You're Just New

New recording. Older song.

I kind of hate this one now, I can't even hear it anymore. It sounds so saccharine to me. I reworked it and I think I've killed it. It needs fixing and the levels are all over but I need to release it into the world and let it go, forever, and never hear it again.
If you love something, set it free...

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by chococat (24 comments total)

Why aren't you famous yet?
posted by routergirl at 7:37 PM on January 23

I was wondering the same thing, routergirl. This is really pretty.

I think farty synths are a sound strategy to neutralize saccharine-ness (saccharinity?). I don't think you killed it at all.
posted by umbú at 8:18 PM on January 23

I agree about farty synths, and the famousness. Loverly.
posted by ORthey at 10:13 PM on January 23

Love your work, and this is another good song, but I'll be the difficult critic and say that the synth sound is not helping this song. Maybe an organ would work, if it were less prominent. Or maybe just strip it off and make it as saccharine as you can, instead of fighting it. But I know the feeling you're describing, and I'm sure you don't want to touch this thing again for a long time, even though it's been around for a long time already. Thanks for posting.
posted by edlundart at 10:58 PM on January 23

I like the song, and I think "farty" is an unfortunate description for that synth. I think after reading that I was expecting something much worse. But I gotta say that the synth is, as you say, a bit too high.
posted by micayetoca at 4:16 AM on January 24

Are you embarrassed by the possible sugary-ness of the song? Have you tried embracing it, and seeing what happens?

Anyway, I thought it sounded cool. And I echo the fame sentiments. You won't forget this place when it happens, will ya??
posted by Corduroy at 4:23 AM on January 24

I meant the description "farty" in the best way, (I'm a big fan of farty synth patches) and I think it works. If anything, and I'm assuming from the way you posted it that you don't mind a bit of diagnosis. Maybe nixing a couple of the overdubs would clean things up a little--like the second guitar playing that main picking pattern.
posted by umbú at 5:03 AM on January 24

Oh, you mean famous for music? Joking.
Ya, I embraced the sugary-ness a long, long time ago, in it's first 2 incarnations, now it makes me cringe. The second version of it, years ago, was really spare: it had no percussion and a soft organ (eww...) coming in about halfway through, sort of a Leslie-thing on it. But somebody spent all his Christmas money on a Moog synth, so that's why that's there (and so prominent). And you're right that I thought it was taking it in another direction, mitigating the sugaryness a bit. I'm a bit in love with that synth right now, so I can't hear if it's too much or not (you know how it goes). Also I capo'd at the 7th for this version, so I had to sing way higher. Then I put on percussion. And you're right about nixing some of the guitars (there's 4).
You're right, you're all right, but it's done.
And I've already said too much.
posted by chococat at 6:16 AM on January 24

No, you can't convince me not to like this with your caveats! it's yet another perfect pop song by chococat!
posted by By The Grace of God at 6:29 AM on January 24

Oooo. I'm trying to contain my major moog envy over here.
posted by umbú at 8:40 AM on January 24

I love this. It may annoy you, but it makes me happy.
posted by Pallas Athena at 1:57 PM on January 24

Also, I totally get where you're coming from - and I applaud you for posting a song that makes/has made you cringe in the past. I think it can be important to remember the ORIGINAL feeling a song gave you, or the original reasons you wrote it and liked it.
posted by ORthey at 2:00 PM on January 24

Last comment on my own post, because it's getting gross.
There's a weird little ghost in this song, with headphones, anyway. Every time I listened to this after I finished it, exactly at 2:22 in the right side of the mix, I kept thinking I heard one of my kids calling me "Daddy!"
I swear, about five different times I stopped the song and called upstairs, "What? WHAT?!" until I clued in that it's the song. They think I'm insane. I've solo'd every track and it's not there, only when I listen to the whole mix. Crazy.
It reminds me of when I was a teenager in my room and "Hungry Like the Wolf" was on the radio; there's that part at the end before the fade-out, some girl making this quiet whiney noise and I always thought my mom was calling me. I'd turn it down and go "ya?"
Okay, b'bye now.
posted by chococat at 3:20 PM on January 24

With comments like that, you can keep it on. It's funny to see someone else mentioning the "ghost in the song" syndrome. When snsranch asked me to play on his song there was something in the original track that sounded like one of his kids calling him (at around 1:05), but I think it ended up buried under all the stuff I did afterwards.

In my songs there are phone calls, cars passing, etc, etc. But I'm just not as meticulous when I record. And just for you sanity's sake, I too hear the voice you mentioned.
posted by micayetoca at 3:51 PM on January 24

I think this must be a feature of MeMu, because I too have several songs with strange noises. One particuarly annoying one (or endearing, if you please) is the door closing. Everytime I hear it I turn everything off and look at my door and am like "hello..?" I generally try to record these things when I'm totally alone, so a lot of the time I have no clue where they come from.

A fun MeMu challenge could be trying to get lots of little sounds in your song, without ruining the song.
posted by Corduroy at 7:02 PM on January 24

any chance I could get the vocal tracks for this?
posted by mexican at 7:34 PM on January 24

But I have, without exception, liked every one of your posted songs. I tend to be picky, as far as music goes, so it's left me very sure of two things. First - You are really very good (or I've horrid taste?). Second - I selfishly want you to make music for a living, so that you will put out more music. Though I'm willing to concede that that probably wouldn't work out. Your music might not appeal to execs, you might have to clean it up, or change it, and then you might lose the magic that keeps people like me rushing to listen, every time they see you've posted again. Love them, even the sugary ones.
posted by routergirl at 8:59 PM on January 24 [1 favorite]

What they said. With jam on.
posted by Jofus at 9:04 AM on January 25

You know what -- I think the sappiest part is the drums. The drums sound like lite-rock sensitive sap-boy drums. If it was me, I'd strip out those boys and replace them with something else entirely. Cajun-style triangle, some sort of thump, and maybe a sampled sharp intake of breath.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 12:59 AM on January 26

I liked this song, chococat. You are talented and I am grateful you share your music with us.
posted by lazaruslong at 2:26 PM on January 26

What lazaruslong says.

Sorry, choco, I know you're done with this, but this song would be perfect if the synth was behind everything else. That is all. Beautiful stuff, man.
posted by snsranch at 4:52 PM on January 26

Another fantastic song, man. I also see you're getting pretty damn good at recording and mastering the music.
posted by spiderskull at 12:54 AM on February 6

Really, really nice.
I'd drop the moog completely [if you must, use Very sparingly, more to the background] and/or replace with bass.
*snicker* Christmas present, feh...so what.

Let the intro be your cue for the rest of the piece. I love all the guitars.
Well done.
posted by alicesshoe at 3:17 PM on February 6

Wow, I don't know if it was some sort of weird subsonic effect from the synth, but I had the strongest emotional response to this... I found myself crying for no reason. And I'm basically the Iceman emotionally. Beautiful. Thanks.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 1:29 PM on May 18