Ponyville

It's been a few months since my last blog post and even longer since I made my last track. Lately I've had zero motivation to be creative. Honestly though, I haven't really tried. In my spare time I've been  playing Mass Effect 2 and for a little while I was feeling kind of bad about not doing stuff. I don't want to be too hard on myself. I think everyone needs a break now and then.

Anyway, this weekend I have managed to pull myself out of the black hole I had fallen into and got back on the 'track making' horse (or pony, as the case may be). My pony crazed daughter is to blame for the pony influence. Although I'm mostly satisfied with the result, I can't help feeling like I've hit a wall and everything is coming out a bit samey same. I'm definitely feeling the need to learn something new, but I'm not quite sure the best way to go about it. It might be time to find myself a collaborator.

Doom Song

This is my latest track. When I started it, the plan was to create something using only piano sounds. It worked for a while and I used various notes and arrangements and layered effects over the top. But then I got bored and that's when the whole piano experiment went out the window. The result is something darker than I intended, but that seems to be a reoccurring theme with me. Overall I think it's eerily pretty. I hope you enjoy it...

Today is Tomorrow's Yesterday

I've been listening to a lot of Concrete Blonde lately and one song that really gets to me is their cover of Andy Prieboy's 'Tomorrow Wendy'. It's beautiful, soulful and tragic. I sampled it in my latest track, which aside from the powerful riff borrows nothing else from the song. The mood, style and feeling of my track is completely different. It's sort of a subtle nod to 'Tomorrow Wendy', without any attempt to capture its essence. Listen to both and see what you think....

 

I Wish I was Batgirl (Derezzie Remix)

It's exciting when somebody asks if they can remix your track. I came up with something that somebody else likes enough to want to put their own stamp on. Weeeee!!!!! That's awesome!!!!!!

Derezzie, an electronic artist from the United States, has remixed one of my earlier tracks and you can listen to it here. I've also included the original for those that are interested. Enjoy :)
 

Women I love: Part one

I love women who make music. Being a woman musician myself (can I even call myself that?) nothing inspires me more than seeing other women producing, performing and being passionate about music. When I listen to my favourite female artists I feel reassured. I feel like I can identify with these women, even if we are worlds apart. I admire their work and take their songs to heart. Billie Holiday's soulful renditions can move me to tears. When PJ Harvey's heart breaks, so does mine. I can listen to my favourite Magic Dirt album on repeat and scream out the words to each song, deep down from the pit of my stomach, over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I have feelings that are just as strong about music made by men. Oh man, how I feel like I've lived through many a Dinosaur Jnr song! But it's the women that get me off my arse and really make me try.

Grimes

Clare Boucher is a young Canadian woman who makes music under the name Grimes. I have recently discovered Grimes, but I only had to listen to 'Infinite ♡ Without Fulfillment',  the  first track on Grimes' latest album 'Visions', to know that I was in love. Grimes employs a variety of elements in her work but I would probably best describe it as experimental electronic. What I love about it is the catchy beats, textured compositions and her unusual arrangements of gorgeously girlish pop like vocals. She has a beautiful voice reminiscent of Julee Cruise. Her music smacks of intelligence and thoughtfulness. It is complex and pretty. I love her!

When I write a song, am I doing it wrong?

This is a question I ask myself often. What is my song writing style? Do I have one? Do I even need one? When I make a track I tend to start with a beat and go from there. I rarely begin with a clear idea of what kind of song I want to make. Sometimes I wonder if this is because I'm a novice songwriter. Maybe with time and experience I'll develop a creative process that is more structured and less fluid. Or maybe I won't. Maybe that's just not how I work.

In an effort to find out, I plan to do a series of blog posts dedicated to exploring song writing and the creative process. I will be talking to a variety of music artists about their creative processes. If you have any burning questions about song writing, or are a musician who would be willing to talk to me about your creative process, please post a comment below.

Anyone for chiptunes?

30 Second Review - Clark - Iradelphic Sessions

There is something gorgeously dreamlike about Clark's Iradelphic Sessions, a series of free downloads I discovered on the Warp Records website that is currently available. Short tracks with pretty melodies, sweet sounds and use of reverb make for a pleasurable aural experience.

Repetition is something that Clark doesn't shy away from and perhaps 'Soft Eruptor' in particular, could benefit from some variation in arrangement. 'MFB Skank' is a bit different from the other tracks. It's a little harder and focuses more on beat rather than melody, while employing some mild glitch and distortion. 'Guy Fawkes - Night Night' has a beautiful childlike feel about it, with idyllic string and piano sounds.

 Iradelphic Sessions is delightfully atmospheric and I found it to be a welcome interlude in an otherwise ordinary day. The six Iradelphic Sessions are available as a free download from the Warp Records website until 1 May.

Breathing In and Out 2.0

So it's Saturday night and here I am blogging. Yay me.

Breathing In and Out 2.0 is a re-work of one of my earlier tracks. I revisited the original this evening and thought that it had some beautiful sounds and a gorgeous melody. Melody is something I really struggle with most of the time but I was very happy with the melody in this track. I figured that was enough to rehash and polish it for a second spin. I adjusted the levels and gave it a crisper, cleaner sound. I also altered a few of the sounds, added a couple more and slowed down the tempo. I hope you like it!

I Slayed the Troll and Saved the Prince

I Slayed the Troll and Saved the Prince is a track I made about a year ago. It was probably one of the most difficult tracks for me to make. That's because I had some very specific goals that I wanted to achieve with this track and I forced myself to do it.

You see, I have a tendency to start with an idea or purpose and lose sight of it very quickly after I get started. I'll be all like 'OK, I'm going to make a reggae track. I'll just put down some steel drums and then slow the BPM right down. Yeah, that's good. What's this do? Hmm... I like that. Maybe if I put some reverb on that and crank up the bass and then...' and before you know it, it's not even close to sounding like reggae. And I do that all the time. ALL THE TIME! Except for this one time.

One of the things I really wanted to do with this track was to make something a little more complex than I had in the past. Something with more depth to it. So I layered with sounds. And I kept on layering until I could stand it no more. The other thing I wanted was to not be so dark for once. I think I achieved that. Anyway, here it is...




Someone commented that it reminded them of Adventure Time. Back when I made it I didn't know what Adventure Time was. Now, it's Adventure Time all the time!

The Glitch Mob

While browsing on Soundcloud yesterday, I came across this awesome remix of The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army by The Glitch Mob. I have a really bad cold at the moment. I played it loud through my headphones and it cleared my sinuses :)