King of Flesh and Bone

The first mostly completed track in a larger project my wife Lori and I are working on under the name Tangemeenie, called "The Gilded Age." It's obliquely about the romantic (and so often foolhardy) impulse to knock down giants just to watch them fall. Lyrics inside.

Come crashing down to earth
Face down in all the dirt you piled up
To fashion your new throne
In the Kingdom of Flesh and Bone

And I know I'm not supposed to know
What you've been up to

And I know I'm not supposed to know
What you've been up to

And I don't care, if you don't care
No, I don't care at all:

I just want to see you fall.

You're fashionably late
For an important date
With the ground below your lofty throne
In the Kingdom of Flesh and Bone

And I know I'm not supposed to know
What you've been up to

And I know I'm not supposed to know
What you've been up to

And I don't care, if you don't care
No, I don't care at all:

I just want to see you fall.

Down, down, down, down…
I just want to see you fall.

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by saulgoodman (11 comments total)

this is the first song i've heard by you, and it sent me running to check out your back catalog. Excellent stuff. I love your sense of texture, especially in this song.
posted by es_de_bah at 11:58 AM on December 5, 2007

thanks es_de_bah. i'm still trying to decide whether or not i like the synth-line that comes in during the chorus. any thoughts on that would be appreciated.
posted by saulgoodman at 2:10 PM on December 5, 2007

I think I'm having a "great music" apoplectic fit after hearing this and the previous handful of MeFiMu songs.

Re: the synth-line, it sounds like some notes miss time by a fraction, but as es_de_bah mentions about texture, I think that line keeps the texture up and keeps things balanced. I like it!

Right on saulgoodman!
posted by snsranch at 4:34 PM on December 5, 2007

I love this. I really do. I've listened to it three times in a row now! More please!
posted by ORthey at 4:57 PM on December 5, 2007

the organ-ish sound? i like. gives a new, mellow color works perfectly with the tone switch in the lyrics. The only criticism I have is for the drums. They do their job I guess, but rest of the tune is so dynamic.
posted by es_de_bah at 5:01 PM on December 5, 2007

snsranch: thanks for the feedback. i keep going back and forth over whether to cut it or not...

es_de_bah: yeah, the drums are a bit spare. i kept them simple at the time, because i hadn't worked out the rest of the arrangement yet--i just knew i wanted to go for a sort of interpol meets stereolab thing...

othey: thanks! i'm working on a lot more stuff, but it's slow going (full-time job; 16-month-old son; metafilter addiction; yadayadayada...)
posted by saulgoodman at 5:42 PM on December 5, 2007

Sounds great. Regarding the drums, just adding a few crashes at the changes and switching from semi-open hihat to ride or full open hh for the chorus would make a big, positive difference. But, anyway, it's a relentless beat that really propels the song. The guitar parts mesh really well... good stuff.
posted by erikgrande at 6:44 PM on December 5, 2007

This is a really good track! Love the vocal style. I would add a second voice (maybe your wife?) on some parts in the chorus to give melodic emphasis here and there, but either way the production is excellent. Agree with erikgrande and others about the drums. They sound good and appropriate, just need a tad variation.
posted by edlundart at 9:26 PM on December 5, 2007

I just wanted to say that I agree with all above sentiments and suggestions and that I like this quite a bit. Thanks for sharing it, saulgoodman.
posted by sleepy pete at 10:46 AM on December 6, 2007

i'm working on a lot more stuff, but it's slow going (full-time job; 16-month-old son; metafilter addiction

The ironing is delicious!
posted by ORthey at 1:09 PM on December 6, 2007

thanks edlundart, sleepy pete, erikgrande and others--based on what i'm hearing, i guess i'll leave the synth line in. i wish i could still spruce up the drums a bit, but unfortunately, i don't have a trap kit anymore, and i'm not sure how well i'd be able to sync up another take on the drums anyway (the drums were kind of the seed for the song, and i constructed the rest of the arrangement around them)...
posted by saulgoodman at 7:08 AM on December 7, 2007