Does getting old mean never shaving or getting a haircut again? This should be called MAKE ME HOMELESS!
Maybe it's trying to say that we'll all be homeless in 30 years....
Either way, my birthday is coming up and this ad depresses me.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
FOUR EFFIN' EFFS FOR FRIDAY: September 24th, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Near Femme Sound Experiment: Weird Is Easy, Interesting Is Hard
Back in February I conducted a recording experiment, a sort of improvisation exercise. I set out to record a neo-psychedelic, experimental noise-pop song (that shit was all the rage, son), but only by using limited means.
Why the limited means, you ask? For purely selfish and shallow reasons, of course!
Rationale aside, I set up some strict rules for what was to become the recording:
While I have been playing guitar since I was about 14 years old, I don't consider myself a musician, I'm certainly not well-versed with a keyboard, I cannot sing to save my life, and I am a crummy audio engineer. However, I am capable of faking nearly all of these things. Fake it 'til you make it, I always say.
So without further justifications, here's the finished product, nearly three hours' work. Turn it up in your headphones, this baby is barely mastered and there's a lot of stuff going on below the surface:
Why the limited means, you ask? For purely selfish and shallow reasons, of course!
Rationale aside, I set up some strict rules for what was to become the recording:
1. It had to be constructed one track at a time, with no regard to what was to be recorded later.Now, the disclaimer:
2. My Korg MS2000 synthesizer and my voice had to be the only instruments used.
3. Every performance had to be improvised.
4. All recorded tracks had to be first takes, no do-overs.
5. No more than 8-tracks were to be used for the recording.
6. A mixer, an audio interface, and any effect within the digital audio workstation were fair game.
7. The recording had to be finished in one night.
While I have been playing guitar since I was about 14 years old, I don't consider myself a musician, I'm certainly not well-versed with a keyboard, I cannot sing to save my life, and I am a crummy audio engineer. However, I am capable of faking nearly all of these things. Fake it 'til you make it, I always say.
So without further justifications, here's the finished product, nearly three hours' work. Turn it up in your headphones, this baby is barely mastered and there's a lot of stuff going on below the surface:
So, what did I learn from this exercise?
Sure, it met my expectations. And I'm actually quite pleased with the last 30 seconds or so of the recording, it turned out way more melodic than I could have predicted. It definitely created enough jumping-off points from which a song could be constructed. Consider it a rough draft, or demo.
Will this get me an opening spot for Animal Collective, or a "Best New Music" tag on Pitchfork?
Maybe, but only if I was 10 years younger and shared a Williamsburg apartment with the Hipster Grifter. But even then, probably not.
Did I actually learn anything?
Not really, but it was fun and I'd do it again. You should do it too.
If you're a glutton for punishment and you'd like to download this recording in a variety of formats, you can do so here.
1. Restrictions aren't a bad thing, especially when they're self-imposed.Am I happy with the finished product?
2. When you can't make lyrics up on the go, just make unintelligible sounds (aka The Sigur Rós method)
3. Cool sounding synths cover up poor musicianship, but only to a certain extent.
4. The manner or process in which music is made is inconsequential to the final product.
5. Faking it is easy, making it interesting is not.
Sure, it met my expectations. And I'm actually quite pleased with the last 30 seconds or so of the recording, it turned out way more melodic than I could have predicted. It definitely created enough jumping-off points from which a song could be constructed. Consider it a rough draft, or demo.
Will this get me an opening spot for Animal Collective, or a "Best New Music" tag on Pitchfork?
Maybe, but only if I was 10 years younger and shared a Williamsburg apartment with the Hipster Grifter. But even then, probably not.
Did I actually learn anything?
Not really, but it was fun and I'd do it again. You should do it too.
If you're a glutton for punishment and you'd like to download this recording in a variety of formats, you can do so here.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tool's "Lateralus" Is Literally Math Rock
Seeing the above lolz today reminded me of the Tool album Lateralus, which loosely incorporates the Fibonacci sequence as a concept, especially on the eponymous track.
I was gonna explain all the cool tie-ins to the sequence from that song, but then I found this YouTube video which does a decent job at it AND let's you listen to it, so here you go:
I was gonna explain all the cool tie-ins to the sequence from that song, but then I found this YouTube video which does a decent job at it AND let's you listen to it, so here you go:
Pretty cool, huh?
And here you were, thinking that Tool just sang about fisting and having extra chromosomes.....
And here you were, thinking that Tool just sang about fisting and having extra chromosomes.....
Friday, September 17, 2010
FOUR EFFIN' EFFS FOR FRIDAY: September 17th, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Music Video Cliché Theatre, Volume I: Musical Guest On Television Show
The White Stripes - "The Denial Twist"
Nirvana - "In Bloom"
Jenny Lewis - "Rise Up With Fists"
Lily Allen - "Not Fair"
Weezer - "Keep Fishin'"
Outkast - "Hey Ya"
Billy Joel - "Tell Her About It"
Chavez - "Break Up Your Band"
The Strokes - "Last Night"
Got any more? The comment section awaits!
Nirvana - "In Bloom"
Jenny Lewis - "Rise Up With Fists"
Lily Allen - "Not Fair"
Weezer - "Keep Fishin'"
Outkast - "Hey Ya"
Billy Joel - "Tell Her About It"
Chavez - "Break Up Your Band"
The Strokes - "Last Night"
Got any more? The comment section awaits!
Friday, September 10, 2010
FOUR EFFIN' EFFS FOR FRIDAY: September 10th, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
FOUR EFFIN' EFFS FOR FRIDAY: September 3rd, 2010
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