Here is a new song from Spirit Level. This song was born from an Instrumental I did awhile back called Unohoo. Unohoo came from a post in the Manitoba Music History Form. The Guess Who are a band from Manitoba and the two main songwriters in the band were Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings. In the forum they were discussing some shadyness in song writing credits and one of the Guess Who were referred to as Unohoo. Not to offend them as being from Manitoba we all love the Guess Who..

Painted Roads

Lyrics

Painted Roads

it ain`t religion
woke me from repose
time to testify
turn failure to prose

my old world withers
I`ll give it the slip
under arches of branches
where brush strokes are thick

a bundle a bottle walking out of the night
rainbow puddles on lanes of light

lunatic keepers
with lockdown frowns
iced up opinions
`bout what`s coming down

pass me unnoticed
in the emperors new clothes
a mumbler in the mist
rambling his ode

a bundle a bottle walking out of the night
rainbow puddles on lanes of light
tumbledown learn to crawl
shadows show when you stand tall
all my colours corrode
on painted roads

know more than you see
see more than you know
unbroken hearts
still turn to stone
let my leave taking
leave no traceable code
paint your own way home
frame it as you go

a bundle a bottle walking out of the night
rainbow puddles on lanes of light
tumbledown learn to crawl
shadows show when you stand tall
all my colours corrode
on painted roads


© Robert Cordrey March 2021

The original song was developed with the BIAB Tracks
****** Song Summary *************
Title: UnoHoo
File:paintedroads.SGU
Key=Am , Tempo 110, Length (m:s)=3:49
No intro. 102 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 102. Repeat x1 chorus
No Melody
No Soloist track.
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Song is saved with bar changes for Time signature,
Style is _TBLZS8R.STY (Texas Blues Straight)

RealTracks in style: 1717:Bass, Electric, TexasBluesRockStraight Ev 120
RealTracks in song: ~685:Harmonica, Background Pop Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 1718:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm TexasBluesRockStraightBrent Ev 120
RealTracks in song: ~1119:Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, Strumming Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 3053:Accordion, Rhythm PopRockCory Ev 120
RealDrums [in style:BluesRockEv^1-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Open HiHat

*******************

Ray added the rhythm tracks and bass tracks and tuned up the drum track.
Robert added the vocal and background vocals.
I added the guitar solo, outro and some fills.
Song mix was steered by all three members and the final mix and master was done in Studio One using Ozone 9 and bx_MasterDesk.

Scott & ray & Robert...

Y'all notch it up a bit with each new song.

Some of your best work, Scott. Cooool tone, nicely played.
Ray's bass sounds really good.
Robert's vocal is one his best.

Tracks sound good. well mixed.

Really enjoyed this.

fj

Great job from all involved. The lyrics stand out, for me ... vintage Robert, this, along with his singing. The guitar playing is also excellent. A driven track, well produced, well written and well interpreted. A high-level job, well done by all. Sincerest congratulations.

Definitely your best to date IMHO, and I've liked everything you have done so far. I don't typically quote someone else's review, but floyd summed it up nicely I think:




Really good, guys, very much enjoyed!

I'm a big Guess Who fan too, Scott, listened to them a lot back in the day.

Kudos everyone!

A worthwhile production.
Some interesting lyrics, well delivered.
Band sounds great.

moto

Hi Scott and ray and Robert,

I appreciated this well thought out and well done composition. You complement each other wonderfully. And the whole is a success. Congratulations. Thank you for sharing.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Scott & Team,

This is excellent. Has a great Indie feel to it.

Loved it!

Bob

Sounds good to me.

Vic

Fun listen, cool sound!

Sadly, SoundCloud cut off the tail end of your song, where the guitar sustain fades to reverb.

Thanks Floyd for checking out the song. So glad you liked it.

Another outstanding offering from you band. Really good listen. The instruments (especially that lead guitar) are well played. The mix is perfect. The vocals are great. The lyrics are top notch, especially this line that I love: "rainbow puddles on lanes of light"

Applause!

Thanks to all listeners and commenters!
A note on my part in this:
Sometimes Scott`s instrumentals spark my lyrical engine instantly-this one wasn`t like that. It sounded complete as is and I thought to pass... but that opening riff is so strong it was on unconscious repeat during an early morning walk and words to fit started.
As an experiment (and being a little lazy), I decided to continue composing "on location" as it were, so the lyrics, with a tweak here and there, are a rambling improv.

Robert

Especially liked the lyrical lead guitar, from the intro and on.
I kept trying to turn it into a apocalyptical piece. (Is that how
that's spelt?) Nice job, Spirit Level.

You guys have jumped over your own high bar with this, to us, somewhat stripped down SL sound.

A really cool tapestry with the lyric and fine performances by all on vocals, guitar and bass.

"it ain`t religion
woke me from repose
time to testify
turn failure to prose"

That'll grab you from the get go for an enjoyable SL journey.

Excellent!

J&B

PS, Ozone seems to be working quite well for you Scott!

Spirit Level,

Love that opening guitar riff . . . really cool verse melody. This, to me, has a really commercial sound . . . “radio ready” as they say, with a 90’s alt sound perhaps. Robert’s vocal sits so well in the mix here—the production is first, first rate. Boy, this is really good. Congrats on another great single, gents.

My very best to you all,

Deej

Thank you for checking out the song. Glad you liked it



Thanks Dave Really appreciate the comments. I remember going to a teen dance at the Riverheights community center and the Guess Who played there. Chad Allen had just left the band. Glad you liked the song.

Thanks for checking out the song. Your comments are very much appreciated

Team,
Saw this couple of days ago, but wanted to listen with clear head. Not to be polite, but actually try listening to it First impression: I like it! There is no point of nit picking. It has a raw cut semi improvised feel, which polishes all rough spots like a file, yet has pretty unusual lines and hooks that grab without mercy. Definitely a success. Robert, nice vocals and phrasing! It is a bit different, but works really well with this particular tune. Ray, excellent playing. Done listening second time, bass still "walks" in my ears. Scott, cool atmospheric guitar, adds a different dimension to this tune! If there ever an album, this would make a great mid-list tune, to pivot remaining in any direction.
Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

A great deep-dive into classic rock territory with lyrics, vocal melody and guitar tone and licks. Solid driving rhythm and a clear mix. Hugely enjoyed.

Thanks so much for the awesome comments. I am so glad you mention how well thought out the song was. Between Robert, Ray and myself there is quite a bit of back and forth communication. We pass mixes and suggestions back and forth to each other on pretty much a daily basis. It is quite amazing to hear the difference of the inital submission compared to the later submission. Glad you liked the song.



Thanks Bob Glad you liked the song. Thanks for checking it out.



Thanks Vic Glad you liked it

Scott, Robert and rayc,

The individuality of the three people is exquisitely mixed, creating a unique atmosphere.
Just adding rayc to the usual Spirit Level will change the performance so much.
Robert's vocal is one his best.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Ah, when I signed on here (a lil over an hour ago) this was the first post that caught my eye, and it was half way down the page. My method is to start at the top, so these painted roads were a blip on the map that I couldn't wait to reach --yeah, I know, so is a rest area and gas station. Love that haunting opening, Scott. Ray, great bass and, man, those drums are perfect. You guys have so much fun and a heavy dose of talent. Yeah, played a lot of Guess Who songs over the years, and Undone was my fav. Now I gotta go find that Unohoo, which I haven't heard.

Thanks David So glad you had a listen. Glad you liked it as well.



Thanks for checking out the song. Robert has a wonderful way of describing experiences and life experiences. So glad you liked it.



Thanks Ed for checking out the song. Really appreciate your comments. Means allot. Thank you. Glad you liked it.



Thanks Janice and Bud. Really glad you liked it. Robert composed this song out while walking. It is amazing how well he puts works together to describe visual images.

Thanks for the thumbs up on the mix. I have been working hard. This mix was very much a collaboration between Robert Ray and myself. It was cool to hear how each one of us heard and envisioned the song and through referencing each others mix came to a center.

The mastering is very much a cool process as well. Using compression to manage dynamic range and volume is such a cool science.. Glad you liked the song

Another great Spirit Level effort!!! Love the feel of the track.....trippy, hypnotic!! I'm a big Guess Who fan myself!! Take care. Greg

P.S. Love the octave vocals!

Loved it. This has a raw live feel to it and I really liked that. Everything about this is top shelf, great vocals, lyrics, instrumentation, mix, etc.

This is your best to date in IMHO.

I noticed RT guitars are included in the track list header; the rhythm guitars are actually both Ray`s; other than drums he`s the band bedrock here. Just making sure credit goes where it belongs!
I appreciate all the positive comments.

Robert

Thanks Deej for checking out the song and the awesome comments. Really appreciate it. Glad you liked the song.



Thanks Misha for checking out the song. Really appreciate your comments. Glad you liked the song.



Thanks Tangmo So glad you liked the song.

Spirit Level

Great intro. Excellent song deserving all the praise received so far.

Really liked Robert's vocal on this has a classic rock vibe.

Top notch bass, rhythm and lead playing.

Well done by all.

Peter

Thanks Shigeki for checking out the song. Appreciate your comments. Glad you liked it



Thanks Marty for the awesome comments. Had the gain turn to 11 so that I could hit those pinch harmonics. Neighbours had their binoculars wondering where the noise was coming from. Really glad you liked the song.



Thanks Greg. Good to hear from you. Glad you liked the song.

Thanks Mario for the kind words. Really appreciate you taking the time to check out the song. Glad you liked it.



Thanks Peter Really appreciate the comments. Glad you liked it

All the elements come together really nicely; another excellent spirit level song. Great work by all.
Regards,
Leon

I'll try not to repeat what others have said, but I will just quickly mention the standouts for me.

Guitar opening pulls you right in like a rip tide.

Robert's vocal are his best, really stand out.

Love the bassline.

I enjoyed the overall mood of the song.

Lovely classic sounding guitar riff, works great as the intro and nicely used later. The bass and Scott's guitar play very well together, I think no RT bass could do that.
Robert's voice is almost unrecognizable, probably singing in a different way than usually, but anyway I like it, sounds like young Robert
Lyrically this is quite a painting which is not easily opened, vivid images, feels like a long obscure walk from a bar to home, but it is rewarding to step on these musically spirited painted roads.

Janne

Man, the energy on this track is off the chart. That guitar starts it off, then a great vocal by RKC. Best ever, I think. Great work all!

Thanks to those finding the turnoff to this road,listening and sending supportive comments.
And we are on to the next.

Robert

Howdy Scott, Ray and Robert.

I love that opening guitar riff. The tone, texture and melodic shape are perfect!!!

As others have noted, you've raised the bar with this on all levels. I love the ambience you all create when lyrics, arrangement and production join hands work together. It's very cool. A standout for me was how you used the stereo field. This is something I struggle with so it was great to listen to what you did. You gave me ideas!

All the best,
Noel

Thanks Leon for checking out the song. Glad you liked it.



Thanks for the awesome comments. Had the gain turned way up to hit the pinch harmonics. Glad you liked the song.



Thanks Janne this is definitely the music I grew up on. Roberts upper register gives his vocals a very cool new dynamic. Rays bass and guitar lines really lay down a solid bed for the song. So glad you liked it.



Thanks TM for checking out the song Glad you liked it..



Thanks so much for checking out the song and the thoughtful comments. Really appreciate it.

Hi Scott & ray & Robert super job on this tune really engaging awesome Collab thanks Eric

Thanks Eric for checking out the song. Glad you liked it