Author: Jody Whitesides

  • Come What May In The Future

    Come What May In The Future

    come what mayI feel like I’m sitting on pins and needles wondering about Touch and if things will come what may for it. Which leads me into a new song coming out from Ian Thornley and his group Big Wreck. In the course of his music, it’s more progressive sounding than his progressive past.

    What do I mean by that?

    Some of my favorite songs by Ian are song that are very different in their rhythmic structure. My favorite where he mixes odd time with a tune has to be Ladylike. There’s such a cool combination going there. However, this new song of his Come What May is pushing that balance into an uptempo number that feels like it could be some sort of pop style rock song. Unfortunately it contains chords and movements that will cause most people to scratch their heads. Unlike most of his melodies, this one isn’t instantly catchy, but damn it sure has a cool movement to it.

    Come What May

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    Break off a little piece of happiness
    No body gets hurt more or less
    Whatever it takes to get you through
    The night is gonna have to do

    Under the weight of daily bread
    You’d rather wake to cake instead
    Would you believe a photograph
    Was all it took and all that’s left
    Of missing pieces

    I throw myself in the river
    I need to wash my head and float away
    ‘Cause I know that I’ll be delivered
    Everything cast adrift
    Come what may

    I’m fed up with the pace of saving face
    I’m squeezing what I can’t replace
    Fiddled with the fire ’til I got burned
    With all I’ve lost you’d think I’d learned
    By missing pieces

    I throw myself in the river
    I need to wash my head and float away
    ‘Cause I know that I’ll be delivered
    Everything cast adrift
    Come what may

    I throw myself in the river
    I need to wash my head and float away
    ‘Cause I know that I’ll be delivered
    Everything cast adrift
    Come what may

    I throw myself in the river
    I need to wash my head and float away
    ‘Cause I know that I’ll be delivered
    Everything cast adrift
    Come what may

    Enjoy your day!

  • Chandelier By Sia

    Chandelier By Sia

    chandelierWho knew that my horizons would get expanded by a Chandelier?

    Happiness is knowing that you can learn, grow and expand. Such is where I’m heading in my own career. Even as little as a few years ago I would have never been into hyper lush production of a song. At least not beyond getting a good sound and making a good blend with a standard type of band setup and maybe adding a few additional sounds. Now I’m checking out songs that are humongous arrangements with track counts that number well over 48. Ones that have awesome sounds in them built in layers and layers. Such is the case with Chandelier sung by Sia. The production on this tune was achieved by Jesse Shatkin and Greg Kurstin.

    What I really enjoy with this song is phrase “1, 2, 3, Drink.” There’s a really clever use of prosody in music with that part. It’s something that a musician would appreciate, but the consumer would just think “oh that’s cool.” What happens where she’s singing 1, 2, 3 is that the vocal is parsing in triplet quarter notes over the beat. Three counts getting a division of three across beats – as I said: clever. The melody soars when it hits the word Chandelier, which also has a sense of prosody thanks to the fact that Chandeliers tend to hang from a ceiling up above.

    Sonically, there’s a ton of ear candy and while a pop song doesn’t have to be chock full of ear candy to be good, said ear candy can take a good song with a memorable melody and push into great. I could listen to this on repeat and be happy.

    Chandelier by Sia

    YouTube player

    Party girls don’t get hurt
    Can’t feel anything, when will I learn
    I push it down, push it down

    I’m the one “for a good time call”
    Phone’s blowin’ up, they’re ringin’ my doorbell
    I feel the love, feel the love

    1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
    1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
    1,2,3 1,2,3 drink

    Throw em back, till I lose count

    I’m gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier
    I’m gonna live like tomorrow doesn’t exist
    Like it doesn’t exist
    I’m gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry
    I’m gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

    And I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
    Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight
    Help me, I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
    Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight
    On for tonight

    Sun is up, I’m a mess
    Gotta get out now, gotta run from this
    Here comes the shame, here comes the shame

    1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
    1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
    1,2,3 1,2,3 drink

    Throw em back till I lose count

    I’m gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier
    I’m gonna live like tomorrow doesn’t exist
    Like it doesn’t exist
    I’m gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry
    I’m gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

    And I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
    Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight
    Help me, I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes
    Keep my glass full until morning light, ’cause I’m just holding on for tonight
    On for tonight

    Enjoy your day and the song!

  • Noisy Mouse In The Headphones

    Noisy Mouse In The Headphones

    noisy mouseNothing is more annoying than a noisy mouse in the headphones. Recently in the studio while getting ready to start knocking out vocals for American Mayhem and we had an issue with a hum type of noise going on in the headphones. This makes for unpleasant recording. Not to mention that it also can be an issue if it’s being recorded on to the track in question. Adding noise from an unknown source isn’t always a great idea.

    Find out what was causing the noise to occur. A kind of noise that flares up when the mouse is being moved. Nothing like a bad noisy mouse, however, that was a result of the issue, not a root for the cure. We did find it!

    Noisy Mouse In The Headphones

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    Transcript:

    What are we up for George? What are we looking at?

    I just hear some weird hum.

    Very briefly.

    Yeah, it came and then it kinda went.

    I can kinda hear your mouse moving.

    Yeah well…

    Mouse noise is what I’m saying. Not like the actual physical noise. I’m hearing in the system.

    Somethings tweaked in the system.

    That seems a bit quieter.

    Yeah, well the transformer was on the audio cable.

    Sittin right on the cable? Yeah, that’s bad. Studio badness. Do not put your audio cables right on a transformer.

    Oh yeah. Much better.

    Much better.

    Ok. We’ll be recording now. Shhhh.

    Red light ‘s going on.

    No squeaky chairs. No nothing.