Emma Lane

Another laptop song. I'm not sure I like the vocal melody enough that it will will stick. I didn't really "write" it so much as I made it up on the spot several weeks ago at an open mic just after I'd finished the words (which I do like) and the backing track (which I also quite like). I get the feeling I'll get annoyed with it in six months and go back and make up another melody (which has happened several times before). It's the only song I know of about a thief who steals weather.

(Get Flash to see the track player.)
posted by sparkletone (8 comments total)

The other thing I'll probably get around to doing eventually is going and finding an actual storm/rain sound to put at the beginning rather than that vaguely-rainish digital noise at the beginning.

True fact: The vaguely-rainish digital noise, if I let it go for any longer than it does in the song sounds more like a horde of angry, angry bees. Digital bees.
posted by sparkletone at 11:28 AM on February 28, 2007

Erk. Meant to hit 'preview' not 'post'. I also meant to mention:

While I'm not terribly enamored of the vocal melody for most of the song, I do kind of like the sloppy harmonizing bits.
posted by sparkletone at 11:29 AM on February 28, 2007

More fun stuff! Right on!
posted by snsranch at 2:11 PM on February 28, 2007

I like the words too. Would you mind pasting the lyrics in this here thread here?
posted by Ynoxas at 2:59 PM on February 28, 2007

emma lives alone
she has unplugged her phone
but it rings every night at nine
she doesn't have tv
and she doesn't like reading
she likes planning unusual crimes

emma lane stole the rain
and now she's gone

she tried to sell the weather
to a man in the desert
but he would not hear her out
emma got worried
so she unleashed the fury
of the storms at her command
after her buyer
said that she was no liar
he drowned in the desert sand

emma lane stole the rain
and now she's gone

the rain will never come back
posted by sparkletone at 3:09 PM on February 28, 2007

I think this would be much improved with vocoded vocals. It has a very daft punkish feel
posted by phrontist at 3:03 PM on March 1, 2007

To much reverb on the bassline. Bass should almost always be dry.
posted by empath at 4:47 PM on March 2, 2007

To much reverb on the bassline. Bass should almost always be dry.

You're right... sort of. I mean, the general principal regarding bass and reverb is quite true, but what you're hearing isn't the small bit of reverb in that particular sound. What you're really complaining about is the flanged filter delay on the synth thing that's doing the bass work.

There's a couple places where the bass drops out where I like it left in just before the drop out. Generally, (true to the principal), it's a minor wash of unnecessary noise. Fixing that's a bit of detail work I never quite got around to before posting this, though I do remember thinking about it a couple times.

...

Then someone would wave something shiny at me, and I'd forget all about it.
posted by sparkletone at 9:57 PM on March 2, 2007