Gone postal

Sorry guys, but this one is even less than half done, but I think that's how it's going to stay. I mostly want to push the last post farther down the blog's page. I liked it, but it's too depressing to stay on top for long.

This one is a very incomplete cover of the song Brand New Colony by the Postal Service. They're an excellent electronic band from the 2000's. I wondered what one of they're songs, which are typically heavy on drum machines and synthesizers, would sound like with only piano and vocals. In the end I allowed myself to process the different parts, but all of the sounds other than the vocals come from the piano.

It was fun, but some bad recording technique on my part means that it would be difficult to extend. Here it goes:

Brand New Colony Cover by are.kay.more

Dark side of the Reeree

Professional musicians who play original music have to build a style and a brand. If they put out a track that achieves success, fans will expect similar elements in the musician's future works. If a musician breaks to abruptly from the brand that they've built, listeners feel betrayed and angry. I would bet, for instance, that if Weird Al released a sappy love song, his house would get torched.

As a guy making music in the dining room while his family sleeps, I am in a different situation. I can play whatever I like, without having to cater to any external expectations. It's often rewarding to make something beautiful or humorous, but sometimes it's interesting to explore darker emotions. So, tonight I present a cover of a Steely Dan song called "Do It Again." Be warned: it's a real downer of a song. It had been stuck in my head recently, though, and I wanted to try to record something unsettling and torturous. I used a portable recorded to collect sounds of things hitting our ceiling fan and played with it a bit. Also in the mix are guitar, bass, and synthesizer. Let me know what you think:

Do It Again by are.kay.more