I've been doing things.
Been hating work. A lot. Actually, today was ok-ish if it wasn't for the fact I had no sleep overnight. And still hven't. I have to move flat tonight and tomorrow, and I just don't want to do it.
<> will start recording their demo as of next Wednesday the 15th of September. Leighton and Jamal are on a "songwriting" trip up to Newcastle....these new songs that have been spewing out from our rehearsal facility have had a new level of maturity and dynamics that have somehow been lacking from our previous songs. Leighton has written this song called "The world on your shoulders" about his dad and about how when you get old, you find that there's things you just can't do anymore....your bones start to seize, or your back goes....and the realization that you're getting old. Jamal also has another song up his sleeve, a rocker....and Leighton too....it would appear that these guys are the main songwriters of <> and to a degree, I'd agree, but I'm trying to wheedle in there; I just think that my songs have a hard time trying to see the light of day because they are a bit different from the others.
That all being said, the other night we pulled out the really old songs and re-did them in the complete spirit of experimentation, almost a jazz level of experimentation....and the songs started taking on a whole more mature sound....there was a tangible feeling of "we are getting there" - even if we weren't EXACTLY there yet - we were at least progressing to that peak. It poses a problem, however. I belive that <> the band now has two core sounds - the sounds that we had when we were starting out...as if it was a "college" sound for want of a far better argument - and this new "mature" sound - where the lyrics are getting heavier, the music is becoming more intricate and composed...almost anthemic and symphonic...and it'll be interesting which songs we'll choose to put on this demo that we feel best represent us at this present time. So recording starts Wednesday, and we're looking at doing the drums around about Sunday of next week.
My task in the meantime is to get a rough cut of "Supraphon" down onto the 505 for upload to Sonar. I'd love to have it on mp3 so I can run around with it freestyling lyrics for it wherever I go - or better yet, be able to record down lyrics whilst it's playing....I've got this "Dogboyheadset" spirit in me at the moment - I'm just listening to Underworlds' "ManLoop" for about the millionth time from www.underworldlive.com and have been thinking about their methodologies and just how they use whatever ideas come to them - they leave themselves as open vessels in order to be filled with whatever comes their way, and I think that's an excellent way to be - but it's getting to that point that's the tricky bit.
What's killing me at the moment is the sheer lack of time to be myself, let alone be with my friends. I'm always doing something important which doesn't seem to leave me any time to just unplug from this complicated world I seem to have assimilated myself into. I need to get a holiday, or get out and do things, have a life....go for a swim with friends....go out clubbing - just to fucking feel alive. I'm falling into the same old social cliques and traps, that's what I think it is. I think I need some new experiences - break up the monotony. Grab Natasha and head off to an exhibition or the like. Make some new friends. That's it - make some new friends. I need to write stuff down. My moleskine has been taking a battering recently, been writing and writing and writing into it - the fruits of which may or may not see this light of day here - I was originally intending to transcribe all the warblings to LJ - but there's just so much....you get to typing it all up, and you can't be arsed. So this is a random one. Just opened up the window, didn't know what I was going to type into it, and out it spewed.
I've been thiking about Russia a lot in light of what's been going on recently with the massacre. It's affected me, and I've let it. The images of those children - the look of sheer horror on their faces - coupled with the blood and general unkemptness from being holed up in a gym for days in stifling heat without even the most basic of human resources - such as water - that's what I've been thinking about. Trying to imagine how people find the will to try and survive those sorts of conditions - and lets not mention the fact that there are terrorists with guns who show no tolerance or mercy for either the young, the old or the in-between - as well as having the whole place tripped and booby-trapped with bombs that would easily wipe a building in half, let alone rip apart a childs' torso, limb from limb. Yes, I've been angry - angry that this sort of atrocity still carries on in this day and age - and angry that I'm blind to it - that the media hides this sort of stuff from the general Australian populace until it is too late.
<> will start recording their demo as of next Wednesday the 15th of September. Leighton and Jamal are on a "songwriting" trip up to Newcastle....these new songs that have been spewing out from our rehearsal facility have had a new level of maturity and dynamics that have somehow been lacking from our previous songs. Leighton has written this song called "The world on your shoulders" about his dad and about how when you get old, you find that there's things you just can't do anymore....your bones start to seize, or your back goes....and the realization that you're getting old. Jamal also has another song up his sleeve, a rocker....and Leighton too....it would appear that these guys are the main songwriters of <> and to a degree, I'd agree, but I'm trying to wheedle in there; I just think that my songs have a hard time trying to see the light of day because they are a bit different from the others.
That all being said, the other night we pulled out the really old songs and re-did them in the complete spirit of experimentation, almost a jazz level of experimentation....and the songs started taking on a whole more mature sound....there was a tangible feeling of "we are getting there" - even if we weren't EXACTLY there yet - we were at least progressing to that peak. It poses a problem, however. I belive that <> the band now has two core sounds - the sounds that we had when we were starting out...as if it was a "college" sound for want of a far better argument - and this new "mature" sound - where the lyrics are getting heavier, the music is becoming more intricate and composed...almost anthemic and symphonic...and it'll be interesting which songs we'll choose to put on this demo that we feel best represent us at this present time. So recording starts Wednesday, and we're looking at doing the drums around about Sunday of next week.
My task in the meantime is to get a rough cut of "Supraphon" down onto the 505 for upload to Sonar. I'd love to have it on mp3 so I can run around with it freestyling lyrics for it wherever I go - or better yet, be able to record down lyrics whilst it's playing....I've got this "Dogboyheadset" spirit in me at the moment - I'm just listening to Underworlds' "ManLoop" for about the millionth time from www.underworldlive.com and have been thinking about their methodologies and just how they use whatever ideas come to them - they leave themselves as open vessels in order to be filled with whatever comes their way, and I think that's an excellent way to be - but it's getting to that point that's the tricky bit.
What's killing me at the moment is the sheer lack of time to be myself, let alone be with my friends. I'm always doing something important which doesn't seem to leave me any time to just unplug from this complicated world I seem to have assimilated myself into. I need to get a holiday, or get out and do things, have a life....go for a swim with friends....go out clubbing - just to fucking feel alive. I'm falling into the same old social cliques and traps, that's what I think it is. I think I need some new experiences - break up the monotony. Grab Natasha and head off to an exhibition or the like. Make some new friends. That's it - make some new friends. I need to write stuff down. My moleskine has been taking a battering recently, been writing and writing and writing into it - the fruits of which may or may not see this light of day here - I was originally intending to transcribe all the warblings to LJ - but there's just so much....you get to typing it all up, and you can't be arsed. So this is a random one. Just opened up the window, didn't know what I was going to type into it, and out it spewed.
I've been thiking about Russia a lot in light of what's been going on recently with the massacre. It's affected me, and I've let it. The images of those children - the look of sheer horror on their faces - coupled with the blood and general unkemptness from being holed up in a gym for days in stifling heat without even the most basic of human resources - such as water - that's what I've been thinking about. Trying to imagine how people find the will to try and survive those sorts of conditions - and lets not mention the fact that there are terrorists with guns who show no tolerance or mercy for either the young, the old or the in-between - as well as having the whole place tripped and booby-trapped with bombs that would easily wipe a building in half, let alone rip apart a childs' torso, limb from limb. Yes, I've been angry - angry that this sort of atrocity still carries on in this day and age - and angry that I'm blind to it - that the media hides this sort of stuff from the general Australian populace until it is too late.