Burn Bright (Burn Out)

I think this is still probably the best thing I've written. It's arranged sparely. It's really not anything more than a more nicely-recorded version of the two-track sketch that I record immediately after finishing writing a song just to have a rough sketch of the structure and main vocal melody. I haven't got a more full recording, because... Well, every time I try to flesh out the song, I end up feeling like I've bludgeoned something delicate. I'll get it some day, but for now, I think it works best when played simply.

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posted by sparkletone (5 comments total)

I also think this is a song which really shows off what I can do vocally, though I'm not sure this is a particularly perfect vocal take (voice was quite tired back when I recorded it).

The "bludgeoning" feeling's kind of odd. Usually, when I write something, I have a couple ideas in mind as to how to go about fleshing the song out. This song's the first time all those ideas have been wrong, when I finally tried them.

Circling Wolves was originally a just-acoustic-and-voice thing too (just because it felt fun to keep it simple and fast-fast-fast), but it's never had this feeling of resistance to arrangement.

But Burn Bright has so far resisted any effort to flesh things out... Have to be gentle with it.
posted by sparkletone at 7:25 PM on February 24, 2007

Well sparkletone, it doesn't necessarily have to be fleshed out. Sometimes it is best as it is. There are certain times a mic and an acoustic guitar are the full orchestration a piece needs.

I think a 2-part acoustic guitar background would be fabo. Basically have one track just the rhythm, and then add some ornamentation via the other track.

I also think the chorus would be great sung as a duet with a female, with the female having a very broad, sustaining part, with you handling the detail of the lyrics. Something like:

she: burn briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight
you: ...........burn briiiiight buuuuurn ouut

she: burn ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut
you: ...........burn briiiiight buuuuurn ouut

or something.
posted by Ynoxas at 9:03 AM on February 25, 2007

I agree that the stripped-down approach is nice on this one. I kept hearing a one-note piano (a la "I Wanna Be Your Dog" or something) in parts, but that's just me. It's nice as it is.
posted by sleepy pete at 11:36 AM on February 25, 2007

Yeah. I agree that sometimes a stripped down approach is best, and that's clearly (to me) what's needed hear, but it also doesn't feel to me like it's ... quite all there yet. There's more to be added, it just needs to be something other than the usual drums-bass-guitar stuff I've tried in the past.

Also, Ynoxas has stumbled upon the harmony part I've heard in my head since not long after I wrote the song, but which I've not bothered to record yet. Out of my head, Mr. Ynoxas, ifthatisyourrealname!!! I've never thought about it whether it'd work better with a female voice or not though...
posted by sparkletone at 2:28 PM on February 25, 2007

When I'm stuck in the guitar-bass-drums rut, I tend to want to put a trombone on the song. If you don't know anyone who plays that, you can try something else, but just seeing what a certain instrument (or a reasonably good facsimile of it) would sound like sometimes helps. Or "field recordings" slowed down/sped up, just to see what kind of texture they'll add. Hope that helps you somewhat.
posted by sleepy pete at 12:50 PM on February 28, 2007