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/.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Song #323 of 9999 - I'm Down by Frank & Jeff
Song #323 of 9999
Title: I'm Down
Artist: Frank & Jeff
Year: 2013
Album: Beck's Song Reader, Songs 1-10
Yesterday, I delivered track one of the ten-track recording of new Beck songs Jeff and I produced over the holiday break in December of 2012. Tonight's track features Jeff on lead vocals and guitar while I am (happily) relegated to backing vocals and organ.
One of the things I found interesting about this ten-song collection is how well-suited the songs were to our respective styles and how easy it was to figure out which songs were "Jeff songs" and which were "Frank songs." Which leads me to more discussion about the process we used for learning the songs.
Before we recorded a note, I spent the morning making reference recordings of each song on my iPad. In most cases, this involved me singing with an acoustic guitar, occasional keyboard lines where they were written and working out backing vocals specified by Beck. Even at this stage it became obvious to me which songs were suited for my voice and which were suited for Jeff's and it also appeared there was some real thought put into the order of the songs by Beck. (I encourage you to listen to all ten songs in order once they're posted—it works really well as an album!) It was at this point we made the decision to record the songs as they were presented in the book and it became apparent we would likely be alternating lead vocals throughout.
"I'm Down" presented the first musical challenge as almost all of the keyboard lines you hear are scored in the sheet music. What made them particularly challenging is that I was using a two-octave keyboard and had to keep adjusting the octave setting! Regardless, the focus of the song should be on Jeff's great lead vocal track and Beck's fine lyrics.
See you tomorrow with track three!
Title: I'm Down
Artist: Frank & Jeff
Year: 2013
Album: Beck's Song Reader, Songs 1-10
Yesterday, I delivered track one of the ten-track recording of new Beck songs Jeff and I produced over the holiday break in December of 2012. Tonight's track features Jeff on lead vocals and guitar while I am (happily) relegated to backing vocals and organ.
One of the things I found interesting about this ten-song collection is how well-suited the songs were to our respective styles and how easy it was to figure out which songs were "Jeff songs" and which were "Frank songs." Which leads me to more discussion about the process we used for learning the songs.
Before we recorded a note, I spent the morning making reference recordings of each song on my iPad. In most cases, this involved me singing with an acoustic guitar, occasional keyboard lines where they were written and working out backing vocals specified by Beck. Even at this stage it became obvious to me which songs were suited for my voice and which were suited for Jeff's and it also appeared there was some real thought put into the order of the songs by Beck. (I encourage you to listen to all ten songs in order once they're posted—it works really well as an album!) It was at this point we made the decision to record the songs as they were presented in the book and it became apparent we would likely be alternating lead vocals throughout.
"I'm Down" presented the first musical challenge as almost all of the keyboard lines you hear are scored in the sheet music. What made them particularly challenging is that I was using a two-octave keyboard and had to keep adjusting the octave setting! Regardless, the focus of the song should be on Jeff's great lead vocal track and Beck's fine lyrics.
See you tomorrow with track three!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Song #322 of 9999 - Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard by Frank & Jeff
Song #322 of 9999
Title: Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard
Artist: Frank & Jeff
Year: 2013
Album: Beck's Song Reader, Songs 1-10
So.....have you heard the new Beck album? Probably not! Because Beck decided to do something very unorthodox and release his latest collections of songs as sheet music only. Published lovingly by McSweeney's, Beck's Song Reader is a beautifully crafted collection of twenty new songs intended to be interpreted and performed by amateur musicians the world over. (If you'd like to know more about Beck's experiment, check out the Song Reader website.)
Over the Christmas break, I visited my good friend Jeff Fal of Add Music in Denver, CO. A brief discussion one night led to the topic of Beck's experiment, spontaneously prompting us to hit a local bookstore with the intent of buying Song Reader and recording it in its entirety over the next two days. Very quickly, we realized twenty songs in two days was impossible and set our sights on recording the first ten songs.
Tonight, I'm sharing the first of ten songs Jeff and I recorded across 36 hours on December 27-28, 2012. Since then, the songs have been enhanced with additional edits and expertly mixed by Mr. Fal. But the initial recording session was exhilarating and so incredibly gratifying. For two days, we were sharply focused on making music and, while the work felt demanding at the time, it now seems effortless in retrospect. We followed some pretty basic rules: 1) both of us had to be involved in the performance of every track; 2) we would share the lead vocals as evenly as possible; 3) we would stay true to what Beck put on the page in terms of rhythm, harmony, meter and song structure. At one point, when it didn't look like we were going to get through all ten songs, our friend Jake showed up and played bass on several tunes, allowing us to move quickly through a couple of the tracks. Through it all, Leah kept us well-fed and offered encouragement when we needed it most. It was probably the most fun I've ever had making a record.
So tonight I give you the first song in Beck's collection, "Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard," which features me on lead vocals and bass and Jeff on guitar, synthesizer and drums. There's not much to say about this slice of indie pop and I've already written a lot tonight. Come back tomorrow for more!
Title: Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard
Artist: Frank & Jeff
Year: 2013
Album: Beck's Song Reader, Songs 1-10
So.....have you heard the new Beck album? Probably not! Because Beck decided to do something very unorthodox and release his latest collections of songs as sheet music only. Published lovingly by McSweeney's, Beck's Song Reader is a beautifully crafted collection of twenty new songs intended to be interpreted and performed by amateur musicians the world over. (If you'd like to know more about Beck's experiment, check out the Song Reader website.)
Over the Christmas break, I visited my good friend Jeff Fal of Add Music in Denver, CO. A brief discussion one night led to the topic of Beck's experiment, spontaneously prompting us to hit a local bookstore with the intent of buying Song Reader and recording it in its entirety over the next two days. Very quickly, we realized twenty songs in two days was impossible and set our sights on recording the first ten songs.
Tonight, I'm sharing the first of ten songs Jeff and I recorded across 36 hours on December 27-28, 2012. Since then, the songs have been enhanced with additional edits and expertly mixed by Mr. Fal. But the initial recording session was exhilarating and so incredibly gratifying. For two days, we were sharply focused on making music and, while the work felt demanding at the time, it now seems effortless in retrospect. We followed some pretty basic rules: 1) both of us had to be involved in the performance of every track; 2) we would share the lead vocals as evenly as possible; 3) we would stay true to what Beck put on the page in terms of rhythm, harmony, meter and song structure. At one point, when it didn't look like we were going to get through all ten songs, our friend Jake showed up and played bass on several tunes, allowing us to move quickly through a couple of the tracks. Through it all, Leah kept us well-fed and offered encouragement when we needed it most. It was probably the most fun I've ever had making a record.
So tonight I give you the first song in Beck's collection, "Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard," which features me on lead vocals and bass and Jeff on guitar, synthesizer and drums. There's not much to say about this slice of indie pop and I've already written a lot tonight. Come back tomorrow for more!
Monday, December 10, 2012
See You Next Year?
I made a lot of progress this past week on the record, so I'm probably going to keep the blog shut down until the end of the year. I'll be back, I promise!
Monday, December 3, 2012
No Blog This Week
I'm coming up on a self-imposed deadline with the album I'm writing and need to redirect my focus this week. So 2005 will have to wait. Back next Monday!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Song #321 of 9999 - The Gentle Art of Making Enemies by Faith No More
Song #321 of 9999
Title: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Artist: Faith No More
Year: 1995
Album: King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime
Warning: This song has some bad words in it. You've been warned.
I really couldn't say goodbye to 1995 without sharing something from my favorite album of the year, Faith No More's King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime. Prior to recoding this record, Faith No More fired their original guitarist and replaced him with Mr. Bungle's Trey Spruance. Spruance's creative approach to harmony is a perfect fit for Mike Patton's schizophrenic vocal style and the results are pretty stellar. I was tempted to feature the very accessible funk-pop track "Evidence," but to be honest, I love this album for its very heavy and very sinister rockers.
"The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" has a chord progression and riffs that emphasize the semi-tone (1/2-step) and the tri-tone to achieve this dark quality. After the introduction, Patton sings over a bass line that slithers around F# (F#-------F---F#-G-F#------etc.). The section that follows (featuring the FNM fan-favorite line "Happy Birthday...Fucker") features a riff that also emphasizes the semi-tone (E-F-F#-A-F#-F-E), while the "chorus" gets its punch from descending whole steps (B-A-G) and the tri-tone (E-Bb). Of course, Patton is brilliant throughout, his vocal track more a theatrical presentation than a song. In the final moments, he grabs hold of the line "I never felt this much alive" and shakes it until its neck is broken. I'm jealous every time.
See you tomorrow in 2005.
Title: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Artist: Faith No More
Year: 1995
Album: King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime
Warning: This song has some bad words in it. You've been warned.
I really couldn't say goodbye to 1995 without sharing something from my favorite album of the year, Faith No More's King For a Day, Fool For a Lifetime. Prior to recoding this record, Faith No More fired their original guitarist and replaced him with Mr. Bungle's Trey Spruance. Spruance's creative approach to harmony is a perfect fit for Mike Patton's schizophrenic vocal style and the results are pretty stellar. I was tempted to feature the very accessible funk-pop track "Evidence," but to be honest, I love this album for its very heavy and very sinister rockers.
"The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" has a chord progression and riffs that emphasize the semi-tone (1/2-step) and the tri-tone to achieve this dark quality. After the introduction, Patton sings over a bass line that slithers around F# (F#-------F---F#-G-F#------etc.). The section that follows (featuring the FNM fan-favorite line "Happy Birthday...Fucker") features a riff that also emphasizes the semi-tone (E-F-F#-A-F#-F-E), while the "chorus" gets its punch from descending whole steps (B-A-G) and the tri-tone (E-Bb). Of course, Patton is brilliant throughout, his vocal track more a theatrical presentation than a song. In the final moments, he grabs hold of the line "I never felt this much alive" and shakes it until its neck is broken. I'm jealous every time.
See you tomorrow in 2005.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Songs #319 & #320 - Smashing Pumpkins
Songs #319 & #320 of 9999
Album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
It's funny how a band's most ambitious work often signals the beginning of the end. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is monumental in scope. Too monumental for me as it turned out as I never had the patience to digest the entire album in one sitting. Not that I should have tried—Billy Corgan has described the two halves of the album as representing "night and day," so what business did I have trying to squeeze it into a measly two hours!? Corgan also said he wanted to "approach the album as if it were (the band's) last" and I don't think he realized how prescient he was being. (There were two more albums before the breakup but nothing as artistically or commercially successful as this.)
I chose two of the bigger hits for this post because I think they serve as appropriate bookends for the record and reveal some clues about the coming demise of Smashing Pumpkins. "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" rocks as hard as anything on Gish or Siamese Dream even as it structured to resemble a pop song. The guitars are dense and dark, the dynamic changes extreme. Harmonically, the song is essentially pentatonic—you can play it on just the black keys of your piano (try it!). Outside of the instrumental break at 2:26, there's not a half-step interval to be found. But most of all, the song drips with skeevy nervous tension, the perfect accompaniment for the "rat in a cage" refrain.
And then there's "1979," which Billy Corgan has described as the "most personally important song" on the record. We hear electronic drums, looped samples, synthesizers (or guitars that sound like synthesizers) and it all sounds....happy. I don't know how much the other band members contributed to this song but this is the sound of an evolving artist in Corgan. Suddenly, there is an exploration of wide interval dissonances (like the persistent major 7th that opens the track and a more subtle 9th that comes later) and all the density of the early Pumpkins sound is replaced with airy spaces. For better or for worse, this isn't the sound of a band and it's likely the moment Billy Corgan became the sole permanent member of Smashing Pumpkins.
Title: Bullet With Butterfly Wings/1979
Artist: Smashing Pumpkins
Year: 1995Artist: Smashing Pumpkins
Album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
It's funny how a band's most ambitious work often signals the beginning of the end. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is monumental in scope. Too monumental for me as it turned out as I never had the patience to digest the entire album in one sitting. Not that I should have tried—Billy Corgan has described the two halves of the album as representing "night and day," so what business did I have trying to squeeze it into a measly two hours!? Corgan also said he wanted to "approach the album as if it were (the band's) last" and I don't think he realized how prescient he was being. (There were two more albums before the breakup but nothing as artistically or commercially successful as this.)
I chose two of the bigger hits for this post because I think they serve as appropriate bookends for the record and reveal some clues about the coming demise of Smashing Pumpkins. "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" rocks as hard as anything on Gish or Siamese Dream even as it structured to resemble a pop song. The guitars are dense and dark, the dynamic changes extreme. Harmonically, the song is essentially pentatonic—you can play it on just the black keys of your piano (try it!). Outside of the instrumental break at 2:26, there's not a half-step interval to be found. But most of all, the song drips with skeevy nervous tension, the perfect accompaniment for the "rat in a cage" refrain.
And then there's "1979," which Billy Corgan has described as the "most personally important song" on the record. We hear electronic drums, looped samples, synthesizers (or guitars that sound like synthesizers) and it all sounds....happy. I don't know how much the other band members contributed to this song but this is the sound of an evolving artist in Corgan. Suddenly, there is an exploration of wide interval dissonances (like the persistent major 7th that opens the track and a more subtle 9th that comes later) and all the density of the early Pumpkins sound is replaced with airy spaces. For better or for worse, this isn't the sound of a band and it's likely the moment Billy Corgan became the sole permanent member of Smashing Pumpkins.
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