Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Song #324 of 9999 - Saint Dude by Frank & Jeff

Song #324 of 9999 

Title: Saint Dude
Artist: Frank & Jeff
Year: 2013
Album: Beck's Song Reader, Songs 1-10



"Saint Dude" is one of three or four songs from Beck's Song Reader that really stood out for me. When we got to this track, I realized we were working with some really special material. A few of the songs started to remind me of stuff from Mutations, still my favorite Beck album.

Marked with a tempo marking of "Abiding," the song has a reverential feel to it. The lyrics struck me as equal parts apocalyptic and futuristic. I suggested to Jeff that we try to incorporate a backward vocal flourish on the chorus, kind of hinting at the vacuum of space and he nailed it. It's a great mix. The keyboards (also by Jeff) add a bit of contrasting warmth to a cool musical environment. One of my favorite recordings from this session.

As an aside, our first track caught the attention of a blog devoted to Song Reader recordings called Fax Machine Anthems. You can check it out here: http://whiskeyclonenet.tumblr.com/.

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