Sometimes when writing new songs the most inspiring moments are not necessarily when things are going wrong. More simply put, it is usually when things are the most busy and have no time to write those ideas down. Usually I will totally forget them until I randomly decide to sit down at a piano and miraculously remember. This new song I'm working on is one of those occasions. The song is titled "Lead Parachute". The idea behind the name is a metaphor. The mood of the song is very parallel to what Ive been feeling lately. The term "Lead Parachute" refers to the idea of a safety device that is no longer keeping you up in the air. Rather it has decided to bring you down to die. The lyrics for this song are still a work in progress. Which is mainly why the song is just a work in progress right now. Its still not even close to being finished. Anyways. Hopefully you enjoy it.
-James
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Road Blocks
Writing and recording new tracks often takes a lot of time. Lately
we've had numerous road blocks that have been preventing us from writing and recording
new material as often as we'd like. The first road block would have to be school.
According to the world, when it all comes down to it. A college degree is one
of the most important things you can get for your career. Sometimes, this is a
double edged sword. At one side, you really want to finish and do a good job,
but at the same time you have all of these songs just sitting waiting to be
finished. Not to mention, I'm already working at my dream job. So at this
point, I'm really just getting a degree to simply just "get one". Not
only does school take up nearly all of my free time, but working 30+ hours a
week really kills all the rest of my time. If you throw on a pretty crazy
social life on top of that I can basically tell you that I have no life. To be
honest, I can't really complain, since I generally like being ridiculously
busy.
Sooo back to music. The plan is that hopefully before
January we might have two new songs finished entirely. The album that we are
currently working on is probably not going to be done till next Fall 2013 to be
totally honest. At least unless something gives way. Currently with the amount
of stuff going on Neobrite stuff has kind of taken a back seat. Which to me is
fine, since this allows me to regain my thoughts and focus on new ideas. Ultimately
this will lead to a better album, it just might take a heck of a lot longer.
- James
- James
Friday, November 9, 2012
Last in Line
So today we started the workings of a new song titled, "Last in Line". This song is very different from our other music. Like I have explained before the song writing process for each song is entirely different. The way that this track came about is that I basically said to myself. "Okay, today I'm gonna write a song in the key of F#." That is pretty much how it happened. Sometimes, I will just pick a key and just go with it until something sounds good. Usually it only takes about an hour till I get something really concrete. The first part of this song that I started writing was the square wave synthesizer arpeggio in the beginning of the song. I have been kind of playing with an arpeggio similar to this one for days on the piano. It wasn't till I sat down today that I actually recorded it into the computer. Believe it or not, a lot of the song writing we do is a combination of randomness and intuition. I usually have a random thought of what would sound "cool" in my head, and then I can usually always figure out how to make it happen. The whole idea of writers block doesn't really apply to the way we write music. Usually if we stop writing a song it is only because we just didn't like it enough to finish it. Most of the time that happens before we even bother recording vocals for it.
My main goal for this song was that it had a big powerful chorus line. The way I usually go about this is a lot of layering different instrument parts that harmonize together. Sometimes, I just wing it and hope it sounds good mixed together. For some reason this technique seems to always work out for us. Which for the most part is pretty funny. Another big part that I wanted to include in this track was some really cool drums. We ended up layering 3 different drum sets for this track to give it a really big over the top sound. I think it ended up working out really well.
As always, the trickiest part for every song is the lyrics. If you actually listen to what I'm singing is really makes no sense at all. Usually, with lyrics I have a habit of making nonsense sounding like something really important. As I was explaining earlier, randomness comes really in handy when writing these tracks. To us the most important part of these songs is the melody. If the melody sounds good, we are happy. Overall, this song seems to be coming along really well. Hope you enjoy it!
-James
As always, the trickiest part for every song is the lyrics. If you actually listen to what I'm singing is really makes no sense at all. Usually, with lyrics I have a habit of making nonsense sounding like something really important. As I was explaining earlier, randomness comes really in handy when writing these tracks. To us the most important part of these songs is the melody. If the melody sounds good, we are happy. Overall, this song seems to be coming along really well. Hope you enjoy it!
-James
Sunday, November 4, 2012
New Beginnings
Lately, we have been working on a few new concepts for a new album. The overall theme has yet to be determined however. Some of the songs we've been working on span across many different genres from indie to heavy electronica. This makes it really hard to come up with a theme when your thoughts appear to be entirely random on a day to day basis.
One of the concepts we have been working on lately is the idea of using a less produced sound. Perhaps, bring in a little of the vintage feel into our recordings. For some reason I always seem to have an attraction to songs that sound like they were recorded in someone's garage. As a result we've been playing around with a few different types of sounds. One of the song we've been working on reminds me of something "The Cranberries" would have made. It has that raw 90s rock vibe that I've always greatly enjoyed. One thing that I've learned about song writing is that you are often never writing the song. A good song writes itself. This idea has played true for every song I've ever had the chance to be apart of.
-James
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Dreams - Track by Track
Today I decided to talk a little bit about our album, "Dreams".
There were many things that went into making this album possible. It took us
roughly a year, and a half to write/record it from start to finish. For this reason, I want to do a little track
by track summery of what each song is about. To listen to our album on iTunes go to:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dreams/id530421019
1. Beyond the Stars.
This song was meant to be the introduction and set the mood for the entire album. The concept we were going for was something very surreal and angelic. We wanted the beginning track to take your mind off what you're doing that way you would be ready for the rest of the album.
2. The Places You Belong.
This probably one of the most electronic tracks that we wrote for the album. The idea behind the lyrics is dealing with the idea of not knowing where you belong. It talks about how people forcing relationships just so they aren't left behind.
3. Tonight.
Tonight is the most emotional of all the tracks written for the album. It was actually written directly for a girl, and the rest is kind of self explanatory. The message in the song is really straight forward and yet has a hidden message at the same time. It's one of our personal favorites that we made for the album.
4. Closer.
Closer is about feeling far away emotionally and physically. It has to do with the world continuing on, yet at the same time it feels like everything is coming to a close. This song has a really strong driving bass line during the choruses which gives it that electronic feel. We also decided to use some over tone strings in the background to kind of give it a theatrical sound.
5. One Last Step
This song is probably one of the most synthesizer heavy tracks on the album. We layered a ton of keyboards on this one to give a very dark heavy feel. The idea behind the lyrics talk about a break up with a person that you were in love with. The lyrics are kind of contradictory in nature which kind of adds a interesting twist to the song.
6. Clocks
Clocks was the last song written for the album. We actually decided to use some guitar for once on this track since we barely had any guitar in any of our other songs. The lyrics in this song talk about relationship in which the girl wouldn't commit because she thought the guy wasn't "exactly" what she was looking for.
7. Our Futures
This song is actually written about hurricane victims from Hurricane Irene that lost their homes and families. This song talks about a family coming closer together even though they lost everything in the wreckage.
8. Dreams
Dreams is very spacious instrumental track. We wrote this track with the concept of creating a landscape of a different world. The first thought that came to my mind when we wrote this was a futuristic train in the clouds. Which for the most part, is what it sounds like.
9. My Symphony For You
My Symphony For You is a track based around the idea of nothing stopping you. We wanted to make a song that when you listen to it, you feel inspired to just go out and do what you always wanted to do.
10. Sometimes.
Sometimes is the third instrumental track on the album. This song actually pays homage to our EP Bottle Rocket that we released a year ago. It has a very similar electronic sound that we always loved from our older music. We decided last minute that we didn't want to add lyrics to it, because we felt this song spoke for itself.
11. Life.
This is hands down the happiest song on the album. The lyrics of the chorus really sum up what the song is entirely about. It says, " Life is only as good as you make it". This song was also the first song that we got played on the radio. It was featured on 96.3 WDVD and we also did an interview on the radio as well.
12. Something Real
Something Real is all about wanting to feel something real for once. Everything in life is so often fake that we lose site when we actually see something real. The chorus for this song ended up being really random. To this day we are not sure why it says, "Say my name." I guess you can decipher that yourself.
13. Snow Dweller
Last but not least, Snow Dweller is possibly the most chilled out song on the entire album. It was meant to be a song that you could just sit down and relax to. The actual structure of the song is really simplistic and builds on repetition.
This song was meant to be the introduction and set the mood for the entire album. The concept we were going for was something very surreal and angelic. We wanted the beginning track to take your mind off what you're doing that way you would be ready for the rest of the album.
2. The Places You Belong.
This probably one of the most electronic tracks that we wrote for the album. The idea behind the lyrics is dealing with the idea of not knowing where you belong. It talks about how people forcing relationships just so they aren't left behind.
3. Tonight.
Tonight is the most emotional of all the tracks written for the album. It was actually written directly for a girl, and the rest is kind of self explanatory. The message in the song is really straight forward and yet has a hidden message at the same time. It's one of our personal favorites that we made for the album.
4. Closer.
Closer is about feeling far away emotionally and physically. It has to do with the world continuing on, yet at the same time it feels like everything is coming to a close. This song has a really strong driving bass line during the choruses which gives it that electronic feel. We also decided to use some over tone strings in the background to kind of give it a theatrical sound.
5. One Last Step
This song is probably one of the most synthesizer heavy tracks on the album. We layered a ton of keyboards on this one to give a very dark heavy feel. The idea behind the lyrics talk about a break up with a person that you were in love with. The lyrics are kind of contradictory in nature which kind of adds a interesting twist to the song.
6. Clocks
Clocks was the last song written for the album. We actually decided to use some guitar for once on this track since we barely had any guitar in any of our other songs. The lyrics in this song talk about relationship in which the girl wouldn't commit because she thought the guy wasn't "exactly" what she was looking for.
7. Our Futures
This song is actually written about hurricane victims from Hurricane Irene that lost their homes and families. This song talks about a family coming closer together even though they lost everything in the wreckage.
8. Dreams
Dreams is very spacious instrumental track. We wrote this track with the concept of creating a landscape of a different world. The first thought that came to my mind when we wrote this was a futuristic train in the clouds. Which for the most part, is what it sounds like.
9. My Symphony For You
My Symphony For You is a track based around the idea of nothing stopping you. We wanted to make a song that when you listen to it, you feel inspired to just go out and do what you always wanted to do.
10. Sometimes.
Sometimes is the third instrumental track on the album. This song actually pays homage to our EP Bottle Rocket that we released a year ago. It has a very similar electronic sound that we always loved from our older music. We decided last minute that we didn't want to add lyrics to it, because we felt this song spoke for itself.
11. Life.
This is hands down the happiest song on the album. The lyrics of the chorus really sum up what the song is entirely about. It says, " Life is only as good as you make it". This song was also the first song that we got played on the radio. It was featured on 96.3 WDVD and we also did an interview on the radio as well.
12. Something Real
Something Real is all about wanting to feel something real for once. Everything in life is so often fake that we lose site when we actually see something real. The chorus for this song ended up being really random. To this day we are not sure why it says, "Say my name." I guess you can decipher that yourself.
13. Snow Dweller
Last but not least, Snow Dweller is possibly the most chilled out song on the entire album. It was meant to be a song that you could just sit down and relax to. The actual structure of the song is really simplistic and builds on repetition.
Friday, October 19, 2012
The Recording Process
So
lately we've been spending some time recording some new tracks. There's a lot
of things that go into a single track. The writing and recording process for
each track is entirely different from track to track. However, there are a few
"go to processes" that we use to make a majority of our tracks. In
addition there generally is a certain style that we tend to lean towards when coming
up with our next single.
The first step that we take to write a new song is as simple as sitting down at the computer with a feeling. Something as simple as a emotion or concept can write a song all by itself. Normally when we feel really inspired it's almost as if the songs write themselves. Since we are mainly an electronic band, nearly all of our music is written on a computer in the form of programming before it is ever played live. However, more so lately we've come into the habit of writing keyboard riffs and chord progression on our upright piano before programming the parts. After a riff, chord progression, or lead is decided, the next step is to open FL Studio.
The first part we normally program is usually the drums that we think will match the part we had made on the keyboard. After the drums have been arranged and recorded we start recording the bass, leads, and then guitars. After all the instruments have been recorded to the track, we then start the lyric writing process. The lyric writing process is the most time consuming part of writing songs. Over the years, we have gotten faster at doing it but it still takes us a considerable amount of time till we make the final lyrics. After the lyrics are written, we track the vocals. The vocals are normally recorded 3 times for each part. The reason for this is that we layer the vocals twice to make them pop more and have a thicker sound. We then use the third vocal layer as a backup in case one of the layers did not turn out good. The process of doing this is called, vocal doubling. After the vocal are layered, we then will then add reverb and multi-band compression to the parts that need it.
At this point in time the song is now done in, "demo" quality. This is usually when the song is in its roughest form. The next step that we do, is called mixing and mastering. This step involves moving the faders, adjusting EQs, adjusting compression, and adding reverb to various instruments in the mix. After this part is complete we then send our entire finished track through mastering software called, Izotope Ozone. This software allows us to widen and normalize the mix properly so that it will sound good in all types of stereo systems. After this is finished the track is now rendered into WAV and the master copy is finished.
To listen to some of our tracks go to our: Facebook
-James
The first step that we take to write a new song is as simple as sitting down at the computer with a feeling. Something as simple as a emotion or concept can write a song all by itself. Normally when we feel really inspired it's almost as if the songs write themselves. Since we are mainly an electronic band, nearly all of our music is written on a computer in the form of programming before it is ever played live. However, more so lately we've come into the habit of writing keyboard riffs and chord progression on our upright piano before programming the parts. After a riff, chord progression, or lead is decided, the next step is to open FL Studio.
The first part we normally program is usually the drums that we think will match the part we had made on the keyboard. After the drums have been arranged and recorded we start recording the bass, leads, and then guitars. After all the instruments have been recorded to the track, we then start the lyric writing process. The lyric writing process is the most time consuming part of writing songs. Over the years, we have gotten faster at doing it but it still takes us a considerable amount of time till we make the final lyrics. After the lyrics are written, we track the vocals. The vocals are normally recorded 3 times for each part. The reason for this is that we layer the vocals twice to make them pop more and have a thicker sound. We then use the third vocal layer as a backup in case one of the layers did not turn out good. The process of doing this is called, vocal doubling. After the vocal are layered, we then will then add reverb and multi-band compression to the parts that need it.
At this point in time the song is now done in, "demo" quality. This is usually when the song is in its roughest form. The next step that we do, is called mixing and mastering. This step involves moving the faders, adjusting EQs, adjusting compression, and adding reverb to various instruments in the mix. After this part is complete we then send our entire finished track through mastering software called, Izotope Ozone. This software allows us to widen and normalize the mix properly so that it will sound good in all types of stereo systems. After this is finished the track is now rendered into WAV and the master copy is finished.
To listen to some of our tracks go to our: Facebook
-James
Monday, October 15, 2012
Preparations for Halloween
This past week we started the preparations for our next upcoming show. Its been a goal of ours to play a Halloween show for years. After looking at different venues that we had previously played at we decided to book it at the Premier Concert Theater in New Baltimore on the 26th of October. There is a lot of planning that goes into a Neobrite show. Which is one of the many reasons we don't play shows very often.If you've never seen us play live before and are currently wondering, "How in earth can two guys can play this stuff live?" You are not alone. Over the years we've seemed to come up with a system that works pretty well even though we are short a couple musicians. Usually when we play live its always a safe bet to see Brandon surrounded by keyboards. The reason we do this is because 90% of our music is made on the synthesizer. If you don't know what a synthesizer is I suggest you "Google" it before reading any farther. Anyways, when it comes time for shows we end up programming all the sounds Brandon needs for each song on his keyboards. That way he can just flip through them as we go song to song. Usually when we do this it I will generally write out a spreadsheet of what we need for each sound on each keyboard. Then after we do that we will review the sounds and edit them to match the ones played in our recordings. It usually takes us about a whole night for us to go through all of the keyboards and edit the patches.
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| James' Setup |
To listen to some of our tracks go to our: Facebook
- James
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