Storytellers: Concepts part 22
It’s been a while since I wrote down these stories, but I’ve neglected them for far too long. So, here we go!
After finishing up on The Long Drive, I had two songs left which remained from those writing sessions that were either in bad shape or unfinished. I tried putting them away and move on to a different project, but failed horribly and ended up writing more material, and rewriting those two songs.
I was writing in a rapid way again, fairly aggressive as I recall. And that’s all I recall from the sessions. Even the feelings that I get from the lyric are either hurt or aggression. Because a lot happened that turned things sour.
The stories conveyed are a moment in time, like a bubble waiting to burst. To make it a bit more interesting to myself, the songs are divided among two chapters, the first five being part of ‘Day’ and the other five being part of ‘Night’.
Working titles are between brackets.
1. Never The Same ( Previously known as ‘Ever Changing Light’)
I lost my grandfathers at the tender ages of 8 and 11. In 2008 we were told that one of my uncle’s his father was dying of cancer. If they would remove the piece of his spine that contained the cancer, he’d live to around 80, so naturally we all went along and hoped for the best. And were shattered by hearing that the doctors had removed the wrong piece. The man died at the age of 70, only 5 months later. This song was a direct response to his passing.
Lyrically, it’s how I imagined he brought the news to his wife and how life would have to continue without him. He was a good spirited man, funny, witty and intelligent.
Musically, this is a pop-rock affair with a few influences I took from Crowded House, though the chorus is more symphonic than Crowded House have ever been. I think it’s one of my best.
2. This Is Where It Leads To ( Previously known as ‘Checkpoint Miranda’)
I have to admit that this one is lost to me, though I have hunches as to whom the song is about. It’s over and done, though. Lyrically, it’s nothing more than me just exorcising demons.
Musically, this is a fairly aggressive theme that haunts around until the end of the song, where it fades away quite rapidly and dramatically. I would’ve preferred to have recorded it with a real orchestra, of course, but perhaps one day I’ll get what I want and make this a better song.
3. Red Shift ( Previously known as ‘Moving Away’)
I: Move (Previously known as ‘First Movement’)
II: Break (Previously known as ‘Shall I Break Thee Into A Thousand Pieces’)
III: Run (Previously known as ‘Fast Forward’)
I was dating again. And for some reason, dating tends to bring bad things into people. It’s usually me, but in this case it was the girl, when she confessed that she was going back to her ex. Lyrically, this is a direct response to that news, as she Moved, Broke and than Ran. It explains how the song is constructed.
Musically, I actually used a fairly slow sound on my keyboard and kept it as slow as I could until Move had finished. When Break hits, it does so like a hammer. This is not about subtlety; this is about getting the message across. Would she care? Would she know? It wouldn’t matter unless you wrote it down. And writing it down I did. Break eventually moves into a solo before venturing into Run, which saw me return to old school progressive rock ending themes, themes I’m absolutely not unfamiliar with. I consider this one of my best.
4. Switch (Previously known as ‘The Button’)
Switch is one of those songs that were in my notebook, but I couldn’t figure out what it was about. I scrapped about half of it before letting it sift through my head as I was writing the other songs too. Eventually I managed to finish it.
Lyrically, I tend to think it’s not just gibberish; it’s me wondering why life tends to be so complicated at times before taking it out violently on you. It’s almost as if life is a predator, waiting to eat you whole, skin and all.
Musically, this is a fairly diverse song with multiple parts and pieces that move around a central theme. The beginning is quite calm and slow again, not unlike the start of Red Shift, the instrumental part rapid and jumpy and the ending more in a rock vein. I can’t say I think it’s a really great song, but I like the lyric and the instrumental part that fades into the vocals once I pick up again.
5. Fortress Of The Faith (Previously known as ‘Bastion’)
A good friend of mine was going through a rough patch in her life and after listening to her problems and giving her advice ( for as much as I was able), I sat down and wrote the lyrics.
Lyrically, this is just me telling her to keep her head high and keep walking, no matter what. It did turn out for the best.
Musically, I felt that rock wasn’t a feasible option for the song, so I opted to make this a keyboard endeavour only. And it worked out just fine, with only a slight drum track hidden in the background.
6. Nocturne (Previously known as ‘Composition Of A Dreamy Character’)
As most of you know, I have a thing for falling for women that are out of reach, mostly due to them being in a relationship or me not fitting the profile. It’s a recurring theme in my life and music and this song is testimony to it.
Nocturne began as a story, truth be told, but was worked out into a poem that found its way to a sweet melody I had played on keyboard a few nights before finishing it. It took multiple rewritings, but it came out perfect. Lyrically, this is me thinking aloud. And wondering just what would happen if she knew. Scary thought, indeed.
Musically, I used a piano melody, but eased on the throttle a bit and added some guitar to it that makes the song sound rather twinkling at first. It eventually progresses into an orchestral movement with guitars and keyboards taking the lead, while the drums and bass make a sturdy backbone. It is one of my best.
7. Complex Nothing (Previously known as ‘Big If’s And The Likes)
I: The Sky Whispers Your Name To Me (Previously known as ‘A Whisper’)
II: Ephemeral (Previously known as ‘Transitioning The Time’)
III: Elegy Of The Damned (Previously known as ‘One Last Song’)
IV: Closure (Previously known as ‘Is This The End’)
V: Divided I Stand (Previously known as ‘I Alone’)
Meeting someone special is always a thing that leaves a mark. Complex Nothing is such a mark. Whereas I was quite head over heels about this girl, I felt uneasy about the whole affair, being afraid I was going to screw up badly or perhaps not be able to make it last. Lyrically, the song goes through several stages and scenes where I either took up my love for her or my fear of making mistakes.
The Sky Whispers Your Name To Me begins as a pop song, as I felt that the songs by now needed some speed to make up for the slowness at the beginning. Lyrically, this is where the worries start, but also a flare of hope.
Musically, it’s pop to the limit. Couldn’t have it any other way, I think, as rock just made it sound as if I became Green Day on the spot. Not a good thing, I tell you.
Ephemeral takes over in a quiet manner, though quickly goes into a groove that consists of two drum beats I managed to sync together, making a rather quirky sounding song. It’s perfect to set the mood, as I just play guitar and bass over this. The keyboards join only occasionally, filling up the gaps, leaving a lot of space for the vocals.
Lyrically, the fear hits. Would she care, would she know? I’m harking back to Red Shift, melody and lyrically wise and it becomes a point where the song gradually fades into the next one.
Elegy of the Damned is the moment to catch breath, though still with a sense of dread in the back. Lyrically, the fear has turned to apathy.
Musically, the guitars fade until there’s only bass and keyboards, before the vocals fade away and the full band composition hits like a log across the forehead. No subtlety anymore.
Closure takes off in a fairly aggressive manner, to make sure you move on from Elegy of the Damned. No lyrics were necessary; I just wanted to have a piece in between that allowed the song to move on to the next part but still be interesting enough.
Divided I Stand is a moment of reflection; not a positive one, fairly gloomy. Though still, a bit of hope shines at the end. It’s never far away, now is it? That’s what the song is lyrically about.
Musically, from a quiet endeavour ( though short, as the song knows a lot of quiet moments), it progresses into multiple time signatures, mood swings and melodies before settling back into the chorus of The Sky Whispers Your Name to Me, ending the song in a semi upbeat feel.
8. Val’Paraiso (Previously known as ‘Fantastic Place’)
Val’Paraiso started as a song that made no sense to me whatsoever. I wrote it during the sessions of The Long Drive but it didn’t fit the feeling of what I had back then and as it didn’t make sense to me, I nearly scrapped it.
About near the end of writing Nocturne, I went through my notebook to find this lyric, so I took it and changed it about ten times before it settled into something I thought was good. It’s about the girl in Complex Nothing, with a hint in the lyrics that would become Into The Light.
Musically, to make this one interesting, I took a fairly straight forward song ( it never strays from 4/4) and made it sound neo progressive at times, though not too much. Basses are thundering, like an old dirty Rickenbacker, the guitars are clean with a bit of chorus, the keyboards are 70’s sounding, until the mid section and the drums are restrained like an 80’s pop song.
9. Eyes For The Blind (Previously known as ‘Guidance’)
I: Beyond The Scales (Previously known as ‘Richter Gone Mad’)
II: Moment Of Tranquillity ( Instrumental) (Previously known as ‘Quietness’)
III: Before I Leave (Previously known as ‘Before I Depart This World Of Flesh’)
Eyes For The Blind is a song I wrote in response to having found out that the girl from Complex Nothing and Val’Paraiso was more than interested in me. I never really understood what she saw in me ( surprisingly, it never worked out) and the song documents it in three separate parts.
Beyond The Scales is lyrically of how I talked about this girl with my father. The lyrics convey it almost as it transpired that evening, when we sat down with a beer or two and a talk that lasted a good two hours.
Musically, it ranges from progressive rock to symphonic rock, with the beginning calm and gentle, the music picking up right after ‘You’ve only just begun’, the instrumental section fading seamlessly into the end section before the next song hits.
Moment of Tranquillity is an instrumental endeavour designed to not be as its name implies. It’s a short song, delving into a fairly aggressive metal song ( though some have called it hard rock) with an orchestral move in the background, occasionally bringing it back to the symphonic nature of this song.
Before I Leave lyrically is about me waking up next to her one morning after a date we had. At moments like those, you’d wish you’d have said things that she would remember, but those words were only written down. Silly of me to think it actually works that way…
Musically, the metal subsides from Moment of Tranquillity and moves into a piece that halfway gains more momentum when the drums and bass kick in, making it a full band composition. It’s more a rock pop thing than anything else, before it slowly moves and fades seamlessly into ‘Into The Light’.
10. Into The Light (Previously known as ‘Light Waves’)
Into The Light is most likely the most uplifting, positive song I have ever written and will probably ever write. This was conjured up after finishing Val’Paraiso, though it sifted through my system for a bit until we’d been out on a date. Then it was finished.
Lyrically, it’s all about the good things. Nothing more. Because you don’t need anything else. It’s all right in front of you, and it won’t let go. It’s got a hold of you.
Musically, I wanted this song to sound as clean as possible, so I kept the acoustic vibe to it and just worked some electric guitars into it, until it lifted the rock ballad off of it. Perhaps the lyric is cheesy, but the music doesn’t. It’s just fine and dandy. And is one of my best.
With Nocturne finished, I sank into another depression, one caused by stupid mistakes I’d made against friends. I need a movement to continue my friendship, one that would make them see I wanted to redeem badly. It was a long movement, indeed.