This is another of Ally's songs that we've been working on, on and off, over the past few weekends. This is still quite a long way from finished. No harmonies yet and a very rough mix, but there's a lot about it that we're happy with so we wanted to share it

Apathy

Another Ally song - a short song - over almost before it starts - and a very quick recording: 3 hours to record from go to whoa, done in Logic. The mix is pretty rough and there's no mastering or anything, but therein lies it's charm methinks. This is one song where a straight doubletracking of the vocals worked splendidly (it rarely does for me).

High School Crush

This is the not-quite-final mix of this song. But we were happy enough with at at this stage, that we wanted to share it. Hope you enjoy.
Ally: Singing and Guitar.
Pete: Arrangement & Production
PLAY LOUD!!!

Cosmetic-Early Mix

This is the quickest thing we've knocked up yet - 2 hrs in the studio. This was just something for Ally's music homework, but, it's worth sharing, right?

Ally: Guitar and Vocals
Pete: Production, arrangement.

Summer Fling

My cover of the Roger Waters song from the 1969 Pink Floyd album: "Ummagumma".

Grantchester Meadows

My cover version of Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 arrangement of Scarborough Fair, with the anti-war "Canticle" interweaved. This was played on my Takamine 6-string guitar and recorded using a Rode NT1 microphone into Logic Pro.

Scarborough Fair - Canticle

My version of José González's version of Massive Attack's 1998 song which was originally co-written and sung by Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. This was played on my Takamine 6 string, my Pearl Export drum kit and my daughter's Squier Jazz bass guitar and was recorded into Logic all on one stormy Brisbane Sunday in November 2016.

Teardrop

This is another cover version, recorded at home with just my trusty Takamine acoustic guitar and nothing else, recorded into Logic through my Rode mic. This is a pretty stripped down arrangement. There are a couple of overdubs on the guitar, especially in the bridge, but it's really a very simple recording.

The song was written by Alex Chilton and Chris Bell and included on Big Star's 1972 album: #1 Record. One of the most beautiful songs ever written.

Thirteen

I recorded this demo for Brisbane band: The Talk* in late December 2016. The person doing synth-stuff in the photo is Tom, the band's singer/guitarist. PLAY LOUD!!

Strange

Recorded at home across a couple of weekends. Ally wrote this and played bass, guitar and vocals. I played the drums and produced it. We adopted a more raw, less-produced approach to this song than we have with Ally's other, previous recordings. Play loud!

Sweet Water

My cover version of the last track from Death Cab For Cutie's classic 2003 album: "Transatlanticism". This is one of my favourite DCFC songs. I recorded it using my trusty Takamine acoustic guitar, tambourine and voice, through my Rode NT 1-A mic, into Logic. There is also a digital piano and a synth in there, and some of my daughter's music teacher's Squier fretless bass, sitting pretty well back in the mix during the bridge. It's not a complex arrangement; pretty true to the original. Enjoy!

A Lack Of Color

This is my cover of the Radiohead song from their album: Amnesiac (and the live album: "I Might Be Wrong"). Obviously this version is quite different instrumentally from how Radiohead performed the song. It's a song I still found tricky to play at the time I recorded it, and maybe should have spent longer learning, but I was impatient to record it, so I did.

The acoustic guitar is my Takamine. The electronic-sounding textures were just volume swells on my Strat, through my pedalboard and amp ... and I played the drums and bass. This was recorded using Logic. "Thank you" to my daughter's music teacher for the very extended loan of her Squier fretless bass.

Like Spinning Plates

Astronomy Domine was the first track on Pink Floyd's 1967 debut album: Piper at the Gates of Dawn. The album is having its 50th anniversary this year, so I thought I'd cover something from it. This version is not intended to be in the same style as the original, it's harder, less psychedelic and to my ears, sort of proggy. It was recorded at home into Logic, using my Strat, through my pedalboard and Vox AC30, a Squier fretless bass guitar and a Pearl Export drum kit, recorded through my Rode NT 1-A microphone. I played all the instruments. The lunar eclipse was photographed by Tony Fitzgerald
PLAY LOUD!

Astronomy Domine

My cover version of Dear Prudence, from the white album. This version is a little stripped-down compared with the Beatles' version. For starters I used acoustic rather than electric guitar for the arpeggio part, plus I think this is a bit slower than the original. It's a fairly basic arrangement - with just acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums and lead and backing vocals. Oh, and the obligatory tambourine :-)
I played and sang all the parts and recorded and mixed. The guitars are my trusty Takamine acoustic and my Strat, the drums are an 80's Pearl Export kit. Thanks Sam for the loan of his Fender Jazz bass guitar. I used a Rode NT 1-A microphone and the DAW was Logic. Thanks Ally for the original artwork :-)
PLAY LOUD!!

Dear Prudence

I used to write and sing for a band called Cartoon Physics that played around Brisneyland from October 2010 until May 2013. Cartoon Physics recordings are available elsewhere. What I'm posting here are my own recordings; mostly demos and sketches done at home. Lately I've been recording cover versions of some favourite songs. Also, a number of the recordings here are of my daughter: Ally who writes, sings and plays. In terms of new collaborative projects - something might happen one day, or it might not. Meanwhile I'm enjoying recording.

Peter Ayscough

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