You Are Here

I've never spent nine months making an album before. Not nine solid months--i took time out for meals and for personal hygiene, of course.

But nine months of writing, adding, eliminating, rearranging, bringing things back that I had once discarded, and putting it all together again in various configurations until it starts to take shape. Well, what can I tell you? It has started to take shape.

It's like being lost in a shopping mall or some gigantic public building and finding the glass-encased map with an arrow that says: "You Are Here". Good information to know. And there's a small but definite feeling of satisfaction of knowing that, while you're still figuring out where you're going, at least you know where You are. I haven't arrived yet, but at least I can say that I'm here.

I have eleven songs. I would like two more. And when I say "songs", I mean that the chords and melodies plus most of the arrangements are complete. I am still working on words, but they are coming. I've made an effort not to try writing words. Very few lyrics have been written, so my strategy can thus be considered a howling success. But the words are beginning to flow.

Earlier in this blog, I spoke of songwriting as a process akin to learning to speak. You're all bottled up, and then a song comes but it's just music and you don't have a clear idea of what exactly it is you're trying to express yet. I think very small children get frustrated because they don't have the vocabulary to express how they feel and what they need. As a grown up, I haven't forgotten that feeling because I go through it every time I sit down to write a song. When you can't use words to express yourself, you howl and moan and cry. And then, as you learn the language, you can be more precise in expressing what you feel so others can understand you. The more I work on this music, the closer I get to the hope of understanding.

By letting go of my expectations, I find instead that what I'm putting together is just what I need. I did the same thing with the music when it wouldn't come in forms that I expected. I simply allowed myself to write whatever begged to be written, trusting my instincts rather than using my head so much. I've also tried applying this philosophy to my own life, with similarly encouraging results.

The major turning point came when I decided to use sequencing tools more. I've come up with much, much better tracks using keyboards as the basis of the songs than an acoustic guitar and a click track. I thought that doing to would make things more organic, but doing things that way just made it more difficult. Best to add that stuff later, after the compositional kinks are worked out and you have a solid track behind you. But this project was all about learning, and I am certainly learning my lessons.

The other big factor is the drum sound. I've finally found a drum sound I like, and i generally leave the mics on the kit, ready to go. I have set EQ and compressor settings I use every time and it really makes the tracks come alive. My early attempts at recording drums were ok, but getting it down to a science really helps the tracks feel like part of a greater whole. Plus, i can play drums much, much better now than I could back in autumn. And I discovered this when I went back to replace those old drum tracks with new ones.

Of the songs themselves, well...writing about music on the blog is kind of futile. But I can say that I'm playing much more piano than I expected I would have, and the types of songs I'm writing are a surprise to me. But they sound like different parts of the same thing, and that thrills me to no end. I'm acieiving cohesiveness without trying too hard.

The only thing that causes concern for me is that the kind of songs I'm writing will require some really skilled singing. In short, I'll have to sing my ass off to make them work. But I started this project because I sought a challenge. I've certainly got one.

Corpus Alienum: How I Created Another Album By Accident

On the way to making the album that this blog is supposedly about, I accidentally completed another album first. Oops.

I got on a roll with the one-a-day compositional plan I've written about earlier in this blog. I created a really crazy track that I originally titled "Alien Bounty Deliberation", featuring lots of freaked out, homemade, heavily processed alien voices over an electronica hoedown beat and thoroughly improvised, wandering and atonal orchestration. It was a blast and I really liked it when I was finished.

High on the experience, I had an epiphany in the shower that shed light on what to do next. I thought it would be interesting to create an album-length story comprised of instrumental pieces with one word titles. I reasoned that anyone glancing at the titles would immediately be able to figure out the simple story line. And the simple story line would have to be about aliens from other planets coming to Earth to eat humans--pretty straightforward. Amidst the hot water and soap, an idea, like so many other ideas in mankind's history, was born.

Those ten titles turned out to be...

Scrutiny

Invasion

Capture

Labor

Deliberation

Ritual

Decadence

Consumption

Next

Paroxysm

You get the idea.

The album I set out to create (and that I'm still working on) had reached another stalling point. It really is a big job and I was beginning to feel intimidated by it. Fortunately, since I had been writing so much material that was stylistically very different, I had an escape valve. I wanted to complete something, to have the sense of accomplishment of finishing an album that could quite possibly whet my appetite for finishing my main project. Kind of like a creative crop rotation to ensure a healthy supply of artifacts.

But most of all, it was a lot of fun. The whole thing took about a month, chiseling away a little every day. All of the compositions were created on the spot. I had no notes or ideas before sitting down. I just started recording and improvising and kept going until each piece was finished enough. It was great not to have to worry about conventional song forms--a medium I love, but can be a bit constraining when your mind is elsewhere. Equally refreshing was the lack of restraint I could exercise when creating sounds and drum loops. It was nice to break out and do something crazy.

I've always been a fan of music that's out there. i can withstand large amounts of dissonance and jagged noise. I enjoy a lot of music that would clear a room. Just ask my friends. Although the music I created for Corpus Alienum isn't too far out as far as I'm concerned, I can see where it might be a bit of a stretch for some folks. It is, after all, abstract instrumental music. But I tried to have some fun with it. There are many musical jokes. Consider it a soundtrack in search of a movie. Or a ballet. If someone wants to stage an alien invasion ballet, inquire within.

I plan on releasing the eponymously titled Corpus Alienum album as a download only release in June. I have already begun planning sequels. This is definitely the first in a series.

Now, back to the other album...

Working Titles

At the end of last week, I reached a minor milestone. I managed to write thirty compositions in thirty days. This doesn't necessarily mean thirty completely fleshed out songs, although several titles have reached various states of completion. And it wasn't strictly every day, either. I took about ten days off from writing when three of the compositions demanded my immediate attention as they were incorporated into the album. But on some of the remaining days, I managed to produce three or four new pieces, so that made up for the missing days. It all came out even in the end.

The pieces range in style from pure incidental music to funk, lounge, pop songs, weird sonic experiments and just plain silliness. By allowing myself to see ideas through, no matter how bizarre, I've come up with three songs for the new album, about a half dozen tunes for an instrumental project and several solid ideas for stock commercial uses and further exploration. Funny how I decry censorship in practice, yet I've spent so many years subjecting myself to my own.

So, for the first time in my life, I have a surplus of ideas. I'm going to keep up the pace merely because I'm curious to see what happens next. When each composition is complete (or as complete as it's going to get on any given day), I do a quick mix, date it and give it a working title.

I'm told that my working titles are amusing. They reflect whatever I happen to be reading or watching or talking with Kate about at the time of creation. I'm including a list of them here:

Twink

Piano Piece Version 1

Molecule

Dark Signal

Petals

Pickles

Bleem

Ledge

Cottonesque

Station to Starlight

Mister Coffy

Green and Gorgeous

Begin the Begat

Jojo

What You See

Anything But

Second Time

Owlet

The Planet Eater

Sub Space Interference

Mid Tempo Number

Botany Bay

We All Ended Up Having to Eat Each Other

Buffering

Clokey

Dust on the Olive

Floating Cookies

I Can Smell the Rain

Grease on the Monkey

The New People

And I added a new one yesterday called "Vacate".

Last time, I mentioned that I planned on re-doing drums on some of the earlier tracks. This turned out to be unnecessary, since fiddling with the mixes seemed to take care of perceived problems. I'm putting the album down for a week or two to see what new compositions I come up with on the "One-a-Day" program.

Fait Accompli

Just a quick update.

I went to my friend Steve's house today to listen to my mixes on his monitors. Mine aren't the greatest in the world and I needed to listen to what I have thus far in a more objective environment.

Listening to those mixes tells me that I'm fairly on target so far. I made only a few adjustments. But I would like to attempt to replace the drum tracks on two of the songs from last fall. Back then, I was still learning to use Logic and still getting my drum chops back together. Now I have a much better drum sound and the mics have not moved since I last recorded drums. I think I would be remiss if I didn't at least try. That will be my job this weekend.

I'm back on my "composition a day" schedule again, dreaming up and slapping down sketches of different types of tunes. I'll probably do that for two weeks and see what i've got. Hopefully, I'll find a few more songs to begin building basic tracks.

I don't want to psych myself out or anything, but I do have a tentative schedule. I'd like to be done with basic tracks by the end of May and complete all recording by July 4th. that's a pretty arbitrary date, but it feels right. I try not to think about it too much. My heart skipped beat the other day when i considered that once I complete the basic tracks, then I have to write and perform all the vocals. This is a lot of work! But I'm in too deep now. It's a fait accompli.

I'm game.

No, It Isn't Ken's Really Heavy Concept Album...

As an independent musician and producer, budgetary constraints have dictated that up until now, I had to record the old fashioned way by writing and arranging the material well in advance. Old habits die hard. Getting started on this project was the hardest part because I was still clinging to old methods.

Well, fie on the old methods.

The practice of beginning a new composition every day--both writing and recording--and then looking at the pool of material I had created to choose the best bits for expansion has worked exceedingly well. Out of eighteen ideas, three of those pieces have now been expanded into three brand new songs with basic tracks now complete. That's three new songs in three weeks' time, plus ideas in the can I can use later. I'd call that a successful working method.

This may seem old hat to folks who have been doing this on their own for awhile, but it's the first time I've had the opportunity to use the tools of today to make a record. I've never had the experience of writing an album as I was recording it. That sort of thing was meant for big recording stars with huge budgets, the sort of thing I read about in music magazines and books in my youth. I always thought that the worst thing that could happen when you got to that level would be to run out of ideas while the meter was running. That, or you could second guess yourself into oblivion, over analyzing everything that you do until you manage to wring every drip of life from your music. I've never, ever been rich and on some level, such indulgence offends me to the core.

Now that I have decent gear at my disposal, I haven't fallen into a vat of self-indulgence. I've used the luxury of unlimited time prudently and effectively, redoing things only when they clearly needed it. I have a strong desire to complete this project this year, and that has kept me on track. The tools have kept me focused, and control of those tools has made my creative process faster and more finely honed. I can focus better and make quicker decisions. In short, I've been able to create music more efficiently and realize the things I'm looking for more fully.

I started this album with about a half dozen songs already written, but they remain on the shelf. I really needed some new material to work on to keep my interest. So, after a revision of the work done thus far, I have five songs created between October and January (two others were cut), plus three brand new ones bringing the grand total to eight. Hopefully, a couple more weeks of writing will help me come up with three more. Of those eight, only one of those songs predates the beginning of recording for this project.

So what do the other seven songs sound like? I dunno. I hate describing my own music. Or anybody else's, for that matter (which was why my career as a critic a few years ago was so short-lived). They're definitely different, but still consistent with the way I write. I think people who know my work will be surprised but not thrown for a complete loop. I'm using some different sounds, textures, song forms and ideas, but it's not like going from nursery rhymes to serialism. There is a thread of continuity there. You'll hear it soon enough. Then you can decide for yourself. I think that's best.

The Pace Quickens

Almost two years ago, I took up meditation in the belief that someone like me needed to find new strategies to help myself unclench. It has helped tremendously, although it has taken some time to really understand the benefits of the practice. Having suffered from considerable bouts of writer's block over the years (and the accompanying panic and stress of trying to write in the face of the possibility of failure), I'm really surprised at how mental training has affected my writing process.

The new strategies I talked about in my last entry are yielding results, and the switch from guitar-based songs to piano-based songs has broadened the scope of the album and guided me towards new territory. In keeping with the idea of starting a new composition every day, I now have seventeen new pieces to work on (since March 8th), three of which have made it to the collection of songs that will make up the album. The rest of them are ideas to be plundered later for other projects. It sure is nice to have a surplus of material for a change. And the new methods have kicked things up a few notches.

What I'm learning is to not censor myself so harshly from the very beginning of the composition process. Better to just let it flow and edit things later. It seems a simple idea, but one that took me a long time to learn. I am teaching myself to suspend disbelief in life and in my work. Using simple recording software like Garage Band in the initial stages of composing allows me to play with arrangements before moving over to the Logic side. The ethos of simplicity and the feeling of spontaneity I've been trying to capture are still very much alive, and the sense of adventure is heightened.

But the most important lesson I'm learning is to not be attached to the results. I trust that I'll make the right decisions and that this collection of songs will become what it's supposed to become. I can't think of how much or how little people will enjoy it. i can't think of what friends and family will think or what critics will say. That's all stuuf that is beyond my ability to control. My job at this point is to follow where the music goes. The album will be what it is.

So if you'll excuse me...

Screw the Rules

Funny how time flies. Striking a balance between making an album and writing about making it is really quite a trick. But even when I'm away from the computer, I'm always thinking about it, always going over in my mind what I've done so far and what I'd like to do next.

In the meantime, I've been busy doing other things which have yielded unexpected results. I've collaborated with my friend Mike Schrand from the St. Louis band Salt of the Earth, adding bits to some of his songs. I've also engineered and produced a couple of tracks for an album of music by the employees of Vintage Vinyl, a record store here in St. Louis that's sort of a musical institution here in the Midwest. I also have the opportunity to produce albums for other artists later this year--something I've wanted to do for a while now and that I'm excited about.

This month, I began the process of putting myself out as a composer for hire. I've always been able to do more than write songs. I can come up with ideas and write compositions that have nothing to do with traditional pop and rock songwriting structures. I love instrumental music and I'm musically conversant in a wide range of styles. But in my more traditional songs, I haven't been able to find a refuge for my more eclectic leanings. I've found an outlet for that in writing stock and custom instrumental music for sale. These pieces can be used for commercials, multimedia projects, presentations...whatever you can imagine. In this realm, people are looking for diverse textures. And I'm all about musical diversity.

These experiences have helped me get out of my own head and step back from my primary project. I came to realize that the rules I imposed on myself earlier in this project seemed reasonable, but are proving to be limiting. My musical imagination has ideas of its own that and doesn't really concern itself with adhering to a prescribed manifesto. Ironically, it was work I've been doing on commercial music that led me to reappraise my art project.

So now every day, I get up and write a new composition. My normal writing process is a bit slow because I have a tendency to self-censor (agonize is more the word here). But no more of that now. If it comes out, I write it. Sometimes I finish or at least start several compositions in a day and sort them out at the end of the day. It's wither good music for stock, a song idea to be developed or something that's hot on my mind that moves to the front of the line for further development for the album. It's a whole new way of working and so far I'm thrilled with the results.

This new way of working essentially does three things: One, it helps keep the lights on. By helping to pay the bills, I'm able to keep working on the album. Two, it helps me to get rid of musical cliches that are woven into my consciousness. Some of these I use in my songs, some of them I try to avoid. Writing commercial music means I have an outlet for things I wouldn't necessarily use. Conversely, in coming up with new themes to develop on the commercial sides, So thirdly. I often stumble upon ideas I wouldn't have normally found otherwise. Some of these are so good that I'm often prompted to say, "Well, that's way too hip to give away. I'm keeping that bit for the album!"

But of course, the very best part of all of this is that I get to work on creating music all the time. That's the part I like best.

I originally set out to make an album in a very traditional way, accepting limitations of the equipment and keeping an organic feel to the sound and organization to the tracks. Now I'm using sequencing and keyboard tools much more, but sticking with traditional sounds--indeed, all of the classic keyboard sounds I've been using so far have all come from software. I'm simply broadening my palette and building instrumental arrangements that have a little more depth to make the tracks I'm working on a little richer. I'll keep you posted on my progress.