Started this first playlist of Interbay tracks to celebrate Spooky Week 2024.  All of the tracks in this playlist are on the "dark side" of the sounds that Interbay generates--it could be dark post-punk, witch house, darkwave, goth rock, dark industrial, dark techno, etc.  

Could be good background music for a Halloween party.  

This playlist will be added to (even if it isn't Spooky Week) whenever tracks on the dark side of Interbay get posted.

The Dark Side of Interbay (we have cookies!)

Although the Interbay music project tends to release tracks that blend the barriers of electronic dance music and post-punk, resulting in what I call "mutant pop," there are definitely some Interbay tracks that just simply rock.  

Sadly, many of these don't get the attention that they deserve--people who have gotten used to the type of dance music they usually get from Interbay might not feel like hearing someone turn their amps up all the way to eleven.

...but dance music and rock music have always been intertwined in my life.  I think that's been lost as scenes just leave each other alone now, content to stay in their lane and fill their niche.  A lot of rock music CAN be danced to, some will even have build ups and drops.  ;)    

Now, rock music has various genres and sub genres--not nearly as many as dance music, I'm pretty sure--and just as I like to blend unlikely genres together when I make dance music, I like doing that when I make more rock-sounding or guitar based tracks as well.  

If in doubt, I'll probably add them to the playlist--so don't get too pedantic about what does or doesn't, should or shouldn't, be considered "rock"--if it rocks, it goes on this playlist.  

As always, as the new Interbay tracks continue to drop (every single day, so far) I will update this playlist when there's a track that I think belongs on here.  

So, take a listen...share with a friend...and kick out the jams, motherf$#@%&rs!!!

The Rock Side of Interbay (this weekend, we rock portland!)

Darkworld.  The most miserable place on earth.  Every ride is the Haunted Mansion.  And, over the speakers throughout the park is this Interbay track.  It's sorta goth, sorta indie, definitely post-punk...with nods to OMD, Prince and 50's sci-fi...all drenched in reverb, with synthesizers and neuro basses for all.  Why?  Because we like you!  M-O-U-S-E!

"Darkworld" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

"What's up with all these putty-looking-ass whips, y'all?"--H. Green

A fun uptempo punky thing with obnoxious synths and a relentless race forward this track is a favorite of mine--both for how it turned out and how it came together.

I watched one of my favorite vlogs and felt inspired to create this.  While this is not sponsored by anyone, I hope this video makes you want to shop from the Good Store (where one can join the Awesome Socks Club) or watch some episodes of Crash Course, or, perhaps, sign-up for the Dropout streaming service by June 12th so you can see a particularly anticipated stand-up comedy special.  

I would like to think that if the subject of this track ever heard this track, he would be amused at what an old man (who owns both of his books and is anticipating socks...and who can totally relate to having had cancer and then doing stand-up comedy about it) can create in homage to someone doing wonderful work as well as being entertaining as all get out.  

(And, most importantly, I hope that he will not sue me.  I don't monetize anything I do, yet...so, please treat this for what it is...an homage from a fan.  And, absolutely, if it amuses you...feel free to share it with anyone you might like.)

 

"PLAW" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

As you can tell by the tags, I didn't really know the best way to describe this track--though, especially if you're of a certain age, you'll know what this is when you hear it.  

Oooooh, it's sorta spooky!  

(At the same time, there are elements of this track that sound, somehow, like "flying".  Maybe a better song title would have been "Broomstick?"  

If you take the time to explore the tracks posted to this page, you'll find a variety of styles and conceits--a veritable bouillabaisse of various flavors of dance music, mutated pop, indie rock, and darkness (not always all in one song, of course.)  

This particular track features a vocal part buried deep in the mix--your ears will try to search for it...which, I think ratchets up the tension and dread a bit.  

...but, like the ghost in the window of the picture, it's not THAT scary.  

If you're interested in the creative process, this song came together because yesterday, I heard Morrissey's "Everyday is Like Sunday" on Sirius/XM's First Wave.  And from that...came this (which sounds absolutely NOTHING like Moz's song.  I think the only element I can pinpoint is the tom tom build out of the intro, which is shared by both songs.)  

Hope this amuses you.  A follow gets a follow back.  More to come!

"Haunting" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Alternate title:  "The Mecha Is Coming Online"

This track is the first of at least two tracks regarding a future with gigantic robots.  (The follow up will likely post at some point on the summer trip.)  

Like "Unprepared", this is less of a song than a "sound play"--dialogue and sfx over a musical underpinning.  There are recognizable song structure elements, but I couldn't point to a proper verse/chorus construct in it.  

Some people are into this sort of thing--I certainly am (Q.E.D.)  

It's got a bit of a crunch to it--and the "cyberjazz" tag is not just a troll, there is, I think, a case to be made for that (at least in parts.)  

This is a drum-heavy midtempo cyber stomp.  Hope you like it (and if you do, check out more tracks on my page--you might find more you'll like!  And, as always, a follow gets a follow back.)

"Mecha" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

We had a long drive yesterday--from Dickinson ND to Missoula MT.  Part of that time was listening to FirstWave on SiriusXM...and the Slugmonstrocity played "All Night Long" by Peter Murphy.  

I think you can hear the influence of that track on THIS Interbay track.  Obviously, I wasn't trying to recreate a Peter Murphy song...but I took inspiration from it, in tempo, some of the sound design, and the general spooky vibe.  

It all fell together pretty quickly here in the Motel 6 in Missoula--and, though I had another song ready to drop today...I've called an audible, and you're getting "Whispers" instead.  

The track is a vibe more than anything else.  There's no coherent plot, there's precious little song structure, and musically, it is pretty restrained.  

But...this track excels in projecting a mood.  Might be good on a Halloween playlist, just saying.  

I should be home again tomorrow evening and I've got to imagine that things will quickly fall back into place, rather than these strange early morning posts...you'll be able to catch new tracks here around midday from now on.  

"Whispers" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

...if an Interbay album is ever made from these SoundCloud Exclusives, it certainly feels that THIS song should follow yesterday's track--without intending to, I made tracks that fit rather well together.  

"Alone in the Dark" (the first of these SoundCloud Exclusives to be given more than one word for its title) carries on the moodiness from "Interlude" and turns it into an epic and dark alternative rock track.  

(A good comparison might be The Cure "A Night Like This" or maybe even Echo & The Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon"--not THAT good, of course, but it is in that style.)  

I've also justified the "Electronic" tag with a lot of underlying synths, processed drums and effects.  (If they had a "Dark Wave" tag for the main genre options, I'd have picked that, I think.)

This one has been sitting in The Vault a little longer than most of these SoundCloud Exclusives (many of which were created the day before they were posted.)  This one, I wanted to hold on to...to wait until the right time to drop it.  

Now seems like the right time--and I have some of you to thank for that!

I was deciding between dropping this today or a more Electronic/Dance/Club banger--and my choice was going to be based on how "Interlude" did yesterday.  

As I said in the description text for "Interlude", when I stray too far from electronic dance music, those tracks get far fewer plays--like in the single digits.   

(Certainly neither "Zagreb" nor "Selfishly deserved their fate...and the earliest posts low play counts are because I hadn't figured out any way to promote my new channel yet.)  

I didn't want to have two straight songs underperform.  So, I made a promise that if "Interlude" did better than I was expecting--even though it is as far as I've ever posted from a club track (so far)--specifically, if it would get 50 plays at the time I'd post today's track...I would pick "Alone in the Dark" as today's post, but if it didn't (and I expected it wouldn't), I had another track lined up and ready to go (which will certainly get posted here, just...later).  

I was delightfully surprised to see 123 yellow ribbons 'round the old oak tree!  (Ancient reference there...it got 123 plays, which is far more than single digits and more than twice as much as the 50 target.)  

So, thank you, random people who listen to my music but never like, repost, share, or follow.  Though all of those things would be quite nice, obviously, I still appreciate those of you who can't be bothered.  

I hope you like my choice today--I think it is a particularly good one.  (Let me know if you agree!)

"Alone in the Dark" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Did someone say "been awhile since" Interbay has posted a "proper rock song???"  

Yes.  Someone did.  

I did.  Yesterday.  

So, let's do this!  

Including the songs that were posted on Interbay's Facebook page, I think THIS is the most credible rock song I've managed to commit to...ummm....whatever the digital equipment to "tape" would best fit in such a cliched statement.  

And yet, it still has electronic elements to it--bolstering the blistering tempo of this rather dark alternative post-punk rock track.  Very much inline with the Interbay vibe.  

Obviously, this track will appeal more to anyone who has watched the HBO "Chernobyl" mini-series...but even for those of you who haven't (but should, it's quite good...even if it might stray occasionally from perfect accuracy), I think you'll get into it, too.  

I see some similarities with this track that some of you might recognize--there's definitely a dollop of "Public Image" by Public Image Ltd.  The ending seems like a proper homage to the Adam and the Ants b-side/rarity/fan-favorite "Beat My Guest."  And, surprisingly, when the keyboards join the guitars for an instrumental bridge--my head goes to the Sex Pistols classic material (surprising, because they're not a band one would associate with keyboards.)  

At the risk of sounding even more self-indulgent than I normally am in these descriptions, I could see "A Zed 5" as a song that would have fit on the never produced second album for my band DangerScience--and it could have been a monster of a track for either the live version of DangerScience or my previous band, Cremation Dance.  (Of course, you'd need a time machine for either of those to have occurred.)  

For those of you here for the purely electronic stuff, there'll be plenty more of that to come, I'm sure...but THIS is definitely a song that fits what Interbay is now (though, if Crash wanted me to...I'd attribute this to DangerScience instead.  Legally, this is as DangerScience as "Frightening Things" and could sit along side "Aircrash" and "Goodbye?")  

Once again, it would help me immeasurably if you did all the things--Listen, Like, Repost, Share, Comment and, most of all, Follow!  

Thank you!  

PS--Suddenly, "Beneath These Trees" has become Interbay's most played track...someone out there must have done many of the things for this sudden burst of unexpected popularity.  It is definitely appreciated!

"A Zed 5" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Perhaps some of the previous tracks in this themed Spooky Week of Interbay track posts leaned more on the "horror" side of what people find "spooky"--so, I thought we might spice things up with a touch of...  

"SUSPENSE!!!!"

(Apologies if that felt over-dramatic, but I'm posting a track with samples from Vincent Price--such drama would be understated in comparison.)  

This track was original imagined as one of the many Interbay experiments that have been posted (though none recently) on Facebook--where I'd marry up the Interbay tracks I was coming up with (so far, none of them duplicated here on SoundCloud) to some sort of visualizer.  I thought this would make for a particularly interesting video.  

...but, this is a reinterpretation of a theatrical radio broadcast.  There were no viusals from the show to help me craft a video for it--and for that, and a number of reasons, I never got around to posting this track until just now.  (It had, ironically, sat in the Vault for quite some time--as I can produce music for days!)  

I thought, briefly, that this song might never be shared properly.  I did not know this when I first began posting here on SoundCloud, but the first second (or so) would get cut off of every upload--and being a former dj, I liked when tracks started IMMEDIATELY...so, that caused a problem for some of the earliest tracks--until I went back into the project files and added a second of blank space before re-uploading the tracks in a SoundCloud specific corrected way.  

BUT..this track is quite a bit older than any other tracks I've posted on SoundCloud so far--old enough that the production on this track ended on New Year's Eve of 2023/2024.  I had no idea I'd be switching from Facebook to SoundCloud--nor did I know I'd soon be upgrading Phantom Laboratories West.  And, in the move from the previous PLW to the one I'm using now, parts of the file for this track went missing--so, I couldn't just reopen the project and add a second to the start of it.  

Luckily, I found a workaround...as it is a perfect track to share during Spooky Week.  

The song itself--it is a dark house track with suckbacks, reverses, sound effects and a cinematic approach to breakdowns.  I wouldn't blame you if you felt that I messed with the auto pan a bit too much--but it was on purpose, to leave the listener feeling a bit unsettled...as I thought that would be thematically appropriate.  

I almost considered using the music parts of this project, ditching the radio play samples (which were much of what had gone missing) and re-using it for a new (probably spooky as well) track...but I'm glad you get to hear "Suspense" the way I hoped you would.  

(You'll also see that this is the "darkness re-edit"--there was an original mix of this track that lasted over 11 minutes long...and it didn't work as well as this one, I think does.  But, of course, your mileage may vary...  Still, I don't see that 11 minute+ version seeing the light of day any time soon...so...you're welcome?)  

Play! Like! Repost! Share! Comment! Follow!  
thank you!

"Suspense (darkness re-edit)" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Thank you for still clicking on this track, even if the thumbnail might have given you some caution.  The music normally associated imagery of the historic American West doesn't usually sound very much like Interbay.  

But, trust me--"He Comes Riding" is SO Interbay.  So, hit play and read along!  

Like yesterday's posted track, "Over the Course of One Night," today's track was a leftover from when I was posting music videos on Facebook.  The only vocal I had at the time was two instances of the gospel blues shout of the title, "He Comes Riding."  

It sat in the Vaults for a long time, until I produced the song "Felony," which I posted about a week ago.  "Felony" is a dance song with redlined throaty shouts of basic wants and needs.  I thought it worked quite well...and I remembered that THIS track (which I had given a temporary project name of "Round the Mountain"--so the fact that our heroic cowboy in the thumbnail is coming from around the mountain is another Interbay easter egg.  (Bonus Interbay points if you didn't need me to tell you that to make a connection between the image and the nursery rhyme.)  

I liked the idea of working with shouty blues vocals.  

Meanwhile, the inspiration I had for the music wasn't actually Western music (in the "Country & Western" use of that term.)  It was actually The Beatles, specifically "Taxman."  So, that means that "He Comes Riding" is also inspired by "Start!" by The Jam.  ;)  

It was only later that I recognized that rather than being sharp and angular, like a Gang of Four song, the single note plucked guitars gave the track a Western feel.  So, call it Americana or Alt-Country if you wish, Vicar.    

There are some rather thick synths in this track and some stutter edits and other modern fx, so I feel less sheepish than perhaps I should in using "Electronic" as the main tag.  (Tracks where I DON'T give "Electronic" as the main tag typically do not get as many listens as the one that I do...so, I'll grab any excuse to do so.)  

It's odd, the thing that took the most time once I decided to grab this project out of the Vaults and get it ready to post today was settling on a title.  There are three distinct vocal sections.  You've got the "When It All Falls Down" part, the "He Comes Riding" part, and the "Baby Please Don't Go" part...and all of them could have given this track its name.  I also spent a fruitless search for a word or phrase that connected all of the various lyrics and the general vibe.  (Does this feel like it was based on an imaginary TV Western show's theme song?  I did...so, I considered calling this "Hi Ho Silver" or "Blazing Side Saddles" or "There's a New Sheriff in Town"--but none of those felt right.  

So, if what you wanted on your Saturday afternoon was a track that blends Teddy Pendergrass style insistent male vocals, Beatles and post-punk angular funk music, with touches of gospel, the blues and even some Western tropes...and a synthesizer and a more complicated than it has to be name--well, how serendipitous, because that's exactly what "He Comes Riding" is!  You're welcome (?!?)  

Hear for yourself and give it a listen.  While you're at it, give a listen to "Felony" and see if you feel there's a connection between the two Interbay songs.  Give a like to the one you like best--or both!

...it would also be cool if you reposted this track, if you shared it with a friend, if you added it to a playlist, if you left a comment, and if you follow this page for MORE Interbay--as never heard before tracks are dropping every single day (and have for well over a year now!)    

"(When It All Falls Down) He Comes Riding" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

"Promises, thoughts, and poetry.  My only prayer for immortality."  

(Once again, this still isn't the song about sex that I promised a couple of days ago.)

I was going to save this song for a big round number that's coming up, but something about this...something about this time of year...made me want to drop this track earlier than I'd planned.  

If all you've heard from Interbay has been edm, indie, or synth pop--this track will be something different.  You could call it shoegaze.  You could think of it as thick guitar and synth driven alternative rock.  You could hear it as a wall of noise.  

Ironically, this track has a lyric I've written that I'm especially proud of--and then I buried it under phased guitars that drowned almost all of those words under black sheets of rain.  Those words are there, floating somewhere between the left speaker and the right...and painfully difficult to pick out...like the last verse of "Pretty in Pink" (the original version, not the movie's remake) by the Psychedlic Furs.  

That might actually be a good comparison to  make when trying to share what "Garland of Me" sounds like--thick, dense, epic, impenetrable, moody.  

The narrative of this song is based on the second definition of "garland"--not the ring of flowers or plants, the way I'm using this word is as an anthology or collection.  Imagine a broken hearted man who has been unwillingly cast aside by his love.  He wonders about his place in her world as her life continues without him in it.  What will she remember?  What stories will she tell?  

So, seeking to leave a more positive documentation of himself than their recent split might suggest, the man compiles photographs, ticket stubs, sections from letters, poetry, drawings...all of these things to specific moments, tethered to a shared past...all of that, into a book--like a photo album.  And, upon seeing her sitting at an outside table of a coffee shop, he appears only to hand the book he'd made for her over to her...and walks away.  

He knows that he can't make her keep the book.  He knows, really, he can't control how he is remembered by her...  But, if she is ever feeling nostalgic, if she happens to have not trashed the book immediately, she could lean upon the book being able to reminder about the times that they were happy together.  

She does respond, suggesting her own doubts in the wake of the sadness she feels, but she ends up only talking to herself...because he's already walked away.  

It is quite the narrative, especially for a loud and noisy shoegaze track.  (Maybe I redo this someday to make the spoken lyrics a bit more prominent--or, at least, understandable?  Maybe.)  

My favorite part of this track is when the full drums come in...it feels epic to me.  I hope it does to you, too!  

I hope you give this a listen and a like.  Often, when I really like a track I've made, it can struggle to get listens or likes...but you can help prove me wrong.  Consider reposting it, sharing it or adding it to a playlist.  

And, as always, I recommend you follow this page.  Each day brings a brand new, never heard before, Interbay track.  And each day, they'll be different.  Who knows what tomorrow might bring?  (Maybe that song about sex?  Why am I trying to make a song topic "a thing."?  But, it could be that song...or another.  I won't know until I hit "upload"...and then, if you're following this page, you'll know!

"Garland of Me" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

It is Monday, and for the fourth straight Monday, we're digging into the past to unearth a track originally shared on Facebook (before switching to SoundCloud), but having gone through a Rethink, Remake, Remix process to bring it up to the standards of what I post here on SoundCloud.  

This time, a fourth "R" should be added:  "Remaster."  Because the track known as "Experiment 15" was already meeting most of the directives that I've added to my productions that weren't in place when I was posting on Facebook.  It didn't need as much of a Rethink or a Remake as the previous three RRR exclusive remixes needed to post here.

I'll even go a step further.  I think this was the first Interbay track that felt like it could have been a DangerScience track (DangerScience being the post-punk band I was in back in the late 80s early 90s, and the only previous music project of mine that had ever recorded and distributed our original music before.)  I'm not sure if Crash, my former songwriting partner in a couple of different bands, would agree--but the combination of synths, guitars, drum machines and Sci-Fi dialogue snippets sure fits into what we were cooking up back then, in the original Phantom Laboratories.  

(One of the movies with a snippet in this track is the classic "War of the Worlds" from the 50s.  The long planned but never finished second DangerScience album had a track that I had written that was based on samples from that movie--so, there's a direct link from the DangerScience past to the Interbay present.)  

Certainly not nearly as "personal" as yesterday's track (and thanks to those of you who gave "Birthday Wishes" a listen), this is definitely very me...and I'm happy that it took a little dusting off, freshening up, and some power boosting to be able to share it with you here on SoundCloud.  

As always, I'm just asking you to give this track a listen.  Let me know what you think of it by giving it a like and/or leaving a comment.  If you feel like reposting it, sharing it, or adding to a playlist of yours--that would be awesome as well.  

And, the best way to stay current with the daily (so far!) Interbay track drops, is to follow this page (and a follow earns a follow back!)  

"Our Power (exp15 RRR)" *exclusive remix*

Post-punk, dance, indie, electronic, and mutant pop in various styles (seriously!)--new tracks being posted daily (every day for over a year, so far!)

Interbay is the new project of Peter Greyy (previously of Cremation Dance and DangerScience), based out of Seattle and Phantom Laboratories West.