Monday, March 17, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Steve Albini
Steve Albini just finished mixing our album.He's now making a cd-rom listening copy out of the tapes.
I should point out that it's 1.27am local time as I write and he was in the studio at 11.30am this morning and we've only taken a 30 minutes lunch break.He's not paid by hour either, he's paid by day.He's worked 13.5 hours today so far and he still has about an hour worth of material to go through.
The recordings sound amazing, there might be flaws but those are due to the band not to him.
I mean...come on you know who this guy is and what he's done so far.I don't mean recording big albums and working with hugely influential people, I mean crafting his own sound, playing with some incredible bands( his bands) and never, ever, sucking THE MAN's cock and being quite verbal about it.
You know who this guy is.And here he is, paid $350 a day, working 14 hours days for popular workshop as he would do for any other band in the world, provided they didnt make him physically sick.
He cracks great jokes and meaws like a proper cat too.His boilersuit has a really long zipper( you know why).
I guess that's it.Just wait till you hear THAT sound.
I guess I ll miss him.
gx
I should point out that it's 1.27am local time as I write and he was in the studio at 11.30am this morning and we've only taken a 30 minutes lunch break.He's not paid by hour either, he's paid by day.He's worked 13.5 hours today so far and he still has about an hour worth of material to go through.
The recordings sound amazing, there might be flaws but those are due to the band not to him.
I mean...come on you know who this guy is and what he's done so far.I don't mean recording big albums and working with hugely influential people, I mean crafting his own sound, playing with some incredible bands( his bands) and never, ever, sucking THE MAN's cock and being quite verbal about it.
You know who this guy is.And here he is, paid $350 a day, working 14 hours days for popular workshop as he would do for any other band in the world, provided they didnt make him physically sick.
He cracks great jokes and meaws like a proper cat too.His boilersuit has a really long zipper( you know why).
I guess that's it.Just wait till you hear THAT sound.
I guess I ll miss him.
gx
FRIDAY 0103 HUNDRED HOURS, LOCAL TIME
LET THE RECORD RECORD THAT THE RECORD IS DONE. BAKED AND SHIPPED. DONE.
BYE NOW.
jake_shop
BYE NOW.
jake_shop
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
chicago, us, 28/02/2008. 00.14 hours
Hello world.
finished vocals.finished fags.drained,knackered,tired,totally bloodless amoeba.just adrenaline.the fagbutts in the ashtray give away the state of things-halfsmoked.Oh the nerves.thank fuck-something to smoke!felt the urge to hum Blur's "Miss America" on the piano once left alone in the studio.Wasnt enough.Went on youtube and found this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvt_dY7ybKE
I am now listening to "Oily water" waiting for "Miss America".
I miss Blur.Badly.Oh wait, here it comes.."Michael!"...
Fuck I love this band.
People from the other side of the ocean are signing in on msn.It's time for coffee over there innit.It's time for a beer and a nap for me.
Have I mentioned I cant drink beer while doing singing?It sucks big time.All the bubbles come up and all the notes go AWOL.Man, anything that prevents me from drinking beer's gonna have to be a drag.Ban singing.
Back to Blur.
"Hallo funny you".Miss America is playing in the headphones.Seriously.This is a throwaway song in Blur's catalogue.It'd be a gem in so many other bands' repertoire.They sneaked into peope's lives totally uninvited, people thought they were a hyped joke when they first happened.They ended up being crucial in so many people's lives...cerrtainly in mine.ah.I m drunk.Happy.And vaguely ill.Shame everytime I ve seen them live they were crap.
Now listening to "Villa Rosie".
BLUR.Argh!BLUR!!!!!!! : ))))
Gypsy x
finished vocals.finished fags.drained,knackered,tired,totally bloodless amoeba.just adrenaline.the fagbutts in the ashtray give away the state of things-halfsmoked.Oh the nerves.thank fuck-something to smoke!felt the urge to hum Blur's "Miss America" on the piano once left alone in the studio.Wasnt enough.Went on youtube and found this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvt_dY7ybKE
I am now listening to "Oily water" waiting for "Miss America".
I miss Blur.Badly.Oh wait, here it comes.."Michael!"...
Fuck I love this band.
People from the other side of the ocean are signing in on msn.It's time for coffee over there innit.It's time for a beer and a nap for me.
Have I mentioned I cant drink beer while doing singing?It sucks big time.All the bubbles come up and all the notes go AWOL.Man, anything that prevents me from drinking beer's gonna have to be a drag.Ban singing.
Back to Blur.
"Hallo funny you".Miss America is playing in the headphones.Seriously.This is a throwaway song in Blur's catalogue.It'd be a gem in so many other bands' repertoire.They sneaked into peope's lives totally uninvited, people thought they were a hyped joke when they first happened.They ended up being crucial in so many people's lives...cerrtainly in mine.ah.I m drunk.Happy.And vaguely ill.Shame everytime I ve seen them live they were crap.
Now listening to "Villa Rosie".
BLUR.Argh!BLUR!!!!!!! : ))))
Gypsy x
"perceive this!"
MIxing.Mixing.Mixing.Burning onto tape.TAPE.Organic stuff rolling through a machine and conveying sound previously recorded.Sound "jumping at you from the speakers"( I am quoting, and there's no other words to describe how this now sounds like)
"All about Vikki":check
"X-rays confidential":check
"Her Birthday":check
Next on is "Radical".
More later.
"All about Vikki":check
"X-rays confidential":check
"Her Birthday":check
Next on is "Radical".
More later.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
chicago,us,wed feb 27 2008 12:37am
Just finished the vocals for "Alphabet".I am completely drained.I could have never imagined I could have got so tired by playing and singing music.Woke up at 9 this morning and enjoyed a couple of delicious coffees pissed into my cup by this machine called Barista, provided by Star*ucks.I could have never imagined Star*ucks could make ANYTHING worth talking about in positive terms.I have learned 2 things today, as you can see.
Past the 2nd coffee I made my way to Studio A and started warming up my voice by means of ludicrous and distressful vocal excercises, accompanying myself on the piano.I had to resist the temptation to hum Elton John's songs at Steve Albini's beloved studio. I was tempted.Very tempted."It's a little bit funny".
Then it was time to sing.Bashed down "X-rays confidential" and did "All about Vikki" again.First time around wasnt good enough.Then attempted to re-do "popsong" but my voice rebelled and decided it was time for a break.Bring on the piano on "X-rays" and the keyboard bits on "Channels" and "Alphabet".Then some more sharp steel on "X-rays".That was added via one of Steve's Travis Beans.The black one.It was cold and hard, and heavy, and slender.
It turned me on, very much.I mean it.
Done that, it was dark outside and time for dinner inside.Antonio made some totally rad (erm) spaghetti with eggplants( ARRRGH), a taste of that and then down to the studio again to do more vocals.Did "Her Birthday", "Sailplanes" ( a little new song about some guy who didnt deserve a song but the song begged to exist), "uh (uh) uh uh ( candy panic attack)" and "Alphabet".Je suis plastered.Je suis knackered.Excuse my French, I am going to bed.
Good night friends enemies lovers and creditors.
Gypsy x
ps it was lovely to see you Susie.And lovely to work with you Greg.
Past the 2nd coffee I made my way to Studio A and started warming up my voice by means of ludicrous and distressful vocal excercises, accompanying myself on the piano.I had to resist the temptation to hum Elton John's songs at Steve Albini's beloved studio. I was tempted.Very tempted."It's a little bit funny".
Then it was time to sing.Bashed down "X-rays confidential" and did "All about Vikki" again.First time around wasnt good enough.Then attempted to re-do "popsong" but my voice rebelled and decided it was time for a break.Bring on the piano on "X-rays" and the keyboard bits on "Channels" and "Alphabet".Then some more sharp steel on "X-rays".That was added via one of Steve's Travis Beans.The black one.It was cold and hard, and heavy, and slender.
It turned me on, very much.I mean it.
Done that, it was dark outside and time for dinner inside.Antonio made some totally rad (erm) spaghetti with eggplants( ARRRGH), a taste of that and then down to the studio again to do more vocals.Did "Her Birthday", "Sailplanes" ( a little new song about some guy who didnt deserve a song but the song begged to exist), "uh (uh) uh uh ( candy panic attack)" and "Alphabet".Je suis plastered.Je suis knackered.Excuse my French, I am going to bed.
Good night friends enemies lovers and creditors.
Gypsy x
ps it was lovely to see you Susie.And lovely to work with you Greg.
Monday, February 25, 2008
singing
is a bitch.especially when recording on tape.no tricks, no gimmicks, nothing but the truth.
does anyone want to sing in popular workshop?their singer's tired amd he likes playing guitar better.
Gyp x
does anyone want to sing in popular workshop?their singer's tired amd he likes playing guitar better.
Gyp x
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Right now
I'm wearing a woolly jumper.
Gypsy's singing some song about camels. T
Steve's got round glasses and blue overalls.
Jake's practicing his poker face.
Antonio is thinking in Italian.
There's some guy who gets paid to make tea for us, which I think is very wrong.
There's a cat that had a sticker stuck to it's face, which I removed and now it likes me.
There's a billiards table which has only 3 balls and no pockets and I can't strike the white, again that feels wrong.
We're in Chicago and the only things we've seen are the studio, a bridge and a supermarket. Wrong.
They call toilet roll "bath roll" which I assume they use in the bath? Messy.
Steve and I had some confusion about pants, trousers and draws. Where as we have trousers over our pants, and pants in our draws, they have draws under their pants and have no trousers at all!
Steve's friend just won an Oscar.
Beer is rubbish here. Lite my ass.
Mmm.
Luke
Gypsy's singing some song about camels. T
Steve's got round glasses and blue overalls.
Jake's practicing his poker face.
Antonio is thinking in Italian.
There's some guy who gets paid to make tea for us, which I think is very wrong.
There's a cat that had a sticker stuck to it's face, which I removed and now it likes me.
There's a billiards table which has only 3 balls and no pockets and I can't strike the white, again that feels wrong.
We're in Chicago and the only things we've seen are the studio, a bridge and a supermarket. Wrong.
They call toilet roll "bath roll" which I assume they use in the bath? Messy.
Steve and I had some confusion about pants, trousers and draws. Where as we have trousers over our pants, and pants in our draws, they have draws under their pants and have no trousers at all!
Steve's friend just won an Oscar.
Beer is rubbish here. Lite my ass.
Mmm.
Luke
Saturday, February 23, 2008
and relax...
2038 hundred hours. saturday.
finished! all the live takes are down now, which means that all me and luke have left to do is wander electrical finding stuff to hit. and then hit them. in the right places. pretty much.
feels good. today we kicked off with "sailplanes", a song about... sailing. yep. no-one's heard this before, but it sounds a bit like mclusky in their slower moments. not initially scheduled for the album but turned out pretty fookin massive. the perfect way to end the album. got this one second take. "radical" came next - this was a bitch. first take was rockin but due to some reasons too boring to go into, it had to be re-done. took a while, oddly enough. but came out... MASSIVE. me and Gee-Gee re-did the intro due to some other reasons more boring than the previous ones. about 5 times. haha. rock and roll. the band upstairs are tracking their drums separately to their cymbals. honestly.
oh yeh, and we finished off with the album opener which will be called "freak le freak, AKA the freakster". I reckon the album should be called this too, we'll see. antonio conducted us for this, he's got some talent in that department. he's also just beaten me at billiards again. i'm pretty sure he stayed up all night reading the big billiards book (entitled "billiards" i think), and all day practising. he's pretty nifty.
dinner has been consumed. the studio has been re-set. we are now officially OVER-DUBBING second guitars. and maybe some vocals.
see ya on the flipside.
yours free and easy,
jake_shop
finished! all the live takes are down now, which means that all me and luke have left to do is wander electrical finding stuff to hit. and then hit them. in the right places. pretty much.
feels good. today we kicked off with "sailplanes", a song about... sailing. yep. no-one's heard this before, but it sounds a bit like mclusky in their slower moments. not initially scheduled for the album but turned out pretty fookin massive. the perfect way to end the album. got this one second take. "radical" came next - this was a bitch. first take was rockin but due to some reasons too boring to go into, it had to be re-done. took a while, oddly enough. but came out... MASSIVE. me and Gee-Gee re-did the intro due to some other reasons more boring than the previous ones. about 5 times. haha. rock and roll. the band upstairs are tracking their drums separately to their cymbals. honestly.
oh yeh, and we finished off with the album opener which will be called "freak le freak, AKA the freakster". I reckon the album should be called this too, we'll see. antonio conducted us for this, he's got some talent in that department. he's also just beaten me at billiards again. i'm pretty sure he stayed up all night reading the big billiards book (entitled "billiards" i think), and all day practising. he's pretty nifty.
dinner has been consumed. the studio has been re-set. we are now officially OVER-DUBBING second guitars. and maybe some vocals.
see ya on the flipside.
yours free and easy,
jake_shop
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