In October, 2022 I participated in a month-long drawing challenge called Inktober. The challenge is to draw something in ink every single day of the month using the official set of prompt words. I found it to be a difficult but highly rewarding exercise. It was fun to be able to look back at the end of the month and see the amount of art that was created. This inspired me to do something similar with music, so I decided I would write, record, and mix a song every day for the month of November. To begin I spent a few minutes putting together a list of words I thought were interesting to be my prompts for each day. Below are the songs with some loose thoughts about each.
11.01.22 – Simple
My goal for this project was to go into it with very few expectations. I wanted to be content if I ended up with a bunch of simple recordings of acoustic guitar from my phone. Getting started was just too exciting to stop there though. After nailing down the core structure on acoustic I decided to play around with layering of some synths. I had recently discovered an incredibly fun Theremin iphone app called Ribbons. I decided to experiment and see if it would be something I could use throughout this project. After running the theremin through a series of guitar pedals and spending some time multi-tracking, I was happy with the result. It has a nervous and mechanical feeling that I would love to explore further in future projects.
Lyrics
Hey there spitfire
You are anything that you desire
You’re a burning sun
A smoking gun
Bursting at the seams
Hey there messy head
You are a celebrity
You’re a garden over run by greenery
You’re anything but simple
Hey there sleepwalker
You’re mind is a tangled hall of doors
You’re a treasure trove
Undiscovered gold
Warmth from the cold
Hey there awkward glance
You’re writing our biography
You’re show and tell of a story that’s anything but simple
11.02.2022 – Warm
A couple of years ago I discovered an album called Sittin’ By The Road by Blaze Foley. The songwriting is incredible but the thing that has really stuck with me is the warm, raw, lofi production of the album. I love it. When recording this track I was really trying to embody the warmth and grittiness of that record. I don’t think I nailed it but I’m happy with where I ended up.
Lyrics
Some days are cruel
Some days make you want to fold over
Give me something warm to drink
Or to hold onto
Whichever one will do
Sitting under the red lights
Watching the view
Look at all the blacktop
They poured for me and you
There’s so much to do
There’s so much to do
11.03.2022 – Bloom
On the afternoon of November 3rd, I was in the headspace that I could make a post-rock masterpiece that would compete with the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Explosions in the Sky. However, the midnight deadline and severe lack of vision tampered with the epic end result I was looking for. Maybe it just needed to be 10 minutes longer.
11.04.2022 – Ego
This track was a fun sonic experiment. I wanted to capture what I feel like when interacting with someone who is overly egotistical. A sort of dull seething in the gut and a sarcastic response.
Lyrics
You’re right
Above all others
You’re right
Hear your voice sing so high
It makes me reek
So right
So wry
I’ll move
Then it grows
11.05.2022 – Disgusting
Unashamedly I was attempting to write a Viagra Boys song here.
I find something so intriguing about imagining and exploring the opposite or worst version of myself. I often exaggerate and personify the things that I don’t like about myself into that person. A gremlin version of me that’s much more proud of his flaws. I might be self-conscious of something but he wears it proudly.
Lyrics
Hiding bodies under the bed
Tend to like friends better when they’re dead
We like people who look like us
Tongue falling out
Mouth full of pus
Four eyes
Razor blades
Crooked teeth that keep the women away
Fly is down
Embarrassing
Forehead sweat
Glistening
You’ve got a bright future
But you’re kind of disgusting
11.06.2022 – Open
The morning of the 6th I learned that the incredible Mimi Parker of the Band Low had passed away. I had only discovered Low 3 or 4 years ago but their sound has been a huge influence and inspiration of my own writing. This one is my tribute to her.
Lyrics
You moved with intent
Two steps back in the sand we went
Symbol of a patient strength
You move with intent
Half of a building sound
Reverberate and resound
Heavier than when we began
As you loosened your hand
Walking through the door
You left us low
Etching of a familiar sound
You left us gold
11.07.2022 – Squeeze
In the previous month, I had the privilege of seeing Alex Cameron for the second time with a good friend of mine. Alex has such a slick, cool, cheap, moody, sticky sound that seemed fun to try and embody. This track felt very outside of my wheelhouse to write. It’s cheesy and I loved every minute of it.
Lyrics
Girl, we could rent a condo in a cul-de-sac
We could do nothing for days
We could go online shopping
We could never get in shape
I could be a silly story
I could be a smirk memory
I could be just a whisper
I could be your main squeeze
11.08.2022 – Speed
By day 8, I was starting to feel dry on ideas, which was concerning considering how many more days I had to go. Luckily I think it was just an off day. This one ended up being a wallpapery soundscape exploration of reverb pedals and synth loops.
11.09.2022 – Guarded
This one was a surprise to me with how effortlessly it came out. I understand it toys the line of just being a humdrum sad boy song, but I was happy with where the lyrics ended up. I have a tendency to write lyrics that are kind of vague and ethereal, and I feel like these lyrics convey honesty and specificity, even if I’m the only one that really knows what they mean.
lyrics
How did you make it look so easy
I think I’m having a hard time
At the overlook downtown
Or in the fluorescent hall
I could have learned your thoughts on dying
But I asked if you had lived here long
You said I grew up here
but my friends are all now gone
Why does it feel so easy
To guard myself from being seen
Why do I feel so uneasy
Saying what I really mean
Two dogs watching cars pass
Barking at the noisy ones
Digging holes to bury treasure
Or tunnel to other parts of town
Is there something to be chasing
Or something to be running from
Is there a moment of forgetting
That we’re looking for someone
Why does it feel so easy
To guard myself from being seen
Why do I feel uneasy
Saying what I really mean
11.10.2022 – Tired
This one starts my journey into getting sick for the rest of the month.
Lyrics
*Poorly Whistles*
Feeling so tired
The day fades away
Let my mind
The night away
*Poorly Whistles*
11.11.2022 – Underwater
“Is this slow Everlong?” is my favorite comment that I have received about this track. This is one I really wished I was allotted more time to dial in. I’m drawn to the balance of textures (Thanks, Reverb Machine), and melodies. I’m guessing I will dissect this track to build something else one of these days.
Lyrics
See through the trees in the middle of the forest
where you keep all your folded little secrets
And I want to say yes but I don’t know why
and I want to run but I don’t know why
We’re under water
I don’t know why
There’s a sheer edge you’re walking
There’s a comfort You’re talking
Heat starts to swell all around
The space in between us humidity Increases
And I don’t know why
I want to run
And I don’t know why
I want to stay
Make due with the scraps from the table
That you found in a heap in the middle of the backyard
Can you stop to run and do you know why?
Can you start to walk and do you know why?
Can you sit to stay and do you know why?
Can you lay down and do you know why?
11.12.2022 – Juice
This one is a mystery to me in many ways. The kind of track I set out to write and what I ended up with is completely different. I don’t hate it, but it still feels foreign. Firstly I began writing lyrics that ended up quite graphic. I’m still not sure what they mean completely. Another factor for the surprise result was that I needed to be able to sing loudly and or scream. Instead, I quietly whispered the lyrics into the microphone while my landlords were across the hall. I then tried to cover the hesitancy up with layers and layers of reverb and fuzz. Hesitant rage is how we got juice.
Lyrics
Those words sing
Drunken Idiots
After a long night of common disdain
Turn your back
Don’t tip the scales
Their eyes will seize your bushy tail
There’s no reasoning
With the crawlers In the night
After they’ve had their juice
And are ready to fight
You found a fraction
In your kind mentality
It’s darker than you knew
Price per head is going up
In this economy
You’ve got to be wise
With who you want dead
Who you want
You spilled their guts
You lit a fire
You made them beg
While they died
Price per head is going up
In this economy
You’ve got to be wise
With who you want dead
Who you want
11.13.2022 – Morning
This was a fun exploration into capturing specific feelings with just sounds. Specifically the feelings of waking up to your alarm on a Monday morning and trying to wrap your mind around what’s going on and what you have to do that day.
11.14.2022 – Pattern
Simple guitar pattern and lyrics about hair…
I don’t actually know how harmonies are supposed to work but I like what happened here.
Lyrics
Patterns in your messy hair
Shapes and curls go everywhere
Scented with something nice
Maybe it’s Maybelline
Shades your eyes from the sun
Business up front messy bun
Crown that makes you glorious
Power like it’s biblical
Impeccable kind of style
Red or brown or blond or grey
Let it down let it sway
Nothing bad on good hair days
Patterns in your messy hair
11.15.2022 – Brutal
Gritty synths slathered with a bitcrusher. Pretty straight forward here.
11.16.2022 – Fragile
Guitars are always my go-to instrument when writing songs. Through this project, I was able to experiment with different ways to write a song. With this track, I want straight to keyboard and synths which felt unfamiliar in an exciting way.
Lyrics
Climb a hill of dirt
Roll the wagon down
Break a bone or two
Stop before a third
You’re not invincible
No matter how you try
It’s not escapable
The choices in your life
It’s not avoidable
How dirty can you fight?
How well can you lie?
11.17.2022 – Breathe
I’m always wrestling with the fact that conflict is a part of life. I’m learning conflict is healthier than loneliness.
Lyrics
I recognize the uneven edges
I understand we’re out of control
I’m going to make my way around the mountain
Even if we’re going straight through
Fairy dust or a mathematician
Whichever one will probably do
Just as long as we keep breathing
I can keep my eye on you
11.18.2022 – Nerve & 11.19.2022 – Machine
For whatever reason I couldn’t muster up finishing a track on the 18th, so I decided to combine ideas and make a 2 part track on the 19th.
Lyrics
Fortune 500
Top dog in sales
Mission
Persuasion
We got the white whale
Celebration
Contortion
We’re lifting the veil
You’ve got some nerve coming here
Lifting your finger to the one you should fear
I’ll tell the stories that you’re in
You’ll play the parts until I say when
Relax
Unwind
Eat on my dime
Soak
Your feet
Put your trust in me
Now grovel
Disposable
Dollar and change
You’ve got some nerve coming here
Lifting your finger to the one you should fear
I’ll tell the stories that you’re in
You’ll play the parts until I say when
Machine you work for me
Produce lovely products
For all the boys and girls
In your neighborhood
Don’t you want them to succeed
Come and get it
You know you want it
11.20.2022 – Timid
The lyrics were the primary focus of this track. I usually begin writing lyrics with some kind of concept in mind, but I really just let the pen fly to see where it would go. Reading the lyrics now, I can definitely see the patterns and themes I was thinking about.
Lyrics
Fruit trees in fall freezing
Spectacle of letting go
Corn maze to misdirect you
To a dead end route
Lion seeking the sun beam
Mouse sneaking through the basement
Under the table feeling unstable
Freshen up with a midnight run
looking like a scarecrow
Full of hay now
Stop scaring your friends
Muck and the mire
Warm up by the fire
Now we’re singing like a timid choir
These songs are a means to an end
Rolodex of empty sayings
It takes one to know one
Books and pages have lost all meaning
Time to pretend
Lion ironing his good clothes
Mouse sipping her coffee
Under the sunroof taking your medicine
Biting your fingernails
You can’t stop shivering
Follow the path that the clouds are heading in
Can you stop drifting
Matchsticks littered
The frost is glitter
New years party
Let’s get started
Fresh new strings under your fingers
Start playing
Under the table feeling unstable
Freshen up with a midnight run
looking like a scarecrow full of hay now
Can you stop scaring your friends
Muck and the mire
Warm up by the fire
Now we’re singing like a timid choir
These songs are a means to an end
11.21.2022 – Unrecognizable
My favorite part of this whole project was the experimenting. Over the years, I have amassed tons of plugins for Logic Pro that I have never taken the time to learn how to use. I can confidently say I still don’t know how to use most of them, but at least I’ve dipped my toe.
Lyrics
I could type out the lyrics to this one, but they are complete nonsense I made up on the spot.
11.22.2022 – Untitled
Untitled is possibly my favorite track from the batch. I really wanted to make something angry and noisy, which I think I pulled off. I think this track is scratching at the surface of bigger things I want to do in this heavier punkier direction.
Lyrics
How’s your little band?
Are you still playing music around town?
How’s Spotify?
Have you changed the quality of your sound?
You seem like a country music kind of guy
Have you tried playing country music?
Try a little harder
Try making something we want to hear
Try a little harder
Try making something we want to hear
Have you tried a little harder?
Try making something we want to hear
Yeah, try a little harder
Try making something we want to hear
It’s all in your head
People don’t talk like this
It’s all in your head
People don’t really think like that
They’re actually very supportive
They want you to do well
They want you to find
What makes you happy life
But could you try a little harder?
Try a little harder
Try making something they want to hear
Try a little harder
Try making something they want to hear
They want to hear
They want to hear
Try being a little nicer to yourself
You have friends in this place
They’re all rooting for ya
Why don’t you know that?
Why don’t you know that?
You should know that by now
Why don’t you know that?
Don’t worry you’ve cried plenty
Sit down
Stop Screaming
You’re being a little ridiculous now
Do whatever you need to do
Go eat some breakfast
Lay down
Take a nap
Alright
Go to bed
11.23.2022 – Cover (Holes by Murcury Rev)
Holes has been a song that has continued to burrow itself deeper in my brain with each listen. I was excited to cover this song for the challenge of capturing its many layers. It’s by far the most amount of instruments I have ever recorded and mixed on a track.
Lyrics (By Mercury Rev)
Time
All the long red lines
That take control
Of all the smoke like streams
That flow into your dreams
That big blue open sea
That can’t be crossed
That can’t be climbed
Just born between
Oh the two white lines
Distant gods an’ faded signs
Of all those blinking lights
You had to pick the one tonight
Holes
Dug by little moles
Angry jealous spies
Got telephones for eyes
Come to you as friends
All those endless ends
That can’t be tied
Oh they make me laugh
An’ always make me cry
Til they drop like flies
An’ sink like polished stones
Of all the stones I throw
How does that old song go
how does that old song go
Bands, those funny little plans, that never work quite right.
11.24.2022 – Full
Lyrics
No thanks I’m full
But I’ll take a plate for the road
11.25.2022 – Augment
I was determined to put this vocoder plugin I recently purchased to use as much as I possibly could. After a couple hours of messing around with it nothing I was doing sounded right or good. While taking a break from recording I decided I needed some popcorn. During the making of said popcorn I got curious about what popcorn through a vocoder would sound like. What I found out is that popcorn through the vocoder sounded better than me singing through the vocoder. Popcorn 1 Me 0.
11.26.2022 – Building
A song of loose thoughts about my current state, as many of my songs are these days.
Lyrics
Holidays caught an aggressive malaise
With a cold medicine haze
Quality control on the words that you say
Subliminal change in your character
You’re a caricature drawn from memory
Impersonal stranger to your own shadow
Performing a recital for the tenants across the hall
An overture through thin walls of the building
No encore as the music falls
Your in a spin cycle things are drying out around here
Fold your pile of the same 4 shirts you’ve been wearing for years
The guest room is full
When you shut your eyes
Full of spiders that are needing a meal
After a long day surfing the web
A thankful heart could be a good start
But a thankful brain hopefully does the same exact thing
You’re Mechanical
With much needed repair
Your joints are creaking fuses blowing
And lungs need some fresh air
Memories are what you’re made of
Don’t let them become a sore subject
You’ll need them to learn something new
One more month before the reset button is pressed
You’ll forget the days behind you to move forward with the rest
11.27.2022 – Friend
Fuzzed out acoustic guitar has always been and will always be one of my favorite sounds.
lyrics
Let’s go outside
Let’s sling some mud
let’s shred some tires
Let’s show em what’s good
Let’s dig up worms
Throw them at birds
Let’s burn a piano
Let’s start a band
You can write a pop song
The same way you make a friend
If you like the chorus invite it over again
I like trucks and horses
The western porches
I like sitting out on a hay bale
Throw my hat up in the air
Click my heels like I just don’t care
**Clears throat**
Let’s buy a house
foreclose on it
Look at our options
Live in a van
Travel the country
As long as we can
Break down in Texas
kick the can
You can write a pop song
The same way you make a friend
If you like the chorus invite it over again
11.28.2022 – Tendrils
Lyrics
Planted by the gardener you grow, you grow
Stretching for the sun you’re soaking up, growing up
Summer nights like a perfect babbling brook, calming looks
Dark west skies creep in and time stands still
Winds rise
Moon fades
Dirt swells
Trees sway
I know you love me well
I’m going to love you well
Even if it hurts like hell
Can we love well?
Ordinary obstacles will choke, burn away
Naming all the difference in our eyes, vision fades
Talking like we’re from a different place, far away
The garden gives all our tendrils space, to grow away
Winds rise
Moon fades
Dirt swells
Trees sway
I know you love me well
I’m going to love you well
Even if it hurts like hell
Can we love well?
11.29.2022 – Calm
This one was inspired by the musical love of my life Adrianne Lenker and her album of instrumentals. I wanted to create something soothing and meditative. Probably more fun to play than listen to.
11.30.2022 – Present
I think this track sums up my time with this project well.
Lyrics
November head down in the blender
Of my own stirring sounds I won’t remember
Overkill and undercooked fix it in December
Boy I miss the band crashing in together
Feet frozen down for the rest of winter
I think hate this town or I need to be better
Movies with a friend to inspire action
A side of dialogue and contemplation
Living in the present tense not past elation
I’m drinking tea now what a revelation
DejaVu is typical in a simulation
Let’s test it out again keep the same station
Apartment 2 my sarcophagus I’ll rest in comfort
300 square feet of luxury living
Slow cooked and breaking down I have no grit to fight with
Don’t ask about this song I’ll tell you I’m not like this
Here be here be here be here if you’re body is here