Tripwire

The next outing for Spirit Level takes us to the brink, with a cameo by a literary character everyone knows.
Once again the Biab rhythm tracks were a good starting point and then Scott and Ray took the song to a more interesting and energetic place.
Mix by Scott and consensus.

RealTracks in song: 3182:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm GrungeUnpluggedQuinn Ev16 090
RealTracks in song: 3156:Fiddle, 5-string, Rhythm AmericanaMountain16thsPizzAndy ev16 070
RT 3769 12string electric
RealDrums [in style:Grunge^4-a:Brushes, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat open

Bass, Rhythm guitars: RayC
Lead Guitars:ScottC
Vocals: RobertC



Tripwire

from the wishbone to the old crone
Timbuktu between
tilting at the windmill of time
with hope and hunger I set to conquer
before the buzzard cries show time

a lunatic life I found madness lies
in surrendering your dream
I am the faroff fire my quest I`ll retire
when I prove giants are all they seem

until my staff is broken
shoes all worn out
the end of the line
on this road in my mind
a trip wire flips the switch

from the war zone to the rest home
playing snakes and ladders
scribbling shortcuts on the board
where is love in the push and shove
one day will the game shatter

wearing shades of the sceptic
robes of the devout
I`m not sure
is that light through the door
a trip wire flips the switch

until my staff is broken
shoes all worn out
the end of the line
on this road in my mind
a trip wire

© Robert Cordrey March 2021

I really liked this. Good groove, singing, and lyrics. I found the mix to be very good except when the lead guitar was playing while you were singing. At times I thought it was just to distracting. This is only my opinion and others may or may not agree.

It is a very good song and I did enjoy it.

I can't say for sure - it's just a bit before my time - but this is pretty much what I'd imagine psychedelic rock to sound like - a whirling sound of guitars, grungy drums and cryptically delivered surrealistic lyrics.

Trippy!

Hi Robert, Ray and Scott.

This is quite a conquest!

Rock is not a genre that I have a lot of experience with but this certainly fits well with the songs I've heard. Even the "electric-poet"** nature of the lyrics fit the genre so well.

Engaging and entertaining!

You've all done a fine job.

Regards,
Noel

**To explain this term... I refer to Bob Dylan as an "acoustic-poet"

Oh, you guys are certainly good for the listener's spirit level. You play and write with all senses locked into the reality of Truth. Man, that guitar is haunting and captivating at the same time. Very well done.

Robert, Ray, Scott...

I dig the Spirit Level psych-rock side - gets better with each release...

A nice "live band" sound to this overall. All the guitars blend into the style nicely.

An excellent write - fits the style perfectly. My favorite of your writes, Robert. And your vocals fit so well, too. Both the lyric and the vocal have a Jethro Tull-ish-ness to them (with their own originality mixed in).

Cool song!!

fj

(Don Quixote was one of the few times in my life I quit a book half-way through. Hated it. )

Robert,

I love the edge that this song has. Also, a great vocal by you propelled with a sense of urgency which is very effective here.

Excellent instrumentation and mix. Loved it all!

Bob

Hi Team,
Wild tune! Was listening and reading lyrics... Reading part is a bit faster, was wondering: how will Robert make this fit? Almost like puzzle solving, but in artistic and elegant way. Fantastic drive on Ray part, made a great backbone to the project. Scott, fun guitar. Song is slightly busy for my taste, but I have appreciation listening to uncommon and interesting tunes. Good addition to the SP collection. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Thanks Mario; your opinion is valued by SL!
We usually have at least two mixers working on different takes on each song and its certainly a different process reaching consensus than talking to yourself on a solo song!
Played loud on `phones I like this mix.




David,
Oh what you missed! If we took you to that wild time in music for a few minutes,then job done.
Thanks for your listen.




Noel,
I`ll take that "electric-poet" tag as a compliment( no batteries required) and appreciate your kind comments.




Thanks for getting into the spirit, Marty and for your likes on the song.





Floyd,
Wow,you actually tried to read that; I figured Don Quixote would be instantly recognized and that I could say anything, `cos no-one reads the book!
The band sound has really developed with Ray`s multi-instrument contributions; I`m glad its being noticed.
Thanks for your support.

Robert

I like the lyrics which make you think. Everything works well ,the guitars and the vox .Nice.

Spirit Level

Impressive.

A cohesive sound, Ray's guitars and bass push the song along and nicely compliment Scott's melodic guitar.

A very nice vocal and lyric by Robert tops of a really good piece.

Peter

Reminded me (Bud) of a picture of me standing on the Haight Asbury corner in 1968

I'm old enough to have completed undergrad school that year so this ain't my first rodeo when it comes to this genre ... you guys do this very well. Janice came into the genre via her older brother so she also has an appreciation.

At the moment Janice is making a windmill motion with her arms and saying how the entire song vibe gives her that feel.

The lyric, vocals and guitar really nailed the best of that era.

Nice!

J&B

Thanks everyone for checking out the song and the awesome comments. They are really appreciated.

I first started really getting into music during the late 60's and this fits right in with what I was listening to, that music never gets old for me.

Excellent write as per usual, Robert! Good vocal too.

Love the little melodic hook from the guitar, Scott is a master at that.

And Ray is solid on the bass and rhythm.

Nice one guys!

Wow! what a cool groove. Layed back and mellow guitar.....the vocal intensity matched the song well. Good job on mixing this together for a clear sound. I might have vocals a little louder but worked great as is too.

Hi Robertc, Scottc and Rayc,

What I admire about you is your perfect collaboration. And the result is a pretty composition. Congratulations to you three. I appreciated. Well done.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Another good offering from this crew. As always, the musicians, including the band, meshed well. The lyrics are always like poetry. The vocals fit the mood. Good one.

That`s very kind, Bob- thank you!




Misha,
I appreciate your attention to the lyrics; a big subject in 3 verses!
Yes, Ray`s work really moves the song into another gear( my demo was quite folky, but like the rockier place we ended up)
Thanks for your support for SL!



Gary,
Thank you for listening and commenting!




Thanks for those positives, Peter!





J&B,
Though I never think these days of trying to write in tune with a genre, I confess that this one began while listening to an instrumental from my favourite SF band... so your being sent into that Haight Ashbury reverie makes sense.
Thanks for your interesting review!

Robert

Another enjoyable trip, gentlemen; swirling from the war zone to the rest home and points between.
Regards,
Leon

Thanks everyone for checking out the song. We really appreciate it. We are glad you liked it

Thanks for all those positives, Dave!



Chad,
Glad you enjoyed this- thanks for your comments.



Thank you!
Perfect collaboration? We bat mixes back and forth and I`m pretty sure that means
all of us are giving up something along the way to agreement.
I`m glad you liked the result here.




That`s very kind- thank you!



Leon,
Thank you for joining us on the trip!

Robert

Most good, Tripwire!

Quite a tasty tidbit!

A good Rock'n vibe with provocative lyrics.

moto

Moto and Ed thanks for checking out the song

Thanks for the positivity folks.
The final mix streamed from soundcloud sounds slightly muddy compared to the .wav file but that's life on the streamers.
Good mix Scott and mastering too.
This was hard one for me...a bunch of chords changes I don't do automatically but the wonders of technology found a way around that.
Thanks for another chance to play in an ensemble Robet & Scott.
Ive been in my new home for a week and a half and haven't made it into my new recording space to set up yet. Seems, beds, eating irons and toiletries take priority. I hope to be able to listen AND play/record SOOOOOOON.