[cowparsleyman]

Whato, This song is an '80's esque pop song I wrote a few years ago, with no Vocals, so I thought I'd go ahead a finish it, with a few layers of male Vox.


Hope you like it, all comments/ideas are very welcome.

btw, I didn't want any meaning to this song, no fancy story, not happy/sad tales, just a disposible pop song (as most are...) with nice sounding, rhythmic lines.

cpm

[pompeyjazz]

Great 80s feel @cowparsleyman .Touches of Dead and Alive. Interesting synth parts made this a very enjoyable listen

[redrhodie]

I liked this one. I listened to it the other day but got too busy to comment. Fun summery vibe reminds me of hanging out with my friends on my front porch, watching the boys play wiffle ball, listening to music not as good as this too loud, which drove my mother crazy. Haha. I see nothing to criticize. It's just right.

[mickyplankton]

I like this too. I don't think it's disposable at all. There's quite a lot of texture to this song. I really like the light touches on this. Not sure what instrument you use but that little melody that keeps surfacing on top is sublime. You hear it best around 2.12. What instrument is that?

Cheer Micky

[cowparsleyman]

Whato all...

Thanks very much for taking the time to give my song a listen.

@pompeyjazz - Glad you like it, now Dead or Alive, that's a choice...was that the band with a guy with an eye patch and huge hair?

@redrhodie - You always paint such a vivid picture in your reviews, I can just imagine you on the porch watching the boys, (what on earth is wiffle ball? to me it sounds either like a painful condition that needs urgent surgery or a cross between morris dancing and American football). As to the loud volume, now isn't there a level that makes your foot or index finger tap, then theres the level that pulls even the most non dancing preppy out of that chair and makes you wanna DANCE, and then there's the level that makes you go somewhere else in your brain....LOVELY.

@mickyplankton - You're right there are quite a lot a layers in this, (the instrumental tune was recorded years ago so I can't remember the detail, but there are about 40 vox tracks) the instrument @ 2:12 is a horn section, phased and bent using the pitch bend wheel on a Korg N5ex synth. Micky - with regard to the little light touches, you are very perceptive, often I approach music as mental gardening, filling a hole here, making space there, putting colour here, making an aural landscape, that at least keeps me interested, and hopefully others too.

Take a listen to any Erasure song and then try and unpick what is going on, it's really very complex, but sounds very very simple 'Am I right' for example...

Thanks again folk.

cpm

[MichaelA]

Nice vibe easy to listen to. Lots of subtle pieces of instrumentation popping in and out and likeable, layered vocals too. A good piece of writing and performance. Because it just grooves along so easily, maybe I'd just possibly consider adding a bit of something that kind of jumps out and surprises a bit more, maybe for example after the main chorus hook as there's quite a gap between the chorus end and the subsequent verse. But if you are just after keeping it more mellow and easy on the ear, well you have done a fine job.


Remembering back to the 80's. yeah I could well imagine myself happily dancing along to this - or humming along happily in the car! Liked it even more on second listen - so it's probably a grower - always a good sign!

[cowparsleyman]

@MichaelA - Lovely comments, thanks, really appreciate the listen, it's funny Michael but I spent last Sunday pm, doing exactly that, trying to fill that hole, I tried all sorts of synthy hooks, one of which sounded pretty good, but it wasn't perfect, so inevitably it remains on the cutting room floor, when I listened again at the hole-y version, the part that was there seemed to stand out more.

The main difficulty with this song is that I don't have the individual instrumental tracks anymore, just a complete wav, so any editing work on the instrument side is not possible, the other difficulty (which is not a show stopper, but more like too much hard work) is the fact that there is no MIDI heartbeat to sync any further instrumentation to, that fill for example.

To be really honest Michael... I think the Vox could have sounded better if @jacksimmons would have done them, it just doesn't suit my voice, (I came very close to asking Andy Bell to see if he would be up for it, you never know if you don't ask, but even if he was up for it, his management and record company wouldn't, shame really.) , also I'm not 100% convinced by the mix of the vocals in the Verse, which one is the lead?

I also think the structure isn't quite right, there should be a middle 8 type of instrumental part that moves away from what you know, which allows the theme to return, but as I said the original wav is set in digital concrete, so hey ho...

Dance away, let me know if it is a grower...

Thanks again

Rich

[MichaelA]

I thought your vocals were fine for this @cowparsleyman. But yeah, someone like @Jack Simmons would be cool to add high male harmonies, as he is so good at that - I should know as I saw him live a few weeks back and him and his band were terrific! But yours don't need replacing, honest! 

Yeah I get the difficulty if you've lost the stems. Sometimes when I get a bit of a block on a song part I just forget it for a week or so - then it usually seems much easier to solve after a break from it -  and then I'm like 'Why didn't I think of that in the first place?!' 

[cowparsleyman]

@MichaelA - Thanks, I find it works both ways, sometimes, I lose the thread if I move away from a song, I find listening in the car works wonders for ideas...and then, like you say, I get great inspiration by leaving it a while, I have to also say,, that this forum is so important, for others really listen and give honest opinions, which I really value, many times I've acted on the advice offered here. @Boydie - Thanks for your efforts in keeping this going.

Rich

[Morefrog Jones]

yes - i like this a lot - some good melodies going on and a very catchy and easy to grab on to chorus...It does have an 80's feel but I think it still has a current vibe to it as well...Some Good stuff going on ..its a thumbs up from me.

[Neil C]

cpm,
Well you got that vibe off fine. I can hear the various 80's bits and pieces. Thompson twins, Blancmange and Depeche mode.
I like the creative tension between the straight synths and the slightly swinged drums.
Tune is poppy and like the layered vocals too
 
neil

[cowparsleyman]

Whato, thanks for the listen

@Morefrog Jones - Thanks very much for the feedback, good to know...it's so hard to produce a tune that one remembers, for good reasons, but as someone commented earlier, maybe it's a grower...

@Neil C - Thanks for your comments, really appreciate that you like the layered Vox, not perfect but I guess OK...ish. as I can remember the dotted 6/8 drums were an afterthought...

A compliment indeed to be compared with those bands, I always loved the guitar sound and production of The Twins.

Vince Clarke (Erasure Keys and co songwriter) is one of my heroes, he knows about Pop music (btw. Yazoo used to practise at the same rehearsal studios that we used , and they'd always seem to block our van in with their Mustang, We'd have to ask em to move it. 

Thanks again

Rich

[CaliaMoko]

This kinda reminded me of the Beach Boys. Nice and mellow with lots rich harmonies and cool sounds. I like it a lot. It would have been nice to have the lyric in the post, but I could hear most of the words pretty well. No nits from me.

[cowparsleyman]

This kinda reminded me of the Beach Boys. Nice and mellow with lots rich harmonies and cool sounds. I like it a lot. It would have been nice to have the lyric in the post, but I could hear most of the words pretty well. No nits from me.

Hi @CaliaMoko, thanks for your review, Beach Boys, wow, that's a compliment...

Apologies for omitting the Lyrics...here they are.

Is it you
Is it me
Is that the way it's got to be.

Is it me
is it you
Is it the love between us two

All I want is a new romance
All I need is a second chance
It was just one night in France
Come on baby, lets sing 'Lets Dance'

Looking for something on my radio
Looking for some thing lets go lets go

Gotta go
Gotta go
Gotta go

She gave me something you could never do
She gave me love and a piece of you
Are you listening to what I say
Come on baby lets dance away

Looking for something on my radio
Looking for some thing lets go lets go

etc...

[tboswell]

Used to hate this 80s synth style of pop but nostalgia has worked some magic and quite enjoy this stuff now.
Nicely realised, with loads of those tinny synths and brass noises that defined the era.
Catch, fluffy and really enjoyable.