come here (aberdeen)

This started as a weird tune with pseudo-Indian wailing/cat meowing vocals, guitar feedback, and a one-note sitar solo. It still has those elements, but the track ended up being an almost radio-friendly, catchy (?) pop-rock thing.

When I first wrote this, it had the nonsense lyrics;

you've been my lover since i was seventeen
nobody told me the city was aberdeen

I've known this as "the Aberdeen song" for a couple of months, so I left the city name in the title -- even if the new lyrics have nothing to do with that city. I usually write sad songs, so this time around I tried to write something more upbeat, with a "let's go out tonight" sort of vibe. My wife is on backup vocals along with my own overdub.

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by edlundart (12 comments total)

put on your pumps and a skirt and let's get outta here
the city will make any rust on our skins disappear
why would we stay holed up? the horizon is clear
let's be celebrities, let's attend a premiere

miere, miere,
premiere, miere, miere

i got a feeling this night is ours my dear
blood is pumping as midnight is drawing near
if turning me on is a job then you've got the right gear
so tousle your hair, look into my eyes and come here

here, here
come here, here, here

come here, come here (i'm coming)
posted by edlundart at 7:10 PM on February 9

This is great. Catchy, risque lyrics, and still indie-fab. Great falsetto, as always. And pretty background vocals!
posted by Corduroy at 2:13 PM on February 10

P.S. I feel like you're doing something different than your earlier postings. Can't quite pinpoint it, but I just am liking your recordings more and more. I think your more adventurous vocals have a lot to do with it.
posted by Corduroy at 2:16 PM on February 10

Thanks, Corduroy! Happy to hear you can trace some kind of progress. I keep trying to push towards a different, more interesting sound, but honestly, I'm nowhere near where I'd want to be with that. But hey, it's a fun journey.
posted by edlundart at 5:37 PM on February 10

Yea, edlundart, you definitely have something great here. Forgive me for saying so, but it's sexy! This is PERFECT for dancing with your girl/partner in the living room just prior to...

Good show Hombre!!!
posted by snsranch at 5:31 PM on February 11

Very catchy. The ambient sounding noise in the background gives it a good feel.
posted by ageispolis at 9:35 PM on February 11

Awesome, thanks to both of you! A sexy feel is good.
posted by edlundart at 8:31 AM on February 12

this is a really nice song and arrangement, edlundart! possibly, one of the most emotionally effecting things I've found posted here. it really sets a great mood.

the only critical feedback i'd offer (and i only offer it because this is too good not to give the attention it deserves) is that this particular mix--which i know is probably a rough mix anyway--still seems to have a little ways to go. the mix as a whole has a sort of over-compressed quality (heh, i'm one to talk about that). this song really calls for a clean and bright sounding mix IMO, so you might try using a harmonic exciter set to work on the higher and higher-mid frequency harmonics in your mastering chain to bring those qualities out more.

also, bring the drum levels up, or work on giving them more definition; they sound great at the start, but then they seem almost to fade into the background at times once those gorgeous vocals and ambient atmospherics start. that effect could also be a bi-product of the settings of the compression you're using on the mix. if you also have a lot of compression on the drum submix, then there could be an additive effect at work. it sounds like the compressor is attenuating the drum mix a lot, because they get noticeably more compressed-sounding at times.

i hope none of this feedback is unwelcome--i know unsolicited feedback can seem harsh sometimes, but this song is really good, and i think a few minor tweaks to the mix can make what's good about it come across even more. you might have already been thinking along similar lines, so just ignore me in that case.

Either way, it's still going straight to my playlist.
posted by saulgoodman at 7:59 AM on February 17

saulgoodman, thank you so much for your feedback. it's not unwelcome at all -- i always hope for more of it than i get. i sent this song to my brother recently, and he wrote back today saying he liked it but that i should bring the drums up in the mix. i was just listening to it again to see if he's right when i read your comment. i can hear now what he meant, and you are giving me better insight into exactly what might be happening and what i might try to do to fix it.

i spend some time on my mixes, but in a very amateurish way, and not to the degree that i know you do. i get it to a point where i think it sounds pretty good, and then i'm happy to leave it at that and move on to the next song. but with this feedback i'll try to at least spend a little more time experimenting especially with the drum levels/compression. right now there is no compressor on the drums but there is a limiter on the master channel affecting the mix as a whole. i'm guessing this use of the limiter is what's messing things up, and that i should instead put some light compression on the drums. does that sound semi-smart?
posted by edlundart at 12:24 PM on February 17

edlundart: i know what you mean. up until pretty recently i've always worked much the same way--more by feel than analytically--but working on my new album with my wife i've been trying to pay more attention to these things. limiting compression on the master channel, if the mix is hitting it pretty hard probably would account for a lot of what i hear. in general, it seems to be important to avoid riding a limiter. limiters are best used for keeping occasional peaks from clipping

and hey, FWIW, anybody who can craft an arrangement and song like this doesn't have to worry about sounding semi-smart in my book...
posted by saulgoodman at 1:34 PM on February 17

thanks again for the kind words. i'll definitely play around with this, maybe after a break from the song. the cool thing is, this advice is applicable to future efforts as well.
posted by edlundart at 1:50 PM on February 17

Excellent work.

The marimba is just delicious.

I agree with the esteemed Mr. Goodman about the drums. They have great presence at the beginning and they definitely get marginalized as the song goes on.
posted by Ynoxas at 8:10 PM on February 18