August 2010 Archives (all archives)

August 31

Theme From The Persuaders

My wonky tribute to the great John Barry. What a tune, even I can't mess this one up!

posted by Jonesisdying at 10:50 PM PST - 0 comments

L'Etoile

A final resting place for what might have been... [more inside]

posted by malocchio at 8:23 PM PST - 3 comments

2010.08.26-03: Viola & Effects

I can't get enough electric viola. [more inside]

posted by man vs sun at 6:11 PM PST - 0 comments

I'm Looking Through You (Beatles cover)

So scody had a medical adventure today, which got me thinking about how awesome scody is and how much I enjoyed hanging out with her and being music dorks in LA last fall, and this is one of the songs I remember really enjoying during our drunken singalongery. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 2:48 PM PST - 14 comments

Help a newb record from a keyboard and try other fun things!

What programs can be used to record from a MIDI keyboard connected to a computer? Also, (bonus points) what else can I do with a keyboard / computer combination? [more inside] posted by non-kneebiter at 1:53 PM PST - 6 comments

Porches

Another from my pop/rock experimenting. A song about longing, Portland and the summertime. [more inside]

posted by Lutoslawski at 12:46 PM PST - 0 comments

Nova Dolphin

A fun dance loop that I included in my Super-Offical Summer 2010 Original Mixtape [more inside]

posted by CarrotAdventure at 11:24 AM PST - 0 comments

August 30

2010.08.26-02: Violin Electric Guitar QSR

Ambient transdentalism, featuring Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, and John Cale...well, not exactly. [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 7:20 PM PST - 0 comments

Money Growz Treez

More of my experiment into writing/producing pop-ish music. I'm poor and just messing around at this point, so it's just Garage Band. Feedback much appreciated! [more inside]

posted by Lutoslawski at 11:17 AM PST - 2 comments

My Roots are Strong and Deep (the Microphones cover)

This is a cover (gah, feels like all I can do lately) of "My Roots are Strong and Deep" by the Microphones. Features my friend Taylor Bridges on heavily distorted banjo, and recorded in this wonderful, cement stairwell back at the school I used to attend. Anyone know of good, secluded, reverby spots in Portland, OR? The sort where people generally won't walk by, but if they do they won't snicker?

posted by Corduroy at 2:55 AM PST - 3 comments

August 28

2010.08.19-05: Rejection

In a thread MajorDundee started a few weeks ago, he poses a query, "What talismans, icons etc do you have in your musical workspace?" Allow me to expand upon my response... [more inside]

posted by man vs sun at 9:14 PM PST - 3 comments

Heart of the Sunrise

Originally by Yes, from the album Fragile. Recorded live in Brian's garage. [more inside]

posted by Devils Rancher at 6:54 PM PST - 14 comments

new Challenge thread at MetaTalk

Folks, this thread is not really for commenting in, it's simply a heads up for those of you here at MeFiMu who don't ordinarly visit MetaTalk. MeFi Music stalwart snsranch has posted a Music Challenge-related thread there, and I urge you to drop in and get your two-cents-and-an-eighth-note in on the discussion. As for this thread right here, if you wanna post something, hey, just tell us some good musician jokes, even though we'll probably have heard them all. posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:05 PM PST - 58 comments

Gills

A simple little song about turning into a fish. Written in 30 minutes and recorded in one take. [more inside]

posted by Jenkiins at 5:40 PM PST - 2 comments

2010.08.26-01: Electric Horn, Electric Guitar, Cello

Experimenting in experimentation with various experiments. [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 1:34 PM PST - 0 comments

Meteors

Intro starts off sort of meh but the chorus is right deadly (1:26) [more inside]

posted by CarrotAdventure at 8:43 AM PST - 0 comments

August 27

Challenge suggestions

A handful of ideas for future challenges. [more inside] posted by bonefish at 3:05 PM PST - 23 comments

Faces

I hadn't wrote a tune in awhile. I had a title "Faces" for some reason...I wanted to write about faces....maybe Facebook who knows? I got a new pedal its a Sweet Sound USA Ultra Vibe( My old teen buddie Gerald Sweet makes these) and gave me one. So I whipped out the Tele and this is what I came up with. Wrote and recorded it all last nite and today. Kinda Lou Reed-ish in parts.

posted by american caesar at 1:23 PM PST - 0 comments

When Did You Know

I had an idea for a sort of epic slow-build, slow-burn song but I didn't have time to work out an appropriately epic-in-length arrangement so this is a little under two minutes long instead. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 8:15 AM PST - 4 comments

August 26

I'm the Scapegoat (But I Don't Eat Garbage)

Gyrophonia goes burlesque...or perhaps the other way 'round. I'm not quite certain which. [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 10:05 PM PST - 0 comments

Voom, As In Va Va!

Meeting this month's challenge with some sleazy twang. [more inside]

posted by bonefish at 9:12 PM PST - 1 comments

A Lot To Prove

A cute little folk song that I wrote for a girl a few years back. [more inside]

posted by clcapps at 12:42 PM PST - 0 comments

August 25

The Dalek Song 2005

Improv track. I'm a stupidly huge Doctor Who fan. I'm sorry. Almost every song I've ever jammed on vocally has included a reference to the Good Doctor. I confess...I may be an incarnation of the Doctor. A fat, currently unemployed incarnation. [more inside]

posted by reklus at 9:40 PM PST - 5 comments

August 24

Norwegian Wood

When I'm in a prolonged songwriting funk - which I am now - it can sometime take a cover of a favorite tune to snap me out of it. Let's hope this does. [more inside]

posted by ORthey at 6:45 PM PST - 6 comments

The Proposal

Another uke tune. I really love the old novelty songs and this is my little contribution to that genre. [more inside]

posted by tunewell at 4:40 PM PST - 5 comments

Tenor, baritone and paired 3-string guitars...?

Anyone got any experience of playing slightly off-piste guitar variants like this and this and this? Are they amusing gimmicks or worth investigating? posted by MajorDundee at 1:36 PM PST - 14 comments

MeFi Disco

Time to 'fess up your discography. What records/CDs have you played on? Let's hear the horrible, uncensored truth... [more inside] posted by unSane at 5:20 AM PST - 6 comments

August 23

Borderline

Tommy would make a good Dalek. [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 9:12 PM PST - 1 comments

August 22

Peace Kids

A song I wrote when I got back from Japan. With field recordings from Japan. I said I was going to go back and work on it more, but I really don't know what to do and am kind of just complacent with what I have right now. [more inside]

posted by azarbayejani at 12:34 PM PST - 2 comments

August 21

Cross Road Blues

Rough as a bear's arse - the guitar is all one take (complete with many balls-ups and towards the end it's gloriously out of tune). But quite a good overall sound imho. Double bass features again. All in all, this is just a bit of twatting about really. With apologies to Robert Johnson and a tip of the hat to EC. [more inside]

posted by MajorDundee at 3:25 PM PST - 11 comments

August 19

You Are Somewhere Around Here

Slowed-down krautrocky shoegaze pop, if such a thing exists. Like finding your pants tightening while under gas in a dentist's chair. [more inside]

posted by jtron at 11:16 AM PST - 2 comments

August 18

In the Constellation of the Pines

Revenge and ukulele. [more inside]

posted by tunewell at 1:01 PM PST - 5 comments

Cool Toy: http://www.audiotool.com/

Cortex wrote: "I think it'd be neat to have more "here is a cool toy, have at it" threads over here, and so here's one of them." I also think this would be neat, and so submit the Audiotool. [more inside] posted by Cantdosleepy at 6:04 AM PST - 1 comments

Last Kind Words

Those familiar with relatively obscure early blues, and/or those who've seen the R. Crumb documentary Crumb might know this one, originally recorded in 1930 by Geeshie Wiley. Here's the Ghost Steppers (duo incarnation) performing the tune on August 16, 2010. The one-year-old who was gleefully running about the room and occasionally trying to ascend to the stage may occasionally be heard in this recording. He was damn cute. Video at YouTube.

posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:37 AM PST - 10 comments

Duet by Good Old Neon

Postal Service-like electronic pop track. Features my vocals for the first time! [more inside]

posted by Cantdosleepy at 2:55 AM PST - 3 comments

August 17

Tapping The Admiral

To "tap the admiral" means to drink on the sly. You might feel a little woozy after listening to this tune, which begins with a chorus of sixteen blown alcoholic beverage bottles in hocket. [more inside]

posted by doubtfulpalace at 11:36 PM PST - 2 comments

Time-stretching with PaulStretch

So this thread on the blue about slowed-down Bieber led me to PaulStretch, which is a fairly aggressive piece of (open source!) audio time-stretching software. It's neat, and is (on Windows, at least) super easy to play with. [more inside] posted by cortex at 3:32 PM PST - 31 comments

Spiraling

Acoustic cover of Keane's Spiraling. [more inside]

posted by weston at 11:21 AM PST - 3 comments

Away

This song was recorded with my old band, Niche, 7 years ago. That's me as an angsty teenager, putting on my best impression of mid-90's alternative. [more inside]

posted by ianK at 12:04 AM PST - 0 comments

August 16

Birdlaw In Dub

A very quickly produced (potentially unfinished?) song recorded with a Kaossilator, a Realistic MG-1, a Big Muff and a Space Echo for my solo recording project, Birdlaw. This is the song you hear when you reach the end of the universe.

posted by orville sash at 2:33 PM PST - 1 comments

Song For Francie

Featuring my (barely competent) debut on a rented double bass. A pedal steel would have been nice - but...... One of the best songs I've written to date - actually has a proper chorus for once (golly!). Bit of a sonic departure too - trying to roughen/loosen things up a bit. Hope y'all like it. [more inside]

posted by MajorDundee at 1:51 PM PST - 9 comments

Moses Made the Middle Part

Noisy old testament stuff. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 10:50 AM PST - 9 comments

August 15

Temporary

This is a song for those who know Pain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1pkb-LLlGc posted by sunsings2 at 5:54 PM PST - 1 comments

In The Orchard

in which a couple of dejected double basses mutter to themselves darkly... [more inside]

posted by peterkins at 1:49 PM PST - 8 comments

August 14

Landfall

Quiet plucked acoustic guitar and vocals. This song completes the lyrical cycle that includes "My Cirripedian Friends" and "A Brand New Fabrication". [more inside]

posted by ianK at 10:51 AM PST - 6 comments

icons, talismans, trinkets and rings....

Bit of fun, prompted by my mentioning in a comment recently that I have a photo of John Lennon in my home studio (The Gin Palace) in which his sceptical sideways gaze observes my creative efforts with appropriate disdain. Of course, there's other stuff on the walls too. So......c'mon.....what talismans, icons etc do you have in your musical workspace and what's the special thing about them?? [more inside] posted by MajorDundee at 7:43 AM PST - 13 comments

this is not a morning coffee note [the rcade deep house mix]

In 2004 Dave Winer shut down weblogs.com. This is a track based on the audio from his announcement. [more inside]

posted by eyeballkid at 1:29 AM PST - 4 comments

August 12

The Kids Aren't Coming

a stab at something near pre-dance Cabaret Voltaire [more inside]

posted by l2p at 11:59 PM PST - 3 comments

NYC

A reverse audio postcard to a friend on vacation.

posted by erikgrande at 11:46 PM PST - 0 comments

Con

Another sketch of a song.

posted by tmcw at 7:41 PM PST - 2 comments

The Book of Love

This is a cover of the song "The Book of Love" by The Magnetic Fields. [more inside]

posted by Salvor Hardin at 3:44 PM PST - 1 comments

Three questions from a newbie.

Various questions from a newbie- 1. How often should I post here? 2. Anyone interested in collaborating? 3. How do you deal with drum parts in home recording? [more inside] posted by tunewell at 8:55 AM PST - 12 comments

Your Little One Way Street

Once again it's the Tomato Can Sanza (run through my trusty el-cheapo pitch shifter) in action, in another tune from my set at the 2010 Sengawa Jazz/Art Festival in Tokyo. Video at YouTube. [more inside]

posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:51 AM PST - 0 comments

Flame Wars

WIP, last touched at the end of 08. While I'm happy with the lyrics, and the beat-producer, antisoc, did an admirable job of piecing together 4 different artists with different flow styles, I really need to punch up the back beat a little, and I'm going to re-record the 2nd verse-- my timing gets a little off. Features 3 guest nerdcore rappers: ytcracker-- the original digital gangster--, KABUTO, and finally, The Ranger of The Downunderdogs. Careful, there's there's cussin'. [more inside]

posted by ShawnStruck at 1:50 AM PST - 0 comments

August 11

Suicide Notes for 5 Recorders and a Broken Chain of Love Letters

Three altos, one soprano, and a brief appearance from the bass recorder. I think I Audacityfutzed this one to death, but after listening to it 90 times I can't tell anymore. [more inside]

posted by YamwotIam at 6:24 PM PST - 1 comments

bare fat beats


August 10

Better Take Care of Me

Another live tune, from July 2010's Sengawa Jazz/Art Festival in Tokyo. here I'm playing a diddley bow, the Marron Glacé Guitar. Video of this same performance can be seen here.

posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:52 PM PST - 4 comments

Once Hardly Known

What happens when Farfisas, mellotrons, synthesizers, and the muddled sounds of a party get to play in the same room. A 60/40 combination of warm bendy melodies and sharp electronic determinism.

posted by DrSawtooth at 6:35 PM PST - 1 comments

Courage

Just a song my sister & I are working on! [more inside]

posted by lhude sing cuccu at 4:45 PM PST - 0 comments

Channel 19

I grew up when there were only three or four TV channels, no internet. Now people want to be micro-celebrities, and want their privacy to boot. [more inside]

posted by tunewell at 1:37 PM PST - 2 comments

Ballad of Steven Slater

Astro Zombie's words, my music, Steven Slater's epic flight-attendant flameout. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 1:06 PM PST - 123 comments

August 7

Help me buy a new mic

With my first steps into home recording, I'm realizing that my live gear just isn't cutting it anymore...but I could use some advice. [more inside] posted by SamuraiCarChase at 9:48 PM PST - 10 comments

August 6

Ether

A vignette - bend sinister. [more inside]

posted by MajorDundee at 3:16 PM PST - 4 comments

Goodnight, Dear

I started writing songs on ukulele about a year ago after giving up on the banjo. This is the sort of quaint, happy vibe that I like hearing with the uke. And yes, Paul was my favorite Beatle. [more inside]

posted by tunewell at 3:11 PM PST - 12 comments

IRL now ready for gigs!

So I thought it might be worth mentioning this over here specifically: the new meetups-and-such subsite we've been working on, IRL, is officially ready to host non-traditional meetup stuff like, well, music gigs. [more inside] posted by cortex at 11:13 AM PST - 8 comments

August 5

Songes of Love

So, I like ben folds, I've been sitting on a great piano arrangement of this forever, and I can't focus enough to attend to the pile of writing I've fallen behind on. But if I'm creating something that can be shared, is it REALLY slacking? This is a cover of one of my favorites from Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP, "Songs of Love".

posted by ShawnStruck at 7:32 PM PST - 3 comments

smile like gwynplaine

a happy, skippy tune about gwynplaine (with theremin)! [more inside]

posted by sleepy pete at 2:27 PM PST - 7 comments

Shallow Pool

Mainly testing out a new mike. Acoustic guitar, sequencer and some cheesy drums. Oh, and a singing bowl...

posted by Jonesisdying at 2:21 PM PST - 5 comments

This Was Hardly A Moment

I decided this morning that it'd be fun to try getting involved at long last with Song Fight, but it turns out that submissions for the next round were due this morning. This is probably the most frantic writing-and-recording I've done in a couple years. [more inside]

posted by cortex at 10:17 AM PST - 13 comments

August 4

Fare Thee Well, Angry Leather Jacket with a Knife

An elderly man remembers a favorite and long-departed leather jacket with great fondness and maybe a bit of regret. [more inside]

posted by YamwotIam at 8:50 PM PST - 3 comments

in the morning

"In the morning say good morning to your mommy and she'll love you for the rest of the day." [more inside]

posted by sleepy pete at 11:28 AM PST - 6 comments

August 3

Death and Transcolouration

He died once... [more inside]

posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 8:41 PM PST - 2 comments

Guitar, Melodica, Instrumental Happiness

After too much time spent noodling, I'm trying to make actual tunes with some semblance of structure. Today's attempt was fun! What does it remind you of? [more inside]

posted by mbrock at 5:44 PM PST - 3 comments

Culs de sac....

I've posted something similar to this before - apologies - but I think it's an area where we could really help each other out. I've got a few tracks - some of them good ones - where I've got so far and hit a brick wall. I'd bet you all have some of these too. Huge frustration. It would be cool to post mp3s of these stalled tracks on the off-chance that someone can suggest ways to unlock or resolve them. They'd probably need some kind of tag to distinguish them as work-in-progress. A form of collaboration I guess.... posted by MajorDundee at 2:49 PM PST - 24 comments

August 2

Hot Potato

I'm taking this night class in 'Audio Recording' at NYU, and we assembled a small group of people to practice making field recordings in Washington Square Park. 'Hot Potato' was sung and played by a duo in town from Tennessee who played accordion and ukulele. [more inside]

posted by mythicalbyrd at 7:50 AM PST - 2 comments

August 1

Saturday's Lament

A goofy little 30-second vignette. [more inside]

posted by uncleozzy at 9:25 AM PST - 7 comments