Song281_A Well-Known Face

Last week's album, Week40_Permanent Records, is now available at: http://www.anewsongeveryday.com/.

Today's song begins a new album, Week41_Pulling Stranger's Teeth. I woke up early today, Carly and I went for a long bike ride, then I changed the strings on my electric guitar while deciding the best way to approach the songwriting/recording this week. It helps to have a genre in mind before approaching a blank session. Also, it helps to decide on a common starting point for each day. Last week I wrote the initial part on the acoustic guitar, but other weeks it has been the piano, a synth sample, the bass guitar, a vocal melody, or a drum rhythm that creates the starting point. This week it will be the electric guitar. I like finding unique strumming rhythms and chord progressions on this instrument. It also helps to consistently use the same instruments/pre-sets each week so the music has a consistent sound. The instruments still vary, but I choose a few foundational instruments to be the same. I know that each song this week will have: rhythm, bass guitar, clean electric guitar, and distorted electric guitar. However, before I started recording I auditioned many new guitar pre-sets (in Guitar Rig 3) before deciding what the main sounds would be this week. I chose two pre-sets that I haven't used so far, and then I altered each one slightly to make it my own.

The strumming on this song is quick (140bpm), and the chord formations are odd. Actually, the chord progressions are pretty odd too, but they seem to work for this style of music (Verse=A#-B, Transition=C-F-Fm, Chorus=G-A). After tracking the electric guitar I completed the drums, acoustic guitar, and bass guitar. Next, I worked on the lyrics and the melody...testing each part in "record" mode. I got all 6 vocal tracks written and recorded within 45 minutes. The melodies, purposefully dissonant, remind me of the The Swirlies.

The lyrical theme this week is broad, but each song will have something to do with social interaction. This one was going to be about angry drivers, but it's also about people with status that abuse their privileges (these people act the same at times).

LYRICS: "A gift to your race. You're a well-known face. Like on library walls, (or) militant memorial halls. Come on, and pull over the car. We all know who you are. Don't pretend to be bitter when you get what you want. Hello, welcome. You got the pick of the room. You're 'on.' Idiot drivers annoy idiot riders. Who throw things from your window as a moronic symbol. Come on, and pull over the car. We all know who you are. Don't pretend to be bitter when you get what you want. Hello, welcome. You got the pick of the room. You're 'on.'"

-Matthew
http://www.anewsongeveryday.com/
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com