Prime Mover and Shaker

On 3/25/2024 at 1:47 PM, JARG said:

Just finished listening, here are the notes I jotted down.

 

Edge Of Life - vocals and bass lost in the mix. Cool guitar parts, crashes are too loud, solo has elements of lifeson and thayil
Invisible Hand - love how it starts, but ok we're 1:28 minutes in and still noodling...vocals mixed well
Ready Player One - it's been forever since I've heard it, still a cool song...clearly I'm summoning the ghost of p/g-era Alex here
Shoulder - another cool intro, and super cool guitar parts throughout
Hearts - "oh hell yeah" at lone intro guitar, delightfully bizarre organ solo, killer guitar solo
Spades - "oh hell yeah" at lone intro guitar again!
Clubs - cool middle section, didn't see that coming - slight hint of Hocus Pocus
Diamonds - cool groove, really like how raw the guitar is here, sounds like single guitar tracks for most part
Sometimes It Does - sounds like a Carter composition, nice song, well-executed guitar solo
Variable, This is Knife  - like the bass level in the intro
Words that Hurt to Hear - very interesting, so Jeremy
Sarajevo Rose - interesting choice for a closer, nice guitar work

WTTH is actually a Jack composition (Entre_Perpetuo here at TRF)!  He just ran out of time to sing it, so I finished it.

The "Lady Luck" series (Hearts, Spades, Clubs, Diamonds) all stemmed from a burst of creativity by Paul.

SID was indeed a Carter comp.

Thanks for taking the time!

On 3/24/2024 at 9:48 AM, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

I'm writing this as I listen.

 

1. Edge of Life

Solid opener! My only gripe is in the solo section. That section is awesome, love how it goes into the double time feel, but all of those crash cymbals get in the way of a very good guitar solo. There are two bars where it's just ride cymbal and in that one spot the guitar is allowed to shine.

 

2. Invisible Hand

The very top of the intro reminded me of Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion, but not for long. That moody intro took its time, in fact the whole song took its time, and it worked. I didn't realize this song was over 8 minutes long until after it was over, which is always a good thing. Some nice surprise chord changes.

 

3. Ready Player One

Rush's post-synth era had it's share of bad songs, and also some good ones. This reminds me of the good ones. Nice arrangement, and the guitar sound under the vocals is perfect. Very nice solo at the end.

 

4. Shoulder

That intro is kinda creepy, love it. There's a sinister undertone going on throughout, very effective. My favorite track up till this point. If I had to gripe about something, the drum patterns didn't quite sell some of the time changes. Also, I thought the ending faded too soon -- that bass drum and guitar pattern sounded cool and could have been allowed to establish itself a little more with a few more bars and a slower fadeout. Just my opinion, it certainly isn't a mistake.

 

5. Hearts

Great guitar riff! The organ in the background is the perfect choice for this one. That first solo -- what am I hearing there? It's well played and melodic but it sounds a little out of tune, at least to my ears. The guitar solo makes up for it, though. It's an absolute banger.

 

6. Spades

Another good guitar riff, and tone for days too. Nice contrast to a cleaner tone for the verses. The bridge into the solo section was a very nice change of feel. The best drum programming so far. Second favorite track as of now.

 

7. Clubs.

I could be wrong, but I sense a theme in these last three song titles. I also sense that these three tunes have great guitar riffs. Coincidence? Probably not. That middle section is goddamn awesome.

 

8. Diamonds

Yep, I was right, another card title, another  cool riff. Sounds like you hired Les Claypool for the verse vocals, and it works! Nice breakdown after the middle section. And there's a cool bass bit towards the end -- Les would approve!

 

9. Sometimes it Does

Nice song, very melodic. Has a nice flow. The feel change for the middle section was very effective, but for me the edgy note choices in the beginning of the guitar solo don't quite fit the mood of the song. Just my opinion -- it just felt funny for that one bar. Once you're past that, however, that solo is on point and it rips. Perfect tone and playing. One minor point about the fadeout, and it's the same point made earlier -- the ending here was good and I thought it faded too early. Maybe let it go for at least four bars before starting the fade?

 

10. Variable, This is Knife

An 8-1/2-minute song with a title that references Clear And Present Danger? Cool! "Do we have a gig, over?" However, while there are some nice ideas here, and the bass work is excellent, it feels like a long buildup without a payoff. I know I sounded like music critic there, sorry about that. Just like that scene in the movie, I was waiting for the "impact with high-order detonation" and it never came.

 

11. Words that Hurt to Hear

The '80s! Nothing but smiles during this one. Good example of edgy note choices that work well and serve the song. The ending was maybe a little abrupt but this is a fun and well-executed track.

 

12. Sarajevo Rose

That transition at 1:55 is one that perks your ears up. This is right up there with Spades as my second/third favorite. Nice songwriting and arrangement, and a solid album closer.

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to dive in!  I really didn't think anyone would get the Clear and Present Danger reference!   Come to think of it, I first read about a Sarajevo Rose in a Clancy novel as well!

3 hours ago, stoopid said:

Well, not me.  I'm f***ing outta here.  

You’re going to hang around until you figure out how to duplicate my bass tone.  I know you’re jealous of all that phase & flange!  😝

On 11/28/2023 at 4:01 PM, stoopid said:

Since we're having this discussion of doom and gloom, I figure I'd throw some more prozac on the fire.

 

I'm not impressionable, I'm stating this because the content of this video aligns with my beliefs on the topic and was watched during my recent decision making process.  It did not have much (any?) bearing on that decision.  Regardless, it's excellent insight into what we do, why we do it, and whether we even should.  It doesn't draw the conclusion that maybe you suspect it would.  100% worthy of the 15 minutes.

 

 

Thanks for sharing that - I found it pretty damn insightful.

On 11/27/2023 at 9:01 AM, JARG said:

I'm one of the guilty ones.

 

My attention span is miserably low these days, so my consumption of new music is limited to the equivalent of "dropping the needle in different places" in each song. I tried composing some new material a few weeks ago and found even my own stuff isn't holding my attention.

 

My theory is that I'm suffering from pre separation anxiety. This is the last year we have Emma at home with us and it's really hitting me hard. I'm very sorry if that has spilled into my relationships with you guys.

It's not easy, and I don't blame you for wanting to spend as much time as you can with her!

If I may, and maybe you're doing this already, but make sure you're spending quality time with your wife as well.  This change will affect your marriage, there's no way around that, but you can help control if that's a negative or positive change.

We'll be here when you are ready!

On 11/17/2023 at 10:20 AM, stoopid said:

Tough balance making music that's accessible and yet engaging enough for the musicians making it.  On top of that, we wanted the lyrical content and music to be cohesive and support one another.  In the past song ideas were rarely a precise vision from beginning to end, but with Scott handling probably 2/3 of the "this song's direction is going to be this" aspects, it allowed each track to form its own (complete) identity.

 

As interested in prog as I am, it doesn't tend to serve the lyrical content / meaning behind the non instrumental music very well.  Keeping things rooted in 4/4 and fairly simple song structures is inherent in whether someone can follow along AND "get it".  Music intended for the masses needs to function on a base level, we usually only get one listen and sometimes not even a complete song to grab a potential fan.

 

On that note -- from an objective growing the brand standpoint, this album was a failure.  We had more Youtube views but only a handful of complete song listens (based on the youtube analytics).  I ran an ad campaign to funnel potential listeners to Spotify, and same there.  It's tough to compete with establish artists and 60+ years of rock music at our finger tips.  Not to be overly dramatic, but this was the last hurrah.  We set out to make an album (really, the last two albums) that represented our vision for the music and brought what we could offer to the music community at the highest level we could reasonably offer.  It's largely fallen on deaf ears.  There's just too much out there, oversaturated streaming services competing for the same percentage of vaguely interested (and let's face it, aging) ears.  We did it for ourselves, and in my heart knew this might have been it, so we did it at a high level as a farewell.

I hope doing it for yourself (and your goofy friends who appreciate it) can be enough.  That was the key for me - I never do anything with an expectation that anyone I don't know will listen, and owning that realization made all the difference for me.  I love writing and recording, even though I know sometimes I will be the only audience, or a member of a very small audience, who will hear it.  It still brings me a shit ton of joy.  And that's a lot!  :P

Nice job there - I agree that the acoustic tone is great, too!

Well done!  Really hits the heart.

This is really good stuff, as I said before, unexpected in its restraint and maturity.  Something to be proud of, indeed!

I'm not 'round these parts as often as I should be anymore, but glad to see you're getting out there - really interesting stuff!

We're back like a bad rash!

Here is the new album on Bandcamp:   https://sloppyfootcowboys.bandcamp.com/album/our-naked-problem

"Fishtail" is the most serious song ever, as far as songs inspired by Bass Pro Shops go, so be sure to check it out!  :P

It frustrates me that our work filters keep me from checking out this stuff.  Later....   :P

On 12/6/2022 at 12:01 AM, Entre_Perpetuo said:

Here's a song I recorded full production with a friend of mine here in DC. I think it's really good, do check it out!

 

https://jackdell.bandcamp.com/track/1499-massachusetts-avenue

 

 

Excellent!  Somehow I missed this until now.  Great production and performances.  

On 2/14/2023 at 10:04 PM, stoopid said:

I ripped Putin Out to mp3 for the car, where I unfortunately do most of my music listening. When I shelved the disc I counted 6 releases, in like 4-ish years.  Wow!

There are seven, actually.  Let me know which one you don’t have:

Sloppy Foot Cowboys (self titled) 

Marmalade

Quaranteenager

Saved by Harpsichord 

Comical & Disturbing

A Harvest of Haggis

Putin Out!

On 2/4/2023 at 3:37 PM, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

Yeah, the bass sounded great! The clean guitars were nice, not overly chorused. Good song too, but it's too short!

Glad you enjoyed it!

As for the "too short" part - I get that from the ladies, too!

On 2/4/2023 at 9:04 PM, stoopid said:

 

 

Yeah that pedal nails the gritty Ged sound.

 

Mix is good, can hear everything real well and nothing pinned my ears back.  The drums are less 'clicky' but still very drum machine soundy.  Might not be avoidable with the process you use to program them, but improvement nonetheless.

 

Not sure about the song other than it's a thing.  Eager to hear some other tracks, you guys are usually good for some interesting lyrics and vocal compositions.

It's been long enough that I'm not quite remembering how we shared the albums here in the past.

Paul - what did we do?  Soundcloud or something?  Or was it Bandcamp?

On 2/4/2023 at 9:04 PM, stoopid said:

Not enough flange on the bass, I can hear the notes you're playing!  

 

 

HEY!  :P

On 2/4/2023 at 9:21 AM, JARG said:

 

 

Wow wow wow! Radically different bass tone for you!

 

Excellent song all around, very Rushlike, and the mix is really good, too. Are you still doing the mixing/mastering?

Thanks, and yes.  Although Paul has added some final refinements to some tracks as well!

The new album is finished, it will be up on iTunes, etc in a matter of days.

Here's a preview:

Thanks all for giving it a listen! I watched a shitload of Youtube videos about using Logic Pro X to record and master. (there's a channel by "musictechhelpguy" that is particularly thorough).

The vocal levels were a bit tricky - I put what I thought was a good deal of compression on them, didn't want to overdo it, but maybe I needed more.

EP and Fridge made this a very enjoyable project!