Sunday, July 31, 2005
You and me and Leslie
Steven recorded harmony vocals for "Agoraphobia," "Greenback," and remixed "Lucy." The new versions of "Agoraphobia" and "Lucy" are already online: head over to the music section to download.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Mr. Sandman
Today, we're going to do a close listening to The Chordettes' "Mr. Sandman" (1954), one of the greatest pop songs ever.
0:00 - Handclaps
Apparently a Chordette trademark, similar handclaps open their other hit, "Lollipop." The handclaps persist throughout the first verse.
0:02 - Bom bom bom bom...
Notice how the first two "boms" are held throughout the rest of the melodic phrase. By the way, the "boms" arpeggiate the Bbmaj7 and Cm7 chords.
0:10 - Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream, etc.
Brilliantly, the keyboard picks up where the "boms" left off, doing the same arpeggio. Upright bass plays on the beat.
0:14, 0:19, 0:23 - Bom bom bom bom (at the end of each line)
These "boms" (mixed into the foreground) help move the song along. In particular, the first set of "boms" helps the keyboard cut out without sounding weird.
0:29 - Sandman, I’m so alone, etc.
0:45 - Add light, jazzy drums, like the kind that Ian likes to play
0:55 - Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream, etc.
Upright bass playing fancy jazz bass line. Saxophone licks at the end of each line (instead of the "boms")
1:23 - Please turn on your magic beam... oo-wah!
The "oo-wah" is a perhaps musical enactment of turning on a magic beam. Really. Synesthesia!
1:28 - "Boms" with different chords!
1:37 - Mr. Sandman (male voice: "Yes?") bring us a dream, etc.
Let's not rush to judgment here. It's a male voice swooping down from the sky. Does it work? Imagine the song without it. Would it still be as much of a dialogue? Does it not add another dimension to the song?
The bass is noticeably less busy in this verse.
1:46 - Give him a lonely heart like Pagliacci (sax lick)
1:51 - And lots of wavy hair like Liberace (piano glissando)
Liberace was a pianist and a popular entertainer.
1:55 - Mr Sandman, someone to hold (someone to hold)
2:03 - So please turn on your magic beam (faint keyboard)
Quoting the beginning of the song is a way to signal the end of the song, like the end of the cycle or something. Mark did this on "The Clapping Song."
2:08 - Saxophone plays low notes, further signalling the end of the song
2:17 - "Boms" end the song
0:00 - Handclaps
Apparently a Chordette trademark, similar handclaps open their other hit, "Lollipop." The handclaps persist throughout the first verse.
0:02 - Bom bom bom bom...
Notice how the first two "boms" are held throughout the rest of the melodic phrase. By the way, the "boms" arpeggiate the Bbmaj7 and Cm7 chords.
0:10 - Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream, etc.
Brilliantly, the keyboard picks up where the "boms" left off, doing the same arpeggio. Upright bass plays on the beat.
0:14, 0:19, 0:23 - Bom bom bom bom (at the end of each line)
These "boms" (mixed into the foreground) help move the song along. In particular, the first set of "boms" helps the keyboard cut out without sounding weird.
0:29 - Sandman, I’m so alone, etc.
0:45 - Add light, jazzy drums, like the kind that Ian likes to play
0:55 - Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream, etc.
Upright bass playing fancy jazz bass line. Saxophone licks at the end of each line (instead of the "boms")
1:23 - Please turn on your magic beam... oo-wah!
The "oo-wah" is a perhaps musical enactment of turning on a magic beam. Really. Synesthesia!
1:28 - "Boms" with different chords!
1:37 - Mr. Sandman (male voice: "Yes?") bring us a dream, etc.
Let's not rush to judgment here. It's a male voice swooping down from the sky. Does it work? Imagine the song without it. Would it still be as much of a dialogue? Does it not add another dimension to the song?
The bass is noticeably less busy in this verse.
1:46 - Give him a lonely heart like Pagliacci (sax lick)
1:51 - And lots of wavy hair like Liberace (piano glissando)
Liberace was a pianist and a popular entertainer.
1:55 - Mr Sandman, someone to hold (someone to hold)
2:03 - So please turn on your magic beam (faint keyboard)
Quoting the beginning of the song is a way to signal the end of the song, like the end of the cycle or something. Mark did this on "The Clapping Song."
2:08 - Saxophone plays low notes, further signalling the end of the song
2:17 - "Boms" end the song
Friday, July 29, 2005
The Shortwave Set
Steven: "by the way, i was listening to xfm and i heard this amazing song called 'Slingshot' from a new UK band called The Shortwave Set. it's not exactly what we should be doing, but it's the kind of experimentation that picks up where the 60s left off. here's a review from the times. too bad no one's going to hear it in the states, because you have to get it on import for $27.99."
Our in-house notation style
The Tonics are a melodic bunch, and often they come up with melodic ideas when they don't have a tape recorder or music composition books. So how do they make sure they don't forget melody lines? Steven has used the following "Notepad-friendly" notation style for vocal melodies:
[note][octave][note][octave][note][octave]...
[count][count][count]...
The "Lucy tricked me into something" melody would be transcribed like this:
F2E2D2F2C2Bb1A1C2
1 2 3 4 1 2 a3 4
The top row tells you the pitch, followed by which octave it's in, so you can see that the Bb is the one that's below the C, not above. The bottom row shows the rhythm. Each number is the count that the note falls on. The syncopation happens on "-to some-"----the "-to" falls on the 2nd beat, and "some-" falls on the 'and' beat of the 2nd beat (hence the "a3"). Take a look at the following diagram if you are confused:
F2EDFCBb1AC2
1 2 3 4 1 2 a 4
[note][octave][note][octave][note][octave]...
[count][count][count]...
The "Lucy tricked me into something" melody would be transcribed like this:
F2E2D2F2C2Bb1A1C2
1 2 3 4 1 2 a3 4
The top row tells you the pitch, followed by which octave it's in, so you can see that the Bb is the one that's below the C, not above. The bottom row shows the rhythm. Each number is the count that the note falls on. The syncopation happens on "-to some-"----the "-to" falls on the 2nd beat, and "some-" falls on the 'and' beat of the 2nd beat (hence the "a3"). Take a look at the following diagram if you are confused:
F2 E2 D2 F2 C2 Bb1 A1 C2
Lu cy tricked me in to some thing
1 2 3 4 1 2 a 3 4You can make the notation even shorter by stating the octave only when it changes, and deleting the "3" beat that "some" doesn't actually fall on.F2EDFCBb1AC2
1 2 3 4 1 2 a 4
Thursday, July 28, 2005
The Tonics on LimeWire
I did a search for The Tonics on LimeWire (a file sharing program) and found a copy each of "Distance" and "Thank You." Both files were downloaded from music.download.com (you can tell from the comments section of the mp3s). Unfortunately, download.com doesn't give our mp3s good filenames ("01 Thank You.mp3" and "01 Distance.mp3") so it's probably hard to find in file-sharing programs, and harder still if you're trying to find it on your hard drive.
So please, as a courtesy to other people who want to download our music illegally, please rename your files to the standard "The Tonics - Distance.mp3" or "The Tonics - 01 - Distance.mp3" or something that is easily identifiable. And be sure to put our mp3s into your shared folder. Thank you.
So please, as a courtesy to other people who want to download our music illegally, please rename your files to the standard "The Tonics - Distance.mp3" or "The Tonics - 01 - Distance.mp3" or something that is easily identifiable. And be sure to put our mp3s into your shared folder. Thank you.
The Tonics in the new Alan Lawrence film?
I got word from Arta that Alan Lawrence is making a new film about lovers, crime and suicide pacts, and we are to produce the soundtrack for it. We previously did the soundtrack for his still-to-be-finished short film "Graceful Accident."
There are rumors that Robert Aghassi, a former member of the band, will star in this new film. Robert, of course, sang on the ancient Sculpted Static song "Einsamkeit" and the "Hell" section of Heart of Darkness: The Rock Opera. He also wrote the unreleased "You're An S.M.F. (Latin and metal versions)" and "Check My Blood Pressure," and pioneered the Sculpted Static signature count-off, "1-2-345!"
Arta has also been in touch with trumpet player Josh Aguiar, a "true jazz soloist," whose services might come in handy for the soundtrack and other Tonics songs.
There are rumors that Robert Aghassi, a former member of the band, will star in this new film. Robert, of course, sang on the ancient Sculpted Static song "Einsamkeit" and the "Hell" section of Heart of Darkness: The Rock Opera. He also wrote the unreleased "You're An S.M.F. (Latin and metal versions)" and "Check My Blood Pressure," and pioneered the Sculpted Static signature count-off, "1-2-345!"
Arta has also been in touch with trumpet player Josh Aguiar, a "true jazz soloist," whose services might come in handy for the soundtrack and other Tonics songs.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
"So, who is Lucy?"
----Lucy is a 3.18 million year old female hominid, of the genus Australopithecus, whose skeleton was discovered on November 24, 1974 by Donald Johanson, Yves Coppens and Tim White in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia.
"What did she trick you into?"----The human condition.
"What did she trick you into?"----The human condition.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Junk mail
Aristatic (our e-mail account) is the target of many direct marketing campaigns. Neon Phosphor has lately taken up the hobby of replying to such e-mails, especially ones that claim to have stumbled upon our great music, and "will you please upload it to the site I am promoting?"
Today, I got an e-mail from an A&R person from the Independent Artists Company, who claimed in his form letter that he was "a fan" of our music and that "I thought of you recently when we were trying to figure out which good acts haven't been invited yet. No, this is not random spam, I swear." Great, so I shot back an e-mail asking if he would explain how he heard about The Tonics and which songs he liked. Even if he hadn't actually heard us, I figure he'd be forced to do it now, if he wanted our business badly enough. [Later, Toby actually replied to my e-mail, saying that he'd heard about us from "a friend who listens a lot at download.com" and that their favorite songs are "Elegy For Anne Bancroft" and "Lucy." Fair enough. We'll put something on IAC.]
Other recent unsolicited mail have included:
Today, I got an e-mail from an A&R person from the Independent Artists Company, who claimed in his form letter that he was "a fan" of our music and that "I thought of you recently when we were trying to figure out which good acts haven't been invited yet. No, this is not random spam, I swear." Great, so I shot back an e-mail asking if he would explain how he heard about The Tonics and which songs he liked. Even if he hadn't actually heard us, I figure he'd be forced to do it now, if he wanted our business badly enough. [Later, Toby actually replied to my e-mail, saying that he'd heard about us from "a friend who listens a lot at download.com" and that their favorite songs are "Elegy For Anne Bancroft" and "Lucy." Fair enough. We'll put something on IAC.]
Other recent unsolicited mail have included:
- A "hot new British chill-out band" called Mooli
- An invitation to join BandSpace
- Frank from Hot Live Bands who's putting together a compilation CD and would like to talk to us about the possibility of having one of our tracks featured on it. Ironic, since we are anything but a hot live band at the moment.
- Ted Beam from South Pasadena who "listened to 'Lucy' online and really liked it" and wanted to get the members of Sculpted Static (our old band) to attend his show at the Bent clothing store on Mission Street.
- Again addressed to Sculpted Static, an invitation to join Artisterie, who are "real fans" of our work.
- Toonopoly, a logo/sticker/site designer with "competitive prices and great ideas that will blow your mind."
- Vince Griffin inviting us to use the full-service Sound Vision recording studio in the South Bay area
Monday, July 25, 2005
"Which indie label would you sign up with?"
----We are already signed to the United States Postal Service. We pay them 83 cents, and they deliver the CD to one of our valued customers.
"You know, a lot of successful bands actually..."----Who says we aren't a successful band already? We have lots of great material, and more on the way. We have an EP and a half, just sitting there waiting to be snatched up. And don't forget, we have Sunny Ash, a decent full-length album from our other band. We are currently not losing money to a label. How are we not a success already? Tell me.
"Okay, but a lot of other successful bands actually play live."----A good performance can mask bad or inconsequential songwriting. Think about the last five garage bands you've seen. How many melodic hooks can you remember? How many songs fell outside of the pop/punk/garage rock genre? We don't play often, but when we do, people instantly remember something like "Lu-u-cy..."
"You know, a lot of successful bands actually..."----Who says we aren't a successful band already? We have lots of great material, and more on the way. We have an EP and a half, just sitting there waiting to be snatched up. And don't forget, we have Sunny Ash, a decent full-length album from our other band. We are currently not losing money to a label. How are we not a success already? Tell me.
"Okay, but a lot of other successful bands actually play live."----A good performance can mask bad or inconsequential songwriting. Think about the last five garage bands you've seen. How many melodic hooks can you remember? How many songs fell outside of the pop/punk/garage rock genre? We don't play often, but when we do, people instantly remember something like "Lu-u-cy..."
Sunday, July 24, 2005
"Would you say your music echoes The Olivia Tremor Control and other members of the Elephant 6 collective?"
----Who the fuck are you talking about? Have you been reading Pitchfork again? Go listen to The Beatles. Early Beatles.
"I heard rumors that one of the Tonics suffers from multiple personality disorder."----Even if that were true, when has mental illness necessarily been an impediment to great art and other contributions to society?
"Brian Wilson."----What? He made Pet Sounds. Try doing that when you're sane.
"I heard rumors that one of the Tonics suffers from multiple personality disorder."----Even if that were true, when has mental illness necessarily been an impediment to great art and other contributions to society?
"Brian Wilson."----What? He made Pet Sounds. Try doing that when you're sane.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
"Do you have an album?"
----Yes. In fact, we have about a few hundred in our collections. Maybe more. I don't know. They're making iPods with bigger and bigger capacities these days.
"How often do you play?"----Can you be more specific? Play on words? Play on the swing set? Play a cassette? What?
"I mean playing music together, as a band."----Yeah, once in a while, we go out for a drive around the Cube, blasting the neighborhood with loud classic rock.
"Do you write your own songs?"----Yeah, they write to me. Neon Phosphor is the only song that bothers to respond.
"How often do you play?"----Can you be more specific? Play on words? Play on the swing set? Play a cassette? What?
"I mean playing music together, as a band."----Yeah, once in a while, we go out for a drive around the Cube, blasting the neighborhood with loud classic rock.
"Do you write your own songs?"----Yeah, they write to me. Neon Phosphor is the only song that bothers to respond.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Non-precious Belle & Sebastian moments
Over the last nine years, Belle & Sebastian's records have become a sort of mainstay of hipsters' music collections. Soon to be replaced by The Tonics, of course. The following are B&S songs that actually rock:
"Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie" - with a fast 2/4 rhythm and surf-rock guitars, this electrifying rocker is off the 3..6..9 Seconds of Light EP.
"Stay Loose" - from Dear Catastrophe Waitress. An 70s-80s-style pop song over 6 minutes long, with synthesizer swells and harmonized guitar solos! That Pitchfork gave the album a mediocre review should be reason enough to give it a listen.
"Stop, Look And Listen" - from the I'm A Cuckoo EP. After a few minutes of some very repetitive verses, a great surf-rock instrumental kicks in out of nowhere. This instrumental was actually used as a concert opener.
"Judy Is A Dick Slap" - from the Legal Man EP, a synth-driven instrumental.
"Electric Renaissance" - from Tigermilk. Almost completely synthesized, and lots of delay on Stuart Murdoch's voice. Tigermilk, on a whole, rocks more than all their other albums.
"Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie" - with a fast 2/4 rhythm and surf-rock guitars, this electrifying rocker is off the 3..6..9 Seconds of Light EP.
"Stay Loose" - from Dear Catastrophe Waitress. An 70s-80s-style pop song over 6 minutes long, with synthesizer swells and harmonized guitar solos! That Pitchfork gave the album a mediocre review should be reason enough to give it a listen.
"Stop, Look And Listen" - from the I'm A Cuckoo EP. After a few minutes of some very repetitive verses, a great surf-rock instrumental kicks in out of nowhere. This instrumental was actually used as a concert opener.
"Judy Is A Dick Slap" - from the Legal Man EP, a synth-driven instrumental.
"Electric Renaissance" - from Tigermilk. Almost completely synthesized, and lots of delay on Stuart Murdoch's voice. Tigermilk, on a whole, rocks more than all their other albums.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 11
Vocal harmony dissection of the day: The Beach Boys - Don't Worry Baby
The chorus:
"Don't Worry Baby" was recorded on February 20, 1964, with lead vocals by Brian Wilson. Brian was 21 at the time, so at 22 we are already falling behind.
For years hearing it on oldies radio, I never realized it was a car song. Take a closer look at these great lyrics:
The chorus:
Harm1+2 Don't worry baby Don't worry baby
Bass Now don't now don't you wor ry baby
Lead She says don't worry baby everything
Harm1+2 Don't worry baby Don't worry baby Ooh
Bass Now don't now don't you wor ry baby Ooh
Lead will turn out all right don't worry baby Ooh
The stereo separation is: Harm1+2 (right), Bass (right), Lead (left). The coolest thing about this harmony is the bass line and how it joins the other two harmonies at the end of each line."Don't Worry Baby" was recorded on February 20, 1964, with lead vocals by Brian Wilson. Brian was 21 at the time, so at 22 we are already falling behind.
For years hearing it on oldies radio, I never realized it was a car song. Take a closer look at these great lyrics:
I guess I should've kept my mouth shutThe best part is when Brian sings about the danger of driving a race car. Life and death stuff, man:
When I started to brag about my car
But I can't back down now because
I pushed the other guys too far
She told me "Baby, when you race todayThe odd lyrical moment comes when he suddenly has sex on his mind: "Oh what she does to me/ When she makes love to me." But it works, doesn't it? This song is a classic.
Just take along my love with you
And if you knew how much I loved you
Baby nothing could go wrong with you"
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
"How would you describe the current pop music scene?"
----Imagine a swarm of airships hovering over the entire Los Angeles basin, with gigantic amps and speakers attached to their sides. Then think of the loudest, power-chord driven song blasting out of each of those speakers. Under the shadow of this massive flotilla of dirigibles, the ground starts shaking and the windows are breaking from the shock waves.
"Do you like Avril Lavigne?"----And then the air force scrambles a group of ten F-16s towards this mind-fucking spectacle. The squadron leader gets a missile lock on the closest airship, but, before he could fire, his pathetic jet fighter is blown to pieces by the sheer might of the distorted guitar solo and heavy-ass bass.
"Do you see yourself as a boy band for the 'hip'?"----The incredible sound of maximum R&B even opens up the San Andreas Fault. A fucking magnitude 10.0 earthquake rattles the City of fucking Angels. The earth moans, but it is powerless against the almighty collective power of the airborne amps, with the volume set to 12, baby.
"Do you like Avril Lavigne?"----And then the air force scrambles a group of ten F-16s towards this mind-fucking spectacle. The squadron leader gets a missile lock on the closest airship, but, before he could fire, his pathetic jet fighter is blown to pieces by the sheer might of the distorted guitar solo and heavy-ass bass.
"Do you see yourself as a boy band for the 'hip'?"----The incredible sound of maximum R&B even opens up the San Andreas Fault. A fucking magnitude 10.0 earthquake rattles the City of fucking Angels. The earth moans, but it is powerless against the almighty collective power of the airborne amps, with the volume set to 12, baby.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
"Are you trying to be famous or something?"
----"Do or do not... there is no try," in the words of Yoda.
Monday, July 18, 2005
"What's the most difficult part of being a Tonic?"
----People mix you up with gin, vodka and god knows what else.
"Will you ever sing in a foreign language?"----As Arta revealed in an earlier exclusive interview, we were going to have Sanskrit on "Lucy," but it didn't happen. For a quick and easy way to hear our music in a foreign language, move to a non-English-speaking country and/or change your mother tongue.
"Will you ever sing in a foreign language?"----As Arta revealed in an earlier exclusive interview, we were going to have Sanskrit on "Lucy," but it didn't happen. For a quick and easy way to hear our music in a foreign language, move to a non-English-speaking country and/or change your mother tongue.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
"Will you be selling band merchandise?"
----In lieu of buying Tonics merchandise, we request your money be spent on worthier causes like the revolution.
"What?"----Well, you know, we all want to change the world.
"What do you think of the Live 8 concerts?"----I don't know. If we had played "Distance," I'm not sure "When you're rich and young, shouldn't you be having fun?" is the right message to send to the masses clamoring for social change. And the line "I just can't seem to get things done" ("The Clapping Song") seems just a little pessimistic when viewed in context with the push to get the G8 nations to help the third world. And, certainly, we wouldn't want to play "Hamlet." That song would cause activists to slash their wrists instead of marching against the WTO.
"What?"----Well, you know, we all want to change the world.
"What do you think of the Live 8 concerts?"----I don't know. If we had played "Distance," I'm not sure "When you're rich and young, shouldn't you be having fun?" is the right message to send to the masses clamoring for social change. And the line "I just can't seem to get things done" ("The Clapping Song") seems just a little pessimistic when viewed in context with the push to get the G8 nations to help the third world. And, certainly, we wouldn't want to play "Hamlet." That song would cause activists to slash their wrists instead of marching against the WTO.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
"I heard a rumor that a talking parrot will be used in one of the songs."
----That is untrue. It's actually a singing budgerigar.
"Tell me, did you have any trouble getting the bird to sing?"----It's a fucking budgerigar. Call it what it is. Yes, we needed to pitch-shift it a little, and it kept going out of sync with the backing track.
"What color is this--budgerigar?"----Why does it matter? It don't matter if you're black or white. Or, in this case, blue, green or yellow. They all chirp the same.
"So, which song does it sing on?"----You know I'm just making shit up here, right? Can we just put this to rest?
"Tell me, did you have any trouble getting the bird to sing?"----It's a fucking budgerigar. Call it what it is. Yes, we needed to pitch-shift it a little, and it kept going out of sync with the backing track.
"What color is this--budgerigar?"----Why does it matter? It don't matter if you're black or white. Or, in this case, blue, green or yellow. They all chirp the same.
"So, which song does it sing on?"----You know I'm just making shit up here, right? Can we just put this to rest?
Friday, July 15, 2005
Omega point theory
According to Arta, those are three words "that may change your life," should we choose to explore its depths. Neon Phosphor is reminded of an upcoming song called "Alpha-Alpha" (formerly known as "Alpha and Omega"). In "an exclusive interview with Mark Williams" from February 21, Mark says that he is the alpha and the omega, and also the kai that binds them together. That statement was previously said by Jesus Christ in Revelation 22:13: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End," although there's not much difference between Jesus and Mark, what, with that goatee and longish hair (as pictured above).
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