Spivkurl

Ed, you are far too kind! It was an important song for me to complete, and as is often the case, songs like that are difficult for me to share with anyone. Sometimes I wonder about being one of a kind, and all I need to do is think of my wife... we share too many feelings and ideas for that to be true. In reading about clovers, white clovers specifically, I learned that the world record for most leaflets on a clover is 86. I think that my upbringing regarding the rarity of a simple four leaf clover was simply overstated. Hopefully this is true, otherwise something odd is going on in our backyard the last few years! Thank you for your listen, and the discussion! Have a great day!

That is quite a compliment! Thank you for that! In all honesty, a lot of the songs that I make, I can't help but hear strong correlations with a lot of the music which I've been listening to for a long time. This leads me to the conclusion that very few people on Looperman listen to the sort of thing which I like. If this weren't the case, they would probably be mentioning those musicians, instead of mentioning ones who I am only vaguely familiar with when making comparisons. I guess I should take advantage of this, instead of worrying that I'll be accused of ripping of my favorite artists! Thank you for always showing up to the party!

Thank you Metabolic for the kind words. I suppose the "innocence" you speak of is probably related to the aspect of the song which delves all the way back to 1994's experiences. Can't do much other than my thing... definitely not going to do other people's things...heh! Thanks again!

Joecramer, your respect is appreciated, as well as returned in kind! You know you have influenced me since you started visiting Looperman with your songs and your unique vocal work! I have been working really hard on vocal recordings lately, more that anything else. Been trying my best to be at least close to in key, as well as to not need any editing for time after the recording is done. I've also been trying to get used to recording vocals without a blood alcohol level... which I actually was able to do in the more recent song, for the first time in a couple years, from what I remember. Thank you so much for always being there with your words and support!

"Creative creation!" I like that, it's funny... makes me wonder what a "non-creative creation" would be like... hmmmm... ha ha. By "picking thru the sounds" I assume you mean that there is a lot going on in the mix, and you hear different things at different times. I like to make a mix that can shift along with the mind-state or mood of the person listening. Like a mood ring or something. Thank you very much for listening and leaving your words!

Hey 2D2R, thank you for leaving your kind comment! It's good to have you listening to my stuff lately! Much appreciated!

Hey there Orlando! Your comment is much appreciated on this song! It seems that this sort of thing is a bit less "well received" when compared to many of the songs I release. Multi-faceted love is probably a difficult feeling to identify with. I can always count on you to listen to my songs, and support where I'm headed! Thank you so much for the fave as well! Have a great day!

Thank you for again listening to one of my latest songs! I would agree with the synth pop reference, as I do like that sort of music. I like to think of many of my newer songs as being similar to New Wave, but I've been incorporating modern, DIY, as well as vintage electronic instruments with the more standard instruments that would be included in New Wave. That pretty well sums up a lot of synth pop as well. I did use many different instruments to make up the drum "kit." Can't say which would be considered the most lo-fi, possibly the monotribe, but that only shows up rarely in the track... the drums on that are so clicky that they are barely noticed at times. Thanks for the comment and listens!

Thank you for the kind comment, and for listening to my stuff! It's funny, I hear that word "indie" thrown around a lot. I remember a time when that only meant that you were signed to an independent record label. Now it seems to have become a genre. With that in mind, I'm not sure how to reference the singing style comment. I do however take it as a compliment, as I have enjoyed many independent musicians work over the years. I like this song too, and I think it is also quite unpopular compared to anything I've done recently... must be doing something right, eh? Thank you so much!

Heh, here you are with another ultravox comparison, which is great because you seem to like their style! I've never been able to completely hear the connection, but who knows maybe hearing it when you mention it has influenced me more than I realize? Listening to the song you linked to at the moment. While I really enjoy the vocal recordings, I am not very fond of the music. I think there is a big difference between "simple" and "minimal," and besides the vocals it sounded very simple. I appreciate you bringing new music to my attention, at least I will know who they are if it comes up later on. Ha ha! Thank you for listening and commenting!

Yes, you are correct, Autotune was used just for that short interluse as an effect, along with several other aesthetic effects. I just wanted the tune to carry away with the mix at the moment and the autotune fed to the delays and stuff worked well for that. Thank you my friend!

Hey Brado, thank you for taking a listen to this one! I'm getting the impression that it is far less acceptable to people than my usual track, and I take that as a good sign... a sign that I am breaking through barriers put up by things such as genre, "professionality," and machismo. The words meant a lot to me, and I wish I could have sang them better, but at the same time the words were especially relevant when the main takes were recorded, so it conveys the feelings well. The additional vocals were basically outtakes from attempts to do better, and yet they did add a lot. The vocals are actually not very raw overall, just audible. This is the first use of the new four channel gate/expander rack piece I picked up recently, and my first use of the Kustom dynamic microphone in quite some time. I suppose it could be considered a new or different genre, but it is securely influenced by early psychedelic rock such as Jefferson Airplane and The Doors, as well as some new wave stuff like New Order. In face the riff that shows up a couple times in the second half seems almost stolen from New Order, which was totally unintentional, and I didn't realize it until later. Totally appreciate you stopping by!

Hey man! Good to hear from you every now and then! I think you probably did the right thing with the bong... you know "grain of salt" and all. My roots are really in psychedelic genres, and more specifically Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Depeche Mode, and the like. I know... that last one doesn't fit, but it works for my ears. The second half of the song is definitely more important riff-wise, as I think I really captured the New Order vibe in places, and on accident no less. I haven't used a dynamic microphone for a while, but I think that the tone really suited the song... plus it was easy since I already had it hooked to the noise gate for testing. Thank you very much for taking a listen to this! Have a great day!

Hello again Ed! Thanks for taking to the new version, as it's definitely better... hence the earlier one doesn't matter much. I'm really looking forward to hearing more remixes of this as they roll in! "Damn find entertainment" is quite the compliment, I appreciate it!

Thank you for taking a listen and leaving your comment my friend! The statement; "You do a great job of sustaning the musical line from start to finish" made me wonder what you meant. I suppose I just found it difficult to figure out. I don't know why. I'm happy that you enjoyed listening! Thank you for the fave as well!

Hey there Mosaic! It was good to hear from you on this song, as well as by email! I'm still really enjoying you remix, so thank you for doing that. Hope that the large amount of strife present on Looperman has not chased you away already. You are always such an asset to the community. Thank you much for leaving a comment here!

Hey Modnex, good to hear from you! Happy that you enjoyed what you heard here! In this case, the vocals were recorded with a Marantz Superscope EC-5 which I picked up not too long ago. It's a similar type of microphone to what I built (cardioid electret condenser), but has only a single element and is powered from 1.5v DC instead of 3v. I got it for a steal, with the original case, clip and documents. I really like it for any sort of mono recording, it's very clear and it ignores a lot of background noise. The modular stuff in here is really the only instrument that I built from scratch, but the monotribe is modified both by someone else and myself. Since I've been working really hard on restoring the room which will be my second studio, I have been relaxing a bit in my musical work for the time being, ie not delving too deep into new builds. The key of the song is an Arabic mode, so I think that is what you are hearing. Thanks so much for leaving your comment!

Thank you much for the positive words! I've been really enjoying the compositional process lately, and I'm happy that it shows. I like exploring the effect that certain limitations of notes, and the subsequent available intervals can have on a song. I really appreciate you taking a listen!

Thank you Silverman for another enjoyable comment to read! You are right, there was a lot of work put into this, but it was worth it. The "circus theatrical" comment is interesting, as I have been known to mimic circus/carnival type sounds in the distant past, but not so much consciously any more. I have however been watching the film "Repo: The Genetic Opera" obsessively for the past couple of years, and there are some things in there which may fit that description as well. I've tried hard to expand the dynamics of my songs recently, and I think I'm getting the hang of it. I've never been in an asylum, but if I acted upon all of my urges, I probably would be... since I have the disability to warrant it. Who knows?! Thanks much for listening!

Hey thanks for listening and commenting! I still use computers of course, and I do like some virtual stuff, but it is far to easy to think that a piece of software will turn us into rich famous musicians. I've pretty much always been making noise with real objects, and the more I do it, the more fulfilled I feel as an artist. I appreciate you stopping by!

Thank you for taking a listen to the updated version! To be honest, the last thing I would ever want to be considered is "professional." I do take it as a compliment though. I'm happy with how this turned out though, and I'm hoping to have several independent remixes flowing in soon. Thanks much!

Hey there! Thank you for listening to the update! Happy that you liked it. Have a great day!

You are too kind with your words! To be myself, if anything, is definitely paramount in almost everything that I do - so it means a lot to me. At this point, I feel that I have more tools at my disposal than I will ever be able to fully immerse myself in, and it is somehow comforting. It's somehow like a dream of youth in the studio, which is comforting in, as you put it, "todays climate." It's interesting that you mention "eyes shut," as that is definitely meant to be a large part of enjoying my music. Audio can be sensed very deeply when other senses are deprived. One thing lacking about youtube, I suppose. Thank you very much for the pleasing comment!

Thank you jamid for the nice comment! I get the feeling that this is some of my best composition so far, especially after hearing the essential parts exported to midi and then played back only with a general midi piano... it sounded really cool and interesting that way! The lyrics mostly are relating to experiences having epileptic seizures, but also relate to a general expression of failure... something which everyone can relate to. Thanks buddy!

Your words are important to me, and it felt good to read them. I do have a love affair with many musicians from the eighties. I also have the instruments to thank for these sounds, as there is nothing else like them. I sincerely hope that peace is in our future. Have a good day!