Day 11: Saturday 11th of February 2023. 9am
Guess who's been busy? Not only are the last four sets of vocals recorded, I've also mixed every one of them. AND re-recorded every guitar part for the entire album. All that's missing now are the basslines and that'll be the recording side of things entirely wrapped up.
Day 12: Sunday 12th of February 2023. 3am
All the recording is done, and all the audio is ready for mixing. I spent most of yesterday re-recording the basslines. Haven't laid everything out together to make sure it all works yet, so there's a good chance there'll be a frustrating part where I've played the wrong thing in the final mix. Had a quick play around with one of the songs, and I think it's going to be difficult to get the vocals to sit in the mix properly. We'll see how it goes.
The next few steps are:
1 - mix down all the songs
2 - figure out some better titles for the songs
3 - figure out a name for the album
4 - make some album artwork
UPDATE: It's 2pm now. The music side of the album is done. I've got reasonable mixdowns of all songs now. It's still a bit rough, but let's write that off as being a punk thing. I'm going to take it through to the good speakers and give it a listen through, make sure there's nothing glaringly awful I've overlooked in the mix.
Day 13: Monday 13th of February 2023. 11am
Final update. The album will be called Redjacket. All songs are in the same order they were first written. The artwork is done, and the tracklist is as follows:
1 - Beer (1:48)
2 - Endless Summer (1:58)
3 - Under Starlight (2:23)
4 - From a Dying Town (3:29)
5 - Sounds Like an Overture (3:23)
6 - California Can Burn (2:44)
7 - Suffocate (3:02)
8 - A Haunted House (2:55)
9 - The Weekends (2:28)
10 - All Bark No Balls (2:16)
11 - Silver Linings (3:01)
12 - Mr Kerosine (2:30)
13 - Wrong To Be Right (2:43)
14 - The Pub at the End of the World (2:40)
15 - Enough (3:44)
16 - End Of Summer (2:52)
I'll be releasing it on my Bandcamp and YouTube pages on February 23rd. 23-2-23.
Day 7: Tuesday 7th of February 2023. 7:30am
That's all the writing done! Sure, the songs might be a bit hit-and-miss, but I wrote sixteen songs in a week! That's got to be some sort of record for me. Even during the first RPM I was only recording a song at a time, so the writing process was spread over two weeks.
The last 4 songs are:
Project 13 (Feb 5th) - DOWNFALL 2:01 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
Project 14 (Feb 5th) - TUNS 2:43 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
Project 15 (Feb 6th) - ENOUGH 3:48 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
Project 16 (Feb 6th) - END 2:51 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
As a side-note, these are probably just working titles. As much as I like the idea of streamlining things by having single-word song titles, it makes them easy to forget. Like I see the title 'Clouds' and I don't even remember what type of song that was.
Taking a break for the rest of the day. I've got some repair people coming to sort the gutters out within the next four hours, and after that I should probably try to sleep. The hardest part is done! Time to celebrate…
Now I've just got to figure out when I'll be awake during sociable hours to record 16 sets of vocals.
Day 8: Wednesday 8th of February 2023. 3pm
Absolutely knackered. I started recording vocals at 9am, and only wrapped up at 2pm. Didn't stop for so much as a cup of tea from start to finish. The worst part? I only managed to get HALF of the vocals done. The thought of doing the same again tomorrow is exhausting, but I really need this stuff done. It's starting to sink in just how much work there's still left to do if I want to have everything done by the end of the month.
Day 10: Friday 10th of February 2023. 1am
I recorded vocals for another 4 songs yesterday, and I started on the production/mixing side of things. 12 of the 16 songs have finished vocals. There's still a lot left to do though, including re-recording all the instrumentals.
I only realised when I started recording vocals that two of the songs have basically the same chorus. The instrumental and lyrics are different, but the melody and rhythm are the same. They're not similar enough in content that I can pretend it was intentional and a callback to a theme either. Oh well, if I spread them out or make one a bonus maybe it wont be so obvious. Except that I'm pointing this out here…
Day 5: Sunday 5th of February 2023
Just a few minutes until day 6 of the RPM challenge begins. I've been catching up on some much-needed sleep over the past two days. I did do some music stuff over the weekend, including writing lyrics for Projects 11 (Clouds) and 12 (Kerosine), as well as creating a few more instrumentals that still need lyrics. I'll update this some more before posting.
Day 6: Monday 6th of February 2023
4am and time for another update. It's been a busy couple of hours, and I've just recorded another 2 instrumentals. Now the project folder consists of:
Project 1 (Feb 1st) - BEER 1:53 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 2 (Feb 1st) - SUMMER 2:10 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 3 (Feb 1st) - STARLIGHT 2:42 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 4 (Feb 2nd) - TOWN 3:42 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 5 (Feb 2nd) - OVERTURE 3:32 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 6 (Feb 3rd) - CALIFORNIA 2:21 -Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 7 (Feb 3rd) - SUFFOCATE 3:04 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 8 (Feb 3rd) - HAUNTED 3:09 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 9 (Feb 3rd) - WEEKEND 2:39 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 10 (Feb 3rd) - BROOF 2:25 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 11 (Feb 4th) - CLOUDS 3:05 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 12 (Feb 4th) - KEROSINE 2:36 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 13 (Feb 5th) - UNTITLED 2:01 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
Project 14 (Feb 5th) - UNTITLED 2:43 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
Project 15 (Feb 6th) - UNTITLED 3:48 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
Project 16 (Feb 6th) - UNTITLED 2:51 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
Sixteen songs clocking in at just under 45 minutes.
DAY 3: Friday 3rd of February 2023
No post yesterday because I felt like I hadn't done enough to warrant an update. Just two new guitar ideas which I hadn't fully fleshed out, and half a set of lyrics. But it's 5am on day 3 now, and those two songs have lyrics now too. I've also recorded two new instrumentals (both re-hashes of some older ideas I had, that I want to improve and turn into better songs). So here's what the situation looks like right now:
Well that was 5am. It's now 12 hours later, and I've wrote lyrics for Projects 6 and 7, as well as recording instrumentals and writing lyrics for two more songs, and one more instrumental that doesn't have lyrics yet. So the updated list should now include
DAY 4: Saturday 4th of February 2023
It's just a little after midnight. Time to update the list
Project 10 (Feb 3rd) - BROOF 2:25 - Demo instrumental and lyrics finished
Project 11 (Feb 4th) - UNTITLED 3:05 - Demo instrumental finished, no lyrics yet
I'm going to take a bit of a break and ease off on writing and recording over the weekend. Really need to catch up on sleep. It's been a great few days, I hope this creativity continues. Already passed more than double what I intended to do. That's it for now.
The last time I did this, it was a lot of fun. I'd like to keep a record of it this year.
The RPM Challenge (Record Production Month) is a musician/music producer challenge, where you set a goal to record a certain amount of music within the month of February. Last year was my first proper attempt (I'd signed up for 2021, but caught Covid a few days in).
Last year I had a reasonable goal of aiming to create a five track EP, likely lasting a total of 20 minutes.
Here's a link to my RPM album from 2022
Just under three weeks in, I'd wrote and recorded 18 songs, totalling 72 minutes. I wrapped my R.P.M. album up with a week left to go before the deadline, because releasing an album at 2:22pm on 22/2/22 was too good an opportunity to pass up (especially since Heard Not Scene was released at 11:11pm on 11/11/11).
This year, for my second proper attempt at the RPM Challenge, I've set the same goal. A five track EP, lasting around 20 minutes long. I don't expect to burn myself out and do as much as last year. But I'd still like to surpass my goal.
The approach is "it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be finished". There's no time to sit around spending hours trying to find the perfect guitar or drum sounds. With a deadline looming, the emphasis switches to the songs needing to be finished. Letting projects sit for weeks at a time and thinking "I'll come back to it later" isn't an option any more. Decisions need to be made quickly whether to power through and finish a 'meh' song, or scrap it completely and pick its bones for anything workable.
DAY 1. Wednesday 1st of February 2023
Just wrapping up for the first day now. Extremely productive (pun only slightly intended). I've got three sets of finished demo instrumentals, structures and lyrics. I'm sticking with a basic powerchord pop-punk/pop-rock approach to begin with. The three songs are called 'Beer', 'Endless Summer', and 'Under Starlight'. They're all quite short, but flow fairly naturally into each other.
I've also recorded a guitar part that will act as the basic structure for the fourth song. Tomorrow I aim to record a bassline and drums for that, then see if I can figure out some vocal melodies and lyrics. That's always the difficult part. I'm putting off recording vocals for a while. I'd rather do quite a few songs at once to decrease the amount I'm bouncing between computers. A successful first day! 9/10
It's been a while since I wrote a blog post (probably a bit too long). For a self-professed writing enthusiast, three years between blog posts is inexcusable. I initially sat down at the computer tonight to organize my folder full of podcasts, but after reading a friend's piece about Buffy and the contagious enthusiasm behind her writing, it whetted the whistle for me to start clacking away at the keyboard.
There's a lot of content on the internet. The quality of which can vary drastically. I've been a big fan of listening to podcasts for a long time now, and decided that I would share ten of my favourites with you, along with a little information about each one. Whether or not you decide to check out any of these podcasts is up to you, I just hope that if you do then you find yourself enjoying them as much as I do. Without further ado, let's get into the list.
10 - We're Alive
www.werealive.com
We're alive is a serialized zombie drama with full voice cast. Set in a Los Angeles tower block, the show chronicles life during the zombie apocalypse and is full of gripping moments and brilliant production. Airing from 2009 to 2014, the complete story is available for you to listen to and download now.
9 - Night of the Living Podcast
www.notlp.com
Night of the Living Podcast is a great way to keep up with what's going on in the horror movie world. The cast talk about upcoming releases and horror related news, as well as having a 'movie of the week' section where they talk focus on something they watched on Netflix. The audio quality can be a little rough at times, but whether you enjoy listening to a fresh take on something you've already seen, or are curious to hear about upcoming releases, NOTLP covers most of your horror needs.
8 - The Now Show
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qgt7
One of the BBC Radio 4 Friday night comedy podcasts, this satirical take on the week's news is a lighthearted take on what's going on in the world. Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis's sketches and commentary on current events are brilliant, and part of the reason why I haven't missed an episode in nearly ten years now.
7 - Cast of Thrones
http://geeklyinc.com/category/cast-of-thrones/
I only stumbled across this one very recently (the same day as I'm writing this, in fact). Since half the cast are also from my number 1 pick in this list, it definitely made it easier to get into. The cast discuss each episode shortly after it airs, and go in-depth with what happened, opinions and speculation as to what coulf happen next. Oh yeah, in case the name didn't give it away, it's about Game of Thrones.
6 - Midnight Marinara
http://www.benviewnetwork.com/midnightmarinara/
Everyone loves spooky stories, right? Or at least, everyone SHOULD love spooky stories. Each week the revolving cast of Midnight Marinara brings a dramatization of a new horror story from the depths of the internet. It's fairly amatuer and has a revolving cast, and that's part of the charm. It never falls into being predictable.
5 - Ashtrays & Action Figures
http://www.ashtraysandactionfigures.com/
You don't have to enjoy Twiztid's music to enjoy this podcast. The former label-mates let loose in the studio to discuss anything they feel like, take phonecalls from fans, run competitions and interview celebrities. All while bringing their unique twisted (pun intended) sense of humour to the mix.
4 - No Such Thing as a Fish
http://qi.com/podcast
The official podcast of the QI Elves is pretty much exactly what you'd expect. The people tasked with digging up 'quite interesting' facts for the TV show QI discuss some of the weird, bizzare, and frankly unbelievable facts they discover while researching for the show.
3 - Cabin Pressure
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lmcxj
It's a BBC sitcom about a failing airline company with a charmingly inept crew, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. That ought to be enough for some people. Factor in that it's genuinely hilarious and well written, and you've got what (in my opinion) may be the best radio sitcom to have graced the internet.
2 - The News Quiz
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r9yq
The 'other' BBC Radio 4 Friday night comedy podcast, and in my opinion the better of the two. Presented in a panel-show format, this is basically the radio equivalent of Have I Got News For You, except much better. The show hasn't been quite the same since Sandi Toksvig left to replace Stephen Fry on QI, but this is still my favourite way to keep up with what's going on in the world.
1 - Drunks & Dragons
http://geeklyinc.com/category/drunks-and-dragons/
No, really. By all rights this podcast has no business being in my top ten, never mind being number one. I've only ever played Dungeons and Dragons once, and I decided way back then that it wasn't my kind of thing. I don't remember exactly how I stumbled across this podcast back in April, but listening to these five people play Dungeons & Dragons and find ridiculous solutions to problems (such as teleporting enemies into a magic house full of Home Alone style traps complete with micro machines, or trying to figure out the logistics of whether their magic bag could hold an entire dwarf) is thoroughly entertaining. I went back to the start and listened to all 220 episodes over the space of two and a half months, and my only regret is that now I have to wait a week for each new installment of their adventures. Even if you aren't a fan of D&D, this is worth checking out purely for the improvised role-playing and brilliant characters. 777 dragon-boners out of 10.
Powder Jay told me I should take a picture of my new electro-acoustic. Since I've just finished organizing the spare bedroom (the room where I record and keep all my music gear), I thought I'd take a few pictures. Got a little bit carried away with it, and ended up with A LOT of pictures. So instead of one pic of an electro-acoustic, here's a guided tour of my music equipment and recording setup.
1 - Epiphone Les Paul Special II. This is the main guitar I used for recording 'SuperXero'. I bought it from my friend and former bandmate Bob. Haven't had a chance to gig with this one yet so not too sure if it'll be able to handle high distortion at volume. Hoping it will 'cause it's a nice guitar to play.
2 - Westone 'Warlock'. I don't know the proper name of this guitar, and I can't remember where or who I bought it from. Had it a while, but it hasn't been played much over the past few years. I think I recorded one or two parts from the 'Heard Not Scene' album with this. Nice guitar, but gets pretty bad feedback when the amp volume is turned up to gig levels. As a result and despite how it looks, it's better suited to classic rock than heavy metal.
3 - Schecter C-1 +. The most expensive guitar I own. They've stopped making these guitars (or they've re-branded them and come up with a new name and a few hardware changes). Mainly keeping hold of this one to sell on for a profit when they get harder to find. If I see another one going for a reasonable price I might pick it up, because the neck is brilliant for playing fast stuff.
4 - Westone Flying V. This one's my baby. I've had this guitar for over 10 years and used it on every album (except 'Superxero') and played it at every live gig I've performed at. It has the same problem that most V-shaped guitars have that when you're playing it with a strap, the neck wants to hang lower than the body, and the pickups aren't astounding. I've had to take off one of the tuning pegs because it kept jamming. I really keep meaning to fix this because it has a lot of sentimental value... and looks cool as hell.
5 - Martin Smith Electro-Acoustic. The newest addition to my collection. It was £80 from Argos, and has fret inlays of birds flying. It's been a while since I played an acoustic guitar, so still getting the hang of it. I dare say you'll hear this guitar on some new material soon.
6 - Dean Demonator. This is actually Sherb's bass, not mine. But it's lived here long enough that it may as well be included in the picture. It's a 4 string bass that arrived here with 3 strings, and gradually had two more strings removed over the years to replace broken strings from the other bass.
7 - Vintage 5 string. The brand is called vintage, it isn't actually decades old. Again, this is another one of Sherb's bass guitars that seems to have taken up residence in my house. I don't know much about bass guitars, but I do know that Sherb sets the action on the bridge way too high for my liking. But it's how he likes it, so I haven't altered anything.
1 - Composer Pro rack-mount compressor. When I want to record some vocals quickly but don't want to mess around with mixing, I'll run my mic through this before sending the signal to the PC. It's definitely good for 'on the fly' vocal processing, hopefully I'll get a chance to use it in a live situation at some point. I imagine it'd excel in a gigging environment.
2 - Marshall MG 50DFX. I've used this amp (and it's built-in distortion and effects) on every album I've recorded over the past 13 years. I'm not sure whether it's a 'flaw' or not, but I've never played through another amp that sounds so smooth when it's distorted, even when I've been playing through other Marshall MG DFX amps. Excellent for both studio work and small gigs, I'll be keeping hold of this one until it completely gives up.
3 - Marshall 4x12 Angled Cab. Bought this one from Maxwell (guitarist from the band Victimized). I haven't dared turn the volume right up when I've hooked the MG amp up to this. It's a noisy bastard, and ought to be perfect for bigger gigs.
1 - Pedalboard. Made from the frame of an old set of shelves (those cheap ones you get from Argos where you make the frame then throw a canvas thing over the top of it). I wont go into details about the pedals here, since that's on one of the next pictures.
2 - Kustom KPM4080 PA system head. I used to only use this for live gigs, but started using it for studio recording around the time I was working on "I Learned to Start Fires by Burning Bridges". It has 4 inputs for either mics or instruments, and actually seems happier being used for studio work than live performance.
3 - Yamaha DD55 drum machine. This usually only gets used when I feel like jamming or when Casper visits. It's a decent little drum machine. I've sampled most of the sounds, turned them into .wav files and use them in FL Studio when I'm laying out drum tracks.
1 - TC Helicon C1 Hardtune pedal. It's autotune 'on the go'. You can run your guitar through it and it'll detect the key based on which chords you're playing, which is fairly awesome.
2 - Marshall MG Footswitch. The footswitch for my Marshall MG 50DFX. It's seen better days, and is mostly held together with duct tape after I had to re-wire it without the use of a soldering iron.
3 - MXR Zakk Wylde overdrive pedal. Another one of those "it's not mine, but it's lived here so long etc" deals. This actually belongs to Danny and I've only used it a handful of times while jamming.
4 - Zoom 707 II Guitar multi-effects. I bought this 10 years ago for £150 (I think the price must've been marked up quite a bit). Mainly wanted it for the expression pedal, thinking it'd be better to buy a multi-effects unit than just a wah-wah pedal. I was wrong, the tone on the Zoom 707 II is awful when you're using it for distortion. Clean settings are pretty good, and there are a handful of effects that I've used once or twice (like the 'violin' setting)
5 - Zoom 505 multi-effects. Basically it's a step down from the 707, but strangely it's a much better pedal in my opinion. Again, the distortion isn't up to much, but I've got a bunch of clean presets I like to use in conjunction with the Marshall's distortion.
1 - PC. Bought a year ago for £350 from Milltech Computers in Whitehaven. I have a bad habit of killing PCs (seriously, there are 7 computers in this room right now, only one of them works).
2 - Aiwa hi-fi system. Instead of using PC speakers, I run my audio from the PC's line-out and into this. The sound quality is excellent. Aside from that, it has a CD tray which holds 3 CDs (and doesn't work), 2 cassette decks (doesn't work), and a radio (which doesn't have an aerial).
3 - Audio Technika MB3k Microphone. Picked this up for £80, and was very impressed with the sound quality. I know a lot of people swear by the Shure SM58 microphones, but in my opinion this offers much better quality for slightly less.
4 - Technika headphones. I don't think they're related to the Audio Technika brand, they're cheap and cheerful. Pretty good sound quality, but they're falling to pieces from the past 3 years of use.
1 - CoolEdit Pro 2.0. This program has been obsolete for quite a while now. A different company picked it up a while ago and it got re-branded/re-named as something else. I've been using this since shortly after it was first released (about 12 years ago?). Pretty basic, but it's excellent for recording guitar and vocal tracks, EQ editing, vocal processing and mixing songs down without quantizing them (the way FL Studio tends to).
2 - FL Studio 8. I'm not upgrading because I've only just figured out how to use version 8. There probably isn't a lot I can tell you about FL Studio that you don't already know, so instead I'll just tell you what I use it for. Basically I just compose the drums, bass and any synths I want in a song on the piano roll and bounce down the individual .wav files ready for mixing in CoolEdit. That's about it.
3 - Celemony Melodyne. Probably the best piece of software I've stumbled across. Brilliant for sorting out a dodgy vocal take. You can do everything from subtle fine-tuning of pitch variation to the full-on hard snap style autotune.
1 - Pickmaster. You've probably seen these as novelty gifts somewhere. Pretty handy for turning old bank cards into plectrums. You can never have too many plectrums, especially when Sherb's about and insists on destroying them with his bass strings.
2 - Jim Dunlop stubby plectrums. Smaller than regular plectrums, but a lot thicker. I (think I) play better with these than any other type of pick. I've got 1mm and 3mm stubbys, and could really do with stocking up on more.
3 - Dictionary and Thesaurus. Come one, if you write songs and don't have these then you're missing a trick. Just kidding, I don't use them that often. I only break them out when I have a particularly pretentious word I want to use in a song, but am not sure whether it means what I think it means or may be in the wrong context.
4 - Guitar pitch-pipe. Usually I tune my guitar using FL Studio, but this is handy too.
5 - A nice cup of tea. Probably the single most important thing in my recording setup.
6 - A tub of guitar picks. Got over 200 plectrums in here. Got some custom 'Nate Monoxide' picks, some 'I used to be a credit card' picks and a bunch of others. Good to have for when... ah, I've already mentioned the Sherb thing.
1 - Audio spaghetti. Plugs, leads, cables, wires. Whether it's audio or visual, chances are you'll find it in here. You'll spend hours trying to untangle it, only to find out it doesn't work. But there's always a chance. The only reason this exists is because I don't have the time, energy or patience to spend a full week untangling it all, just to throw back in a box for it to get tangled again. Sod it.
2 - The retired drum kit. It takes up too much space, and even with practice pads is too loud. So now it just sits in the corner looking sad.
I've been meaning to write a 'top 10 albums' blog for quite some time. While preparing to write this album, I ended up with a list of about 30 different albums which could have potentially made it into the top 10. There were a lot of really obvious ones like 'American Idiot', 'Significant Other', 'The Downward Spiral', 'White Pony' and 'Lateralus' which fans of those particular bands/genres will no doubt have heard so many times that hearing another list with the same names would just be tedious. So instead I got rid of 20-odd of those albums with the intention of turning this into a blog about '10 albums you may have missed'. So here it is. You may or may not have heard of some/all of these. You might love them, you might hate them. Either way, here's the list
10 - Onelinedrawing // Visitor
Onelinedrawing is the name of Jonah Matranga's solo project. You might know him as the guy who sang on the chorus of Fort Minor's song 'Where'd you go?', or, if you're into your old-school alternative post-hardcore, you might know him as the singer/guitarist from the band 'Far'.
Although Jonah may not be the greatest singer or guitarist, he manages to create a brilliant atmosphere on this mainly acoustic release. There's an almost ambient quality to the songs which makes this album excellent to relax to. This is my go-to album when I want to relax, and I find there's no album suited better to candle-light.
STREAM HERE: http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Visitor/266605
9 - The Wayriders // Pirate Radio
The first time I saw The Wayriders was amazing. They were booked to play at Whitehaven Civic Hall, and there were literally only 5 people there. Yet the band still put on a show that a crowd of hundreds should have enjoyed. I picked up two of their albums and had a chat with the lads, and despite the disappointing turnout they came back to Whitehaven a few more times. Each time to a larger crowd and much more support from the local audience.
I think 'Pirate Radio' had a lot to do with that. The album is raw, energetic, and full of catchy songs. Stylistically my best guess at which genre they play would be ska-punk with subtle influences from jazz, blues and pop... maybe. Pirate Radio sounds a little rough around the edges in terms of audio quality, but the sheer energy of the songs manages to shine through. Oh yeah, and they have a song about The Goonies! How could anyone not like that? This one's excellent for upbeat summer days.
STREAM HERE: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Wayriders/Pirate+Radio
8 - Sonic Boom Six // Sounds To Consume
It feels like Sonic Boom Six have been around forever. I remember seeing them at Whitehaven Civic Hall a whole bunch of times over the past 15 years (yes, I'm old). While nearly every other band that played there has gone on hiatus or plain split-up, Sonic Boom Six have gone from strength to strength and adapted their sound to include influences from a whole bunch of different genres (dub, electro, hip-hop, reggae, punk, etc).
But let's talk about Sounds To Consume. If there was any justice in the world, this album from 2005 should have made SB6 as massively popular as Less Than Jake or Reel Big Fish. Each song has a message worth heeding, and there isn't a weak song on the album. More ska-punk than any of their more recent material, it's an excellent showcase of why you should go out of your way to pay attention to your local music scene. Much love and respect to Manchester.
7 - MC Chris // MC Chris Is Dead
MC Chris hates being categorized as a 'Nerdcore rapper', but when one makes songs about nerd girls, reeses pieces, harry potter and star wars, it's not too hard to see where that association comes from. Nerdcore or not, you don't have to be a nerd to enjoy 'MC Chris Is Dead', provided you can get over the initial shock of MC Chris's voice.
The album is good, lighthearted fun. Songs like 'Hoodie Ninja' seem designed with the sole intention of getting stuck in your head, and the skits between songs are hilarious. Like any good album, you can either play it through from start to finish, or you can pick any single song out and enjoy it on its own, and that's why I've included this gem in the list.
STREAM HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVd0AOhKyb4&list=PL5471387E2E8F2110
6 - Rhyme Asylum // State Of Lunacy
Anyone who's been paying attention to the hip-hop scene in the UK will no doubt sing the praises of Rhyme Asylum. State of Lunacy first blew my mind with how dark it was, then again with the intricate wordplay of each song. I'd never heard anything like it before, and I still haven't heard anything like it since.
You don't even have to be a fan of hip-hop to appreciate just how damn clever the lyrics are to 'Poison Penmanship'. If you haven't already heard this album, I strongly recommend doing so at least once.
STREAM HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-AOhe1Uz9A
5 - Mindless Self Indulgence // Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy
I'll be honest, the first time I heard this album (I'm going to abbreviate it to 'FGWSSS' because copy-pasting and reading the full title is a pain in the arse), I felt like Christmas has come. I played this album over and over again for weeks, and never got tired of it. The arrangements of each song are bizarre, the whole album has an off-kilter feel about it, and it probably will offend you at some point.
MSI have become a lot more popular since they released "You'll rebel to anything", but that seems tame compared to FGWSSS. Not that they aren't still amazing, just that I'd recommend this album purely for the experience.
STREAM HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tJMxhiAyNQ
4 - Eskimo Callboy // Bury Me In Fucking Vegas
Eskimo Callboy are a German 'something-core' band. What-core? I'm not sure-core. When I stumbled across these guys, it had been a long time since I was excited by the prospect of listening to metal. But the combination of brutality, humour and catchiness won me over. Bury Me In Vegas is full of songs that'll make you want to destroy everything one moment, then wish you were jumping up and down off your tits on LSD at a rave the next. I've always said, this is the band that Enter Shikari should have sounded like in theory. If you like your music heavy, this one's for you.
STREAM HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmf6xaxv-Rk&list=PL8291ED493D881862
3 - The Booginz // The Aftermath Of I-79
Of all the albums on this list, I have no doubt this will be the one which least people have heard of, and tracking down a copy is fairly difficult (or was, between 2004 and 2011). Which is a shame, because The Booginz are one of the greatest bands you've never heard of. The best way I can describe them is as the outproduct of hurtling Tool and Primus at each other through the Large Hadron Collider. Yes, they're that brilliant.
I discovered The Booginz' music entirely by accident, their CD was included in a bundle that I'd ordered online. I played the hell out of that CD for a few years, then spent best part of a decade trying to find a replacement copy. They're a real musician's band, every member is excellent at their instrument, and are able to show it without the artsy pretentious 'look at me' solos you get with the likes of Dream Theatre.
STREAM HERE: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Booginz/Aftermath+of+I-79
2 - Hilltop Hoods // The Hard Road Restrung
On the other side of the planet, these guys are able to sell out massive venues. So the fact that the majority of people in The USA and The UK have no idea who they are has always seemed somewhat baffling to me. Hilltop Hoods are a rap/hip-hop trio, two rappers and a DJ from Australia. While they might not be the most amazing lyricists in terms of multisyllabic rhyme schemes or wordplay, they are excellent at creating an atmosphere, delivery and storytelling. The Hard Road Restrung is technically a remix album, with a lot of synths from the original material replaced with a string section. The result is astounding, The Hard Road Restrung has a timeless quality to it which ought to help maintain its relevance for a long time to come. An excellent album which every self-respecting fan of the genre should own.
STREAM HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lZ2lRr9mIA&list=PLEF390037E93BC826
1 - Twiztid // Heartbroken & Homicidal
I'm not ashamed to admit I owe a lot to Twiztid. They've been an excellent source of inspiration for me for a very long time, and they're one of the only acts whose new releases get me excited to hear what direction they've decided to go with this time.
While we're at it, I should clear up that yes, I did call myself 'Nate Monoxide' as somewhat of a tribute to 'The Monoxide Child' (I figured if you could have a Snoop Dogg and a Nate Dogg then why not?).
It was difficult deciding exactly which Twiztid album I was going to write about here. Every one of their album releases has been a different experience. 'Man's Myth' and 'Mutant' were both brilliant concept albums, 'Freek Show' and 'Mostasteless' were some of horrorcore's best albums in my opinion, and 'The Green Book' was so atmospheric that listening to it through headphones gave me an anxiety attack. I mean that in a good way.
So why 'Heartbroken & Homicidal'? Well, I think this is the album where Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child really drove the point home in a way they hadn't previously been able to do. The first thing I noticed when I first listened to this album was a massive leap in terms of their songwriting and vocal ability. There isn't a weak moment on this entire album for me, and just hearing or reading the title of each song immediately gets the chorus stuck in my head.
As with all Twiztid albums, it takes a few listens to really get into Heartbroken & Homicidal. But once you do, this could potentially be your favourite horrorcore album (even though it's the biggest departure from the genre for the demented duo yet). Another reason this made it to my number one spot is because of the sheer diversity in the songs. 'All The Rest', 'Set By Example' and 'P.S.A' are three songs which sound like they could have been wrote by different groups, all of whom are proficient in those particular styles. You might love it, you might hate it. Either way, this is my #1 recommended album and I offer no apologies.
STREAM HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydpy6YKRLKw&list=PLB34236F2A3B1B6C3
SuperXero - Nate Monoxide (2013) Album Review by CBerry
The same can be said for Nate's 5th album. A right combination of familiarity and experimentation set to a rock and roll soundtrack, easily makes Nate's newest album "SuperXero" one of my favourite albums of the year.
I find my working relationship with Nate pretty interesting to say the least because I was a fan long before we ever became close friends and colleagues. Upon release of this musical treat, I talked to Nate for a while discussing inspiration and production and all kinds of shit. He warned me that this album wasn't going to be as "polished" as his previous albums and to be honest, that made me want to hear it even more. A lot of my favourite albums have had an "unpolished" sound to them. Most memorable being Korns first 3 albums, early albums/releases by The Used, early Nirvana, anything by Rancid or NOFX and of course 90% of the Beatles tracks.
But what we seem to have here is a return to the root of it all, Punk Rock. I'm not going to get into each individual track, as that would just take too long. But I want to talk about most of the tracks, more specifically the ones that I find to be most prominent on the album and personal favourites.
We begin with the Intro! I must say I'm pretty happy that this cd begins with an intro. To me, any intro track makes for a more cinematic experience. And in this short, fast paced introduction to SuperXero we get a crazy taste of what is to come. On Nate's previous albums he never had an intro (except for the one I produced) and so I am pretty happy to hear an intro track on this album.
'STFU' is a really sweet pickup after the introduction because it's just a straight up good rock track. All of my favourite things about Nate Monoxide's music, all packed into one song. A catchy riff set to a fast paced beat with a mix of Rap and Rock for vocals. And not forgetting the almost contradictive lyrics of egotism and self doubt. This song to me is Nate telling us how he perceives himself in a certain light contrasted against how he sees himself in another and how he thinks others think of him. For instance, in the first verse you could almost say he's just bragging. But as soon as the chorus hits you see how he truly feels about his music. a healthy ego but staying humble at the same time. And the bridge coming in after chorus 2 basically stating to "lighten the fuck up" wins me over immediately. Nate, you had me at reckon.
"I think I need to learn to Shut The Fuck Up! I can't sing for shit and I can barely play guitar I'm victimizing people who I swear just don't deserve it. I'm a prick, I'm a prick, I'm a star"
'Damn That Ocean' is another really good track off this album. I've always said that Nate has a way of writing things that anybody can relate to. And this song is the proof for me. Its not hard to empathize with the lyrics of this song. Whether you have an ocean between the one you love or just distance, this song really defines the 'love song/tragedy' side of Nate. And also I think it's worth noting that this song is really (musically) outside of what I'm used to hearing from Nate. It's songs like these that make his claims of being a 1 trick pony (in the intro) to be completely false. Another thing about this song that I really like is there are a couple lyrics that can be interpreted in so many ways. For instance "damn that ocean in between, what we had potentially" could also be interpreted "dam that ocean in between what we had potentially". Overall it means similar things, but not quite the same. Very much open to interpretation. And isn't that what art is all about.
"Had I tried, I don't doubt. We'd be together today, she'd be in my embrace right now"
'The Backpack' is probably my number 1 favourite track off this album. Hard to say really, but this one is just perfect for me. Lyrically and melodically the vocals are soothing at times and contrasted against some creepy ass screams in the background. Not to mention that killer riff on the bridge. And just when you think the song is over he brings the bridge back for a couple more bars. If that song was a movie, the last bridge would be the credits. I really enjoy when artists do that on a track and Nate nailed it. and needless to say, I've dated a few girls that fit Nate's profile in this song. And also it's really easy to see in this song most of all, that Nate is a master story teller. Everything about this song makes me understand the lyrics better, every note, every crash. It's all just the soundtrack to this depressing tale.
"The walls close in, around her Claustrophobic, destructive patterns She's the architect of her own heartache Like a ghost, she flickers out and fades away"
'The Voodoo Man' needs to be in a Skateboarding video game. The minute I heard this track it brought me back to the early Tony Hawk soundtracks. Its a silly song, but not silly in any kind of negative way. When I first heard the "oogie-woogie boogie-woogie" I must admit I laughed. Because this song to me shows Nate is expanding his lyrical content, having fun with it. And this song really reminds me of something I would have been listening to when I first discovered punk. And I'm a really big fan of stories turned song so this song just gets me pumped.
" He said I'm tapped inside my mind, tapped inside my brain. Don't you dare go back out there they'll label you insane. So I stay on this island with the voodoo man, making my own voodoo dolls and kicking voodoo chants like this!"
"Integrity" has got to be the most direct song on the album. There's no beating around the bush here. It's just another chapter from Nate's story. It describes the frustration of being an artist vs the music business. and the obvious resentment at the load of shit the consumer is buying into these days. And I love that this song also has that ska/punk feel to it.
"But why fix what is not broken I need to believe that There's still someone out there With a shred of integrity"
"My Own God" is one of the more dark and twisted songs on the album. Which is my kind of shit! The piano introduction is just haunting. Nate has told me at times that he really enjoys my piano compositions... Fuck you Nate. That piano is the most perfect level of beautiful and disturbingly creepy that I have ever heard. And that's only 17 seconds into the song. Really powerful imagery in the lyrics "patterns emerge though they're unconnected I entangle them like spider webs" Sincerely morbid to say the least but intriguing. I like lyrics that make the imagination run wild. It would be easy to give an opinion of what he is talking about in the song, most obvious being him going through some form of crisis. But the lyrics nonetheless are pretty relatable so it just fills my head with stories. Also the chorus (in my own opinion) is like a battle with his own ego (or just how he perceives himself). Telling himself he is a God while at the same time acknowledging the fact that his "kingdom is crumbling down." All set to a 3/4 time signature which I haven't really heard (to my knowledge). And If I have it definitely wasn't as prominent or powerful as this track. "Thought I could be my own God and change Destiny maybe one day but not now, I am a God, my vision is pure But fleeting my kingdom is crumbling down"
"Staying Sick" is a personal favourite of mine (for obvious reasons). It's a cover of my 2012 track by the same name. Anyone familiar with my track will note that the verses are completely different yet the rhyme scheme is pretty much exactly the same. Nate did this as a way to make my lyrics suit his life, and I love it. The same message but through different words. And when I hear the chorus, I can't help but feel honoured that Nate Monoxide is singing my lyrics!! Also worth noting the music for the track is all original whereas the original was produced by the homie J1K. Definitely an ego boost and head banging pleasure to bump this track! "I'm staying sick, So all you motherfuckers hatin' gonna have to deal with it. I don't care if you feel it bitch, the realest shit just comes out my mouth when you hear me spit. Profound with my pro sound playing so loud, got the subwoofer shakin up the whole town. So I dont care if you feel it bitch. The illest shit comes out when you hear me spit"
"Rainy Days" begins with an oh so familiar guitar riff. As fallout boy is one of Nate's favourite bands and also clearly an inspiration to him it makes sense to have a guitar riff eerily reminiscent of "Sugar we're going down." I wouldn't call it copying for the main reason that the song has nothing to do with Fallout Boy's single. And the only part that sounds like that song is the intro riff. Almost like an homage. Lyrically the song is loaded with metaphors and emotions. It's basically just a poem about looking out at the rain, and all the memories the rain brings to you. Also worth noting is the "Strings n' Things" version at the end of the album, giving a side of Nate that we don't get to see too often. Almost reminds me of the vibe Blacklight had.
" The warmth from inside fogs the glass, obscuring my view And I obsess over patterns that I thought I knew I'm learning to discern between what is and isn't there The droplets I befriended have gone and I can't guess where"
"Someone that you know" immediately made me think of his original album 'Heard Not Scene' with a hint of Mindless Self Indulgence. The hook before the chorus on this song is what wins me over. Not to mention the really cool guitar licks during the bridge. But I think what makes this song extra special is that everybody has gone through friendships ending and this song puts that into words that I think are totally relatable. Also in the true Nate style, it has a depressing vibe until the chorus, which still (lyrically) is kinda depressing, but the vibe kind of makes it not so much. It's like coming to terms with the fact that he and the person will never get back the friendship they had, and he's ok with that (at this point).
"Alas, my friend, I feel I barely knew you A last, goodbye, I wish I'd seen right through you The thing about being friends is, it's just a friendship Easy come and easy go, apparently it's easier to end it"
"Keep Me Breathing" is definitely a song I could hear on the radio. Elements of punk pock and ska are definitely present. Also you can really hear Nates accent on this track, which is always a plus. I'm a big fan of the accent and also key changes? Monoxide can't be contained by any ordinary box my friends. I like the overall feel of this song, it really gives me a late 90s early 2000s kinda feel to it. Also, I know he hates the band HIM, but beatwise it kind of reminds me of them. Sorry Nate.
"I thought you'd keep me breathing, I just needed something to believe in I'm the pop-punk prince of catastrophe, you're just part of the tragedy"
"Neverfade" is a sequel song! When I spoke to Nate about his cd he had told me that this song was like a followup to his 2011 track 'If I die' and really has the same vibe lyrically but I think my favourite part is that musically it's very different from the original. There are obvious little Easter eggs in the song that give you a sense of familiarity with the original track but not enough to imply laziness on the artists behalf. It really reminds me also of how he did Blacklight/Ultraviolet on his last album, nearly identical in lyrics and harmony but really two completely different songs at the core. I enjoy that the verses and choruses are contrasted between an almost depressing melody (verses) and a more upbeat positive melody (for the chorus). For me it really keeps the song on an even keel.
"I sat and watched my vital fluids pour into a drain, unable to move The end seemed close and so serene I apologise for leaving early There's a chance that I'll die tonight and leave this world without saying goodbye You're damn right I plan to have a good time So let's make this one a goodnight"
No review is complete without a final, closing statement! This album kicks ass. The drum tracks alone on the album speak for themselves. To be quite honest, I sometimes find it hard to believe that Nate wrote all those drum track with how technical some of the songs are. Not to say that I don't think he could do it, but some of the tracks are insane, and well outside of the box. Another thing I loved about this album was his use of other instruments that haven't always been in his canvas. Piano isn't foreign to Nate Monoxide but he certainly uses it a lot more on this album which is good to hear. But the guitar! More is the word I would use to describe the guitar on this album. More variation, more solos, more experimentation. When asked what style this album is, I really don't know what to say. It's rock...but it's punk...but it's pop...but it's metal...sprinkled with hip-hop and ska.... So what do we call this? I don't know, but Nate really seemed to balance it out well with just enough of everything leaving me very hungry for the last album. The order of the tracks is always a big thing for me too, and this album is ordered perfectly, even squeezing in a couple previously released (and remastered) tracks such as My Space Whore and Poltergeist. Exceeding my expectations as always and raising them for the next time, Nate Monoxide's 'Superxero' is going to be in my playlist for a long fucking time, so if you don't have it, cop it. And if you don't download it, it's really your loss!
CBerry, 2013
Get it here! http://www.reverbnation.com/natemonoxide/album/33454-superxero
I don’t mean to sell the poet so long or at such great length, but I do this principally because the world doesn’t esteem the poet very much. They don’t understand where we are coming from. They don’t understand the use for us. They don’t understand if there is any use. We are the masters of the superior secret, not they. Not they. Remember that when you write.
