[Helena4]

My name's Helena, I'm 17, I've been writing lyrics for about 3 years, playing the guitar for about 2, and I have some decent singing going on... these are all things I'm continuing to work on.

I listen to a huge range of music including mostly various genres of rock, hip hop and electronic. My favourite stuff is rock though and I like it a little odd and rough around the edges. My favourite bands are Number Girl, The Smiths, Savages, Slaves and Bikini Kill. Basically I think punky and post-punky sounds are my favoruite. My favourite singer is Shiina Ringo, a Japanese Bjork-esque singer with a crazy mixture of Hard Rock, Jazz and more alternative stuff under her belt.

My lyrics are usually pretty straight forward in getting they're general point across but have some deeper meaning hidden in the metaphor and sometimes humour. I'm not one for writing something properly poetic, as I always feel like my point is not getting across, and I like being sort of straight forward and abrasive sometimes. I don't dislike songs with poetic lyrics though. I try it sometimes but since I was a kid who wrote loads of stories and hated poetry... the more abstract style does not come naturally to me.

I plan to try and form a band in uni to finally have an outlet for my songs. I could do singing and guitar, though I might want to delegate guitar out to someone better if I could, and I'd need a bassist and a drummer. If anyone in Sussex (where I live) or London (where my Uni will be) wants to talk we can. I'm not the highest level so I'm not picky as long as long as you're dedicated. I'm not actually expecting a response to that though, this isn't an ad.

I'm here because I've fallen out with my own songwriting buddy and now I'm writing sort of blindly, so I might post some things on here that I feel like I really need feedback about.

Nice to meet you all, I'm happy to chat and I'd love if you'd ask me questions about myself if you have any. Let's chat.

[tone]

Hi Helena

Nice to see someone give a detailed introduction. I hope you enjoy being part of our community and that it has a positive effect on your songwriting. And good luck going to uni and forming a band. Will you be studying music?

Tone

[tboswell]

Welcome Helena, hope you have fun round here.

You have a really clear, thoughtful way of writing in your postings. Looking forward to hearing how that translates to your songs.

Tom.

[Helena4]

Hi guys, nice to meet you both.

tone, I do try to write in detail on forums if it seems to warrant it. I suppose this seemed to warrant it. Sadly I will not be studying music. Its something that I would like to do but I was underconfident in my ability to get in to music schools so I went with another interest of mine which was Japanese. I keep considering whether I should drop out and take a gap year. It's a predicament. But I think just leaving home and going to London to be with loads of other young people will help to find people to put together a band with. It's not like I need a specific music education to do that. I think leaving home is my top priority right now, so that's what I'm going with.

And thank you for my compliments about my posting style, tboswell. I do try to be clear, as I said, I like to get my point across effectively. And I have posted one set of lyrics on here that you can read. They are not the greatest, they need cutting down mostly, and theres some dodgy jokes, but I'm hoping a relatively clear narrative comes across. However, it is not the most thoughtful of my songs. Here it is: http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=11383.0

[Skub]

300 years ago when I was 17 I doubt if I was able to put down my thoughts in such a cohesive and coherent fashion. Not that I needed to be concerned with such things anyway, mostly we just grunted and hit people with clubs.
I kinda miss those days...

Now, where was I?

Oh, yeh..welcome to the forum Helena.

[Helena4]

Hahaha, Skub, how was the Stone Age? I guess you were just had to Go with the Flow; I mean, trying to communicate to cave men in full sentences is a bit like writing Songs for the Deaf. Were there any Queens or was it all patriarchal? You know you could make a lot of money publishing your stories about it; it's definitely something No One Knows about. (Anyone who gets this joke +100 points)

Anyway, again, thank you for the compliments on my writing. I do know I am fairly good at communicating through writing, but I must say that I am not as competant in speech - I am fairly shy and my brian does not move fast enough. I suppose this is what comes from being a shy only child who used to try and write novels in her spare time and now learns languages and does a History A-level. These things build up a certain level of writing skill, the History in particular is good training for breaking down things and really clearly getting to your point.

[PaulAds]

Hello Helena

It's great to have you with us...I love your approach and am really looking forward to hearing more from you.

Paul

[Helena4]

Hello Helena

It's great to have you with us...I love your approach and am really looking forward to hearing more from you.

Paul

Hi, Paul. Thank you so much. I'm happy to hear that you like my approach, because I really do like your style in your lyrics I read- I almost feel like a bit of a fan haha. I would really like to hear what you might have to say about the lyrics I posted.

[PaulAds]

You're welcome...funnily enough...I just did

I like them a lot.

[diademgrove]

Welcome to the Forum and an introduction to some bands/singers I haven't heard of. I'll check out Shiina Ringo shortly. I'll have a proper look at Vodka tomorrow and let you know what I think.

Have fun.

Keith

[Helena4]

Welcome to the Forum and an introduction to some bands/singers I haven't heard of. I'll check out Shiina Ringo shortly. I'll have a proper look at Vodka tomorrow and let you know what I think.

Have fun.

Keith

Yeah, as I said I'm going for a Japanese degree, so I have a few Japanese bands that I am really into. Shiina Ringo is a great one. She has a lot of poppy alt rock singles, some of them let out her jazzy side. In her first too albums she gets rockier and more distorted. In her third she dabbles in all sort of eccelctic electronic sounds. After those albums she becomes more and more jazzier. Her Band from 2007-2012, Tokyo Jihen or The Tokyo Incidents have a lovely rock and jazz mixture sound. Any genre you can name, she's probably been there and done that.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say about Vodka.

[Helena4]

You're welcome...funnily enough...I just did

I like them a lot.

I really am glad that you like them. I am rather excited about them actually, I think this is the best thing I've written so far. It has a lot of layers but is still straight forward and full of balls as you put it haha.

[diademgrove]

I've listened to a few Shiina Ringo songs. The earlier songs I enjoyed the most. I found her later songs were a bit bland. That may just be because I picked the wrong ones. As the titles were in Japanese I don't know what songs I liked. I may put one of her cds on my Christmas list.

We have a number of Japanese cds, some of which you will already know. My favourite band of all time is Japanese, Les Rallizes Denudes. I also like Shonen Knife and Flower Travelling Band.

Keith

[Helena4]

I've listened to a few Shiina Ringo songs. The earlier songs I enjoyed the most. I found her later songs were a bit bland. That may just be because I picked the wrong ones. As the titles were in Japanese I don't know what songs I liked. I may put one of her cds on my Christmas list.

We have a number of Japanese cds, some of which you will already know. My favourite band of all time is Japanese, Les Rallizes Denudes. I also like Shonen Knife and Flower Travelling Band.

Keith

Yes, I agree I prefer her earlier stuff. Which album are you gonna get? I have her second, Shoso Strip and her third Kalki Samen Kuri no Hana, which actually means Chalk, Semen Chestnut Flower which I find hilarious. Shoso strip has a lot of crazy rock tracks, most of the most popular old singles, some wacky electronic tracks, and one more jazzy one that mirrors her later stuff in places but gets much wilder. Its a very wild album. Kalki Samen Kuri no Hana, dips into and weaves in different genres more, she uses more of the subtle side of her singing - it's less crazed and more thoughtful, but not bland like some of her later stuff gets.

I'm not sure I'm much into her later solo work as I said, but I enjoy the more chilled out vibe when she's with her band Tokyo Jihen. I think she has just the right mixture of dynamics in her work with them to still be enjoyable.

EDIT: Oh I forgot to talk abou the bands you mentioned. Yes, I know Shonen Knife. Not the others though, so I'll check them out. I have lots of Japanese bands up my sleeves. Another reccomendation if you'd ever listen to sort of screamo stuff is Envy - they put art into screamo. Seriously they make me emotional.

[Boydie]

Welcome to the forum HELENA

If you have just broken up from a songwriting partnership then I think you will find many able and willing collaborators on here to get yourself back up and running if you are feeling a bit lost

Many excellent writers and artists on here enjoy collaborating so why not post a request in the collaboration thread or drop a cheeky PM to someone

It is great that you have posted some lyrics for review and have got stuck in to reviewing others

I am sure you will find some band mates in London - it is still a very vibrant scene!!!