No Surprises
July 30, 2012 4:00 PM
I downloaded a karaoke file to help find out how the arrangement was put together (although the file I downloaded seems to have some odd deviations from the original track). Somehow I ended up rearranging the tracks and assigning them to string quartet, woodwind, church organ, marimba and dulcimer. And TR808. Not real, of course. I liked the way it sounded enough to keep it.
And then I put vocals on it, and I don't know whether it didn't all go (as Satie would put it) au form du poire.
I honestly don't know whether this is a good idea, but I suppose if it isn't it's not going to spoil anyone's day. Or night. I'm listening to it over and over.
I suspect it's not different enough to be interesting, and not good enough to be good.
Sorry to be apologetic, but I don't want to be the person who lets the side down by not uploading anything at all, and I don't want to be the person who lets the side down by uploading something a bit rotten.
I honestly don't know whether this is a good idea, but I suppose if it isn't it's not going to spoil anyone's day. Or night. I'm listening to it over and over.
I suspect it's not different enough to be interesting, and not good enough to be good.
Sorry to be apologetic, but I don't want to be the person who lets the side down by not uploading anything at all, and I don't want to be the person who lets the side down by uploading something a bit rotten.
posted by Grangousier (14 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
I enjoyed the heck out of this!
posted by TwoWordReview at 5:41 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by TwoWordReview at 5:41 PM on July 30, 2012
I rather enjoyed it...
posted by jim in austin at 8:18 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by jim in austin at 8:18 PM on July 30, 2012
I really like this! Great job! The vocal style works very well.
posted by edlundart at 9:24 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by edlundart at 9:24 PM on July 30, 2012
Oh, what a nice surprise! Thank you very much! I honestly had no idea whether I should upload it or not, and was just about ready to slink off into the night, so it's made me very happy to find out that some people enjoyed it.
I did learn a couple of things - one is that setting a vocal against a completely sequenced thing like this would be easier, I suspect, if I had a vocal to begin with, or certainly much earlier on; the other is that, since I don't really cover other people's material (when I was starting out, in the late 70s, it was a badge of honour that one didn't!), and so I'm usually comparing what I've recorded with something that was previously in my head - doing something that I already know very well indeed is hard. I tried to think of radical departures, but couldn't really do it, partly because I didn't want to take the piss out of the song.
posted by Grangousier at 3:22 AM on July 31, 2012
I did learn a couple of things - one is that setting a vocal against a completely sequenced thing like this would be easier, I suspect, if I had a vocal to begin with, or certainly much earlier on; the other is that, since I don't really cover other people's material (when I was starting out, in the late 70s, it was a badge of honour that one didn't!), and so I'm usually comparing what I've recorded with something that was previously in my head - doing something that I already know very well indeed is hard. I tried to think of radical departures, but couldn't really do it, partly because I didn't want to take the piss out of the song.
posted by Grangousier at 3:22 AM on July 31, 2012
yeah, nice work... I agree with man vs sun about the (perceived) earnestness.
posted by dubold at 4:31 AM on July 31, 2012
posted by dubold at 4:31 AM on July 31, 2012
This reminds me of this, which is a compliment, in my book.
It comes in so delicately, and builds wonderfully. I could keep listening to this all day.
posted by onehalfjunco at 6:41 AM on July 31, 2012
It comes in so delicately, and builds wonderfully. I could keep listening to this all day.
posted by onehalfjunco at 6:41 AM on July 31, 2012
Yeah, I find this hilariously funny, not because it's bad (which it's not, not at all), but because, yeah, it just sounds so un-ironic (earnest, if you will) while at the same time being sort of silly. It's a good arrangement, too, which adds to the effect. This is fun.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:38 AM on July 31, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by uncleozzy at 7:38 AM on July 31, 2012 [1 favorite]
Really enjoyed this. Rather made me desire a cocktail for accompaniment, though, and this still a couple of hours short of a decent hour for cocktails. That is also a compliment in my book.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:30 AM on July 31, 2012
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:30 AM on July 31, 2012
Grangousier = Jens Lekman
TEACH THE CONTROVERSY
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:56 AM on July 31, 2012
TEACH THE CONTROVERSY
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:56 AM on July 31, 2012
This is amazing. Everything works so well, vocals are perfect for this.
posted by Elmore at 5:06 PM on July 31, 2012
posted by Elmore at 5:06 PM on July 31, 2012
Loved this. The beginning had a totally awesome Enya feel, and thus your vocals surprised me in a really interesting way.
posted by Corduroy at 11:36 PM on August 2, 2012
posted by Corduroy at 11:36 PM on August 2, 2012
Holy shit, this is great! I'll have to rethink my earnest solo-guitar version.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:11 PM on September 5, 2012
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:11 PM on September 5, 2012
This is in my Christmas playlist (I know, I know) and I love it more every time I hear it. I cannot wait to make my cover-loving partner listen to it. Thank you.
posted by geek anachronism at 2:52 AM on December 21, 2012
posted by geek anachronism at 2:52 AM on December 21, 2012
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Wrong.
The instrumentation and vocals are so earnest it sells the arrangement. And the 808. Anything with 808 tells my soul, "You love this."
posted by man vs sun at 5:03 PM on July 30, 2012 [2 favorites]