Wait, I could have sworn I've done more than six of these

"Rise":

(Soundtracking Your Life, Part Six): This song is very old. I want to say two, three years old, but at the least I know it's older than Song of the Week itself, let alone Soundtracking Your Life. And today I did it.

Once I realized that this project already had a song named "Rose" and another (as-yet-unfinished) named "Rising", I remembered this old idea I had called "Rise" (which mostly consisted of its title as the only lyric, and a sound I describe as "dun-dugga-dun-dukka-dun"). Somehow that became this.

I like to have a story in my head when I'm writing StYL songs. Here the story was that they were trying to summon a monster or something, but nothing was working, so they had to keep starting over and trying something new, hence the start-stop nature of it. By the time I had finished the drums and bass, and played them back, the story seemed very different; it became sort of a war story, which I like because it connects "Rise" with "Two Warriors Meet On an Ancient Battlefield", which sounds similar, and is also about fighting (I've been trying to walk a line of making the songs all fit together very tightly while at the same time being distinctive and unique).

My guitar is broken; you can hear it cut out and back in if you listen closely. Normally I'd rerecord it, but I like the effect, and it fit the chaotic nature of things. It sounded better when I was recording, though. Probably put the microphone in the wrong place.

DOWNLOADABLE VERSION:

Rerelease Notes: This version is largely unchanged; I removed the drum loops because you couldn't really hear them anyway, and I think the effect works better when the drums are "one man, one take," as it were.

My name is Drew...

...and I suck at Photoshop:


...give me a break though, I've only been doing this for like an hour.

Why do so many Internet ads want me to vote for Mike Bloomberg?

also holy shit has it really been ten days?

Microsoft Word's spellchecker gives me two results: "Budgeting" (the word I was trying to spell) and "bud getting". Now all I can think about is, in what context would the words "bud getting" be uttered?

Oh God, the horror. The horror. Look at all that blood. What have we done to deserve this. Who could do such a thing.

"Insanity in 9/8 Time":

Soundtracking Your Life, Part Whatever We're Up To: This one is hard to explain. It's essentially an accident, dependent upon three separate, distinct events converging.

The first was my discovery of Garageband's Auto-tune Effect. I don't like Auto-tune--it's pretty much the musical equivalent of outright lying-- but if you're honest about it, it has its uses. I figured there was no harm in playing around with it, even if I never actually used it.

The second was learning how to use Garageband's built-in monitor (coincidentally*, from the same video). Previously I had though it was a worthless setting that did nothing but generate a metric fuckton of feedback. Apparently I was doing it wrong.

The third, and this is the one that was really important, was that I had been playing with the program's built-in metronome, trying to write a song in 9:8 time, just to see what it would sound like. When I was done I saved the file instead of deleting it, for some reason, and an hour ago I opened the (empty) file by accident to try some stuff out.

Anyway, headphones plus feedback plus trippy special effect meant equaled strange whooshing sound and long echoes every time I made any noise (even something like picking up a drumstick off a shelf). It turns out the special effects that sound like a famous R&B star at 90BPM sound like Hell opening up at 55BPM. It reminded me of the part of the movie where the guy is going insane so I though "Soundtracking Your Life gcrrble flrrgl flob" (I'm an abstract thinker). Live and learn and know when to exploit it.

I hit record and just started hitting stuff to see what sounds it made. Then I layered some fake piano to up the creepifictation, and the easiest Song I've ever written was done. And now you can hear it too. Wear headphones.

*Actually, it's pretty much the opposite of a coincidence? What's that word?

DOWNLOADABLE VERSION:

Rerelease Notes: This was the only StL song that was fully redone, partly because of audio quality issues and partly because there were some things I wanted to add to it, like the use of windchimes as percussion or using a half-decent MIDI instead of a MacBook keyboard. As a result, the album version is almost a minute longer. I added two new "noise" tracks as well, one of which has me playing, in turn, twelve different harmonicas (one in each key; this is my first song to use harmonica, though I've been playing it for years). The other new track has me playing various screeching noises on the violin, an instrument I'd only started on the day before--this is probably the only song where that wouldn't make a difference.

AAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAA:

The name of, and basically everything else about, this song was inspired by this. I decided to write a song that would be first in your iPod. Then I decided that that song would be violent and chaotic and feature lots of screaming. Then i forgot about it for a while. Then I remembered and decided that "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA*" should be the only lyrics. At some point a triangle solo got folded into the mix.

I'm working on song that will be the hardest Guitar Hero song ever (its title is "Hardest Guitar Hero Song Ever"). With this I sort of wanted to sketch out some ideas for that. Playing "AAAAAAAAA" wouldn't actually be that hard, except maybe on drums (the trick is to hit the cymbal and tom on the same stroke, and to alternate hands in the first part), but there are some ideas there. The final song, if I ever do it, will probably be longer and feature more shredding (though probably less screaming, since they always just make that a talky part, and that would kind of negate the harditude).

That's it, I guess. See you.

*There are nine A's, and don't you forget it.


DOWNLOADABLE VERSION:
Rerelease Notes: The drums and organ are louder, the vocals quieter. I'd say this is the song most improved by a different mix.

...and anyone who tells you otherwise is out of their mind...

Liveblogging The Beatles: Rock Band: Part 2

OK, I'm gonna be singing b/c I's too lazy to put the instruments together. Also my strumming arm hurts and I haven't got the cymbals yet.

Mic stand is pretty nice. probably should have a controller holder on it though. Or, you know, buttons.

And I thought that opening cinema looked good in a tiny window...It's a bit more impressive at 65 inches in HD. Also, I found a ghetto way to hang my controller with the cable clips. I am the genius, goog-goo-g'joob.

First thing after "Press Start" is something about cache and system profiles. I breeze through, but then I'm not one of the old people they want this game to bring in.

Liverpool, 1963
"Twist and Shout", Expert: Takes two tries (probably should stick to "Solo" vox), but it got me TWO achievements. Those ah-ah-ahs are hard, by the way. ***
"Boys", Hard: Couldn't do expert.Hard might be too easy, though. Too bad they don't let you go straight from practice mode back to story-- you'd think someone would have figured that out by now. ****
"Do You Want To Know A Secret", Expert: I think this game is going to make "Fab" cool to say again. Also, this song was a cool choice-- you'd never see it in Guitar Hero: Beatles. ****
"I Saw Her Standing There", Expert: Now we're talking. Also, how does Paul hit that high note? He must have used Auto-Tune. ***

Look, the band is meeting the queen!

The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964
"I Want to Hold Your Hand", Expert: ***, but I think I'm getting better. Also, I forgot how short a lot of these songs are.
"Can't Buy Me Love", Expert: Are you supposed to shout? I shouted the whole thing. On an unrelated note, my throat hurts for some reason. ***
"A Hard Day's Night", Expert: Good thing it's short, too, I'm about to go hoarse. Still got ****, though.
"I Wanna Be Your Man", Hard: All right, I'm starting to notice a pattern where I do better on songs I've heard of. Also, The Beatles moved pretty fast from just wanting to hold your hand to "I wanna be your lover, baby".

OK, I'm gonna take a break.

...And we're back.

Honestly, this game is worth at least a rental just for the between-levels animations.

Shea Stadium, 1965:
"Ticket To Ride", Expert: According to the loading screen, they took out headset functionality. That kind of sucks, but no one used it anyway. ****, but I almost failed at the end there.
"I'm Looking Through You", Hard: I don't even know how I made it through this one. Just lucky I guess.
"Eigh Days A Week", Expert: First song where I had to drop an octave (or two). Voice hurts less now. ****
"If I Needed Someone", Expert: I like the message of this one: "you want me? Get in line, girl." Of course, there probabl really was a line at that point. ***
"I Feel Fine", Expert: Hey, why does this level have five songs? Whatever, it's cool. ****

Budokan, 1966:
"Day Tripper", Hard: Has anyone ever figured out what a day tripper is? Seriously? ****
"And Your Bird Can Sing", Expert: Y'know, if someone released this song today, nobody would realize it's over forty years old. It's somehow...I don't know. Maybe it took a while to be influential. ***
"Drive My Car", Hard: Another song that sounds ahead of its time-- this one would have fit in just as well in the 70s. ****
...And then my parents got home and i had to stop start move relogisticize...hang on.

"Taxman", Expert: Someone should make a show about a superhero called the Taxman, because I just found its theme song. Picture it: by day, Albert Taxmann (Eugene Levy*) is a mild-mannered tax auditor--but by night... ***
"Paperback Writer", Expert: This is one of my most favoritest Beatles songs because I think its a funny song I think this one would also make a good TV theme but maybe the idea is stuck in my head.

*If nothing else, maybe we could stop the endless flood of American Pies.

Abbey Road, 1966-67:
"Yellow Submarine", Expert: Wow, they just dive right in to the wierdness, don't they? Also, what's with Ringo and songs taking place under the ocean? ***** (This one's pretty easy)
"Sgt. Pepper's/With A Little Help From My Friends", Expert: It's kind of ironic to be off-key on this song, innit? Also, when you fail, it'll say "take two" on your second try. Not that I would fail, no sir. ****
"Lucy In The Sky With Drug Reference", Expert: Actually, I expected them to do a lot more with this one. It's relatively sane-looking. Well, "I Am The Walrus" is still to come. ***
"Getting Better", Expert: Like how it has the date they were recorded. "Me used to be angry young man" was totally stolen by you-know-who*. ****
"Within You Without You/ Tomorrow Never Knows", Expert: Huh, I figure this would be like a bonus or something. Still, "Within You Without You" is one of my most favoritestest Beatles songs, and I really like the mash-up, so I can't complain. The only real problem I have here is that it cuts down the length of the real song, but it's cool, yo. ****
"Good Morning Good Morning", Expert: Song so nice they titled it twice. I never realized just how wierd this song is--a guy dies in the first line and the song end with its title line in German. It's almost Bob Dylan-level weird here. ****

*Coulton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >=(

Some animator's been watching The Wall on a maddening loop, which is probably the best way to watch The Wall.

Abbey Road, '67-'68
"I Am the Walrus", Texpert: Every bit as advertised. Also, I just realized the talky parts don't seem to affect your score, positive or negative. And they took out the tambourine, but I figured that out like four chapters ago. ****
"Hello Goodbye", Hard: The Beatles covered that Target commercial song? Anyway, this one's kind of long but OK; it's a step down from "Walrus", but what wouldn't be? It was clever how they trick you into thinking the song is over (by they I mean the developers, but it also applies to The Beatles themselves). ****
"Hey Bulldog", Hard: The video for this part is pretty cool, despite never leaving the studio; it's a tribute to the original video or something, I forget the exact story. Note the cigarette smoke in the beginning--is that the "tobacco reference" from the ESRB label? *****
"Back In The USSR", Expert: Back in the what? Anyway, ***, but it would have been four if I'd done star power right. Also, they do weird thing where the vocal line will move before you start singing it--probably something to do with harmonies, but it's friggin confusing ("Hello Goodbye" does it too)
"Dear Prudence", Expert: Wow, I butchered that. Still got ***, though. Also, cool video, takes you in and out of the dreamthing multiple times.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps", Expert: So no Clapton cameo. He probably doesn't deserve it. Also, surprisingly dark choice to end the chapter on, especially in such an upbeat game.

Abbey Road '68-'69:
"Helter Skelter", Hard: When I checked the leaderboard, only 450 people had played this song. I am not one of them. I'll finish it later, this song is fucking hard.
"Revolution", Expert: After "Helter Skelter", anything looks, easy: *****. It's weird they put these two songn together because I always pair them in my mind--both are attempts at a heavier sound (I think the differences between them say a lot about the differences between John and Paul, too).
"Birthday", Hard: Actually it's John Bonham who has my birthday. Good guess though. *****

-Takes Dinner/ XBox-Is-Making-It-A-Million-Degrees-In-My-Room Break-

OK from here on I'm playing guitar--I want to see if I can finish the game tonight.

"Helter Skelter", Expert: The Höfner bass that comes with the game is pretty awesome-looking, but they made some odd design decisions. The strap is placed so it's always twisted; the strum bar is in a weird position; the start and XBos buttons are hard to trigger (making pausing really hard). Time will tell if I can get used to it. ***
"Octopus's Garden", Expert: Hey, this song is pretty hard. Still not sure if it's me or the guitar. ***
"Something", Expert: Maybe it's me. I was playing Guitar Hero most of the summer. Also, the longer scale of the bass controller actually makes using the higher-up frets worth it, since you're more likely to hit the right note. ***
"Come Together", Expert: I always liked this song-- it feels like it's getting away with something, but you can never be too sure what. Plus it's a great example of what people always say about the Beatles-- it's incredibly easy and simple and yet still really fun. **** (but just barely not five)
"Here Comes the Sun", Expert: ACoustic songs always translate to these games kind of off; chords turn into triplets, it's the right notes but they're not played the right way. Still fun though. ***

Apple Corps Rooftop, 1969:
"Dig A Pony", Expert: Man, we've been at Apple a while now, huh?...And I thought my lyrics were nonsensical. Seriously, why do some of the best songs have some of the worst lyrics (see: U2, One, "we hurt each other than we do it again"). ***
"I've Got A Feeling", Expert: I don't know. It's great. They should make more songs like this, and play this one more on the radio. What do you expect me to say? ***
"Don't Let Me Down", Expert: I've actually seen the real version of this, which is every bit as awesome. Here. ****
"I Me Mine", Expert: Why do I have a feeling this song is about the other Beatles? Also, it's pretty hard too. ***
"I Want You (She's So Heavy)", Expert: We're a long way from just wanting to hold your hand. I had a rant that carried on the theme of "we need more songs like this" but I forot most of it by the 6-minute mark. Maybe it'll come back later. **** (and an achievement for using Star Power Beatlemania 5 times.)
"Get Back", Expert: John's made-up lyrics to this are the funniest thing ever, you can hear them before the song starts. Also this song is really hard (***). But who cares because...
Oh Jebus it's all over! Oh well, the ending animation (set, appropriately, to "The End") is even more awesome than the beginning one, albiet short. Watch it on Youtube tomorrow, it'll be up by then.

Interesting choice, setting the credits to studio noise instead of a song, which would have been the more obvious way to go.

I think that's it. I'll have more to say tomorrow (I haven't even tried drumming yet.)

Liveblogging The Beatles: Rock Band: You Knew This Was Coming (Part 1)

The Unboxing:
Box is friggin huge

Kitten Sold Separately.
I don't know how to rotate these.
Box, opened.

View with the drums removed.

The goods
The not so goods.

[throat-clearing noise] I would watch...actually I'd watch any of these.












T-Pain should cover "In the Air Tonight"










Also, who gives a shit. Beatles Rock Band is here!

I've almost finished Guitar Hero 4...

...and this about sums it up. I'll do a full review if I can finish it before Beatles Rock Band lands on my doorstep. If not it'll be whenever I actually finish it, probably around 2011.

Also: A cup of coffee has 5 times as much as a Mountain Dew, and three times as much as Red Bull

What happens when you give spiders caffeine: