Morning Folks,
this is my most recent effort.
Greg Loyacano plays lead and rhythm guitars
I play bass, rhythm guitars & do the vocals.
Written & developed in BIAB.
Of the original BIAB RTs etc. only
REALDRUMS Praise Worship Power Push ^6 a & b remains.
Bass is a Knockhofner
Guitars - Greg used two Mosrites - I assume he's using a Marshall or one of his self built amps
I used a Squire Mustang & a Sheraton II using a tiny Kustom 5H through the speaker of a Peavey Blazer.
Vocal processing:
Mic AT2020
VERY light tuning
JS Spectrum Matcher
Mastered, as usual, by Fran Ashcroft of HappyBeat Studio.
G.O.M. versus The World
LYRIC:
When did shall become will?
How did sufficient become your fill?
What came before that isn't still?
Why does work seem to kill?

The morning sun poked me in the eye
Get up from that bed,
Shouldn't lie down to die.
The midday sun burnt my batter face
get up on your feet,
shouldn't slacken the pace.

Who turned the clock to face Death?
Where did love take it's last breath?
What kept us that isn't Meth?
Why ask questions MacBeth?

The morning sun poked me in the eye
Get up from that bed,
Shouldn't lie down to die.
The evening sun hides behind a cloud
Get on home now,
Should avoid the crowd.

The morning sun poked me in the eye
Get up from that bed,
Shouldn't lie down to die.
The midnight sun broke my fevered sleep
Get back to the pillow
Should be there with those sheep
Finding your own Bo Peep
Your needs aren't that deep.

Rudimentary/easy cheat chords:

Interesting. I can't really make out the lyrics
I think the mix is overpowering your vocals.
Good effort

Nice mix. I too found myself at a total loss on the lyrics. They should come up a bit.

The guitars are really well done.

I think you're finally starting to hit your stride. Your last few have been really good.

Good song too.

Thanks Elliott,
If you're assessment of the vocal level is correct then, I suspect, it's not really a "Good effort" unless that's a participation certificate.
Yes, the vocals aren't UP in the mix, though quite higher than I'm used to placing them. Were it a decent vocal from a decent vocalist it'd still only be a little higher...it's my preference in the music I listen to an make.
I will pop the lyric in the O.P.
Again, thanks.

Thanks Guitar Hacker,
If the lyrics, and thereby the vocals, need to come then it's not really a nice mix to your ears is it?
Yep, Greg's guitars are ace but his drumming, bass playing, guitar playing etc. are always really well done. I've know a few drummers who do "the lot" and they are, usually, pretty good at stuff.
I've taken note of your suggestion regarding the lyric/vocal level but probably won't do anything higher in the mix unless it's another voice.
Imagine striding out at 60bpm & then 130...I like the Python Silly Walk connection.
THANKS.

Hi Ray. I enjoyed this. Well done.

Quite dark story, despite all the sun in the lyrics.
I like the mix, everything sounds balanced in my ears.
Praise Worship drums work well and the bassline is guaranteed rayc quality. Enjoyed the guitar solo.
The chorus part is catchy, reminds me nicely of The Lords Of The New Church, the early 80's melodic new wave.

Janne

Ray,

Sounds great to me. A real punky, almost jazz-fusion feel. A very cool combination.

Bob

Man,

You are the Indie King!

This reminds me so much of my youth! What I listened to and played.

You have the heart of a punky/indie kid and that is an awesome thing. You're like Peter Pan and simply refuse to grow up and act your age. Good for you.

I lose 30 years or more everytime I hear one of your tunes!!!

You KNEW I'd love the bass on this one, Ray. Those guitars are so good, and ya gotta respect a guy who makes his own amp. The vocals are confusing. Of course, you're familiar with the usual "Louder, Ray," but there seems to be a second vocalist in there.

Cool song with a lot of raw energy.
I like that.
And you expected that, didn't you: make the vocals louder. And probably add some high end to make them cut better through the rest.

"Go back to the pillow
Should be there with the sheep"
Does that mean what I think it means, or is that a prejudice that we Europeans have about you guys and actually means something completely different?
I'm asking this for a friend...

Ah, Mr. Thomas, that'd be a reference to the cousins across the ditch in New Zealand.
"Sheep" is a loaded reference these days. Ovine stock? Numbers to be counted? Unaware populace? Ambulatory textile manufactory?
Yes, I suspected/expected comments regarding vocal level just as you suspected/expected they'd be as they are.

Thanks Marty,
Yes, Greg makes the amps to get the sound he's after. Normally it's a raging LP through a Marshall or Mashallesque thing but thins has some twang from his Mosrites.
Two vocal sounds - it wasn't like that initially but the song lacked dynamics and using JS Spectrum Matcher I borrwed the verse tonality and chorus tonality from a now dead demigod, applied them to my own voice and there we have differentish voices - neither being loud.

Thanks Rob.

Thanks Janne,
The solo is a cracker - I love the dives.

Thanks Bob,
You frightened me.
Always a great way to start a cold morning!

Thanks David,
Having indulged myself with lengthy pastoral excursions of late, (mainly harking back to my high school years), I figured I needed to fast forward to "the college years" and beyond to keep myself & others awake.
I assume you know that G.O.M. stands for Grump Old Man.
This kid at heart spent yesterday making cheese cake, working on the video for this song and walking along the hiking path to the general store to buy bread, milk and some "lollies": the staples...they were out of Pop'n'Mavises.

Hi Ray ...

Your Indie mashups always sound great in my ears. No exception here. As far as the vocal placement - it's your song; you can arrange it any way you choose. I did like the L-R vocal panning just before the ending.

It's my opinion that your mixing skills improve with every new post. Drums and bass rock in this one! Keep posting and I'll keep listening.

Alan

Not knowing what G.O.M. stood for, I was hoping the lyrics would tell me. (Yes, I found it in the comments).

I'll join the the sad cry for "louder vocals", because... well, I'd hate to disappoint.

Nice playing (and singing) all around.

Ray,

Full, rockin’ sound . . . not easy to do using just BIAB, so I think Greg’s rhythm guitar additions really put this sound over the top. Yeah, the vocals definitely need to come up. Cool punk feel to this . . . sounds like a mix of The Clash and early R.E.M. to me . . . killer stuff, really. Energetic and alive, full of sound and fury. Excellent!

All my best to you,

Deej

This Grumpy Old Man liked this one.
Super groove with a kick @ss backing band.
Super lead and bass tracks.
Top nitpick I wish the vocals were a tad louder. It was hard to learn them.

Super song

Thanks Alan,
spellcheck wants to exchange mash-up for mess up & it may well be right.
It was a simple project to reset my compass.

Thanks David,
I used to be P.O.M., (pompous old male), but was relabelled to provide comfort and succour to an isolated G.O.M. I accepted the revised sobriquet happily.
Yes, I expected you'd offer the upping of vocals - we are both consistent at least.

Thanks Deej,
I agree about BIAB RealTracks and this sort of music... the "punk" & "new Wave" offerings are uniformly uninformed.
you're very kind.

Thank you Sir,
written in & built from BAIB but only the drums remain.
Using the chord chart in Reaper is an absolute super wonderful thing for someone who can't remember how to play their own songs...ie: me.

Ray
Damn impressive guitar sound and well played,nice bass too.
I enjoyed the song, very well done.
Peter

Another GREAT opening! They seem to be ALL over the Showcase lately.

The Band is COOKIN'!!!! Raw Energy.

LOVE the lead section.

"The morning sun poked me in the eye"
"The midnight sun broke my fevered sleep"

Good lines.

Up the vocals a tad.

fj

Thanks for the explanation, Ray. Got it!

“When did shall become will?
How did sufficient become your fill?
What came before that isn't still?
Why does work seem to kill?”

That is a get your attention from the get-go intro to a stripped down creative lyric.

You put together an excellent studio session — ace guitars and bass of course. And, man, that is some of the best RD snare hits we’ve heard. And whatever processing you use on the bass really allows it to cut the right amount. Not easy to do at all.

We’re not the most knowledgeable re the genre but for us the vocals are where they oughta be, i.e., surrounded by all the crunchiness.

An excellent sounding production on our monitors.
As Janice told Bud when she first listened, "I was tapping away with the drums and the rhythm is stuck in my head."

Well done!

J&B

Thanks Peter.
Greg is a drummer but he plays lead in two gigging bands...not hard to guess his genre.

Thanks Floyd,
Hopefully my opening is a cave mouth.
Greg's the sort of player who will up the energy on anything he plays.
Sadly, or otherwise, this is the mastered version and I don't have the $$$s to remix & remaster.

Thanks J&B,
This was a case of the words coming after the music and the 1st line of the chorus arrived as I rode into the sun on the way back from the dentist. I built the chorus around that and then dipped into G.O.M.ness for the verses.
"crunchiness" indeed.