finally got everything in production mode

heyyyyo.

so i’ve actually had a few visits and plans since my last post which somewhat jostled my productivity - not entirely i guess - it’s actually interesting, forcing myself out of this room by way of other people for a while might have actually been an ultimately productive move. when i finally got back in, i knew my marching orders and just chipped away at everything without any fear. rare feeling.

been listening to a lot of trent reznor podcasts and some nine inch nails too. he’s a good character to study every so often.

anyway, the main theme of this post is the fact that i finally got un-scared and did some recording for I’ll Be the One to Leave. it involved properly mic’ing (and playing) acoustic guitar which always scares the shit out of me for no good reason. any time i have to really perform, i just get stressed and put it off. but, i finally set up those mics and played the song three times - a different key each time, because i wasn’t sure how I liked it, honestly.

anyways, i always knew i wanted to start by playing this song as i wrote it, on acoustic with vocals - and then just try a string quartet arrangement with it. boiling it down to that made it more approachable. i was really surprised at how easily i came on this really nice sounding product:

check it here

i’m not an orchestral arranger but i’ve listened to a lot of Todd Rundgren productions - i guess that’s all I can really say about this one. not at all written in its final form but interesting ideas i intend to retain in there…

other big update is Time to Give Up. this song has great production and really feels “done” in SO many ways, but i could never get past this sort of stagnation I always felt about it. so i injected some new melodies which i’m actually really digging. and, the lyrics i put to them i also feel very proud of. they fit the melody and the song’s meaning and really just have this pleading, desperate sense to them. love.

check THAT here…

”view me with hurt disrobed, fall into my world, forget the pain, want strife to be gone”
”am i villainous? or will you imagine anything to make your world fit?”

we’re making some verrrry good progress. the end is clear to me now, just a lot of surgical work, really.

thanks for always reading!

-jesse