Song #8: Visceral

As mentioned in previous blogs, this song is our long, psychedelic track, and closer to our album. This piece was inspired from the prevalent psychedelic rock scene from Australia, This song is slower, more peaceful, and does not follow the conventional structure of contemporary music. At around 7 minutes in length, this song is comprised of various verses, bridges, and refrains that are largely instrumental, and hope to both capture and emulate a particular feeling. My job for this song is not to create something that feels normal or conventional, but to evoke a certain sensation in the listener. I know not what people will feel when they hear the tune, but if they feel something, then I have succeeded. A more ambitious song than others on our album, it has several parts, and in a way acts like two separate songs that seamlessly flow into the others, featuring synthesisers and string samples, finishing off with a brief solo piano piece. I hoped to create a song that would wrap up our album, and feel like an epic finish to our catalogue.

Song #7: Human Nature

Unlike many of our other songs that draw a bit of inspiration from other bands and artists, this song is mostly inspired from film music as a result of my tenure as a composer in Australia. The opening riff and chorus draw similarities with various out-takes that I arranged in my work that I later realised would be more fitting with contemporary music than with film. Keeping with the idea of film music, Human Nature utilises a bowed guitar throughout most of the song. I play my guitar with a cello bow, creating a tone that sounds both guitar-like and cello-like. This practice is occasionally used in film music and is very prevalent in ambient music and groups such as Sigur Ros, another inspiration for some of our music. With a bit of piano, bass, and minimalist guitar, Human Nature is ominous and a little creepy, but it had this strange charm that we felt was important to include in our album.

Song 6: Neptune

Another strange song, this piece is most minimalistic, yet complex. Featuring only two guitars with no effects, a bass, drums and vocals, this song has the least amount of parts (by far) compared to every other song we have. Unlike songs such as The Arrival and Porcelain, I wanted to create a stripped down sound, and keep it mellow. The arrangement of instruments are simple, but the guitar parts are quite the opposite. Two lead lines arpeggiate, occasionally harmonise, and weave in and out of each other. The vocals feel airy, wispy and sometimes sparse, and the unusual drum beat drones without fail in the background. The bass keeps up with the speed of the guitars, creating a groove yet not feeling too present in the mix. An odd song, but a song that I am very glad that we added to our album, and different to many other tracks in our catalogue.

Song #5: Candy Store

Drawing inspiration from Latin music and the indie music genre, this tune is perhaps the simplest compared to every other song on our album. It features a typical arrangement of guitar, bass, drums and vocals, but with an acoustic guitar, percussion, and a chorus sung by Proctor alumni, Stefanie Schechter. This song has me play an upright bass, a difficult task with the goal of having a distinct and unique bass tone. With a bit of a Latin groove in the verse, Candy Store features a dreamy-sounding chorus with no percussion, keeping with our theme of dynamics. To put it frank, this song was written with the intent of having it catchy and easily recognisable. It's not my favourite song that I have, but I find it hard not to think about it.

Song #4: The Bullfighter

Distortion. Drive. And lots of it.

Keeping with the theme of dynamics, the verse feels mellow with a simple guitar, bass, vocals, and drums that are played with a cross-stick technique, giving a slightly jazzy feel. The verse slowly builds to the chorus where the song lets loose with three very driven and distorted guitars. Suddenly this quieter song doesn't feel so quiet anymore. Like the Arrival, my vocals are on the verge of yelling as I belt my lines with power and conviction. As abruptly as the chorus began, it quickly transitions back into a mellow verse. Lyrically, this song draws upon inspiration from the book The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, a concept initiated by our bassist, Zack Doyle himself. Thus, the Bullfighter seemed like a fitting name for this but very loud, and very mellow song.

Song #3: Porcelain

Probably one of our strangest songs, Porcelain features an unusual three guitars, (acoustic and two electrics), piano, bass, drums, vocals, chimes, and ambient screams made by myself and James Roan. We aimed to give this song an eerie feeling which is reinforced by a rather strange lead guitar line and distant screams and yells that can be heard periodically throughout the arrangement. Like some of our other songs, this song focusses on dynamics with some very intense sections, and very mellow and quiet choruses that do not feature any drums or percussion. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going for when I first wrote this piece, but I feel that it's a bit of a shakeup in the mix and I'm happy with the results.

Song #2: She Comes in Waves

She Comes in Waves features a 6/8 time signature, reminiscent of old-school swing, yet has a strong bluesy vibe. The two guitars were inspired by the Rolling Stones with their dual rhythm/lead guitars that call, respond, and play off of each other. The guitars in this track are not taking a lead, but not sitting as rhythm instruments either, but something in between. The chorus features an acoustic guitar, and the drums disappear completely. I hoped to create a chorus that felt dynamically different from the verse and gave the listener a brief time to feel relaxed before a post-chorus breakdown featuring a small guitar solo accompanied by trombone. She Comes in Waves feels old and gritty, yet somehow new and contemporary.