Thursday 30 June 2011

"Go!"(Home-Recording)

Now here's a little joke song!
When the electronic drumkitlet (it's only a small one) first arrived (December 2010), the second thing I recorded was this: 'Go!'

Its basis was a simple drumloop, with multiple layers of live-drumming and percussion overdubbed. I added some random piano-playing, as well and a few further instruments. The main ingredients though were the vocal samples that came the kit, and that were triggered by hitting the pads. That explains the earnest and insistent 'go!' chorus, the wry laughter in the contrasting bits, and – best of all – the Maceo 'huh' in the middle! Yes, I now have my own Maceo at home! :)

Wednesday 29 June 2011

"You Won't See Me" (Home-Recording)

Every now and again I have to return to The Beatles.
Yes, it is something that started 24 (!) years ago, and which I still haven't got over. I first started to sing to The Beatles (in the attic, where I thought nobody could hear me) and a few years later I first started to play the guitar from the 'Beatles Book'. It was The Beatles that started me off collecting music. And it was The Beatles that made me form my first band. All that is bound to leave an imprint.


This particular song, 'You Won't See Me', is from 1965 and a rare occasion of McCartney in a negative mood. Things were not going to well with Jane ...
When they came to record it, The Beatles gave it a light, countrified arrangement, and added rather silly ooh-lalala backing vocals. The result was a pleasant mid-sixties pop-song, but detracted, obviously, from the song's black mood.

So, when it was my turn to have a go at this one, some time earlier this year, I thought I'd give it an edgier treatment. No more backing vocals, but a garage-band guitar/bass/drums approach, which adorned the song with squashed chords (nothing fancy), a much faster tempo, plenty of distortion on guitar and bass, and some frantic kit-drumming.
It turned out to be rather hard to keep up the vocal. Especially since the key doesn't suit my voice very well. In the end, I went for the low snarl rather than the high shriek ...

Tuesday 21 June 2011

"Offence" (Home-Recording)

'Offence' – perhaps one of my favorite obscure compositions. It was originally written around 2001 during The Absence days (but never intended for the band) and fully re-written in 2007, with a little help from Mrs Y on the lyrics.

In 2007, I was recording some songs with a female folk singer, and wanting to drag her a bit more into the pop-world, I revisited 'Offence'. I gave it a higher melody line and a truly Elviscostellian sarcastic and biting lyric.
In the end, I never really suggested it to her, fearing it didn't suit her voice after all (and that the 'I' didn't sound too womanly after all), but recorded my own version soon after that (May 2007).


The result was a rather carefully crafted acoustic song, with gritty electric guitar and some very expressive drumwork (still drummed on the keys of a keyboard in those days).



Who does the song address? Whoever choses to take offence :)

Thursday 2 June 2011

"Nu Geen Liefde Meer" (Home-Recording)

This is a re-make of an older song of mine (written 2003 or 2004) I did last month, mainly to have a go at making a funk-song with live-drumming.
I ended up playing about 3 minutes of constant fill-ins, which was way easier than keeping a strict rhythm going. That pedal-work is killing me!
I'm not sure whether it's holding together, but it's got some nice bits - so let's see what you think.




Since it was a sort of anti-ode to my old band, it was only suitable for it to be in Dutch: 'Nu Geen Liefde Meer' ('No More Love Now').