Silver Sting

I threatened to do so, and I have -- a song I wrote when I was around 15 or 16 years old, in the '80s jazz-pop vein of Basia, Sade and Hiroshima. Although I think it's actually more inspired by Tears for Fears.

This recording is recent, but the arrangement itself dates back to around the time the song was written (1987 or 1988, thereabouts.) I didn't even bother to change the lyrics. I was really, really proud of myself when I wrote it at the time, and I have to say, it holds up fairly well. If you like '80s adult contemporary radio pop.

My only wish is to have someone like Tracey Thorn or Corrine Drewery singing it, instead of my nerdy nasal vocals.

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posted by NemesisVex (5 comments total)

Heh, you got a lot of the instrumentation right for the Tears For Fears type sound. I enjoyed those crazy tom-fills and the bombastic snare drum. In my opinion, the vocals are sort of half-right, half-wrong. There is a softness to the delivery that really works. The tone of your voice has that right vibe for this kind of track. But the actual performance doesn't sell the melody that well. It's a little shaky and pitchy, but I also think you could use more variation in how it's produced/arranged. Like, maybe the chorus part gets backed up by background vocals or harmonies, or the voice gets EQed differently or something.

Anyway, hope that critique isn't out of line or unwanted. It's a fun track and a pretty well-crafted song. Thanks for the listen!
posted by edlundart at 10:53 AM on August 5, 2008

the intro bass line was very... detroit?
posted by dunkadunc at 11:15 AM on August 5, 2008

Wow. It's as if XTC's Colin Moulding sat in with Tears for Fears. Definitely holds up in capturing the sounds of those specific years.
posted by umbú at 7:51 PM on August 5, 2008

Any critique of my voice will most likely be spot-on because I tend to write beyond my already limited singing abilities. Most of that vocal track was from the first take, so there's definitely room for improvement. I do like the idea of harmonies. I hadn't thought of it.

Tears for Fears meets XTC? I'd have love to hear that in real life!
posted by NemesisVex at 5:13 PM on August 6, 2008

I really miss the ultra-lush syth arrangements of the era -- Prince used to use them a lot too. You've perfectly captured it.
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:23 AM on August 9, 2008