2023-02-01
Went music-first on this one because I didn't have any lyrical ideas burning a hole in my brain. When lyrics did appear they were a bit angsty which I was hoping to steer away from this FAWM but the heart wants what it wants I suppose.
#lo_fi #indiepop #jangle
another year spent drilling holes into the ceiling
so I can hide away and keep on spying on my feelings
always a shrug
forever a smile
turns out I’m pretty good at denial
did I let you go too easily?
was there ever any doubt?
a sleepless night, spent examining your email
saying “not all things need to be recorded in such detail”
please explain the logic
behind your suggestion
here comes another rhetorical question
did I let you go too easily?
was there ever any doubt?
Masterful lyricism. The 2nd verse in particular flows admirably well. Jangly guitars and dissonance is a great combination.
This is great! Loove that guitar tune. Your vocal reminds me a bit of Gareth from Los Campesinos!
Love the third chord in that opening riff. Yeah, you know the one I mean. Excellent lyrics. Cheerfully miserable. I'm disgustingly slow on my commenting this year, but it's great to hear you again.
This is a lot of fun! The first two lines are especially great. I really like that little chromatic line in the guitar. The changes in instrumentation and rhythm keep it engaging throughout. Nice one!
This is exactly my bag! Sounds like something from US College Radio - proper jangle-pop joy! LOVE IT!
lol!!! Every FAWM I'm like, hey, don't take on such heavy topics and every FAWM... oh well, the heart does want what it wants! This is top-grade angst. Sounds definitely evoke comparisons to some of my 90s favorites. I do like these lyrics a lot, just enough mystery to them, without being too abstract.
the guitar has that husker du tone! love it. the vocals reminded me of tripping daisy a little bit. i love this one!
Wonderful doom pop! I hear some REM as well and they're one of my all-time favorites.
So jangly! I’m loving that chorus. I’m loving that half-time shift at 1:18. Some lovely backing vocals too. In fact, I’m loving all of it! Great start.
This is simply awesome. Angst and all. Love it.
Forgot to comment! I also hear a kinda 80s REM alt vibe. The straight to tape sound really works in its favour here. That opening couplet is terrific. Great start.
This is awesome. You know how to get some pretty sweet chords out of your guitar! I love the chorus towards the end, it's unexpected and beautiful.
I love those angular, discordant guitars in the chorus, and the jangly chorus-laden ones in the middle are brilliantly REM-Fables-era-esque. Short, spiky and sweet.
yasssss jingle jangle. So much to love here, particularly like the final call and response vocals and the whole thing is lovely and fuzzy. That's some nice drumming there too! Great start!
Thank you, this is a great track. Cool sound and arrangement, I dig your vocal.
Poppiest song with doom in the title? Could be! Some great descending chord thingies and cool bass stuff going on. Lyrics are bang on point too.
Great guitar sound, reminds me of old Wedding Present for some reason. Sweet and short and perfect composition.
Delightful! I love this sound and the arrangement is great. +1 to the drum and guitar arrangement comments, great stuff! I'm glad you let these lyrics see the light of day, they fit great and that first pair of lines is tremendous.
Yisss, that jangly juxtaposition with the guitars is super yummy. Agree about the drum breaks/guitar dropouts between the verses being great. Lyrics work really nicely, I especially love the first couplet and the "please explain the logic" verse/pre-chorus. The ending is aces, from around that buildup to the falsetto-ish "doubt" to those sick arpeggios.
Great guitar as always... The tune is very catchy and rocks! Excellent work here, Vom!
love me some good jangle pop! idk why but the vocal delivery reminds me a bit of violent femmes; i dig this! 😄
Lovin' the late 80s/early 90s vibe to this! I think you should probably get Steve Albini to produce. That opening couplet has a "plot of Shallow Grave" vibe to it. Great little ditty to kick you off this year!
Ooh, like this. Magic guitar work throughout. The lyrics are great as ever, though really sad and relatable 😢 They make an interesting contrast with the energetic guitar work. I'm getting more mid-90s indie pop vibes than 80s I think.
this has some power to it . . . wow very strong start!
I like the New Wave early 80s feel with those jangly guitars - almost a bit Lloyd Cole-ish. Cool when it gets a bit psychedelic with the delay vocals too. I like a sub-2 minute pop gem. Nice one.
Really strong start to this year's FAWM. Very hook-y. Really enjoyed the layered vocals in the choruses.
great start! you're so good at building each part up or down into the next. hooks galore, super guitar work this is thematically a bit like my first song? did you copy me but better?
This is awesome! Very satisfying jangles and I love the drum dropout and comeback! The rhythm of the lyrics in the last verse is perfection.
Cool track, the guitars and drums have a slight bit of oddness that make the song very interesting! One bright happy guitar and one angsty one adding some dissonance! The ending is awesome, I love those bright arpeggios.
This song opened for REM in 1983. That's an incredibly high complement coming from me.
Wonderful guitar. Would have gone to see this band in my youth.
Perfect length.
Sounds a bit ' Wedding Present' (other mid-90s references are available). It;s pretty damn catchy, even if the words aren't that important, I guess; though I suspect they are- and then it's over, sadly.
Cool. Love the jangly guitars and the whole feel. Solid vocals and well arranged throughout. Great work! Have to go listen again now :)
The lo-fi distant vocals are great. The second chorus with the slightly beatles-esque backing vocals and then that bass line is just chefs kiss. Yay for angsty vom.
Oof Vom! This is brilliant. Love the jangly guitars too.
Really strong out of the gate with this one, Vom. I love the lyrics, especially the ones just before each chorus.
Very catchy, right off the bat. I love this (couplet?): a sleepless night, spent examining your email/saying “not all things need to be recorded in such detail” I admire how much you've said with relatively spare lyrics.
Ah, I'm glad I came. That's awesome, I love everything in this song - but if I had to pick what I love the most, I would say, that moment when the strumming guitar hits dissonance is delightful. Happy FAWMing! 😀
I am really diggin' the vibe of the whole song. It sounds classic and current all at the same time. Loved "here comes another rhetorical question" lead in to the final chorus.
Those first two stanzas tell a story all by themselves. The speaker in the song seems self-aware, yet unable to change things, stuck. Digging the #jangle as you identified it, too.
Oh man, that was great! This is the kind of thing I wish I could download and listen to on repeat for a few days. Thanks for putting it out there!
this is a wonderful piece of indie pop! I like the dissonance in the guitar line, it fits the song well. - Jordan
Love the dissonance in that guitar line. That opening line is classic VV. Weirdly enough, this struck me as kind of funny, in the way that Morrissey can be funny when his moroseness is over the top. Nice falsetto. And, yeah, that dissonant guitar thing is great
Ooooooo snapppp!!! I love this. This scratches a special itch for me. This coulda been on Pete & Pete!!!! Mad props!
I expected something very different from a song called Doom Loop. But I really like what I got. This is a great bit of indie pop my dude. Indie Sleaze is about to come back, so this could be massive! XD
I really dig songs that are quick bursts of fun and fantastic ideas. Love the pop jangle that slides into dissonance; it pairs so well with the lyrics.
Wow - this packs in a lot in under 2 minutes! Lovely riff, great drumming, lyrically excellent! Cool song!
Cool slacker/80’s alternative rock vibe, dig the jangly guitars and the lo-fi sound aesthetics. Sounds like fun even if the lyrics are a bit angsty. Great starter, looking forward to the rest
Ooh, that tempo change caught me off guard in the best way! Excellent opening salvo. Keep 'em coming!
Way to start off with a bang! I love that pre chorus - turns out I’m pretty good at denial - hard hitting stuff. Love how the last section builds
As a good friend of mine would say, "Tunzafun!!". Good starter out of the blocks. Well done.
Yeah, a great way to kick this year off. Love those bendy blue notes at the bottom of the main guitar riff, they give it a real loose feeling that really suits the song. And your "Did I let you go" hook is absolute fricking gold. Proper, burrows into your brain stuff. Nailed it.
Whoa. Those jangly guitars are the real mccoy. That is a seriously strong opener for FAWM.
Jangly fun on this one! Really has an early 80s "college rock" vibe. Did you use a #4_track or just mix/EQ it like that!? 😀
Great wobbly guitar licks and delivery. Your lyrics are sparse in the best possible way. Looking forward to hearing more.
Oh yeah I like that, great hook!
I checked out some of your songs on bandcamp a few days ago and loved “never knew the guy” and had to listen to this as soon as I saw you posted. Angsty and awesome, the instrumental and vocals work together really well
That intro lick that recurs throughout is killer. My late 80s guitar jangle-loving teen self would have been as delighted about this as I am now (though probably a little confused about the email reference). What a great start you have!
That chorus is such a winner - great tune, stuck in my head already. Like the choice to have the backing vocal so distinct and echoey. Lyrics don't seem unacceptably angsty to me, they've got a twinkle that stops them seeming too lumpen. Great one.
Love that lyric “holes in the ceiling… spying on my feelings” - that tells a whole story right there in two lines! You are a master of giving just the right amount of detail (even in the email ha ha!). Great guitar, fab vocals (Space-esque, which I love). Bravo.
Getting some Terror Twilight vibes from this! Firstly, excellent drumming. Secondly, love the dynamics at play here especially in the second verse, the two guitars really act like two members of a band. The call and response bit is very cool, love the fx on the response vocal
With • @frenchcricket • @thelowestbitter
2023-02-04
CW: mental health, suicidal ideation
Recently I’ve had conversations with several friends where they talked about both past suicide attempts and current suicidal ideation. This isn’t the first time I’ve had these conversations with my friends and it almost certainly won’t be the last. Most of my friends seem to be in varying degrees of mental distress - and given that there is little in the way of meaningful mental health support in this country, talking to each other is pretty much all we’ve got.
So this song is about that, and feeling generally a bit useless in these conversations - trying to be there for people and offer support but never knowing what to say that isn’t glib platitudes. I feel like the ubiquitous “talk to someone” advice can only stretch so far, you can’t just hug it out and say “it’ll get better” - lifelong mental health conditions aren’t going to go away because of a friendly chat, and the failing or non-existent support systems provided by the state will continue to let people down. But however useless I feel, however much I never know what to say, I’m going to try and be there when my friends need me. All we can do is try help each other through.
Thank you very much to @frenchcricket @sailingmagpie @tobermory @vomvorton for the chorus vocals, you all sound wonderful. I asked if people would prefer to be tagged as collaborators or thanked in liner notes which is why some people are tagged and others aren't, no drama here! :)
#mentalhealth #collab #collaboration #electronic #pop #synthpop #synth #sadbangers
I don’t know how to help you when you’re down
I’m such a cold shoulder to cry on
oh god, it’s not that I don’t care
I hope you know that I’ll be there
but I just don’t know what to say
I can’t tell you it’ll be okay
because it’s not gonna go away
feels like all my friends are struggling nowadays
and I am all uneasy hugs,
I’m useless with the heavy stuff,
but I’ll be someone you can talk to in the pub -
god I hope that it’s enough
ARE YOU STRUGGLING, STRUGGLING, STRUGGLING
- you know I been struggling too
WE'RE ALL STRUGGLING, STRUGGLING
ALL WE CAN DO IS TRY HELP EACH OTHER THROUGH
so I’m sorry if I don’t have the right words
oh I don’t know how I could take away your hurt
yeah It’s not that I don’t care
truth is I’m so fuckin scared
cause I don’t know what to say
I can’t tell you it’ll be okay
because it’s not gonna go away
feels like all my friends are struggling nowadays
and I am all uneasy hugs,
I’m useless with the heavy stuff,
but I’ll be someone you can talk to in the pub -
god I hope that it’s enough
ARE YOU STRUGGLING, STRUGGLING, STRUGGLING
- you know I been struggling too
WE'RE ALL STRUGGLING, STRUGGLING
ALL WE CAN DO IS TRY HELP EACH OTHER THROUGH
I get mental health. I get poor mental health. I get more of this mental health situation than I wish to. I appreciate the honesty of your lyrics too, and the fact that you have a support system of people who also get it (mainly because they are also going through it). I appreciate this track for what it means to those of us who suffer. And, the chorus is spot on! Nice song.
Great songwriting with an even greater message!!
This one is great @thelowestbitter so I just followed you here and on Soundcloud. Great collaboration.
Sad banger. Really enjoyed this. Good job!
This is a great track! I love the message and the New Order vibes. The synth lines are excellent and the group vocals a perfect.
Ooooh those overlapping backing vocals! This is lush and I really like the reality of the lyrics. Music wise feels like a bit of a lofi anthem in the best way possible. Also, love whatever synth you got going on in the middle...reminds me of Sufjan!
this has such a nice driving pulse to it, love the chorus vocals. I find the lyrics very hopeful! love how it starts out kind of self-deprecating but then really takes the listener in an embrace by the end.
From the beginning I was bobbing my head...yeah!! And it just kept grooving along. Fantastic all around and love the FAWM fam chorus. Awesome. This is a heavy topic, but you took it on so gracefully and...I dunno can I say...made it fun??? Very relatable concept and lyrics. I am sure your friends really appreciate you just listening. I am one of those people who goes from being totally fine to like...well I guess this planet doesn't want me and everyone hates me and I have no talent and I'm terrible (blah blah blah). I can bounce back, but so much of that is just having someone care that I do.
I like the way the catchy music makes me willing to stare the hard stuff in the face. Thank you for sharing this one particularly.
this has such a different sound than the other songs but still makes sense alongside the others. it’s so good. “cold shoulder to cry on” is a great lyric. nice work
This is a hit! and with such important lyrics. Everyone is fighting a battle that no one knows nothing about. Be kind. Always. The melody is so lowest bitter and gets glued to my brains, here in a nice package. Thanks. Peace
This is great. Chock-full of catchy hooks as is TLB way. The group vocals work really well. There's a real drive to this one - all underpinned by that gated synth bass. LCD Soundsystem vibes maybe? Strong opener!
It sounds like you're a great friend. This chorus is such an earworm and anthem and really moving with all the voices together. I want to play this as loud as humanly possible and blast it all over planet earth.
Instantly hooked by that intro. This is wonderful and has the makings of a hit. It also just keeps getting better with each replay as I notice things I missed the first couple times.
I am so here for this! This is a definite highlight for me so far this year. I’m loving the lyrics and the melodic hooks. Such a super collaboration. Brilliant
I've just checked the banger-o-meter and this is fully in the red! Love the lyrics. I really struggle (ha ha) to write heartfelt words like these without them either sounding sarcastic or like they were written by a sixth former! It's cool that you make us wait for the full drums to come in until you're good and ready too. Obviously the most genius thing about this track is one quarter of the backing vocals. You'll be hearing from my legal representatives re royalties.
This is so good! I love that almost Morse code-ish synth motif and the lyrics feel so important and real. I know the feeling of the uneasy hugs and feeling like I don’t quite know how to be enough or the right things to say. The gang vocals really lift it. Anthemic sad banger!
This is a mighty work and I very much thank you as a strugglee. It's chock full of excellent hooks and I really like how you have made the fake saxophone a part of your sound. In your face CRJ.
Wow. For someone who doesn't know what to say in these situations you sure did an amazing job of writing a song about it. I had a roommate once who ended up jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge. I didn't know him when he moved in and didn't feel equipped at all when he came to us to let us know he was struggling with addiction. It's such a helpless feeling for everyone involved. The pulsing synths work so well here and the chorus is perfect for an imperfect world. The layering and build up of the synthy "horns" is a great uplift, shades of LCD Soundsystem in that section. This song somehow manages to be poignant and catchy, serious and fun all at the same time. Quite a feat.
Man, this is so great, it got me kind of emotional, especially on that team chorus. Lots of great production touches, especially love when the drums come in, and the carry-through of the "all we can do" into the next verse. The progression on this is wonderful too, that shift into the pre-chorus "because it's not going to go away" is really excellent And that lyrics are great, but especially that batch of lyrics in the same "because it's not going to go way", and the way you sing the "pub" line, really, really great. Thanks for this. I think sad bangerz are my forever mood. <3
OOOOH team chorus, classic lowestbitter. Great theme, somehow you've turned (such) a negative into a something more hopeful. Sonic build and chorus is like a cuddle. Really enjoyed it!
" a cold shoulder to cry on" is totally the kind of lyric I love. It builds up great with that swelling synth thingy. Totally worth breaking your 8 track limit here.
This is so good! The lyrics are unflinchingly honest, and the chorus is encouraging without feeling like empty platitudes. Really excellent track!
Best we can do is the best we can do, but sometimes just having someone to talk to can really go a long way. I wouldn't discount platitudes especially if they're sincere, but yeah, really all we can do is try to help each other - key being each other, you're not alone in this, something I learned (and am still learning) very very late.
As you so often do, you hit a sweet spot of melancholic catchiness for me. I could listen to that chorus on endless repeat.
Heavy song, but I think unfortunately (and fortunately?) so many of us have been there and understand. On the other side of the coin, this is an absolute new wave banger. Ya’ll did it service.
Thanks, we can always use more songs that people can identify with when things aren't perfect. Reminds me of some people I know, maybe what they are thinking sometimes.
Such joyful sounding sadness. I would say it'll be a challenge to top this for anthemicity, but if anyone can do it, it's you. I especially love when the brass bits come in near the end. I feel like I can't really address the subject matter appropriately in a glib song comment (although I do still have 1696 characters left so maybe I'm just not trying hard enough), except to say that a situation where the vast majority of people don't feel content or comfortable living day to day is a damning indictment of what the government has done to your (or our) country. But the determination to try to support each other even when we're having a hard time ourselves, that in itself is a sign that at least we can retain a little faith in the human spirit.
I’m going to grad school to be a therapist, so this is really hitting close to my life. I’m sorry this is happening to your friends. What a tough situation. The progression of this song is top notch. It’s really wonderfully layered. Vocals fit the subject matter so perfectly. Really good stuff. Thanks for being a good friend to others. The World needs it. -ru
Defo a sad banger but a banger nonetheless. That bass moves this along nicely and the group vox are top. Very positive track without being all sunshiney. Sometimes OK is def just one foot in front of the other.
Despite the sad subject (which you deal with beautifully), this is such a low-key banger. That pulsing bass really propels the track, and the slow increase in dynamics along with those group vocals are real life-affirming stuff. A companion piece to All My Friends, maybs. A very high bar you've set for 2023!
Well, that's my earworm for the month ;) How relevant is this song?! Like an inner city confessional, where the pulse of the city carries on regardless of everyone on the waltzer feeling really sick and needing a break. Some glorious lead vocal delivery and slowly building arrangement, not to mention IT ME with the uneasy hugs and pub talk
*finally reads complete lyric* ohhhhhhh it's about struggling! this is an ultimate sad banger, everything in the lyric and liner notes rings painfully true but also the chorus has been stuck in my head for days. the sax 'n' synth combo sounds so good. pleased I could contribute a little bit to the mix and get my extremely-deserved collaborator tag 😅
Sometimes songs have a weight or message that goes beyond the limitations of the format, and this feels like one of those to me. A lot of people are heavily weighed down by *sweeping gesture* all this and struggling, and there are no easy answers. I lost a friend to suicide a couple of years ago and it was bleak, for everyone; him, his family, his friends. I think one can only take respite where you can - in friends, family, music, whatever gives comfort - and just do your best. I really like the song - it’s a cool melody, production’s spot on, vocals are ace. The message feels bigger than the song to me, and I love that you address it in such an artistic and thoughtful way!
Great song, very important topic. And your observations ring true in my mind at least. I love the insistent intensity of the beat and the music. And the way things just build. Especially beautiful what you did with all the overdubbed voices. It felt very well placed in the mix. Well done!
❤️
This is beautiful! Love the message and some great lines in there “and I am all uneasy hugs, I’m useless with the heavy stuff” was my fave I think. The repetition in the chorus with the multiple vocals was a great choice - I think the multiple voices help to capture the scale of the problem you’d described in the liner notes, and how people have to come together to support each other, with a lack of proper support accessible. It had a bittersweet, hopefulness in the chorus which I really enjoyed and it was the perfect note to end on ‘all we can do is try to help each other’. One of my faves I’ve heard this year :)
2023-02-04
This year marks 20 years since I got my first proper full-time job and I'm becoming more and more aware that I've not had any substantial breaks in that time, a week here or there but never really long enough to fully recharge my brain. And I feel burned out, especially since my current job is just... it just doesn't feel like there's any point in it at all, I never feel any sense of satisfaction from it. I guess I need to look for something else soon but I'm just feeling trapped and disillusioned about everything tbh, so here's a song.
Would have liked to spend a bit more time on the vocals but I don't want to yell too much because it's late-ish and my neighbours have a young child but I also don't want to wait and finish this off tomorrow so... it'll do!
Trying for a #garage #psychobilly #cramps kinda thing, not entirely getting there but I am very happy with the guitar solo, haha.
I used to think maybe I needed some structure
to stop me from wasting the day
twenty years on I think I’d take my chances
with sleeping the morning away
burned out and broken
bored half to death
bashing my empty
head on the desk
I wish I could look my boss in the eye
and say I’ve had enough of this tedious life
I wish I could throw in the towel
I wish I could quit
trying to shock my brain into action
but all of my thoughts are a mess
you’re not asking for much but that’s part of the problem:
somehow I’m managing less
uselessly keeping
the same old routine
hands on the keyboard
eyes on the screen
I wish I could take things into my own hands
say I won’t meet your list of demands
I wish I could drop out
I wish I could quit
I wish I could look my boss in the eye
and say I’ve given all I can give
I wish I could quit
but alas… I need money to live
Such a tasty guitar tone on this one, particularly on the solo. Fantastic closing line and I love the way you almost growl it!
Production sounds great! And the song captures the claustrophobia of being trapped in your job. Even taking the neighbours into account there's a tension in your voice that conveys the desperation. As the song ends I feel like I can hear the voice of George Carlin saying "what are you gonna do, eat and Wendy's and read People magazine for another 30 years?" That's me doing some sampling in my head for you. You're welcome.
Great energy! I like the fuzzy guitar and distorted vocals. Nice guitar riffs (and solo!) with hints of surf rock, and great variety throughout. And of course a very relatable subject!
Amazing guitar line that has made me want to grab a guitar instead of listening to songs after this one, but I will continue. Great energy and super infective. That fuzzy solo is awesome, but so is the whole song. I related a ton just a short while ago. This song sounds like it is walking down the hall and bashing down the boss' door. Well done!!
Hell yes. I feel like that sums it up since I would only echo what’s been said by everyone else. 👏 🤘
On repeat in this household !
Classic anti-work anthem, and the conundrum: I hate this job, but I do need money. Love the chord progression. I left a similar job I had for 20 years about a year ago, and now I'm happier than ever, so I definitely relate to the sentiment.
This is a great reworking of the eternal “Take this Job and Shove It” It feels like such an anthem of Quiet Quitting. Crystal clear. Great sound.
HIGHLY RELATABLE SUBJECT AND LYRIC. *ahem* This rocks, love that sexy, kinda menacing riff, like someone angrily pacing out in front of their boss's office, getting themselves all worked up thinking of how they're gonna march right in there and...! And I think the vocals are great -- the way you sing "life" on the "tedious life" line is ugh, really great. And that soaring chorus is so good, triumphant enough to make me almost believe the singer really WAS saying all those things! Lots of great lines, too -- especially like the "burned out and broken.../head on the desk" verse and the "that's part of the problem" lines. And the ending is *chef's kiss*, especially, again, how you deliver the last line.
Magic guitar work throughout again (particularly like that little raspy solo)! Relatable lyrics too. It's pretty catchy is this! 😊
I like the quiet creeping guitar between the chorus and verse and under the verses.
great song. catchy and fun. another cool riff. “but alas…i need money to live” is the perfect ending. you nailed this one
What a perfect song to listen to during my work day slump, usually happens around 2-3pm for me. Cool track, might just not start working again. Probably should though, money and all 😉
I adore this, plus might be a little relatable as well . . .
Love the guitar riffs and sense of urgency in the music. Enjoyable solo So great that you can have a musical outlet to vent in a creative way.
Love that kinda slinky, strutting guitar riff opening into the soaring chorus, and the nice fuzzy solo. The way it ends on that last lyric is perfect. Would be nice if we could all win the lottery and just go back to unstructured laziness, wouldn’t it? I hope you get some relief from the burnout soon!
BALLER!! This slaps (as the kids say... or so I'm told). There is a very effective maddening of melody and meter before the bright chorus pushes through in triumphant freedom, even if for only a few bars. "but alas… I need money to live" the mortals' lament!
This is a banger, definitely an all-time VV great, which is saying a lot. You could move to Portland and join the ultra successful band fresh spotless youth. The pay isn't great, but the job comes with a house and lots of free time for pursuing your VV side hustle
Ah after last week I'm really feeling this! Love the sound too!
I love the main riff, and the lyrics really hit home. Nice work!
I might be in a minority, but I like my job! But then I run my own small company so I get to choose what we do and how we do it. A holiday would be nice though. Love the guitar riff, in fact the guitars throughout are great. I love the way you blend words and music; there’s a definite conversational quality to them. A naturalness, like something you might say out loud rather than only sing. Does that make sense? Maybe, maybe not!
Oh man just reading the liner notes I am feeling this. Lyrics capture it brilliantly too. Oh heck, my dude, this bit: "trying to shock my brain into action but all of my thoughts are a mess you’re not asking for much but that’s part of the problem: somehow I’m managing less" Oof. That's it man, you and me, we're taking a holiday together. Proper burnout cure, like three weeks. Where we going? Anyway the guitar riff is cool too. I wanted a bit more of it but it's a fun short little song where it is. Vocal line in the chorus is good. Let me know about that holiday.
Yeah I think we can all relate to the feeling, and you convey it perfectly in those lyrics. Totally adore that great jangling, stompy guitar riff too.
Yesss, an anti-work anthem! This makes me want to call my boss and tell him I'm done. I'm DONE, I'll tell him. Some dark and delicious guitar work in this, so lovely and crunchy. The final line is said with so much spite, i love it.
I think you got the feel of this right re those tags you listed. The heavy spring-reverb/slap back vibe over the production nails the garagey sound. Catchy riff.
Man I feel you on the jay oh bee situation. I worked 15 years as an executive and still wonder how much of my lifespan I lost working myself to death for that place. I quit 4 years ago and took a job doing manual labor (that also shuts down for Jan/Feb so it's like tailor made for FAWM lol). I make a lot less money but am so much happier. So there's hope that there's something better out there. Sorry for the novel lol. Killer song! You definitely nailed the Cramps feel. The guitar solo especially is spot on. Rockabilly almost surf-y. Great tune!
You make such great sounding, creative demos. All the best with the drumming. I wish I could help you find meaningful enjoyable work.
I think we've all been there 🙁 I'm coming up on 17 years here and it feels like it should be long enough! I love the solo and your vocal delivery fits even if you couldn't do the takes you wanted. I also love how compact this is! Short and sweet.
Ah, the universal dilemma. This mix sounds so good! Great guitar sounds throughout. Love the delay on them. Nice rise in the chorus conveys the desperation well. The single-note riffs on the verse contrast well with the chords of the choruses. I can't help but hear a little "Spastic Society" by The Network with the intro riff.
Love this tune. Really cracking all round.
I really like the vocals on this, especially the second line on the chorus. Great guitar solo of course! Alas, I need money to live is a cracker.
MOOD. Jobs are crap, furlough was genuinely the time of my life (apart from all of the terrible shit). Anyway this is great! I have no idea what psychobilly is but I’m sure you’ve nailed it
Really catches that all-too-common predicament and MOOD. Very successful, in my mind.
All kinds of fun, love this one dude! It’s an absolute VIBE
First off, you're not alone regarding your job. I know I've felt that way from time to time and I imagine many other FAWMers have too. Now, as to this song, it is great. The guitar figure, the distorted vocals, the sense of space in the mix, the clearly delineated sections, the guitar solo, the line "...that's part of the problem: somehow I'm managing less...," the lyrical kicker at the end, the fact that you don't outstay your welcome after that point but instead give us a perfectly minimalist ending, and just the sheer amount of content in here despite the brevity of the piece. Really great work!
yup but you do need different things at different times - some nice bite here and a classy delivery ties it all up, great guitars
Superb
I'm within three years of retiring, and boy do I feel that. The angst is so strong in this one.
I'd guess the Cramps even without your hashtag -- with an Alex Chilton vibe on the vocal. And, yeah, cool guitar solo!
2023-02-05
My brain seems determined to write these jangly 80s-y indie-pop songs at the moment, and who am I to tell it no? Just came up with a riff and followed where it took me on this one, lyrics were mostly just "sing nonsense until something emerges" and vocals are first take, I'm leaning more into the "demo" part of FAWM it seems. My cat thoughtfully jumped off the windowsill between verses, I moved his jingles to the end. Title was on my list of unused titles, I can't remember where it came from. Maybe Anne of Green Gables?
#jangle #jingle #indiepop
you made the same suggestion just the other day
but no-one really listens to a word you ever say
tuned to a different frequency
speaking a higher tongue
when they catch up with you
the moment will have gone
and you will try to move on
you found you were still laughing when the joke had died
the smile on your face remains but you’re screaming inside
firing on all cylinders
but in the wrong direction
blasting away wildly
in pursuit of perfection
it is time to move on
a collision! a catastrophe!
Love the jangly guitar, the thick bass groove. Great singing, reminds me of the punkier side of new wave sounds. lyrics feel like communication gone awry, missed connections, misunderstandings compiling... I dig it.
I hear some Cure going on here, too. Been listening to a lot of Joy Division, I think. The guitars and drums are early R.E.M. to me, but the vocal performance and melody hearkens back to the roots of the style. “you made the same suggestion just the other day but no-one really listens to a word you ever say” Yes, ye aulde “I’m on the wrong planet and in the wrong body phenomenon.” What I love — the work you put in. It’s obvious you are serious about music. Since 2007? Wow.
Great jangle-pop. As many have already remarked it's got early Peter Buck showing up, but it puts me more in the mind of Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians for some reason.
There's something quite Sufjan about the title. Well, there would be if you added another 10 words! I'm totally on board with your (and the cat's) jangle. It's cool how this really skips along, probably because of your amazing drummer, whoever that may be. Insert obligatory REM mention here.
Whoops, I thought I'd commented on this already. That opening guitar lick is so good, it sounds pure spring to me. Sounds like it could've come straight from Reckoning, and R.E.M. are my quintessential spring band so I'm thoroughly enjoying the jangles and new wave energy. This one does require at least two plays every time I hear it though. One is never enough.
Ooh--jangle pop is the pop I like best. That guitar sounds so good, and the riff is killer. I just love the bvox. There's some dark humor in the notion of firing on all cylinders...but in the wrong direction. You're definitely firing on all cylinders at the end. I'd love to hear more of that
I love jangle pop! Most of my best friends are janglepopsters! I love that opening guitar lick and when it comes back in between the lines. (that's the super jangly part!) This bright and full of energy... you have me listening again and again!
Oh man this one hits all the right notes for me - this is one of my favorite styles/eras and you've really got a good one. Those little lead lines are so amazing. The song just jumps and dances along. Fantastic balance with the lyric too. What a great song - I loved this one a ton!!
Keep that jangle coming! I could listen to stuff like this all day. Catchy and memorable without overstaying its welcome.
Getting massive early R.E.M. vibes from some of that lead guitar work (real early - Murmur era maybe). This one's catchy and ace. Vocal melody and delivery really strong here - love the little vocal harmonies. My fave of yours this year so far I think 😊
you make the jangling sound like such fun that I feel like I may have to try it at some point - any tips? the lyrics are very good for ones emerging from nonsense, I think.
this song will really pop on a cassette deck in a dark fading wood toned volvo from the mid-90s... great work
You know you've got a fan in Amsterdam Tom. Best part I think is from 0:00 till 1:51 !
I love your jangle-demanding brain. It's throwing me in a loop back to carefree summer days. I'd say you've got this genre nailed down pretty well. That opening lyric feels so perfectly casual yet clever, I love it. I would enjoy "A collision! A catastrophe!" to be heard more than once. Nice playing all around!
Definitely get the 80s Pop/rock vibe. That jangly guitar hook could be on a b side from murmur
You nail the 80s indie pop so well. Definitely get some Radio free Europe vibes in the intro and then bang here come the vocals, fantastic lyrics and vibe. A real treat to listen to!
Can’t have too many jangles. Your lyrics are on top form this year and that refrain/outro is supercool. I’d love to know the mystery inspiration!
Now that I've firmly established that drumming is actually kinda hard, may I compliment you on some of these lovely fills. Love the way it fills out with the backing vocals etc for the 'tuning out the frequency' bit (ooh, the bass on the second time round is punchy!)'. The little up and down guitar riff is firmly in my head now. Good work.
This is great. I love the flow of the words - you have a great way of combining delivery, rhythm and language that is very pleasing to the ear. Has a super bounce to it and the lyrics are great - very natural, not overly song-y, if that makes sense. The opening guitar part is very evocative of a certain gentleman of the American south, but as he’s my favourite guitarist (who I’m seeing live in a couple of weeks - woo hoo!), I will give you bonus points!
Love that catchy tune ! Love the bass line!
wow! love that riff. i love everything about this. early rem sound which i love so much. “the smile on your face remains but you’re screaming inside” is my favorite line. i love when a song this jangly has some darkness to it. i didn’t want this song to end
Really enjoyed the harmonies in the 2nd and 4th stanza, and the interweaving guitars. Super catchy. “Firing on all cyclinder, but in the wrong direction” is a fantastic line too - a great juxtaposition
Great title. If you’re in a jangling mood keep on jangling I say, you’re getting good songs out of it! Love the cat cameo at the end
That *is* a great title... it reminds me of "It's A Scandal! It's A Outrage!" from Oklahoma! (enough exclamation points there? No!!!). Wonderful work as always, Vom; you seem to be able to craft these catchy little pop gems almost effortlessly. And although around here, DAW usually means something else, you get a 'DAWWWWW' for the kitty-cat cameo.
I've said it before and i'll say it again, when I grow up I want to be @vomvorton - love this.
That rise and fall guitar melody is brilliant. And overlaying and weaving it through on multiple parts works soooo well. This really has a load of early REM energy, and the Stype-esque approach to lyrics works unsurprisingly well with the whole vibe.
I’m here for the jingle jangles!!! Keep ‘em coming! The chiming guitar is beautiful and the lyrics are wonderfully concise in expressing a sense of frustration/alienation. The Rafa cameo is the highlight OF COURSE but the rest is great too, so catchy and bittersweet.
Yeah! The intro and interludes reminded me of classic REM. I love that. And your vocals are nice. “A collision! a catastrophe!” Is a terrific ending.
Dang I love these lyrics!! They combined with the super energy and catchiness is exactly what I needed to hear today to get out of a slump. I recently reread AOGG. Maybe you're thinking of Chap 19 "A Concert a Catastrophe and a Confession"? Whatever the inspiration, this song rocks and I'll be replaying it often.
Never stop the jangly indie 80s pop! This is a bop, love the energy of the instrumentation it drives the screaming inside but smiling outside desperation vibes. “ when they catch up with you the moment will have gone ” is such a mood
Favorite line: "you found you were still laughing when the joke had died"
Jangle always kills me. This, too, is beautiful. Put it in a time machine and send it back to 1983 and collect the massive royalties. Brilliant. One of my favs so far this year.
He's got..... a pretty persuasion!! (ok, only for the first bit of the riff). Love that change of rhythm for the verses; even though the choruses are harmonically different, it just sets them apart really nicely. Excellent cameo with Rafa/Agnes. I'm now panicking that this is song is about when I post jokes in MW chat
Fun tune! It progresses very nicely starting from a very catchy intro. I detect hints of The Cure and Magnetic Fields in there (among others!).
I love it! Incredibly cool as ever. Jelly of your first take vocals too. 😃 Eeeee puss jingles!
Love the mixture of clean and overdriven guitars and melody; jangly indie pop songs are like catnip to me, I can't get enough of them. Lyrics are very nice too, I like the title a lot! - Jordan
2023-02-07
I bought a fuzz pedal the other day because it was bandcamp Friday and this band Fresh that I like had a special limited edition one that they were selling as merch:
https://freshpunks.bandcamp.com/merch/raise-hell-fuzz-pedal-v2
It's a harmonic percolator which is apparently the kind of fuzz Steve Albini favours, and different from the other fuzzes I have available so a TOTALLY JUSTIFIABLE PURCHASE. Anyway this is basically a little demo of some of the sounds it can make, but also I started by coming up with a drum beat so that was something I wanted to do more of too. But yeah, this one's more of a little jam than a full song, but I had fun.
#fuzz #instrumental
And the award for the best band merch goes to... I've always favoured fuzz over other distortions because I wish I lived in 1968 but recently I've been moving more towards RAT distortion. This makes me want to dust down my neglected fuzz pedal though.
Sounds like Fugazi if they were in a happy, playful mood, which they very rarely (if ever) are, so kudos for tapping into this alternate dimension. I, on the other hand, love something happy and playful, and I also love a good bit of fuzz, so this satisfies me in both regards.
Loving the tones and loving the vibe. Once again inspiring me to just put on some drums and go for it (with my various fuzz pedals). This sounds amazing and has a really cool low intensity, er, intensity. If that makes sense. really well done and fun to follow. Killer sound
That pedal puts the power in power chord. Very fun little song
This one's loads of fun! Pedal sounds ace - essential purchase for sure 😆 I really like the central melody here too - it's playful and catchy. Nice!
Fuzz pedals are awesome. Even though this is a jam there's a really nice song-like feeling journey to it. They should hire you to make the demo for their fuzz pedal.
this is wide open, so much fun, great guitar tone!
Wonderful fuzz! :) It's a lovely little jam, full of warmth and enthusiasm, I really enjoy it! The guitar kind of smiles in this, so charming. :)
I've GAS'ed for a Harmonic Perculator style fuzz myself for a long time, cool little track with sunny slacker rock vibes
I can't read 'harmonic percolator' without hearing The Datsuns' tune of almost the same name... Nice little tune.
Essential purchase clearly! I can’t pretend to know what fuzz but if it’s in here, I like it. This was a fine sound track to my (very late) dinner :)
Absolutely justifiable! Cool groove, nice fuzz, what more could you want? Also, drums sound great!
The Fuzz sounds so pop and mellow - lovely! Hardware as band merch is such a great idea. Drums have a relaxed flow - jams are the best!
Damn that is such a harmonic fizz pedal. Really makes that riff pop. Cool beat too.
A very pleasing sound and performance. Totally justifiable :)
I had fun listening! Thanks for sharing your jam.
A band selling a pedal as merch? I'm here for it. Sounds like a decent pedal anyway, especially those big Em power chords (i think). Some cool harmonic qualities the high-end stuff as well. I appreciate so far I have reviewed the pedal and not the song. Big fan of the riff, it's very playful despite all the fuzz, and it's cool how that the palm-muted section sounds like a huge shift, where really it's actually not progression-wise.
A good fuzz needs to be played not used and boy do you play this one. This is a really nice demo of Fuzz playing, I can't help think this is not the last track you'll be using this on.
Wow, this brings me right back to the 90s. I'm getting vibes of, like, Pavement and the Silver Jews. It's not just the fuzz pedal, man, it's knowing how to use it in a way that makes sense for your material, and, yeah, you nailed that.
That guitar tone is a gem, it has infinite facets.
For this song alone, JUSTIFIED. There are couple of really cool bits of chromatic-ness which I love, and the main riff is super hooky, could definately see this fleshed out into some Martha-esque tune.
Lovely fuzzy goodness. I was not aware of harmonic percolation, and now I am, I’m worried for my pockets. This has a very satisfying amount of break-up to it without disappearing into uncontrollable territory. The riffs are lovely, and the drumming’s super good! Really very impressively good. A nice groove.
Nice fuzz! Definitely a worthy purchase that I'm glad you're sharing the benefits of. This is a fun little instrumental too. Well done!
"will not give you his shredding abilities" I prefer this melodic fuzzing (?) much more than shredding
Great fuzzed-out sound - as you wrote, a "totally justifiable purchase"! Nice waves of melody peeking out behind the distortion. I like the break at the one-minute mark or so. Nice!
Fuzzzzzzzzz is sounding delicious!! Deffo got some legs and will work with a lyric/vocals if you want to do it, but stands alone as a great instrumental as well!
That's a nice sounding fuzz, on the rather softer side of the spectrum. This definitely sounds like a song in the works. Nice groove and cool guitar licks.
ha ha TOTALY! well i enjoyed what it did. the guitar playing is really nice. everytime i try fuzz it just sounds like fuzz this sounds good! I think i need a harmonic percolator it sounds so cool to say ha ha
Great fuzz tones and fun little tune! I could def hear a vocal line in my head to this… Could def be expanded into a Steely Dan diatribe as @owl suggests!
This sounds really nice! The only real pedal I can remember ever using was one of my brothers, which I immediately fried by using a wrong voltage adapter and hid back in his guitar bag hoping he’d just assume that he broke it. Anyway this isn’t Jed story time it’s Vom song time and there’s some lovely riffs in this and definitely some stuff that could be developed into a song with vocals if you wanted
That's a lovely sounding fuzz. They should use this as a wee demo for the pedal. It's thunderous, but also kinda cheerful x
Totally justifiable! Sounds great to me, so warm and fuzzy. Those ascending and descending riffs are awesome. Sound like you had some fun. I've never bought any plugins. I just flail around in Garageband in February. Is there a plugin that I can hide behind?
Nice! The new fuzz sounds great. I like the little guitar figure and the high notes you go up to alternating with those rumbly lower parts. Steve Albini would be proud, I think you should write some lyrics for this about how bad Steely Dan is.
Nice dirty sounds - and there is definitely a song in there trying to get out! Nice crunching chords to close showing off that new, and necessary, dare I say essential, purchase
2023-02-10
Time for something a little bit different. All my other songs so far have basically been finished in one session, starting with an idea and working on it until it's ready to post. This one I've been picking away at over several days, with the result that
a) it's actually longer than two minutes
b) so many lyrics
c) lots of instruments, including two drum kits going at the same time why not
d) quite silly
I finally wrote the lyrics and finished it off today. I've been watching the X-Files over the last year or so, having seen a bunch of it when it was originally on but never finished / forgotten most of it anyway. I'm up to season 7, much further than I ever got back in the day, and this represents the point where it has started to bleed entirely into my brain, I think.
#sprechgesang #talking_indie #post_rock #sci_fi #not_filk_though
It was a humid summer evening
So we drove out to the lake
And I said, “it happened on a night like this”
She rolled her eyes so hard
that she started to pulsate
and we clashed heads as I leaned in for a kiss
Startled and upset
She blurted out “we need to talk”
As I rubbed her bleeding skull with antiseptic
She tries to “keep an open mind”
and not “dismiss things out of hand”
But my stories transformed her into a sceptic
it breaks my heart that she thinks I would deceive her
she cried and said she wanted to believe
I crossed my heart and hoped to die
and told the story one more time
I tried to state the facts with clarity
a blinding light up in the sky
a chamber filled with pulsing lights
days passed by, and then they set me free
she shook her head so hard that all
her hair lashed at my dampened face
she’d heard it all before, a dozen times
she said she couldn’t comprehend
why I would lie to my best friend
not tell the truth about my crimes
it breaks my heart that she thinks I would deceive her
she cried and said she wanted to believe
but all the time I knew
that every word I said was true
she said she could forgive me
if I’d just admit the truth
and say I’d been unfaithful to her face
but I was being honest
so it was bitterly ironic
when she told me that she needed space
it breaks my heart that she thinks I would deceive her
she cried and said she wanted to believe
but all the time I knew that every word I said was true
all the time I knew that every word I said was true
This is great. Love the "so it was bitterly ironic when she told me that she needed space " line
I just love how the music slowly recedes at the end of the chorus leading into the next verse with that lovely piano bit. The ending is gorgeous. This is so well written and the melody is a perfect fit. It feels like a lot of thought went into this song, and everything about it is great. Love it!
i love how out of place the alien motifs are compared to the overall bitter tone of the lyrics, it reminds me of making a joke at the wrong moment which is super fitting for this song. i also love the indie sound, and that little wobbly alien synth!!
Some very clever ones here. You had me with "open mind" and "needed space" is pretty great. The guitar riff is infectious, the fuzz makes the chorus, the piano is sweet, the vibrato synth is perfect for the scifi theme, and I am a massive fan of the strings through the verses. As a casual X-Files and big alt-rock fan, this was a steller listen. Super enjoyable.
I don't know x files... but the story reminds me a bit of a film I saw last night, "The Good Woman" based on an Oscar Wilde play.. This was totally engaging!
The world definitely needs more X Files related music! Please write one about the infamous Cher episode next. I really enjoyed the layering of all the different instruments, especially that theremin-esque synth on the left.
Thought I’d pop by and check out some of your songs and this is very impressive! Great contrast between the spoken verse and emotional chorus. Is that two live drum kits too? 🙌
Ooh this is different from your so far very fuzzy FAWM. Although still a bit of fuzz in the chorus! All the many instruments are great, especially like the piano break, and the wobbly synth in the chorus is great too. Enjoyed this a lot!
You are definitely at the top of your game here. Sonically, it all lands, makes me vibrate in a good way. The lyric feels true and deep and earnest, and yet it's absurd at times. Anyway, I'm back for another listen. Mmm...wow...just great
100% my favourite so far in 2023, if some one is going to out to this, they are going to have to really pull something out the bag. This is complete in every way. Kind of sad this is hosted by FAWM so I can kick a copy for future listening . . .
Ooh that high synth on the second chorus cuts through very nicely. Love the spoken word, and oh that piano section post chorus was great. My favourite of yours so far!
Sweet Walter Skinner, this sounds good-- and very well-written, too. I love the alternating between talking and singing, it works really well. The extra time you put into this really paid off (not that the more quick-and-dirty stuff isn't great, too)!
Everything about this clicks. The cadence of the spoken-word verses, and how clever all the rhymes are. That extra-crispy snare drum. The extra guitars that bolster the sung parts. The story, and even a couple of jokes throughout! You're firing on all cylinders, Vom. Way to go!
Those drums sound massive. Will you be tempted to have 2 drumkits on every song now I wonder. When the stadium drums give way to the closer drum sound in the verses is a cool dynamic change. I love the keys sound at the into, so I would be sad that they get a little drowned out later on except that everything else sounds so good too.
I love ufo/alien abduction songs. The lyrics are great. They're humorous, but this isn't like, a joke song, if that makes sense. Meaning there's cool stuff going on in this song and it isn't over the top or goofy
Wow, I love these lyrics and the mood you set with your vocals and arrangement. It’s x-files-y without being overdone or hitting me over the head with it. A fave of mine from FAWM!
Hell yeah. This works really well. Great chorus.
Ah you made the talk-singing happen! Sounds great, love the way the arrangement builds through the verse and then the chorus comes roaring in. And I like how you get at the X-files references edgewise. “She told me that she needed space” and the little bit of theremin-type synth are my favorites… Some shades of Slint in the verses between the talk-singing and chiming guitar riffs, but I see I’m not the first to say that!
yes as said - the singing talking is great! i can here so many influences across different genres in this which actually makes it so unique Pulp, Bowie, Streets, Blur. this is really top class. this will get a few listens for sure!
Really good. I like the sound.
The mix of spoken word and singing works really well here. Really like the arrangement - the percussion is super cool so the two kits thing must have been a good idea! Guitar work great as ever and I particularly appreciated the piano and strings in this one too. Excellent!
i love this. really cool guitar riff. catchy chorus. i dig the spoken word verses. i kept wanting to be like “PARKLIFE!” during those parts. the production is so good on this track. i’m listening a second time because it’s such a great song
The production and musication (a word?) is top drawer here - you can feel the time spent on it. Everything just fits. Love the spoken word bits and the leap up into the chorus is just so satisfying. The melody on the first line of the chorus is belting - a perfect combination of words, tunes and rhythm. Lovely bubbly.
Really cool track, great arrangement, i get a Pulp/Jarvis meets Slint vibe which is a cool combo in my book
Showing off both your piano and drum chops, very nice. This is beautiful, the mix of the spoken verses (like a cheerful Slint!) and the low-key anthemic choruses is an excellent mix indeed.
Yasss for x-files inspired songs 😁 I was obsessed back in the day but have never rewatched! Maybe it is time! Love the sci fi beams trilling behind the chorus 😁
Yesss, this is such a cool track, has an amazing vibe right away. Your one session songs have been great (as always) this FAWM, but can definitely hear the extra time on this one! Love that rolling riff for the verses and the talking delivery works wonderfully. That kicked-up chorus is great, love the fuzz, and the synth that comes in starting on the second round, and how extra sci-fi-y it sounds at the end. Great lyrics, I love the slight X-files nod. Especially like the "But my stories transformed her into a sceptic" line. Also, just want to add that I highly approve of your use of exclamation points in now more than one of your song titles this FAWM. Keep it up(!)
With • @frenchcricket
2023-02-11
VV: I wasn't really sure what to do with today, my original plans fell through and then when I decided to nip out to the market this morning, my car wouldn't start which was extremely annoying and stressful. So when Anya said she was stuck on a track I offered to see if I could come up with some lyrics / vocals as a distraction from my various life woes and it mostly worked! I still spent quite a lot of time freaking out / frantically moving things around the house trying to find a power supply / checking the football scores which were also BAD. But here we are, an unexpected collaboration that was a ton of fun. I picked a title from my list of titles, this one being stolen from the Peter Strickland film 'In Fabric', where it's a running joke of sorts. It's about finding inspiration in dreams and the difficulty of remembering them long enough to derive anything useful from them... I think? I also added some fuzzy guitar. Thanks Anya!
#chamber_psych
waking hard from a sleeping dream
with a world inside my head
clinging tight to the fading light
because I don’t want to forget
every time I remember
how it feels to forget
waking hard from a sleeping dream
feeling haunted by myself
holding on to the ghost of you…
and now I’m only chasing shadows
pursuing echoes of the past
the ancient spectres of a memory
can only be reflected through the morning’s frosted glass
and up the garden path
from freedom to imprisonment
inspiration lost forever
life comes at you fast
(guitar solo)
waking hard from a sleeping dream
with a world inside my head
every time I remember
how it feels to forget
I don’t want to wake up
wake up with regret
I don’t want to wake up
wake up and forget
Great bass. And fuzzy guitar. And how there's so much going on, but it all works together.
Great collaboration. It proves collaboration does something solo work can't quite attain!
Ooh, this has such a cool vibe to it. Love that bouncy rhythm and all of the imaginative musical layers and love how it rolls along and evolves and comes back around. That "waking hard from a sleeping dream/with a world inside my head" lyric is fantastic. In fact, all of these lyrics are really great, that "and now I'm only chasing shadows" middle section, both lyrically and musically, is such a fantastic change/modulation. I'm pretty much always a fan of @vomvorton's lyrics, but these are some of your most technically tight and poetic lyrics I've read/heard *pushes glasses up nose with the air of authority of someone who acts like she can speak on such things.* A+ collab!
The ooweeoooweeooo and answering guitar bit under the opening section and guitar solo are my favorite bits. It all goes together really well, though...just sometimes I have my favorites.
This song has beautiful fresh sounds and rolling groove from the get-go. I love the vocal production all the panning and echoes. Whoa... and then comes along the fuzz guitar solo! This is so hook-y in all the ways! Super poppy! What a beautiful collaboration.
Glad to see you're following my chamber-psych hashtagging lead! This has such a nice, laidback groove. It reminds me a little of the later Beta Band stuff mixed with a soupcon of Blur, particularly on those backing vocals on the "don't want to wake up" sections. Top notch collab work!
I like the shamble/lollop to this. It has a really nice style. I also like the lyrical idea, which is one of the most frustrating things about being a human being. Like the outro's... kazoo? comb and paper? stuff. Adds to the general confusion. Maybe it's something else?
This is a great collab, can really hear your distinctive styles coming through. That acoustic sounds great, and this is a classic French Cricket bassline, all over the place but not in a fussy way - just really keeping things interesting and driving the song along. I need to get better at basslines! That fuzz guitar is a nice addition too. Great work
Such a fantastic bouncy rhythm to this, I'm obsessed. I can imagine this being on 13 or something. An amazing pairing, honestly.. so many cool textures throughout, and some of my favourite Tom vocals with some excellent effects - the panned "chasing shadows" bit is inspired. The fuzzy solo is killer too. Quality collab, friends, I listened 3 times in a row!
A lost new order track . . . . . are we sure this was just written and not just found in an archive . . . well till the fuzz hits, New Order could never do fuzz.
great collaboration! love that fuzzed out guitar solo. great lyrics. great vocals. i didn’t want this one to end
Guitar solo! Love the choices with the backing vocals, like an echo. As always, exemplary bass. Some great lines, especially "feeling haunted by myself holding on to the ghost of you…".
Fantastic collaboration. Really polished throughout. I love the contrast between the plucky bass and that meandering high synth. Also when the distorted guitar comes in at 1:25. Excellent vocals throughout, too. I have nothing bad to say about this song. Hard to believe it came together so quickly!
Everything about this is great. The musical bed is awesome, I'm a sucker for a dusty beat as you know. The guitar lines are fun and full of character. I love all the synths dancing around in each ear, and the overall production is top drawer, slick without being overdone. This might be one of my favourite of Vom's lyrics too. They create a cool and ever-so-slightly dark atmosphere. Those echoey backing vocals are an excellent touch. All round A+ collab. Great success!
unusual and effective use of the two voices and an arrangement rich in levels of deep sound make this a pillow of a song you can sink your head into. forgetting the songs we write, or begin to write, in our leep, is one of the most profound losses a songwriter suffers. you have to force yourself to wake up and get to work at a precise moment in the dream to overcome this cruel theft.
Bassline in this is ace. That and the acoustic guitar really push it along, but the arrangement is just bursting with lovely textures, constantly catching the ear. Love the high regiter synth melody that comes in for a bit, and that warm fuzz pad that plumps up the chorus like a big velvet cushion. (Aside, I bloody loved In Fabric. It's so wonderfully strange and creepy, like Hammer had done Are You Being Served or something. Great to see it popping up as inspiration.)
Great (flute? synth?) melodies running behind your lyrics. I love all the layers!
This is so cool. So many good things going on here - great groove, lovely melodic things coming in and out (I’m not going to hazard a guess as to what they are, as I would show myself up as an idiot), strong vocal melodies and harmonies, and great lyrics. Time well spent! Dreams make for great material, but only if you can remember them… I’ve done a couple of songs (not this year) that were just describing exactly what happened in dreams, and because I wrote it all down, I can transport myself exactly back into the dream when listening to them. Or at least I think I can, but as it’s all in my head, what’s the difference?
Wonderful groove and bounce to this track and I love the palette of textures and rhythms—the constant swirling combinations of acoustic, fuzz, flute synth etc combine into pure listening bliss. I like how the lyrics feel both specific and universal (“life comes at you fast” kinda made me laugh, am I Too Online?)
yup i like that fuzzy guitar! that swirly synth is very effective! good echo around the word echo and beyond! a very full song - so much to take in - needs a few listens!
Really dig the groove here - nice bounce and the vocals totally fit.
The bassline on this groove has me in a twist - I love that it's always morphing and I can't make enough sense of it for it to get tiresome. It just keeps grooving and turning! The vocals/lyrics you've added fit the mood so snugly. "Life comes at you fast" and then the guitar solo is an epic moment - nicely done! Love the final refrain.
Wow. This is a fabulous collab. You both shine in the composition and the performances.
With • @zecoopMod
2023-02-16
ZeCoop: Once again, @Vomvorton has brought the goods and brought out the vibe I didn't even know a song could have. I had written a bouncy (I thought) song on electric piano and thought "well, that's pretty happy sounding"! As often happens, I played around, trying other sounds to add and found that vibes added to the happiness. (Okay, I do understand that MY version of musical ‘happiness’ may be a little bit skewed) Thinking it was done, I sent it to Tom. But then I heard some of the ZeCoopDrums in my head and realized that with some modifications, one of them would fit really well. The song was starting, slowly, to change its mood I realized, and I sent THAT version to Tom. To me, one of the very best things in FAWM is getting an e-mail from a collaborator that was working on a song and after telling my wife I had no idea what I'd be doing today this came in. Tom, as he often does, has transformed what (to me) seemed a perfectly 'normal' song into a story with twists and turns and so much more. Fuzz is always the best, but I just love hearing him craft lyrical ideas and soundscapes. I love where this went... :)
VomVorton:
It definitely sounded a little creepy and sinister to me! I've had a really annoying sore throat this week but I figured I'd push through it and get this collaboration done. Resistentialism is the belief that inanimate objects can be spiteful, which is something I discovered midway working through the lyrics and seemed to fit with everything else. Sorry it came out so miserable! But in my defence, everything is awful.
---
ZeCoop played:
Yamaha P120 electric piano (Rhodes and Vibes sounds)
1973 Ludwig Hollywood drums
VomVorton played:
G&L Fallout guitar through the Raise Hell fuzz
#wurli #rhodes #electricpiano #vibes #butdefinitelynotjazz #fuzz #noir #creepynoir #zecoopdrums
time goes so slow when you're walking on coals
and the world keeps on stoking the embers
trying to get past the pain and regret
but there's always someone who remembers
you try to block out the light
you consider giving up
you try to throw away the memories
but bins have a way of filling up
stopped at the door by a figure who's sure
that your name is not there on the list
a frown and a fine, to the back of the line
to consider whether you really exist
you want to shout your name
find somebody else to blame
before you're trapped in this prison
of resistentialism
you think you recognise a face
but it fades without a trace
and your reflection eyes you as you pass
malice through the looking glass
and of course you know that it can't be true
but it feels like the fates are being spiteful
and you're only pretending that the tunnel is ending
when you're back at the start of the cycle
you try to block out the light
you consider giving up
you try to throw away the memories
but bins have a way of filling up
It won't surprise you to hear that the creepy atmosphere drew me immediately! There's a real Blur (self-titled album) feel to thus track especially on those Coxon-esque backing vocals. I love the use of whispers and spoken word sections.
What great musical interpretation of these fine lyrics. Wow! This is great! Love the melody and all the detail in the music behind it all. So good! I really enjoyed this one.
Has an almost vaudevillian feel to it. Do I mean vaudevillan? I think so. It’s the vibes - give it a sort circus-y feel to me. The fuzzy guitar is superb! The vocal is great - a lovely combo of the spoken and sung. Really nice collaboration!
Definitely agree that there is a v sinister vibe to this, and of course Vom brings it out beautifully. Love the rhythm and feel of the electric piano and that vibraphone-sounding motif is excellent. Wonderful lyrics here -- especially love the opening and the "and your reflection eyes you as you pass/malice through the looking glass" line. And a fantastic vocal performance from Vom on this, too -- just a touch of drama to really bring out the vibe, but without being over the top. Great collab!
Yeah, that's definitely a creepy bedrock but with a heavy side of black humour in there. And who's the master of pairing the two? Vom of course! Or Bobby Pickett of the 21st century as I call him. From now. Really good collab chaps, you really play to each other's strengths here, and production is lush. Heavily dramatic but still so grounded, somehow.
The electric piano riffs (which, incidentally, sound more Wurly-ish than Rhodes-ish to me) really drive the bounce, like being pushed happily through the lyrical darkness with a certain relentlessness...it's a great listen!
Watch out Danny Elfman, you've got competition! That super fuzzy guitar in the back ground makes it oh so nice. Great!
Thanks for your nice comments. What a fresh sound here a very enjoyable analog sound. The songs flows so cleverly from one section to another. Love the spoken parts. Instrumentation choices are prime ie vibes, Rhodes, the cool 60s noir guitar sound choices. Do more like this! 😀
Very nice and an elaborate arrangement for a FAWM mix. I love the vocal melody...kind of spoken and still rhythmic and sung. Very theatrical. Cool! Thanks
Awesome collab.The effect on the vocals and the piano sound a little like Supertramp...and that's a good thing.
Great electric piano playing! Great lyrics and vocals. This is deep!
Wow. This is rock opera at its finest. Great collab boys.
Oh my this is really good! Definitely a collaboration of both of your styles. The music has loads of expression and the vocals are so cool. What a great set of lyrics, too! Excellent song and collaboration
I do love learning new words! And fuzz guitar! And creepy songs! This is most cool; great job.
What a freakin' COOL VIBE! Literally cool vibes sound too. 🤣 Love when the fuzz guitar comes in to add a layer that keeps it moving forward. And those call and response bgvs are super cool too! Sheesh! Great job you two!
New word for the day! Love the spoken word and the building drums. The keys throughout are great.
Definitely a little sinister, specially that fuzzed guitar! The lyrics have that same sinister feel too. Bonus points for using the word 'resistentialism', definitely qualifies for the 'Best 'difficult' word written into a song' thread in the forum!
wow, this is quite amazing, a great collaboration that's even better then the sum of its parts. all the production and performance choices work so well, and that lyric (with some great little internal rhymes!) is powerful and engrossing.
Great title and word! What a great opening line The fuzz against the jaunty piano is almost sinister. Well, not even almost The chorus is is a genius way of describing an endless loop. I could go on, but will just say that this is crazy good. Kudos
I love how the different layers play off each other. Focus on the piano, bouncy, focus on the vibes, kinda darker, then the guitar and vocals tie it all together so well. Fantastic lyrics too. Great collab!
Very cool vibe! Love the melody and lyrics!! Dark and mysterious but also uplifting in a weird way. Love the echo vox! Great job!
I think the lyrics fit perfectly with the feel of the music! The “bins have a way of filling up” line has such darkness for a seemingly mundane few words. Very depressing, very well expressed. The electric piano sounds great, it’s a cool sonic palette. Great collab from two of my favorites!
The juxtaposition of the bouncy piano and the darker lyrics, as you mentioned, works for me. I think the vocal delivery skirts the line between the two really well. The sort of sotto voce chorus is very cool.
Very cool. Love the layers and the vocals do add a sense of mystery to it.
love the groove, love the dark tinged changes and epic feel this has. what a great collaboration! every aspect of this is just so good!!
This has serious Supertramp vibes with the rhythm of the piano bounce and the overall proggish feel to it. And that's not a bad thing at all!
With • @fourtracktape • @jimdgreen • @oddbod • @wehappyfew
2023-02-17
TAPE 13!
@wehappyfew - main blues guitar
@jimdgreen - fuzzy slide chords
@oddbod - vocals
@vomvorton - drums and mix
VV says: I was really hoping I'd get a tape where I could add drums, since I've been learning to play for the last 9-10 months. This one was perfect! Hope I did OK!
Oddbod says: Glad it work out well for you Tom - quick work too! I really want to put bass on this now!! I'll have to make do with playing along to it. My first time doing this challenge and I really enjoyed taking part. Thanks chaps.
Wehappyfew says: I’m so pleased with the way this has worked out and love what everyone has added to it! The vocals and lyrics have taken this in a great direction and the extra slide guitar and drums really make it all groove (super mix too Tom👌). It’s my first time doing this and I must say I’ve really enjoyed the whole process. Thanks for letting me take part.
#blues #four_track #cassette
I can't afford a ticket to ride the train
So here I am walking down this road again
Tryin' hitch to Canvey down the A13
But no ones pulling over and it's starting to sink in
(That) I'm a loser
I got no luck at all
I'm a loser
I'm unloveable
I got no one to listen to my troubles or my blues
Guess I'm just the kind friend no one would choose
I don't make an impression, I got no hidden depths
The kind of face you see just once and instantly forget
I'm a loser
I got no luck at all
I'm a loser
I'm unloveable
What an awesome blues tune you all came up with here! Love the fuzzy slide chords and everything came together so nicely with the production and each contributor's mark on the project. Excellent work, everyone! Hard to not be repetitive on these 4 tracks, but like..it's always really surprising how much the cassette sounds like folks were making it together in the same room. Great stuff!
A nice blues tune you can really sink your teeth into. Toe-tappin' good stuff! Great melody. Love the guitar, the beat and the whole feel of this. What a great collaboration!
Great collab, very nice work by all! I like the lyrics in the second verse.
I love everyone's contributions here! Very cool blend. I love the guitar, the drums, the vocals and when the slide comes in it blows me away!
This is great!!! It’s got a Louisiana bayou feel. Y’all were great!! Love the sliding!!….. and the lyrics and vocals. ……and no tape hiss….. how do you do that?? (….asking for a friend…. 😀 )
This is great - love those swampy guitars, and the drums and vocals pull it all together really well. And I like the little guilty pause @oddbod takes before attempting to rhyme 'unloveable' with 'luck at all'. Top stuff all round.
Those guitars sound so dirty and beautiful. This is a great collab. Sounds like you are all in the same garage together.
Really nicely done. Sounds like a live recording, not a recording by four people completely separated from each other. Hangs together really well. Enjoyed it!
I get the Canvey Island reference! This is nicely done, great slide playing!
Cool idea for a blues tune with English references! Who needs Route 66 when you've got A roads?! I love the Rock n Roll Circus Dirty Mac feel to this. You should do another one with Yoko wailing over the top.
I like the space in the vocals between the 1/3 and 2/4 lines, keeps me on my toes! Great vocals too. The drums are tighttt, hold the whole thing together really well. Some great dirty blues riffs in here, especially in the instrumental/solo section!
'Tryin' hitch to Canvey down the A13' - now there's a VERY specific reference that I'm guessing only a small slice of your audience will get 😂 . But my god if that's what life's come to then... well I guess the title is accurate! And no one's even pulling over either. Love the slide guitar work, slide guitar is basically normal guitar's cooler, hipper mate. Great blues vocal. Mix and finish sounds brilliant, especially for a 4-track. Top work everyone!
Another awesome 4 track masterpiece! Swampy, greasy, and oh so good. Cheers to you all!
This came together really well! I'm with @iveg, it's surprising you didn't do this in the same room together, it's so complete in itself.
I never would have guessed that you didn't sit down and plan this together. It was so cohesive. Everything fit together, and sounded good.
impressive how well this all works together given the process! that main blues lick is tasty, and I love how it goes a bit wild at the end of the song (like all the best songs). claps and pats on back for all involved
Wow good job on this one! Love the lyrics, love that chorus...I don't know if the world needed a British hitchiking blues song, but now it's got one, so there. Once again, this sounds like a band, instead of people doing that thing we do...love it
VV - i know how tricky it is to add drums to track 4 and erase the click! 😱 nice job, the whole thing came together pretty cohesively, oddbod's vox are great and jim + WHF's guitars really set the tone. mix is great, too!
listen to these all day! it all holds together well! really enjoyed this!
Nice work everyone! This one grooves along nicely. Drums sounding good Tom and I’m particularly digging the blues guitar work. Oddbod vocals sounding great as ever too.
Really tasteful arranging -- I love everyone's choices in dropping in and out to give each instrument different places to shine. I'm really partial to the fuzzy slide. I'm getting some Black Keys vibes. Love it!
It shouldn't surprise anyone that I love everything about this. Well done to all involved! X
Cool track, as others have mentioned, it’s always fun to hear have cohesive these 4 tracks end up sounding
Loads of good slide going on here. Very enjoyable listen.
I like the guitar wanderings of the intro that lead into the strong beat. Great lyrics, too.
everyone did such a great job with this! this is catchy. i like the bluesy riffs. i like the drumming. it all fits so nicely. great mix too!
I'm always amazed how these come together. That bluesy lead is giving me life this morning.
As a Beatles fan the title caught my attention immediately, and I was not disappointed! From the first notes of the guitar the song had my attention... this really sounds like one person planned every part and recorded with multiple takes. Amazing collab!
What an amazing song. Super authentic and gritty and wonderful. Sounds fantastic too! All the parts fit so well. I just love it when tapes sound like it was just the band getting together again. You all are naturals
Very cool collaboration! I’d love to read the lyrics. Great hook!!
Wow, this sounds profesh. Love the combo of the dirty blues guitars and the drums, and the vocals sound smooth with just enough grit to work in the context. Makes me think of Beck, both the music and the lyrics!
With • @elesimoMod • @fourtracktape • @wobbiewobbit • @wehappyfew
2023-02-19
Tape 5 written by @elesimo @wobbiewobbit @vomvorton and @wehappyfew as part of the @fourtracktape collaboration challenge. #dance #comedy #drone #monologue #experimental
We Happy Few Say’s:
As the 4th participant on this tape I was really excited to be the person to add the final part, and create the mix. The cool beats by @elesimo, atmospheric synth drones by @vomvorton, and fun monologue by @wobbiewobbit already sat together very nicely, so I didn’t want to add too much.
It quickly dawned on me however that all the usual musical instruments and styles I turn to weren’t going to work! I tried bass, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, singing, but to no avail.
After some head scratching I decided it would probably be more successful if a child answered the questions posed in @wobbiewobbit monologue, as it seems like she is taking to a kid. So I asked my son to step in and he responded on the fly to the first set of lyric's. After several takes and a little prompting, this is what we came up with!
A really fun track to work on and it certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone!
Amazing outcome! An unexpected combo for sure but it’s pure entertainment!
This is great - what a wonderful discovery! It all feels like it was meticulously planned - it's amazing what comes out of these 4-track challenges. It's like you found a deleted scene from Grange Hill and put it to some experimental music track. ColdCut/Herbaliser vibes. "...and you stink." - love it! 😀
Great track, love the back and forth between Wobbie and kid, a great listen and wonderful collab!
interesting approach to this... this is a surprisingly fleshed-out avante-garde (?) piece given there are only 2 musical tracks and two spoken word bits. pretty wild. yeah, everything gels together pretty well!
I really like how weird this is! Those distorted beats rule and its cool how subtle the synth textures are. Star of the show has gotten We Happy Few's son though!
Woah, that opening is so rhymically ambiguous, I had no idea where this was going to go, and alas I would never have guessed this. This is like.. 2 degrees separation from being a Boards of Canada song. Great work everyone, it's really great!
This is a work of genius. Couldn't have been better if you'd all sat down and planned it out beforehand. Seriously good fun!
Ooh the beats and synths are super cool! Love the idea of the call and response vocals. It’s a funny juxtaposition with the kind of cool, unearthly musical elements!
The drums / synth drones create such a great atmosphere in the background. The spoken word works so well with it too.
Oh so wonderful! Such a cool track that definitely has never been heard before and is so compelling. Excellent!
This is so funny and charming!! @wehappyfew's son steals the show!!!
Ha.. this is crazy. Just has a really cool vibe to it. Nice work to you all.
Love the bit crushed drums and atmospheric synths. @wehappyfew - adding your son’s off the cuff replies to Wobbie’s chiding is such a stroke of genius I feel like you should get an award! Excellent 5-way collab, well done all involved (especially the 5th participant!).
This is brilliant! As others have said it sounds as though it was all planned out in advance but we all know it came together as if by magic. Just suberb.
What a brilliant idea to finish it off! The call/response works so, so well. The fact that it wasn’t written like that blows my brain - it sounds so natural, so prepared. Just awesome. Excellent work!
Just wonderfully entertaining and executed. The banter back and forth was brilliant. Kudos to @wehappyfew and his son for the finishing of idea. Some fantastic lines. Of course kudos to Wobbie for teeing it up too. The underlying music was fantastic too. Great work!
Really funny….. loved the electrodance vibe on this one…. Great idea doing the voices over this…. We were just talking about potatoes growing behind our ears today 😁
This is delightfully weird! I can just picture that kid trekking mud through Wobbie's apartment while atmospheric dance music plays. I love the places these constraints take us, and the creative solutions!
This is so much fun - fantastic way to develop the 'story' with your kiddo @wehappyfew and @wobbiewobbit you always come up with innovative and fun things to add. What a treat and so out of the ordinary!! Crazy thick, crazy and wonderful bass layers and then 'the show' starts. Awesome job everyone!
Oh, my goodness. This is so fabulous...I can't believe the vocals were recorded separately. I think you should take this show on the road or maybe in a Disney Movie.....Rolling Down Ditches is an exquisite phrase....Great work all around.
This reminds me a lot of a few tracks off the final Books album and I don't think I've heard anyone else ever try for that exact sort of vocal sample-lead electronic music before or since. Great job, everyone.
Magnificent. Love the stylistic melding of those slick, synths and beats with English domestic psychodrama. I reckon you could put this out on the Ghostbox label. It's brilliant.
This is absolutely fabulous. Love the back and forth of the parent/child. It’s just delightful against that chill beat. This is wonderful!
whatever haha excellent i don't care, perfect responses and great thinking to get him to contribute in this way. lovely synths @vomvorton and the whole thing holds so well with @elesimo's beat. sounds great and has a lovely vibe that made me smile loads. well done all! and a big well done to your son @wehappyfew
Hahaha @wehappyfew you genius. I had no idea how you were going to finish this one off but enlisting the help of a child was the perfect way to go. "Rolling down ditches!" "I'm not a mouse or a PIGEON". What a wonderfully strange thing this ended up being, I love it.
Oh my, this turned out amazing! The idea of using your son is just perfect. I'm so happy for how this turned out!
This is great. I feel like I’ve had this precise experience as a child.
With • @owl
2023-02-22
VV: Delighted to have created a new Vowl Sounds track this FAWM! I kept thinking "I should come up with something to send to @owl" and then realised this one that I was messing around with last weekend was a great fit, naturally the vocals that came back were wonderful as they always are! Go buy our album 😆 https://vowlsounds.bandcamp.com/album/message-received
owl: loved this idea VV sent me, so jangly and sweet and the synths are so cool. I just went to a model train expo last weekend so had some fresh inspiration from that (it was really wonderful, I love looking at miniatures! You can see some pictures I took here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Co3sDJTjA8x/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= )
#casiocore #indiepop #jangle
Cars frozen at a red light forever
If you look close enough, people always look the same
Dogs pulling at their leashes forever
Nothing moves in this town except for the train
Heads turned forever towards that one locomotive
You said I need to get perspective
I watch you walk out of the world as I'm stuck here
Shrinking in the distance until you just disappear
I see you
I see you
You're moving on, seems like you're doing well
I'm stuck here
I'm stuck here
Glued to the spot, trapped in this model train hell
Heads turned forever towards that one locomotive
You said I need to get perspective
I watch you walk out of the world as I'm stuck here
Shrinking in the distance until you just disappear
I wanna find the place where the sidewalk ends
The place where they cut a hole in the sky
I wanna find the place where my life begins
How do I get out, where do I find goodbye?
That fountain looks like it's flowing
If you look up close, it's just a piece of plastic
I'm thirsty, but is that any wonder
When this is what you gave me every time I asked for a drink
Heads turned forever towards that one locomotive
You said I need to get perspective
I watch you walk out of the world as I'm stuck here
Shrinking in the distance until you just disappear
Heads turned forever towards that one locomotive
You said I need to get perspective
I watch you walk out of the world as I'm stuck here
Shrinking in the distance until you just disappear
Yay! Vowl sounds!!! We love jangle when it's well done...and this is WELL DONE, even exceptionally done. Love the harmonies, and the lyrics are beautiful. The synths stand out especially (in a good way) in this mix. Really like this one a lot. Great work.
You guys seem to want to raise the bar when you collab. This is perfect slice of indie pop. The chorus harmonies are to die for. The mix seems so clear it let's them shine through. This is all very disciplined but I think you could've even indulged yourselves a little more and let that final chorus go around a few more times.
This is beautiful. An incredible lyric and a beautiful music setting. I’ve been listening and commenting all morning so I’ve run out of oomph on details. Just know that I love this and think it’s perfect in every way.
This is a top-notch piece of writing and performance - all that movement and stasis combined so exquisitely - like a painting of an action scene. Look close enough people all look the same, and that verse about the plastic fountain - wow. Great vocal performance
what a nice indie pop bop of a song <3 your vocal performance was very great! Very pretty the jangly guitar part, and the drums are very driving. I'm kinda geeking that we both independently wrote and indie song about a train hehe, love your lyrics here as well! :)
This is lovely! Everything is mixed so well and sounds bright and clean in a way that I know I will never achieve lol. @owl's vocals are beautiful throughout, and I love when @vomvorton comes in and joins towards the end. Such a great concept as well.
I'm always jealous of your basic riffs and hooks! Y'all come up with the coolest alt-pop stuff.
Yay! Vowl Sounds in the house! This is exactly as great as I'd expect from the pair of you clever so-and-so's! I'm getting Lucy Dacus vibes from this, particularly on the chorus (or would you call it a bridge? Either way the B section).
"I want to find a place where the sidewalk ends" is a very cool line, especially with the synth line that hits simultaenously. The bass really drives this along very very nicely with the jangly guitars. Nice backing vocals in that last chorus, lots of very subtle additions like that just add to the whole thing so much. Love this.
I've probably said this before @owl, but the way you pick a subject and then add a genius little twist of perspective is just insanely brilliant. I mean, here you even literally twist our perspectives. Love how we're slowly drawn into the model until suddenly we're kinda trapped looking out. The lines 'I wanna find the place where the sidewalk ends / The place where they cut a hole in the sky' are wonderful. And all set to such a pristine guitar and synth backdrop, this is all thoroughly classy guys, well done 👏👏
Too late now but "I want some drums" ;-) . Hearing you two collab is always a treat so on my first real full extended time of listening to hear such a beautifully melodious ditty is a real treat and what an adorable subject matter for the song. You've created a wee little classic here guys so thank you for filling my musical heart this morning. Being back in england and bakewell's ahem lets say dubious weather means my soul needs things like this.
This is like a treat for my ears - the production is silky smooth and trebly sweet, yummmmmmy! Owl's vocals fit like a glove amongst the guitars and organs and ride cymbals. "Model train hell" is a unique and fun idea for a lyric. All aboard the V-owl train (good job your username doesn't begin with a B by the way.....)
What a dreamy hellscape! I love the bit with the overlapping vocals in the latter choruses. This is an absolutely brilliant concept and you really did it justice—actually feel jealous that I didn't come up with something like this. All the melodic and instrumental choices are really well done, that organ that comes in is really neat.
A nice use of a model railway to reflect life’s stasis. It’s a really clever observation and the lyrics are brilliant. Musically it’s delightful and the vocals are superb. Faultless. Would welcome more Vowl Sounds!
this is probably one of my favorite songs i've heard for fawm! the instrumentals are so reminiscent of the indie artists i love, and the vocals and harmonies are so sweet!! i also love the understated whimsy in the lyrics
Here's hoping this will be the start of a new Vowl Sounds album. You could build around this theme, this miniature world that lets you talk about the whole world. That line about watching someone walk out hits hard. The music is just magical, especially the bits where you're both singing.
This might be an all time FAWM favourite for me. The details in the lyrics - especially the verse about being thirsty but all there is is a plastic fountain - do an amazing job of conjuring a sense of existential inertia in the wake of a split, and the curdling of one's feelings towards others and yourself. Lovely music too, really well paced and with a great, unhurried guitar part to usher us in. And the layers of vocals at the end make me think of all the other plastic people standing around, turning/not turning their heads when that locomotive goes by. A cracking bit of writing from you both.
always a treat when you two collaborate. the chorus melody is so pretty and sad, with lyrics to match. a beautiful song
Absolutely love this. A fantastic melding of melody and music. I'm a sucker for jangle!
Oh wow great melodies and vocal work and vocal quality! Very polished recording. I like the leap up the scale on "Heads turned forever towards that one locomotive" and "I watch you walk out of the world as I'm stuck here". It's a melodic technique I've been appreciating about the work of @frenchcricket lately. I'll have to check out your bandcamp!
Wow, these are great lyrics and that's a killer last line of chorus/song. Vocals are just lovely, too.
yes i will buy - love these songs! great guitars and that unique voice - so much to take in! demands many post fawn listens when the ears are even clearer!
I love everything about this - lyrics, jangly pop guitars, melody and charming vocals. (I'm catching a whiff of Freedy Johnston here.. a wonderful jangly folk popster..)
This is bursting with creativity in every direction. Music, inspiration, lyrics, production, video, etc. Well done!! Dreamy chill vibes--super cool indie songwriting.
Yes, new Vowl Sounds! This is *GORGEOUS*, y'all. Such a lovely, jangly, nostalgic, and poignant groove that @vomvorton laid down. Love that guitar and the casio is nicely restrained, dare I say it, quite tasteful! And unsurprisingly another gorgeous vocal and excellent set of lyrics from @owl. Such a clever concept for the lyrics, and I love how the title is actually worked into the lyrics. That "nothing moves here except for the train is wonderful, and that chorus is DREAAAMMMY on all counts, especially the last couplet, and the harmonies. Sounds extra good when Vom joins toward the end.
Hooray, Vowl sounds! I'm hearing plenty of vowel sounds too, so well done. This is really great, just the right amount of restraint from you both to create such a chill vibe. I really need to learn the art of not changing too much for a chorus, you've always done it so well, especially here. The chorus is awesome by the way, especially with the multi-vocals later on.
Love the lyrics, I can really feel the poetry of this one. The vocals are just gorgeous, and that lovely guitar line (lines?) supports them so nicely. Dig the synth in the chorus. Beautiful little indiepop number.
this is excellent! this is a perfect indie pop song. great lyrics. great melody. love the guitar on this
What a lush soundscape with Penny lane level painting of the scene. Beautiful all round.
This is a winner of a song. Great melody and lots of interesting vignettes included in the lyrics to paint the picture. Absolutely love the harmony, too! I hope the two of you continue to create together.
"I wanna find the place where the sidewalk ends" A wonderful take on an everyday topic. Which is the kinda songwriting I like best. Nice tune, super vox, spot on production. Big props.
What a great concept - I like the lyrical details related to the model (dogs pulling at leashes forever, the plastic fountain). Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but it feels like a metaphor for someone left behind after a relationship break-up. Vocals are excellent - has that indie vibe I associate with bands like the Primitives or The Shop Assistants (that dates me!)
With • @communitykickabout
2023-02-22
VV: Paul sent me bass, jazzy drums and synth and now claims he doesn't remember what it sounded like. Hopefully my fuzz guitar and moderately unhinged lyrics do it justice! I don't really know where these words came from. Paul said he was going to copy and paste them to the police. I deserve that.
#art_rock #dystopian #paulcore
Throw
Your empty boxes into the road
We have to build a city
For all the feral children
Excrete
All your possessions into the street
They're forming a community
It's politically sound
And when the masses come for you
Don’t act like you’re surprised
We planned for this years ago
Just do what you’ve got to do
Be peaceful and civilised
Fall like a good domino
and then wait
for the call
if they need
you at all
take a seat
grab a snack
and the feral children
might just call you back
Fire
Your weapons into the sky
Salute our new masters
Long live the new flesh
Retreat
And let the youth take to the street
We’ve had a good innings
Time to retire
And when they come for you
Don’t act like you’re surprised
We planned for this years ago
Just do what you’ve got to do
Be peaceful and civilised
Fall like a good domino
and then wait
for the call
if they need
you at all
take a seat
grab a snack
have a sleep
at the back
and if you’re not useful
that’s when they’ll attack
sounds a bit like the clash when they were injecting a touch of ska into their arrangements.
lmao this is so awesome it seems like you worked together from the start on this with this theme in mind. There are some great lyrics in here, and maybe because I'm an old grumpy lady without kids, the image of scary feral children is actually quite effective for me. I like that droney echo at the end. It's like we're looking around at the scene of a feral children crime that's almost unbelievable. What did the police have to say about your lyrics?
Really enjoyed listening to this - love a bit of experimenta, avante-garde pop. The lyrics are mysterious and coherent - they speak to something that is wrong with the collective human soul. It's a call to arms for something that we know is going to happen but can't quite put a name to. Great lyrics, fall like a good domino, the feral children might call you back. and if you're not useful, that's when they attack. The arrangements and vocal delivery are spot on too, of course
Wheey, it's a community kickabout, but there's a cat on the pitch..? Sorry, can't think of a catchy duo name. Pomporton? Anyway, you go very well together - really enjoying Vom's experimenting with vocal fx this year. YES to the Zappa mention below, definitely getting that vibe - it's experimental, it's fun, it's a ruddy hoot.
It's like The Specials covering Frank Zappa but with a fun, 21st century "end of civilization" vibe. I love the way it slips into the bridge but my favourite bit is the shout at the beginning of each verse. Cracking collab!
We have some feral children that roam my neighborhood, so I came for the title. Really digging the disjoint bassline here; dirty in a good way with the fuzz guitar over top. What a terrifying image, politically sound feral children forming society outside. What a wild dystopian adventure. All hail our new child overlords!
Feral children are terrifying. The stuff of nightmares. This is delightfully leftfield lyrically, with some cracking lines (fall like a domino, not useful…) - really clever writing. The vocal/lyric perfectly suits the music - it’s really cohesive conceptually and musically. Very enjoyable listen!
Wow, what a collab! The layer @communitykickabout passed on is wild enough as is, but @vomvorton found the structure to build around it and that sweet fuzz guitar breathes new life into an already lively listen.
Ooh, the warble-y organ? Is that what it is? Love it!
that off beat singing does give a good dystopian feel with all those backing bits! really interesting lyric and the whole music has that slightly unsettling feel but with melody appearing every now and again to settle it
I love how this sounds both really strange and disjointed and very poppy and listenable. That high part in the verses almost sounds like dub but the constant, off kilter motion of the bass and fuzzy guitar keep it constantly interesting and surprising.
Great work with the different styles of delivery with the vocals, all those layers work together really nicely. Loving the 6 bar framework to the chorus too - so refreshing to stray from the standard once in a while. I feel like this could have been a good Libertines song if they'd have done less drugs. Or more drugs? Hard to say. It's like the Libertines, if they'd done just the right number of drugs. There we go.
The shouted words as accents are great, and vocal treatment in the panned channels also. The lyrics in the first verse are especially striking. I'm enjoying the chirpy warpy organ(?) sound in the verses. Very nice angular bass riff at the very end - wish I'd heard more of that!
I'm picturing you guys with top hats and cans, dancing on the stage and exclaiming this bit of inspired lunacy. The world needs more post-apocalyptic song and dance numbers. This is a good start, catchy AF. Fall like a good domino? I for one salute our new feral children overlords. I'll push myself over
With • @burrsettlesMod • @cts • @fourtracktape • @jimdgreen
2023-02-27
Track 1: @burrsettles - drums and bass synth
Track 2: @cts - synth
Track 3: @jimdgreen - guitar
Track 4: @vomvorton - vocals
REMINDER TO COLLABORATORS: Make a video of your reactions to the final mix!
VV: Received this tape a few days ago but I've been down with the FAWM flu and basically spent the entire weekend in bed trying to rest and recover at least a little bit ahead of these last couple of days. Thankfully it worked well enough that I was able to get some vocals recorded today. I also used my dusty, underused Korg Microsampler to pre-record some harmony backing vocals that I triggered by hitting a couple of keys every chorus! Lyrics are obviously inspired by my FAWM flu, mostly true apart from not having anyone to look after me 😞 additional credit to @siebass for mentioning "working horizontal" when sick on the forums and sparking the inspiration for the lyric.
#synthpop #four_track #lo_fi
you’ve got me crying on my knees baby
with all the things you ask
everything you want to do strikes me
as a herculean task
I just wanna be horizontal
(I just wanna be)
(I just wanna be)
I understand that there’s a world out there
and we’ve got responsibilities
I can see it from the window, and
I’m crying, baby, please don’t make me go outside
I just wanna be horizontal
(I just wanna be)
(I just wanna be)
flat
on my back
in the dark
with the cats
occasionally
a cup of tea
and some pills
to medicate me
don’t feel good
don’t feel right
I have lost
my appetite
but maybe I could manage
a bowl of soup
you know I’d do the same for you
could you add a little salt and pepper?
I’m struggling to taste the flavour
but I promise when you’re under the weather
I’ll totally return the favour
Sets the mood straight away with the chord changes. Moody and catchy. Love how this came together and the backing call and answer vocal works great. I like the 80s vibe but it has what feels to me like a more modern touch in the drum pattern and synth tone. Love the way it ends staying on the chord in anticipation for a while then the big finish. Great work to everyone! Nice! Hope the FAWM flu is long over by now.
I stopped this track for a bit, but the line "I just want to be horizontal" kept playing on and on in my head. Yeah, 80s vibe for sure. Kinda reminiscent of something I can't quite put my finger on.
Mmm yeah, this is very cool! Reminds me of William Onyeabor in a way, mostly due to that synth work. It means we get a vocal style from Vom that I've not really heard him do before, but it's a delight! Love the lyrics too, they're tinged with sadness but with enough witticisms to be so captivating
This is great fun! I can relate to the sentiment completely. There are some great lyrics here, but the rap section is my favorite. “On my back / in the dark / with the cats…” ha ha ha. Right on!
This is great! I love the lyrics, great idea to lean into the ill and document it! This all works so well - the drums, bass, synth and guitars all set a lovely bed for the sickly vocalist to lie in, and then the vocalist just knocks it out of the park! The power of FAWM! Or Lemsip. Excellent work all!
I like the stuttery drums and retro-sounding synths, and the lyrics are very relatable. Thoroughly impressed with the harmony/backing vox via sampler trick!
I love some of the stop-start bits. The horizontal line and the backing vocals are super cool. All the drums / bass synth / synth synth parts of so tight, great work.
Those drums are massive, and the rest of the track in contrast is so laid back. What a great 80s vibe this has. I can almost imagine the Solid Gold dancers on this.
Huge drums, digging it at the start; dark instrumental ominous kick off here. Thanks for the tag; glad I could help with the inspiration. You guys did great and pulled it all together! Some days just want to lay down and not get up. The synths, drums, piano all work really well together to build a solid groove. Like the "Just wanna bes" in the refrains. Laughed at "flat on my back in the dark with the cats".
these rarely fail to please and this one hits the right note! its put together brilliantly sounds like it wall done together. that back synth hold it so well! very fine song
ok so, I hate my contribution to this one . . . . before anyone says anything I'm just being honest. I think the idea works, but my application missed the mark. Think I was too aware it was for one of the youtube videos (@burrsettles if you do it again, happy to put my hat in the YouTube ring to try and redeem myself next year). But the input form the others is top notch, and @vomvorton has really brought to together into a single peace. They say to improve you should the least talented person in the room, in this case I was the least talented on the tape, but I'm sure I've grown from the experience! Thanks for letting me in on the game.
What a jam! What a mega collab! I want to be horizontal but this is forcing me to be vertical. Loved every second of this chaps!
What a cool surprise. I truly enjoyed being a part of this work of 80s throwback goodness. Sounds like something from Friday Night Videos (may be dating myself here, but I don’t care). Great work, everyone. I’ve got another jar of jelly to add to my 4 track collection!
I came..I listened..I enjoyed I don't really catch the flu ever, but I do schedule a week off of work each february..suppose if it ever got denied I would "suddenly come down with something".
So good....love the synth drums and these vocals and lyrics are so great and meta...nice job with the backing vocals too, that was probably hard to do!
Another great 4 track work of art. FAWM flu is real (and really sucks). Clever to use the sampler for adding BG vocals at the same time. Love the organic feel despite being created separately. Well done!
This is great! Love the story of how it came to be, from the forum inspiration to the sickness (hope you're feeling better, Tom!)
this is the first 4-track tape i ever started, so this is the first time i've experienced the whole, "i vaguely remember doing those things" feeling... i was so worried that by putting both drums & bass on track 1 that i'd overly-determine what it was to become, but everyone put in something special to make it their own! love the meta aspect of being sick and making a song about being sick, and kudos for using a sampler for extra vocals! i'd never thought of THAT trick... 😉
Ha! I didn't realize FAWM flu had a name cuz I so get it every year - lol! This is so fun!
With • @fourtracktape • @thedutchwidows • @tobermory • @jimdgreen
2023-02-27
Track 1: @vomvorton - drums
Track 2: @tobermory - Bass/Backing Vocals/Synth
Track 3: @thedutchwidows - guitar
Track 4: @jimdgreen - lyrics/vocals/mixing
@jimdgreen says:
When this arrived and I had the first listen, I though I hope some does some vocals for this, it really deserve some . . . . then I remembered I was 4 . . . the last . . it was all on me.
Now I'm not a very confident lyric writer or singer, and I soon realized i could not sing in this key . . . at all. I was just messing around, slightly despondently, and started to talk over the track and it kinda sort of worked. So that was that, a very slightly rhythmic talking song.
#four_track
C1
Unspoken, disorder, waiting round, every corner
To tell you all the fears, been growing, for years
Reminders of past failures, paralyzing fear arises
Presenting every way, though out, all the day.
V
Don’t let them hold you back
Don’t let them see the fear
Show them the true glory
Of who you can be
C2
Understanding, who you are, new start, from now
Inception of the journey, new true self, starting here
yourself, in a new light, new powers, uncovered,
no longer, hidden away, shamed no more
V
Don’t let them hold you back
Don’t let them see the fear
Show them the true glory
Of who you can be
C3
Strategy's, for coping, mechanisms they're growing
Ways to get though the day, any way, you may
Growing up, to be, greater than, they ever could see
Facing, every fear, through out, all the year
I listened to the other mix first. I like them both a lot, and it’s really interesting to me that I can tell a difference. I figured it would blow right past me. Instead it feels like two different bands. The other one felt like the Stone Roses. This one feels like a band that I don’t know that inspired Dinosaur Jr. Which reminds me that as much as I loved my Dinosaur Jr. CD, the one time I saw them in concert I left after a few songs. Maybe I missed the mixing. Great job.
I love the lofi quality and I think the vocals are perfect for this song. It fits real well.
the final spoken word vibes to this are well-suited, i think, to the chorusy lofi vibes of the rest of the track. very clever/brave to multitask backing vocals on track 2 when there wasn't a "lead" vocal yet!
Wow, this is totally different to the other version! I like how this has a more chilled vibe, like it'd be played by John Peel in 1980.
I know this tends to be the case with home 4-track recordings, but I feel like I've stumbled across some long-lost bootleg. Really nice vibe from everyone here - despite the production and low-vocal, there's a lot of light shining through here.
Love the vocals @jimdgreen - they work an absolute treat! Excellent work by all!
Love the drums/guitar/bass combo, and the spoken word works well! Also how did @tobermory manage three instruments at once on this, jeez! Very atmospheric!
Speak singing…I know it well. It works. Listening a few times and it’s rather catchy. The drums have a nice subtle feel to them. The guitar melody dances around nicely. The bass, also subtle, is solid. I can’t quite make the synth sound. Is it possible it sounds like an insect buzzing in and out of the song in a melodic fashion?
This is great, the song makes me feel like I'm in a dive bar in Estonia. The vocals are perfect for the song, @jimdgreen, I'm happy you added them. Beautiful guitar, solid drums, everything is great!
Damn it came out really atmospheric and bleak, I love the vibe. Some excellent guitar parts on there and the lyrics are superb. Always helps when the drum track is solid and beefy from the start (yay @vomvorton ), and it wasn't as scary recording on tape as I thought it would be. Feel like I wanna make an 80s B&W video in trenchcoats in Europe now.
This is really cool! It is always interesting to hear how and why people choose to add the parts they contribute and it always turns out perfect. Well done everyone!
Whoa! I've never started a four-track with drums before, starting any tape leaves a million possibilities for where everyone else will take it, but starting with drums leaves... erm... fifty million possibilities? There's a ton of really interesting stuff going on here, kudos to @tobermory for launching right in there with multiple instruments, the guitar part is lovely and the spoken vox work really well!
With • @sailingmagpie
2023-02-27
Dan: This one started out two weeks ago as my attempt to write something that would fit on The Strokes' first album but I didn't really get very far with it. Then I finally wrote some lyrics for it about a week ago and drafted in @vomvorton to lend his newfound drumming skills. I'm glad I did, as I think it really upped the energy of the song much more than any drums I could've programmed!
VV: yo! drummer for hire! imagine how powerful I'll become when I learn a second fill! seriously though I love how this turned out, thanks for asking me to contribute, Dan!
#indie #indie_pop
I made a mixtape for you
Each side forty five minutes
To express my feelings through other people's songs
Meticulously planned
The tracklist written by hand
It's full to the brim with obscure indie bands
Now twenty years have passed
Since Mrs Fuller's English class
When I slipped that tape across the desk to you
Gave me that doe eyed smile
Wrote my name on your ringbound file
I never wanted anyone like that
TDK90
TDK90
Maybe one day you'll find it in a drawer
Do you even own a tapedeck any more
Maybe one day you'll find it in a drawer
Do you even own a tapedeck any more
Beautiful sentiment and definitely some Strokes feels in there, especially the B section. Or is the B side? Love it
Okay, I started to tear up before the end of the first line. Those tender mix tapes that float around at the back of closets and drawers. The ones that someone made especially for me, the ones my roommate made for our dance parties, and the one labeled only Someone Else’s Mixtape that was a copy of a copy of a copy made by someone for someone I didn’t know. I also love how this song feels like it could have been on one of those mix tapes of mine. Great work - and yes to drums. They sound great.
Absolutely awesome vibe. This song has the power, but also allows it to simmer with the relaxed vocal. I will admit that I totally came in for the title (well done) but you’ve nailed together a fantastic combination of parts that add up to something bigger. I’d hire that drummer too! Those last two lines are brilliant in summing up the feelings - I certainly relate and loved everything about this. Well done
Sometimes I read Pete's comments and I get annoyed that he's stolen everything I want to say, but then it also saves me a job. Anyway, this is pop gold - I love that cacophony of synths between verses, and Vom's driving beat is wicked, and nice fills!
Oh yes! This is what I've been wanting to hear from Dan since forever. So much power pop energy. Roc Ocasek eat your heart out. The whole lyric is awesome. I wonder if anyone ever received a tape and actually fell in love with the mix-master as a result of it. Only in the movies. The ending where it's just that big pad is awesome. What is that patch? I need to use that. Drums sound amazing. Why are you guys not in a band? Love this.
I've got a few of those myself. Lol Haven't thought about them in a long time. Guess I need to do some spring cleaning. Really nice nostalgic song. Nice melody and lyric and drumming. Good song!
Oh, those old TDK90s! I've got boxes of them. Such a sweet nostalgic song.
Great stuff; can’t beat proper live drums for adding a little extra pizazz. They just do something inexplicably lovely. I love the specific references - Mrs Fuller’s English class, the ringbound file, finding it in a drawer - really captures that sense of nostalgia for youth. Everything on this works so well - guitars, vocals, drums - a really good song! Remember though, home taping is killing music. Mixtapes were definitely the cause of the music industry collapsing in on itself.
The drums sound great! Who needs a second fill?! Great driving rhythm. Between the wonderfully evocative lyrics and the dreamy vocal, this song has such a great nostalgic feeling, although not sure I would have pegged the Strokes as an influence, it feels like 10-20 years earlier than that to me and has the feel of a hidden gem you’d find on that mixtape referenced in the song! I like the texture of those synths a lot.
This is a total nostalgia fest which I can totally relate to aha - the first verse is such a good lyrical opening. Love how the bass comes in full drive for the second verse with those insistent drums.
Woohoo first listen to either of you this year and what a treat. I can see where you were heading re the strokes, i feel the whole vibe of the song is totally indie 90s but with a sense of new romantic hitting me between the eyes. And @vomvorton drumming skills!! i have been off fawm most of the month but still can't believe that news didn't reach thailand ;-) . Solid driving and better than ringo i'd say ;-) Gorgeous uplifting listen guys
It took me a long while to realise wjat a mixtape was about - well, I didn't grow up in that world! This spells it out beautifully.
Ooh this hit me right in the nostalgia sweet spot! Such wonderful, spot on details in the lines, and a lovely, dreamy quality to the melody and the arrangement -- love those synth flourishes. I especially like the "through other people's songs" rhyme, it made me smile and giggle a bit in the best way. And that last repeated drawer/more couplet is so poignant and good. And look at Professional Drummer @vomvorton over here! Drums sound super good, love the energy and drive to the drums -- contrast wonderfully with the more languid, wonderfully drawn out vocals, especially on the "TDK90" part. Great collab!
I couldn't resist checking out something with that name. I still have a few of the mix tapes from my first boyfriend (and I'm still in touch with him on Facebook). Nice details make it feel so personal. Thanks!
With • @fourtracktape • @jimdgreen • @thedutchwidows • @tobermory
2023-02-28
Track 1: @vomvorton - drums
Track 2: @tobermory - Bass/Backing Vocals/Synth
Track 3: @thedutchwidows - guitar
Track 4: @jimdgreen - lyrics/vocals/mixing
@jimdgreen says:
When this arrived and I had the first listen, I though I hope some does some vocals for this, it really deserve some . . . . then I remembered I was 4 . . . the last . . it was all on me.
Now I'm not a very confident lyric writer or singer, and I soon realized i could not sing in this key . . . at all. I was just messing around, slightly despondently, and started to talk over the track and it kinda sort of worked. So that was that, a very slightly rhythmic talking song.
-------------------------------------
EDIT from Tobermory: This is cheeky - I kept a copy of the two tracks that were done when I sent this off, because I was worried I'd mail it to Timbuctu by mistake. So I had another crack at mixing so Tom's drums could come through better... Hope I haven't upset anyone!
Actually I found this quite interesting, Cakewalk's time stretching is really pretty good now, so just matching the transients up worked for timing. However the tuning will be a little bit off as analogue tape slowing down == tuning changes too). Would be nice to get the final two tracks separate so I could really make the vocals speak, let me know if you're up for it Jim!
C1
Unspoken, disorder, waiting round, every corner
To tell you all the fears, been growing, for years
Reminders of past failures, paralyzing fear arises
Presenting every way, though out, all the day.
V
Don’t let them hold you back
Don’t let them see the fear
Show them the true glory
Of who you can be
C2
Understanding, who you are, new start, from now
Inception of the journey, new true self, starting here
yourself, in a new light, new powers, uncovered,
no longer, hidden away, shamed no more
V
Don’t let them hold you back
Don’t let them see the fear
Show them the true glory
Of who you can be
C3
Strategy's, for coping, mechanisms they're growing
Ways to get though the day, any way, you may
Growing up, to be, greater than, they ever could see
Facing, every fear, through out, all the year
Very cool. The first few bars reminded me if how much I loved my Stone Roses CD and especially She Bangs a Drum. It feels like here like there the lyrics and the singer are just one more instrument with glimpses of ideas floating up.
oh, fun... perhaps alternate mixes can/should become a tradition of the four-track challenge in the future. i like how much clearer the drums are in this compared to the first mix, although the vocals are harder to make out...
Love those distorted shoegazey guitars and wonky...er...synth? kazoo choir?? Either way it sounds really cool. The spoken word vocals totally fit the mood. Great collab all round! I'm off to listen to the other version...
Cool to have a remix version! The drums, bass, synth and backing vocals cut through really well. Vocal still absolutely shines in this version too! @tobermory's bits were so well done, it took me a week to work out what to play with them. They were kind of a perfect song on their own just with the drums!
Oh cool, I just listened to the other version of this and this sounds super different! I like how much clearer the instruments sound here, it’s a bit less of a smoke-filled room vibe than the other mix.
It's interesting to listen to a remix of a 4-track song. Good job in bringing the drums forward!
The spoken word delivery is very rythmic, I did that. Love the little details that sit beneath the backing vocals at the 1.40 mark ish. Driving drums, love it! This all ties together really well, which I'll credit that cracking full sounding guitar part with.
Hi @jimdgreen, no criticism on you at all, mixing on a 4-track is hard enough anyway. On this I ended up cutting a hole in some instruments to let your voice come through, so things sound a little tinnier than I'd normally make them, but yeah. That's that 80s sound really. I totally agree with your mix takeaways, but fawmtimes often means there isn't enough time to check on everything. Nowadays I finally got some good studio monitors and I can actually trust them! So much easier :)
Ok, so this is really interesting . . . . I'm listening back to this at work, on a cheap USB headset. My mix, which when mixing I listened back to on my home set-up and two sets of good headphones was much more evenly balanced. Compared to when it's played back here and now where the drums and base are more buried in the mix. Your mix is much more evenly mixed, but the drums are a bit tinny (I assume cheap USB headset, they designed for voice not music). Personally there are three things learnt here . . . 1) have space from the mix before posting, 2) listen though lots of different devices and technologies 3) give the other four trackers the chance to listen and feedback.
2023-02-28
I had these last two days of February booked off work but FAWM flu has meant I didn't really feel much like doing anything with them. Managed to get a four-track song finished yesterday but feel kinda worse again today, definitely wasn't up to singing anything but wanted to get SOMETHING done so the time off doesn't feel totally wasted. Over the weekend when was also feeling ill I rewatched 28 Days Later (and the sequel) and the soundtrack / score reminded me of my years as a post-rock obsessive - figured this returning to that world might be a decent way to end the month and so here we are, ripping off Mogwai.
Not a vintage FAWM for me, gotta say. But it had its moments.
#post_rock #instrumental
Oh, darn. Sorry you got sick. I like this piece a lot and I didn’t want it to end.
This is a beautiful and very nicely produced instrumental. I like the movement that builds up here, and the mood of this piece as well... The use of some "extra details" like the Glockenspiel is awesome. I could imagine this to be the background music track of a movie, too... Very nice work!
That repetitive guitar riff definitely pours on the emotion and gives a sense of uncertainty. It builds nicely and that glockenspiel addition is awesome. Locks in the kind of creepy vibe. I really liked how this one flowed up and down in power. Right up my alley - loved this
You nailed this. I love Mogwai, and I enjoyed this immensely despite listening to it as I got ready for work.
This is delightfully moody in all the right ways. The sort of music you could go out for a walk after dark to and just gaze at the moon through the trees and feel a little wistful.
I just turned up Liverpool v Man Utd as something exciting happened and can I just say a chanted Allez Allez Allez goes very nicely with this. Even without it, this is really cool - dynamics are important in this genre and you passed the rest. Love the addition of the glockenspiel too, cuts through beautifully.
Oh man, yeah this takes me back a bit. Texturally really cool and love how it all builds up at the end, and then ends with the dissonant bells.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening. I liked the vibraphone sound. Some nice dynamic changes and movement throughout. Definitely worth posting. Sounds great.
Definitely not a wasted day off - this is super. Both the plinkiness and the guitars are great - lovely layering of the guitars in particular- and the drums are awesome. Not massively familiar with Mogwai, I mean I know of them, just not sure I know any of their songs, so I’ll work on the basis that you nailed the sound you were aiming for. No reason to doubt you! Hope you’re feeling better now!
I got walloped with a stomach flu right after Thanksgiving, then a sinus/chest flu a few weeks later. It makes you not want to do diddly squat!
This is beautiful—lovely movement, great sonic palette and layering, and I especially love the touches of glockenspiel here and there.
Ooh, love this. Great atmosphere and layers, love that main guitar theme, and the slightly dissonant buildup at the end is wonderful. Hope you feel better soon!
I mean, if you're gonna pick a post-rock band to rip off... You've definitely nailed the Mogwai vibe with those lovely ascending guitar lines. Makes me want to eat brains.
ooh when that second guitar comes in as a contrast the atmosphere is set up wonderfully. Nice spaced out drums as well. The slow build up totally pays off when the chords and string-type-sounds come in (love the glockenspeil(?) too).
Mogwai vibes, well yeah - but there’s nothing wrong with that! This is moody and atmospheric and ace. Drums particularly strong in this one. Nice work.
Well emulated and enjoyable, especially with the sparse Glock part. Hope you feel better ASAP.
With • @beej • @jimdgreen • @wobbiewobbit • @fourtracktape
2023-03-01
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With • @mike_degali • @rollasoc • @thedutchwidows • @fourtracktape
2023-03-01
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💀💀💀lmao well yes feral children would be an improvement 😅😅😅
Thanks for checking out my songs and leaving some kind words, Tom :) I saw some of your 4-track work in the video about the making of 'I Am A Nightingale' on the FAWM YouTube channel as it happens! It was a really good watch and just made me all the more tempted to dive into the world of actual 4-track recording! So maybe by this time next year I'll be doing just that, rather than using my imaginary 4-track in my DAW. The other refreshing thing in that video was seeing everybody mess up their first few takes! I know that feeling all too well, and watching everyone's increasingly frustrated reactions was like looking in a mirror!
Thanks for your kind comments on "Thirst." Thanks for listening, and congrats on a successful FAWM 2023! See ya next year, maybe? (Magnetic Fields fan here too, and I count Stephin Merritt as an influence of sorts.)
Thanks for the comments on “Beyond The Sun” — Much appreciated!
Thanks for the comment on 'Floating on the Seine'!
Thanks for the congrats! I'm so pleased. And thank you especially for all your supportive and generous comments - so kind of you :-)
Thank you for all of your comments always, but thank you especially for your comment on "Skipped My Lips," which made me literally spit some of my coffee out this morning when I read it! XD
I’ve been digging your stuff. Look forward to #14!
Thanks for the info on the drums….. I’ve got a set of ddrums that the controller keeps cutting out on… If I ever get my hands and feet to quit throwing up all over each other, I’ll look into that Ezdrummer 😁
I saw where you were learning drums…. I’ve got a set of electrics I’ve been hammering on the last couple of months. I’m thinking about getting an old school set, but I was wondering how hard they are to mic? Yours sounded great in “I’m a Loser”
Hey would it be okay to email me an mp3 of ‘I’m a loser’ please for the We Happy Few archives? Our address is wehappyfewmusic@yahoo.co.uk if so. Thanks
thank you so much for your comments on my songs!! i'm always happy to see another hades fan :D i finished it over 2 years ago but i still play it regularly LOL
4/4, just very shuffly!
Hahaha, very relieved to hear you like my final part for Tape 5, there’s quite a responsibility having the last say. 😅 I'd never of come up with something like this by myself, so it just proves what a fun and creative community this is! Also, kids have a strange and wonderful view on the world. 😂
Can't believe I forgot Clyde Bruckman!
I'm very curious about #bubblegrunge. Looking forward to hearing that turn up!
Mine too. I made Louise watch it all when we got together. Off the top of my head my top 5: Cher, Firestarter, Squeeze, 731 and the Bryan Cranston one which ultimately led to Breaking Bad. Not that you asked.
Many thanks for checking out my songs and your encouraging comments, much appreciated! Ps your electric drum kit has some cool sounding samples, and good way of not annoying the neighbours. 👌
Left you a possible collaboration in your e-mail, but use the second one with drums. :)
Thanks so much for listening to "Like There’s No Enemy in There" -- much obliged.
aaah ok that makes sense!
Eeee love them! Especially Agnes 😁
Hehe thank you, thought it was about time a took a wife! What’s your profile pic?
Yay thank you for the listen and feedback. So glad you liked my song. Looking forward to hearing all of yours!
I love Fountains of Wayne too, so I definitely take that as a compliment. 😀
Thank you Vom, for your lovely comment on "Easter Sunday". Your encouragement means a lot!
Usually when making beepbox songs I save links to different points in the process for future reference, but this time I don't think I actually saved anything except the exported file. So what instruments were selected is just another thing we don't know on The Chaos of Not Knowing.
Thank you so much for listening to "Didn't Say Stay" and leaving an encouraging comment. This place has the good vibes. :)
Yeah, it's funny, back in the day the drummer actually used to play like that. 😄 Three cheers for EZDrummer!
ooh thanks for the heads up about collabs being different and thank you for the lovely comments.
Thanks for the nice comment on At First The Sea Was Calm… It was much appreciated.
Thanks for commenting :~)
Just clocked that Simpsons meme! It’s something I tell my children on a near weekly basis. Great life advice, right?😂
Hey, no shame in that. Shallow Grave is a great film. Kinda makes me wanna rewatch it now, if only to witness Keith Allen's transformation from the horrible arsehole he is in real life to the horrible arsehole he plays in the film.
Many thanks for the great feedback! And a special thanks for a pointer to Wheat's 5th album. Its new to me and I absolutely love it. The vocals remind me of Rufus Wainwright's "Beautiful child". Great stuff :)
yeth
Excited for this year!!
Hi Tom, Happy Fawm :)
Hey hey, welcome back!!
Hi Vom. Remiss of me not to say hello earlier - so, hello! Hope you’re well! Have an excellent February!
Hi Vom! I wish you a wonderful February!
LOL SPOILER ALERT. I bought a better audio interface. That's it! But this one actually works, I think? Again -- we'll see! (Since I've barely touched any music stuff since last February! 🙃)
Congrats on the new laptop and bring on the drums! You are going to have a fantastic FAWM!
Internet Friend! Great to see you here as always and looking forward to more siq new toonz from u.
It looks like Rafa is a bass player...going that open bass E string. Talented!
Hi, Vom Vorton. Have a great FAWM.
I love your bouncy, punky, Idle Hands - looking forward to hearing where your gateway leads.
New phone. Who dis?
Yo! Looking forward to what pops out of your DAW, as always
Shall I write something here? Feels like forever since we talked. *checks notes* Nope, it's been less than an hour. I have a cassette 4-track to collect in three hours, squeee
Hello! The green actually suits your pic! :)
FAWMseason greetings. Happy 16th!
Sweet. Thanks! You're right. It all goes on ramen, and very occasionally karaoke. I'm still not 100% I've not been scammed by the manufacturer but I must have faith that they will deliver, and in time.
This must be the cutest profile pic I've come across! 😍
Jagshemash!
Vom, it is ALWAYS great to see you here and hear you here as well. I can't wait to listen and create with you! :)
Hi Tom, looking forward to hearing new tunes from you, hope you’ll have a great Fawmurary
*Pssst* We noticed a bug with your profile avatar size since it was so small... if you want to re-upload it, should be fixed now. Welcome back!
Ey up duck