Comments on: Venezia

Venezia

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:32:55 -0800

This is my little ode to that most absurdly beautiful and unlikely of Italian cities. This tune, once again, features the mouth bow (otherwise known as the poor man's wah-wah) plus lots of percussion and whatnot. The mix could probably use a bit of tweaking here and there, but I think it's basically presentable...

VENEZIA heard through ears still dreaming seen through sleepwalk eyes a luminescent ghost crawls across the bridge of sighs the oily water shimmering betrays a frozen thought and reveals that crucial moment that we missed the silken lover spurned the broken stranger kissed hear me mother hear me father i'm going way down deep beneath the water the grand canal is choked with drowning angels the sun it spins a cold and icy blue a silvery flock of pigeons in stop motion circles you the oarsman guides his boat through winding waterways past windows where ethereal shadows drift a distant star collapses and he feels the current shift hear me mother hear me father... the generations strung through centuries just like rosary beads their names are chiseled in the tarnished brass the smell of wet decay wafting through the midnight mass like an aria trapped in a tiny radio like jesus tacked up to that cross of gold we suffer in translation our true stories falsely told hear me mother hear me father... and now you see my friend venezia is sinking the perfect ending for the perfect dream a city born again its promise now fulfilled to the octopus, the sea horse and the bream the right hand pens the verses that the left hand soon erases the rising waters reflect the shivering moonlight that plays upon the carnival goers' faces as they sing hear me mother hear me father i'm going way down deep beneath the water Copyright Samm Bennett / Directional Music (BMI)

By: Devils Rancher

Devils Rancher — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:04:07 -0800

1. Great lyrics.
2. Great melody.
3. Great rhythm. Love the treatment of the hand drums.
4. Great mix.
5. There is no five.

By: snsranch

snsranch — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:12:33 -0800

Momma mia, che bello! What a great song, it actually feels like Venice. (To me anyway, especially when it's wet and gray there.)

By: Karlos the Jackal

Karlos the Jackal — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:00:33 -0800

I am so super jealous of your sense of rhythm. I really, really am.

I really like the way your songs are really built around interesting rhythms, and melody is almost secondary.

(Sometimes you remind me of a band called Saqqara Dogs, a guitar/stick/dumbek band from the '80s.)

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 11 May 2008 17:21:02 -0800

Thanks fellows, for your comments. THERE IS NO FIVE!

snsranch: Gratifying to hear you say that it feels like Venice. I was going for a quality in the percussion especially that would sound almost underwater...

and Karlos, indeed, rhythm and word (along with general sonic character and texture) are, I suppose, my primary concerns, with melody probably coming in around #3 or 4 on the priority list.

Also, Karlos, interesting that you should mention Saqqara Dogs. I never really listened to them too much, but I sort of knew the percussionist, Hearn Gadbois, years back when I lived in NYC. Our paths would cross every now and again. He's a fine percussionist, specializing in dumbeks and frame drums. Here's his MySpace page.

By: Corduroy

Corduroy — Sun, 11 May 2008 18:53:22 -0800

Sweet lyrics! And I like the picture links.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:52:22 -0800

Jealous: I could never play the Jew's harp, and I'm a Jew.
And this is very good! What is the instrument you're playing during the break at 3:00?

By: Jofus

Jofus — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:30:45 -0800

Fuck me sideways Flapjax. This is top-notch.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:55:51 -0800

I could never play the Jew's harp, and I'm a Jew.

Hah! That's why I usually call it a jaw harp! The instrument is neither a harp nor associated in any way with Jewish musical traditions! Which reminds me, didja ever see my FPP on the jaw harp? Well, here it is.

And the instrument that you ask about, n_o_d, is the faux hurdy-gurdy. That is, a sampled hurdy-gurdy, played on a keyboard. Which reminds me, you might be interested in my hurdy-gurdy FPP!

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:57:45 -0800

HURF DURF FAUX HURDY GURDY. Just wanted to type that. Also: boing! That is all. (Thanks again, flapjax. I look forward to the day when you will have created an FPP for every instrument on the planet, including the PVC-Wind category. (more) (and some PVC percussion for ya)

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:21:32 -0800

Ha! You read my mind, of course, n_o_d: a PVC instruments post has been something I've thought about doing from time to time, and particularly the percussion stuff. The popularity of the Blue Man Group has resulted in a lot of tinkerers getting into PVC tube instruments.

And I see you linked to a Dennis Havlena page: he's built some great little instruments, like this one.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:13:05 -0800

Oooh, yes, please do a PVC and/or a Dennis Havlena post... he does great things with propane accessories, too!

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:34:49 -0800

Excellent stuff. More please!

By: Miko

Miko — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:16:33 -0800

Fantastic, flap - it sets into a nice groove and cooks right along. Very evocative - calls to mind reflections and ripples. Thanks!