[adamfarr]

Update - many thanks to everyone who voted for this in SOTM and now you can hear the track with its added prizes - drums from the stupendous Righteous Recordings and mixing and mastering from the ever patient and openminded BOYDIE!

https://soundcloud.com/lutehill/the-most-normal-thing-ib-boydie-mix-master

Really pleased with the way it's turned out! Thanks everyone.




Hi there - subtitled "real life's not like the movies" this one's about a nerdy guy hoping for a natural disaster / alien invasion / implausible wizardry etc. to throw him together with the hot girl that's out of his league. It went down quite well in the lyrics section so here goes. Other mechanical humainoid alien invaders are of course available.

Features the BOYDIE wide acoustic guitar trick (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=4459.0) (with added Farr room mic and some dewidening as seemed to lack some body). Specific and constructive feedback really appreciated as always!

The Most Normal Thing
https://soundcloud.com/lutehill/the-most-normal-thing-14-02-2017a

V1
I know that I am good enough for you
Together I know you and I'd be great
But being good enough doesn't seem to be
Enough to make you notice me  
Sometimes I'd like a little help (from fate)

CH
But the most normal thing is that nothing will happen
The most normal thing is that it's all up to me
The most normal thing is that nothing will happen

BRIDGE
Our flight probably will arrive
With all the others still alive
Transformers won't invade the earth
And you won't kiss me first

V2
All I need is time with you alone
If you get to know me you won't find me odd
Because I never speak loud
I just don't stand out from the crowd
Sometimes I'd like a little help (from god)

CH

BRIDGE/M8
Our ship won't hit the ocean floor
With just us two washed ashore
We won't get tied up on a chair
And you'll still think I'm square

You won't need saving from the flames
Or protecting from the rain
Dinosaurs won't run amuck
And I can't trust to luck

FINAL CH+BRIDGE

(c) Adam Farr, 2017

[pompeyjazz]

I always look forward to hearing your songs Adam as they always have a unique angle and you always right about interesting subject matter and this is no exception. Hey ! you have got the guitar trick down to a tee. The riff is pretty infectious and the harmonies are great as are the interesting timing changes. It almost gets a bit burlesque at some stages. Excellent creative work as always Adam with fascinating lyrics.

[Wicked Deeds]

Hey Adam,

this is such an endearing song.  The acoustic guitar sounds wonderful.  The lead guitar isn't not quite to my taste, but the lyrical ideas are great. The bass flows extremely well and pulls this song together.  Kudos for the cool backing vocals.  Oval, very well done. A the heart is a great song and that is what this music business is all about!   

Paul

[Bill Saunders]

Hi Adam

Great lyrics, excellent song. The lead guitar is a bit left field for me, and at times it seems to be competing too much with your vocal line, although I recognise it is still an important element in the song. Overall production is good, but I felt the vocals needed to come down slightly, especially in the chorus.

Really well structured piece, so much going on to hold the listener's attention and I suspect give it longevity.

Good stuff Adam.

Bill

[shadowfax]

A song with charm of it's own..very endearing this was....off the wall lyrics work well, just thought the lead guitar sounded a bit pedestrian though...

best, Kevin

[CaliaMoko]

Nice! Songs like this that are different from typical really appeal to me. I like it a lot. There's a couple spots where the words don't quite match the rhythm of the song for me. It could be just me. I have a bad cold and might not be hearing right. And I don't have the stamina to go back and listen more times right now to figure it out.

[Skub]

Hey Adam.

I enjoyed the song,it's well put together,sung and played in your own inimitable fashion.

 I didn't like the electric guitar parts,I thought the song would be better without,but that's just my opinion.

It's a very inventive topic for a song. 

[Cazrolina]

This song is just brilliant! It's all been said before. But to add my penny's worth... I love the guitar throughout, but I do see what others are saying as it does stand out just a touch. I'd maybe put a synthy or weird marimba-ey (wow, such amazing English) sound playing the same to echo/compliment/soften it a tad in selected places, after first chorus. That's all. Such a brilliantly cool, mad, yet really endearing song. Fab

[TimCurtis]

Acoustic sounds good!  Will have to give Boydie's trick a go....

The song sounds up to your usual high standard, well written and performed - though perhaps a few small timing issues after 2:20...?  Also, I felt the guitar solo seemed a tad stilted and could flow a little more....perhaps just me wanting everything to be perfect...

But another good song - good show Mr Farr!

[boolio]

Hi Adam
I've listened a couple of times now and this is a real 'grow on you' piece  
You carry the nerdy vibe so well throughout and it evokes a kind of dreamy, geeky cameo/cut away in the (my!) mind  easy to imagine  how this could be used in conjunction with imagery

Brilliant how you've managed to knit it all together into one coherent (and very enjoyable) piece :-)

Phil

[LAquila]

Hey Adam,

Poignant and quirky at the same time. I can see this working well as part of a soundtrack to the sort of movie you describe, a kind of 'Weird Science' meets 'Revenge of the Nerds' kind of thing.

Even better, a musical! This is the nerdy guy in his bedroom surrounded by geeky stuff - with a cut to his hot obsession who is way out of his league and sings like an angel, surrounded by buff guys, etc. Of course, they get together in the end when his geekiness saves her from some kind of disaster...In another life I'm a screenwriter, and you got me grooving on an idea here.

It works really well lyrically, especially the pat little references to fate and god, in the midst of the mundane moaning about how he's not good enough, etc. And that then leads superbly into the fantasy elements involving transformers and flames and dinosaurs and so on.

Well crafted!

cheers,
L

[adamfarr]

Thanks everyone. Seems that lead guitar riff didn't go down too well (possibly because my guitar playing/composing abilities are not up to it!)

- Pompeyjazz: thanks for encouraging comments as always - the time changes were the worst (but maybe also the best) about this.

- Wickeddeeds: thanks so much. Since being round this forum my two favourite things are bass and BVs so glad you picked those out. And for the songwriting comments of course.

- Bill Saunders: I think the comments are spot on. I tried to crush the lead by sidechaining to the vocal but it could have done with dropping out completely in some places. And the vocal does poke out a bit. Will return to it! Many thanks.

- Shadowfax: yup, that guitar. Thanks for great comments though.

- Caliamoko: hmmm words and rhythm. That may be the timing changes which really did stretch me, so there are some times where the vocal and backing kind of follow each other. If you are able to pinpoint anything, always appreciated! Thanks for listening (and get well soon!)

- Skub: thanks so much - I just might try getting rid of the electric altogether and see how it sounds...

- Cazrolina: marimba, eh? Sounds a bit prog rock or jazzy for me but you might be onto something there! Thanks for the great comments.

- TimCurtis: many thanks for listening. The timing really was a challenge (also as I added drums very late on which isn't an ideal way to go...) so I know what you mean.

- boolio: if you see images in your head then that's probably all I can ask for! Thanks for commenting. And thanks for listening more than once: some of my stuff is admittedly a bit subtle (perhaps too subtle)...

- LAquila: great that you could also see a movie or musical theatre scene! Maybe I should hire you and boolio to direct the video... Seriously thanks for listening and encouraging comments.

[Yodasdad]

Great idea for a song Adam,

The acoustic guitar sounds good. The electric guitar heard at the start sounds a bit dry to my ears.  I'm no guitar player but perhaps some reverb or a less staccato more sustained playing style would work. Just my opinion.

I particularly like the section around 2:12, the backing vocals really give it a nice lift at that point.

Nice bouncy chorus and the 'slow down' sections help reflect the emotions of the character.

Nice work.

Yodasdad.

[CaliaMoko]

- Caliamoko: hmmm words and rhythm. That may be the timing changes which really did stretch me, so there are some times where the vocal and backing kind of follow each other. If you are able to pinpoint anything, always appreciated! Thanks for listening (and get well soon!)

I am much better now, thank you. Can't sing, really, yet though, except for rather softly.

I'm listening again now, and I'll mark the spots I notice that [I think] would be improved with a slight change in where the syllables fall compared to the beats.

1. Line 5, Verse 1 "Sometimes". At present, the first syllable "Some" falls on the last half of beat 4 and "times" falls directly on beat 1. This puts the strong beat on "times", but it's more natural and smoother to have the strong beat on "Some". So, if you waited until the 1st beat of the next bar and sing "Some" on the first half of beat 1 and start "times" on the second half of beat 1 and hold it until, oh, let me try to draw this out graphically. I'll put the counts of the bar in half beats, using 1 & 2 &, etc.

1        &      2     &     3     &     4    &  |
Some-times        I'd   like               a   

The next part is "But the most normal thing". Just the "But the most". I'll have to split each beat into four for the first part of this one, so it'll look like this: 1 ee & uh 2 ee & uh etc.

1 ee & uh 2 ee & uh  3 ee & uh  4 ee & uh  | 1       &    2    &  3  &  4
                                           But      the   most  nor-mal thing is that

That's pretty much it. If you can follow what I tried to say. I didn't find the timing changes a problem at all, while listening. And the more I listen to this, the more I like it. While I personally think moving the timing on those two instances (meaning each instance of "But the most normal thing" would improve the whole piece, I'm sure there are those who think it's fine the way it is. I personally believe little things like that can spell the difference between really good and really polished and great. I recognize, though, that lots and lots of people who are rich and famous make the same kind of, dare I call them, mistakes? and it doesn't seem to hurt their careers any. So, take from this what serves you best. I just hope it's understandable.... 

Vicki

[JonDavies]

Something in the tone of lead guitar isn't quite right to me - it's an awesome riff that acts a good hook and counterpoint, maybe turn the bass on the amp up a couple of notches and add some reverb.

The bass seems to miss a beat at the start of "or protecting from the rain" which is a bit jarring

I loved the lyrics - really original idea. I imagine this was tough to record rhythmically with all the changes in tempo, but tempo changes in songs are infectious when done right and I think you're onto something. Good drumbeat as well.