Extracts from Song a Week for a Year

I decided to play around with a couple of synths, a bit of MIDI, a handmade BEW pedal and see what happened. This is the result.
In the process I taught myself a couple of new things about recording too.
I got to the end of the lyrics and realised I really ought to have rewritten the first verse but time was not on my side. So have at thee.
Guest vocals written and performed by Becca Allen.

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This  is the Great Void

Number seven.  I took a slightly different approach with this piece, layering four or five sounds to make each gong strike and building up the drone from 15 channels of voice (Becca and I).


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The Overall Immobility of Things

This week's work is the theme for the protagonist of a dystopian sci-fi movie. Sump is a lot like Rick Deckard.
I'm not sure if the reprise is used for the trailer, i.e. for a montage, or for the final moments of the film as Sump stares into his melting ice-cubes recalling the details he hasn't shared with anyone.

Sump's Theme (reprise)

I decided to assemble a track that has been sitting in bits & pieces gathering dust, and apply some of the things I've learned so far to  the arrangement and production.

I'd intended the song to have lyrics, but I've come round to the idea of it being an instrumental, using guitars & synths to highlight the vocal melody. Also my falsetto disappeared about 15 years ago, so my vocals were never gonna work ;)

Blind (Full Version)

This piece, number 24, started off inspired by Black Heart Procession, but then traveled through Gravenhurst and latter day Nick Cave. Once again, it's a bit dark.
Becca Allen joined in on backing vocals and autoharp.

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That's the Message

I count this as more a remix than an original, as it's based on a series of VCS samples by Barry Cullen.

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It Came From Below

I've re-set a set of my lyrics from the early 90s and created new music to make the mood a little more sinister.

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Cheesecloth Redux

I'm not sure what to say about this piece; I wanted to wrong-foot the listener then leave them feeling uncomfortable in the dusk in a vaguely familiar place.

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Annerton Pit

I had a big dirty groove, then I found a bass patch called The Ox. It all seemed propitious.
My good friend Steven McKnight gave me the story, an excerpt from his Diary of a Coconut, and some tasty guitar solos.

SAWFAY

Doctor Swagger and the Diary of a Coconut

Aiming for a little horror, a little of the Electrician.
Vocals by Rebecca Allen, nylon guitar by Steven McKnight.

I'm calling this genre "creepy-little-girl-core"

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A Hand in the Dark

For the big four-0, I started with a 3-track vocal line, then this happened.  I thought I was building the basis for a double-bass improvisation, but adding anything else felt like overkill.

Intractable

Visiting themes of loss, resignation and out-of-body experiences for week 44.

Songs of a Year

Eyes Like Walls

Enjoying the learning curve using a tracker while channelling Krautrock.

*news* Listen to this amazing version of Platonic Sands by The Institute 91'
https://soundcloud.com/theinstitute91/platonic-sands-chris-allenmysterioso-cover

Platonic Sands

I decided to strap them on with this tune. There may be a slight Horslips reference and possibly a slightly less subtle 'DC reference at the end.
Plus me getting all stentorian on it. One of my favourite choruses, it turned out.

Holy Fool

I pushed the boat out this week, since this piece sees the completion of my Song a Week for a Year challenge. 
I reached towards realisation of that apocalyptic vision I've always had and I'm satisfied that this song approaches it.
Vocals were very kindly performed by Martin Byrne https://soundcloud.com/djmcflymo

Trenton, New Jersey

These recordings are all demos.

Interested in the dark side, the quirky side, but mainly in that buttery biscuit bass.

Bassist and composer from Belfast.

Fancy a collaboration? Drop me a line.

Extracts from Song a Week for a Year

Mysterioso