Preemptive Strike!

Last record time was a bit of a flop for me. I didn't really have any real goals or ideas, other than to do something that was "poppy" and not like me at all. I guess I succeeded in that regard, but I just wasn't satisfied. This time around I'm not planning anything. I'm going to start by sitting down at my keyboard and just playing/recording/editing what comes out. Then I'm going to record acoustic "instruments." Instruments like wine glasses, plastic tubs, walls, spoons, etc. Basically whatever I feel makes a neat sound for the music that is evolving. I want this to be a sort of self portrait. So, I'm not going to hold anything back. Lyrics will most likely be an afterthought, if I create any at all. They're probably going to be sarcastic, dry, and sardonic. But, 100% unfiltered me.


Also, I'm going to be taking photos/video  of my new space, so I should be contributing a lot of content to the blog this go around.

Let's do this!

Move over Pinchy, the Bitch is back...

Lobster Shanty is going to take a Record Time Break.  Nick has moved into a new apartment in NYC, and I have trekked across country to San Francisco.  Our respective relocations have hindered the convenience of full instrumentation that our previous living situations made possible.  So the crustacean is taking a smoke break while another act goes on.

The revival of the Bitchin' series seems to be too appropriate.  Sparse, quick, dirty, and simple.  However, I have an ace up my sleeve.  That ace being the Nick of spades, as he is going to help mix, organize, and produce my album this time around.  His contributions will drastically help... in spades.

Although I'm excited about writing new Bitchin' material, I can't help but be equally as excited to make some Bitchin' album artwork (these puns are too much...).  Hopefully the new artwork will live up to its predecessors!  I'm certain the music can only be better than past Bitchin' submissions.

Let's make some stuff for the ninth time! (or in my case, the eighth!) ((also, has anyone ever noticed how strange the word eighth looks?  H-T-H, are you seriously a combination that fits in a real word??))

The time is nearly upon us...

Record Time IX. This will be my fourth Record Time entry, and I must say, I'm thoroughly stoked out. I aimed really high on my first attempt and partly succeeded, considering how little I knew of the recording process (concept album about Japanese sea mythology). My second attempt was aimed quite high as well, and my increased knowledge of the "studio" helped, but due to the nature of the music almost NEEDING good production to achieve what I wanted, I consider it to be mostly a failure (concept album about the dangers of a technological future). The third attempt had much better production, my best yet, but the music itself was very flat, repetitive, and bland (semi-concept album about... unhealthy food, drugs, and trains?).

So this brings me to my fourth attempt, Record Time IX, and I'm not holding anything back for this one. All of the heavy riffs and loud drums will still be here, in even larger amounts, but there will also be a significant increase in melody on this album. Melody is where I'm most lacking as a songwriter, so this should be an interesting outing. I want this to be as progressive as possible, so I plan on making this album do quite a bit of genre hopping (by that, I mean as much as I possibly can). This will be the first inclusion of unharsh, sung vocals in Record Time for me. It seems weird that I'm just now getting to it on the fourth go-around, but what can I say? I suck at singing. You'll just have to put up with it, sorry. Also, I'm bringing back the scream vocals, and I promise they'll be less dodgy this time around. I'm going back to the concept album, as trite as it may be, and I have my story all figured out. It's about a guy who ends up in a coma, where he travels inwardly to discover his role in and perception of existence at large. In case you can't tell, I'm aiming really high with this one.

My first "legitimate" heavy recording (RT7) tried (horribly) to imitate a djenty, Meshuggah type of sound. The next had more of a Black Sabbath/Turbonegro/The Sword kind of feel to it. On this album, I'm shooting for my heavy sound to be a bit more raw and aggressive, achieving higher speeds while also utilizing slower tempos, ala Sleep or Electric Wizard. While there will be plenty of downtuned chugging, plan to hear some plodding drums and flat-out nasty distortion (in a "this is peeling paint off the walls, hell yes" kind of way).

One last note. I have new drum software, so some songs might just end up sounding like a Danny Carey solo set to music. Cool!

Let's hear your ponderings, people! The blog is the most excusable form of self-indulgence, so get to it!

RECORD TIME WHOO

I am so excited for this round of Record Time!

RTVIII was my first attempt, & I'd say it was fairly successful.  It was the first time I had ever written any song ever, so it was quite the experience.  This time around I'm looking forward to exploring myself a bit through music (ooh la la!).

I'll probably be collaborating a bit with my roommate.  He's pretty set on the idea of a clapping line somewhere in there... so look forward to that I guess.

EVERYONE BLOG!  EVERYONE MUSIC!


xoxo,


Marta

Niiiiiine times.

WHAT UP RECORD TIMERS!

Dan here. I thought I’d get this blog going a bit. Last year’s blog was great – 80-something posts and almost 5000 views. Sorry this one’s so ugly – I’ve used most of the decent templates already. If anyone wants to take a whack at a better design, just let me know.

Anyways, this will be our NINTH time making albums in a week, which is totally nuts. I wish you guys could hear the two albums from Record Time I. I suppose you can, but you won’t. Record Time is a weird thing. You hear a lot of musicians say they don’t really write music, they just sort of discover it. That’s something I tend to agree with, especially during Record Time. To me it feels like “mining”...or something. You head out for a week with your pickaxe, and you know the gold is out there – lots of it - but you don’t know where it is or how you’ll get to it. To me, starting with a theme or goal is just narrowing your search to a different part of the mine. How far can I take this mining analogy? Let’s say your annoying girlfriend/boyfriend is the canary, chirping away about who-knows-what, until they stop chirping and you know it’s time to get out of the mine, but you’re just a few swings away from that sweet, sweet gold. That’s basically what Record Time feels like. I’m sorry if I offended any canaries – at least you guys HAVE a canary.

It seems like each Record Time I focus on a different feature of the music. On my experimental children’s album “Tinkle” it was structure. On “Grenadine” it was lyrics. On “Piece of Wood” it was texture. This time around, I’m going back to my one true love: melody.  I’m absolutely obsessed with vocal melody. I still do melodic dictation to myself in the gym on Top 40 songs. I’m fascinated by how single notes can completely change the vibe of a song, and it’s the only area in which I am extremely detail-oriented. That’s not to say I don’t write bad melodies, because I do all the time, but when I do, I can tell you EXACTLY how and where I failed.

For this album I’m going way stripped-down and putting on my “songwriter” hat. I’ve been listening to a ton of Regina Spektor, Carole King, Randy Newman, and James Taylor. It’s probably going to be 90% piano and vocals, with maybe a few extra instruments for extra flair if needed. I also start imagining the “colors” of my albums really early on – this one is purple and white. Very girly. I can’t be sure of course, but I think this album will be a little more serious and personal than my last few RTs. As a Midwesterner, Fall is the season for romance.

That’s really it as far as plans go. This might sound ridiculous, but I also might try things like lighting candles in the room to compose – I always hear various “studio tales” like that and I wonder if it makes a difference. Don’t know if I’m motivated/secure enough to go buy candles in the next 10 days, however.

I guess I always like ending this first post with some advice for any noobs (more because I like to feel wise and/or important). If it’s your first Record Time, I’d really encourage you NOT to play it safe. I know I mentioned you can do just an EP or one song, but going for 30 minutes is how you’ll really get the most out of it. Above all, Record Time is just about DOING, not thinking. It’s that whole Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hours thing. It’s basically musical weight training. Actually, it’s sort of like a mine, where I am the guy that runs the mine, and the blog is the light on your hat, and the Facebook group is the giant elevator, and…nevermind.

Record Time is my favorite thing in the world. I hope you guys are excited.

Get Pumped!

Let's all make it a goal to get as excited as this guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZZUMjoxfZA