Song095_Mayday

This song, the title track on this weeks album, was fun to record. It's a dual-personality song...part rock, part space-rock. It started with a distorted guitar progression played to a simple percussion loop. I liked the combination of the different sections, and I thought it was a good challenge trying to make them connect. (verse: D-C, chorus: E-G-F#-B, bridge: F#-B-E-F). After the distorted electric guitar I added bass guitar, and a solo electric (also distorted). These few tracks filled the chorus, so I focused on building up the verse. I added a strumming electric (with deep reverb and a slight delay), and a string section. I'm still trying to keep things simple this week (i.e. low track count), so I decided to write and record vocals before adding anything else. I took a 30 minute break, wrote a few lyrics, and then I noticed that the best melody for the chorus was already being played by the electric guitar (solo). I re-arranged the words so the syllables fit the notes, and then recorded the first vocal track...mimicking the solo guitar melody. I'm also focusing on vocal harmonies this week, which I really enjoy doing, so I added two additional vocal tracks to the chorus. The verse has two tracks of vocals doing random "oohs" and "ahhhs." After recording the vocals the song felt pretty much complete. I added two gritty synth sounds to the bridge, and then I mixed, mastered, bounced, transferred, titled, saved, uploaded, emailed, blogged, twittered, prepared for tomorrow, and then ate some cheese and hummus.

LYRICS: "The system has lost it's course. Mayday follows. Radio Ground. Standby Control. Awaiting command. Procedure followed, but mayday resounds."

-Matthew