The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Powerstars]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Sorry to hear that, Power me old mate, but as I said myself it's a massive committment, the moreso the way I was doing it, and when you have pretty much lukewarm response from people it becomes a question, unfortunately, of why bother? If people had loved the idea and been more engaged with the table I would have maybe kept going, but other than The Batlord, yourself and one or two other people nobody was interested, not even Screen13 who occupied the top spot for the entire tenure of my running of the table.

When it comes down to it, it's just too much work for no reward, and we all have better things to do. The final conclusion is that the only people really invested in the table are/were those who are/were compiling it, so it's just not worth all the hassle.

Sorry you didn't make it, but it really is a massive job isn't it? Fair play to you for trying though: at least now I know it wasn't just my innate wimpiness that stopped me. As Homer says: "You tried and you failed miserably. The lesson here is, never try."

Thanks for being understanding and backing me up. You're a true bro.

[Trollheart]

With all the negative energy and feeling that's been flying around this week, it's time to return to the positive side of things, and give people credit for the work they're doing on their journals. We have not as many updates this week --- perhaps people have been distracted by the discussions going on in the Annoucements thread about how to improve the forum; I know I have --- but there are no less than three new journals opening so all is not lost. Let's investigate.

The lovely Lat -- sorry, Astronomer --- (hey! Look at that! You got moved to the top of the list due to your name change! Smart girl!) is back to favour us with another of her musical compositions in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...anderings.html (title of which may soon be changed to reflect her username, though I would personally suggest her tagline, "We are stardust", fits better) --- this lady has some serious talent!

The Batlord really seems to be concentrating on just the one journal at the moment, but then with an epic like "The return of the Kings of Metal", I have no problem with that! Catch it down at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...t-schemes.html

Big Ears is preaching about Armageddon! Well, not really: he's reviewing the only album by that band, which was self-titled. Yes, as usual, he's http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html and doing a fine job of it.

Blackdragon123 has started his first journal and is showing his devotion to and love of Black Sabbath, in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...th-tracks.html, so check it out!

Bulldog is tired, but still has time to write about one of his favourite gospel-influenced songs in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ouse-v-ii.html, which we're all glad to see the return of.

Ki's certainly been putting a lot of work into his journal, with a review of Porcupine Tree's "Fear of a blank planet" (good album; I reviewed it myself some time back), two more songs that are Stuck in His Head, a continuation of his 15 favourite albums, with Foghat this time under the microscope and a new section called "Heartbreak", where he looks at songs that tear your ... hey Ki! You been reading my journal? M*U*S*H mean anything to ya? You'll get all of this, and most likely a lot more, here http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-infinity.html is another of those new journals I mentioned, wherein Mondo Bungle looks at the myths behind certain drugs, starting off with everything you wanted to know about LSD but were afraid to ask. Educational, informative and fun! Looks like this one could run and run!

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html this time features the return of the Irish music talent show "The Hit", as well as my own redux of Room 101: Music Version, featuring Steve Miller, and a return for "We'll be right back after the break", with those clever Carlsberg ads. And Metal Week is still coming. When? That would be telling, wouldn't it? But soon, soon. I'll soon be starting a review of the hit French horror drama "Les Revenants" (The Returned) and there's an intro to it in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html while I've finally bowed to public pressure and listened to Slayer! You'll find it and the Waterboys are now no longer [url[http://www.musicbanter.com/members-journal/69952-classic-albums-i-have-never-heard.html[/url].

216 has a second journal starting this week (remember his emo one? No? Why not? Oh yeah, cause he hasn't posted in it a while and it's on page two now. 216, you need to get on that, post haste!), this one all about hip-hop artists he's been introduced to via the popular plug.dj thingy everyone but me is talking about. He's starting off with Abdominal, so if hip-hop is your thing (minus the bunny hop) then head this way http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-sessions.html

Lizzy and UFO get the Unknown Soldier treatment in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html, as well as AC/DC

Wolverine tells us she is a compulsive list-maker (I think there are places that you can go that treat that, Steph!) and in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-tripping.html she's starting to compile some. This week it's her top five makeout songs. Extra points from me for including a Waits song! She's taking requests for lists, so whatcha waitin' for?

YorkeDaddy has an announcement! His band, Frownland (nothing to do with the member of the same name we all know and love!) have released their album. Want to know how to get it? Check http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sterpiece.html and watch my journal for a review soon.


And so to my

Because she seems to think her journal gets no attention, and because despite what she may think she's a really good writer, I'd like to select this post from back in 2009 as
began http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html, in the hope it may encourage her to post and update more.

Originally Posted by FETCHER.

first album. just because you dont like my style of music. read this. or i'll be mad.


gatecrashers trance anthems 1993-2009

HIGHLIGHTED SONGS ARE PERSONAL FAVOURITES. sorry for the miniscule writing, i felt that the tracklistings took up far too much space in standard sized text.

CD1 - Scott Bond's Mix
1. U2 - Lemon (Perfecto Mix)
2. Libra presents Taylor - Anomaly (Calling Your Name) (Granny Epicure Remix)
3. Conjoure One - Tears From The Moon (Tiesto Mix)
4. Humate - Love Stimulation (Love Mix)
5. Armin Van Buuren - Communication
6. Binary Finary - 1998 (Paul Van Dyk Remix)
7. Atlantis vs Avatar - Fiji (Lange Remix)
8. Adam White & Andy Moor presents White Room - White Room (Original Mix)
9. Gouryella - Ligaya
10. Marco V - Echoes (V:ision Mix)
11. Tiesto - Traffic
12. Cygnus X - The Orange Theme (Moonman's Orange Juice Remix)
13. Paul van Dyk- For An Angel 2009 (Filo & Peri Remix)
14. Westbam vs Red Jerry - Wizards Of The Sonic (Matt Darey Remix)
15. Planet Perfecto featuring Grace - Not Over Yet 99 (Matt Darey Remix)
16. Scott Bond & Solarstone - The Bullet (Retrocrasher Mix)
17. William Orbit - Barber's Adagio For Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix)

CD2 - Matt Hardwick's Mix
1. Lustral - Everytime (Way Out West's Sunrise Mix)
2. Chakra - Home (Tilt [Topline] Mix)
3. Push - Strange World (Airwave Remix)
4. Evoke - Arms Of Loren
5. Paul van Dyk - Forbidden Fruit (Giuseppe Ottoviani Mix)
6. Veracocha - Carte Blanche
7. Plastic Boy - Silver Bath
8. Ernesto & Bastian - Darkside Of The Moon
9. Oakenfold - Southern Sun (Tiesto Remix)
10. Ben Gold ft. Senadee - Today
11. Matt Hardwick - I am DJ (Ben Gold Mix)
12. Deep Dish - Say Hello (Club Mix)
13. Timo Maas - Ubik (Dance Original Mix)
14. Above and Beyond ft. Zoe Johnston - No One On Earth (Gabrielle and Dresden)
15. Airwave - Lady Blue
16. Jorio - Remember Me (Space Butlers Remix)
17. Ayla - Ayla

CD3 - Judge Jules' Mix
1. Judge Jules - Gotta Be Heard
2. Wippenberg - Chakalaka (Tristan D Remix)
3. Arnej - Dust In The Wind
4. Armin Van Buuren ft. Cathy Burton - Rain (Cosmic Gate Remix)
5. Breakfast - Remember
6. Judge Jules - Could Be Love (with Headstrong)
7. Melodia - Phoenix (Will Atkinson Mix)
8. Cosmic Gate - F.A.V
9. Team Sr - Leaving London (Mac & Taylor Remix)
10. Dero - Dero's Rave
11. Fred Baker - Ibiza Project 2009
12. Art Of Trance - Madagascar (Richard Durand Remix)
13. Heatbeat - Vergatron
14. John O'Callaghan Ft Sarah Howells - Find Yourself
15. Cliffe Coenraad - Gone South

How to describe this album? Well in all honesty. It blew me away. Its everything i ever wanted as a massive electronica fan. Seriously.
At first i doubted it, it looks like a typical common Ibiza complication, but its so so much more.
what i find most facinating is the fact that i never knew most artists (still dont) but knew almost every song.
when i listen to an album, i judge it on how it makes me feel.
this album in particular makes me feel, excited, wanting to dance. its almost like a cliff hanger, but in music.
its undescribable! it leaves me wanting to hear more.
the sounds of it are almost hypnotic.
the thing i like most about these three
William Orbit - Adagio For Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix)
Wow. Thats what. Ferry Corsten has taken William Orbits tune, and gave it some kind of twist that makes it sound totally amence.
it starts off slow and peacful, then builds up to a small backbeat sort of which is kind of electronic, it just keeps on building up and building up with all the electronic sounds, and turns into a repetitive tune, which never fails to make me want to dance like a complete idiot. this song doesnt have any vocals either, the vocals would drown out that amazing sound! i feel at the end. it just ends. which is the only thing i can pick on, Ferry needs a good anticlimax in there to leave people basically begging for more. Also, this version kicks Tiesto's danish ass.
Push - Strange World (Airwave Remix)
is the fact that its made entirely of a chillout, relaxing sound. with lots of buildups and anti climax's. which i like this song doesnt have any vocals. im my opinion vocals would ruin it entitrely. well it kind of has these streched out deep "oooooh" 's through some parts. i dont really know how i feel about them or how to describe them. with all this combined the song is somewhat simple.. peaceful.. and simply amazing!
John O'Callaghan Ft Sarah Howells - Find Yourself
quoting myself on the first time i heard this "Awwwww Wit!"
a popular Scottish term which means to me, "that is fucking amazing!"
the start i admit is pretty low, yet fast, somewhat depressing beat.
then Sarah Howells vocals start, what a voice, sooo soothing/calming. i think she has been monitoring my life somehow. some parts describe me, then again, others don't.
After her vocals start the beat brightens up gradually, then at parts when shes singing, it beat drops right down, quietens.. and then goes with the context of the lyrics

Drawn into the backdrop here
you could fade, you could fade away
bright lights on a starless night
burn a hole in the dying day

Looking at life through a loaded gun
take your best shot, aim it at the sun
looking at life through a loaded gun
you know you'll find...

you'll find yourself, you'll find yourself alone
you'll find yourself, you'll find yourself alone
you'll find yourself, you'll find yourself alone
you'll find yourself, you'll find yourself alone

at the first stanza/paragraph/thingy, the beats rhythemical, it sounds basically like the only beat that exists, when im sure theres a small quiet natural beat kicking about, i concentrated so hard on it, im not sure if im imagining stuff or what . in the "You'll find yourself, you'll find yourself alone" part its a happy bouncing beat that exists amounst it, which i find ironic (right context?) as its a negative expression.

any thoughts, questions (: ?

That's it then for another week. Sad news in that Powerstars has discovered , like me, that the League Table is just too much work when fewer than a handful of people are interested in it, so he has dropped it and I would assume we won't see it again. Not that it will mean much to anyone. But he has my thanks and my admiration for trying to step into the breach. Pity it didn't work, but then, not all ideas can.

Remember, if you want to start a journal it's as easy as hitting NEW THREAD and writing what you want. Provided it's not just drivel the mods will approve it and you'll be a member of the journal community. It's up to you then as to what you do with that membership. Come on! We'd love to see you move in! There are loads of spare houses, and they're very reasonably priced. Plus we have excellent transport facilities.

Till next week then.
Toodles!

[Key]

It is funny that you mention your heartbreak section because when I posted the introduction to that sort of section to my journal, I then went and read your journal entries only to stumble upon what was the same concept. I had not known that prior to making it a part of my journal. Great minds think alike I suppose.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by Ki

It is funny that you mention your heartbreak section because when I posted the introduction to that sort of section to my journal, I then went and read your journal entries only to stumble upon what was the same concept. I had not known that prior to making it a part of my journal. Great minds think alike I suppose.

Yes indeed. It's like we're finishing each other's...

[Key]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Yes indeed. It's like we're finishing each other's...

...bowel movements.

[Trollheart]

I was going to say sandwiches....

[Key]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I was going to say sandwiches....

[Trollheart]

And so August shuffles off out the door, and September claps its hands together and plots our downfall with winter and the dreaded "C" word looming ever closer. One thing I do like about the end of August is that the kids go back to school. Now don't get me wrong: I like kids --- not sure I could finish a whole one, mind you --- but after three months of screaming, shouting, laughing and playing I'm about all summered out. And the kids are worse! I know they all hate going back to school, but I for one am looking forward to some peace and quiet, where I can write without the incessant strains of whatever chart sensation is popular blasting at brain-melting volume from next door. I mean, if I can hear it that loud out here, what can it be like inside the house?

Anyway, enough of my problems. Time for the last update of August, as we head towards the opening of winter season here in Journal Land.

Another one to take the step across the boundary into the world of movies in the wake of the groundbreaking Couch Potato's frontiersmanlike example, Anteater is looking at "Tough guys don't dance" in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...n-dollars.html and he has lots of nice things to say about it.

Hugh Laurie? You know, that's what you get when you take http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...chameleon.html! Well, whom am I to talk? I reviewed William Shatner's album! Two trips out onto the Razor's Edge this week for the everychanging one, and if you want to know who the other one is, well just mousify the above link! Do it now!

Ki's been busy again! When he says http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html he really seems to mean it! Lots going on this week, including a "look into the future", more Heartbreak, the continuation of his favourite fifteen albums and his Last.FM list. Sure why would you not check it out?

And the same goes for his better half. LadyisLingering has her http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ic-memory.html back up and firing, and she's looking at music from John Lennon, Suede, Steve Miller and Human League to name but a few.

Working as hard as I can on my own journals while also writing "The Marillion Story" (whaddya mean, you've never seen it? Check the prog subforum...) I've managed to include a review of Meat Loaf's third stab at the Bat out of Hell franchise, bring back the culture into your life with some superb classical music while also looking at another "Two sides of the same coin". Oh, and getting Metal Month ready too. Yeah, it's no longer Metal Week: it's been extended! So watch for it! No, really: I'm putting a lot of work into it, so I expect you to read it. Please?

Over at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html we've hit up another episode of "The Onedin Line" as well as one from "The New Statesman" (which is now approaching the end of season one) and watch out for "Futurama" starting next week! Bitesize will also be back next week, but for now I'm concentrating on just the three journals and after the not-quite-as-bad-as-I-thought-it-would-be-but-still ordeal of listening to Slayer, one of those http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ver-heard.html this week is the Waterboys' opus "Fisherman's blues".

Polishing off the year 1977 Unknown Soldier presents the usual crop of albums that didn't make the cut for various reasons, plus he's looking at an album by Quartz and a live one by Rainbow. It's all here in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html

Wolverine has another list for us this week, her top five driving albums. She's also got an idea for what could be a fun theme, er, themed section, and needs people to participate. So if you're one of those people who quote "WWWP for Mod 2013", or even if you're not, show her your support at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-tripping.html

Now that the album is done --- I'll listen to it soon, I promise! Just been so busy! --- YorkeDaddy is wondering where the band go from here in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...sterpiece.html. Give his album a listen and while you're at it, drop in on his journal to read the fascinating story of its creation.


And so to this week's
There's a scene in the Futurama episode (starting soon in my journal, plug plug!) "A big ball of garbage" where, for reasons you won't understand unless you know the show or until you read the entry on it in the Couch Potato, the guys are standing on a massive ball of garbage that is heading on a direct collision course with the Earth. They're there to destroy it but that's not the point. This ball is made up of all New York's trash from the 20th century. When Leela calls it all garbage Fry indignantly says "I can dig in any random pile and come up with something great!" The fact that he ends up almost being strangled by a six-pack's holding ring is beside the point.

The thing is, you could say the same about Urban's journal. I literally only had to click it, grab a page at random and this was the first post (that wasn't a response or one-liner) I saw, and I knew it had to be this week's pick. It's short, it's not sweet, but it's damn funny and, more importantly, it's Urban!

Originally Posted by Urban Hat€monger ?

Psychic TV - N.Y. Scum

This album consists of two songs both of approx 15 minutes each. Here's a brief description of each song.

N.Y. Scum - For the first 5 minutes some guy rips as much feedback out of his guitar as he can manage while being backed by a bunch of Hare Krishna's on percussion, all the while a drunk couple has a domestic argument. For the next 5 minutes said drunk guy decides to meditate while still shouting for his best mate (Possibly). Then the guitarist returns with a drummer and the two of them alone with the drunk guy attempts some lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-fi Joy Division / White Stripes hybrid garage rock. The final 2 minutes drunk guy attempts to make a techno record.

Haters - What remnants of a song there is here is quickly forgotten about after just a couple of minutes as the song decends into some random shouting & howling feedback.

In a word ... Brilliant.

Boo Boo would shit himself listening to this

Rating 5/5 Soiled Pants

And so, as the sound of schoolbags being packed mingles with the moans of glum children heading back for another term, a slight grin splits old Trollheart's craggy face as he contemplates peace at last. Peace to properly update his journals. Peace to write during the day. Peace to sleep in the afternoon ... what? No, no! That's a scurrilous lie! I never sleep in the afternoons! Not me! Well, maybe on Wednesdays. And Thursdays. Possibly Mondays. Sundays too, well who doesn't? And the odd Saturday. But never Tuesdays. Well, hardly ever...

And now if you'll excuse me, there's a cup of milky tea and a Digestive biscuit with my name on them..
Till next week,
Toodles!

[Trollheart]

I'm not going to castigate anyone about not updating their journal this week, as I'm guilty of the same crime myself. But I hope to address this in the coming week. Hope all of you who have neglected your journals will do the same, otherwise we're leaving it all to these guys...

Like Anteater. You never know what you're going to find in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...n-dollars.html (sometimes something other than Crimson Glory!) , but he's now turning the spotlight on albums other than CG, and this week he's looking at ---- oh no way! I'm NOT trying to spell THAT! Some Japanese group; pay him a visit and see what it's all about.

Condolences to Ki on the passing of his grandmother; read all about how she influenced his music and his life in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html, where he's also managed to write a review of one of his favourite albums, "Key" by Pg.Lost.

Mondo Bungle is finishing up his Top Ten Music Listening Experiences in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...istortion.html

And after being away for some considerable time Plankton is back to feed us from http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...um-bucket.html with more tales of how his career as a young guitarist developed. This time he's remembering the effect Metallica had on him, a lasting one, by all accounts.

As I prepare for Metal Month --- yes I know it's still a month away but there's a lot to listen to and a lot to write --- my own journals are of necessity suffering a little, updatewise. All I can manage this week in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html is a review of District 97's "Hybrid child", while at least I have a lot written for http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html, where as promised there are the first few episodes of "Futurama" as well as the third episode of "House of cards", while as promised last week http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html returns, with a look at an album by Gamma Proxima. Hopefully I'll have a bit more next week.

Lots to get excited about in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html as Unknown Soldier talks about albums from Kiss and Meat Loaf as well as, er, Max Webster? Oh yeah, and Thor. No, not the thunder god. And not the film. Shee! Just follow the link, willya? I'm busy!

Which takes us, rather quickly it seems, to this week's

As I'm currently listening to, and writing the review of, the new cloudcover album, I've been reading YorkeDaddy's journal which catalogues the creation of same, and I thought some of the entries really stand out, especially in the context of listening to the music. For those who haven't read it yet, or heard the album, this post concerns the first three tracks and how they were created. It's definitely worth your time reading: these guys may be famous soon!

Watch for the review next week in my journal!

Originally Posted by YorkeDaddy

Entry 4: Character Development (Tracks 1-3)


Ok, so now you've got the lowdown on where we're coming from, our direction, and the style in which we create our work. Now it's time to dive head-first into the songs themselves! In this entry, the first three songs will observed from conception to recording, with analysis and explanation with respect to the whole album.

As we explained earlier, the first three tracks were as far as the initial planning really went; we needed an attention-getting first track that introduces the protagonist (who is still part of the 'system'), a track in which he becomes aware, and a track that introduces the regime itself. I guess the best place to start is at the first track, so that's where we'll begin!

1. The Fire This Time

Since we knew our biggest literary inspiration would ultimately be '1984,’ we wanted to start off with a tribute to something else. What better for a fiery first track than the cynical 'Fahrenheit 451' for inspiration? The auditory opportunities of depicting the novel's frightening book-burning were too vivid in my mind to pass up. However, the exact nature (or genre) of this depiction was subject to several changes! Prepare yourself for one of the longer song descriptions we'll write!

For a long time I messed around with slap bass licks, trying to find something that would represent the searing swagger of the novel's peace-keeping fire squad. I came up with a couple decent riffs, but it just wasn't feeling right. And, there was the problem that transitioning funky instrumental sections into the indie/alternative verses we would inevitably write might be a disastrous clash of genres! So it was back to the drawing board.

We refused to surrender this song to our niche of dark and pretty indie pop; we wanted to start off with a bang! So I turned to a classic rock/indie mix. The ambitious major chords were powerful enough, I thought, and they offered a better transition to the verses. It was during this period that those verses were actually written: a swooping melody that builds in drama over a chord progression hanging between C major and A harmonic minor. But ultimately the classic intro felt too generic and safe for us. We continued on the search for the appropriate attention-grabbing riff.

The whole time the lyrics were coming along in little chunks, revealing themselves to me in random and spontaneous bursts. They were inspired by, but not derivatives or references to, Bradbury's novel; the perfect balance. The name of the song was also chosen, 'The Fire This Time,' referencing the flames of the novel, as well as an inside joke from my year at Purdue and dealings with a certain organization (but THAT is another story).

The third musical incarnation of the song was the most breathtaking and long-lived. It was a pulsating and driving orchestral attack, created over hours of recording with keyboards and dozens of instrument settings, exact mixing (including panning each instrument to the seating arrangement of an orchestra), and the sound of flames. This neo-classical onslaught was very impressive, but began to bug us as we continued the album. Unfortunately it began to sound more and more absurd when compared to the heartfelt and simple arrangements of some other tracks. In the vein of true artists striving for perfection, we eventually scrapped the style and started again.

Fortunately the fourth version would be the final version. Wanting to keep some of the musical ideas from the orchestral arrangement, we sat down with electric guitars and banged it out. Keeping the same key and notes, but adding syncopation and rhythmic crunch (and a healthy dose of agile synth lead) we created a unique brand of indie pop/rock/dance that hard-presses the listener to avoid bobbing his or her head. We finally knew that we had it, and the slight irritation that the first track did not fit in with the rest disappeared.

2. One Private Moment

As soon as the upbeat and gripping first track ends and the protagonist quits singing about his job with the firemen, something happens. He sees a face, he hears a voice, he suddenly sees things in a new way, for a moment. Something has shaken his rusty heart, and knocked just a little bit of that rust off. As the post-track chaos of air-raid sirens and marching softens into a stately, muted guitar acoustic guitar riff, everything is different.

This track is mostly the work of Bryan; simple acoustic guitar arpeggiation that parallels the simplistic sentiment of the song. The exact tone of the instrument is something perhaps never heard before, as a bizarre combination of factors led up to its sound. It is a muted and thumpy, but very clear tone, and this is a result of the guitar on which it was played. It is the only track on which Bryan's acoustic/electric was used. However, much to my initial irritation, the instrument was strung with years-old strings when we began recording, resulting in a completely dead, floppy sound (the sound that you'll hear on the recording), but with surprising clarity due to the fact that the instrument was plugged in directly.

My contributions include changing the arrangement and adding the first couple of lines to better form the transition from the first track. This track truly feels like the scribblings of a frightened dissenter in a secret diary; it is the same voice as the first track that sings the lines, but with a complete change of emotion.

By the time the track (in typical Bryan fashion) transitions from the interesting verse to the refrain-like coda, the protagonist has made up his mind. He has not decided what action needs to be taken; nothing that major. He's come to a conclusion about something much simpler: he actually feels something, and he refuses to let go of it.

3. Welcome To The Party

So far all we know about the world this album depicts is from the thoughts of the protagonist. It is the job of the third track to be the first time we hear from the other side, the oppressive entity. When brainstorming for this song, we drew a lot of inspiration from ‘1984’ and its infamous ‘party.’ Then the thought hit us: Why not make a double edged song about both the Orwellian regime and a raucous late-night get-together? And on top of that make it in the style of an ominous indie-disco/dance tune? And on top of that, name it ‘Welcome To The Party,’ a painfully ironic dose of wordplay? The prospect of such supreme irony and room for pushing the genre boundary was exciting to us, so we went for it!

As per the character distinction of the album, this song demanded we further experiment and sing it through a creepy vocoder. The result is a song that could easily be very catchy if it didn’t have a strong sense of unease about it. The chirpy syncopated guitar backs the cold voice as it beckons the listener in, leading the ear eventually to a burgeoning synth solo (an instrument that begins to become apparent as a symbol of evil), all backed by a haunting ambient track created by Bryan that only adds to the uneasy feeling of the song.

With an infectious breakdown and some more repetitions of the chorus, our four minute glimpse into the inside of the ‘enemy’ is at its end and the listener gets to hear how the mental state of the protagonist is developing with the next track, a pretty little piece that Bryan will tell you all about in the next entry!

Stay tuned for more; we update twice a week. Also, feel very free to leave your thoughts and feedback and tell us which songs (if any) you most excited about hearing! A mid-August release is probable; we hope some of you are looking forward to it half as much as we are!

So that's it for a rather short update this week, the first entry for September. Can start to feel those chill winter nights drawing --- what do you mean, it's never cold in California? Grrr!

Anyway, let's hope as the nights get longer and darkness comes earlier people will turn back to their journals, and we'll have more to tell you about next week.

Till then
Toodles!

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I'm not going to castigate anyone about not updating their journal this week, as I'm guilty of the same crime myself. But I hope to address this in the coming week. Hope all of you who have neglected your journals will do the same, otherwise we're leaving it all to these guys...

I've been totally lazy over the past three weeks or so. I've got an update coming, I'm just, you know, lazy.