15 February 2004 (Sunday)
MP3 Here 3.4Mb Download
Here is my entry for the Shine challenge. It is sort of a self-indictment. I read an article that stated that as modern youth become more and more dependent on the internet, they do less and less outside of it. It of course had a bunch of statistics and stuff, but I thought about how much I, as a computer guy, don't get out into the sunshine and how I can remember strange details about computer games but sometimes don't remember people I went to High School with (though I doubt I would under any circumstance since I hated High School)
This started as a little guitar riff that I would have thrown away if it wasn't FAWM and went from there. I am not a drummer, but I wish I was, since this thing needs drums bad, but my attempt and slapping a loop on it was fruitless. I did this one in maybe 2 takes and my voice is at it's limit, so beware of some very painful vocal spots. I don't think a retake would have fixed it, since I'm barely able to talk at the moment.
I got my solar powered rocketpack
My computer watch with network jack
7 servers in an air rack
but I can’t remember her name
I’m online 24-7
Virtual link to digital heaven
Eat my lunch from 7-11
But I can’t remember her name
Shine for me strange gold ball
Burn away the haze
I don’t remember oxygen
Haven’t slept for days
Glued to a reclining seat
See the light by CRT*
Here the only friends I see
Are on at 7:00 on 23
She laughed for me
And smiled when I was near
But her face was replaced
By the Game of the Year
Compact flash from MTV
Don’t miss next week’s celebrity
I’ve heard a life calling me
I’ll wait for it on dvd
*CRT = Cathode Ray Tube - The main part of both TVs and standard Computer Monitors.
Comments: 6
this one's nice, too... in fact, i think this song and "the muse" would go together well in a concept album about the contemporary techno-drone of the TSP report riddled rat race... they're both quite observant.
and i think your songs are getting successively better, too.
burr [09:34PM CST 15-Feb-2004]
oops. I just realized I was supposed to have "shine" in the title of the song. Doh...
Hopefully this suffices... otherwise I could call it "The Shiny Transistor God"
Eric [07:33AM CST 16-Feb-2004]
Eric,
Cool tune...kinda hearkens back to Neil Young in a way...Crazy Horse type stuff...this would sound great with a band and some SOLOS! Cool subject matter too...very nice.
hopper [06:09PM CST 17-Feb-2004]
Ok, I told myself I wasn't going to ask, since I seem to comment more on my songs than anyone else, but here I am asking anyway. (call it a failing)
What specifically reminds you of Neil? The reason I ask is that I was in a band for 8 years that had a guitar/lead vocal (not me) who was heavily influenced by Neil Young and a lot of people associated us with Neil Young and Crazy Horse. The association that I took away from it though was in most cases they were associating his vocal style, which had a tendency to worry about pitch only in passing. I left the band to pursue my own music, and some of my stuff since has been compared to Neil Young, not that that is neccesarily a bad thing. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm subconsciously borrowing from that other lead guitarist, which if I am, I will never live down.. he will see to it.
(sorry to put you guys on the spot.. I guess I don't have wide enough exposure to Neil to really see where the connection is coming from)
Eric [11:35AM CST 18-Feb-2004]
this particular song has the crazy horse feel just b/c of the 3/4 time, tube overdrive guitar, but i think the niel thing is mostly just the vocal, eric. your voice is a little higher-pitched with similar overtones.
in a similar way, TW Walsh is compared with niel, though i don't think their music is really all that similar, just the voice:
http://www.epitonic.com/artists/twwalsh.html
burr [11:48PM CST 18-Feb-2004]
Ok. I can see that. I listened to a bit of TW and I can see the vocal resemblance to Neil and to myself for that matter. It's just how my voice sounds. As far as the crazy horse feel, I can see that too. I just don't automatically make the connection, or I subconsciously try to distance myself from the connection.
Thanks Burr!
Eric [12:43AM CST 19-Feb-2004]