2020-02-01 @ 12:00pm
tags: protest punk indie-rock sweary political songfight
Fuck Brexit.
This is the title for the current Song Fight! and with this being the week that the UK left the EU, I couldn't resist a cynical spin on it.
I was going to write a middle-8 but ran out of ideas and energy, so please accept this synth solo.
let’s rank the countries
to help us pass the time
start at the bottom
and I’d like to suggest: mine
we might not have a gun problem
we might not be on fire
but we crashed out of Europe
after voting for a liar
so hold up your banners
and shout that life is sweet
as everyone locks their doors
on Liberty Street
let’s privatise the country
sell off the NHS
so there’s no-one left to save us
when the whole country’s depressed
we’ll wave our fucking Union Jacks
as life goes down the shitter
like the red-faced little Englanders
all I taste is bitter
so roll out the bunting
shout that life is sweet
as nobody collects the bins
on Liberty Street
fuck your commemorative tea-towels
enjoy your chlorinated meat
while nobody picks up the shit
on Liberty Street
What an absolutely perfect song 1 for our post-European hangovers. As (justifiably) angry as I've ever heard you, Tom! I felt every word and laughed along at the chlorinated meat line. Very well done. Given how fired up it is it's impressive how hooky it remains (ouch, even that word hurts). The synth solo kicks ass too
What a fantastic start to FAWM - a great song for our time, with a good balance between angst humour. I liked the contrast between the lyrics and the bouncy hooky track - almost the contrast between the reality vs the dream of what was expected
HELL YES, WHAT A START!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes! This! *sigh* A wonderful song. Such a pity that we have to suffer through this as inspiration :(
I'm sensing that you're upset about something. :D Fuck yeah!
I got so excited that I forgot about the crap that we are now all facing in the UK. Great protest, great start.
Love the lyrics - this line is perfect "like the red-faced little Englanders all I taste is bitter". The whole thing is delivered with a great mix of angst and wit, and is catchy as hell. What a great way to open this year's FAWM.
at last. a national anthem that ipeople can actually sing along with.
Wow. Get this to the people- any way you can. That chorus is brilliant.
great work! love the approach, the lyric, the music, the whole works! Sad, and strange, of course, how both of our countries on either side of the pond are going thru a mess right now....but i guess there's no shortage of things to write about (tho, like you, i'd love to move on from it all after getting it off my chest, etc!) you gave this a full-scale production, too- nicely done!!! great first song of 2020!
Damn man, this is truly awesome! I got chills and I'm way over here drowning in trumpland! The music is ace and your vox are quite super! Lyrics are very powerful with an excellent use of Liberty Street as the recurring return point. Awesome middle-8 too! This is really something special and I am thrilled that you got in as the number 1 song!!!
Nailed it. Not sure I'll hear a song this February I'll agree with harder than this. Lyrically it strikes just the right balance of anger and despair and I love the up-ness of it musically. Was completely unprepared for that little squelchy synth that comes in in the middle 8, but it really lifts the whole thing. Great start!
Bam! Great work. It's catchy, it's raucous, it's lyrically on point, it's mixed well (especially that end chorus). A great start, and I'm especially impressed at how quickly it all came together. The synth solo bit is excellent!
Thats fantastic! What a great song! A brilliant start to the month. I can’t wait to hear more of your work.
Bravo! Perfect timing of this song.
You don't waste time, do you? :D Really nice work, lyrics fitting perfectly to the melodic motives.
Wow! Take no prisoners! Must've been sharpening your songwriting knives for a while -- very cutting! Nice work.
Really well done!! So (sadly) topical. Great job!!
Sometimes with this material, it's tempting to go overboard on the swear words - but here, you've picked your emphases carefully and destructively. Bravo.
Great way to kick off FAWM, would guess that it's nice to blow off some steam after yesterday departure from EU, really like the arrangement and production. And I love the synthsolo.
I do indeed accept your solo. You don't need anything else. I'm listening again, because this is fantastic, so melodic and angry. It feels real. I have no doubt people will be singing along if you play this live. Set that mosh pit on fucking fire!!
I like the change between verse and chorus. Your lyrics really make me laugh, I feel the same as you! Good punk vibe. Nice keyboards on the middle right. Great vocals.
The liberty street line is a great hook. That is some amazeball synthing. Exceptional use of the word 'fucking'. That is all.
A really great hook; nice work!
Those are my kind of jangly guitar chords. I don't think I've ever heard upbeat indie-pop sound so acerbic. While I am in complete denial about the whole issue, I would like to point out that even while a member of the EU dogturd was still an issue (I assume/hope you were referring to dogturd or do you neighbours really lack those manners)
The world really is a wreck right now, huh? I love how the bass really holds this down and keeps this rocking. Also... hell yeah synth bridge!
Came for the anger, stayed for the ache. I hate that we need these anthems, and so appreciative that we have people who came express them as well as you do. From a divided America, I thank you.
While discovering your lyrics, I'm thinking that only you, British people, can come up with lyrics of this kind : refined, hard-hitting, true, rebellious, touching, all that at the same time. And as you, Sir, definitely have a knack for elegant and catchy melodies, this song ends up being a f****** masterpiece. One of my fav by you. Awesome.
Brexit Perfection! AT LEAST SOMEONE GOT IT RIGHT. This is on point man! I love all the lines but ‘fucking union jacks’ is just spat out perfectly. Amazing job.
Awesome, great energy. Off to a great start!
This! Everyone locks their doors on Liberty Street! What an anthem! I remember where I was exactly when the Brexit referendum results were announced. It was late. I was sitting in my living room, in a country with a gun problem, and a state that's on fire. And I was crying. Your song is how I felt the next day. This is an absolutely brilliant acknowledgment of the tragedy that is Brexit.
Amazing song, I love this! Sounds *very* British, in a humorous way! :)
The perfect opening song for FAWM - something that hopefully sets the tone - music as a weapon. You sound in fine form - voice is exactly what it should be. Words are so relevant. I hear hope, enthusiasm, sincerity, and grief. All the things the grammar school boys in power have not much understanding of. Powerful all round - music is relentlessly groovy, full of accents and movement. Breakdown was lovely (a moment to relax - but so many cymbals going!!). Digging it! More sublime satire for 2020!
this is great,, very catchy, and channelling Billy Bragg with consummate ease. bravo!!
I think the synth solo works! But then again, the whole track is pretty awesome.. you make everything so damn CATCHY! Like @phlex said; this is music as a weapon!
Ha ha , I was waiting for the first fuck brexit song and boy you’ve got it nailed matey . Not only that, it’s one of most catchy indie rock Ditty I have heard for ages . Not sure if it needs lyrics on the middle 8 . Works a treat as it is . Get in . (Fist pumps his way to a watermelon shake )
What a great start! Awesome lyrics and the music is absolutely superb! Great hook and the chorus is simple.... WOW! Love all about this song!
solidarity man you've managed to do in one day what I couldn't in a million years, i.e write a political song that doesn't sound cliched and shit. Love the punky guitar chords and the vocals are catchy as anything. Also really like the riffing during the verses, and the punch when the chorus hits
oh! those lyrics tho'! love how in the face they are. your production is ace! how did you make that beat? the rolling clapping sound is divine!
Super topical! Nice work on this. The lyrics are great and you really captured this moment in time. Nice work!
The anger and annoyance is palpable on this one. I love it. What a time to be alive......
This just about sums it up Lyrically ace as ever. The little squelchy synth solo was a nice touch too.
Listened to this a couple days back but didn't comment so here I am, once again struggling to find synonyms for "great". This is excellent! That chorus is wonderful and I really like that clattering drumbeat, and there's some fantastic lyrics here - "like the red-faced little Englanders all I taste is bitter" is especially good. Who needs a middle-8, that synth bit is sweeet. Altogether... it's great!
Chorus is massive!! Remind me of the lightening seeds or maybe the levellers. Used to love them! Everything just sounds so incredibly full and not muddy. Full of life, passionate and fun lyrics, an all round banger! I accept your synth solo sir. Also, Brexit sucks!
Ugh, this is so good -- but, you know, in that "laughing through tears is my favorite emotion" kind of way. Some just effing brilliant, witty and biting lines in here, as well, as usual. I don't think I could pick a favorite, but that "bitter" couplet made me mutter an audible "f*** yeah" under my breath. Your delivery and instrumentation is aces, and love that rise to the chorus. All perhaps cold consolation for these dark ass times, but at least you can right a killer tune. <3
Cheers for this song..great chorus.. hook of title and bridge works perfect with synth solo!
I'm not even going to pretend I understand Brexit, but you did a great job describing the your anger and voicing your displeasure in the current state of affairs. Super catchy, too!
Damn, this is salty AF. But also very nice to listen to, musically! I like all the melodic stuff the guitar is doing behind the vocal (that first part reminds me of "Dreams" by the Cranberries, ironically), there's a note in the scale that I want to say is like half a step down from where I would expect it to be and it sounds really cool. The lyrics are so perfectly biting (I particularly like the "red-faced little Englanders" with the bitter pun, and of course also those horrible fucking tea towels.) I hope you win the fight, your entry is by far the best IMO.
Those lyrics are so good! And I can hear the sourness in you voice and arrangement, as well as some rage. Bravo!
I also was reminded of Dreams by the Cranberries, but there is some really tough Billy Bragg feels to this - the lyrics are so on point without being too brash and the melodies flow so well. Great little synth lines too, really nice touch :)
I believe you say what you mean... cool liberty, that...so somewhat ironic...but if you don't use it you lose it.
Well done - killer composition and a cracking honest stab of lyrics. What a great start.
Excellent!!! We've got a bit of our own mess on this side of the pond, but I've tried to keep up with Brexit. Love the punk undertones of this piece and the lyrics are smart AF.
So beautifully bitter (nice rhyme with shitter). The last chorus is my favourite. Can I get a commemorative Liberty Street tea towel? PS, I feel your pain. What a disaster.
took my time to find this. great song. love it! great hook line.
Yes! This speaks to me so much. In the music video in my mind, our two Countries are holding hands and skipping through a putrid field of shit and garbage. Grinning Wildly. FUCK YOUR COMMEMORATIVE TEA TOWELS! So many great lines and I am feeling a "fairy Tale of Old new york" kind of way.
2020-02-01 @ 11:48pm
tags: spintunes indiepop movie
VV: OK, some SLIGHT cheating here as we started this before February began. But we finished it today, so hopefully nobody need invoke the FAWM POLICE and revoke our memberships forever.
This is for Round 1 of the Spintunes contest! The first round challenge is to write a song based on a scene from a book or movie. @owl chose the film Arrival for these lyrics! But I contributed the most vital and important thing (the title).
owl: Sorry for the tiny bit of cheating here!
I studied linguistics and have spent my career working in translation, so movies about linguists always delight me. (The only other one I can think of off the top of my head right now is Stargate, but that is a 100% delight ratio, so it's not a lie.) I also love it when aliens get weird and aren't just a human with a prosthetic forehead.
SPOILERS FOLLOW:
Speaking of Worf, this movie is based on taking the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis to a logical extreme. (The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is the idea that the language you speak changes your perception of the world.) At first I started trying to write about that, but I got stuck and decided to go back and approach it from a different angle: the mother-daughter relationship, and the decision parents make to bring children into the world knowing that they'll suffer and die. (Is it selfish?) This movie takes that idea to its extreme as well.
The movie is called Arrival, because it's about our first contact from aliens who arrive on earth, but in the song, the only mention of arrival is in reference to the birth of the narrator's daughter. I wanted to write the prechorus and chorus as kind of a fakeout where it appears at first that they apply to the aliens, but later are explicitly actually about the child. (I was trying to make the first verse more ambiguous, about an ultrasound, and thinking of the circle of ink as a fingerprint, but I got it wrong, they print the baby's feet.)
"The mirror crack'd from side to side" is a line from Lord Tennyson's poem "The Lady of Shalott"--The Lady of Shalott is cursed to weave endlessly at an enchanted loom and only see the outside world as reflections in a mirror, but when she sees Sir Lancelot ride by her tower, she leaves her loom and looks out the window at him, and when she sees the real world directly instead of as shadowy reflections, the mirror cracks and she dies (after floating downstream in a boat, singing, with a suicide note, for some reason). So I thought it was an interesting parallel to the plot of Arrival--her decision to destroy the safe and comfortable world she's known in exchange for a brief, vivid taste of reality.
Anyway hi yes I'm a big nerd.
I love this dumb song title and I love all the tasty layers of STUFF Vom put in the arrangement, particularly those big washy synths in the intro! We haven't done a collab in a while and it is very nice to get back into it.
This is the end, or is it where we begin?
A circle of ink in place of a name
Listening eyes, shapes moving in mist
What was I for before all of this?
The stars moved so I could meet you
Our planet opened up its sleepy eyes
I spent my life racing towards this moment
I spent my life yearning for this time
I give you words
And you give me worlds
Grains of sand
And you give me pearls
You give me worlds
In the hospital bed, I cry in relief
At your soft little hands and your sweet little feet
Hannah, my perfect child
What was I for before you arrived?
The stars moved so I could meet you
The mirror cracked from side to side
I spent my life racing towards this moment
When I could see you open up your eyes
If you could see your whole life from beginning to end,
Would you change things?
Is it selfish to choose love over nothing?
Would you have done the same thing?
I gave you words
And you gave me worlds
Grains of sand
And you gave me pearls
I gave you life
I gave you pain
Did I make the right choice?
Oh, Hannah,
I'd do it again
I'd do it again
This is great, love the challenge to write to a movie, really nicely done the layering, instrumentation, vocals, melody, all of it really impressive and definitely sounds like it could be in the movie score. Very cool
You had me dancing around the kitchen. What beautiful vocals.
I love it. The vocals, instrumental, the title. Really nicely done.
if i wasn't dancing I would arrest you for law breaking. nice catchy song.
Awesome song. Got some 90'S feels.. brings me back
Oh, this is just wonderful! I love the chord structure, and that unexpected transitional chord between the verse and chorus made me smile. As did the lyrics and (of course) the magnificent vocals of Owl! Love it love it love it!!
I really liked that movie. Did anyone else think they're language looked like coffee mug stains? This is classic Vowl Sounds. The instrumentations is smooth and understated, and beautifully supports Owl's wonderful voice. Really haunting melody in this one.
What the hell am I supposed to say about something as good as this, something that totally aligns with my sensibilities? I love everything about it
Whoo! Vowl sounds are back! Of course it’s catchy and has amazing lyrics and performance and sounds perfect and this sentence might annoy owl cause it’s too long but we’ll see what happens as I like to live dangerously. Really glad you two are making songs together!
Lovely the arrangement. I really like the 'I have you words and you gave me worlds' couplet and the extra line at the end of that section works really well. Enjoyed!
The arrangement is great. I love how the chorus opens up musically. The combo of the sly little guitar and the expressive synth is working wonders for me. The harmonies are real solid too. Great work, y'all!
Not cheating. You finished it February, so well within the rules and spirit of fawm. I *adore* the dual vocals throughout this. The cool electropop beats and catchy riffs are also excellent. Brilliant song.
The quick rhythm fits quite well with the smooth vocals. Very cool writing too! A neat adaptation of a movie I thoroughly enjoyed.
Arrival is one of my absolute favourite films of recent years. It makes me very excited for Villeneuve's forthcoming take on Dune! Loving the synthpop vibe you guys have going on here. The arpeggios really push the song along nicely and the lyrics are first class. One thing though...cheating!?! For shame! I hope you have both paid sufficient penance!
Superb driving beat and bouncing bass - i was tapping my foot from the very beginning. The dual vocal arrangement is perfect for the song. really great song - i hope you do more collabs if this is a sign of what is possible!!
I'm ashamed to say I haven't watched arrival ... yet. This is certainly an accomplished achievement, FAWM is a personal challenge so it is only cheating if you feel it is cheating IMO. I love the mix, the vocals soar amongst that lovely synth landscape. Interesting concept, beautifully written. Cheating or not I'm glad you put this up, it was such a wonderful track to hear.
Lovely chords in this, and the production all round is tip top. Beautifully delivered vocals too, such a sweet and clear tone and the harmonies/backing vocals are lovely. Really lush sound when the chorus comes in and all those layers wash along
you two are a match made in indie pop heaven <3 @owl's vox are just perfect in this kind of music. I can't wait for more music by you two!
I didn’t like the movie Arrival, but I loved this song. It flows way better then the movie :) I am really digging the driving synth with these soft vocals. Sounds totally perfect! Great job guys
This is excellent. I’m gonna suggest you check out Bad Robot Jones (dc/ny) band. You’ll appreciate the lyrics and song constructs. I freaking love this, as a musician, mother, human, and nerd.
Love the film and love your song. Nicely blended voices. The lyrical references to Arrival were subtly done - enough that the song stands regardless. Musically this has a 90s indie feel, but the synth parts give it a newer twist and drag it towards the present.
Your liner notes add richness to the lyrics for sure (gosh, "Arrival" is such a great film, right?). Really nice vocals, as always, @owl. A perfect dreamy pop tune for sure. Those squeegy synth noises in the back are a nice touch. Very appealing overall. Great great job, folks!
Ahh, I LOVED Arrival. Ya know, once I got my head around it, about 8 months later. In fact, if I think about it too much then this happens https://i0.wp.com/media.boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/bcf.png?w=680&ssl=1 Good to see we're getting more collaborations from you, this is really great. It seems so nice and light, what a clean mix. Vocals are beaut, and the subtle harmonies really help fill things out.
Terrific song based on a terrific movie, based on a terrific story. I love it's beatiness and drive and that lead synth line is the perfect intro to Owl's harmonised vocals, and after that the whole thing just soars. Love it, with special mention to that drop chord at the end of the verse. Now do the rest of Ted Chiang's stories!
This is really beautiful. Lush but spacious, which can't be easy to pull off. (I really liked Arrival too, so the song title tipped me off - and then wrongfooted me as planned.) Great to see you both back at FAWM.
This is beautifully done. Delivers just the right punch of "sounds so pretty" and then WHAM! this is really saying something! The arrangement sounds terrific.
CHEATS! This is great, I have no idea about the source material but this is fantastic in its own right. @owl's vocals are great and I like these lyrics a lot, "I give you words / And you give me worlds" is a really nice couplet. Musically arrangement really interesting and fun as I've come to expect from you two - particularly like that subtle synth arp in the background
Shame on you two for cheating! I would never EVER cheat Fawm. EVER! *ahem* now then...where were we? Ah yes...Great song! Awesome singing! Awesome melody! Very melodic! Did I miss anything? Did I mention I never cheat? Ever?
There is so much to love about this song: those dreamy synth lines that lead you in, the title, the lyrics, the gorgeous vocals, killer guitar. I would pick some favorite lines but I can’t. All so so so good. What a fantastic collaboration from two super talented people.
OMG read the liner notes and now I feel somewhat better that you guys cheated. This is magic.
Oh, this is just so perfect! Vocals, bass line, drums, lyrics... I love everything about it. You two did a great job, this song is amazing!
Ha ha you wonderful geeks . I have read the story , got all excited for my listen and WiFi says no !! It needs a rest here in Thailand after 10pm. Will be back for listen tomorrow . Ooooo excitement builder central
Hang on . It just came on 🥳. Ooo I love everything about this . Gorgeous harmonies , perfect chord structure , incredible vocal delivery , pre chorus to die for , the bam what a chorus with flooding synths to make everything shine . Guys this is a hit hit hit . One last thing , @owl i would love to get tour vocals on one of my tunes . 🥳
Amazing production, love the vocals, this is great in every way and listening again!!!
Best liner notes ever. Really awesome sound and recording! Fantastic lyrics and inspiration! Wow! Nice job to both of you!
Achingly wise, wonderful, and beautiful. The production is exquisite, too, but that barely even registered for me.
Never saw Arrival, but no matter ... this is lovely and sounds like a fully finished recording. Beautiful vocals and very cool synthy stuff ... like a retro-futuristic love song from outer space.
I love the different ways we nerds bring our nerdiness to FAWM! And writing about movies, especially science fiction ones, is common in filk. However, most fall far below the quality of production here! Good idea to give yourself advance time on this one.
It's one of my fave movies and doesn't it have a wonderful soundtrack? RIP Johan Johansson. It's already a very poetic aesthetic and you really drew out those elements in your lyrics (as you always do - you're probably bored of me citing your poetry-lyrics) As a fellow linguaphile, this I give you words And you give me worlds 100% represents how I feel about language. Just beautiful stuff. And I'm running out of space to talk about how great the melodies and synths are (particularly the 80s reso one in the verses). An excellent collab.
I neglected to comment after hearing this at the listening party, but wanted to let you both know how much I enjoyed this song even in the context of a two hour Spintunes listening extravaganza. Also, propagation of a species is not selfish, is it? Maybe if we do it to other species, keeping them in zoos and forcing them to breed "for their own good?" I think there might be a song in there somewhere but I'm not sure I'm equipped to suss it out just yet.
This is beyond wonderful. Filk, linguistics, brilliant pop arrangement and vocals. This is a keeper.
Cool kind of 80s pop vibe. I love the vocals. Nice harmonies/backing vocals. Very good production.
Worry not! Anything partially written during FAWM counts. The soundscape! :O Lush. This song made me realize there aren't a lot of songs about the love a parent has for a child. Or any kind of love besides romantic love, really. You do Arrival justice.
This is really fantastic! I love the 80s feel and the wonderful vibe you created. The lyrics have a wonderfully poetic and philosophical quality. Love the introspective insights. Gorgeous vocal delivery and great use of phrasing, harmony, and dynamics.
Okay, I love the inspiration for this and think you did a beautiful job. I love where the theme/idea ended up taking you lyrically. The production is so great and full. I love the 80s-ish vibe and I like it how it starts to blur a bit as the song goes on. Flippin' sh**, @owl your voice is always lovely and is great throughout this, but the way you deliver the "same thing" in that last line before the final chorus/fadeout is flipping wrenching and so, so good. Great job, you guys!
Lovely, lush, and driving sound. A wonderfully made collaboration! I am particular to songs that pay as much attention to melody as atmosphere, and this one seems to manage that effortlessly. Well done!
I'm a big fan of this musical team and this song just further justified my fandom. It's weird, unabashedly nerdy, and yet there are these personal moments in it that are downright touching. Really excellent. The title reminded me of a book I just read by Jeff Vandermeer, City of Saints and Madmen. Not sure I can recommend it (over a few by him I would) but there is a strong squid thread running through it.
I knew I was into something good with these two FAWM heavy hitters. I had no idea. Lyric/vocal frosting over a rhythm section cake. I will be humming that chorus for a good while.
I loved Arrival! 'and aren't just a human with a prosthetic forehead' in your liner notes really made me chuckle too. I thought it was just me that was irked by that! Anyhow, the song - this is great. The vocal work is really quite beautiful (as ever of course). The lyrics are really lovely as well in addition to being very clever (another trademark of course!). The melody's really engaging & the musicianship is also top notch - although I'd expect nothing less! Lovely stuff
You 2 are always magic together, Love the ambiguity of the lyrics, they are really wide open, even with the verbose explanation, I'm still unsure.
I wanted to show my wife how good you guys are. This is even better than I remembered
The low harmony is nice an unsettling. Knocks me off-center. Favorite lyric: I give you words / And you give me worlds
Well sung, well performed and well done.
such a great sound on this, such a full production, everything gels together so well. the vocals are lovely and the music just sounds so solid. fantastic collab
Catchy song and a great production. Not a style I usually listen to but I enjoyed this a lot.
This might be my favorite FAWM song of the year. Even before I heard the freaking beautiful song, I was in love. The concept is so fascinating. I love The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis!!!!! Not only does it feel true -- but it's infinitely researchable, any language you study gives you new (theoretical) insight into the psychology of a group of people. I know you didn't ultimately take that angle on the song, but just you starting from there is inspiring. The song itself, poignant, lush, gorgeous. I want to send it to my mom. I'm so excited for everything you two do together. Bliss.
wow. this song doesn't have enough comments yet, and since it's almost april, things are slowing down. since i'm now on my computer most of the day, perhaps i'll watch the film again. saw it a couple times when it came out. as a very lo-fi recording guy, i'm always amazed by what you guys can produce. "like a retro-futuristic love song from outer space," said somebody. it took most of march just to read through all the other comments.
Enjoyed the listen very much. Congratulations on excellent collaboration
2020-02-03 @ 10:02pm
tags: sad-rock
Couldn't QUITE get this to sound how I wanted it to, somehow - I wanted a big spacious roomy sound but it turns out it's quite a hard thing to achieve when you don't have a big spacious room, and you're trying not to be too loud. But whatevz, hopefully at least it's nice and sad.
There’s something hidden from your face
You’re holding up a mask
I know that something must be wrong
I’m not sure how to ask
And I don’t think that you’d answer
Even if I found the words
Even if you weren't distracted
By the singing of the birds
There's a melancholy to you
That I cannot explain
But I may just be projecting
From my stupid human brain
We are all sad animals
We are all sad animals
There’s something missing from your smile
When it’s there at all
Something absent from your voice
When you think to call
I can feel it in the atmosphere
A crackle on the line
But i know that if i asked
You would say that you are fine
So I try to lift your spirits
I ask about your health
With everything I see in you
Reflected in myself
We are all sad animals
We are all sad animals
The melancholy feel to the music is perfect for these words. I like the melody, especially the chorus. Really nice!
Beautiful! You hooked me the title so I had to listen. I love the guitar playing and cool harmonized lick. That chorus is great too - big fan of those harmonies.
i think you have managed that big room pretty well. very good song. slap chorus great.
Is that you? The Arctic monkeys? We’ve been wondering where you went.
Oh I didn’t really want to push play on this, sad animals just make me the saddest. Oh good, we’re talking about humans. Not that that’s much better.. Anyway, THE SONG! Yeah man, I like it, ticking along nicely and totally feels like you’re getting your Jed on! Giving me @lowestbitter vibes man. I am totes singing along to sad animals refrain by the end :) Great lyrics dude. On this melancholy note, I am going to retire to bed.
This masterfully combines two of my major interests, - sad stuff - animals I think it still sounds pretty spacious?! I'm not listening on headphones, though, so the sound quality is not so good. I love the shimmery descending guitarmonies part of that lick, and the lyrics and melody are top-notch melancholia, particularly the chorus. The stripped-back arrangement really lets your words shine, I think this is maybe one of my favorite songs of yours just in terms of songwriting, it is simple but just really lovely and sad! (Is it a good candidate for playing live for your gig coming up?)
What a beautiful full smooth melancholy sound. I love how this flows. The chords and melody perfectly convey the mood of the lyrics. Great vocals too!
A very morose happy guitar PPP song.. just my cup of tea.. I love the treble tones on the guitar.
Love this song, it's sad and sweet. Made me remember when I was a teenager, slow dancing, very emotional. Great job!
Very good song. Thanks a lot for sharing! Will
Great chorus hook with the backing vocals coming through. I want a standard 'spacious room'setting on my reaper so I can get this sound. Enjoyed as much as a sad animal can.
This is both nice and sad, so I feel you have achieved both your modest objectives. The narrative voice, lyrics and delivery suggest a personal, intimate connection between singer and listener, and yet the song also has the earnest anthemic quality of a charity single. I suspect, years from now, if and when the human race develops a sense of humility and self-awareness, and the buying of music still somehow remains a viable way to raise funds, this would top the December pop charts in every country where decency and sanity still do not fear to tread. I listened repeatedly and the involuntary swaying only got stronger. Though I am but a sad animal, this song makes me personally happy. Is this a paradox, or the consequence of art done well? More, please.
Very beautiful song, sad and thoughtful. I can visualize your song. I understand you created a rock song but somehow i see it in a musical too maybe because it is so visual and I percieve as a scene in a theatre production. Really love it. Vety catcy song.
That's some nice dreamy guitaring. I see what you mean about wanting a spacious sound. I think you get pretty close, especially with that lovely "sad animals" chorus, which feels pretty floaty and dreamy. I could listen to you sing those two words for a long time. The lyric in the second half of the song really connected with me. (Your profile says that you need more songs for an upcoming gig. You must have plenty by now!)
Stupid Human Brain is a great name for a rapper. I almost didn't listen because the title is....sad. But this didn't make me cry so thanks for that. Not sad. Fail. But I'm glad. Love the chorus!
Oh no, sad animals :( The worst. We can only thank Kay Burley for putting sad animals on the map. This is pretty dreamy, i love the multi-vocal chorus especially. And yeah, I think you've got a spacious mix going on here for sure.
Despite your reservations this still sounds quite roomy and spacious to me. I really love the little guitar interlude into the final guitar, and then that little repeating arpeggio. A sad song, but very pretty
The sadness in his eyes This is really nice, think you’ve done a good job of making the mix sound spacious despite a lack of IRL square footage. The chorus is great, love the layered vocals on we are all sad animals especially, and that guitar tone is really nice.
This had a beautiful sadness about it that I really love. The lyrics are very thoughtful and the sustain on the guitar gives a nice, big room feel to it.
Wonderful lyrics, I first of all thought, oh, you are singing about the expression on our beloved pets but then to the end I got the feeling it was more about realising we are nothing more than animals and there is nothing special about the human race. That was my interpretation anyway. Yeah, short of rocking up to a cathedral and recording it's going to be difficult to get that spacious sound you are after, although I think you should totally do that, I doubt they will mind. I can see what you were after but I don't think the track needs it, I think it is just right as it is.
It is nice and sad, indeed. I think I see what you mean when you say you tried to achieve a "big spacious roomy sound" but didn't get it like you wanted - but the result is gorgeous anyway, there's so much emotion in there. Beautiful lyrics, loving them.
Great geetar tone, batman! Thx for the comment. Good work!
The chorus is such a mood isn't it. It's nice to hear something direct and heartfelt from you (but still with that trademark Vom wit). I particularly thought the second verse was beautifully written. I think you got a fairly spacious sound, the only thing I could think to suggest was maybe some sort of slapback echo on the guitar?
I think this sounds suitably spacious. Really nice chiming guitars, and the big rousing chorus does the trick.
Wow, this is so richly produced. It sounds like a whole band playing. I like the solo at the end and the big chorus with everyone singing together. I’d be curious to hear it with the spaciousness you had in mind
Wow, this really puts you in a mood, but beautifully done. Wonderful melody and rich guitar playing. All so good. You really know how to put together an awesome song.
Very melancholy song, very sad guitars yet somehow hopeful chorus melody pulls this together very nicely. Your sound here is huge, at least through head phones. Very mellow and nice!
2020-02-08 @ 06:20pm
tags: electro synthrock cowcore fuc
I'm a bit under the weather at the moment (FAWM flu, every bloody year) so I've decided not to sing on this one, but I'd very much be up for some guest vocals if anyone hears it and gets inspired! The title isn't set in stone, go nuts.
edit: @frenchcricket added some vocals, new version over here: https://fawm.org/songs/104846/
I definitely want to do some vocals for this if you are down. Such a cool track! Buckaroo Banzai says YAY!
Noooo, you always get the FAWM flu! That sucks, get well soon. This is awesome, I love all the whistle-y high stuff you have going on. It sounds really epic, like it belongs in some kind of action movie.
Love the tone in that guitar in the intro. The whole song has a really nice groove to it, I love it! Hope you get well soon!
Amazing layers. Ah...there's the cowbell. Of course I listen specifically for my old friend. :-) Very spacey sounding at times. Cool.
I do think it works sans vocals, there's always plenty going on. The drum programming is mega, especially the tom fills. Love that change up at 0:41 ish, that's when I knew I was going to have a good time listening to it. Are those strum sounds an omnichord?
This totally reminds me of a 'on the road' type scene in an 80's movie. Really beautiful layers and the beat and synth-bass are super infectious. Ace work!
Nice one, love the synth bass and all the sounds really...yeah it could stand some 80’s new wave vocals sandwiched in there, but it also works so cinematically.
This has a great driving energy. I love when that bass makes its first appearance! I also feel like this would be great music for a high speed joyride.
Wow, you threw the kitchen sink at this one. It's like a poppy electro spaghetti western. I love the way it chugs along. There are too many aural treats to mention. To be honest, I can't even imagine where all those sounds come from
So, so good. Glad I found this track! Syths are sounding freaking fabulous. I can imagine this on a 80's throwback film, with Ryan Gosling as the lead.
Sorry to hear you’re under the weather. Hope it passes soon. This is a wonderful track and I dare say it doesn’t need vocals but could work with them too. I like so many of the sounds that glitter in and out giving the track life. Great work.
Some beaut synth sounds in this - is that an actual omnichord? If not, gimme that vst. It sounds so dreamy. Yeah, this works really nicely as an instrumental, especially a big fan of the bassline and the panned electrics. Bah, it's all good, and such a good mix.
Aaaw, the flu again?? I'm going to prescribe you old home remedies to get your voice back! That being said, you're doing great without your voice. Your guitar carries the melody very well. The drumming is super catchy, loving the toms work. And of course, your synths are perfect!
I decided to do my singiest song yet last night with a sore throat and now I can barely speak so I feel the fawm flu pain. This is great though! As others have said it already works well as an instrumental, love that synth bass running through this, and that guitar tone is lovely. Also OMNICHORD!
Ooh, I like the Omnichord! This is hypnotic and fascinating--I don't know if it's the whistles or the cowbell, but it has a kind of 1980s spaghetti Western, Morricone x Pet Shop Boys vibe to it. Feel better soon!
Ooo ha ha. I was just thinking this sound gorgeous but a bit trebly .... then I actually put my headphone in my ear properly . Ah mate a really good groove to this . Maybe without your voice you habe discovered (if possible ) even more layering creativity . It’s strange because it is so catchy without a vocal . Would love to hear a melody/ words on top at some point .
Was waiting for the cowbell to come in, and man, you don't disappoint in that B section. I'm a sucker for a good analog bass patch, which you've also used excellently here, your verbed guitar is the cherry on top. Hope somebody comes along and sings this one!
Wonderful, delicate picking about 2:40
SUPER cool and so big sounding. Love the whistling, but those synths are monstrous and fat. Excellent changes throughout (into the folky uke section) - I really enjoyed this one. I'd love to hear it with a vocal so let me know, but it stands up as is. :)
Love those drums. What machine/sample set is that? Not an SR16 is it?
I was sure I’d commented on this! Really enjoyable as an instrumental. I particularly enjoy the little whistle noises in the background. Such a nice little countermelody. Some definite Microkorgy type sounds in this...
I get a bit of an A-ha vibe, who I LOVE. There's nothing quite like that synth-pop sound...this is an excellent track.
I agree with @russiasaturn I'm hearing sort of that Gary Numan processed vocal over this. I love the little subtle whistling thing in the background. Or maybe doubletracked vocals ala OMD. Or a whole other take with that sort of New Pornographers vibe? Hmmmm....
I commented on "Flights" so I'm just spamming this track to satisfy my ocd. Well done, great tune, yadda yadda yadda...
2020-02-09 @ 11:31pm
tags: indie rock post punk
There are lot's of FAWMers about whom I ask: Why aren't they household names? Vom is one of those FAWMers. I also sometimes wonder why he occasionally comes to my squalid corner of the FAWM-verse and makes something so beautiful that even I can't tarnish it (too much).
I sent him a little demo. He layered all the instruments you hear right over my demo. I added more vocals and did the final mix, so that's on me. I'm sure he would make the vocal sit better in the mix. Thanks Vom! I love it!!
You know I am not a musician
I am not a statistician
But I can tell you that 3 out of 4 assholes who chew gum
Well, they throw it on the floor
Oh wait don’t leave, there’s more
Don’t you want to hear about the fourth one?
How about the fourth one?
What about the fourth one?
No one’s asking questions anymore
How about the fourth one?
What about that fourth one?
No one’s asking questions anymore
Take it now, Vom, go!
You know I’m not a musician
If I’m a songwriter then I’m a bishop
I got no miter, so what am I doing this for?
I’ve sung of birds on bicycles gleaming like icicles
Tested your patience with rhymes inadvisable
So what am I doing this for?
Yeah hell! What are we doing this for?
Look around! What are we doing this for?
And you, in particular, what are you doing this for?
No one’s asking questions anymore
I’m tarnishing the bright things
Giving dilettantes a good name
That’s what I’m doing this for
I’m tarnishing the bright things
Taking delight in the half-baked
That’s what I’m doing this for
I’m tarnishing the bright things
Giving dilettantes a bad name
That’s what I’m doing this for
I’m tarnishing the bright things
I’m sticking hat pins in your soufflé
That’s what I’m doing this for
That’s what I’m doing this for
But it seems that nobody’s asking questions anymore
I guess they just don’t give a shit about the fourth one
Hell no! No one’s asking questions anymore
Go! Go! Go! Go!
Vom has given this a Velvet Underground makeover. I like the balance of ideas that emerge from the failure of anyone to ask about the fourth one in their three out of four ratios. Vocals are enhanced by quirky pronounciations a hallmark of the rock and roll singer.
Great question—what about that fourth one? I like the concept and the way the music kicks in between verses. Is this song also about why us FAWMers are FAWMing?
All kinds of good in this one. Love it when my favorite FAWM lyricist collabs with a FAWM god. Not only did I listen to the whole song, I played it again. Wait, you're the fourth a-hole??
“No one” is a bit of a stretch though, isn’t it? Seems to me only 3 out of 4 aren’t asking questions. There’s always that pesky 4th One being cheeky and awkward. Bill has already mentioned Velvet Underground. But this is smoother, fuller, and what’s amazing ( now on my 3rd listen) is how it builds slowly and relentlessly over a long section. That’s skilful musicianship. And yes, the vocal phrasing makes the acid observations totally believable. Overall, I’d say this piece is in the top tier of the FAWM universe.
In my myopic stupor I read 'gleaming like testicicles'... But no, you certainly didn't balls this up. Nice co-work y'all.
I dig the questions asked. I love the build up feel in the last stanza. This indeed has a bit of a Velvet Underground feel. At least in the instrumental parts. I like how the music sounds just a little too low in the mix, volume wise: which makes me listen with more attention and this is the kind of song to pay attention to. The calming effect the mix has on me, I like that a lot. Quite the pay off by the way! Impressive stuff it is!
great build. that's a plate full of words. nice layers. good question. nice stuff
You've got those vocals on there perfectly, I don't think I could have done any better! Thanks for asking me to work on this one, I had great fun with it.
This is very very cool. More Lou Reed than Lou Reed.
Haha "tested your patience with rhymes inadvisable' is great. I'm jealous of the amount of depth nd layer you've managed to get into the music. Great song.
That chorus is super catchy, this whole thing is great in fact. Particularly like the “take it now, Vom, go!” which seems like it’s setting up a guitar solo but then goes into a lovely low key synth part, excellent! Vocals sit great in the mix to my ears! Excellent collab
Good morning! This made my coffee groovier than 3 out of 4 coffees on the fourth day! Love it; awesome sauce rhymes, THAT GROOVE THO :D
You've really outdone yourself on these lyrics ... I love the whole off-kilter concept as well as individual lines like "three out of four assholes who chew gum" and "sticking hat pins in your souffle" and "taking delight in the half baked." Just great! The music is bursting with melody, and I love the little breaks when Vom throws in a barrage of guitars and keyboards (love that droning string-type thing). You two are the new songwriting team of the moment!
Good question -- I hadn't thought about the 4th one. I think the vocals sit fine in the mix. Enjoyed the musical treatment, worked out really well. Questions? We might not get the answer we want. Really fun to read along with these mighty fine lyrics while listening -- super!
This has a really nice wide sound, the vocals are so casual and inviting and really draw you in. What a great track, great collab :)
The "Take it, Vom, now, go!" prompt into super-laid-back synth break made me laugh a bit, knowing Vom's Opinions about unnecessary guitar solos. This is full of so many wonderful things! The production sounds really lovely, bass is great, it's all layered and rich but staying out of the way of the vocal; the lyrics are surreal but thought-provoking, and I really like the pileup of words in the second verse. The "tarnishing the bright things" outro is so pretty and not tarnishing at all--I like the softness of the vocal going into it and then the slow rise back up out of it, with those long held organ chords, it gives me the feeling that the whole song is breathing gently in and out.
Wow this is great.That harmonic change around 1:00 is wonderful. I love that the instruments seem to stand out in turns : I'm like, "oh, nice drums!", then, "that bass is cool!", and "ah! great guitars!". The vocals drive the whole thing perfectly. Wonderful collab.
I do want to hear about the 4th one. You sucked me in with that extremely clever verse. Keeps up the cleverness throughout and is really fun and cool and funny. I like it lots!
"Take it Vom, now go!" is my favourite bit of FAWM so far, especially when there's no solo. I love this, and if I heard it on the radio I'd assume it was some lost late 80s/early 90s classic. It's really got a homage feel to it, rather than being at all derivative.
Yes! This is such a wonderfully crafted lyric that is so perfectly delivered! Love the angst in the delivery. Cool punkish music back drop! Love the questions! Thought provoking and fun. Brilliant collaboration!
Such a great nostalgic feeling to the song. The lyrics are mesmerizing, and the whole song sounds amazing. Well done!
Ugh, your vocal delivery is so frickin' cool on this one. The way you say "more" in that penultimate line of the first verse sends me, it's great. The production on this is aces. I maybe irrationally love that the "Take it, Vom, now go!" resulted in that lovely, droney, decidedly unshowy synth "solo." Some great lines in here, too, that work so well with your vocal. I felt fully put on notice in how you delivered the "And you, in particular..." line. [What? Who, me?!] And the whole "tarnishing the bright things" repeat is great. That's often how I feel amidst the shiny production gods of FAWM, with my incomplete equipment and phone recordings in my own squalid corner of the FAWMverse....
I had to listen to this before commenting on "Odysseus on the Line" and I just love the stream of conscious feel about this and the random words like "souffle". I hate to ref other bands, but I do it as a compliment cos of how they make me feel, but this evokes Miracle Legion for me, and the kind of plaintive-yet-pedestrian vocal which characterises Mark Mulcahy's stuff. The backing track really emphasises this and it's quite beautiful how it cuts to my core unexpectedly.
This was such a nice melody to ease myself down into and take a bath in. I love the 'Take it Vom now go'. Kind of reminded me of 'Lie to me, Joe' from Pixies' Monkey Gone To Heaven. The song has an almost neo-Socratic message (The worst thing we do as adults is discourage our children from asking questions) and the laid back feel of which Lou Reed would be proud.
Ahh, I just grinned from ear to ear listening to this. Fourth one? How bout the fourth wall... certainly not all ways to break it work well, but the way you do it here reels the listener in and gives the feeling that this is a joke we're all in on. Vocal delivery is hitting a perfect spot between self-effacing and laid back cool. And that's echoed in the music, too, which pulls in diverse enough sounds that it feels kind of timeless to me. I'll confess, I came in on the post punk tag, which although I have no idea what it means, most everything I've listened to tagged that way hits home with me. There is a real chewy early shoegaze thing going on in here that is all about keeping those sounds from pulling away from each other too much and the result is a sound you can really hang around in and hear more about this fourth one guy. Well done, gents.
Just one of those pop gems that gets you swaying with a smile.
Excellent questions and interesting statements. Birds on bicycles gleaming like icicles just tastes good to the ears! Great musical production as well.
Cool stuff. A little reminiscent of Velvet Underground, in a good way. I really like the feel.
Yes, this is very Velvet Underground, inspiring and atmospheric. Cool song, nice listen.
Loving your reasons...what are we doing this for? What a great collab- so cool, did your demo just have vocals or did you also have a guitar on it? The production and feel of the music with the vocals just fit so perfect. Very impressed by this corner of the Fawmiverse!
your lyrics made me stop what I was doing on the other hand because I realized that I was not keeping up with the story. Very nice song, I like the kind of story you went with here. Makes me think if I should start asking more questions
2020-02-12 @ 10:05pm
tags: songfight retro wall-of-sound lo-fi
I've been tinkering with this one and adding more layers for days, because I'm waiting for my sore throat to lift and let me sing properly. But fuck it, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. And good vocals don't matter when you're singing into a soup can:
http://vomvorton.co.uk/music/fawm20/soupcan.jpg
Might revisit this and attempt some better vocals at the weekend...
edit 14/02: new vocals recorded! Sorry all the people who commented "don't redo the vocals" but I wanted to? Original version here if you're curious: http://vomvorton.co.uk/music/fawm20/VomVorton_PeakMisery.mp3
We’re having a party
Yeah we’re having a ball
Though we’ve nothing to celebrate
No nothing at all
That’s exactly the reason
That the drinks are all free
We finally reached
Peak misery
We’ve set up some games
That no-one enjoys
To pass the time
until the world gets destroyed
Will we get blown up
Or will we be drowned?
Either way, let’s have
Another round
Sounds...fun?...I want to hear that wall of sound in a big way, but I've got a room full of middle schoolers. I'll just break the zong for no good reason
Vocals sound fine, and definitely in keeping with the rest of the song. I like all the layers, and the kinda dreamy feel. Good song.
You are my favorite, and this is the best. It's a dark 80s dream, and a downer to top it off. It's the second to last aisle at the vintage shop where you can peer the unpriced oddities in the back. [Post script; fuck redoing vocals. These sound great. Did Ian Curtis revisit his vocals? Absolutely not, he was too busy being not alive.
I'm sure if you trawled through the songs from this year's FAWM there's be plenty for a end-of-the-world party album . This is a perfect inclusion for that album - love the vocal treatment. I particularly liked: "We’ve set up some games That no-one enjoys To pass the time til the world’s destroyed" and the Julian Cope-ish - ba-ba-baa backing vocals.
Love your lyrics and song title. The musical layering is fantastic.
Love the soup can vocals as they are! Not sure what else you’d want them to sound like! Awesome man! Ah peak misery, that’s wonderful :) diggin this big style.
Ooh, this is the perfect use of the weird tin can microphone! I don't see why you'd re-record vocals, they sound good. I love the unsettling decaying-ballroom vibe of this with the big washes of reverb and that grand organ--you made good use of the chord progression/title combo. The bah bah bahs are an excellent addition.
This is great! Love the tempo, moves along well. Reminds me a bit of Marc Eitzel/ American music club.
Ha ha I thought you meant Peak District misery . And wow singing into a soup can should be tried at least once. Again so different . I love the change to the relative minor . Reminds me of Damon albarn in his solo guide . I love the reverby effect on the gentle guitar and the octave singing . Ooo a smash my friend
Woah, what is this mic technique?! *yoink* This is very cool, the lilting waltz is lovely. Would like to hear a slightly cleaner vocal sitting on top of this when you're better for sure. Always love a pretty bare lyric that says so much in just a few words
Haha, well done. You actually gave the song an awesome touch with these vocals. The laidback tempo with the waltz pattern is super relaxing. Loving the shimmery quality of your sound there, very nice.
Great use of the can - everything works well here. Love the wall-of-sound big bright sound to fall against the vocal and lyric. Excellent. This is raw and beautiful at the same time.
One of your best, a happy-sad tour de force. I'm gonna put on my tattered tuxedo and transport myself to Berlin circa '33 and play this until the drinks have run dry or a war starts, or something
I've been meaning to get a soup can mic for a while. Sounds Like it delivers on its promise. Nice and messy.
The soup can vocals work though! I sang into a Pabst can once. Good lofi effect!
I never heard the soup can vocals, judging by the comments they were 100x better than whatever this “clean” vocal effect is (jk). This sounds lovely, love the roominess of it all, you’ve really captured the retro Phil Spector-ish sound and the vocals sound great. This is gonna be a strong Songfight!
I love the neo 60s sound, which both old and new vocals very much contributed towards, and the way it wooshes into life in the Ba BA BA bits. I've heard both versions and I do prefer the clean, but the soupcan did sound cool, just not for the entire thing.
Having not heard you original version I am intrigued. If you still have it floating around in the cloud could you ping me it? I'm guessing the ba ba ba bits are soup cannified. I really liked the melancoly feel of the track. Although I'm not sure if Monday morning was the greatest day for me to listen to this. Great stuff.
Adverts for those soup can mics keep coming up on my Instagram and I cant pretend I'm not tempted! Love the ba ba ba's and the overall 50s pop feel you've sewn into the chord choices. The lyrics to the second verse are exceptional.
The wall of sound is totally my thing. Turn that wall up! There's certainly a retro feel to this which I dig very much, and all of the reverb and layering is music to my ears. I mean it's music to anyone's ears, but mine especially. Love how you build up the wall at the end and it's just sound upon sound upon sound, mm mm MM that's my stuff. I tried a similar sort of song last year, and it didn't sound half as good as this. Really enjoyed this!
Deliciously cynical.. and between this one and Blood on the Tracks, it sounds like you've got a great dark throwback record in the making... keeps reminding me of that record Julee Cruise did with David Lynch but with, you know, much better songwriting.
God I hope this is peak misery. Seems optimistic. This song, however, is wonderful. Very 2020 lyrics, and I love the bleak ba ba bas and big reverby sound.
Oh my, this is delightful. Love those cynic pre-apocalyptic lyrics, and the song is great. Well done! Can you tell a little bit more about that microphone? Did you built it yourself? Are you using a piezo for the sensor?
How delightfully cynical! I love the reverby vocals and washed out sounds. The little interlude between verses is a fun surprise!
That title line payoff is quite funny. And then the second stanza has a "well, the world's ending anyway" feel to it. Love the buh-buh-buh-buh-buhs. Downloading.
Great title. Love the sound of this.
You got more votes than me so I officially hate you, although while I'm talking about me I thoroughly deserved all those comments about my vocals (on SF of course, not here) for drunkenly rushing off such a shitty set of vox, and barely deserved any of the praise for whatever else. Anyway, since this is also a Song Fight entry I'm gonna give you a Song Fight review, not a FAWM review so get ready, the gloves are off, solicited or nae. First off, my musical brain appreciates any time sig that isn't 4/4, although of course 6/8 is the next most obvious option, but my heart often struggles to get excited about this signature so the song has to do extra work to overcome that for me. What this has in spades is some classic Vom-style dark sardonicism (who doesn't love games that nobody enjoys? Everyone!), and very rich instrumentation. The keyboard shuffle throughout is cool; it's persistence would threaten to make the song lack dynamic but it's short enough that that doesn't matter, and the
Oh yeah, character limit. Uuh where was I... the arrangement with the addition of the organ and those big lush guitars gives the song all the dynamic it needs. Plus, in spite of your excuses, your vocals are in key and don't sound painful to listen to (like mine did) which is enough to earn you that one extra vote over my entry (you bastard).
Cool feel to this one, the vocals have a good distant sound and those bells fit well with the other sounds, ending is really done.
It instantly reminded me of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Suicide. Partly because of the guitar, the chord progression and the vocals. It was lucky your throat was sore, because I think it helped set the mood just right. Really cool one!
2020-02-13 @ 09:27pm
tags: electro synthrock political
FC: In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the UK government decided, seemingly against a court order, to deport some foreign national ex-prisoners. Some of these people, who came to the UK as children, were convicted of one-time drugs offences, years ago. Not to mention that they are subject to a racially discriminatory justice system, but that is by the by.
Anyway this injustice, and the bubbling rage I felt at the government’s weaponisation of deportation flights as a tool of control informed the lyrics. Also, the fallout from Windrush. It feels like the government are trying to sell us the concept of ‘flights’ as security, which we all have to buy into, in order to be good citizens (hence the appropriation of advertising jargon). In short, it’s bullshit.
VV: Anya wrote some lyrics and sent vocals for the track formerly known as Blue Lizards. I made a few other changes to best accommodate her vocal and added some vocoder to make up for the fact that my throat is still too knacked to sing backing vocals so yes it totally DOES count as a different song, shut up.
Flights which work for you
Flights can work for the dilettante
A hopeless romantic (so I hear)
Flights gave me the confidence
To energise my bourgeoning career
We hope you have a pleasant trip
It’s better when you don’t resist
All for you
Swallow every day:
Three square flights for the citizen
Vapour trail through snowburst flights
She builds with wood and clay
And everywhere her wings are sure to go
Wheels up on the red-eye
Flights are always vigilant
Never fear, for flights are here
To tuck you in
Rest your eyes sweet lily pad
Super awesome bass and instrumental bed. Vocals are really great too, love those lyrics. Fantastic collab! This song is something special.
Glad to see 'Blue Lizards' gained a vocal - this shameful act by the UK government is difficult to approach in any way but an all-out protest song mikeskliar-style, so I'm really impressed at the way Anya has constructed the lyrics to capture the essence of what is going on "We hope you have a pleasant trip It’s better when you don’t resist" but wrap it into an extension of air-travel marketing meets social good. Extremely clever.
That is masterful in every respect, and not a song I will soon forget (after two listenings). I'm not sure I would read this as a political song without the notes, which is fine with me. I don't like beat-you-over-the-head political songs (as a rule). The juxtaposition the "snowburst flights" and "wood and clay" lines really hits for me. What a chorus! Earworm, most definitely
Yeah, as I say, this worked well as an instrumental. Jooooooookes. This is really, really good - Anya's vocal slots in like it was always there, and I'm a big fan of the vocoder on the chorus, really mixes nicely with the omnichord and it's catchy as HELL. "We hope you have a pleasant trip It’s better when you don’t resist" - gaaah :(
"We hope you have a pleasant trip/It’s better when you don’t resist" is such a telling, cutting line. I shall refrain from my rant about the government, as we are in agreement on that matter. Great sound on this and excellent lyrics.
Synthpop with teeth. Well done.
Killer. As others have pointed out, that “we hope you have a pleasant trip/it’s better if you don’t resist” hook is cutting straight to the heart of it. Really, really great work, both of you!
Have to agree with everyone one else, those 2 lines are the killers. Whole thing isa great concept and put together with great skill and love the synth sounds used. Well done
These instances around the world make my blood boil. So what better way than make songs about them? The lyrics and “happy” sound to the song nail it on the f-ing head.
Everyone has added lots of informed and detailed observations which just leaves me to say I reyt like this. I reyt like this.
BritPop at its best. Very good and very sad as well. Our gov round here was in similar frakin’ bullying attitude, and it’s not gotten much better with the changes now. But in the end, thank you for the music. To both of you.
I take it back. Even better with vocals. :) Great collaboration and love the lyrics. Some cool pseudo-rhymes going on.
It's weird how much better seething sarcasm works in a happy song. The whole "we hope you have a pleasant trip" chorus just exudes that sarcasm and brings to mind Pet Shop Boys' Integral. Both brilliant examples of a modern day protest song.
I’ve already listened to this but been lax in commenting. Obviously this is great! Lyrics brilliant even by Anya’s stupidly high standards. “Swallow every day: Three square flights for the citizen” . I think I’ve already commented on the instrumental but I’ll reiterate again that it’s great, and I still love that autoharp-y noise
Happy synths, beautiful melody, vocoder. Thanks for the liner notes, I don't think I would have understood it otherwise. Get better soon, Vom
Great collaboration--- the bouncy upbeat is totally at odds with "It’s better when you don’t resist" I love that kind of balance--- anger balanced out by smiley pop music--- such style.
Firstly, I couldn't agree more about the subject matter. There really depth the "government" won't stop to. Secondly, great collab. I really like how you've channelled your anger into the lyrics. The "three square flights..." idea is particularly cool. Musically, it reminds me of the later Mew albums. Good work from both of you!
Excellent collab, I love how this turned out. Chilling lyrics, in a way.'
I absolutely adore this song and the collaboration. The lyrics are amazing, I'm impressed and inspired by how you take the negativity that permeates the world these days and turn it into clever, fun, but still powerful political lyrics. And that chorus is just fantastic, well done!
Love your vocals, I'm getting shades of Grandaddy. I really like the effects you have on your voice. This has such a playful feel but the subject matter is not at all and needs to be said. I really enjoyed this, great collaboration.
Oh this is cool! The track was excellent by itself as a standalone, but @frenchcricket's vocals fit in so well on it. Wonderful vocal melody, especially on the chorus, gave me goosebumps the first time it got there. The whistling feels different now and perfect in the context of the lyrics. I like reading "swallow" as both verb and noun. edit to add also that the weaponized-deportation thing is happening here, of course, too, and it makes me sick. So thank you for writing a song about it that brought my attention to it happening in the UK as well.
The line double with the whistle is very sticky in the brain, the lyrics and vocals are really well done and nestle well in the synthy pop tune.
The instrumental track was solid, but the combination is just great.
Ah great collab guys and really hard hitting lyrics. I agree with seemanski about the grandaddy sounding in the vocals. it is of course a solid instrumental track from VV but it has become something special with the both of you. Dream collab and had me bouncing in a serious way this saturday morn
I love how through pure pop you have still managed to paint the sad picture in the lyrics. Another truly catchy track and that synth mod section is just awesome !
These are scary times. Great song here. Wonderful groove...love it when the bass comes growling in.
Ooh this is a nice collab. I love how the positive mood/sound of the song is in contrast with the very serious subject. I like the breakdown at 2.35 and then building up again.
I like the energy in this song. It has a cool light feel. Good melody too.
Aah, French Vomit. The worst kind of vomit. But the best kind of collab it seems. I did listen to the instrumental first and then discovered there is a version with vocals so I hopped on over here, and boy howdy do these vocals save this otherwise dull and lifeless tune. Just joshin ya of course, it sure is a bouncy number with just the right amount of retro sci-fi tension (and cows) and now an awesome vocal to boot. I can't quite tell if the lyrics are about, well, flights, or board games. There's lots of wood and clay in board games. I thought I knew what dilettante meant but I had to look it up. I didn't know, but now I do! Which makes this educational as well as a top tune. I would say this was the best collab of FAWM but the place is simply overflowing with awesome collabs that I'm thinking about organising some kind of FAWM2020 collab tournament podcast where every round is decided by a judge and I'm always the judge.
2020-02-14 @ 02:40pm
tags: post rock love-song
@vomvorton made an amazing backing track for my song "What About the Fourth One?" I was driving home from work the other day and it occurred to me that I could make a COMPLETELY different song using that same track. I did a quick improvised vocal, letting my subconscious take me where it would. Then I tried to clean up some of the lyrics so it would make some sense to my conscious self.
The favorite tag and final mix are mine. (I don't know what post rock means.)
I am
And you are
What other reasons do we need
To grab the ring in summertime
Till I’m dead
I’m the branches
I’m the leaves
I’m the seasons
And I’m the wire
(Now bent)
But in every season there’s a reason for belief in summertime
Till you’re dead
Be the branches
Be the leaves
Be the seasons
Be the wire
Of erstwhile summertime
Of erstwhile summertime
We’re not dead
We’re the branches
We’re the leaves
We’re the seasons
We’re the wire
I looked
And you looked
Light as forever
You set the see-saw swinging, then you stepped off on the lawn
And I laughed
What’s a tailbone bruise in summer
When the days are long
And that shimmer sings in your eyes
And you laughed
Said you wondered what would he say
If Penelope got Odysseus on the line
And we laughed, because...
We’re the thunder
We’re the oceans
We’re the rivers
We’re the wire
Of erstwhile summertime
With Odysseus on the line
With Odysseus on the line
Impervious to future we’ve got summer with Odysseus on the line
We’re the hammer
We’re the anvil
We’re the chords plucked from the fire
We’re the blacksmith
We’re the luthier
We’re the tension in the wire
We’re the song and
We’re the singer
We’re the seven-chorded lyre
We’re the plectrum
And the fingers
Plucking ourselves from the fire
I am
And you are
What other reasons do we need
To grab the ring in summertime
I look in wonder
We’re the hammer
We’re the anvil
We’re the taut chords
On the lyre
I am
And you are
What other reasons do we need
To grab the ring in summertime
We look in wonder
We’re the thunder
We’re the oceans
We’re the rivers
We’re the tide
This has got a great lazy but driving sound (I mean that in a good way). The clean guitar along with the vocal delivery gives me a real Oasis vibe. Good job guys!
The spur of the moment, off the cuff feel of the lyrics and vocals are awesome against the backing track and even better because every once in a while, among the mass of lyrics coming out, you hear "til I'm dead" and lines like that that make you think, and pay attention. Almost Velvet Underground-ish in the overlapped vocal section. Really cool song - I enjoyed this a ton.
Laidback but a little wistful. Loving the imagery conveyed in the lyrics and the expressiveness of the vocals. Enjoying this version too, you guys make fantastic collabs.
Another great version, which proves you've got one hell of a great track to work with there. Oh gosh, do I have to pick a favourite?!
Love that you used the "post rock" tag and then admitted that you don't know what it is. I don't either! LOVE the lyrics. This reminds me of Kevin Ayers' "Decadence," which in itself was a tribute to the Velvet Underground. There's something inspirational and semi-triumphant about the combo of lyrics like "we are the tension in the wire" and the music's ebb and flow. Really very nice!
Post rock is what you have after all the ideas have been used up and all you can do is cannabalize the past and, if clever enough, intercontextualize it. You are still in the midst of it, maintaining a perpetual state of new invention.
I love that those words came to you on the spur, some of the most satisfying ones do don't they? Especially when they're the sort whose connection to each is t immediately apparent to the listener (I call them Stypeisms) but still sound great. Its definitely a quality backing track and deserves multiple explorations. And I really like this take. Nice one.
Very good! Great rhythm, moves along nicely.
Really love it guys, reminds me of the cure or maybe mercury rev. It's just got that sorts 90's dreamy feel. One of the songs that I've enjoyed the most this fawm! Chorus is A+
I love how you felt compelled to make a completely new vocal for this. It's a totally different approach, and shows how music can change depending on the voice (much like REM's 7 Chinese Brothers vs. Voice of Harold). Vom's track is so full of optimism, and I'm hooked on that guitar attack tone and the synth line combination. The soft backing vocals in this are what lift it above the original for me. Just gives it that extra depth, sonically. What I really appreciate is that you both were into the seed of an idea enough to give that extra bit of love to it, and it turned out so great
Downloaded. Loved this. Has some Eno-esque bits with Wilcoish crossed with Lou Reed vocals. Well, to my ears anyway. :) Lovely.
Cool idea to reuse the backing track. Strong use of repetition in here, and I like the lyrical theme. Getting a little bit of They Might Be Giants and a little bit of maybe Leonard Cohen.
Clever idea and well delivered. big lyric.
Nice. Those layered vocals work so well and the lyrics really conjure a mood. Lovely stuff.
Already commented on the excellent music, interesting to revisit it with completely different lyrics. I like unexpected hookiness of the hookiness of “Odysseus on the Line” - feels like it should be too much of a mouthful to be catchy, but it is!
Nice metaphorical writing over the track - the lyrics weave in and out really beautifully at some points letting the words take centre stage and at other time the instrumental. Great idea to reuse the track also - it’s 100% what FAWM is about generating idea, creating and recreating!
You have a mastery of lyrical parallelism that I really admire, particularly that spoken word bit which gives it such a great propulsion as the drums come back in.
This tune has been lodged in my brain all week. And now it's going to have another lease of life. Damn your eyes!
I occasionally convince myself that my lyrics are okay, but then I come across something like this and realise exactly why the adjective "lyrical" exists and that I'm just a dilettante stumbling my way through the rhyming dictionary. Joyous, anthemic stuff.
Wow. Ok, I was totally confused at first, but you're right, and what's magical is that not only can you get another song out of this great, inexorable bed of sound, but that you can use a very similar delivery and get a very different result, all attitude and possibility. It reminds me of being 18. And I don't think I totally got it the first time around in The Fourth One, but I am really digging the slow, measured build that's happening...like you wouldn't really even notice it at first but it adds a kind of covert energy and direction to the song.
I totally feel like I’m in the 1970’s! I love this! What a great bass line that goes so well with the guitar!
Cool track. It's very britpop-esque and the lyrics are great. I really like the spoken word bit and how it interplays with the vocals that come back in.
Wow! Most songs about summer are fluff. You took that topic and created a very powerful set of lyrics. I am jealous.
Oh wow, such a great song! And I love the idea of taking the track and adding a different set of lyrics. Great song!
Great song, the gentle vocals fit so perfectly with the music. I love how it builds but you don't really noticed until your caught in it. The ending was superb, I found myself getting lost in the music.
Very cool to hear this recontextualization and I love the lyrics--your subconscious did good. I particularly love this image: "Light as forever / You set the see-saw swinging, then you stepped off on the lawn" but the litanies of metaphors are really wonderful too. (The backing track is still great but no need to remark on it again.)
Is this a song the Psychedelic Furs wrote? Pleasantly feel good.
I like the way the lyrics grow from I am...to BE...to We're in a celebration of summer, and then after Penelope and Odysseus are on the line, it's almost as if the "We" become gods of thunder, oceans, rivers...everything!!!
The track is indeed awesome. Strong lyric that sucks you in - matched with the perfect melodic treatment. Love the echo-ee stuff later in the song.
2020-02-16 @ 10:12pm
tags: spintunes retro melodrama indiepop
VV: For Round Two of the Spintunes contest, for which the challenge is 'Counting'. Super happy with the dreamy retro sound we conjured up here!
The first time that they met was a Saturday night
She was standing by the jukebox
Looking for some change
So he handed her a dollar, asked her for her name
And they slow-danced in the darkness
While the Temptations played
Count the ways I love you
One, two, three, four, five
They never got much past that
Other things on their minds
One kiss became a thousand
One night, a hundred more
It all seemed like perfection
Till he knelt down on the floor
Opened up the box
And opened up his mouth
But he couldn't get the question out
Before it all went south
"No, baby, don't you leave me,
Was all our love a lie?"
"I never promised you forever
But we had a few good times"
Broken-hearted, begging
"Please see me one last time
Meet me at our bar tonight
I just want to say goodbye"
Bullets spray the jukebox
One, two, three, four, five
The record goes on turning
Through the broken glass inside
Yeah, count the ways I love you
One, two, three, four, five
If I can't have forever
At least I'll hold you till we die
I’m pretty happy with that dreamy sound, too. I thought maybe Vom was going to unleash his inner Bob Dylan in preparation for his solo gig. I’m about to nap, so I’m going to pull up this blanket of sound and drift off. Whoa, nice vocal lift off at the end. Kind of a dark turn in this honky tonk lyric. The words floated over me as I listened. I had to go back and read them. Wow
Ooh, gorgeous guitar/intro. What a beautiful melody fright from the first verse. Damn, this is extra good. You handled the challenge superbly well. And that ending was a great image. It's hard to imagine this won't be one of my favorites of the challenge (even though I've obviously not heard the other entries yet.)
The quality of my comment was not commensurate with the quality of the song. I apologize. Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I can go to sleep. I’m very tired
Hi Owl! Sounds like your voice is doing better, Vom. From the lyrics, I was expecting Motown. Love the guitar sound. Reminds me a bit of those Sergio Leone westerns. Story is a bit dark, but not unexpected. Good luck in Spin Tunes!
I really like the guitar tones and the vocals, and not completely following the lyrics, I didn't realise how dark the story is. Listening again, the dynamic of the song made even more sense. Really good production too!
Yes, lush. Great sound. Also devastating. I was lulled into a delightful dreamy state. I'm a sucker for counting in a song. Well done.
Great collab. The counting is really effective. Don’t know what this challenge is but I like it. I should dabble more in those forums! Great atmosphere on this song even though the ending is heartbreaking. The vocal doubling in some places works really well.
Ah, lovely. This reminds me so much of a certain era.. I want you rockin back inside my heart and all that. Really loving the 50's song trappings up against the darkness all set on a shimmering background that not only captures that era, but almost like it's being beamed through a portal.
Creepy! All this sugarcoating in a murder ballad
The last segment is so dark, mainly the delivery and the use/repetition of the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Love those ringing chords throughout.
you have packed a while movie int a few succinct verses, smooth and light, why does such pleasure aways end in disaster? isnt that just the way it always goes?
Such a cool, old school indie feel to this. For some reason, it makes me think of Twin Peaks, though it sounds nothing like the soundtrack to that at all. If anything, it sounds like a lost Rilo Kiley single!
Gosh, you guys are just such a great duo. Vocals as always are completely lovely, and the percussion was perfect. All the fills and crashes perfectly enhanced the moment of the track and pushed things on. I loved the almost hardly even there touches, I don't even know WHAT those instruments are, but those little sparkly and vibratey flourishes. And I haven't even talked about the songwriting, which is also great. Such a pleasing and classic sounding melody with the chords. Loved it
Love a tune that starts with a drum fill. This is so lovely and dreamy, from @owl's exquisit vocal, to @vomvorton's sun-soaked guitars, to the little percussive touches. Those BVs are really killing me too. I hear inspiration from the 50s all the way up to now.
Dreamy indeedy! Drums sound great in this, guitar tone is lovely too - let's just say all the instrumentation is good. I particularly like the little ascending piano part in the bridge. Fantastic vocal from @owl and brilliant storytelling in the lyrics. Great collab all round! Also more songs should definitely use those windchimes (hey windchime fans, check out Object Impermanence by The Lowest Bitter for more windchimes!)
I’m a sucker for a dad-joke pun title. Loved this song, the lovelorn singing, and the fun echoy instrumentation! What a good collaboration you two have going on!
Beautiful country-inspired indie folk pop <3 I think melancholy is the key. The overall sound is great and @owl does amazing job with the vocals.
Always love it when a sweet sounding song turns really dark. And this is both brilliantly sweet and dark. Love the lyrical journey, and the title pun is ace. @owl's voice is a perfect match for the arrangement which evokes, for me, both the work of Camera Obscura and Julee Cruise. I could SO see this up on stage at the roadhouse as the end title:" Starring Kyle McLachlan" starts to roll. Without a doubt my favourite Vowl Sound.
Wow, nicely done with the mix. I love all the panning going on and the entire feel of it is so dreamy. Speaking of dreamy, looks like I fell asleep just before FAWM and missed you post at the start about spintunes context, looks interesting I'll keep that in mind for next year.
Dreamy sound, indeed! With the angelic vocals, it's enthralling. Really enjoying your chord progression here, it feels very "open" and makes for a captivating listen. Wonderful song!
Beautiful -- sounds a bit like it could have come from "Another Green World" -- great retro melody indeed and I love the vocal answers and harmonies.
From dreamy to bad dream, very well written, composed and delivered. Another winner.
I love a good murder ballad and this is a fine addition to the canon! A coherant, convincing tale. The vocals are great in it. The 'looking for a change' BV was inspired. All of the BVs are excellent actually, and that 'die' bit which goes up at the end. Awesome. I really like the slow strum guitar bits which I have already forgotten the technical name of.
Dreamy, beautiful and so smooth. It is deceivingly beautiful and hides that story. BGV's are so good, but so many things here are killer, ahem, so to speak. All the sonic details, the gorgeous track, the incredible lyric and amazing delivery. This is one of those songs where you run out of adjectives. Awesome stuff, you two. :)
Back in the world of rain and decent speakers so now i have stereo @vomvorton . And wow what a beautiful collab. The song is so powerful with those beautiful chord progressions but wow @owl adds a whole new level of beauty to it. This one is an absolute keeper. I definitely want to hear this live somewhere please
The jukebox imagery at the beginning and end of the song is great. I love the deceptively dreamy vibe. That upward arpeggio on "goodbye" and "die" is a nice detail. Very nice!
Really nice stuff. Lovely big lush production. Something about the chorus delivery makes me imagine an alternative universe where @owl is a country crooner.
Whoa, that ending was unexpected. Beautiful tune.
That’s proper lovely. The chorus is glorious and the last notes are superb. And the vibraslap - oh my. Beautiful.
The production on this is so good! I really like the country tinged guitars, and the tremolo part in the bridge. Nice subtle touches with the vibraslap and the wind chimes. I really like the chorus. It's a great vocal performance - especially, in the choruses, and at the end.
Killer collab from two of my faves.. What’s not to love
Absolutely love this. Downloaded and added my favourites this year. Excellent vocals, production and the guitar is just beautiful. The calmness of the music belies the violence of the lyrics. It makes the whole thing a bit Reservoir Dogs :-)
Good indie-stuff. Got this cool nostalgia-feeling going on. Maybe because of the nicely reverbed vocals
2020-02-18 @ 09:44pm
tags: electronic needs-vocals
Hmm, this didn't really work out how I planned it. In fact for the first time in 13 years of FAWMing I wondered whether to even bother posting a song at all, haha. But maybe you hear something in it that I don't? Open to collaboration if you fancy doing some weird spoken word over it or finding the pop song secretly concealed within.
edit: @captainvulpine, @rayboneor and @lanasolyluna have all expressed an interest, so hopefully this horse has wings!
It’s chill, I’m chillin. I like it alotz :)
Can I give it a go? I kind of want to turn it into a death rock disco. I mean, it's a fuckin' beauty.
[Update: I've listened a few times now. Actually, I find this creepy-cool and compelling. The guitars really work for me. I have a few insta-ideas that don't involve antelope. I wouldn't mind keeping this in the back of my mind as the month progresses. What are those chords?] Well this is embarrassing I always thought I was the master of antelope At the equestrian superstore And then I see this guy walk in With 10 pronghorn stepping lightly across the floor Behind him Their horns bedecked with ivy and gorse And then I remember that the pronghorn Indigenous to western and central North America Is not a true antelope And my mastery is restored In a way Since that’s an embarrassing mistake For the master of antelope to make
Don't sell yourself short. That understated melodic guitar line tells its own story.
Well that's a very Vom song title. This is reminding me of a computer game, though I'm not too sure which. I feel like it's a point and click adventure. WHAT IS IT TOM? There's definitely a cool atmosphere here! I reckon someone like ustaknow or declan could run riot with this
I got the point and click vibe too. I picture this as the soundtrack to the equestrian superstore level of the fabled and ill-fated Atari St adventure game Fronds of Tenuous Death. It was thought every copy had been safely buried in a quarry in Dorset in 1993, shortly after the last living programmer was mysteriously suffocated by his own Global Hypercolour T shirt. However, a team of rogue unlicensed frackers uncovered the last readable 3.5” floppy disk. Once again the haunting soundtrack of the equestrian superstore and it’s impossible, infernal puzzle can be heard...
I like this a lot if you’re still looking I’ll give it a go.
Great instrumental track....would work well with vocals... I like the instrumentation on this...I would be keen to hear this if someone lays down some vocals...
Yeah, well I like it. It's got a bit of a sinister mood about it, a tension between that reverbed guitar and those John Carpenterish synths. Equestrian Superstore could even be the great lost Carpenter movie, and this its theme tune. I'd watch the hell out of it.
I love this as is, it's a great instrumental track. And the title is amazing!
I dig it immensely. Dark and chill and mysterious. So glad you decided to post it. Funny how we can get in our own heads and to the ears of others there is no doubt something cool there. It reminds me of songs off the Lost Highway soundtrack - which I always enjoyed. Looking forward to hearing what all those vocalists try to do. I'd have put my hat in this ring as well, but you have plenty of folks giving it a go and I've got a handful waiting on vocals that I've already committed to! Really cool sounds here. I really enjoyed this piece.
This kind of makes me think of a sound track for a sleazy underground marketplace, where shadows loom long and bad things tend to happen, where someone might be pulled to a side street never to be seen again... Dark and mysterious and good. Glad you posted this.
I know exactly how you feel, except that I regularly post songs that I'm not so sure I should even post haha. The dark vibes here are really slick. It actually sounds a lot like some kind of movie soundtrack to me. I'm no help for lyrics, but I'm glad you posted it, and I like it.
Did you not do vocals because you were still feeling a little hoarse? (ahem) I really like the deep moody synth on this, and that other detuned one--can't wait to see where everyone takes it. The equestrian superstore I'm picturing seems to have shelves that stretch up as far as the eye can see and aisles that stretch off forever into the darkness. Here and there you see some oats scattered on the floor, or a dusty hoofprint. Spurs jingle in the distance, way down Aisle 12.
This has an eerie, filmic feel and I'm not just saying that because it's an instrumental. I'm kind of surprised that you have discards because I always assumed that you write the lyrics first, or at the least have lyrics in mind when you start something. I really like the Casio breakdown from 2:20.
This is like a game soundtrack for a kinda creepy dungeon platformer, if that makes sense? Anyway it's good, I really like the sort of rattly guitar that comes in about halfway through especially. Looking forward to hearing what your multiple collaborators do with it
Quite enjoyed @lanasolyluna's take on your original. Would have been interested to see what the other two might have done with it. It's always nice when someone else sees something in a song we think doesn't have much merit. See You In The Shadows…
yes I could see this with one of those sci fi detective shows. it's a good piece of music.
2020-02-22 @ 06:58pm
tags: songfight indiepop
Hey, I can sing again apparently. This is good news for everyone waiting for me to work on a collaboration (one person, there is one person waiting, but didn't I sound very In Demand for a minute there).
Edit 23/02: Now complete! Featuring long-time Songfight guitar hero Mo on lead guitar, and also with more backing vocals and acoustic guitar and handclaps because I just can't help myself.
You can’t find your direction
You’re all over the map
You thought you had it figured out
But fell into a trap
You mixed up things you didn’t need
with things that your life lacked
Lets put you back together
Get your life back on track
You used to be so confident
Now you're always changing your mind
If you need a confidant
I can always spare the time
To hear you explain
The pain
Of how you lost it
Again
And ended up broken hearted
You turned four corners
And ended up back where you started
You didn’t know where you were headed
But you sped up anyway
You shut your eyes, and when they opened
it was yesterday
You say you don’t know where you’re going
You say your life’s a mess
lets find a new destination
Reset your GPS
Wow, get u. U are so hot right now! This is cool man, totally boppin’ and singalongable :) Love the 4 corners, back where you started rhyme. Slight Robert Smith vibes!
Oh yes. Its a shame you can sing again as this is a great singalong (as I sing along awfully ). you manage to move the music around the story so beautifully and melodically. I am totally digging this (and i haven't said that for a while ;-) )
Great to hear your voice again! The music is so sweetly optimistic sounding. I especially like the way you do this bit: You mixed up things you didn’t need with things that your life lacked. And then the chorus is just awesome. The "always" is a happy-maker. Like a Burt Bacharach song, except that his stuff always makes the singer sound like they have a stick up their butts. I have no doubt that you could be as in-demand as you want to be. Olympian self-restraint is the only thing that stops me from putting you in the awkward situation of having to say no every time I get a dumbass idea.
Well this is lots and lots of fun! Love the confident/confidant rhyme. Really into the part with the harmonies, pure melancholy pop. The steel drums are unreal, I never knew I needed them but now I need MORE OF THEM.
What a wonderful, upbeat song. I love this so much. The lyrics are comforting and the arrangement is really catchy.
Welcome back, Vom Vox! Classic Vom Vorton indie song. Love the guitars in this and the metaphor's nicely worked through it. The steel drums were a delight!
Finally, the confident/confidant rhyme we've been crying out for (it is genuinely great). Glad your voice is back at full strength and this is great. Particularly those steel drums at the end. Steel drums on everything! STEEL DRUMS!
This is pure pop poetry delivered with passion and power chords.
This is beautiful! The chorus is hands down one of my favourite of FAWM 2020. Really dig the guitar part and how it leads back into the woooohs of the chorus!
That chorus is so great, particularly the bit that has a sort of skipping feel. Love the harmonies and the ooooh BVs at the end. No wonder you were struggling to verse it. I'm glad we have your voice back. FAWM needs your voice.
Love this song - it hit me harder than I like to admit! Clever concept of turning four corners and ending "up back where you started". Really like how supportive the narrator is, "yeah, things went wrong, but they don't have to stay that way and I'll help you fix it".
The chorus builds up to that hook beautifully with the quick chord changesand the backing vocals are great. Uber!
I like how that middle chorus has a different feel to it with that one beat jumping ahead. That and the guitar solo after the second chorus were my favorite parts. The steel drums were a surprise!
Ooh that instrumental, gives me shivers! Love the “explain the pain of how you lost it again” phrasing. Really upbeat feel to the music, and really rather English feeling!
Nice chord changes, great pop feel and some really nice turns of phrases. Are you into Robyn Hitchcock? I used to do some stuff a little like this and got compared to him. Cool stuff.
Great to hear that melodious voice again - what a great pop tune, the chorus especially.. reminds me a bit of mid 90's Billy Bragg. Just reading I didn't think confident/confidant would work but it really works. The rhyme scheme is just great, and production sells it.. love the hand claps!
That’s a belter. Love the way the chorus resolves lyrically and melodically. Got a nice Britpop feel to it.
Oh wow, this is so good! I love the tumbling melody in the chorus, and the "confident/confidante" line is fantastic. Mo solo is tasteful and interesting as expected! More steel drums!!!
Nice song. Great lyrics. Smashed the vocal. Sweet melody. Very catchy number. Nice work.
So many details bring this to life. All those backing vocals, claps, and harmonies. Nice hook in the chorus too. This is some real nice songwriting and production.
A lovely "pop nugget" as another FAWMer once said of a good pop song. Reminds me a bit of The Coral. Lovely guitar work, too.
I am in awe of you folks who can write a song and create such a polished recording in such a short space of time. Really awesome song writing here - a superb progression that rounds off so well at the end of the chorus. And banging middle as well. Top drawer!!
love the style. my type of music. excellent all round song.
Confident/confidant is a cracking bit of word play, and the turn four corners line is a peach too. This is a great indie pop song. Really like it
Such a bright poppy piece of candy. Kinda gives me a Ray Davies feel. Chorus is incredibly catchy.
Lots of lines to like, I applaud the rhyme of confident and confidant. Didn’t know where you were headed and sped up anyway (ended up in yesterday), and the key concept of too many turns taking you backwards Chorus is catchy. The basic groove is super appealing.
Very uplifting, beautiful song making people smile while listening to. Loving your song, singing and playing. Enjoyed listening and reading your humorous liner commentary. I like the echo singing and the duet feel in your song. Brilliant harmonizations. Thank you for sharing your beautiful song. Nadia
Happy groove. Your singing was reminding of someone I couldn't place the you did the the walk down thing and it reminded me of Robyn HItchcock, and I completely lost the other thought. Like the oooh synths coming in on the section after the solo.
What a classy, classic song and I love it when you sing! Almost a retro vibe, except it sounds modern. Love your lyrics (as always) and you just made a lovely wonderful, happy song with them. fantastic touches throughout. I'm not sure I could do songfight but you sure are good at it...
“You shut your eyes and when they opened it was yesterday”...love that line. This has a great fun vibe that I enjoyed. Great lyrics and musical delivery.
A nice upbeat groove to this one, feels fun and airy with the guitars, drums and handclaps. I really enjoyed the turn of phrase of turning 4 corners and ended up back where you started. Nice spread in the vocals in the chorus. Also enjoyed the rhyme of confident with confidant. Nice production on this too.
I can see why this is a favorite! Very upbeat musically. Loved the confident/confidant wordplay as well as the direction/map/GPS theme around finding a new destination! Very singable for listeners.
2020-02-23 @ 05:16pm
tags: synthpop ambient vaporwave strange creepy
VV: I threw my song 'Equestrian Superstore' open to collaboration and @lanasolyluna came back with these great vocals that totally fit in with the creepy lo-fi synth atmosphere, I love it!
@lanasolyluna :
I heard this track and immediately got an image of a robot protagonist. I basically did this in 2 takes and without writing anything down. I first just did some humming, howling, whatever. Then I sang whatever lyrics came out on top of that. Was sort of an image of a robot who became more human than her creators expected her to be—not unlike Frankenstein’s monster—but then denied her any compassion. What now?
@lanasolyluna
They put me together
To measure the weather
They didn’t expect
My feelings’d connect
What will become of me?
What will they do to me?
I’ve left all I had
Wires, bones, my soul
What will become of technology?
We’re smarter than our creators
They’ve become our biggest haters
We were supposed to be be their saviors
Now it’s all gone..
What’s left of me?
Are these my thoughts, are these their thoughts?
I feel I’m bought
I’m unraveling
I used to be a precious thing
Now I just don’t care
Is there a switch you can press?
That’ll make me forget?
Is there still a box?
You can stuff me in and break the locks?
You two combined together on this one so well! I like this dreamy sound and would like to hear it in my car on this beautiful day.
This really IS an equestrian superstore! It’s got everything I need under one roof. Absolutely kick ass cool, great collab!
I like not knowing the lyrics. It makes me lean in an listen hard: technology, wire, soap...you used to be a precious thing, dancing the night away with Lady Mondegreen in your space ship. This great! A total FAWM success, especially since Vom was denigrating the piece when he first put it up. I'm kind of burnt out know. Maybe I will let my ideas for the equestrian superstore percolate until the 5090
Those opening chords, that bassline, and Holly's voice over it is what I wish most pop music sounded like.
Oooo.. you draw the listener in right away with that cool haunting bass and the vocals layer on top of that so perfectly to create a very engaging haunting enjoyable song. I love that the bass stays strong throughout. Cool guitars and beat too! Wonderful collaboration!
Was playing this for Tomo this morning while we were making breakfast, and he’s like, “This kinda reminds me of @santadharma especially the vocals” me: uhm. This is me!!! so apparently tricked my own husband/bandmate with this track. He’s not on here much but he loved the track @vomvorton !
Nice that you found this in the equestrian superstore. Whenever I go there I only usually find shoes that hurt my feet.
Sounds quite a bit like Warpaint now, which I wouldn't have expected from the original, but it really works. All of the spooky, unsettling elements of Vom's track are brought out and enhanced by Holly's excellent vocal. Looking forward to having my mind blown by the lyrics
I'm always game for a good song about intelligent robots. Wow, excellent backing track and those vox are exceptional. Yeah, I'm definitely getting a Frankenstein vibe from this. That changeup at about 2:15 is really nice. This is a really lovely track. Excellent excellent collab here for sure.
When I heard Holly was taking this, I was very intrigued at how it would sound. And yeah, it's wicked! Love the vocal treatment on this... it sounds like at one point, you up the delay and then pitch it to another melody?! Whether you're doing that or not, it sounds SO cool. And yeah, big Theresa Wayman vibes.
I would never have guessed this was not a band...it all fits together so well. The music is so creepy and ominous, it matches the lyrics perfectly. I love those backing wails on the vocals. Weird- I've written a couple robots-waking-up songs this month too, is there something in the air???
Oh my! Too bad that I missed the train on collaborating on this song. There mood is to die for.
Love the lyrics and vocals that go so well with @vomvorton's backing track! Existential robotic angst!
Wow....this is perfect. Every part is contributing in a compelling and additive way that I can’t ignore. My attention is drawn all over the place, but it is completely cohesive. I don’t know how that’s possible ....brilliant!! Some Fawmers just blow my mind....like you guys. Well done!
What an awesome direction to take this instrumental! Haunting vocals, I love the melismas (just wanted to use that word, haha) like the melody on "unraveling," and the lyrics are a great modern-day take on Frankenstein.
Dreamy, haunting vocals over a chill vibe that builds wonderful moods. I'm glad @lanasolyluna added her lovely vocal & lyrics talents to this song. It really turned out well! See You In The Shadows…
What can I say that hasn't been said already. Love the lyrics and the idea behind them. Vocals are perfect...I feel like that's all I ever say about @lanasolyluna's vocals but its just true. And @vomvorton's music is all kinds of total vibe. I don't feel the creepiness at all, just total chill and dreamy...its quite relaxing to me. The swimming and beautiful vocals, the kind of subdued and slightly buried quality of some of the sound choices like the bass, the tempo... Love it.
2020-02-27 @ 09:46pm
tags: four-track fourtrack tape cassette experimental avant-garde
This tape started out with @NancyRost, who recorded two tracks of improvised vocals... that ended after about two minutes or so. @marvsmooth then got his hands on it, added guitar, and somehow made the song three minutes longer. And then it ended up with me, @vomvorton, and I added some experimental synth / delay drone. But then also because Nancy's voice stopped after two minutes and there was all that spare track remaining, I sampled her voice into my iPad and added some more of it...
I would normally go through and do some noise reduction and compression and clean-up etc. but that feels like it would go against the experimental vibe here so this is pretty raw! If any of the participants would like the tracks to play with or anything, give me a shout!
Nancy, could you fully transcribe these please? Thanks ;)
This is so weird and wonderful, love those improvised, nonsensical vocals and all the guitar noodling underneath sounds great. The resampling and distortion of the vocals later on works really well too. Great synth tones as well. Amazed by how you've managed to bring together all these weird. formless parts and make an interesting song out of it.
Love the lyrics
I'm loving this.
(ahem) now that I've listened--the improvised vocals are charming and bizarre in the best way. The guitar makes me feel like I'm floating in space. I love that synth drone and the emptiness of this around 2:55 onwards where it starts to feel like a robot running out of batteries and losing its mind in real time. How cool! I love how weird this is.
Yes. Weird is the word. It made me smile so big! :D It;s some sorta of avant garde spacey thing or something. I don't know, but I like the music art.
This is probably a hugely lazy comparison, but my mind immediately goes to Revolution 9/Yoko Ono. This is equal parts weird and wonderful. Glad the tape hiss stayed, gives it a real avant garde 70s feel, like some of Can's more experimental stuff. It all gets a little bit creepy when @vomvorton gets involved; a bit like parties he goes to. Some most excellent sounds in the second half of this, pushing the experimental envelope even further. It's abundantly clear you're using analogue synths and effects here, and it's all the better for it.
Raw is AWESOME!! Bring on the hiss i say. And What da??/ When you're given this, how on earth do you decide what to add. Somehow you managed it. But i love that vocal intro. took me to another place and fortunatley i was still in the place when everything else started to come in. Avant garde in the extreme. That final tempo increasing noise build is what i always used to do on my 8 track back in the day. Woohoo now i off to bed to have a few weird dreams
Wow, that is quite something! You’ve done an incredible job there, Vom! I’ll admit that initially I was intimidated by the two tracks that Nancy put onto two of the tracks, and, honesty here... I actually recorded something, put it into an envelope, only to think “I can do better!” So, I tore open the jiffy, placed the cassette back into my porta 02, plugged in the trusty Ibanez Artcore through my pod (with a mix of crunch and delay I think), and went for it. I enjoyed what I was doing so much, that I added more to the end, including a second guitar on one of Nancy’s tracks, after her vocals had finished! Anyway, that’s my side, and I’m so glad I did that, because it gave VV a project to do something with, and he’s the star in my opinion, in piecing it together with those gorgeous synths, and the genius move with sampling Nancy’s vocals and manipulating them later in the song!
OK, well, this explains all the ferric oxide I find on my pillow each morning. This one gets fourteen stamps of approval, plus one extra capstan alignment thrown in for each 4-track machine for the second half -- holy smokes, but that's fantastic!
I LOVE THIS TAPE!!!!!!! Fun with delay pedals is the best thing. Shoots me right back to my first delay pedal that I bought in 1983 (Fender DGL-1) - still have it. I used to burp into a mic and speed up slow it down and hold it there. All the vocal parts which I have no idea about were super cool. Just an awesome experiment!! This is what it is about peeps!
This is great! Like @adforperu said, it reminds me of Revolution 9, and the vocals also remind me of Elis Regina (a Brazilian singer). And the whole experimental sounds, the eerie atmosphere is fantastic, and the reason why I love 4-track challenges. Well done, folks! :)
Oh, cool, really fun. Love the vocal. Crazy buildup toward the 2:15 mark, then the samples... Wow. Have heard nothing like this in this FAWM! Fantastic.
I felt I was floating through a land of stalactites and stalagmites, bouncing around in an impenetrable bubble.
Tu as entendu que 昨日パーティーをしました That's all I understood. It just keeps getting weirder...kudos for that :)
For some reason I envision this hall of mirrors, turning corner after corner and only finding myself further from the outside world each time.. the beginning stages reminded me of Yma Sumac but there so many moods here. Great stuff!
I’m disorientated. But I’m not mad at it! I’m enjoying getting lost in this. Ooh I’m ONLY HALF WAY THROUGH, WHAT ELSE WE GOT COMIN UP? Ah ok, I’m still a bit lost inside this track but I’m more chill about it now it seems. Some gamma ray guns or something there.. Yup, this was weird= A win
Odd off kilter vocals definitely setting a weird mood. Feels like a syllable trainer. Almost like bubbles with subtle guitar and synth pads. Zim mim? Mim zim! Definitely a bit spacey, makes me feel lost.
So again this is one of these experimental tunes that I wish I had the courage to do. All that's going on; the Andy Summer-like guitars, the synth vibes...it's all so freakin' trippy. I really want to get to this space, musically.
2020-02-28 @ 06:12pm
tags: four-track
Listen over here: https://fawm.org/songs/109385/
Comment here: https://fawm.org/songs/109385/
2020-02-28 @ 06:36pm
tags: spintunes pop-punk indie-rock uplifting week4
VV: This is for Round 3 of the Spintunes contest, the challenge was "Write an uplifting song to sing for a Graduation, Dedication, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Funeral, Baptism, or similar event". Neither of us were feeling particularly "uplifting" for various reasons, but with generous application of Crunchy Guitars and harmonies, hopefully we've made it into the right general area!
@owl: Despite (because of?) being the child of a teacher and having done well in school, I have a pretty cynical view of achievement within the educational system--yes, I learned a lot of amazing stuff in school, but honestly, I feel like to most employers, the most valuable part of my degree is really that it shows I learned how to navigate a system, play well with others, and follow instructions from an authority figure. (And demonstrates I'm middle class enough to afford to go to college, but I won't go off on that tangent...) Occasionally at work I use stuff I learned in school, but mostly it's stuff I learned afterwards, or common sense, or things you can Google.
I know lots of brilliant, amazing people who didn't do well in school or dropped out and I don't think any less of them for not having succeeded in that situation, and I hope they don't feel bad about themselves because of it, either. I have a huge sense of gratitude towards everyone who fosters a growth mindset in kids--or anyone, really. We only have one life, and if you have the luxury to be able to do so, it's better to try new things and fail than to be afraid to step outside your comfort zone.
So even though I guess the person being addressed in this song did manage to make it to graduation, the important thing I wanted to convey in the lyrics is really that they're more than how they did in school, and they'll go on to greatness, or maybe abject failure or just boring mediocrity, but it doesn't matter, they're fantastic and valuable just for being alive and being themselves, and a difficult situation in the moment doesn't reflect how things will always be. So I wanted this to be realistic about all that stuff, but also uplifting and hopeful!
P.S. In my experience, junior high was a hellish nightmare full of hormone-soaked bullies with underdeveloped superegos. If you had a good time during those years, that's awesome, and I'm glad for you, but don't @ me.
Here's what school is good for
Learning to do things the way someone else wants them
Learning that there's a single right answer
Solving for X when someone hands you a problem
What do they expect
When they throw you in the water and you don't know how to swim?
You can't solve for X
If nobody's taught you how to even ask a question
It's time to step out into the light
You might fall to earth or fly
It doesn't matter as long as you're trying
It's time to find a path to take
And I know you'll be OK
Can't wait to see you grow and change
On Graduation Day
It's Graduation Day
Grades K through 6 are mixed
Could be awesome, could be bad
But nobody likes junior high
Except for sycophants and psychopaths
The older you get
The more they want to tell you who they think you are
Don't listen to them, baby
Unless they tell you you're a shining star
It's time to step out into the light
You might fall to earth or fly
It doesn't matter as long as you're trying
It's time to find a path to take
And I know you'll be OK
Can't wait to see you grow and change
I won't lie to you, it's going to hurt sometimes
But no matter how hard it gets
Remember there's someone out there who loves you
And you haven't met everyone who will love you yet
It's time to step out into the light
You might fall to earth or fly
It doesn't matter as long as you're trying
It's time to find a path to take
And I know you'll be OK
Can't wait to see you grow and change
On Graduation Day
It's Graduation Day
It's Graduation Day
I love this tune! I used to be a SAT tutor to high school students in Los Angeles and I needed this as my walk up music. Also, those vox have a Natalie Merchant vibe that I seriously like.
This would be a high school tv-show theme if you would've written this 30 years earlier. The pre-chorus is really kickass. Took a second spin to hear the guitar melody on the hook. Very uplifting!
This is cool! Great quality too!
Dang, this is just amazingly on-point. Wonderful message and it's the message that ACTUALLY needs to be heard and taught. Powerfully upbeat and driving. Sounded awesome as expected. Just so good. :)
Catchy pop guitar riff at the start, and a great collab! Nice work! I just wish the guitar was a little louder in the mix (my mixes tend to have a similar issue; I think it's one of those things where how it sounds on one output device is different than another, like speakers vs headphones vs something else)
Well you must have mustered some uplift from somewhere, as this has it in abundance. You've got the whole high school aesthetic nailed, from the lyrics and the general sound of it all. Well impressed by the mix, especially getting those cleaner reverby guitars so clear in the mix. I can imagine this being the theme song for new show GRADUATION DAY, starring Mario Lopez.
What a great song! I love what you both do together, and here is a great example of a song with great lyrics, melody, harmony, music, and arrangement. The performance is wonderful to nod to as well I might add!
Very good! Love the energetic pop-punk fun track. Great lyrics. Love the advice to good out there and believe in yourself even when you make a mistake. It's all part of the process.
That's brilliant. A brutally honest graduation song. ... Aaaannnd it has a great beat and you can dance to it. That's a solid collab.
What a happy little piece you have here! Vocals are nice. Happy-go-lucky atmosphere lifting my spirits.
Another jangly pop winner from you two. I like it when you sing together. Sycophants and Psychopaths! That was the name of my band in 9th grade. We had a great time! I like that bridge, and its and excellent springboard for the last go around of the chorus. A lot of school is explained by signaling theory: you show people that you can show up and do boring stuff. I'm in a high school right now. I have seen a lot of learning going on, but I've listened to lots of fawm songs
Sycophants and psychopaths ftw! I dig this sooo harrrrddd! Amazing job on all fronts!
Ha, I see I had the same favorite lines as judypie and rayboneor! Though actually I had a harder time with primary school. These lyrics are so full of truth. I appreciate the hopeful direction you take, and this sounds amazing!
What a fantastic song. Such an uptempo sunny feel to it.
I wish I had this song in 7th grade. It would have helped so much. I listened to it a few times. The bridge is my favorite part of the lyrics. Thank you for writing and sharing this [and for the liner notes, too!]
For a moment I was afraid it would not be uplifting enough but you did well; strong chorus and I like the message. "Except for sycophants and psychopaths, the older you get the more they want to tell you who they think you" well said!
What a collaboration!! The music is so well done and then the vocals on top really make this take it all to such a high level. Yeah, psychopaths are the only ones who like junior high. There must be 10 vocals on this and they are all adding something great. Wow. Top stuff here you guys!!
This is indeed a very uplifting song with a superb drive and the lyrics are so true. The two of you are a great collab-couple.
Strong message, cracking chorus. Feel like I know this from the closing credits of a John Hughes movie. Love the guitars anf vocals, and the whole energy of the song. Really nice work.
Brilliant collaboration. Very strong and truthful lyrics, cool music, singing, playing and the message! Upbeat and uplifting yet makes us think about the whole education and how it effects us. Your song should be in the movie. Nadia
Great grabby chorus. Some great lines about the awkwardness of the middle school era, sycophants and psychopaths, indeed. The rolling tom in the bridge, make for nice change up. My daughter is heading into this point in her life, right now. so I guess I'll be seeing it again.
Consider me uplifted. I love the way this doesn't sugar-coat things; what happens next will take work, it won't be easy - but you've escaped, hooray! And my professional side is nodding sagely as it considers this as a scathing criticism of the West's educational systems, most of which are still designed to produce a workforce suitable for the middle years of the industrial revolution. Sadly, "Learning to do things the way someone else wants them" hits the nail squarely on the head.
I want this to be the soundtrack to a shockingly realistic high school TV series where instead of huge house parties and proms (and actors who are clearly in there late 30s) theres just difficult algebra homework and tired teachers and shitty kids. I would probably not watch this show because it would depress me. Scrap that idea. Love the song though!
Such an exhuberant and uplifting tune, this one. Love those big major key guitar chords. It's nice to hear a rare Vom backing vocal on a Vowl Sounds track. Of course, the lead vocal is delightful and I think my favourite lyric is "you haven't met everyone who will love you yet".
2020-02-29 @ 03:47pm
tags: indie-rock pop jazz-pop
VV: zecoop sent me this track a couple of weeks ago (formerly known as 'A Path and a Log': https://fawm.org/songs/104322/) and I've been making illness-related excuses ever since. My voice is mostly back to normal now though and I'm pleased I was able to figure out some words and get this finished off before the end of the month! I actually wrote parts of this lyric in the first week of February but hadn't figured out how to finish it, after reworking it to fit the rhythm of this song the rest of it flowed out fairly naturally. Phew! I also added a guitar solo and some organ stabs, I feel like I'm way out of my comfort zone here vocally / genre-wise but that's what FAWM is all about, right?
ZC:
So glad the health came back and some inspiration hit late. I love writing songs with VV because his lyrics and vocals are always so top notch and unexpected. So many words and just so perfect. The song kind of had a nervous energy already and he really just amplified that and made it even better. What an awesome last day of FAWM this has already turned out to be!! Thanks!!!!!
I'd love to hear your thoughts
if you have time to share
you have a poet's way with words;
you claim you're unaware
that the way you work with language
is like catnip to me
and eight out of ten cats agree
but when you caught me out
tapping my feet
to the beat of your conversation
you realised that I wasn't really listening
When you ask me a question
I start to realise
That I’ve taken nothing in;
I am fully hypnotised.
Hey baby, you caught me dreaming
I was lost in the shape of your words
And forgot about the meaning
but when you caught me out
tapping my feet
to the beat of your argument
you realised that I still wasn't listening
I cannot respond
I just want you to go on
so I smile and nod, “how interesting”…
I know that our relationship
is a little bit one-sided
but I bring genuine affection
even if the feeling’s unrequited
please don’t think worse of me
accept my apology
I’ll look the words up later
and explore their etymology
yeah you caught me out
tapping my feet
to the beat of your angry rampage
and realised that I didn’t have a choice
I hope in time you’ll learn to find
a little bit of peace of mind
and learn to love the sound of your own voice…
…as much as I do
Love the music, it just has this really cool energy to it. The catnip lines made me smile. Fun song and great delivery from both of you! Loved it!
Hehe I love etymology so you had me at hello :) Love the premise here, and the performance. Loads of fun this!
I thought you said, "I like to pee on Nazis.." Great melody and rhythm! We're digging that solo. It's hard for me to understand what you're saying. I have some ideas...
Cool song! Great rhythm with the guitar and drums. Cool retro sounding guitar solo. Some great lyrics: 8 out of 10 cats agree.
We’ve come back to read this without the distracting seduction of your sexy voice. It’s almost like you’ve written this just for us, especially the line about getting lost in the shape of words and forgetting about the meaning. There has never been a more porkpincenezian statement. But you were always already Pork Pincenez
Some cracking, crackling chords in this. I really like the textures of those guitars. Nice lyrics too, I like the escalation and the twist a lot. Very nice work.
Niiiice. I enjoyed the escalation of the speaker's reaction from chorus to chorus. I was hooked from "eight out of ten cats agree".
This is an immensely interesting lyric to me. I'm reading it on lots of levels. Originally I thought we were getting into some sly philosophy of language, something about the iterability of language being its condition of possibility and impossibility, as Derrida might say. Then I thought maybe you were just singing about your cats. And then it takes kind of a dark turn, which left me questioning my earlier thoughts. So, I don't know, and I like it that way. I love the swing and those reverb-drenched guitars and the darkly catchy chorus. I do like the sound of your voice
Glad your voice is finally back! This was a fun song. I wonder if that would actually work - get lost in the flow and sound of words, and ignore what the person is saying. I'll have to try it. Just kidding. I have a feeling the results would be quite disastrous.
Wonderfully smart pop tune, a little reminiscent of the band Squeeze, of whom I am a big fan. Love the organ stabs and the guitar barks and the vocals and the words...lyrics about catnip are like catnip to me. :)
A lot of people don't listen very well. Me too, something to do with a short attention span :-). Love the solo and the instrumental thing after the solo, simple though effective, neat!
A friend of mine with ASMR (before it was trendy) told me she worked with someone whose voice she couldn't resist but also couldn't focus on, so she'd just call her with unnecessary requests sometimes to listen to her talk. Reminds me of this, although I'm sure in real life it would be pretty maddening. The lyrics are charming (and meta: flow really well with the music!) I like the kind of swinging, staccato rhythm of the instruments (nice tight performance!) and the textures of everything work nicely together.
Sounds like a lost record from some clever 80's pop/new wave band. I like the tremlo-y guitar bit in the middle. Great distracted lyrics.
Glad @vomvorton pulled himself out illness to sing on this one, it was worth the wait. Got a bit of the poppier side of the Cure. You certainly don't sound sound out of your comfort zone. @zecoop's backing is excellent - AGAIN!
This actually reminds me of my mom. She was the kind of person who loved being with people, especially the people she loved. It didn't matter as much what she was doing as much as who she was doing it with. Kind of like this song.
What a great song, I get such a picture of this person from these great lines, like 'I just want you to go on so I smile and nod, how interesting' Great twist on wanting someone to shut up because they talk to much. Music is super groovy vintage paisley, I love it.
This is very cool and sounds completely organic, like it was created all at one. Cool sounds and textures and the lyrics are clever and evocative. Bravo to you both!
What, what what! ZC and VV working together? Oh joy! I get something deliciously late 70s / early 80s from this. Hints of Echo Beach? Yeah, that and everything by The Specials. The lyrics are quite something too, painting a picture of a dysfunctional yet committed relationship in a wonderfully unique way. Gents, you should do like this!
Love the driving beat on this one and the vocals are fabulous. Love how the lyrics and the vocal delivery work with that almost Clash-esque background. Fantastic collab!
LOVE the changes in this song. Great vocals and guitar work. Great collab.
"Eight out of ten cats agree," haha. some other really nice lines as well, "I was lost in the shape of your words/And forgot about the meaning," so nice! Great groove here too, overall fun song with a dark tinge.
Definitely got a very jazzy feel to it with the chords and the rhythmic pattern with the accents on the two. Some great lyrics here, with the eight out of 10 cats agree, and I can definitely relate to the chorus, I've definitely been caught not listening like that, with guilty looks. Twist at the end with the last verse. Nice collab. I enjoyed the texture and jaunty feel to the instrumentation as well.
2020-02-29 @ 08:19pm
tags: synthwave pop lo-fi road-rage sweary
VV: After finishing my @zecoop collab earlier I went through my FAWM project folder to see if there was anything I could salvage, and found the first part of this song in a Reaper project called "Generic Synthwave". It sounded better than I remembered, and I realised I could pair it with a quarter-finished lyric about bad drivers and maybe get something half-decent out of it. Fast forward several hours and a last-minute unexpected collab with Actual Chesterfield Resident @judypie (I only work there) and this is one of my favourite things I've done all month. Yes! Leap Day magic! Thanks @judypie :D
Judypie: I was trying to write a last minute song tonight when VV sent this over. I am pushed for time but really, how could I resist I thought I’d spice it up with some swears (I HAVE NO OTHER SKILLZ!) and some classic BV’s. Hahahaha I love it dude, thank you for inviting me to play
I’ll give you the benefit of doubt
and assume it’s not the first time
that you’ve used a roundabout
No clear signal, no indicator light
but you increase speed and then
start turning right
My brakes screech
and my tyres squeal
nobody can drive
in Chesterfield
My brain’s yelling
but my lips are sealed
nobody can drive
in Chesterfield
I’ll acknowledge that you’re of advancing age
but that won’t put a cap on my burning road rage
You didn’t use your mirror when switching lanes
Now my fingernails are stuck in the steering wheel again
How many songs can @judypie do??? Wow That chorus though... so good. Vomtastic!
Ah, here's something I can relate to, even though I've never been in Chesterfield, I live in Finland, have never driven outside of Finland and I sold my car last August. The chillness of the song contrasts with the rage underneath in a humorous fashion.
Hahahaha I love it dude! Thank you! Dosy twat
Holy shit - it's like the 80's have gone all sweary! God, imagine if Human League had been like this? I bloody love it. I've just come out of doing a really hard vocal session for eight minutes of black metal about gnostic satanism, and this is JUST what I needed to bring me back to earth! :D
Make mental note: never go to Chesterfield. Great song though. Really nice feel to it - the chorus is great. Really like the bass and the swirly higher part. All fits together really well.
This is wonderful. SO catchy and @judypie adds spice and sass to everything she touches! This song sums up how hard it is to get along with people.
Ahaha, this is so good! Lyrics aside, this is hitting me in the feels (or maybe I'm still breathing Big Thief fumes). Lyrics are obviously hilarious, and all the swears are...well, they are Julie. The chorus is incredible!
Haha, I'm dying here!!! I've never been to Chesterfield, but the struggle of shitty drivers is global, I assure you. This had me laughing the whole way through and spoken intersections are perfection. Fantastic.
Oooh love this. Great retro feel on the track. Love the way the vocals play off of each other. Makes us want to dig around in old projects and folders too. If only we did that more often maybe we’d all be famous. :) This is just so good, and we also talk shit about Tokyo drivers so we can relate.
You guys! This brilliant and very very funny, set to such gentle but super catchy music too :) I learned to drive around that 5 lane roundabout in chezzy so I get it :p
Bloody love this. Has a hard Depeche Mode/Pet Shop Boys vibe that I'm really nostalgic for right now. Love @judypie's impolite interjections and the chorus vocals are soooooo lush, it's unbelievable. Lovely work. (And it's not just Chesterfield, believe me)
Fun lyrics especially the 2nd verse :-). The curses in the background work out well (and very relatable from my car driving days). Now I wonder what makes Chesterfield different from the rest of the UK.
Haha haha!!! I love this in every way. Hilarious and catchy. It is a great song and I’m glad that it wasn’t forgotten. Totally worth it!
Killer drums and bass. Those combined with the different synth lines on top makes this a very solid instrumental in it self. The lyrics are hilarious and works even better with the added responses from @judypie. Awesome track!
I love the shimmery high synths over the insistent bass. Haha oh the backing vocals are amazing, @judypie this is hilarious and @vomvorton I love the echoey processing on them! Nice work getting this last-minute collab in.
My god the 80s goodness here! Mixed with Julie's swears....perfect.
Depeche Mode is strong in this. @judypie voices my inner thoughts perfectly with her "comments" whilst the main lyrics are the polite thing that Actually comes out of my mouth. I want to (re-) listen to every single of your songs in a binge-session but I also want to savour some for later.
Love all the angry @judypie ad libs in this, and your vocals in the chorus are great together. Tune itself is rubbish though, what are you doing Vom? *OBVIOUSLY* I'm kidding, I love that one note synth arp running throughout the song, and I really like that extra synth line in the chorus. This is a really cool collab
Fun slow burn of a song, perfectly fitting the slow burn of the driver. Fun backing and a great story. Spiced up masterfully by @judypie. Bass synth and that little loopy top one were the killers for me, but this whole thing was ace. :)
The "Nobody can drive in Chesterfield" is awesome, and getting a pure ol' Chesterfieldian to swear up a storm on this fun groovy beat was a good call!
Cool layering of synths. Love the harmonies. Super catchy!
This year really was a collab-fest wasn't it! I feel like I missed out by being such an unsociable douche, but it makes me happy to hear you kids making such fun tunes. You've both really played to your strengths here, with Vom's bloopery and sardonic lyrics, and Julie's blue language. It's serendipitous that Chesterfield rhymes with so many useful words. I'm curious to hear you write a chorus like this about or Nottingham or Loughborough.
Haha, love the sweariness and the lyrics perfectly express the annoyance of idiots on the road. The irony of listening to this while sitting on a bus, in traffic, going nowhere fast isn't lost on me.
Chesterfield being my place of birth, I can honestly say this is the first song i ever heard about the town that gave us street lights, crooked spire and jo guest!!!! although have to say VV Matlock isn't streets ahead in the driving stakes, and Bakewell simply has an upspoken speed limit of 4 mph thanks to our slightly aged population. Anyway, the song ;-) . First thing i thought was it reminded me of a @shortdan song (Bless him) with a beautiful melody and that pulsed bass. The chorus is catchy as hell and with some sprinkled @judypie vocal and typical Chesy (she's settled well) lyrical and inspired vocal creation, We have a winner. Woohoo
I guess if Depeche Mode and John Shuttleworth did a collab it might sound a bit like this. Love the Catchy chorus
This song begins in a pleasant beatful way that pleases me pleasantly. Beatful No one can drive in prehistoric Europe in general..I guess it wasn't Europe though if it's was prehistoric..since no one was calling it anything in prehistorica Prime harmonize Song is dope af *twat ftw*
Hahah...good one..roundabouts? Oh man.. Love this collab
Very enjoyable – really catchy chorus. I really like the synth intro that returns under the chorus, and the part at the end of each line in the verse. Backing vocals and interjections are great. Good lyric – I particularly like the doubt/roundabout opening.
This needs to be my town's theme song. Love the lyrics and premise - lots of fun and made me smile (and recall all these encounters...some as recently as an hour ago as I went to get coffee). And the sound...good grief. This is generic? Man, this is the sound that I try so hard to get to myself and can't get there...and you label it as generic??? Lol, sign me up for all your generic stuff then. Each sound choice with the music is perfection - that old school sync-ish lead, the arp, the pads. Also love the voice processing - perfectly mixed in my headphones, too. The little quips from @judypie make me love this even more, against the laid back dreamy tone of the music and lead vocal. Just such great stuff.
This is the most english thing I've ever heard! It's absolutely great. What a big chorus too. Just wanna sing along! Some of those roundabouts in Chesterfield are mad, especially that one that's like sideways on a hill. Oh Julie, you were born for this song. "Dozy twat" ahahahaha
Hey look kids, there's Big Ben, Parliament! This is sweet, especially that chorus and the little keyboard lines in the background. I especially like the tone, which is sort of melancholy and world-weary, which contrasts with the angry content of the lyric. This is gonna be stuck in my head for a while, I believe
2020-02-29 @ 08:27pm
tags: four-track
please comment on original song post :)
please comment on original song post https://fawm.org/songs/108593/
2020-02-29 @ 08:35pm
tags: four-track 4-track
2020-03-01 @ 08:36am
tags: sad piano indie-folk ballad
VV: Woo, unexpected 4th Vowl Sounds collab, right under the wire! I wrote the basic track for this as my first suggestion for our third-round Spintunes song, but we decided to go for something more uptempo. I'm glad we got to finish this off though because it's totally dreamy and sad and lovely! And probably the most complicated thing I've written on piano thus far, I guess those lessons are paying off?
The emptiness flares
With a roaring in the cavern of your ears
Seeing blind spots as though dazzled by the sun
It's hard enough to eat
Harder still to sleep
Even with the whirring fan that stirs up the sullen heat
And with the blinds drawn
You contemplate your own machinery
Its pointlessness
Your helplessness
And me
Drink the ocean
Move the mountain
Smile when they ask if you're well
I'm sorry
I have nothing to offer but myself
We sit by the harbor
And count the sails drifting by, white as chalk
It's hard to tell if they're close or far away
Flat affect
No concept
Of where you are today
We walk back
You barely talk
I want to help, but I don't know what to say
I wish I could take this off your shoulders
Drink the ocean
Move the mountain
Smile when they ask if you're well
I'm sorry
I have nothing to offer but myself
And I wish I knew how to help
This song is one of the reasons I think FAWM is so amazing. The way that we can get together, swap a few ideas and, BANG! Something this gorgeous and dreamy is born. I adore the understated backing track, I think partly because I struggle so much to rein things in. I'd be like, NO, make it all LOUDER! And have GUITAR. Sigh. ;) This is beautiful. Perfect for @Owl's voice. I love that line, "I'm sorry, I have nothing to offer but myself". And I love this song so much right now.
You guys are maniacs--can't believe you're still at it, but I'm glad you are. What a great opening line! I'm sitting here pondering the flaring of emptiness. I really love how we just sort of slide into the chorus. It's all so airy and subtle and gorgeous. I really like those drums, too, if I might note something that would seem to be a minor element of the song
You having piano lessons??? Nice one matey. And i feel so free having just finished so this is my first, no more creating listen. And er i don't think you need piano lessons, certainly not in a creative way. This is a such a beautiful ballad. Nothing cheesy , just a beautiful soundscape taking away on my dreams . @owl the vocals are quite simply stunning. The chord progressions are actually very unique especially before the vocals kick in. GREAT FINISH
Every Vowl Sound production is a gift and this especially so. Loving the lyrics, that feeling of dislocation and alienation is increasingly familiar - the line about "flat affect" just nails it. It's beautifully sung throughout. And what a chorus it has, definitely a keeper. Well done @owl and @vomvorton. Great partnership, brilliant song.
Lovely mellow tune this. It really soars in the choruses and owl's voice is amazing as usual. I particularly like the enunciation of the consonants in the verses, such as in the "we walk back" line. That's a real benefit of creating such great space in the mix.
More Vowl goodness, excellent, the lyrics hold sweet intentions and sentiment and I love the cavernous reverb. The musical backing is sublime with the "A day in the life" drumming keeping it all moving along.
Nice dreamy tune. Really good chord progression and vocal lines. Good performance from @owl as well!
I'm in love with your voice. Dreamy indeed. Love the concept. Great lyrics. Stunning song. Love the mood you create. Beautiful.
This is beautiful and I love the mood you created. And your voice really perfect for this kind of song.
What a lovely and sad piece...really puts you in the place of being the one on the outside, watching someone you love struggle. It feels to me like there are a lot of decisions here made to keep the song from soaring, especially in the note choices in the vocal(where with a voice like that it could easily do otherwise), and I find myself really appreciating the effect that has on the song, evoking the stark reality of the situation, especially as we reach the end and there is no answer, no relief.
Something Beatles-y about the intro I think, but you both soon make this very much your own. The reverb-drenched vocal is just right, gives me more of a Chris Isaak vibe (or mandolin?) in that respect. I would never have imagined there'd be a uke in the chorus, but somehow it works really well. It's a simple thing, but love that distant organ in the second verse to really set it apart from the first.
What an absolutely beautiful song! Everything about this is well done. The vocals and melodies are awesome. I really like the use of stereo. The way the drum fills surround you is really cool and the harmony on the right works very well. A nice late FAWM treat!
Oh, wow, yes, gorgeous vocals! Perfect for this song.
This is beautiful and so well executed! The lyrics are really touching, and are able to translate the feeling so well. Vocals and performance is amazing, this is a fantastic song. <3
Beautiful song. Really good subtle arrangement - the drums are really effective, and I like the ukulele in the chorus. Really nice piano intro. The vocals are great.
this is really wonderful- great job all around! beautiful and melodic
Gorgeous in every respect! The heartfelt sentiment is relatable and conveys that helpless sad feeling in such beautiful lyrics. Love the music and vocals.
Luscious.. Beautiful harmonies And touching piano Deep lyrics
I lack adjectives to describe my reaction to this. I love FAWM for allowing you a space and time to create something like this and I love this song!
this is one of those songs that announces itself. the bold melody, an uncompromising literacy in its lyric, the voice soaring above a stately piano, from the start, this song announces itself, readies the audience for its greatness and then delivers.
Beautiful, haunting, great piano, amazing vocals. This track is everything a great song should be. It captured me from the first moment and held me to then end. bravo!
These lyrics are gorgeous, but for some reason can't get the track to play. Will be back to try again ;)
How beautiful, really! Love how well it works to hear piano and vocals together. Reminds me of Grandaddy's 'Lost on yer merry way' as for the feel and theme.
Get his ass
have the best FAWM this year!
https://maxvanremmerden.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/fawmorg2020maxvanremmerden.jpg
Happy FAWMing! Are you planning to do more gigs in future, or is it a one-off?
I will be hanging on your every word and note, as always :)
Hi Tom, hope you'll have a nice FAWM, looking forward to hearing some new tunes by you.
Ooo gig!! Playing live is just another way of saying «recording all the synths and hitting play on the laptop».. gift us with your catchy tunes, you talented person you
I'm going to see The Beths in April at a small venue. The tickets are $14. How do they make any money? I paid $54 to see John Waters do his self-indulgent one-man "Christmas" show
Can't wait to hear some of my favorite FAWMusic (and hopefully get a collab in!) :)
The people have spoken and they demand catcore. Don't disappoint them now! Have a great FAWM, squire!
Hooray you're back! And I love the new pic!
Hello there, glad your back. Looking forward to hearing your musings.
Just seen you have a gig lined, are you advertising it's date and whereabouts?
Glad to see you back! Can't wait to hear your tunes again this year -- happy FAWMing!
Sent you an email...
If there's one thing I hate it's being told what to do by guys in suits, I mean guys in suits who don't speak english, I mean guys in suits who don't speak english as a first language. But if you want white shit then why don't you just adopt some pidgeons? I parked my car under a tree once and...you get where this is going.
I don't have a clue what "twangling" means, but if it's twangling, then yes, it's probably guitar. :D
Happy FAMING dude. And jeez i finaly turn on PC here in thailand and youre on 2!! CANNOT WAIT
If your mastery of puns isn't something to celebrate I don't know what is.
Thanks for the kind comment. Yes, simple is the way to go when you’re not sure if your voice will cooperate or not haha.
Hey dude, hope you're well. Thanks for the comment. It certainly is an e-bow. I bought it a few years back and has probably been the best musical item that I've ever invested in. I've basically used it in some way or other in every song I've done since them. You'll certainly not be disappointed!
@vomvorton LOL "I'm not a Casiologist, but.." Yeah those labels are fine and dandy, why not? :) Thanks for listening. Going to get some listening time in tomorrow Tokyo time.
Thanks for listening and commenting @vomvorton, appreciated.
Thanks for the comment, Vom. Maybe I should note down "play during a gale" as being the ideal listening conditions in the liner notes of the album, should this ever get officially released...
Thank you so much Tom for your kind comment on Blackbird. Nadia
You've got me dead to rights concerning Ratboys. I knew within the first couple of seconds of "I Go Out at Night" that this was my jam...twee as f#ck! I need some music to listen to. I've had Destroyer's The Raven on repeat, pretty much. I do like ironically named bands, too...like freshspotlessyouth
I'm intrigued to hear your roundabout song, it's like something is driving us both mad. Sorry, couldn't resist a bad pun.
Cheers for the most recent comment, Vom!
Yep! The very same Wheat! Supremely under-appreciated, -loved, and -known.
Amazing comments much appreciate. Let’s see what happens. Happy fawming!
Thanks for listening- appreciate the comments.
So, I hesitate to throw this out there, but I have an Idea, a really easy way to get one more song on the scoreboard (though I have no doubt you've got a lot of lushly produced masterpieces in the pipeline). I deem this Idea good, and I would give you something really clean to play over. It's just two chords and you would need to play whatever pops into your head to spice things up: dumbass guitar, synthesizer, whatever. Someone of your caliber could do it fast. Or, since my song ends with a question, you could pick it up and provide your retort. I'll crank out a scratch track when my lazy family gets out of bed. I know you're probably too busy to be slumming with the FSY these days, but I thought I'd offer right of first refusal to this masterpiece :)
Like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVllknjxnfs That could NEVER get old...
Hopefully the cowbell will entice you to play together more! :-)
Whoa, my voice is shredded--and shaky at best. He's the essence of the song. I thinks it's cool, and could be way cooler. If you like it enough to work on it, we can talk about what you would need. Thanks for taking a listen. That would be a build to whatever outro you want at the end https://soundcloud.com/danny-thomas/the-fourth-one-2-2820-126-pm
I had no idea midi beat packs are a thing
You are so nice to play around with that! What would be easiest/best for you?
I have made the track downloadable. It's 98 bpm. I guess you were able to figure out the chords, both of them :) Any way you want to approach this would make me really happy. I found a copy of DCOM on my old computer. There's some amazing guitar in there!
Wall of sound? That's the only sound I know, really, and an excellent place to bury that vocal :) Looking forward to it!!
Hey thanks so much for the shoutout for Dreamcycle. That @kristian sure knows a thing or two about production :)
lol light Casio...I refrained.
Thanks! Having a pair cheap JLab over-ear Bluetooth headphones that you can set to a flat EQ helped. Did the first mix on earbuds and it was awful played through the iPad speakers.
I hear England's okay, if you like Worcestershire sauce on your ploughman's lunch, and larding your words up with unnecessary letters!
Hey, do you mind if I post that Odysseus thing? I didn't want to make you mad if you had spent a bunch of time recording harpsichord and seven-chorded lyre. Hope you're feeling better! A FC vocal is enough to lift anyone's spirts
I've now made the song Follow downloadable - https://fawm.org/songs/104398/
Just following up and wanted to let you know that Tres Paul is now 'Intolerant' with vocals from Seemanski... https://fawm.org/songs/104642/
Thanks for such a well thought out & supportive comment- so kind!
Hello! Thank you so much for listening! Kristian really made a great synth combo sound for “Naughty”!
Thanks for your comment. I stole the collaboration method wholesale from @frenchcricket.
I’m so happy to hear you’re a fan of ‘Song of the Sea’ also! I want to watch it again soon. Thank you for your comment!
That's really cool and I think you made the right choice using the updated vocals although the soap can version does have something about. I didn't realise that was a thing you could buy, I thought it was a Vom DIY project :P I am tempted.
Cheers! Amended. Usually I check they actually play... Glad you enjoyed.
Are you still open to someone doing lyrics and vocals on Blue Lizards? I'm really digging the track and was surprised to see no one snapped that baby up, unless they have and I missed it. And if so, that's cool! If not, drop a note on my soundboard if you're open to collaborating on it. :) no biggie either way! happy FAWMing.
Awesome! I'll check it out. Glad someone did something with it, I loved the track!
I'm certainly for free-for-alls around here, good sir.
Cool!!
@seemanski 's cool no7 track has vox on it now if you wanted to check it out. https://fawm.org/songs/106542/ Whew. That was fun!
Hey! Could I ask you a favor? I don't know why but i can't seem to download the mp3, so could you send the file? lanasolyluna@gmail.com TIA!
Thanks. Hopefully can make something interesting!
You have to go in! What if there's a horse inside and you can feed it a carrot? Imagine all the tack! Currycombs! Bridles! Sturdy, imposing women with pith helmets and utility jackets! Novelty t-shirts with funny slogans about horses!
Maybe you can wear one of those cones they put on dogs and cats to keep them from licking a wound. That might help!
Hey I sent you a rough mix, if it seems ok feel free to post, or if you want I can send you vocal tracks separately if you want to make something cleaner. LMK!
Right on!!
I do have some new tracks to present. They are in the works with other fawm members. I even asked if it was ok to post what I posted to show what I am into. I was told it's fine. I do have some new stuff coming with fawm members. Thanks.
@vomvorton Best I can do is not post any more. I was told that some showcasing in this manner is acceptable. How else will I show people what I am into. I have used some of them to discuss different arrangements and writings. If the admins here want to block me because of these, then let it be so. I will move on knowing this is not a good place for me here. So if you want them off then knock yourself out and get me blocked and that will be that.
Thanks! You know that I free-associated those "lyrics" in my comment on your song, right? Do you read the comments? (The pronghorn is the sole extant member of the family Antilocapridae.)
HOW DID YOU KNOW? That's freaky. https://fawm.org/songs/108777/
Yeah I'm really hoping the girl hears this and then I will not only let her throw a head of lettuce at my head, but I will let her videotape it, post it on social media, and then we can go out and eat salad together :)
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on "Only Future". Hope you're having a great FAWM. Peace!
No worries! Didn’t want to steal the title even though that would be something a quantizer would do!
your cuckold’s claw!
Hey Vom, good to see you still around these parts, looking forward to listening to your stuff in March!
You show great wisdom. The Equestrian Superstore is the virus that will destroy the ego and bring us all into the universal harmony of Pork Pince-nez. Danny thanks you for your support. We have listened to the mighty wall of sound many times. There is, as one commenter said, a covert energy in it. How, we ask, can a piece of music that has no "potential difference" feel so electrically charged? That music became sentient and wrote the lyrics to Odysseus; it is the wire; it is Pork Pince-nez. We should stop waxing pseudo-philosophical and go clean the house, because February is over. Thanks again! PPN and Danny
I now have a vision of Raf and Agnes staring at you as you try roaring... Thanks so much for listening and for being so nice about me going out on a limb!
I did write a ghost story song last FAWM, well remembered. I had difficulty making it work production wise, but if i can, I'd like to revisit it alongside this year's crop and see if i can fit it into the album.
I probably did when there was that Songfight ASMR challenge! But I'm glad I didn't have to listen to any more ASMR noises in a song--grateful yours had a different spin on it.
Thanks so much for your comment on “Lo Fi Hi Tech.” I’ve been seeing a few classes on Lo Fi and I couldn’t resist trying it out.
Thank you for your words on "something". Those are really nice lyrics. Tried to redo it this evening but somehow those easy chords won't sound right this time:-)
Thank you so much Tom for your kind comment on Trust. I appreciate it very much. Nadia
Saw your comment on the sph-wordsmith collab and just thought I'd give you my thoughts... It was a really weird FAWM, corpse wise. The standard Exquisite Corpses NEVER HAPPENED. Like, at all. Confusing. I guess none of us corpse regulars stepped up to the plate to organize them. (sigh) Lesson learned for FAWM 2021! I will be sure to get at least one regular-style corpse rolling.