Mood Cake

50 Years Ago

Fantastic songs from excellent musicians - and some of my own compositions and collabs.
Artwork: Photo by Sebastian Ervi from Pexels.

Stunning moments - Outstanding tracks (several genres)

A CONTRATIEMPO

I would like to depopulate your heart,
of useless promises that they encouraged,
life in the winter,
and force you to resign,
at a time that we dream
less fierce.

I would like to remove from your balcony,
the green clarity of hope
stuck in the cement.
And tell you that it is today
the time of a future
that it was ours.

It suddenly hurts us to bear
the daily insult of a life
still gripped by fear.
We were hoping, perhaps,
that was less harsh,
of course.

Don't ever look back again,
that there is no one left in the place
from those old days.
Don't try to escape
that here we are tied
Without remedy.

I would like to agree with you here
that the impossible may still be future
freedom that you carry inside
and show you that it is already today
the time to start
all over again.

I would like to confess that I do not know
because reason I need to suppose
that I'm not lying to you
maybe it's this song
like a cry of love
setback.

Give it and give it way
to life, you have to walk,
give it wind, clear water,
seed and you will see
that sooner or later
life starts again.

Javier Maestre

The Bullonera

Tribute Against Time

Para Lia - Kassandra
from the album ‘Gone With The Flow’
paralia.bandcamp.com/album/gone-with-the-flow

Visit the 3D virtual art exhibition with the great work of Louis Renzoni and the music of Para Lia here:
https://www.sophisticatedape.com/gone-with-the-flow-exhibition/

words and music by René Methner
mix and production: René Methner
mastering: Thomas Heimann-Trosien, TurnstyleMastering, Berlin
cover artwork based on Louis Renzonis 'Light From A Candle' 

Follow Para Lia on:
www.facebook.com/paraliamusic/
www.instagram.com/paralia.music/
twitter.com/para_lia_band

The background for the inspiration of course is Homer and the tales on the Trojan war. But Kassandra does not tell a story – it’s a kind of a painting with an ancient scenery or maybe just a sketch: Kassandra in front of the burning city. And it could be a modern painting. We are in a distance of more than 3.000 years to the plot of the ancient tales – and still mankind has Kassandras and tears in front of burning cities.

Working on Kassandra i had in mind from the beginning that Cindy will take the main voc in this song. So i wrote the harmonies and the song structure with that in mind and i love how she sings the song. Kassandra also includes a few notes played with a Greek Baglamas and helps the song to get a special note. This string instrument is the small sister of a Bouzouki. 

lyrics:
on sungod days in the morning dew
the tears of kings are just a few
meaningless rain drops

we keep that fire burning
until the tide is turning
and the ships are grounded

in the golden light of the afternoon
she is dancing like the queen of doom
she blinks into the sunlight

we keep that fire burning
until the tide is turning
we watch the flames rise higher
we keep that fire burning
until the tide is turning
we watch the flames rise higher
into the sky
into the sky

Gone With The Flow

Bandcamp

Kassandra

This track has gone through many versions, but I knew which direction to take it in after I heard singer Jani while looking for new music. I completely reworked the entire production and style of the song just in the mere hopes that she would respond and be up to collaborating. I was ecstatic when I got the response and I was expecting something good of course, but my expectations were far exceeded by her performance and understanding of what I was going for.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7LSuezJdhwKLdKsKGF4xJF?si=P61VmUxcRi6IRPvkT3xNTg&dl_branch=1

Buying Time

Buying Time Feat Jani

See That Man Walking
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath

See that man walking
Walking down that road
See that man walking
Walking down that road

Where does he think he’s going,
He don’t know
He just keeps on walking
Walking down that road. 

His mind plans his way
But he doesn’t watch his steps
His mind plans his way
But he doesn’t watch his steps

He thinks he’s going up,
But his steps are going down
Down to some waters,
Where he’s sure enough to drown. 

Sometimes it takes a spouse, or a loved one, or a good friend,
Just to stand in our way,
To tell us to turn around,
Turn around don’t go that way. 

But that man wasn’t that bright,
He wasn’t very smart, too,
He didn’t listen to what they said. 
He didn’t care what they tried to do,
He just wanted to walk down that road,
And put another hole in his shoes. 

Instead of listening and turning around,
He now has a hole in his shoe.

Sometimes it takes God Almighty
To reach down and take a man by his hand,
And physically turn him and tell him
What are you trying to do
Build your house on sand?

Not on my watch!

See That Man Walking

I Don't Know If I Can Take Anymore

I Saw a Man in the Dark Last Night
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath

I saw a man in the dark
last night
It wasn’t me,
Couldn’t be,
Shouldn’t be,
Oh no. 

I saw a man give in
to himself
It wasn’t me, 
couldn’t be,
Shouldn’t be
oh no.

Days and days
And months between
And years and years
And no between
And what is left
But solid thoughts
Of wasted opportunities 
And life goes on,
Keeps going on
When I just want to quit

Did I love my children,
their friends,
my spouse,
will my love be
in their memories
when I'm gone?

I Saw a Man in the Dark Last Night

amazon

Spirit Forest

Something's a Hole in My Shoe
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath

You may wonder why I’m doing nothing 
when you’re not around. 
It’s so easy to explain, so easy you see,
You know, it’s simply this, I’m doing nothing because, well,
Because you’re simply not here with me.

And something is nothing when you’re not around. 
Something is nothing when you’re not around. 
Something is nothing when you’re not around,
And you’re not here right now. 

Now I know anything is better than something 
When you have nothing better to do 
But since you’ve been gone anything is nothing,
And something’s a hole in my shoe. 

something’s a hole in my shoe.

I can’t find something,
Something to do when you’re not in town. 
And something is nothing when you’re not around. 
And when you’re not here, something is never found. 

And something is nothing when you’re not around. 
Something is nothing when you’re not around. 
Something is nothing when you’re not around,
And you’re not here right now. 

Now I know anything is better than something 
When you have nothing better to do 
But since you’ve been gone anything is nothing,
And something’s a hole in my shoe. 

something’s a hole in my shoe.
something’s a hole in my shoe.
something’s a hole in my shoe.

Something's a Hole in My Shoe

Okay, I really don't know how to classify this one.  I just wanted to write lyrics to music I had done, and this is what came out.

Two Women, Two Views
Lyrics and Music by Mike Krath

Two women,
Two views,
They live on my street,
And to me amuse. 

The first regurgitates her opinions for all of us who lose
A shallow wisdom poured out like deep,
To awaken the souls of those who sleep. 
An understanding drawn as from a pail,
But in reality just her thimble that covers her nail. 

Two women
Two views
How nice,
To keep me amused. 

The second is the one who drinks from lighter things. 
Then pours out her opinions, when asked, with haughty sings,
Her ideas are spilled at inappropriate times,
And she disdains suggestions to help keep her in line. 
Her wisdom consists of sugar with tea,
And if challenged, how great a piece of her cake would be. 

On my street these women,
Never grow old,
their mannerisms are such, 
they’ll always be told. 
And no matter what they say,
Or what they claim on the block. 
Does it matter to them,
That food and clothes,
Should be our lot,
For these two women,
I think not.

Two Women, Two Views

#16 (Number 16)
Written, Performed, Produced & Mastered
by Andrew Borderick Copyright 2022 AB Music
A rock soundtrack inspired by a favorite Melbourne Band 'ROCKET SCIENCE'

#16 (Number 16)

Fifty Years Ago,
Music and Lyrics by Mike Krath

You invited me to your 16th birthday,
I showed up with albums in my hand 
No one was dancing,
So I started up the first dance. 
And we danced all night,
While the stars shone above the sand,
Then the Germans crashed the party,
And your party got out of hand,
And your Mom was mad,
And asked why no one had brought gifts,
But she didn’t understand,
I was your gift,
And you fell in love with it,
When I walked out 
with albums in my hand. 

And we tried to be a couple,
But it just wasn’t meant to be,
And I told you I didn’t want to marry,
And I left you in university. 
And you went off and found someone else,
And I didn’t care,
But I learned to regret it,
And often wondered why you weren’t there,
And I drifted through the years
Alone in my life,
But I kept your pictures
To remind me,
If I could do it all over again,
You would’ve been my wife.

And you called me,
When I was thirty,
When life was over and I wanted to be left alone,
And we talked three hours,
And I didn’t want to hang up the phone
And I went to work the next day,
And told everyone,
that I was getting married,
And they thought I’d come undone.
But seven months later,
we tied the knot,
and picked up from where we first  begun.
and from then,
we never looked back,
To the time I stopped our fun.

And we traveled back,
On a cold November night,
To the house you had first fallen in love,
When I walked out with albums in my hands,
And your party was going strong,
Fifty years ago,
And we saw the stars still shining
Above the desert sands. 
Like love,
It kept on going,
Never quitting,
Regardless of what we felt,
or tried to understand.

Fifty Years Ago

First track of a new album where I'll try to be more eclectic, with closer approach to some genres. Experimented on this one over-editing vocal line on the left, and getting midi files out of organic guitar melodies, which I could play with virtual instruments. I hope you'll enjoy a different Ruizzoid shape.

Dedicated to Germán Coppini’s ‘Golpes Bajos’, one of my favorite groups of the Spanish ‘Nueva Ola’.

Pic: “Trapped in the past”, taken by me casually in the street.

Lyrics (original/translated):

NO TODO ACABA (JUGUETES ROTOS)  /  NOT EVERYTHING ENDS (BROKEN TOYS)

Hazme pensar que no todo acaba,  /  Make me think that not everything ends,
hay cosas en la vida que no cambian nada.  /  there are things in life which don’t change at all.
Hazme pensar que no estás gastada,  /  Make me think that you are not worn,
que el paso de los años no te cambió nada.  /  that the passing years didn’t change you at all.

Hazme pensar que no todo acaba.(bis)  /  Make me think that not everything ends. (bis)

Juguetes rotos, muñecas olvidadas,  /  Broken toys, forgotten dolls,
la imagen de mi espejo parece cansada.  /  the image from my mirror seems to be tired.
La voz de la noche ya no me llama,  /  The voice of the night doesn’t call me anymore,
me  resisto a pensar que todo se acaba.  /  I refuse to think that everything ends.

Hazme pensar que lo nuestro no acaba  /  Make me think that our thing doesn’t end
cuando despierte por la mañana.  /  when I wake up in the morning.
Hazme pensar en ti con calma,  /  Make me think about you calmly,
hazme creer que te tengo amarrada.  /  make me think that I get you tied up.

Hazme pensar que no todo acaba.(bis)  /  Make me think that not everything ends. (bis)

Hazme pensar que no todo acaba,  /  Make me think that not everything ends,
hazme creer que aún estoy en casa,  /  make me think that I’m still at home,
hazme pensar que duermo entre sábanas,   /  make me think that I sleep between sheets,
hazme pensar que nada cambia.  /  make me think that nothing changes.

Hazme pensar que no todo acaba.(bis)  /  Make me think that not everything ends. (bis)

ER31FI01 RUIZZO©1996 – FRANCÉS RECORDS®2016

No todo acaba (Juguetes rotos)

shall i simplify?
i did not see the lights
shall i simplify?
i saw the entire room
i saw it shape around you
ecstasy
we have met previously
ecstasy
but in different bodies
ecstasy

ॐ

in a major
written, performed, recorded and premixed by viola moonshape in december 2018
mixed and mastered by brahma in july 2021
copyright © 2019 viola moonshape

ॐ

gibson es335 > vox ac15 > shure sm57 > tascam (track 01)
gibson es335 > tascam (reverb) (track 02)
yamaha reface cp (rdi + tremolo + a delay) > tascam (track 03)
yamaha reface cp (clv + phaser) > tascam (track 04)
vocals > shure sm57 > tascam (reverb) (tracks 05, 06)
yamaha reface cp (wr + wah) > tascam (track 07)
gibson es335 > line 6 dl4 (reverse) > tascam (track 08)

ॐ

cover by brahma
photography by viola moonshape
copyright © 2019 viola moonshape

ॐ

Shall I Simplify?

The Music Video

Shall I Simplify? (video on youtube)

Muterial instrumental: https://soundcloud.com/muterial/expiry-date-american-instrumental

Mahan Mahan (the main posting of this track): https://soundcloud.com/mahan-mahan/expiry-date-american-muterial-mahan-mahan

Expiry date (American) - muterial | Mahan Mahan

photo by Elseh
www.flickr.com/photos/187686180@N02

"What Wonder If So Near" by mmothejr

Warrior

I’m a song-writer who enjoys creating music of any genre.

My son recently introduced me to A.I. and taught me how to do covers of my previously released non-A.I. music. Since I've never considered myself a performer (except playing with worship bands at church or solo-piano at a rehab center) using A.I. is right up my alley.

Since I've  exhausted using my previously released music for A.I. covers, I now compose music in a DAW, rip to a wave file, and make an A.I. cover of this wave file. I then write lyrics to the A.I. music. It takes around 100 A.I. iterations to complete the lyrics and get a style I'm happy with.  

Brief Bio: Lived more than a quarter of my life overseas (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). Each country gave me an appreciation for different types of music plus probably why I get bored easily in sticking with one genre or another.