...I have been busy, and for some reason nowhere near this blog. Many apologises for the huge gap. So what the hell have I been up to.
Well to begin with, I began a new version of Troubleshooting. I liked the original version I recorded, but didn't think it fit with the collection of 'Anonymous'. So I began work on a new version. I had an idea to cut up different beats, and put them as the main beat. So I did that, and added the tune to it. Sounded great. I added vocals, some bass, and two other guitars parts. The end result was a great wee recording.
So after doing all the editing etc to this, I put it up on youtube. A shot time after finishing Troubleshooting, I had the idea to record some video acoustic versions of the songs, and so set about this. I did acoustic versions of: sexploitation, Troubleshooting, The Search, Video Nasty, Ctrl+Alt+Del, Don't Feed the Troll (part 2), and Honey-trap. I have put a few of them up on youtube already. The Search acoustic got a couple of nice comments, which is nice. Even my wife liked it, and she normally refers to this type of music of mine as 'alien music'. I want to record all the songs this way, maybe even make piano versions of the original Anonymous collection. Who knows. Too many ideas, not enough time for them all.
So anyway, days later I was in the livingroom of the flat, playing the guitar and came up with a good riff. Very different from what I'd normally do. It sounded almost Radiohead-ish, from In Rainbows - which isn't much of a surprise considering for weeks I endlessly listened to the album from start to finish over and over again.so managed to come up with a verse and chorus riff, which I was particularluy happy with. Didn't know what lyrics to put to the song. So on the day of the recording that's when I used a set of lyrics I had started entitled 'Generation Z'. I only finished them after I had finished recording the entire track. I had a verse and chorus. Just needed a new verse, and I wrote it on the spot, in a few minutes. I actually quite like the lyrics to the song. It is about the generation between 1990-2000 who became a generation of internet users. There has been studies on kids etc from this time and the negative effects the internet has had on them.
Generation Z
If you were a 90s baby,
You were born to waste,
Friendships blossomed,
Through the digital age,
You digital natives,
Attention deficits,
Attention corruption,
Your computer babysitter,
You are Generation Z,
Unambitious deliquents,
Psychologists exam you,
Qwerty is the only language you understand,
Use your imagination, and go outside,
Speak to real people, not through your ipad,
So before these lyrics were finalised and incorporated into the final song, I had to record it. Started by trying to find a distorted tone that was quite dry, due to the starting and stopping of the riff. Took me quite a while to get this. With age my patience must have improved, because I used to get so frustrated it I couldn't get the correct sound I wanted. Now, with a little maturity, I will search with little irritation. Anyway, I digress. So managed to find one, and recorded it first time to a cool rock drum riff I had. Came up with lead on the spot - for the chorus, which is excellent I must say, and makes the song even better. I recorded another guitar, and bass which follows the main riff. The verse needed a different drum pattern as it didn't quite work very well with a constant beat due to the nature of the riff. So I cut up the drum beat, added a few noises too, and came up with a pretty cool beat for the riff. The song was sounding amazing. I then added a solo at the end, very simple, but sounds amazing. It was intentional to make an easy solo, as the chorus lead is a little complicated, as is the main riff. Another fast-paced, lead solo would have been too much. So the simple solo was much better to go for. Method in the maddness. I then added the vocals to the song, and I went for it, ignoring everyone and everything else. To be honest, I could have went for it more, but it still sounded great by the end. I have now been using fx no. 9 on my zoom pedal. Much better for vocals. Still have to edit out gaps between vocals as there can be hissing, but much better.
So then that leads me up to a closer time, as in, nearer to now than what I have previously written...I don't know why I have made this more complicated when it is fairly simple. Anyway. So days ago, I sat down to the computer again. I had a set of lyrics sitting I had actually forgotten about but had only recently written - I think I'm losing it btw. The lyrics are about a study going on in a University in America called 'Clean Slate Program', which is looking at the internet, and examining things like, what if they started the internet again, what could they improve; and what maistakes are there with the current internet, etc. So writing about this, but also using it as a metaphor for normal life with general mistakes people can make, I wrote 'Clean Slate Program'.
Clean Slate Program
Imagine if you could unplug the world,
Kill everything (it) off, and start again,
Re-write the word of gods, reboot the entire system,
If you could wipe, the slate clean,
Replace vulgar profanities, with humane pleasantries,
Imagine if you could remedy all your mistakes,
Eradicate imperfections, and wastegrounds,
If only, you could wipe that slate clean,
You started and nothing can stop you,
Can only hyopthetically wipe the slate clean,
Where will it go from here, it's direction?
It gets your attention, and sucks you in,
Where will you be in 15 years?
What technologies will you live with?
Where will the real and the virtual world meet?
And what which eventually, kill you?
Written in April 2011
When I sat down to record, I thought about an old riff I have, which is entitled 'Hymns of Democracy' - in my crazy Communist days. However I wanted to update it, and tried to do so in the 'In Cloud Cuckooland' days, however I could never ever get a good recording of it. But today, I would persever. So I did. And it turned out to be a great recording sessions. I even screamed my arse off when singing. Was fucking great. So anyway, I recorded the bass riff. After getting the right effect, it sounded amazing. Deep, bassy, just perfect. The old riff used to be a funky tune, with a wah wah guitar riff. So I considered it for 'Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey' at first, but then came up with a cool guitar riff for it, on the spot. That changed the sound and direction of the tune. I then added another guitar (rhythm based). Had got a good drum beat to put it to, I then added a weird vocal using my echo and zoom pedals, and then recorded the vocals to the lyrics. I did a couple of tries. The last one of great! Lovely screaming. Couple of out of key vocal notes in two lines, but nothing that would ruin the song. What really makes the song great for me is the editing, of the drums, and the way the instruments and their riffs are very loose around one another. It creates a simple, and quiet chaos, which I like. After listening to a song over and over again,you kind of gradually don't realise what it actually sounds like, if that makes sense. It like a painting, you have to go away and when you come back you see it in a totally different way. When I listen to 'Clean Slate Program' on my ipod later, it sounded unbelievably good. It is one of the best recordings I've done in a long time.
And that's that. Up to date and having good times recording. More, will definitely happen, most definitely.
Watch this space,
Wullae
www.youtube.com/wullaewrightmusic
www.soundcloud.com/wullaewright
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