Treeple
Mar 12, 2023
Ben
First Words
We’re all gonna have to hit the road at some point, and maybe some of us before others. Might be the waters (or lack of water) that makes us pack the family station wagon with just the essentials and hit the road. Might be the fungi, might be the weather, might be bombs, might be a specific guy who’s after you, or maybe it’ll just be the people in uniforms. It’s usually the people in uniforms, though isn’t it? Maybe hats?
Nothing beats the feeling of filling up the gas tank in the Honda Fit, having recently had an oil change, and checking that the tires are filled up just right. Top it off a little and let those few free extra drops of sweet gasoline drip into the tank. Right after you screw the cap on til you get that click, get in, and shift into gear, it’s a nice feeling to know that *IF* the time leave is RIGHT NOW, then your freshly fueled car (which happens to get better than average mileage) is likely in the 99.9th percentile right now for how far you can get before needing to stop and refuel.
So. I don’t want anything bad to happen, but if it does, I’ve got flashlights and some bottled water. And a small part of me does want to experience a world with no speed limits or right-of-way rules
i wrote and recorded and abandoned a folky songy song. then the next day i read a new poem and whipped this one out. No electro instruments in week 1; almost only electro instruments for this assignment.
Built for the weather, if ever, if ever
Escape from the city whenever whenever
Scrape up the feelings and pass her just pass her
Full tank, connecticut, go faster go faster
Filled her up yester
Day, westward and step on’t
Step on it you bastard
Just the blast the horn, blast it
Ween bumper sticker is all that you’ll see
When we leave the city and we flee baby wee
safest Place in the world
Is with me when I’m driving
when the rules are called off
Baby that’s when I’m thriving
ghosts of the tree people
moving among us,
unable to take their rest
Like the last of us fungus
didn’t read the full poem I
Just really read some of it
Found an italics line, and
slapped Bass and drum on it
OH, SIDENOTE TAHAT I FORGOT TO MENTION: The guitar line at the end was also written before i wrote the song, so i sort of added it in in a similar way as the lyrics. It’s a little jumpy and the phrasing is different than the beats, bars, and groups of bars and i think it sounds cool.
Looking for feedback on
One neighbor i must not annoy, and he's got a dirty diaper. the rest of the neighbors can deal with it. hows the loudness, the singing? i dont have studio monitors so this was jut headphones and macbook speakers. suggestions plz
Discussion
daeclan March 27, 2023 9:23pm
i love the instrumental here, it reminds me of the good kind of dubstep (before the bros stepped in). like high polish UK idm. the lyrics and delivery fit well and have a restless & hypnotic vibe about ’em. the sonic chaos in the middle shapes up nicely and builds well, sounds really nice in my 2.1 system. lots of dynamics but it feels cohesive & buoyant.
singing feels loud enough, didn’t consider you were being gentle but i know that feeling (!) and never want to be self conscious when i am creating. have you played at all w treating your space w pads/blankets? even as a measure of self-isolation, might be worth considering!
Ben September 11, 2023 2:41pm
i think thats the next move. it’s just my office with computer stuff and some instruments. havent taken any measures to make it sound good yet. good call. good feedback.
EliasSZ March 15, 2023 3:11pm
Seconding Nick, that :59 transition is dynamite. Love the growth to the second half of this track and the chaos/hectic vibes in that breakdown are super excellent/disorienting in all the right ways.
Guitar tone throughout is sick. And the use of vocals in the arrangement feels super strong to me – didn’t immediately sound to me like it was just headphones and macbook speakers (though I guess I also just listened in headphones ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).
nick March 15, 2023 12:24pm
ooo that’s a diamond transition at :58 from wee-e-e-e into the guitar. and killer piano entrance at 1:31. why is the outro giving me Going For the One vamppy solo section??? very dope. and lol, breaking the 4th wall at the end is a delicious surprise. great submissh.
i only have airpods right now, but im getting what sounds like some clipping in the left ear at like ~2:05-2:20. may just be my equipment, but id double peep that.
Ben March 15, 2023 1:20pm
ah yes, Yes making an appearance once again.
nick March 15, 2023 2:14pm
and yeah i think it may just be my headphones ^_^
Ben September 11, 2023 2:41pm
phew
Ryan March 14, 2023 8:31pm
Electric guitar tone and piano chaos both sounding hella apocalyptic—nailed that. Cool that some of the vocal lines are barely or not at all finished. That’s a pretty rad solution for reverse engineering lyrics into the tune. Adds to the chaos.
This was a wild ride, I don’t even know where I am. Riding westward with Ben in the Fit, I guess?
Ben September 11, 2023 2:44pm
i was driving past stamford ct a few weeks ago [“full tank connecticut” “westward”] in the Fit and it was a very apocalyptic scene with trees growing in weird places, not many people, and just creepy vibes and i thought about this tune a little.
agasthya March 13, 2023 10:42am
obsessed with this. youve got a great sense for bass lines. I’m reading White Noise by Don Delillo (before I watch the Adam Driver movie on Netflix) AND watching last of us, so lyrical content is hitting. piano section is great. love how frantic it gets – especially in contrast with the first few seconds of the track. you captured the energy of speeding away from the apocalypse (but maybe in a universe where the apocalypse is a dark comedy).
first listen was on my macbook speakers as well so it came through well. I’ll bump it in the car later when Miles and I go on a coffee run and see if anything jumps out.
Ben March 13, 2023 10:46am
thank you thank you! yeah, i think there will be moments in the apocalypse that will definitely be darkly funny, at least sometimes.