Author: Thomas Marvel

This is an odd track. No doubt about it. It sort of sounds like a collection of randomness rather than a composed ensemble. The odd thing is I did compose it and this is the warped way it turned out. I’m not sure if it’s a step closer to the perfect song or a step away. I like that it sounds more organic but I don’t like how disconnected it sounds. Got to get the balance right I guess. This track nearly got called ‘False Bottom’ because of the way it pretends to finish and then pounces on you one more time…oh…did I just spoil the surprise? Sorry. I have a habit of doing that.

I nearly called this one Mission Possible because the guitar kind of reminded me of the Mission Impossible theme song but I came back to Pocket Science because that’s the only lyric that sort of fitted – and barely at that! I have a cold at the moment so my voice came out sounding like the chap from Underworld and I was tempted to shout lager lager lager just for kicks but like many jokes it would only be funny on the first listen (yes, forever the eternal optimist, there may be someone out there that might like to hear it more than once!).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it…

Not content with how my voice sounds I tried a couple of different approaches on this recording. Note the experimentation with the intermittent bass. The high notes remind me of birds chirping. Reminds me of another song…

In an attempt to spice up the vocals on this track I played with their pitch – I haven’t decided if they make the track better or worse. I did what I think but what do you think? Have a think about it…

Despite the Christmas spirit (or perhaps because of it) I persuaded Ms. Joules to (once more) add her sonic musings to this track! And (I think) it sounds all the better for it. I fiddled around with limiters on this track to see (or should I say hear) if I can boost volume to that of a commercial (i.e. backed by stock ackman waterman cowell etc) record.

(too many parenthesis in this post?).

(yes).

Fanfare please – I persuaded my wife to sing in to a microphone (without the use of alcohol!).  Yes, please welcome…

that unit of power, the lady of the lamp, Ms. Joules, to the fray!  For this first song together I thought we’d sing about something we both like…check it out below:

Halloween tomorrow so I thought I’d honor All Saints’ Day with a typically spooky song – on two counts! Not only is the title referencing a monster but the music itself is pretty scary! Check out the cymbals tickling the boundaries of what my computer can handle, notice the overlapping of vocal parts towards the end which come close (some might argue cross the line) to being a cacophony. Enjoy – unless you’re too scared!

What can I tell you about this track? I put the end at the beginning for a change. I still can’t figure out how to make my singing sound pleasant. A problem to solve for another day I guess…enjoy the track!

Up to this point I’ve been producing one song a week. This song marks a fortnight’s worth of tinkering. Is the quality of the song better? I’ll have to sleep on it to decide but if it is, I might decide to produce a song once a fortnight from now on. What do you think? I did have a bit more time to experiment on this track – I ended up recording the vocals in the car on my commute – hence the need to cut the bass from them (otherwise there’s a lot of background traffic noise which would obscure the drums/bass). The lead synth I played using a foot pedal by linking it to a pitch controller – this is why it sounds a bit uncontrolled – no, let’s call that…edgy! I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it!

I’ve posted 27 songs so far and I think I’m up for some time off for good behavior (!) so…I’m not posting a song this week. I have one on the go and it’s too good to rush so please wait patiently. You’ll hear about The Lion’s Den next week…