Anarchangel recording EP thread

[Nephew Twiddleton]

This is some stupid blog shit.

So, we have all of the drum tracks down except on Stare at the Sun. For some reason Peter just can't nail it. Tonight was a night that we were to listen to the drum tracks for everything and get the last one done. All the other drum tracks were fine. And we've played this song at least 100 times. But for some reason, Pete just can't get it going. He was supposed to be done tonight and Villager was supposed to start her bass tracks.

Here's the thing. recording is always fun in retrospect. But it blows when you're actually doing it.

And, with Stare at the Sun, that is my signature song. I have to be there. I have to answer questions. I have to give direction. The most important directive I gave tonight was "two more takes, and we call it a night." I am a retard when it comes to percussion. All I need you to do is be a fucking metronome. But it doesn't work that way, does it?

We're going to nail it on Saturday. I can feel it. I just wish we could have tonight.

[Luna]

Hang in there, it'll come.  Calling it a night was the best thing you could do, if it wasn't coming.  If he's getting knotted up because he thinks he's fucking up YOUR song, between takes next time, excuse yourself to take a dump.  ("Do this one without me, guys, I may be awhile.")  Get out of his line of sight, for one take, see if that makes a difference.

I have no clue what I'm talking about, music-wise, but I get performance anxiety and getting blocked.

[LMNO]

A few questions:

- What's the problem?  Is he missing a beat, falling behind, speeding up on a particular passage?
- Do you guys practice to/with a metronome?
- Did you write the song using a metronome, or with you all jamming out?
- Are his drum lines repeated, e.g. each verse has the exact same drum pattern?

Possible advice to follow.

[Triple Zero]

What, did you cover MDFMK - Stare at the Sun? Because that is awesome!

(vid not available in my country, maybe it works for you. track is really awesome though)

Then again, there's more songs called by that title. Why's that anyway? There's no songs called "stick your head underwater and inhale", "urinate on the electric fence" or "stand on top of a hill wet with rain holding a lightning rod" ?

[LMNO]

There's no songs called "stick your head underwater and inhale", "urinate on the electric fence" or "stand on top of a hill wet with rain holding a lightning rod" ?

Cram, I'm looking at you.  Get on this, stat.

[AFK]

What, did you cover MDFMK - Stare at the Sun? Because that is awesome!

(vid not available in my country, maybe it works for you. track is really awesome though)

Then again, there's more songs called by that title. Why's that anyway? There's no songs called "stick your head underwater and inhale", "urinate on the electric fence" or "stand on top of a hill wet with rain holding a lightning rod" ?

Well, there is a Smashing Pumpkins song called "Drown". 

And I hope the "Stare at the Sun" song isn't a U2 cover. 

[Triple Zero]

What, did you cover MDFMK - Stare at the Sun? Because that is awesome!

(vid not available in my country, maybe it works for you. track is really awesome though)

Then again, there's more songs called by that title. Why's that anyway? There's no songs called "stick your head underwater and inhale", "urinate on the electric fence" or "stand on top of a hill wet with rain holding a lightning rod" ?

Well, there is a Smashing Pumpkins song called "Drown". 

And I hope the "Stare at the Sun" song isn't a U2 cover.

That one is called "Staring at the sun", and together with "Hold me thrill me kiss me kill me" and "Discotheque", are the only three U2 songs I like

The MDFMK one is better, though. It was included in that huge 5 part "Discordian Music" collection Cain made a while back.

[Luna]

Having been present when someone did urinate on an electric fence, I submit that the only way to actually capture that sound is an actual electric fence...

[Nephew Twiddleton]

A few questions:

- What's the problem?  Is he missing a beat, falling behind, speeding up on a particular passage?
- Do you guys practice to/with a metronome?
- Did you write the song using a metronome, or with you all jamming out?
- Are his drum lines repeated, e.g. each verse has the exact same drum pattern?

Possible advice to follow.

1. Depends on the take. So, yes.
2. No. We keep saying we're going to, but then don't. Also, we're in the process of shifting practice spaces.
3. I wrote the music on my own without a metronome, presented it, and everyone else wrote their own parts (this is standard for us)
4. Yes.

I suppose also, to further complicate things, I think of the song as having triplets in 4/4 and the keyboardist thinks of it in 6/8.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

What, did you cover MDFMK - Stare at the Sun? Because that is awesome!

(vid not available in my country, maybe it works for you. track is really awesome though)

Then again, there's more songs called by that title. Why's that anyway? There's no songs called "stick your head underwater and inhale", "urinate on the electric fence" or "stand on top of a hill wet with rain holding a lightning rod" ?

There is always a specific reason why a song is called Stare at the Sun. In this one it's because there's some sort of astronaut leaving the solar system for good, never to return to earth again. Which also takes a long time, so what else are you going to do.

In mine, I wrote the lyrics as a sort of disowning of our previous band. Villager's brother (who was the vocalist) kept writing songs about vampires, which I thought was retarded. So, I wrote it about how being immortal sucks since humanity goes extinct and then you have nothing but to wait for the sun to go red giant. And to show that the character isn't a shitty fucking vampire, I have him.... [drum roll] stare at the sun. Because vampires can't do that shit because they're retarded.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

What, did you cover MDFMK - Stare at the Sun? Because that is awesome!

(vid not available in my country, maybe it works for you. track is really awesome though)

Then again, there's more songs called by that title. Why's that anyway? There's no songs called "stick your head underwater and inhale", "urinate on the electric fence" or "stand on top of a hill wet with rain holding a lightning rod" ?

Well, there is a Smashing Pumpkins song called "Drown". 

And I hope the "Stare at the Sun" song isn't a U2 cover.

If only Billy Corgan would do just that.

Ain't no way I'm covering U2 ever, except for that thing I'm doing at that library that my friend works at for various types of music that came out of Ireland. And you can be damn sure it's going to be one of their older ones and not something off of fucking Discoteque or How to Stick Your Dick in an Atomic Bomb.

[LMNO]

Ah. I was going to ask about the meter. 6/8 (shuffle) is a tough one on the metronome.

Thoughts:
It's possible that as you've practiced, the natural tempos between the various song sections have found their own specific tempos. I've found that verses and choruses can have as much as a 5 bpm difference that may not even be noticed right away. This isn't unusual pre-protools.

Potential solutions:
- some metronomes have subdivision settings that can help clarify the flow.
- if the tempos are different, record them in sections, resetting the metronome.
- record in chunks, find the perfect 8 bars, and then cut and paste to fill out the sections.
- simplify the beat, and record it with overdubs (one track just kick and snare, a new track with just hi hat, another for fills, etc.
- drum machine.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Ah. I was going to ask about the meter. 6/8 (shuffle) is a tough one on the metronome.

Thoughts:
It's possible that as you've practiced, the natural tempos between the various song sections have found their own specific tempos. I've found that verses and choruses can have as much as a 5 bpm difference that may not even be noticed right away. This isn't unusual pre-protools.

Potential solutions:
- some metronomes have subdivision settings that can help clarify the flow.
- if the tempos are different, record them in sections, resetting the metronome.
- record in chunks, find the perfect 8 bars, and then cut and paste to fill out the sections.
- simplify the beat, and record it with overdubs (one track just kick and snare, a new track with just hi hat, another for fills, etc.
- drum machine.

Actually pretty good advice, we'll see how he does the first couple of takes on Friday. I'll also make sure that he has some energy drinks, since that seems to be when he nails everything. Which will be weird for this song, since it's 84 bpm.

[LMNO]

I forgot to mention the simplest solution: for this song, don't use a click track.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I forgot to mention the simplest solution: for this song, don't use a click track.

Whaaaaaa?

Actually, I see the rationale behind that.