2019-02-03 @ 01:31pm
tags: songfight indie-rock monstercore catcore
Well, this turned out... weird. I started FAWM with some kind of particularly miserable cold so I've kind of pieced this together bit by bit in the few minutes at a time I've been able to focus my mucus-addled brain and I think that scrappy assembly might be kind of obvious in the end result. Also I'm not entirely convinced that it was the best idea to wait three days for my voice to return then immediately record something this shouty. But here we are! The main thing is that I've finished a song.
two heads
eight feet
my favourite monster’s always ready to eat
(and isn’t afraid to show it)
two meals
that’s right
my favourite monster has a big appetite
(and is gonna make sure that you know it)
but check the stats, inspect the medical charts:
my monster has a perfect pair of hearts!
two sets
of claws
my favourite monster has the quickest paws
(you’d better stay on your toes)
don’t try
to hide
my favourite monster has four green eyes!
(everything in a double dose)
but check the stats, inspect the medical charts:
my monster has a perfect pair of hearts!
twice the chaos, coming from every direction
my monster is a bottomless pit of affection!
each move
it hears
my favourite monster has four pointy ears
(and they’re pointed in your direction)
it’s time
to climb!
my favourite monster is a mountaineer
(with a special gift for destruction)
This was delightful! I need to see what my kids think of it when they wake.
Loved this! The blippy synth does wonders to the overall sound! (which was good already, of course, but it makes the soundscape interesting). I also have started FAWM with bronchitis, so.. yeah.. A bit sucky. 😝 But now I have the tag #bronchitistronica - "so I got that going for me which is nice".
Glad your over your malaise! You sound in full voice now though. Cool song. I like the wonky arpeggios and that staccato high note at 1 min, just before you go back into the verse. This has a real Britpop vibe to it and the outro is awesome too!
This is so catchy! I love the big acoustic/fuzz guitar duo that comes in on the bracketed verse lines, and the doubled vocal on that part too. That morse code synth is fantastic. Vocals are fantastic - a valiant effort with a cold. And those lyrics are great, I'm picturing some monstrous Siamese-Siamese cat. Off to a really good start here
Yeah baby!! I loved it!! Loved the synthesizer!! I have no constructive criticism..... only that I couldn’t stop headbangin’...... Loved it!!
haha, that synth that sounds like a heart monitor is a great touch. I really like all the vocal tracks flying around echoing and doubling the lines. Fun lyrics and a lot of variety - if that was the result of you piecing together different parts then I think it's worked really well. I really enjoyed this
Mate I love it . Am imagining you doing this whilst under your desk at work 😜. It’s got all sorts of brilliant bits . I love the last refrain of the verse , then you build it like the monster it is . Top work
This is gloriously catchy! Can't tell you're at the brunt end of a cold whatsoever. Love the pacing of the palm muted picking at the morse code bleeps. The flitting between minor/major in the verses is especially good, big fan of how you do that so naturally.
Not only has two monsters, it has an infectious earworm to boot! Super catchy and fun, in the face of imminent destruction. Even more incredible with the ooze you've had to deal with. You did a masterful job and the song is great!! :)
My daughter (10 yo) says, "This song is cool. I love cat monsters!"
I hope you survived the shouting because it totally made the song for me! Although, of course, who doesn't love a great guitar solo in a song about monsters. I love how the first explodes for the fourth line each time especially.
Well you already won be over with "catcore". Super fun and catchy. Couldn't help but dancing around in my chair while listening. The production is spot on. Layered and interesting without being busy. Also, are you familiar with The Cat with Two Heads by The Aquabats? Different take on the same concept.
Mahoosive energy. This a monstrously good romp. Love those dialling guitars and the morse code synth obv.
Oh my gooooood! Just dawned on me halfway through what this is about :D I love it! So much fun! I already wrote a love song for mine in previous fawms but maybe she’ll get another :)
catchy quirky poppy indie fun.
Well that's certainly a good way to get started. Great concept, energetic indie guitars, blippy synths that take it slightly out of the standard indie-pop space ans a vocal performance that I hope you don't end up paying for later ...
Great start and deservedly so after the grief that you have been through. I hope you are well on the mend now. This track is delicious, I love the concept of your lyrics and the staccato synths. Really liked the little guitar fills you have in there also.
I wouldn't have known you were recovering from a cold if you hadn't told us! Lovely, energetic guitar work and vocals complete a rocking cat tune. :)
This is one great jam... no matter how hard it was in the birthing. This is fantastic nerd rock.
this sounds fabulous, especially like the layering of different instruments at various beat rates. the song begins with a promising concept that exceeds expecttions with your witty and stylish execution.
Nooo it's so charming!!! I can't handle it! It took me a second to get that this was KITTENCORE but when it clicked it put a big smile on my face. This is great, the guitar sounds so good and the song is bursting with energy, I did not notice any assembly issues or lingering mucus. I love that intro in particular!
I misread catcore as calzone. I was momentarily confused. Great head-bopping indie-pop and silly, fun subject matter. Love it
Like this! Getting 90s Britpop vibes from this one actually. The shouty stuff works great too so you know, worth it! Melodically and lyrically top notch as per usual. Great opener 🙂
Awesome indie-goodness! I love so many things about this track. Great start!
Hope you feel better soon. Maybe if these monsters would just let you be :) Great work here especially for something you threw together quickly. Doesn’t sound that way at all. The little blippity bloops are marvelous. Love the silly approach to the lyrics. Suits the vibes of the song perfectly.
Wow! Love the atmosphere and production here - especially the doubled vocal and the mouse code type being there comes in for the second verse. Affection! Yeah! 😄
Convincing melodic pop. Catchy lines and lots of ear candy to enjoy. The energetic chords between the lines are very hooky and so is the instrument with which you end the song!
I love those surprise chords that come in at the end of the verses. Those little beeps are a great touch as well. Very fun vibe overall. I enjoyed listening!
You’re a trooper! How did you write such bouncy and bright song while feeling so lousy? Great work! I’m on my 4th listen and feeling happier by the second. “...but check the stats, inspect the medical charts: my monster has a perfect pair of hearts!” ❤️❤️❤️
Nice! I love it :-) great music and awesome lyrics!
Cool tune, like the classic rock vibe of the guitars, makes me want to do the windmill everytime that duh duh strum in the verses kick in. Fun lyrics. Hope you'll feel better and creative before FAWM's over.
SQUEEEE MORE PET ROCK!!! Ah, this is really fun and adorable! The guitar sounds great and the shouty vocals are really good, especially once I realized it was about TWO KIMTEMSSSS! Honestly, this turned out really catchy and so fun -- the structure of it with the monster anatomy and associated dangers is especially delightful.
I have a big appetite for THIS SONG. As per usual, it is wonderfully produced and monstrously enjoyable. AND perfectly DANCEABLE no matter how many paws and hearts you have. I hope you feel better and better and better soon.
Lovely stuff! I'm guessing this is about your two lovely cats? Is that little riff in the outro a nod to the Eels song with a similar title? If not then that is a spooky coincidence (it's not the same riff exactly, but feels like an allusion). Great work VV x
I did listen to this weeks ago, but too lazy to comment apparently! I think if this is the effect of being sick then get sick more often. I really like the slightly jarring clean guitars in the verses and how this shifts quickly between sections with little dustings of synth and acoustic guitar punctuating the changes. Sometimes it feels like it passes too quickly but that means there more to get my teeth into on subsequent listens, and I do like a song where you can discover new things each listen.
Good thing I read the sequel first : - ) I adore that 4th line chord turn in all your verses. And "a perfect pair of hearts" is kind of incredible.
I love how light-hearted the lyrics are.
So far, your entire catalog is blowing my mind.. Wow..you got it all going on.. I love every bit of this song and wanna hear it a gain!
Awww. Kitty monster. I love the fun retro feel to this. Sort of unabashed and letting it hang out there. Really fun
Glad I finally came over and checked your Fawm tracks, man. This is great! I think I'm going to play this for my grandkid. He likes monster things... and he seems to like Rock and Roll. Go figure! I especially like the not-quite-aligned backing vocals. Off-putting in a good way, and the attitude of the individual vocal tracks stand out great.
2019-02-10 @ 05:54pm
tags: emo indie-rock
VV: I'm REALLY struggling this year for whatever reason, so I jumped on the opportunity to add music to a lyric by @paulh1237 that he offered up this afternoon. The content of the lyric encouraged me out of my usual geeky-pop comfort zone as well which was fun! Although if you listen carefully (you won't need to listen carefully) you will hear MANY mistakes in the guitar playing because I wrote a bunch of guitar parts that I can't actually play. Anyway, thanks Paul!
Bare feet,
trace the shoreline
Tame the north sea
Converse,
Old and tattered,
in one hand.
Greeted like an old friend,
By the water -
Poseidon’s daughter?
*chorus
Do you beckon the tide, like
A siren would a man
Raise the waves to such great heights
Just to bring them (crashing) down again..
They gather round your feet
And wash away the grains of sand,
That cling between your toes.
Footprints
That mark the shoreline
Frame the North sea
A cool breeze,
brushing laces
along the sand
Does one begin where one must end?
The water or the land?
*chorus
The sun is skimming pebbles cross the surface
Cuts through the clearer water
Illuminates the depths below
It feels like its stretching on forever
Your gaze
Follows close behind..
Never letting go.
Hooray a collab between two faves! Love these lyrics but that's always true of Paul's stuff, and I really like your guitar playing here - I like the way the louder guitar comes in before the end of the verse and flows right into the chorus, instead of having a more abrupt verse/chorus shift. Like the organ/synth solo a lot too. Great work you two :)
Great track. Love the varying texture and the subtle guitar harmonies.
Hey this sounds really awesome! Love the music groove you have here! The guitar is great and I love the feel of the melody as your vocals deliver the wonderful lyrics! I love the questions and insight in the lyrics!
Whoa. Those aren't merely lyrics. It's a painting. And it's mesmerizing. Like a siren. The groove is like jumping into a Deloreon back to my high school days. The Jangly guitars are soo very good. That is a great collab, guys.
Oooh! This is terrific. The contrast of sparse and fuller lyrics on verse and chorus are great and the musical setting (w/ awesome vocals and guitars - wrong notes and all!) are perfect. I adore the vocal echo at the ends of each half verse!
Man! I wish I could write lyrics like that. This is a really authentic slab of new wave pop melancholy. Hope to hear some more stuff like this from you. That’s a lovely interlude, too. So understated but doesn’t need to do any more.
Brilliant lyrics on this @paulh1237, and @vomvorton you've done a grand ol' job with them in such a short time. It's an instant indie-rock classic! Maybe a little Idlewild-y in places?
Lyrics trace the boundaries of some tropes but deftly avoid outright cliches. "Bring them crashing down" is my favorite line. I love the pre-chorus buildup. The geek-pop keyboard solo is excellent. If you made many guitar mistakes, they flowed in so well that I couldn't clearly identify them. I enjoyed this.
Cool jangle sound and build up with the guitars, it really just goes and the general feel and your vocals work very well. The lyrics are pretty awesome, they are descriptive enough to paint a scene and the way you sing them bit by bit is perfect. The "along the sand, along the sand" line is fantastic. These lyrics where really made for this tune. This is awesome, very enjoyable listen!
I like how the build starts at the end of the verses before the chorus to ramp the energy up. Fun keyboard (organ?) solo.
Sorry to hear you struggling. I’ve felt the same way. Life’s been crazy and my mind just isn’t in it. BUT this is infectiously wonderful. Love it. Didn’t catch any mistakes, but really mistakes are fun bursts of unexpected genius. I love your vocals especially, and the song just has a great overall vibe that keeps me engaged. Wonderful work guys.
I love the wandering jangly guitar lines in the verse, they are so good and the louder chorus is an excellent dynamic contrast! The melody in the chorus for the "raise the waves/...just to bring them down again" is just gorgeous. Beautiful lyrics too, really descriptive and concrete but concise. I like the detail of the Converse sneakers as it keeps the scene from feeling too generically "beachy," it has a sort of surprising realism; and the image of the sunlight through water at the end really stands out.
Glad to hear you are still getting songs up even though you are struggling. This is different from your usual stuff. It kind of reminds me of ride, more specifically there newer offering weather diaries. Your vocals are really good on this and I couldn't hear any guitar mistakes, then again I wasn't really listening out, too busy enjoying it. Great lyrics, great collab.
Sorry to hear you're struggling, Vom. If it's any consolation this sounds great and takes me back to my days of listening to the Promise Ring (I should probably go dig them out again). I really like the chord changes around the "gather around your feet" line, and the jangling in the verses is right up my alley. I think a rough around the edges feel is important for this kind of stuff or you end up sounding like My Chemical Romance and nobody wants that. I really like the lyrics too, they do make me a bit nostalgic for the UK.
Nice gritty and jangly, really like how your vocals sounds, wish it were a bit louder in the chorus, but I guess it's a stylistic choice (I'm not familiar with emo bands). The music makes me think a little bit of the Norwegian band Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson. Liked the little instrumental synth solo ish part.
So good! Dunno how I missed this. Oddly reminds me of My Psych, i dunno, maybe not them. And then the big cool guitars come in. Feels very early 00ies and now I'm all nostalgic
I know your pain re writing parts you can't actually play. I do it all the time! I'm getting a real third album-era Idlewild vibe from this, which is awesome. I like the way it drives along mainly because of the tom work on the drums. Nice lyric as well. I really like the image of the sun skimming pebbles. Very cool.
I really like this one. The lyrics are ace (nice work Paul!). A pleasurable slice of indie-pop right here. Can't say I really noticed any guitar hiccups either to be honest!
2019-02-14 @ 03:58pm
tags: motif punk motormouth garage-rock indie-rock
After struggling to write any lyrics at all this month, I suddenly seem to have packed this song so full of lyrics that it might ACTUALLY EXPLODE.
I wrote most of the music last weekend, starting with a bassline inspired by the motif I was assigned from the random motif challenge:
https://fawm.org/forums/topic/9083/
Then it sat neglected until this morning when I changed the drums to a different kit that was less overpowering, added some keyboard (Casio PT-30, which has appeared on all of my songs so far this year!) and then came up with this lyric, about self-doubt and criticism and... I don't know, I got a bit carried away. Anyway it was fun.
The "animal cartoon" line is an oblique reference to watching the singing-animal animated movie 'Sing' after Christmas and being repeatedly reduced to tears by it. I REGRET NOTHING.
when you made the decision
to pour your derision
on this lazy cash-in
I have blessed with my passion
it boiled my blood
and it did me no good
my confidence shook
from your critical right hook
I wish I had more faith
in my bookcase
and these packed racks
of DVD two-packs
I’ll only blow more cash
adding more trash
to the selection
in my collection
I am happy to say
I go weak at the knees
almost every day
I guess I’m easy to please
I will freely admit
that I have a disease
I’m in love with this shit
I am easy to please
when you saw my review
and you read it right through
and in the box underneath
you typed “actually…”
and you took all the praise
from my collected essays
and turned it on its head
and now I wish I was dead
and I know when you opine
it doesn’t erase mine
but I can’t help thinking
had I just been drinking?
was I overtired?
was it really inspired
as it seemed to me last night?
you know, you might be right…
(chorus)
and now I’m feeling gloomy
at the end of a movie
because I thought it was great
but I should probably wait
until my emotions subside
and my eyes have dried
yeah, I know I swooned
at the animal cartoon
you know what? fuck it
there’s enough in this bucket
for me to ignore doubt
I’m not going to run out
of positive feelings
there isn’t a ceiling
for stuff I think is great
so let’s not hesitate:
Haha yeah so many syllables! I would get all mushmouth trying to sing this. It's catchy and fun and the sincerity won me over.
Great stuff! So full of energy. I like the lo-fi indie sound. Really love the bridge. Sing *was* a great movie.
An interesting premise to write a song about: someone who likes most art out there is thrown a little off center when an outsider points out the art's flaws. Most of all, I dug the energy of the tune, the back-up vocals and seemingly endless stream of thoughts coming to the narrator's mind. I hope you don't mind compliments by way of comparison, but this reminded me Los Campesinos' energetic early stuff.
Oof, the energy in this! Huge. Much joy. Love your guitar tones especially, such a driving tone. The urgency behind your vocals are awesome and sound like a guy who's just been through a nasty cold and made it through the otherside just fine <person raising both hands in celebration emoji>.
you have that joyous punk energy of a wreckless eric here. keep piling on those guitars.
Predictably, I love the crazy tumbling overload of lyrics! It's almost a rap song! Rap but make it lo-fi garage punk! It's bursting with energy and the sort of loose rapid-fire delivery works super well with the song. Great hooky chorus and excellent message (I mean, I am also easy to please so... this pleases me.)
Sounds like a burst of inspiration indeed! Chorus being best proof. I imagine this song, that is so full of energy, to be celebrated in places where the dj suddenly decides to play this.
GREAT lyrics - love the short lines and effortless (sounding) rhymes, and they all add up to a strong message. I just want to go listen again...
Such a catchy memorable chorus, and the whole song is brilliantly bouncy and upbeat. As others have said, I also love this type of tumbling lyric explosion. Along with that buzzsaw guitar it emphasizes the agitation behind the lyric perfectly.
So many lyrics! The spoken parts are awesome and the chorus is brilliantly catchy. I also particularly enjoyed the Rivers Cuomo style solo dropping into the half time section. Lovely stuff.
Love the concept. I also agree with it completely. I have so many guilty pleasures and they should be championed, not hidden in shame. Well said!
Ummmm..... yeahhhhhh..... stop writing songs about me, please. But seriously, I really loved this song in so many ways. I do completely relate, but other than that, you've give it a really amazing vibe. Free and loose, with tons of attitude, plus all those amazing sounds. Great bass, guitar, synth - and the vocal was perfect.... Awesome job.
Fantastic lyrics - I particularly love the style of delivery in this one too. Bursting with energy from start to finish. Instrumentation all delightful too (that high synth low in the mix is very effective). Bass work a highlight too. Excellent!
enjoying the lyrics. Nice one man.
Oh this is a great song! Very good lyrics, and I'm (positively) envious of you being able to make an "open" mix like this, the lightness or airiness of the mix with the upbeat melodies and upbeat rhythms (both drums and vocals) really combine well! :) People on this train probably wonder why I'm suddenly smiling stupidly.
So many lyrics, this is like a TLB song. Are you biting my style? 😉 Anyway, love the instrumentation here, great guitar work (mini duelling guitar solo!) and that synth line underneath is lovely. Fantastic lyrics and vocal delivery too, the extra vocal line under the chorus in particular makes your vocals sound super strong. Great!
That's a lot of couplets. When it started the lyrical meter reminded me of the opening lines of Nabbo! by PandAz. Love that song, and now not the letter Q as a result, but I digress. I enjoyed the lampooning of those hapless individuals and there collections of stuff. You're guitar sound here is really good. It sits perfectly in the mix. I sometimes still struggle with getting distorted guitars to sound right but this is great.
This is great. Infectious energy which matches the theme beautifully. Love the lyrics too - lots of excellent lines - especially the image (and sentiments) in the final stanza. I'm pleased.
very cool -- I like the manic energy in the song. Also how rhythmically you change the accent sometimes in the lyric. And musically things felt nicely in place-- impressive production. I can imagine people singing/yelling/jumping along to this when you play it live.
This was ace - bags of explosive energy. I really like the chorus with the Casio under it. Also - the half spoken word/rap style really suits you! I especially like the hype man touches - I wonder if you were inspired by our rap collab that time :)
This sounded like you had a tonne of fun. Way to turn your self doubt into something that we can all enjoy. The pace and verocity of this is great and your lyrics are creative and loads of fun. What part of sing reduced you to tears? Thinking I missed it or I have no heart, probably the latter.
way to embrace the nausea of pleasure :) infectious energy and "was it really inspired as it seemed to me last night" definitely rings a bell. great chorus!
Damn, this is really good! I love the garage punk vibe/groove! The instrumentation is really awesome and your vocal performance is ACE!!! It has a really catchy melody! I can imagine you bouncing off the walls while performing this one! No one on stage or in the first two rows will be safe!! Great work on this!
This is fantastic! Awesome punk groove! Love the smooth synth/organ layer that interplay’s with the diving percussion and stacatto guitars. Love the lyric! Great attitude in the delivery! Love this introspective out there directness of feelings! Awesome song!
I had lots of fun listening to this. Everything works great, delivering the lyrics in that fast spoken word form creates a sense of urgency and a great energy. Also enjoyed the synth line. Cool song, I like!
2019-02-15 @ 03:03pm
tags: songfight apocalyptic waltz pop
Another song I was working on last weekend but couldn't figure out any lyrics for. Today is the deadline for this title over on songfight.org so there we go, some apocalyptic waltz-pop to soothe your ears. Or whatever.
I had fun with the cacophony of stuff at the end - there's Casio PT-30 keyboard, Omnichord and (an iPad-derived-approximation of) trumpet and trombone.
the sirens are howling
the bombs they keep falling
the bunkers are packed
the food is appalling
walk steady
I will walk steady
right out of the city
and into the wasteland
to live off my wits
and trade contrabrand
I will walk steady
I will walk steady
though the ground shakes under my feet
I walk on through murderous heat
though the world has fallen apart
I will try to keep on walking
society crumbled
the skyscrapers tumbled
and under my breath
I quietly mumbled
“walk steady”
and so I walk steady
away from the wreckage
and into the desert
to fear for my life
with every gunshot
walk steady
I will walk steady
though the earth has become a prison
people are turning to cannibalism
though the world has fallen apart
I will try to keep on walking
OH YEAH! Love those harmonies on "walk steady", @vomvorton! And that cool sound that comes in on the chorus/prechorus. What is that? I love it. I know I've heard it before... DUDE. That walk steady is such an amazing hook!! Really really really really good. I'd love to hear the "walk steady" just going on forever into a fade out at the end. Seriously...I could listen to a TON of measures of just that. Great job. Love the concept too. All around great song.
Would be a perfect theme song for a role playing game I'm a part of. I enjoy the serious lyrics with the circus waltz. Great song, great production. I ADORE this!!
Love this. That is a super catchy hook and the harmonies are killer. I like the juxtaposition of the dismal apocalyptic lyrics paired with the happy go lucky waltz sound. Enjoyed it so much!
I laughed at the prison/cannibalism rhyme. A nice parody of the ever-popular "Keep Calm and Carry On."
Omnichord! 😍 Sounds great here. Did I tell you I managed to pick one up in the end (an old OM-27 in great condition)? You've reminded me I absolutely promised myself I'd use it this month... Anyhow, I've not heard many / any waltzes this year so I thank you for remedying that anomaly. Love the contrast of the cheery melody and delivery set against the super dark lyrical content! Sinister! Nice work once again.
Nice to see someone approaching the apocalypse with a stiff upper lip and a perky tune to whistle, We are, after all, British. Had a certain Bonzo Dog whimsy to it. Love it.
This kind of makes the end of the world feel not so bad. Very funny lyrics, nice cheery feel to it. Great stuff, I may have to check out this songfight you keep mentioning. Enjoyed the listen.
Love a bit of 3/4. This is a great tune, I especially like the descending melody at the end of the chorus. Your vocals are great - love the layers on "Walk Steady" at the end of each verse. And the casiocophany at the end is brilliant!
The lyrics kind of caught me by surprise there. Compared to 333/334 this track totally doesn't sound like an apocalypse track, there's something bouncy and whimsical about the music. The contrast with the lyrics is totally incongruous, but that's it's charm. And how would one stay positive in the effect of an apocalypse. By singing a waltz of course. Good luck with the fight. You woz robbed last week (I don't actually know, I didn't listen to the other songs)
I much prefer co-op mode for the songfights over PvP! This is very entertainingly jaunty post-apocalyptica, very catchy stuff! Did I mention I recently read this book called "The End of the World Running Club" that this made me think of? But faster, I guess. I really like all that fake brass at the end! I hope it totally enrages whoever that Songfight person was who hated fake brass.
That 3/4 gives it a real whimsical vibe that works an absolutely treat. I love how your vocal sort of flits between being tight to the rhythm, and being a little more relaxed. The second chorus is my favourite bit, a glorious cacophony of sounds.
You could honestly release an album of post-apocalyptic pop. Probably a double album, actually. And the weird thing is, none of the songs would sound at all the same. Some excellent rhymes in this, as per. Good stuff!
I'm a sucker for a cheerfully grim apocalypse, and the lyrics and your delivery of them are spot on. And the reverbed casio is really charming. This is great.
Bizarrely cheerful, and absolutely delightful! I love the cheery vocals. This could be a show tune, or a solo piano/vocal barroom crowd pleaser. What you have done with your key and synth sounds is brilliant and symphonic, too. I'm giving a second listen now.
2019-02-15 @ 06:34pm
tags: accidental-trip-hop experimental dread
@chriddof, who isn't FAWMing this year but is being extremely productive elsewhere (check out his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmyPQiXpBj04z9D1FSqPeIA ), offered to write me some lyrics when I was struggling mightily last week. When I received them I decided they needed a kind of experimental approach to reflect their nature, but what I've actually ended up with is kinda trip-hop? But also an experiment in writing loops and then varying and alternating them to (hopefully) keep things interesting.
Anyway, this is quite different for me! Thank you @chriddof!
…three, three, three...
a single head
from male human being
50 years old
corner of this room
5 feet, 6 inches
above the floor
no need for floor
no need for room
garbled two word phrase
two word garbled phrase
general obscenity
photography term
garbled two word phrase
two word garbled phrase
present only briefly
then it returned
three, three, four...
this tape recorder
80s 1990s
on a desk
exhumed from box
contained a cassette
message on label
then pressed play
no need for play
garbled two word phrase
two word garbled phrase
general obscenity
financial term
garbled two word phrase
two word garbled phrase
present only briefly
then it returned
[spoken bit:]
This would appear to finally explain The Marlington Photo, which has caused many sleepless nights for child-aged collectors of tea box trading cards. Stress tests could not be carried out as both displacements slid back to their own time/space before sessions could be arranged.
Pretty sure I just took my first acid trip by listening to this song. I love the vocal processing and the sparse-but-sharp-edged background. Very cool stuff.
Ooh these lyrics are so fantastic! Great vocal delivery, too. Nice vocal effects overall. Yeah, that bass line adds a little dread for sure. Lovely spoken word bit at the end. Really nice!!
Amazing how the lyrics themselves feel glitchy, even without being sung.
This is amazing; if I'd heard it without knowing it was you I'd never have guessed! There's so much going on here; it's spacey and trippy and weird! I love it!
Nine inch nails vibes maybe?! Not sure I've heard you go down this particular stylistic road before! I rather like it - it's really quite dark and foreboding. The production work is quite something - so many little touches here and there that provide tonnes of interest. Actually - getting slight experimental Bowie vibes in places too. Marvellous!
This pretty compelling right out of the gate. I love the the "three, three, three." I don't know what it's all about...but I want to go to school on that lyric...like something pulled from a fire. Love it all!
oh wow, really different for you, but you pull it off with aplomb. Love the effects on your vocals throughout this - the distortion, the echo, the dodgy cable cutting in and out effect. The music fits the lyrics perfectly, really ominous and atmospheric. Big fan of this one!
Love the dark crunching trip hop happening here. Haven't heard you do one like this since that old classic Terrorcubes. I particularly like the vocal manipulation, like the occasional bits of echo and retrigger effect. The lyrics are evocative of a mix of the films Pi and Primer. Really awesome stuff. If you were rapping this would fit neatly onto a Czarface album.
I listened to this before reading anything, and assumed you'd lent your vocal to something @chriddof had produced. Surprised to find how wrong I was.. this is incredible, man. So far removed from anything i've ever heard you do before, but it's so good, and despite there being a lot of effects in here, it never feels forced or over done. Love all the different sounds and timbres on your voice, so cool. I guess in that respect, I'm getting Martin Grech's Open Heart Zoo vibes.
"Accidental trip hop" piqued my interest, and I wonder how you happened upon that beat accidentally. Certain parts of this are definitely reminiscent of something from Massive Attack's Mezzanine, which is definitely a compliment. Love the echo and glitch vocal effects, they sound fantastic
Great stuff, this definitely has a trip-hop feel, I like that beat and the sort of sinister texture to this all! Love the glitchiness you put in there and those super deep pitch-shifted vocals at the end. It is all very different from your usual stuff and I love hearing your versatility and range. These are cool lyrics too, love the spoken word part!
Was this an Ableton song? It seems like it, the production is amazing... there's a LOT of inventive stuff in it - I really love what you've done with the stuttered vocals, in particular. The long bassy bits under 334 are awesome too
It's SinisterVom! Trust Chriddof to be the creepy catalyst. It drifts, it lopes, and it lurks. I like it very much. Like a musical Creepypasta.
2019-02-16 @ 07:20pm
tags: fuc indiepop uncomfortably-cute catcore
Sort of a companion-piece to My Favourite Monster I guess, but this one strayed onto the wrong side of the "acceptably twee divide" somewhere along the line (right at the start, probably), although I think I've somewhat redeemed it via the classic method of "continuing to add stuff until it kinda works".
when we brought you home
and you became our pet
we didn’t think we’d need
insurance for our carpet
the plants didn’t last long
with you sleeping in the pot
the wallpaper was tattered
wherever you fought
you bounce off the walls
in pursuit of a fake mouse
I love you… but you’re destroying my house
we bought you a new climbing frame
you used the stairs instead
claws stuck in the banister
as you wobbled overhead
the curtain by the front door
bought to keep out the cold
now lets in a breeze
through a hundred tiny holes
you’ve scaled every door
every steep bookcase
I love you… but you’re destroying this place
maybe I should get upset
but it’s hard to criticise
I just can’t stay mad
when I look into your eyes
you bounce off the walls
in pursuit of a fake mouse
I love you… but you’re destroying my house
I love this more than chocolate. Brilliant writing and as always excellent production. Thank you for the smile.
This is so much fun! And so true! That unconditional love for our furry friends is truly amazing! You capture it so well with this delightful and tender song!
Oh god I'm getting flashbacks to when Freddie was a kitten. Not that he's much better now. The lyric is obv highly relatable and funny (in retrospect, very retrospect). Really love the middle 8 on this, especially with that cute casio organ sound
I'll leave the acceptable twee divide for some other harsh person to judge - to my ears this is wonderfully cute and so in line with the VV classics that I still have in rotation on media players. I would make some slightly different choices with the drum rhythm if I were producing, but that would probably change the feeling of the song too much and destroy the wonderful character of everything together.
Great!! Love the uptempo. Very relatable and witty topic!!
Ah the kitchen-sink production method. I know it well. I didn't realise you had a maximum twee threshold. I'm pretty sure that wall is crumbling by now. I do love how this seems to be falling apart from the opening beat, much like your house from the sounds of it. I wish I had this song to play to all the people who asked me why I never got a cat. And I can't believe how naive you were about the insurance.
A lively bit of cuteness and fun! Great beat and I loved the layers woven into the chorus.
Like the Beautiful South reference! Nice uke skills and I really like that synthline under the chorus. The break is great, and the echoey guitar in the final chorus works really well. Not too twee!
I love your cat based tunes 👍. And there’s nowt wrong with twee pop when it’s done so masterfully . I love the chord progressions . And of course am on board with the end chorus guitar echoey beauty
Cat songs roocckkkkkkkk. Can relate to all the lyrics here, for sure. Love the pace of this, it sounds like you're on the brink of keeping up but you manage it.. i guess that mirrors quite well with the scatty nature of pusscats!
The manic energy and overflowing production of the song captures the feeling of rambunctious kittens super well! The uke sounds great in the the mix. I love the seemingly bottomless well of lyrical inspiration you get from your cats!
Haha, loved this - made me chuckle! When I sold my first house I had to get all new wallpaper and carpets throughout because of what my cats had done. Nightmare! Classic VV here, catchy as hell 😊
haha, I can't imagine ever writing anything as bright and twee as this, BUT it does sort of scratch the same itch for me as some sugary Japanese pop does. That high synth that comes in at the chorus sounds great and has a lovely melody
So funny and cute! I can easily picture the scene(s). The melodic theme is nimble and super catchy. And there's so much tenderness in your vocals, it's gorgeous!
And the award for cutest catcore song goes to....
And your point? Apparently you have forgotten it is no longer your house.
Aww, takes me back to when Van was a kitten. (Sixteen years later, he still shreds toilet rolls.) Love the out-of-control tempo and all the high-pitched instruments, total kittencore.
Yep, the title has "kittens" written all over it! This may not be your favorite, but it's the first one I decided to check out!
Awwww. The energy and mildly frantic feel fits the lyrical content perfectly. Other than the tiny holes in my curtains, I am feeling lucky that our cat is pretty mildly behaved. The chorus/title-line is particularly wonderful here. In delivery and sentiment!!
Cute, funny, dynamic song. Fun to listen to even though not fun to go through so much trouble. Great idea for the song! Nadia
I agree - adding stuff made it a very fun and frantic song - purrfect for the subject (I can't possibly be the first purrson to say that can I?) It was a super fun listen and the crazy combination of instruments worked great... Fun fun fun (for a not fun topic). :)
2019-02-17 @ 05:44pm
tags: twin-song synthpop indie-music electronic remix
NOTE: THIS IS A TWIN SONG! SEE ALSO: https://fawm.org/songs/95208/
Presenting: BITTER VOM!
TLB: I somehow hadn't collaborated with @vomvorton before and so when he tweeted pre-FAWM about doing a collab I said yes, because he's great. Then I decided to needlessly complicate things. I had this idea that we could start from a very simple base (in this case a beat and a one note bassline), each record some stuff to go over the top of it, then swap our parts and attempt to put them all together separately, coming up with two different songs structured from the same materials. We ended up using the same vocals in both songs too, although the vocals were recorded after we had heard each others songs and had an idea about the structures we were working with. Tom did most of the heavy lifting with the lyrics - I had a vague chorus about pareidolia (the tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, eg seeing faces in clouds) and he ran with it and wrote a ton of cool lyrics.
Pleased with how both versions worked out and really enjoyed working on them, thanks Tom for indulging my weird one song/two versions collab idea.
VV: Pareidolia! It's when you "see patterns in a random stimulus". Like a face in the moon, or Jesus in a sandwich, or the creature trying to escape from under Ed Sheeran's skin. Wait, maybe not that last one. We all saw that.
Somehow I've never collaborated with @thelowestbitter and, as such, doing so was one of my highest priorities for this FAWM. Jed came up with the interesting idea to start with a simple loop and then each add our own tracks but each build up our own mixes from the source material - hence there being two versions of this song, with the same lyrics and assembled from the same pieces but in different arrangements!
Pareidolia
Pareidolia
I swear you caught my eye,
but looks can be deceiving
I’ll talk myself right out of this
though I’ve no trouble believing
every Van Gogh painting
is a puzzle in disguise
I’ll take a stranger’s word for granted
before trusting my own eyes
I think I saw you smiling
in my general direction
but is it crazy to accept that
as a showcase of affection
when I look into my coffee
and am greeted with a grin
is that a sign of madness?
or survival instinct kicking in?
Pareidolia
in the mist you'll spy a ghost
there's a face burnt in the toast
but I just can't see anything in you
You can save your Rorschach test
I understand my brain
I see faces in the clouds
and hear the whispers in the rain
But when you try to talk to me
there’s nothing in your voice
You are an incoherent mystery
Of random colours… and white noise
I’m sorry that I keep ignoring
my own friends’ advice
but the truth is this affliction
has become a sort of vice
why would I follow the suggestion
of a mere mortal group
when I can ask the messiah,
who is floating in my soup?
Pareidolia
there's an archer in the stars
there's canals criss-crossing mars
but I just can't see anything in you
in the mist you'll spy a ghost
there's a face burnt in the toast
but I just can't see anything in you
Pareidolia
Hands down ‘there’s a face burnt in the toast’ is my favourite line this Fawm! LOVE whatever is happening there after ‘white noise’. Aaah archer in the stars is really pretty, I mean.. that one is LITERALLY there right?! This is a great pairing, vocals compliment each other perfectly too! Impressive how you made it sound so cohesive given your tactics!
I listened to this one after the other mix and will say I love both equally. This one feels a little more stripped down but is just as catchy. Great job on this collaboration.
So cool to have two versions of this kick=ass song. The harmonies pop on this one and I love the guitar parts, reminds me of early 90's alt pop rock I grew up with. And the whisper in 'in the rain' was a great touch as is the layering of verse/chorus at the end. Super cool.
This is bloody great guys. Weirdly, some of the guitar work & harmonies (and perhaps the progression) reminds me a little of Mellon Collie era Pumpkins (no bad thing!). So many lovely little touches throughout. Honestly one of the best (if not the very best) collab tracks I've listened to so far this year.
Bitter vom, love it! Also love the new word I learnt in this educational fun n the great lyrics spawning from it esp ‘painting is a puzzle, greeted with a grin, smiling in my general direction’ Catchy loveliness here, love the overlapping vox at the end, looking forward to hearing the other version
This is such a great concept (although it has taken a lot more listening and A/B comparison than usual to comment!) and you both came up with such great mixes! Lovely breakdown at 1:00, the simplicity and break from the otherwise busy production is nice. I love that filter sweepy synth that comes in around 2:08, it's like an alien singing! The outro is incredible, I absolutely love multiple layered vocals like that.
Bitter Vom? You disgust me. This is well cool, chaps - given your writing methods, you could have easily bludgeoned this track to death beyond any recognition. But no, you've held back very nicely here - so many awesome instruments that sets each verse and chorus apart (apart from different voices). So many hooks all over this one, it's hard to say if I prefer verses, choruses, or otherwise! Overlapping vocals are masterful here too, very well played.
Great track, vocals sound good and are up front in a good way, the chorus is memorable and the voice has a different sound in it, ending double vocals over each other is really good, great pop feel to this.
Your methodology is so cool. And so is this song. Now I gotta go listen to its twin! See You In The Shadows…
Loads of great ideas in this - I especially like the multiple layered vocals and countermelodies - lots going on that doesn't detract from the song. It's catchy, poppy and very nicely mixed (the guitar sounds lush!) The lyrics are first class...again! Insightful, light hearted yet deep at the same time! Great collab!!
I especially like the section with the spoken word and melody happening together! Nice work!
Fun to see the tracks together and how you approached the same song just slightly differently. It would have been kind of fun to have people guess which mix was whose. Do love the parts that are stripped away on this version. Both versions are really great. Great work guys!!
Oh damn this is a cool concept! Both in terms of the two versions and the lyrical inspiration. The lyrics just generally are great; that "but I just can't see anything in you" is wonderfully gut-punching. Production-wise, I especially love that breather/breakdown at the 1:00 mark or so, and the layering at the end.
This is chock full of goodies, and fun as heck. The syrupy synth at the end. The guitar break. The crunchy beat. Can't wait to hear the other side!
I had to check out the two versions and this first one was great. Awesome balance of guitar and synth with the fantastic drum party. Cool song and story behind it and I love the subject although now you know ya gotta write that Alien Ed Sheeran song
I think you have some brilliant lines in hear about how irrationally we decide what to believe.
Interesting that this is more guitar based than Voms. I would have expected it the other way around. Really like your guitar work. The panning is really nice with the vocals. Great collab, it was reslly nice to have 2 versions to compare against.
Such a funny, clever idea, both in the concept of the music and the lyrics. Just amazing vocals and instrumentation throughout. Well done you two!
I felt compelled to listen to each version before commenting, now I'm in the middle of my second run through and it's really interesting to hear both of your approaches to the mix because they're very distinct and yet the material is exactly the same. TLB mix feels like the "folk" version and has this relaxed, warm hug feel to it with natural sounding acoustic guitars and friendly synths buzzing idly around it. The Vommix by contrast seems much "hotter" right from the first tambourine shake, more in your face and pushing the electronics more. It feels like the instruments are fighting harder for their space. That said the song itself, musically, is pretty chilled and everything feels so positive and twinkly. It has a summer night camping by the lake feel to it. The lyrics are a funny lampoon of the conspiracy theorist tendency to ignore the obvious in favour of some mysterious nonsense. I might have to borrow one of these lines as an insult one day "You are an incoherent mystery of ran
Pretty much said it all on the other version. Very, very cool.
love the anti-lovesong turn of events and the earnest folly of the narrator. excellent development of the titular concept and such a lazy hook it has become...
2019-02-17 @ 05:44pm
tags: twin-song synthpop indie-music electronic remix
NOTE: THIS IS A TWIN SONG! SEE ALSO: https://fawm.org/songs/95207/
Presenting: BITTER VOM!
VV: Pareidolia! It's when you "see patterns in a random stimulus". Like a face in the moon, or Jesus in a sandwich, or the creature trying to escape from under Ed Sheeran's skin. Wait, maybe not that last one. We all saw that.
Somehow I've never collaborated with @thelowestbitter and, as such, doing so was one of my highest priorities for this FAWM. Jed came up with the interesting idea to start with a simple loop and then each add our own tracks but each build up our own mixes from the source material - hence there being two versions of this song, with the same lyrics and assembled from the same pieces but in different arrangements!
TLB: I somehow hadn't collaborated with @vomvorton before and so when he tweeted pre-FAWM about doing a collab I said yes, because he's great. Then I decided to needlessly complicate things. I had this idea that we could start from a very simple base (in this case a beat and a one note bassline), each record some stuff to go over the top of it, then swap our parts and attempt to put them all together separately, coming up with two different songs structured from the same materials. We ended up using the same vocals in both songs too, although the vocals were recorded after we had heard each others songs and had an idea about the structures we were working with. Tom did most of the heavy lifting with the lyrics - I had a vague chorus about pareidolia (the tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, eg seeing faces in clouds) and he ran with it and wrote a ton of cool lyrics.
Pleased with how both versions worked out and really enjoyed working on them, thanks Tom for indulging my weird one song/two versions collab idea.
pareidolia...
I swear you caught my eye,
but looks can be deceiving
I’ll talk myself right out of this
though I’ve no trouble believing
every Van Gogh painting
is a puzzle in disguise
I’ll take a stranger’s word for granted
before trusting my own eyes
I think I saw you smiling
in my general direction
but is it crazy to accept that
as a showcase of affection
when I look into my coffee
and am greeted with a grin
is that a sign of madness?
or survival instinct kicking in?
pareidolia
in the mist you'll spy a ghost
there's a face burnt in the toast
but I just can't see anything in you
pareidolia
there's an archer in the stars
there's canals criss-crossing mars
but I just can't see anything in you
I’m sorry that I keep ignoring
my own friends’ advice
but the truth is this affliction
has become a sort of vice
why would I follow the suggestion
of a mere mortal group
when I can ask the messiah,
who is floating in my soup?
You can save your Rorschach test
I understand my brain
I see faces in the clouds
and hear the whispers in the rain
But when you try to talk to me
there’s nothing in your voice
You are an incoherent mystery
Of random colours… and white noise
Oooh NICE FULL SHAKER at the start there. Though this is quite a bit louder than TLB’s so almost blew my speakers up. This is so much fun to hear the two different mixes! More people should do this! Random colours! Beaut! ADORE the vocal chop up(?) after the chorus. I would like more of that pls.
Wow, so glad I listened to this one and read the notes on it. What a really cool concept that produced a really great song. The arrangement is catchy and those lyrics are really smart. Great job, both of you!
I'm OBSESSED with Pareidolia. So you guys had me at 'Hello' on this one. Natch it's clever and beautifully arranged with gorgeous harmonies and fun synth accents. I love that the flip side to seeing patterns in clouds and jesus in toast is seeing another person as 'an incoherent mystery.' Brilliant. why would anyone follow the advice of a mere mortal group when they can ask the messiah floating in their soup? My soup messiah loves this song. (And the mortals do too)
Wow wow wow. Great tune, great concept, great satire.
I am so glad I learnet a new word today. Pareidolia! (from french pareille?) and a great song to go with it where I have to agree with @judypie on the toast thing.
Brilliant pop music. All round ace-ness... melody, production, performance. Really enjoyed it. Wicked collab.
Interesting to hear this done in two quite different ways! The percussion seems more prominent here right? It's such a belter I was more than happy to hear two different versions back to back. Ha! Nice work guys.
Ooh more synthy beebot, I like the bells and tambos in this one, perhaps it’s a little dreamier whereas the other a bit more raw
Both versions are so good! Very catchy and also I love the lyrics! It's an excellent way to use the phenomenon as a metaphor, but also there are so many just great phrases and rhymes--"in the mist you'll spy a ghost/there's a face burnt in the toast", "there's an archer in the stars/there's canals criss-crossing mars", " incoherent mystery/Of random colours… and white noise" I like the organic elements in this mix--shaker, acoustic guitar--and the whooshy synth stuff that starts happening around 2:00. Super lush and wonderful production!
Love that we get to hear two different versions.. I can't choose between them! This gives a bit more of a hazy vibe, probably with that droney synth. Both very, very good though - I guess it's a sign that there's just very good songwriting buried in there, so you could have just farted all over it and it'd be fine
Interesting differences, nice use of extra percussion and added electro elements and flourishes. Lyrics and subject material are creatively done.
The similarities are there, but so are the differences. I love both versions! See You In The Shadows…
What a cool idea for the method! I already spoke about the lyrics in the other comment but I like muchly the extra rhythmic aspects to this one and the choice of bass around 1:43. Great collab!!
Really cool concept. Love this idea and treasure your commitment to it. Lyrics are really great as always. Too many good lines to type them all. There are some great synth bits in here too.
Ahh what a cool concept and fan-service joining of FAWM-talent! I really like the syncopated, glitchy beat on this mix. I spoke about how good the lyrics are on Vom's mix, and obviously the same still stands here. I like how you bring his voice in and out of the front of the mix on this version, and that synth line toward the end is extra delicious.
This is a CLASSIC Vom lyric. I liked them both, though I liked different elements in each. Particularly liked the drums in this one. And the synth on the 3rd verse. This was a lot of fun
One sign of a great song is that it works on different levels and in different mixes or versions. This one fits that bill - the lyrical story and vocal is so grabbing to the listener. A million wonderful elements - I couldn't pick between these two. This was fantastic!
This is very adventurous and i am now really looking forward to hearing lowestbitters version. The concept is great and my favourite line is when you ask the messiah floating in your soup. Great music but what awaits me now in the alternate version... lets find out. I feel like a kid in a sweet shop.
Both versions are incredible! Listened to them back to back, and could do another round. Great job!
I said everything on the other page. Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, etc.
What a cool idea. Love the fast lyrics that sound a bit like stream of consciousness, or would if they didn't rhyme and scan so well. Listening to one after the other, it just makes me think of when you get to the end of an album and there's a big space, then a secret track of a remix of one of the songs, where clearly the band couldn't quite agree which version belonged on the album and wanted both there. It's very, very cool.
I listened to the other version, first and some of the way the lyrics fell, reminded me of Robyn Hitchcock (a lot on these lines; but I just can't see anything in you, when I can ask the messiah, who is floating in my soup) Then I heard this version, and it had me thinking They Might Be Giants. The execution of concept, is very well done in both versions.
2019-02-17 @ 06:24pm
tags: murder-ballad dark folk-pop
VV: I'm sure @owl will be along to add some more detailed notes, but for now I'll just say that the lyrics are about this weird Australian unsolved case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamam_Shud_case
The music is unusually dark and sombre for me! I wanted to make sure that I actually played some piano this year after several years of taking lessons and I wrote this one on piano before... erm... letting the guitars take over the mix a bit. Collaborating with @owl was a pleasure as always!
owl: VV wanted to do a murder ballad so I found one of the weirdest murders(?) I could think of to write about.
The last stanza refers to the last quatrain in the book the "Tamam Shud" was torn from:
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/omar_khayyam/o54r/
also never thought I would ever have a song where I put such emphasis on the word "pasty" but... it rhymes, so! I really like the interplay of the guitars and piano on this track.
Wave your hand to the couple passing in the twilight on Somerton Beach
Street lights blink on and now the passersby can see that you're sleeping
The sea comes in and the stars wheel above Adelaide
The morning comes and onto the beach rides one Neil Day to find you
In your pocket, a bit of paper reads
Tamam Shud
It's ended
Cold on the sand
Tamam Shud
It's ended
When you came to Adelaide in the morning on the overnight train
Shaved your face and showered in the bath house next to the station
Did you know that that pasty would be the last meal that you ever would taste?
Or that you'd never wear those slippers you left behind in your checked suitcase?
In your pocket, a bit of paper reads
Tamam Shud
It's ended
Cold on the sand
Tamam Shud
It's ended
American coat
Missing teeth
Small black case
To hold a needle
T. Keane's tie
No spare socks though
Despite the book
Not Alf Boxall
First the poison
Then the suitcase
Then the thread
And then the cipher
Then Miss Jestyn
With her baby
Love affair
Or secret spy game?
In your pocket, a bit of paper reads
Tamam Shud
It's ended
Cold on the sand
Tamam Shud
It's ended
The rising moon that looks for you again, how often after she'll wax and wane
How often after will she rise and look for your gray eyes in vain
But like you, we are temporary, star-scattered evening guests
Drinking slower poisons, each lying down on our own beaches to rest
In your pocket, a bit of paper reads
Tamam Shud
It's ended
Cold on the sand
Tamam Shud
It's ended
words fail me. this is simply marvelous, as an opaque murder mystery, the maze of feelings beneath the exposition, a piece of music, a performance to rank with the best.,,,,,all in all, a pleasure for listening and reflection.
I like long the lines of the verses are, really allowing for lots of fun phrasing: "temporary, star-scattered evening guests," for example. Impressive how many details from the case are weaved into that middle section. Dark tune with weird hopeful notes to add to the eerieness.
A mysterious murder ballad! Indeed the piano and guitar balance each other well. The multiple vocals work especially well in the First The Poison... segment. I never thought of murders as a subject for a song, you did well!
Wow, I love what you did here melodically, thematically, arrangement-wise and with the great vibe. This song lingers with you hauntingly well after the last note.
Oh my this is great. Where to start... beautiful vocal work as always. The harmonies are particularly lovely. The piano work and that bass line underpinning everything are very cool too. Finally, the lyrics are outstanding. Wonderful collab!
You folks do work well together, this is fantastic. Moody, dark and fragile. The lyrics and lyrical phrasing are gorgeous..
Love this - I was completely unaware of this case but was reading the wikipedia page whilst listening and it sounds like a really fascinating mystery. The music is great, love the piano from @vomvorton and @owl's vocals and lyrics are amazing. Also kudos for getting "pasty" into a song!
Wow, that’s absolutely lovely despite the dark theme. There’s that eerie, detuned, cataloguing mid-song—yes—but otherwise it’s really a touching ballad that offers remembrance and hopeful signs of life, something to hold on to even if it’s just a memory. (The collab and musicianship gel perfectly. This is a really a fantastic song from every aspect). ❤️
Great instrumentals and vocals. You really did a good job selling this well crafted song. The chorus is gorgeous. Haunting!
Ooo I love a murder ballad - I’m currently working on one at the moment. I like how the instrumental is quite care free and light, contrasting the darker undertones of the lyrics. It also fits with the dreamy environment of the beach/sand and the mystery of death. There’s also a great mix of longer and shorter lines in here to control the pace as you tell the story
Great job giving a poetic setting to this mystery. The backing track is fabulous and the vocal sits in it well. Really good job on this.
Hooray for Vowl collabs! Just lovely, quite a familiar sound yet it sounds like nothing else out there. The harmonies in the chorus are totally lovely.. fill the sound just enough without being overbearing. I was hoping to hear both your faces and you delivered... great how Tom really elevates that next chorus. Skills!
I really like this. I like the piano and acoustic guitar parts and how they work together. The vocals are so good – especially in the chorus – and the layering later on works really well too. The lyrics are full of details, but hint at traditional ballads too ("rides one Neil Day"). The last verse, turning to Omar Khayyam and then back to the beach, is very nice.
I remember reading an article about this story in the Fortean Times (checks archive...) Yep. It was issue 351 (March 2017) and it was the cover story. A fascinating case. http://files.fawmers.org/FAWM_2019/headfirstonly/FT351.jpg This song conveys the mystery well. The device of telling the story through questions (more questions) helps maintain the uncertainty and unease created by the excellent accompaniment. Cracking job, folks. As a lifelong Fortean, this pushes all the right buttons for me.
These are very skillfully written verses. Wonderful job on that, and the music suits everything perfectly. Great concept to begin with. The bridgy part with the details is spooky as all get out and the final verse is transcendent. There's a sort of delicate "flip" sound I hear at the onsets of syllables that I thought at first was coming from a digital effect. I'd be curious the source. Candidly, it's the only thing in the production that seems to not match the other choices made, to my ear.
One of FAWM's best for 2019. What a great story to tell in song! Wonderful creation of the right mood.
Oooh, this is soooo good. Great storytelling, and the kind of dreamy-pop that sits right adjacent to some of the newer Twin Peaks soundtrack stuff that I love. Many superlatives I could throw at this one. Just a great tune.
This is amazing! Lyrics, harmonies, arrangement... Just perfect. Truly one of this year’s best. I need to look up Tamam Shud now! If you want more Fortean inspiration, the man from Taured is pretty interesting... No one died though :)
Oh my, that chorus gives me goose bumps. So lovely! It's a special treat when Vom adds his voice. The bridge is pretty special. Dang, this is a good one
Australian noir is the genre I didn't know I needed in my life. The chorus is absolutely superb.
Oooh this is really beautiful. I love when the music cuts off on "to find you." Something extra pretty and spooky about it. And the dreamy melody of the chorus with @owl's higher and @vomvorton's lower tone vocals anchoring them has such a wonderfully, unplaceably unsettling quality with it's little juxtapositions. And OH DAMN when y'all switch to that already spooky bridge and then Vom's voice comes in in the middle and I was feeling full on "YOU'RE IN DANGER, GIRL DON'T GO DOWN THERE." And that last verse is so good and so beautiful -- some of my favorite lyrics I've read/heard this FAWM maybe? Another wonderful Vowl Sounds collaboration, you guys! Really excellent!
This is great, interesting to follow the story and wonder what happened and wondering what the heck "tamad shud" means.
Ooh, I love a good mystery to read about while I'm listening. This is probably the most sombre Vowl Sounds song I've ever heard and yet it sparkles with melancholy magic. The middle section around the "then the suitcase" line is particularly creepy sounding. Great chords in that part. Brilliant utilisation of the story for these lyrics.
Oooooh, wonderful song! Excellent storytelling. The music is terrific, and the vocals (and harmonies) gorgeous. Very pretty, catchy melody. As someone who lived for several years in Oz (I'm a naturalised Aussie ;) ) I love that the word 'pasty' appears in the lyric. Now I want one. ;)
Lovely melody and accompaniment -- and such a fascinating tale, told beautifully. I like the contrast between the verse and chorus (and the odd element the chorus reveals). That last verse is just glorious; so poetic. I'm happy to have discovered your music.
Excellent subject for a song. Adelaide's got a reputation as Australia's weird murder capital, but I didn't realise it stretched back that far. Great singing from both of you, and I love how the 'slower poisons' verse universalises it all. Great arrangement too, sombre but letting in the light.
Number one... They have pastys in Australia? I love them even more now. This was simply marvelous on all sides. Intriguing story, told with the incredibly artistic lyrics that owl crafts, set to a perfect story song musical setting that held your interest and a wonderful performance from both of you. You are such a good pair and I always love the songs you come up with!
Beautiful, well-produced track, with awesome vocals and just the right amount of darkness. I love all the harmonies, and the story, and the way things change at "American coat" musically. Very mysterious and macabre effective guitar work there. One of my favorite tracks this year.
Awesome production and the harmonies are great, love all the different elements of the arrangement and a real emotion delivered through the vocal. A sombre feel but little bits of light in places as a contrast, really great collab well done.
2019-02-25 @ 01:45am
tags: 4-track cassette analog transatlantic
This song came from an actual 4-track cassette, and this one started in Great Britain, before coming over to the United States. The contributors are listed in the order in which they added their parts and no one knew what the final song would sound like. Please check out songs from these artists! 😀
Tape 17 (UK -> US)
Track 1 - @vomvorton (GB - Bass guitar)
Track 2 - @elesimo (Cali - guitar)
Track 3 - @nancyrost (Wisc - lyrics/vocals)
Track 4 - @zecoop (Mich - drums)
A long way from half Moon Bay
Around the world halfway
He always kept the world at bay
He seemed to like it just that way
Froze impressions so they'd stay
An arm's length away
But then his armor fell away
He dropped the camera in the stream
He crossed the border, lost the frame
He dropped the camera in the stream
He is free and, free and strange
All the faces he'd portrayed
Turn to him, return his gaze
Unscripted and unmediated
Intense and untranslated
Senses flooding unabated
He notices he's afraid
Afraid and so alive
He dropped the camera in the stream
He crossed the border, lost the frame
He dropped the camera in the stream
He is free and, free and strange
(@nancyrost)
Great collab! I'm super impressed that drums came last, just as a practical thing... it all fits together so well, with very natural dynamics shifts, you'd never have guessed. Nice job @zecoop! @vomvorton and @elesimo, I really like the solid driving bassline and the sort of meditative echoey guitar layer built on top of it. @nancyrost The long strings of same-ending rhymes really help build a moody hypnotic feeling!
Ooh 4 track time. So bummed we couldn’t sort out our Tascam probs soon enough. Next year hopefully. Cassettes have such a warm quality. Drums...last? Wow.
What a wonderfully strange song. Really like the lyrics and the way the vocal, in fact the whole song, is shaped by that dark, earthy bassline. Terrific idea for a challenge, well done to everyone for pulling it off!
This is great! I love the production! All the performances are great and come through really well. This is just excellent.
These four track challenges are one of the many great things about FAWM - totally love the concept! You've collectively created something quite dark and moody here. So the bass guitar (which is one of the highlights!) went on first and the drums last? Blimey! Nice job everyone.
The interplay between the guitar (@elesimo) and bass (@vomvorton) are really impressive to me. Well-built tune.
Love the sparseness of the arrangement, it reminds me of Warpaint a little. Hard to believe this wasn't jammed out in a room! Really moody and evocative vocals too!
Ah I love the vibe. That bass riff is so infectious and beefy. The guitar interplays beautiful. Drums are ace too, and the vocal to top it off! Everyone is so restrained - in this situation I'd always be so tempted to go full throttle and just ruin everything, heh!
4-tracking across the universe! This has great atmosphere to it. The minimal 80s indie feel in the bass and guitars is great and gives amazing space to the song. It kind of reminds me of the early Sundays stuff, but even darker, and this lends a real gravitas to the lyrics which already feel very mysterious. Who was this person and where did they go? This is probably the best mix I've heard on a 4-track challenge. Fantastic stuff all of you!
Such an ethereal sound (and lyrics). I love the language here ("unscripted and unmediated" among others), and the chorus is interesting vague and descriptive at the same time. This is lovely.
2019-02-25 @ 08:51pm
tags: four-track cassette lo-fi blues indie tape8
Tape 8!
In order of recording:
@wobbiewobbit - acoustic guitar
@fourzeroes - vocals and guitar
@marvsmooth - bass
@vomvorton - drums and backing vocals
Sorry that the drums are a little shaky - they're definitely not my forte but that was the element this track clearly needed to finish it off! I did a LOT of takes with various different percussive options and this was the best.
Individual tracks are here if anyone else wants to mess with the mix: http://vomvorton.co.uk/music/fawm19/Tape8.zip
(by @fourzeroes)
Looked myself in the mirror today,
Said "hey buddy, you don't look so great"
You came in and you held my hand
Said I'm doing the best I can
Ooh-oo-ooh, melt my sorry heart
Ooh-oo-ooh, tear my brain apart
I've had analysts and therapists and counsellors too
They never dug up anything new
I take 200 milligrams a day
They say 250 can lock you away
Ooh-oo-ooh, melt my sorry heart
Ooh-oo-ooh, tear my brain apart
I believe in you
I never trusted anybody else
Not my doctor and not myself
You gave me reason to believe
Held my hand with your heart on your sleeve
Ooh-oo-ooh, melt my sorry heart
Ooh-oo-ooh, tear my brain apart
Yeah you tear it down again
It goes on and on and on and on it goes
Where it stops, nobody knows
Ooh-oo-ooh, melt my sorry heart
Ooh-oo-ooh, tear my brain apart
Tear it down, tear it down
Tear it down, right to the ground
Looked myself in the mirror today.
Said "hey buddy, you're doing okay"
Melt my sorry, sorry heart
Melt my sorry, sorry heart away
Drums sound fine. Anyway, shaky is always good in my book. Very much a sixties vibe to this—slightly trippy. I think the vocals are spot on. Very compelling.
Yet another stellar 4-track collab. Participating and hearing these is truly my favorite part of FAWM. Magic across the miles.
How are people so good?!? This is amazing, I'm listening for the third time. Great job!
Well another wonderful 4 track! This has such an natural easy feel and flow to the music. Cool guitar bass and drums! Nice solo. Love the laid back feel to the vocals given the sorry heart lyric. Nice contrast and ending.
Another lo-fi glory! Yay us! Post the lyrics, cuz why not... Love those squawky lead guitar bits, good job on singing and playing at the same time.
If this had come up on my Spotify recommended I’d have favorited. Right up my alley in its unpolished glimmer. A great track.
Love how these four track tape songs are assembled. It seems like a brilliantly organic process and each time seems to produce interesting and cohesive results. This one is no exception. Love the chorus especially. Well done guys.
This was oddly mesmerizing."Ooo-ooooo-ooo"
This one has the coolest vibe, almost a really early Bowie influence, but not really - just so fun to listen to. It's fun seeing how this one evolved - really great collab!
Swingin' fun for sure. Nice dynamics and give-and-take of lead bits, that really give it that live-band feel. I like the way the mix puts the drums in front with the vocal, like it's the drummer who's singing.
Great collab from the 4 of you, I'm always impressed when these 4-track projects come together and work as a cohesive whole. Love all the elements of this - the acoustic and bass play off each other really well, the vocals sound great - just the right amount of fuzz - and the drums work well with the song for me.
Oh, love this! It's so quirky and catchy. I feel like I'm at a party watching my friends doing an impromptu version of their hit song.
I imagine digi-drums is hard work when you're not working to a click. I would find it really hard working in this order (Drums almost always go down first, or nearly first). Love the breezy lo-fi vibe.
I think the 4-track challenge is so cool. I would love to do it if I had the equipment. This is very Kinks" sounding. I guess its the vocals.
love what everyone did with this. thanks for making it such a cool collab!
This has a proper Graham-Coxon-in-one-of-his-lo-fi-moments feel to it. It has a cool whimsical bounce which smartly counterpoints the downbeat lyrics.
The lo-fi confessional quality with sweet melody (and on a meta-level, the mental health-related lyrics) reminds me of Daniel Johnston. I enjoyed the overall sound of this, the acoustic guitar and bass keep it purring along nicely, the electric guitar solo sounds lovely, the drums were the right choice to glue it all together nicely.
2019-02-26 @ 04:01pm
tags: trance anti-sleep meditation electronic
I was lacking inspiration, so I had Vom send me an old file. The synth background is his (aside from the bells).
Who put these thoughts in my head?
Who put these thoughts in my head?
I thought the night could protect me
But now I pray for the light, heaven help me
‘Cause here come the wolves
Who put these thoughts in my head?
Who put these thoughts in my head?
I thought the night could protect me
But now I pray for the light, heaven help me
‘Cause here come the wolves
I’m at the crossroads of someday and never
And I just stammer, whatever whatever
‘Cause here come the wolves
If only, if only
If I’d done that thing not this thing then maybe
I’d not be so lonely
I’d do CrossFit and eat right and sleep more
But here come those wolves
If only, if only I’d done this thing not that thing then maybe
I’d beat back those wolves
If only, if only
If only, if only
If only, if only
I’d not be so lonely
I’d do CrossFit and eat right and sleep more
But here come those wolves
If only, if only
(goddamn those wolves)
If only, if only
(goddamn those wolves)
If only, if only
Who put these thoughts in my head?
Who put these thoughts in my head?
I’ve lost my way in my own bed
I’m pleading no contest
‘Cause here come the wolves
Who put these thoughts in my head?
Who put these thoughts in my head?
I’d go with purpose if only
The light would come, heaven help me
I’m in bed with those wolves
You thought the night could protect you
I love this! The music reminds me of that band, The Sound, that I listened a lot to. "I thought the night could protect me / But now I pray for the light" : these lines summarize the atmosphere of the track very well. It's a fight between dark and luminous energies, both being equally attractive. The vocals are really great on top of this, with their somewhat incantatory tone. Awesome collab.
nice one in a dark and self torturing kind of way. nice collab, the lyrics really suit the backing music. kind of repetitive and relentless badgering of those goddamn wolves. very relatable night time worries and obsessions.
that bass/synth line that is repeated throughout the song is powerful and catchy and gives the song a great base to lean on. Also the line "who put these thoughts in my head" is a powerful line and catchy. Intriguing and well written lyrics, chilled while listening, thanks!
Spooky...reminds me a bit of Sting.
Great lyrics that mix the prosaic ("Cross Fit") and metaphorical! Nice woozy backing that is also slightly ominous. "I’m at the crossroads of someday and never" is a great line. Reminds a bit of The Cure, et al. Very catchy and fab!
Creepy/spooky who put these thoughts in my head sections. It really matches the music so well. The tension is built throughout with the repeated here come the wolves line - this is so classic and vintage sounding, which I am totally digging. I loved the vibe of this song top to bottom. Nicely done. :)
The tone and lyrics are both clearly somber and ominous but I find "I’d not be so lonely/I’d do CrossFit and eat right and sleep more" a comical line, and also helps me connect with the singer a bit. Not that I can't relate to, "Who put these thoughts in my head?" But I've never likened it to being in bed with wolves, so thanks for that ;-) Cool track destined for the next "True Blood" series!
I was wondering if I'd see you this year, @rayboneor! Great things come to those who wait. Anxiety, depression...they're terrible beasts. This is the first I've heard them called wolves, but it is so, so true. Vicious and most feared. The lyrics support the backing track so well, too. Great collab!
Great beat to start off. I love the feel of the song. The synths sound huge. Nice work!
Here comes the wolves is such a great hook and wonderful imagery. I love the restraint of the synth behind, there fittingly haunting.
Something of John Carpenter in the synth backing, and that is no bad thing. No bad thing at all. I’d do CrossFit and eat right and sleep more/But here come those wolves - I know exactly the type of person you're skewering here
That synth work is pretty glorious, I too hear a lil' John Carpenter. Maybe a little Gary Numan in the overall vibe. The wolves/depression metaphor has been translated to lyric really well here
The insomniac lyrics fit really well with the paranoid synthing in the background. There's an element of Bladerunner in the style with those high-pitched pads swirling around the main hook.
This has a great 80s goth vibe; seconding the Cure comparison someone else made below. The synths have an excellent moody crunchiness to them and that repeating riff is hypnotic. I just love the vocal melody on "heaven help me" and the lyrics are a fascinating mixture of wild/creepy and mundane, the wolf imagery is so perfect.
This is the kind of obscure song to be happy to have witnessed. This is fab. Danny, your vocals do this music so much justice! Love the way you sing 'pray for the night'. It has a delicious groove to me. Spooky cool song.
and that's why thom yorke keeps the wolf at the door :) the first verse says it all and it bears repeating, yes, but then the crossroads of someday and never probably says it even better. digging the crunchy synths and the taradeedeedadi hook - good match for the desolate delivery and vice versa.
Wow, Danny, you just slid right into the vibe of what Vom sent you and squared it's impact with your vocal! Totally relatable lyrics, great hook, and the repetitions more than fit the situation. I really love the overall feel. Download button?
2019-02-27 @ 06:27pm
tags: indie-rock full-band
VV: zecoop sent me this track last week but I've been struggling with illness AGAIN... in the end I hailed the FAWM gods and suppressed my cough with a combination of throat lozenges and brandy... just long enough to get this done! I also added synth, handclaps and piano to the original track to cover up some of my deficiencies, hehehe. Thanks @zecoop for a great track to work with!
ZC:
Yet another first time collab with one of my favorite FAWMers (other than 4-track tapes). I didn't think it was going to happen this year either, with his unfortunate lingering illness. But with some "meds", amazingly he got it done and in style too. I always look forward to the genius lyrical stories and this one didn't disappoint. Awesome job and THANK YOU for putting the art first, but now I seriously hope you can get yourself back to good health!! :)
I’ve got an idea
we can point the car away from here
and hit the gas
leave our old lives in the past
and change our haircuts
you go dark and I’ll go blonde
and if anyone comes looking for us
we’ll keep moving on
the thrill
the heat
the thought of something new
no place
to stay
I haven’t thought this through
we’ll change identities
give ourselves new names
you be Barbara
and I’ll make do with James
we’ll split the driving
every hundred miles
and if we get pulled over
we’ve practiced our best smiles
the thrill
the heat
the thought of something new
no place
to stay
I haven’t thought this through
no jobs
no cash
nothing much to do
I’ll steal
I’ll fight
just to spend time with you
when we’re out of fuel
I guess we’ll have to walk
when we’re out of food
the I guess it’s time to talk
we’ve lives we can return to
we’ve got clothes we can unpack
I can take you out for dinner
if my job will take me back?
the thrill
the heat
the thought of something new
no place
to stay
I didn’t think this through
no jobs
no cash
nothing left to do
I’d steal
I’d fight
just to spend time with you
Haha I love the sudden realisation of "I haven't thought this through..". You don't sound ill though, I deem it all a lie and demand five more songs.
Love the energy on this track. You sound perfectly healthy to me! I really dig the vocal sneer here, you can feel the attitude - a great example of the performance and the lyrics meshing perfectly, especially when the chorus kicks in!
What a great mesh of styles and vocals, musically. Excellent collab!
So good, love these lyrics, the line 'if we get pulled over we've practiced out best smiles' kills me...great chorus and rocking track all around.
This is a blast to listen to, and sounds like it was a blast to put together. Lots of nice touches here, like the handclaps
Explosive chorus! Really fun, especially those BVs. But I really like the drumming in the verses too. Oddly reminded, lyrically of the dark comedy show The End of the F*cking World that was on Netflix.
Nice twist on an oft romanticized idea of "running away" together.
I love that slinky bassline and skittery drums in the verse! Fantastically huge chorus, so satisfying when it kicks in. The handclaps and synth were great touches, I like the production details that keep it moving in interesting ways throughout. The lyrics are so excellent, they are funny and realistic but don't lose that romantic escapist feeling. Also VV I never would have guessed you were suffering from a cold, vocals sound good!
sounds great! love the music and those split shouted/up close vocals, great delivery , no cold noticed here.. both of you sound fab! congrats on your first collab.
I liked that melody right from the start, especially over that verse rhythm. Music is cool. Glad you two could make this work.
Getting 90s Britpop vibes from this one. Great instrumentation throughout (as always with both of you!). Particularly fond of the clicky stick percussion bits! Enjoyed this.
Bam, that chorus is big! Getting Ash vibes from this I reckon. That clicky percussion in the verses is pretty awesome, a really inventive beat (was that all done in one take?).
Ha, that sheepish last chorus is brilliant, returning to your old job after the adventure is run into the ground. So many great sections in this, right from the beginning with that funky almost-Cake-like bassline and stick rhythms. But most importantly BIG POP GUITARS. The imagination on display in the new names you've chosen for yourselves is astounding. It's a shame "Silver Bullet" doesn't rhyme with "names". I think you should make a whole album together. Just throwing that our there.
This is GREAT. Power popperific! Barbara and James indeed. :) Catchy chorus and just a great song all around.
so 90s, so Pulp :) excellent bonnie and clyde, um, barbra and james lyric (there's a great and quite unreadable book in this vein called Only Revolutions) and great energy and precision to the music (the opening reminded me positively of a Lake Street Dive track, but I can't figure out which one) Well done both of you!
This has an awesome vibe! I love the lyric that has a wonderful element of wanderlust and longing with practical details. Such s cool chorus with the vocals. Love the driving beat and guitars! Great song!
The tappy verses going into the big chorus is super-cool. Love the fun way you introduce realism into your big escape plan. Brill song.
Wow, this is so much fun!!! Love the lyrics and the story that unfolds. "We'll change our haircuts," says a lot, haha. And "I haven't thought this through" is such a comical line. The shouting back up vocals in the chorus just make it more fun and comical. Way to pull through with your vocals, they sound amazing. And how lucky are you to have @zecoop to set the brilliant musical stage for you. Just perfect!
You got an entire road movie in one song.
"Throat Lozenges and Brandy" - there's a song title! Super cool song - fun, energetic, lots and lots of interesting sounds to enjoy. Seems like a punk/old-time music hall mash-up and absolutely rocks!
Love the riff of the verses driving them along. I love the 'job will take me back' line!
2019-02-28 @ 12:03pm
tags: songfight rock fuzz
Cheeky last-minute submission for the latest Song Fight (by "last minute", I mean "the deadline was last Tuesday", haha) but also an attempt to slightly redeem what has been a bit of a disappointing FAWM for me due to an assortment of illnesses. It's not over yet! And I can pretty much sing without coughing now!
there’s a shape in the sky
it draws away when we come near
and I never knew why
it caused me so much fear
until this morning
when the contents were revealed
and as soon as they opened their eyes
we knew our fates were sealed
we form a line
we stand our ground
but still they advance
without making a sound
it’s times like this
you wish you’d made your peace
with all your friends and enemies
before the creatures were released
but there’s nothing left to do
join hands, say your goodbyes
they advance in silence
the only sounds: our cries
and so we fall in masses
as without sound they swoop
we wipe tears from our faces
and make a smaller group
we form a line
we stand our ground
but still they advance
without making a sound
This is an awesome song! That chorus is so compelling and catchy and their is a wonderful depth and energy to the music with the layers and drive that makes it feel empowering at the end. I feel like cheering and standing my ground with others in line feeling invincible despite the advance of the unknown. Great music and compelling song!
Congratulations on the win! You can always go back and re-record when your cough clears up I suppose. Stop-starting drums like that feels dated now, in that everyone did it around 10 years ago. Because of that, it paradoxically sounds really fresh. The post-punky guitar is really gnarly and awesome - especially on that dark and unexpected chorus progression. Top!
Wow, I love this song! From the awesome reverby jangle of the guitar to the stop/start nervousness it all comes together so will. And the lyrics and (GREAT) vocals tell a story that fits perfectly in this sonic arena. Great song - congrats!!
I'm going to give one of the best compliments: If this came on randomly from Spotify, I would probably find the artist and add them to my playlists. Marvellous sound in both the instruments as well as vocals.
Have I compared your voice to Jarvis Cocker before? (Or has that happened before/not infrequently from others?) Anyway it's a giant compliment coming from me, and I'm really hearing it in places on this song, perhaps because of the kind of menacing tone of it. Anyway! This is great. That chorus is so cool, especially, and how you build it in the end is really wonderful. The whole thing has a really great menacing tone to it.
Lyrically I'm terrified, but musically I love this song. Love the chord sequence on the guitars, love the dynamics and what a belter of a chorus that is!
I've put up reviews on the boards, but wanted to stop by and let you know I thought you won the fight.
Well if this is a disappointing fawm for you , it’s disappointment with a capital Amazing ( not sure if that makes sense ) Anyway I love the structure and inventive chord sequences . Great variety between the verse and chorus . This is a rocker and a keeper . Plus your vocals are top banana mate
You've created one hell of a brooding soundscape here. All those guitar textures are fantastic, from the arpeggiated to the crunchy. The vocals there at the end take it to a whole new level. You're always a pro...but this is amazing. It's kind of terrifying when you actually try to imagine the advance of some silent horde
Oooh yeah, this is great! Really really love that chorus. The arpegiated guitar line is really effective there. There's a certain darkness to the progression and melody which perfectly matches the lyrics. Reckon this is my fave of yours this year actually. Excellent!
That stop start rhythm in the outro is really cool when it breaks out into the 6/4. A big of fan of the guitars in this, really brooding, intense stuff. That vocalless build around the middle is well cool.
I hope you don't really consider this to be an unsuccessful when you're producing so many gems. The sinister surf-rock of this is yet another great addition to the canon. I love those big bendy chords and the Isaac Brock-esque riffing. This reminds me a little of Fables-era REM too, which I love, not sure if you do. But those guitars and half-robotic sounding vocals. I'm really impressed that you make 6/4 sound so driving and rocky. Well enjoyed this.
I really like the guitar bit that starts at 1:23. Cyclical and menacing, like the "shape in the sky"in the first verse.
This is excellent! I will comment in more depth on the Songfight forum, but I have to finish listening and taking all my notes on the other songs first. I love the guitars on this so much!
Oh man do I love the chord progressions in this.. Your guitars are awesome.. This whole song is sick!! I luvs it!
Great sound, the reverby guitar and your vocal is fantastic. I like how you left it a bit ambiguous about exactly what is going down. In the story.
Really good, sinister, track. Great guitar throughout – I really like the intro, the arpeggios in the chorus, and the instrumental/solo part. Vocals are strong and the backing/harmony parts are really good.
Prog-surf if it's not already a thing it is now. The additive guitar build around 1;20 is fantastic. Then back into to the militant chant and the outro guitar riff. Nice job all around.
Wow, this is awesome! I love the way the chaotic intro abruptly shifts into the verse. The vocals are great, especially when the call and response happens at the end. It has a really great, dark energy. Makes me feel ready to go into battle!
This is a very cool song; I dig the chords at 00:45 and on. Really awesome progression. This has a vintage feel, but also sort of contemporary. Both at once isn't always easy to pull off. The guitars everywhere are outstanding. Plus you just have a damn good voice.
The lyrics are nice, dark, and mysterious! I liked the chord progression in the chorus sections definitely not a usual one to hear!! I also liked the guitar tones!!! With the dark chord progression along with the guitar tone and guitar playing, it reminds me of early Cure. This one is certainly a keeper!
2019-02-28 @ 06:21pm
tags: notacover misery piano
My assigned title from the #notacover challenge. Finally got to it! Bit of a dirge, this one. I wanted to do more piano songs this year but I have a hard job writing anything that doesn't sound like Coldplay, Elbow or Radiohead and - no offense to any of those bands - I do not want to write music that sounds like them. But anyway, here's some piano misery to end the month on a high!!!!
when a bad day
becomes a bad week
and you can’t seem to find
the comfort that you seek
just remember
when the doors are shut and locked
nothing else exists
everything will fade away
only we persist
we are the world
when modern life
starts to drag you down
and dark clouds
seem to form all over town
just remember
when the doors are shut and locked
nothing else exists
everything will fade away
surrounded by thick mist
everyone is dead and gone
only we persist
we are the world
I liked the melody, I liked the piano , and I even liked the percussion. I also liked chords you chose for the song, unusual to hear in minor songs. Almost gives it a bittersweet feeling. Much better than the original song! I'm more into music that contains piano or keys, they sound great. My favorite genres for piano is 60s soul and Cool Jazz. Maybe you should touch on those genres if you don't want to end up sounding like Radiohead or Coldplay. But I think it's ok to sound like other artists, eventually we're going to write something that's similar to other people but I don't think it's a long run. But yeah it's always good to write something outside your genre, so give it a try!
Very John Lennon! Love the reverb - cool song! Love it!
It's quite a downbeat lyric, so there's really no better setting for it than a piano dirge. And this isn't actually that dirgey in the great scheme of things. You've chosen a nice sequence of chords and it really lifts in the chorus. Like your little synth counter melody too, it adds just the right amount of colour.
Holy pee 19!! Massive congrats mate and so glad I can catch up on much needed listening to my fawm favs now . And there is nowt dirgy about this . Really lovely chord progression and it’s heightened by the flowing melody . Certain parts remind me of granddaddy at their best . What a top way to get back to my closest fawm neighbour listening . Nice one
Rather like that wobbly piano - like it's been recorded on to some sort of old reel to reel tape machine. Don't sound much like the bands you've mentioned above but there's definitely more than a touch of some of the more recent Arctic Monkeys stuff (to my ears!). Is that a melodica? If so it's the first I've heard this year so extra points for that! Think you're a bit harsh about this one - not a dirge for me. Decent closer actually (is it a closer? Can't remember - will check now!).
Cool to hear you on the old piano. And I hear you on trying to avoid those comparisons.. but hey, you've not been learning all that long, and Tom/Chris/Guy aren't exactly virtuosos, so there's likely to be common ground. Anyway, I love this.. the piano paired with the lightly bit-crushed beat is lovely, and your lyrics are in point. Great!
Nice, I love a good bit of misery! The turnaround from the original mood is brilliant, I kept getting a pleasant bit of cognitive dissonance every time you sang the chorus hook.
Not being a piano player, I have amazing advice for your piano songs. Copy Mozart, duh. You're welcome. Or better yet, Rachmaninoff. Anyway, about this song...it's a bit Coldplay-like isn't it? Bad luck But seriously, because you have that rarest of gifts "good taste", and a talent for electronics you push this more into Grandaddy territory more than anything. That dark chord on 2.08 is quality.
Beatleish.. Fab stuff here..I love this.. Your vocal phrasing..and relevant lyrics
I like that drums/piano interaction. Reminds me of John Lennnon's 'Mother' a bit. This song is strangely compelling, it's like a rainy day (I'm sure the dark clouds in your lyrics made me think of it) you're waiting for to pass, yet you're okay waiting the wait, cause you see the beauty in it too. Something like that anyway. I like your vocals too. This was a very good listen, it's really memorable.
Yes, very sad sounding, but a message of persistence and hope still comes through.
Tough title to work with, since the original is so iconic. But wow, what a song you've created - I'm listening again, compelled by the lyrics and the darkly lovely soundscape. Is the singer coming home to a lover? to a drug? Is he escaping/hiding from a bummer of a town? or the apocalypse? I like that I can wonder all of this as I appreciate your voice and piano.
Whenever I start a writing, using my limited keyboard skills, with a fake piano sound, the songs are always morbid and depressing. But this makes me feel all warm and relaxed with those lyrics. I'm going to play it again. It's a pity I don't smoke, then I would have a lighter to wave in the air.
Really nicely done. I like the balance of the straightforward piano part and so the interest you've added with the additional instruments and that melody. Gonna show my advanced age here, as I had to check this one out. The original came out my senior year in high school and I was glued to the TV all day, taping Live Aid. Nicely done!
2019-03-01 @ 07:15am
tags: four-track
2019-03-01 @ 07:15am
tags: four-track acoustic-rock folk-pop
A belated four-track tape to soothe all your cassette withdrawal symptoms.
@marvsmooth - acoustic guitar
@vomvorton - bass / mix
@helenseviltwin - drums
@fourzeroes - vocal and melodica
Yay, the four-track has landed! I like the distant vocals paired with the close melodica, and the relaxed groove. The ending is a nice surprise.
Really nicely done - yet another example of the awesome bands we have on FAWM. Completely cohesive with a great groove. Everything fits so well, and the vocals have a super cool quality that gives this song a real vintage vibe. Everyone did a superb job - it was worth the wait! (and worth another wait for the ending!!!)
Great job on this. I love everything on here, and am glad that the surprise ending was worked on too! I particularly liked the melodica!
2019-03-01 @ 07:16am
tags: four-track cassette ambient post-rock shimmer tape tape18
Tape 18:
@zecoop - shimmer guitar
@wobbiewobbit - bass
@helenseviltwin - percussion
@vomvorton - vocals, lead guitar, casio keyboard
Well! When you're expecting one last tape to finish off post-FAWM - if you're anything like me - you find yourself hoping that it'll just need, like, a bassline and a mix or something. So when you receive seven-plus minutes of shimmering ambient gorgeousness it comes as quite a shock!
In an attempt to match the prettiness and avoid adding a seven-minute guitar solo I rigged myself up to be able to do vocals, keyboard and guitar in the same take. It was tricky to perform and not too easy to mix but I think the end result is pretty special!
Batten down those hatches
ration out those cans
you’ve never looked so fondly
at the local handyman
pass out those wine reserves
it’s easier when you’re drunker
but what happens in the bunker
never stays in the bunker
keep your friends close
and your enemies warm
hearts are broken
in the calm after the storm
target locked in your sights
though still a little distant
but if you slip into something
a little less weather resistant
will you still be able
to meet each other’s eyes
when the school has been rebuilt
and the playing field has dried?
keep your friends close
and your enemies warm
hearts are broken
in the calm after the storm
we’ve all had a shock tonight
we’ve all had a drink
this is not Armageddon
we have come back from the brink
well reined VV! Zecoop's shimmery guitar was already floaty and lovely when i got it and Helen did a great job of some easy going percussion to smooth out my not altogether fluid playing! - sounds much better in context. and the juggling VV did on the multi instrumental and cool vocals and lyrics pulls it all together even more. Turned out lovely! well done all!
This is so dreamy. Pretty guitars. The vocal feels very much like an instrumental part here, part of the floaty texture. I like the restraint of the bass and percussion parts that pull the song together.
Ah this is just lovely.. the shoegazey vibe perfect for a tape recording. Vom's vocal is great too - actually reminds me of modern day Cure in parts. The rhythm section both do just enough to elevate the frequency and rhythm of it, allowing the ethereal high-end stuff to really shine.
Just letting those sounds wash over me. The melody is wistful, bass is woody and alive, guitars are orchestral.
This is the best thing I’ve heard on the 4 tracks for some time!! Wow this is nice in so many ways. The pace is great and the sounds are perfect together. Great work everyone!
"Slip into something a little less weather resistant" is probably the sexiest line I've heard this month. But wow, this is really one lush, dreamy soundscape. Those guitar chords evoke a walk down a long white beach and the pads are a perfect compliment. Once again I'm impressed with all of your abilities to push the technology to it's limit. This was a very relaxing and enjoyable listen.
will you still be able to meet each other’s eyes when the school has been rebuilt and the playing field has dried Man I felt the time lapse happening while listening to this part especially. You guys have really made something here. That chorus works so well. Love those guitars. Those drums, that bass. I wish I could hear this performance live or in a chill pub somewhere while drunk out of my mind and really to go to sleep. Amazing work here!
Wow..... This song is like a dream come true; the result of a magic cassette song creation machine. I got a message from VV saying how the last thing he would have expected was a seven minute ambient song, and I agreed, thinking it was a pretty odd thing to have on the 4-track challenge. So I asked him who started that tape - and he let me know it was me, lol. I had totally forgotten about my guitar part, and since I played it so slow, I never considered the fact that it ended up 7 minutes long. I didn't even realize! But this song is magical and incredible. I am simply blown away. I would love to see this band in concert!! :)
Wow this is SO pretty. the shimmery guitars are so dreamy and lovely! I am impressed at the simultaneous vox/keyboard/guitar setup! And the ethereal echoey vocals sound really cool, great effect. The bass and percussion keep it nicely grounded. Fantastic stuff, I really loved it, this is maybe the best 4-track collab I've heard to date.
very evocative lyrics and remarkable soundscape. i really like the slowing down of time in this isolated moment. +1 for the sexy undertones :)
absolutely beautiful. The lyrics are very thoughtful and meet the music quite willingly. You never know where a 4 track is going to be when it's done - Very well done everyone.
I like this in the way I like some of Brian Wilson's projects. Of course you guys achieved the magic with only 4 tracks. This one is just exceptional!
Great chill, ambient tune. Well put together— it seems like everybody was on the same page about where this should go. The lyrics are fascinating; there’s a sinister element that creeps into the calm now and then.
Amazing!
2019-03-01 @ 07:16am
tags: four-track
Hey man! Looking forward to hearing what you come up with this year!!
Hi Tom, hope you find some time in-between your new job and cute kittens to come up with some new music.
Here we go!! You are always a highlight... :)
Holler. Whatever method you use, it'll be great, and I shall look forward to it as always.
Hello, poppet
Heya. Is it odd that I started to think of Fawm as merely a break from songfight?
Ah, that's a familiar name! Looking forward to your creations this year.
re: Title quality and the lack thereof. Agreed.
I think you are right, laptop is the way forward but I’m petrified of using a new DAW. I’m going to wait until my desktop blows up (it’s nearly happened twice but I managed to fix it by giving it a good vacuuming) 😉
I've got nothing for Doom... but there's a week yet. Maybe something will come to me.
What's poppin', guy? Ready for some 2019 FAWM action?
I don't want to bore the thread with my story, but basically.. I grew up in Dronfield. We moved to Chesterfield when I was 15 for a couple of years. Lived in Sheffield ever since while my mum and my sister have lived in that house. Mum's moving to Spain with her fella - house is paid off so she's not going to sell but doesn't fancy paying bills and wants it looked after, so me and @judypie are moving in with my sister for x years! Basically until we can save for a deposit and get back over to Sheffield :P
Oh splendid! I've already earmarked a FAWM 2020 irl collab. Just don't lost your job.
Kittens!
My god
Kittens! :) Which one is Rafa in the pic? I imagine my Rafa might be slightly more disruptive when it comes to FAWMing this year but I'm going to give it my best shot!
Did I tell you that when I had two cats (20 years ago!) I called one of them Agnes too (the other was Margaret)? I liked the idea of them having old lady names!
Happy FAWM to ya
Man, I loved that song you did for songfight! Great unexpected changes and a catchy melody for sure. You’ve got to be happy with that one. Happy FAWM!
Hello! Still on to collab?
Woo! That job sounds threatening but the kittens will be generous collaborators. Cats love wires!
This is what I am expecting, just so you know: http://rathergood.com/vines/
Vom! I'd love to work with you this year. Even if it's something dumb that sucks. ...Have your cats call my cats. (If Bruce answers, just hang up and call back for Malakai)
Hello Happy FAWMing 2019. Looking forward to hear what you come up with this February. I am planning to focus on songs for Easter in this year’s FAWM. Let’s play, write and listen!🎶🎶🎶🎶 xxx Marthie- #WOmanOnFire
Hello! Good luck this year, as always looking forward to hearing what you come up with!
https://maxvanremmerden.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/maxvanremmerdenfawm2019greatings.png
Hey! Hope all is well with you and you have a great fawm! Looking forward to hearing your stuff.
https://i.postimg.cc/d1H0BWkD/fawmsplash.jpg
Nice cats!
I'm in love with a pair of cats, I like their shoes and I like their hats...
New kittens! Woop woop! Hope you have a great month. Looking forward to hearing more of your stuff.
have fun my 4-track pal!
Assume you've seen that the Beths have announced a headline tour? Just bagged myself a Manchester ticket
Ah fair play, I wish I had stricter rules.. I can't count the amount of times I've heard a song and gone "hey that's cool.... oh, they're playing Manchester on a wintery Tuesday night, I'll get a ticket!". Come the day....... ANYONE WANT TO BUY MY TICKET?
As always, I'm looking forward to whatever tracks you're able to produce this year -- and *especially* to hearing those kittens participate in the music-making!
I've not done many proper back-n-forth collabs - usually I've just asked for a guitar solo or someone to sing over something for me - so happy to follow your lead if you have a preferred method. I did have this idea - which could be a complete disaster so feel free to shoot it down - of starting with something very simple like a bassline or a synth pad that would run throughout the song, going off separately recording a load of stuff to go over the top of it, and then coming back together and trying to mash it all together in one song. Could have interesting results?
Hi,@vomvorton! I just sent you an email with my address for the 4-track collaboration! :)
Thanks for stopping by and having a listen. For some reason by body decided that 1st February would be the day that I would come down with the sniffles, oh well maybe it will push me in a different direction than usual. Eagerly awaiting your first track 😊
Bring on the cat songs and hey you can do as I am , kissing snot with iPhone for recording 👍😎. I won’t hit 14 but lord there’s gonna be some fun
Cat on the pitch at Goodwin Park just now!
*Goodison
Wow thanks so much! I appreciate your thoughts :)
Just sent you an email!
Okay, first email didn't send... NOW I've sent you an email
Thanks for your comments! I really like The Radio Dept AND Joanna Gruesome, so I don't mind those comparisons at all! Definitely embrace the fuzz, I'm sure you could do something great with it
Welcome into the fray!!! I owe you an email, sorry!
Good to see you here again! Looking forward to listening!
that's so funny you should say that bc I was trying to keep everything simple this year!
It's a breathy sax on my keyboard which does sound more like an organ so I'll happily accept both answers. I'm planning on recording that one with my new band and put that in to remind myself of the fact that we need to get sax on it. I haven't listened to yours yet but I WILL I PROMISE xxx
Tomatoes are pretty much the best dancers of the fruit and vegetables community although few expect it. Hope you’re having a nice FAWM. Meow 🐱
Do you get royalties every time a cat runs onto a football pitch?
I have been fascinated by optigans since I saw it mentioned in an article about Tom Waits 20+ years ago, kinda coveted one until I tested one in a studio some years later, and understood how crappy the build quality was. I love the sound but not the hassle of upkeep. So glad when the long teased app was finally released.
And high five. I have several ideas I have started on, if I can't manage to do anything else with them I at least have enough for the 10 x 10 challenge 🤔
I guess the ones who encounter noxious gases are in no state to text you. Thanks for the kind words on my song. I don't know whether I'm writing better or just learning to communicate the song better. Every other FAWM I've just sat and strummed an acoustic into my laptop's built-in mic, and I've long thought my stuff doesn't really work as solo acoustic, but I was busy/lazy and I'd not learnt my DAW properly.
Ok now I’m gonna need to go back and listen for the pt-30. I love how it’s so portable. Great for a picnic jam.
Thank you so much. If I sit still (toughest part), lyrics usually pour out as though another person is speaking through me. Poetry was my major in college and I’ve always loved Creative Writing (even as a small child) but only started writing songs fairly recently 😬
Yet another nice review of Yacht - I really wanted to like it, based on the instruments I used. I do actually really like the shakers and cajon additions, and you are absolutely right, I think with the right vocal, it could be a great song. :)
Cheers for listening to Through the Darkness and glad you liked the mix... It was annoying me today because the vocal was too loud when I listened to it back on my Apple headphones. Sometimes I think it's best just best to mix on ear pods and a Sonos! :D
yep same address for me :)
I know right? 😆
Re: favorite monsters: so, I'm FAWMing with a kinda-new rescue dog in the house. She's been with me for 3 years but only 2017 was a FAWM she lived through before since I missed out last year. Safe to say that she has no idea why she's not allowed to help with vocals, and why tracking and mixing is not an activity she can participate in. I call her "the beast" with similar affection :-)
Makes sense - I wasn't noticing pitch - but something about the sound of the onset of syllables. But maybe it's the way owl actually sings and the addition of a delay emphasized it. The track is terrific!
Ha, yeah. I figured that tag would say it all. Thanks for the listen on my experimental thingamabob "Friend or Foe." :)
I can see that it has had a lasting impact on you. I think I may have to watch that one with my 3 year old. I saw on my facebook travels that you know longer work at laser snail. How is your new job going?
Oh god, I don't blame you. That commute to Derby was the reason I packed my bags and went, the traffic to get there was horrific. Glad your new job is going well, I bet the commute isn't that bad and you get to experience all the wonders of Chesterfield. To be fair, Liz and I are there most weekends.
Yeah I know Linacre Reservoir, looks like you have the nice side of Chesterfield to explore at least but no charity shops sadly. Unfortunately, I can't spend my days programming my little pi. Although I did came up the idea through work asking us to wear a loud shirt for some sort of team building day, I took it literally.
Hey...I'm trying to think of something to do. Maybe I could screw up Here Come the Wolves. Where would I find that...If you don't mind my giving it a go?
Glad we could help with your cold and enhance the medicine experience!!! Hope you feel better soon.
Oh, I definitely also have that opposite anxiety too! Just your standard bundle of neuroses but only some of them actually make it into songs, I guess. Let me know if you have any collab ideas for the home stretch!
No worries if you don't have time, just thought I'd throw it out there! (And of course obviously I'm always happy to do stuff post-FAWM too.) Sorry to hear you are sick AGAIN! Feel better soon!
Actually it’s a concert mate 670, which besides the brand being Realistic, has a different demo tune than Rick Astley!
Well, I did something with that Wolves thing. I'm gonna post it as soon as I have a host for the file. Do you want to hear it before I tag you as a collaborator? I know you need to protect the VV brand :)
Good work on finishing! I’m gonna try and catch up on everything you did tomorrow (does FAWM stay up after the end of Feb?). Cheers for all your comments and support too!
I think the ones of yours I left comments on earlier in the month were the only other songs I listened to all FAWM! I need to give your whole list a whirl, and Adam Follett’s, and the nice strangers who bothered to listen to mine! I’m on a late shift today so hopefully will be able to do that then
Ahahahaha I really appreciate the feedback and support man! It means so much! And goddamn congrats on your output this Feb! I'm hoping to get a free minute here shortly this week, and I'll start listening through everything you put out!🤗
Yeah every time I've heard Higher Love in the last couple of years I've been seized with the urge to reply to "bring me a higher love" with "Hiya luv!" Now I've done it permanently.
Way to have a shit FAWM dude! There is a tonne of stuff here I will be whacking on my phone to really get my teeth into. Cool free music ftw! Thanks :) and conragulitanos
It's weird, if I had to pick a favourite song from the first 4(ish) REM albums it would be either Sitting Still or Gardening At Night, but if I had to pick a whole album it would be Pageant. It's just more consistent but never quite hits the heights of those other songs. That said, it's been a long time since I listened to any of them. They've had their moment and there's undoubtedly better stuff out there now.
Thank you for the kind comments on both, "All Night Long (All Night)", and "I Will Eat Anything". I really appreciate them!
I'm very grateful to you as a cat lover for liking my dog song.
Thanks so much for your iPad advice on the forum. I need to get out of the sandbox and play with the bigger kidz!!
doh, you are moving just Slightly too fast! I actually just uploaded a NEW-new version of "Desiderata" just now with acoustic guitar instead because I decided I didn't like the electric (left the amp at the practice space and I didn't like the sound of the amp sim on this one). How is everything post-FAWM? Let me know if you want to collab for the next Songfight, or anything else!
Don't feel obligated, the track is mostly the same!! I will also see if I can think of an idea for the next SF that I can send to you!
The Boxer 4-track has been remixed and added to. Thought you'd like to check it out. :)
Thanks for your comments on both my 4th and 5th. As for your reaction to https://fawm.org/songs/97148/ : I like that you play piano too. I can imagine if you're struggling (I'm saying this as a mediocre piano player) you'd like to play pieces that are both ear pleasing and easy to play. I like the idea of playing piano in a more 'Arabian' kind of way. I've come to like (when I heard it one night on a Dutch radio station) the works of Gurdjieff-de Hartman a lot. It has the sort of feel to me Chopin and Erik Satie also have.
Thanks for the listen and comment on my 'Elvis' song!
Thanks for the comment on Scented Ford. Much appreciated. Yeah my job became a bit more intense recently 2 left and 1 is long time sick, so more work and longer hours for me. If I had not used Gadget on the iPad during lunch time it would have been mostly placeholders this year. Korg Gadget has a free version if you want to try it out. Thanks again. Cheers.
Thanks for the listen and comment on 10 emotions. That was loads of fun....and work
'Dog Scientists' and 'Police Horse' sound like they would be awesome songs. I'd love to hear them!
Haha, those were fun to listen to! Thanks for sharing!