Music  & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

Going at it with mostly a single synth stem again....piano and 2 synths all being played at the same time. Drums, bass and vocal are separate.

LIVE OR DIE

Intravenous information
Way too much explanation
Getting to my circulation
Spin me round
I get high

I wanna know
You wanna know
To live or die
I wanna know
We wanna know
To live or die

From the sea or sky
It’s all the same
From the north and south
It’s all the same
It’s wet or dry
Feast or famine
Do this, do that, do something
Can’t be doing nothing

More and more…
On and on…

More and more…
On and on…
I can’t stop

It’s all too easy
I turn on the power
It’s never gonna touch me
It’s all too easy
Complete strangers
So far away
So far away

Needle drip drop overload 
Twist and turn hand it over
Play the game kick the can  
Spin the boy
I get high

More and more…
On and on…

More and more…
On and on…
I can’t stop

I wanna know
You wanna know
To live or die
To die
I wanna know
We wanna know
To live or die
To die

Live Or Die

Spotify

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

More synthrock, but this time with a somewhat dirtier sound. All instruments except the drums are created on the Nord Stage 3. Played a little with feedback, as well as changed the attack on the main rhythmic synth live as I was playing. The lyrics are once again a mix of science and emotion using a black hole as a metaphor for a toxic relationship - seems to be a style that works for me.

INFINITE ATTRACTION

I can’t, I can’t break free
Oh no
I can’t, I can’t break free

A fine line pulling on my soul
As close as I could ever get
An unseen stronger than steel
At the point of no return

Light up all of your rockets
Switch on the burners, oh yeah
Let go of all of your emotions
You can spiral to the infinite
The infinite attraction

I can’t, I can't, I can't, I can't break free
I can’t, I can't, I can't, I can't break free

Bounce off a satellite to Houston
Switch on the radio, oh yeah
There’s no time for thinking
You could spiral to the infinite
The infinite attraction

I can’t, I can’t break free
Oh no
I can’t, I can’t break free

The cosmos is dragging me down
Once in there’s no getting out

It’s an infinite attraction
It’s an infinite attraction

Infinite Attraction

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

All instruments are Logic Pro X midi based. Best heard with headphones. 

OPEN DOORS

You don’t have to look
You don’t have to hide
You don’t have to sneak
You just walk on through
More than a little bit
More than a little bit

Hold your head high
Hold, see them eye to eye
Hold, so easy to try
So easy to try
You’re gonna get by

Walk on through
Open doors
Walk on through
Open doors
Walk on through
Open doors
Walk on through
Open doors

Hold
Hold
Hold

You don’t have to shout
You don’t have to run
Be afraid
Just walk on through
Step through another
Step through another

Hold your heart high
Hold, don’t ask why
Hold, no need to be shy
You’re gonna get by

Hold
Hold
Hold

Walk on through
Open doors
Walk on through
Open doors
Walk on through
Open doors
Walk on through
Open doors

Walk on through
Walk on through
Walk on through
Walk on through
Walk on through
Walk on through

Open Doors

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

THE ENDLESS ROAD

As if I would stay on the sidelines
As if the whole world was passing by
Would I could I ever be myself
Would I could I be understood
I knew so much and wanted you to know
I judged, hurt, left people behind
So many moments, days and nights all ahead
So many sunrises and missed possibilities
The days moved so slowly
The nIghts seemed eternal
All I saw was an endless road
All I could see was an endless road

Suddenly on a loud and crowded highway
All the others moving in the fast lane
Would I ever could I catch up
Would I ever could I ever
Everything to learn more and more unknown 
Mistakes made that can’t be undone
Turns missed and roads not taken
Faster by the moment orange cones in my way
Every day ending in a rush
Every night passing in a flash
Show me the way
There must be a way 
Show me the way off this endless road

A pain or two I expect nothing less
Nothing’s changed I’m still a child
Would I could I live my lessons learned
Will it all go to waste
Was it all for nothing
I wish I saw an endless road
I wish I saw an endless road
I wish I could see
I  wish I could see an endless road

The Endless Road

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

Sometimes you go to a dark place.

WRETCHED BEGGAR

Ooooo….
Ooooo….

I don’t want you
I don’t need you
Why don’t you 
Why won’t you
Why can’t you
Get out of my way 
It’s my way

All you do
When I’m in your arms
All you do 
To twist and turn me
All you do
To look the other way
Alll you do
To ignore me

I should leave you
I can’t bear you
Why don’t I
Why won’t I
Why can’t I
Get out of my way 
Gotta be one day

A little devil in my mind
Poking me with his red hot trident
White smile on his face
I feed him 
I feed him
That fat little bastard
I’m gonna get the wretched beggar

All I do
To forget myself
All I do
To erase myself
Never do
Anything I used to
Never do
Anything I want to

Better for you
Better for me
I think we
I believe we
I hope we
Get out of my way 
Never better than today

Wretched Beggar

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

Self-doubt is a killer. Sometimes you just have to drown out all the noise.

IT’S NOT OVER

It’s all over
It’s all over
It’s all over
It’s all over
Did you think that it would never end
Did you lose your mind
Did you think that you were going blind
That maybe you might be one of a kind

It’s all over
It’s all over
It’s all over
It’s all over
Maybe it’s time to try again
Maybe it’s time for a second glance
Maybe a small thing overlooked
And maybe maybe maybe you’re alone in your nook

Oh-oh
They tell you
Oh-oh
They yell ya
Oh-oh
They fell you
Oh-Oh
It’s hell ya
Oh-oh
They tell you
Oh-oh

They tell you
It’s all over
Tell you
It’s all over
They tell you
It’s all over
Tell you
It’s all over
You can see beyond the doubt
You can feel what’s right and what’s wrong
All this time and its not so bad
You’re all alone and you had it all figured out
It’s not over
It’s not over

It's Not Over

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

This track is a little nuts.....

If you've ever battled a raccoon, this is the song for you, sung from the perspective of the perpetrator. Raccoons are wily little buggers and more than a little guile is needed to control the movements of an animal that has been trapped in a cage before.

Debated with myself a bit on adding more instruments and sounds but in the end decided that less was more. The "rhythm guitar" is a distorted saturated synth and the "lead" is a Logic Pro Heavy Metal guitar manipulated with the pitch stick on my synth. The difficult part was getting the swing on the drums right and the ADSR right on the main synth, modulation and LFO. Also played a bit with the compression to get a breathing sound.

About the raccoon - that battle is ongoing - physical deterrence is now in place.

The raccoon, also spelled racoon and sometimes called the common raccoon or northern raccoon to distinguish it from the other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm (16 to 28 in), and a body weight of 5 to 26 kg (11 to 57 lb). Its grayish coat mostly consists of dense underfur, which insulates it against cold weather. The animal's most distinctive features include its extremely dexterous front paws, its facial mask, and its ringed tail, which are common themes in the mythologies of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas surrounding the species. The raccoon is noted for its intelligence, and studies show that it is able to remember the solution to tasks for at least three years. It is usually nocturnal and omnivorous, eating about 40% invertebrates, 33% plants, and 27% vertebrates. [Wikipedia]

NEVER LOSE

Keep on coming back
Doesn’t really matter 
Spicy red American 
Coyote piss whatever

Turn up the volume
Tie up the bait 
Bag it all, close the door
I don’t give a damn

I’ll never give up
I’ll never give up

I know what’s down under
I know what you’re trying to hide

It’s all mine
Day or night 
I don’t even care
Seen all the tricks
You can try again
All over again

Keep on coming back
Never ever mattered
Inca mountain flake 
Apple cider try

Play rock’n’roll
Talk show or news
Heard it all before
Kinda like it now

I’ll never give up
I’ll never give up

Time is on my side
Time is my legal guardian

Find another way
Find your hidden weakness 
Seen you from above
You can try again
All over and again

Keep on coming back
Its never gonna matter
Flashing disco lights
I’ll do a pirouette

Put a ring on it
I’ll go left or right
I’m coming down
I got you number

I’ll never give up
I’ll never give up

I know where you live
I know when you’re asleep

It’s all mine
Day or night 
I don’t even care
Seen all the tricks
You can try again
All over again

I never lose
I never lose
I never lose
I never lose

Keep on
Keep on coming back
Keep on
Keep on coming back

It’s all mine
Day or night 
I don’t even care
Seen all the tricks
You can try again
All over again

I never lose

Never Lose

Music, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Drums: Manuel https://soundcloud.com/ruizzoidman21centurions
Music, Lyrics, Vocal, Synths, Organ, Drums, Mixing, Mastering: Jan Schonander

When Manuel sent me a guitar track over a year ago I fairly quickly decided to write an epilogue for Major Tom. Little did I know that I would end up taking a longish break from writing music. With infinite patience Manuel waited for me until now and to my even greater surprise this retro lyric has become almost current with the two NASA astronauts in space waiting for their return trip to Earth.



SEND ME A ROCKET
(MAJOR TOM THE EPILOGUE)

I can’t hear you 
Still I can see you
A cloudy ball in space
Nothing to keep it in place
This is my beautiful view
Nothing can make things right
I’m stuck here 
A deep longing
Hard to accept this 
This can’t be
This can’t be
My final fate

It’s been so long
It feels like you forgot me
Nobody cares about the shirts I wear 
Did you move onto something new
Cause I’m still looking at you
I’m still waiting for you

Send me some hope
Send me a rocket
Show me that you care
Send me some hope
Show me that you love me

You forgot so soon
It hurts all the time
You forgot I was a shining star
You wouldn't write enough about me
Oh, oh, I’m so sad

Send me some hope
Send me a rocket
Show me that you care
Send me some hope
Lighten your pocket
Show me that you love me
Send me some hope
Some hope

I can’t let go
I dream all the time
I wanna feel the sun and wind
I wanna go home

Stuck in my tin can
With no way out, out
Shiny and bright
Can you hear me shout, shout
I’m stuck here 
A deep longing
Hard to accept this 
Oh no, oh no
I want to go
Want to go
Want to go 
Want to go home
Go home
This can’t be
This can’t be

Send Me A Rocket

Send Me A Rocket | Major Tom The Epilogue

Music: Jan Schonander & Belial Pelegrim  https://soundcloud.com/belial-pelegrim

MAGRITTE ORANGE CLOUD

Plus ça change
(The more it changes)
Plus ça reste le même 
(The more it stays the same)

Magritte Orange Cloud

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

EYES WIDE OPEN

The leaves are changing
There’s a chill in the air
So many people
Walking the same path

I hope they know
I hope they see

I chose a different road
I chose a different way
And now my eyes are open
My eyes are wide open

I’m on another hill
I watch as they pass me by
They seem to know
They have their destination

I hope they know
I hope they see

I chose a different road
I chose a different way
And now my eyes are open
My eyes are wide open

Such a wondrous time
So many colors
So many lives

All joined together
Some left behind
There’ll be another day
Another day

I chose a different road
I chose a different way
And now my eyes are open
My eyes are wide open

Eyes Wide Open

Thanks for visiting. This is a retro eclectic music mix with looming influences from among others Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Lou Reed & Jon Lord. Mostly I write about the human condition.

I am always looking for a guitar player that wants to collaborate. Would be fun to find a real drummer also.

A Gat is a cat in Catalan - it all makes sense if you’re me. The (s) stands for many collaborators.

I encourage everybody on SC to listen more and be less transactional.

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