Song No. 12 - I'm Taking It Down

This song came out in a very straight-on, train of thought fashion. I came home picked up the guitar and recorded the sound and music that came out of it. I tried to treat the rest of the song in much the same way.

I also played it in an odd key and for the life of me couldn't find the right harmonica to use. Damn. I love the harmonica. My xylophone just didn't have the right notes either. Damn. I love the xylophone....So in lieu of other instruments to play, I used my voice as an instrument to some interesting results. And listening back on the finished song...I think I'm glad.

Musically you can probably thank Spoon and that Cadence Weapon guy.

Geez.

Gonna try and get the songs back up on Sunday nights. That means another song in 3 days.

Yes!

This Week's Song is Called:

I'm Taking It Down

Song No. 11 - Lets Talk

Yes...lets talk. This song is very late.

Inspiration was hard to find inside myself this week (and a half). And energy.
So after letting the song slip for two extra days I forced myself to make finishing it I priority...and had I actually given myself more time to hang out with the idea and explore it more, this song would be great. Really time constraints hinder my performance most of all, because I don't get comfortable with the song. I don't own it, I just get it done. The next thing that gets hurt is arrangement. Maybe I'll revisit this song when I have some spare time and a fuller, well rehearsed version will pop up on myspace.

Not too much more to say. Just that its done and I can continue moving forward.
One song a week for a year. Every week. Back on track.

This week's song is called:

Lets Talk

Let me know what you think.

Song No. 7 - The Demon

Songwriting is a process of communicating an idea. And that idea. during the process of trying to communicate can sometimes get very lost. I think that's what happened to this week's song. Somewhere from my brain to the chords, lyrics and melody it got very lost. I might have been overthinking the idea - I feel like the best song so far has been Two Weeks and I want to write another one that good or better. SO I over analyze how to play the chords, try to follow a similar structure but try to take the idea further and just confuse one idea with an old one.

Before I added the lyrics I was sure it would be a master piece. But as I really started to hammer out the lead melody and lyrics I began to get more and more bogged down by the fact...it just wasn't working. I spent hours just sitting with my guitar in my lap, notebook on the desk and pen in hand staring at mostly blank paper. Flipping through old journals for inspiration. It got the process started and planted the idea....but I just couldn't find the right words to carry it through.

Then I got hung up on song structure.....but I won't get into that because I think the point is clear.

Even though I've had discussion with friends about "at the end of this year I'll probably have 10...maybe 12 good songs"...each week I want the new song to be the best. But it won't always be. So in all fairness to anyone interested, its not the best yet. Its not a terrible song...just a confused one.

This weeks song is:
The Demon

On another note the 52 Song Marathon is the feature site at Alcatraz Red. Check it out. A cool directory for indie rock websites and the like.

Cheers.

Song No. 5 - Two Weeks

I love how this song has turned out.

It surprised me.

I wanted to write a love song this week. On my drive to work I've been listening to the latest Hawksely Workman record and its been stirring up the hopeless romantic in my soul. Crafting the beginnings of the song in my head, focusing on the lyrics first, I was on track until Friday night. Friday I played around with some melancholy chords, and tried singing some of these words over top of them. That was it. In that instant the whole concept of the song had completely changed direction. Rather than being slightly meandering, and generalizing about love I knew exactly what to say and where to go. Honest words and a true story.

After finishing documenting what I thought was a completed song I played it for my love and partner Cole. She's also one of my toughest critics. Sometimes I get my back up about it. But 9 times out of 10 she tends to be right. Damn it. Tonight after playing her my latest song she asked if she could sing harmonies on it.

It has a life of its own now. The song lives and breathes and when I listened back to the words and melody after Cole had lent her voice to it...it didn't even sound like my song anymore. The story was complete.

The song is called:

Two Weeks

It is my favourite.

Song No. 3 - Its Breaking Over

Lyrics. Lyrics. Lyrics...that is mostly why I'm doing this every week. To write lyrics. I don't think writing chord changes and melodies has ever really been an issue for me. But without words to glue the pieces of a song together, it disappears. Mostly inspired by an arrangement idea, some interesting musical ideas came together in a way - I'm fairy happy with on this song. Usually when I have an idea inspired by a specific sound I want to use or an idea (I want to use a synthesizer in the chorus and to create a "spacey" effect...ooOooOh) I try the idea by writing a 30 second song. I write mediocre chord changes, laughable lyrics and try out "the sound". My song dies and the idea usually gets applied to an artist I'm producing...who has a well fleshed out song that needs some interesting arrangements!

As I started working on this one and trying out my idea in 30 second song form...boy did I add far too many sounds and effects to it. Strings in the chorus, spacey synth in the verse, distorted guitar overdubs, drum machine, a choir of overdubbed vocals belting the words out at the top of my lungs. wow....it was crap.

Then I had a discussion at a loud rock show with a musician and another producer on Thursday night. In talking about working with musicians and making records I said something along the lines of "people forget that cooking is like food...too many spices and flavors confuse the taste buds, and then you confuse the senses, you don't know what taste to focus on". It was a great point. I felt pretty smart. Then I thought back to the song I was working on and felt pretty dumb.

So I stripped it down...and worked on the core of the song. Less crap, better chord changes, and a better melody to carry the chorus...rather than all the strings and harmony vocals and blah blah blah that I was trying to do before....and lyrics. But they still escape me. They don't seem entirely right yet. The chorus is exactly what I want to say. The rest of the song could use...well...different words. More time spent on telling the story. Less rushing.

This coming week, I'm not going to be spending most of my time working on the music, and then writing the lyrics the day the song needs to be done. This week lyrics will come first.

You can hold me to that.

Here's the song.

Music Breaking

Dig it.


Also...on another food realted note...I has an amazing salmon shepard's pie for dinner, with a tasty cake for dessert. Mmmmmmmm.