspired by listening to far too much Echo And The Bunnymen lately. I think those guys are going to be my new obsession.
This song might replace "Simple-Minded Heart" as the closer for the album. That's just how depressing it is.
One interesting thing I noticed by doing this kind of "auotmatic writing" exercise is that the song ended up saying what I really wanted it to say without me even trying to do that. It's like the song wrote itself and perfectly captured the way I had felt that day. The phrase "all in due time" just spilled out of me as I was strumming through the chords, and let me tell you, a more appropriate phrase could not have been uttered.

September 14th, 2004

Not much to report today, though I did record a rough guide vocal for "Cancel My Subscription."

September 12th, 2004

Alright. Well, after some tinkering, I think I've finally got "So I Die" to how I like it. I nixed the guitar idea (they just weren't working, to me) but I kept the fuzzy analog sounding synth. In fact, now, it's introduced in the second chorus, just riding along with the bass. By the last chorus, there's another synth playing chords. It jumps up and plays an octave higher for the last statement of the chorus. Then at the end, there's one in each speaker, doing little descending lines (that I previously played on guitar). This version really builds better than the previous mixes.

September 11th, 2004

A few days ago I realized that "So I Die" needs something more. The song doesn't really build. It just kind of sits there over the course of four minutes, without any differentiation between the sections. I thought about adding guitars, which enter in the second verse and get more raucous in the third. Not sure they will work, though. One addition I do like is a fuzzy analog synth in the final chorus, which jumps up an octave in the restatement of the chorus at the end. None of these specific overdubs will be kept, but it did help me to figure out what will work and what won't.
Here's a short list of the work that still needs to be done on the songs I've recorded thus far:
SO I DIE: See above.
SIMPLE-MINDED HEART: I'm still not sure I like the drumbeat. Too RNB-ish. I also don't really care for the bass sound.
INCUBATOR: Fine.
CONFLICTING EMOTIONS: Fine.
THE VILLAGE IN THE MORNING: Fine, but the mix is muddy, for some reason.
CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION: Needs something in the penultimate bridge, like a solo or something. I'll also need to re-record the acoustic guitars, because I didn't let them ring out long enough at the end of the song.
ALL songs will get fresh vocals.

September 9th, 2004

It's starting to feel like the old days again. I started writing a song in the wee hours last night. Today, I finished it, demo'd it and then re-recorded the whole thing. A song written and completed in 24 hours. This is a bit of a milestone for me, as it's the first song from these sessions to be completely written from scratch.
The name of this song is "Cancel My Subscription," inspired by an idea I jotted down a couple of days ago. To be honest, the musical seed for this song was planted many years ago...probably sometime around high school. I knew I wanted a really depressing, fast song, led by an active acoustic guitar part. In my mind, it was always going to be acoustic, but in a matter of moments I cooked up a synthpop arrangement which I think works really well.
Sampled the drumbeat of XTC's "Helicopter" for this one. Sped it up considerably first, though. Then layered a bass synth, synth string pads, a bell effect, a percolator synth (which I'm really fond of...think "Popcorn" by Hot Butter), two electric guitars playing a lead line and two acoustic guitars chugging away in certain parts. All I need is a vocal, although I'll probably have to re-record the lead guitar parts. Direct inject is giving me a real hollow sound.
The album is starting to take on a life of its own. I think I'm finally developing a "sound" here.
UPDATE: September 10th, 5:40 am. I stayed up and re-recorded the electric guitar parts. I'm beginning to hear a little Wall of Voodoo influence in this song.

September 3rd, 2004

Yesterday, I took the few moments I had alone in the house and played "Simple Minded Heart" on the piano, so I could come up with a second verse. I finished it and I think it fits in pretty well with the rest of the song.
Today, I continued work on the song. This is the most problematic one so far...that is, I can't quite settle on an arrangement. I recorded a new guide vocal with the new lyrics (and a few tweaks on the old one), but I also re-did most of the synth parts, opting for a new bass sound and a new chord sound (replacing the old "acoustic guitar" tone). This one is more of a tinkly, echoey sound. We'll see if that works. Not sure if I like the new, more subtle bass sound, though. I also finally added the analog-sounding synth blasts that punctuate the choruses. Something was needed in the chouses (just before the instrumental sections leading to each verse) so I added a fuzzy analog sounding synth playing bass notes. That worked out pretty nicely.

August 30th, 2004

What a productive day this has been! Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting here in my room, thinking how hot and dark it is in here in the daytime, and suddenly I felt as if I was in an incubator. 'Hmmm, might be a good idea for a song,' I thought, so I jotted down the word "incubator" on a piece of scratch paper. Later in the evening, I was contemplating what to do with "Houses." I took yet another look at the lyrics and still just couldn't get into them. I appreciated the sentiment of the song, but it just seemed far too heavy handed. I really liked the music I came up with for that song, though, so I wanted to see if I could use it somewhere else. I wondered if I could take that "incubator" idea and fuse it with the music for "Houses." I pulled an old set of lyrics I had written called "Barely Human." I had written these at the request of a friend of mine in college, who supplied the music. Could I use any of these lines in the song? I took a couple and played with them. I decided I would also use the same melody I had written for "Barely Human" for this new "incubator" song (also identical to the one I had attempted to fuse with "Wasted Life" a few weeks ago). So I sat down strummed through "Houses" for a while and wrote an entirely new set of lyrics over the "Houses" music, tweaking a couple of chords here and there, just for fun. The result: a brand new song called "Incubator."
I laid down a MIDI drum track and recorded it for use in N Track. Then I laid down two very clangy, trebly electric guitar parts. Yes, thanks to my friend Dennis, my electric guitar is now fully functional once again! The guitar is ancient...a late '60s model put out by Cypher. I thought this thing was dead, since the headstock was completely broken off many years ago, but he glued it on, painted it, adjusted the bridge, replaced a tuning peg and restrung it...for free! It pays to have a friend who works for Fender. Best of all, he said the tuning peg he used belonged to Elliot Easton of The Cars! How cool is that?
Anyhow, after laying down the guitars, I basically played the old synth parts from "Houses" verbatim. Synth pads in the verses, a plodding synth bass and two Kraftwerk-esque melodies in the bridge. Voila. Done! I just have to tweak the lyrics a bit and record a vocal tomorrow, and I'm done with this one!
I banged out two songs this week. It's been a very good week. The process is starting to go more rapidly for me now. Additionally, I'm finding I'm getting quite comfortable with the idea of writing lyrics spontaneously as you play through a song. In fact, I don't know if I can ever start with lyrics again! People always told me I was doing it backwards. I guess they were right.
One other thing: this new song, "Incubator," conveys pretty much the exact same feeling and sentiment as the original lyrics for "Houses," but in a much better way, I feel. I'm very happy about that.

August 26, 2004

I sent a friend the original demo of "Simple-Minded Heart" and decided that I'd try something different with the arrangement. I took a sampled drumbeat from yet another song and laid down the song on top of it, hoping the Pet Shop Boys-ishness of the song would go away. Unfortunately, now it sounds more like Depeche Mode! Anyhow, as far as I'm concerned, I'm (relatively) done with this song. I like how it came out anyway.
I did have to do some juggling of the various sections, because as it was it only had two verses, and I thought it didn't say enough about the situation I was describing. Now the second verse has become the third and final verse--ending the song in a very dramatic way--so I will have to write a second verse.
This has got to be one of the longest songs I've recorded to date, clocking in at nearly six minutes. As it stands now, I intend for this to be the album closer.
As always, lots of synths in this one. Two bass synths, synth string pads, a koto/acoustic guitar sound for chords, a choir pad in the bridge, a synth bass solo in the bridge...and I still have to add two more punctuating analog-type synth blasts throughout the song.
I will probably re-record a few parts in the wee hours tonight, but I don't know. I kind of want to move on to the next idea.
Some plans: I will be releasing a single (or EP, possibly), probably before the album is finished. The lead off track will probably be "So I Die" or "Conflicting Emotions," but that may change, depending on what kind of stuff arises from these sessions. The b-sides will be the remakes of old songs of mine. I just don't feel like they really "belong" on this album, so this will be a nice way of getting them out there. At this point, the songs in question are "Wasted Life" and "Cosmo Girl."
The album will have ten songs on it, most likely. I want it to be the strongest it can be without oversaturating the listener or containing any fat. Not like the old days, where I'd load 16 songs on an album, amounting to nearly an hour of music.
Next album will be a "rock" release. I've already got some ideas for it.

August 25th, 2004

Well, it's becoming clear to me that I'm going to have to rethink the "strategerie" behind "Simple-Minded Heart." I like the song...it's done...but it needs a new arrangement before I record it. The current one sounds so horrendously like Pet Shop Boys that my own "sound" gets lost. Don't get me wrong...I adore Pet Shop Boys. I just think too highly of this song to have it be written off as merely derivative.

August 20th, 2004

These updates are getting less and less frequent, unfortunately. However, now that the Redlands Theatre Festival is over and done with again, I'll have much more time to finish the album. I've been at RTF for three years and this season was my favorite season yet. One show I was in, "Something's Afoot," is probably my favorite show I've ever done. It did so well that they are contemplating bringing it back again next season. I'd reprise my role in a second.
Yesterday I had a couple of hours to myself, so I finished--I think--"Haven't Got A Clue," formerly titled "PSB-ish Song." However, the title has changed yet again...this time to "Simple-Minded Heart." I recorded a piano demo and I think it came out pretty well. I only used pieces of the lyrics from the "Haven't Got A Clue" draft, because I thought they were largely too prosaic. When it came time for the bridge, I used a piece of an instrumental I had written recently. I'm almost sorry I did that, as I think the bridge might be the strongest part of the whole song! Ah well...at least it has a home now.
In other unrelated news...I've got Brian Wilson tickets for November! "SMiLE"!!!

July 27, 2004

Been feeling under the weather lately, so didn't get to do much today during the hours when I had the house to myself. I did record a scratch vocal for "Wasted Life," though. I also started writing some lyrics for "PSB-ish song," which now looks like it's going to be called "Haven't Got A Clue." (Hoorah, I have a title!) I tried writing lyrics for another song I've had music for for ages entitled "Pelvic Thrust," but I only got one verse down.
I'm a little dismayed about something. It seems that when I have the music written first and write words by improvising over the top of it, my lyrics turn out fairly prosaic. I used to start with lyrics 95% of the time and I was usually pretty proud of them, but the melodies suffered. Now it seems to be the other way around. I'm still mulling how to deal with this.

July 23rd, 2004

After passing a rough demo of the new "Wasted Life"/"Barely Human" amalgamation around, I'm thinking it's probably a really bad idea. People like the "Wasted Life" melody better. Hmmm...maybe I should trust my instincts from now on. At any rate, I'll take the new "Barely Human" idea and melody and make a new song out of it.

July 22nd, 2004

Today was a very productive day...well, sort of. I fear I may have opened up a new can of worms. Here's the long story...don't say I didn't warn you. I had thought about doing a synthpop remake of an old song of mine called "Wasted Life." I have had a general arrangement in my head for this song for quite some time. Tonight, I finished up the rhythm section in Noteworthy and imported it into N Track. After I added a number of synth parts (two string pads, and some very alien sounding effects here and there) I thought that maybe I should just rewrite the song completely. The old lyrics are very fragmented and stream-of-consciousness, and while it's one of my old songs that I still somewhat enjoy, I feel like this new arrangement is simply too cool to waste on an old iffy song that I wrote ten years ago. So I went back to some lyrics I'd written in the late '90s for a song that a friend had written the music to. This song was called "Barely Human." I had wanted to do something with these lyrics and the melody I'd written to accompany them for quite some time. (Since the music was not mine, I did not feel comfortable pilfering it.) So I started singing a new melody over the "Wasted Life" backing that was slightly similar to "Barely Human." It actually fit rather nicely. At this point, I'm thinking of adding a few musical things to the song formerly titled "Wasted Life," fleshing it out, and taking the "barely human" idea and writing new lyrics. Convoluted? Yes.
I also recorded fresh new vocals for "The Village In The Morning" and "Conflicting Emotions" today. This was a bit of a marathon session today...I went a long time without eating much. I decided at about 1:30 a.m. that it was probably time for a meal before I passed out.

July 21st, 2004

Well, I'm not sure why, but I stayed up half the night recording a cover of The Magnetic Fields' "The Village In The Morning." Why? Because I can, I guess. Why that song? Well, because it's my favorite Magnetic Fields song. The amazing thing about that song is that it sounds like synthpop, but there isn't one single synth anywhere to be found. It's just an amazing piece of work...it doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard. However, my version, while obviously inferior, is entirely synthetic. I actually kind of like how it came out. I started by programming a drumbeat in Noteworthy. It's very choppy and minimalist and I quite like it. There are a grand total of 12 Casios used in the song...I wanted an immense wall of synth. There are four Casios being used for bass sounds alone. My version is actually rather similar to the original, although I did a high octave harmony vocal in the chorus and, obviously, the synths. I also had to make some executive decisions about the parts I'd play. The bass part in the original is *very* erratic. It jumps a fifth whenever it wants to...I have to assume this was a biproduct of some sort of effects pedal or something.
I'm a little disconcerted with how much hiss I'm getting. Oh, it's nothing like I used to get on my Yamaha 4 track, but it's clear that my Casios are providing a little hiss when I plug them in. Slathering the songs with echo and reverb doesn't improve matters. I'll probably have to redo the vocals, as I got the rhythm a little wrong in the second verse.
Today, I recorded a proper vocal for "Conflicting Emotions." I like how it came out, but the second verse got a little dodgy. (I ran out of breath, for some reason.) So I'll have to redo it. I also finished off the lyrics and juggled some more lyrics around.

July 20th, 2004

Today, I laid down a scratch vocal for "Conflicting Emotions," just to see what it would sound like. It's missing some lyrics, though (see previous entry). I'm also going to juggle some lyrical sections around (in the B sections, between each verse and chorus), in order to make the sentiments build to a climax. Also, the bridge needed something, so I added my Casio CT-680 playing buzzy analog-sounding fifths. I also redid the bass part with a similar sounding tone...the previous bassline just didn't have enough punch, having been played on my old Casio (circa 1985, tiny keys). That little synth sure has some fat sounds on it, though...just not suitable for basslines.
I also sat down and came up with a melody for the "Pet Shop Boys-ish Song," though I was unable to come up with any lyrics. Maybe tonight. One thing's for sure...I'm really tired of calling it "PSB-ish Song."

July 19th, 2004

It's been quite a while since I've had time to work on the album. A few days ago, I hit upon the idea of using a sampled drumbeat for "Conflicting Emotions." This sample is the first few seconds of The Human League's "Seconds." Tonight I laid down the basic tracks, and I think I'm happy with it, though it's a little busier and more cluttered than I imagined it would be. The instrumentation consists of: two acoustic guitars, three Casios (synth pads, arpeggios in the chorus, a solo part in the bridge), then three more Casios for the random sequenced noise (see below). All that's left is the vocal. I think I will have to write some more lyrics. On my original demo, I simply repeated the first bridge twice, but it's clear that's going to sound pretty lame if I keep it that way.
I'm getting to the point where I'm inerested in writing new material that may not necessarily fit the tone of the album I'm currently working on. This is simultaneously good and bad.

June 29th, 2004

Well, today, I finally put an idea into action that I'd been toying with for a while. I had a brief couple of seconds of a song written a few years ago (11-02-01, to be precise), that would most likely turn out to be the intro of a song. Just a cascading marimba part and two analog synth blasts that popped up now and again. I had another piece (pretty much just a chorus) that I wrote around the same time (1-15-01). A few months ago I decided to merge those. The two seemed perfect for each other, though I did have to lower the key of one of them a half step. Then a few days ago, I hit upon the idea of melding this with an old song I had written during off moments in a piano class during college (circa 1997 or so.) The piano song is even in the same key as the new piece, except the first part of each verse in the piano tune is in major, not minor. I was worried this might make the song sound a bit too cheesy in the verses, but I think it worked out nicely. I transcribed both into Noteworthy and I've got a MIDI of what it will sound like. I may have to record some synth parts live, as these MIDI strings in particular bite the big tangerine. All I have left to do is come up with a bridge and I'm pretty much done with the backing. I'll then have to come up with a vocal melody and lyrics. I might do this tonight, but I doubt it. All in all, I've convinced myself that the song sounds a bit like Pet Shop Boys, though the sections from the old piano song don't show that influence quite as clearly. The tempo is about the same as "West End Girls," and it's all in F# minor (except for the first part of each verse).

June 25th, 2004

Had some time to work tonight when I had the house to myself. First thing I did was record a fresh new vocal for "So I Die." This may indeed be the keeper. I also had an idea to record a small harmony vocal, for the second and thid choruses. I'll have to redo it (most likely), but I do like how it came out.
Second thing I did was record a vocal for "Cosmo Girl," which looks like it might be done. Had to do a few lyrical tweaks here and there. (Hey, I wrote it in high school!) I may revise the lyrics further, which would of course mean a new vocal.
Then I dug up another old tune...one of my favorites that I never finished: "Conflicting Emotions." The verses have been done for aeons, and I've always had a pretty good idea of the melody I was going to lay down, but I had no bridge. My first attempt at a bridge back in the day was pretty lame. Something along the lines of "I love you, I hate you, it's all the same..." I recently found some lyrics on an early working copy of the song that seemed to make for a perfect bridge to the song. It continued the theme really well...certainly better than that early bridge. A few days ago I came up with a rough idea of the melody I wanted for the bridge, and today I fused those lyrics with the melody. They seemed to fuse pretty well, almost as if they were meant for it each other. Because my good friend Devin is in town, I decided to throw together a quick demo of the song. Acoustic guitar + mini Casio (with "Da Da Da" beat), another acoustic guitar, lead vocal (I recorded the bridge seperately, as I was still fudging the melody), high octave backing vocal in the chorus, two brief backing vocals in the bridge and a synth bass. And, of course, the coup de gras...I programmed a random melody into that tiny Casio and upped the tempo, so when I played it back it sounded like an Atari game gone highwire. I did this three separate times so I could get three different random noise lines, then I recorded all three. Works perfect for the section after the bridge, and ties in with the theme of the song nicely. Added some reverb in N Track, mixed it and voila. I think--think--the song is finally finished. Now all I have to do is lay it down proper.
Also did another rough mix of the backing track of "Houses." I tried laying down the vocal, but, as I suspected, I'm going to have to tweak the lyrics...or maybe rewrite the lyrics entirely. Some of the lyrics are just too heavy handed, in my opinion.
There is definitely a difference between the lyrics for "So I Die" and my older songs here. I was definitely a wordy bastard back then. Not sure if I like it.
All in all, things seem to be coming along swimmingly. The next task is going to be finishing some fragments of songs I have. That's going to be the toughest task yet. One is a song I wrote during off moments in a piano class in college. I'm thinking of fusing it with another idea I came up with last year, which sounded a bit like Pet Shop Boys. To be continued...

June 18th, 2004

Okay, I really wanted to finish "So I Die," and I'd gotten some positive feedback about the rough mix I made (one friend told me it "could have been a hit in 1986"), so I stayed up until 6 a.m. tightening it up. I re-recorded all of the synth parts and discovered that when doing overdubs, it's best to take many tracks out of the mix. i.e., when you're focusing on just the drumbeat, you're more likely to get the timing of your part correct. Must keep that in mind for future reference. I also re-recorded the bass part. I kept the switch in the middle this time and it didn't seem to overload the board like it did the first time. I think the bass part is slightly sloppy in places, but it's much better than the first pass, and it's so reverbed that you can't really tell. I also decided to change a part of it that was echoing one of the synth parts verbatim (and was a real beeatch to play). That was really bugging me. Oh, and I'm now convinced it sounds like Joy Division, though I swear that was not intentional (though I do like Joy Division).
I also layed down the tracks for a potential remake of an old song of mine, "Cosmo Girl." It's always been one of my more self-tolerable songs...it's also very synthy and would probably fit on this album quite well. I did the bass and drum track in Noteworthy and added sound effects and more synths in N-Track. The original cut had an acoustic guitar but I might ditch that this time around. One thing's for sure...this sounds far better than that old crappy Yamaha 4-track I was using in high school.

June 17th, 2004

It may be a little early to throw a ticker tape parade, but I am currently in the process of planning out an EP or even full length album release for the end of this summer. This is the spot where I will blab all about it, bore you to death with minute details and generally keep my thoughts organized about what I'm going to do and how I'm going about doing it. Most of all, it will help me kick my own arse. Kudos to those of you who find this even remotely interesting.
What this release is going to be is a sort of compendium of ideas I have been kicking around for the last several years, since my last full length album 1995's "Emotional Exorcism." That's not to say it's going to be the aural equivalent of a Salvation Army store, but it'll be a nice way of gathering together all those songs and ideas that never found a home. Perhaps it's more like my "SMiLE." Some songs have been written for ages and are ready to record. Some consist of only a few bars of music. Some only exist as riffs. All will be fleshed out and finished. In some ways, this will be the album I have been trying to make since 1995, especially since all of the songs are synthpop oriented. One thing is for sure...I'm not going to cram every last second of this album with sound, as I did in the past. The albums I released in high school all had about 15 tracks and were close to an hour each, which means a lot of dross got on there. I want this album to be 10 songs, tops...all quality.
On Tuesday, I finished up a song that had been many many years in the making. The title is now "So I Die." Dating back to about 1997 or so, it started out with just a drumbeat--a sample of Joe Jackson's "Pretty Boys" from the "Beat Crazy" album--three warm synth pad chords and a heavily reverbed bassline. This brief sketch of an idea was sitting around for years until I put the song into a MIDI composition program and touched up the music in June of last year and then revisited it again a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, I played the song on a guitar and improvised words and a melody until I got what I wanted...a totally new approach for me. (In the past, 90% of my songs were written lyrics-first.) Today, I took the drum sample and built the song up from there, adding the pads, reverbed bass and three other synth parts. I also added a guide vocal that will have to be redone. The bass will have to be redone as well, because it sounds too dirty.
One nice thing about these recordings is that I now have a computer fast enough to handle N Track Studio, which means I can multitrack digitally and add plenty of effects. Thus, I slathered my vocal with reverb, since I can't stand hearing my voice. I also am using Noteworthy Composer, and now that I have a decent sound card, I can use Noteworthy to make totally synthetic recordings that sound good. At least two of the songs on the album will be totally synthetic.
"So I Die" on the whole sounds very new wave, as one might expect, but is hard to pin down. A little Cure, a little New Order, a little Berlin, a little Joy Division, a little "Homo Safari"-era XTC...and of course some Magnetic Fields. But all in all, this one feels distinctly ME, something I couldn't always claim in the past. Like many of my songs, it started out about one thing (a girl) and ended up being about another (a different girl)...but the overall message is one of desire, loss and regret.
One thing I have learned about writing songs by free styling lyrics over music is that one tends to be much more honest and even prosaic at times. I think these lyrics are more universal than I'm used to writing.

MU-si-ca el-ec-TRON-i-ca....