me likey

Thanks!

Biert: Ahh, thanks man. It won't let me view the page as I don't have an account on Demonoid, but I'll sign up shortly.

Monga: Awesome review! I appreciate it. You're right on most points as well; the songs were written with a more traditional structure in mind, it was indeed intended to be much more rough and noisy-- not overly harsh or lo-fi, but very junkyard-ish, if that makes sense. If I were felt myself to be pretentious enough, maybe I would come up with a clever sub-genre like 'Scrap Metal.'

The songs also seem more personal, yes, though that's probably (partly) because this album is mostly lyrical-- and I usually try not to be too obscure with my writing. Actually, borerer was almost as personal at its core (perhaps equally so), but since it was so abstract and esoteric, it didn't come across very well in that regard-- not that it should have, though.

As for my voice, I definitely agree I'm far from the best vocalist right now, but I feel I can us it acceptably enough for this sort of thing. By the time the next lyrical Swimfail release comes around, though, I probably will have taken lessons and developed my voice much more. I like to be able to show people my progression and voice my thoughts with the means available to me at the moment, instead of waiting until I've perfectly mastered everything and risk not feeling any of what made me do it in the first place. It's very cool to look back and see where I've come from.

Thanks again for the review, it was great reading it as usual!

~Josiah

i need your permission to share it at a certain dc hub

i need your permission to share it at a certain dc hub

Sure, go ahead. I don't care how it's spread or where it's spread to, so long as people still know it's me. (OH MY GOD I JUST HEARD MINISTRY AREN'T QUITTING AFTER ALL, I HEARD THIS LEAK OF THE NEW ALBUM AND IT'S CALLED SELF-CENTERED TALES FROM THE... oh wait, shit )

[Blazingmonga]

Monga: Awesome review! I appreciate it. You're right on most points as well; the songs were written with a more traditional structure in mind, it was indeed intended to be much more rough and noisy-- not overly harsh or lo-fi, but very junkyard-ish, if that makes sense. If I were felt myself to be pretentious enough, maybe I would come up with a clever sub-genre like 'Scrap Metal.'

I am glad that my little spraff didnt seem too nonsensical. And 'Scrap Metal'....that's genius!

The songs also seem more personal, yes, though that's probably (partly) because this album is mostly lyrical-- and I usually try not to be too obscure with my writing. Actually, borerer was almost as personal at its core (perhaps equally so), but since it was so abstract and esoteric, it didn't come across very well in that regard-- not that it should have, though.

Borerer did feel personal, but as you say, it was personal in a very different way. Listening to Borerer I always felt that it was a reflection of many of your fears but transmuted/transmogrified/transmongulated through the character in the story. Your own little puppet. With this new album it sounds as if that proxy element is removed. All good though!

As for my voice, I definitely agree I'm far from the best vocalist right now, but I feel I can us it acceptably enough for this sort of thing. By the time the next lyrical Swimfail release comes around, though, I probably will have taken lessons and developed my voice much more. I like to be able to show people my progression and voice my thoughts with the means available to me at the moment, instead of waiting until I've perfectly mastered everything and risk not feeling any of what made me do it in the first place. It's very cool to look back and see where I've come from.

Don't get me wrong, I do like your vocals, perhaps it's just that I like everything else better. Next time, make everything else less awesome. Ha! I am curious also, how did you record the vocals? Any particular methods or techniques? I understand that this is usually the hardest thing to achieve from a home studio. Did you use any special equipment?

Thanks again for the review, it was great reading it as usual!

S'ok! Thanks for the album, it was great listening!

It's on Kerrazy Torrents now: http://www.kerrazy-torrents.net/index.p ... pic=107080


By the way Josiah, if you want some more publicity with this and stuff, maybe you could spend an hour or so on the Last.fm page: http://www.last.fm/music/Swimfail. I don't really know how customizable they are, but you can add some songs and a description, maybe even artist connections or something so you'll pop up on people's internet radio

Biert: Awesome! Thanks so much for torrenting this and putting it on Demonoid and Kerrazy. I really appreciate it. Also, I just finished signing up for an artist account on Last.FM and uploading the whole album there.

Listening to Borerer I always felt that it was a reflection of many of your fears but transmuted/transmogrified/transmongulated through the character in the story. Your own little puppet. With this new album it sounds as if that proxy element is removed.

Transmongulated! Yes, good description. As an artist, it's handy to have a nice little metaphor to hide behind like that. I'm sure Borerer isn't the last you'll see of Cliff, either.

Don't get me wrong, I do like your vocals, perhaps it's just that I like everything else better. Next time, make everything else less awesome. Ha! I am curious also, how did you record the vocals? Any particular methods or techniques? I understand that this is usually the hardest thing to achieve from a home studio. Did you use any special equipment?

Haha, next time things should match up much better. As for recording, I use the same little Sony mic for everything, so no special techniques really. I use an F-V420 unidirectional mic, and generally sort of sing 'over' it to reduce pops, 'thuds' and such. It would be very nice to have a proper vocal mic, though... But I make do with what I have.

~Josiah

[Blazingmonga]

Haha, next time things should match up much better. As for recording, I use the same little Sony mic for everything, so no special techniques really. I use an F-V420 unidirectional mic, and generally sort of sing 'over' it to reduce pops, 'thuds' and such. It would be very nice to have a proper vocal mic, though... But I make do with what I have.

~Josiah

Do you use anything together with the mic?

If I had the time/space/energy I would convert a spare cuboard into a vocal chamber, with pop shield and some sort of dampening or something. And I would scream my balls off.

Nope, just the mic and a cheap stand (not actually mine). A vocal booth or windscreen of some sort would be really handy, actually... Then again, so would a completely isolated studio in the middle of nowhere. That would be paradise for someone like me. I could do just about anything, practice whatever vocal style I wanted, without being scared someone's going to hear me.

[Blazingmonga]

Nope, just the mic and a cheap stand (not actually mine). A vocal booth or windscreen of some sort would be really handy, actually... Then again, so would a completely isolated studio in the middle of nowhere. That would be paradise for someone like me. I could do just about anything, practice whatever vocal style I wanted, without being scared someone's going to hear me.

You need to take your mic and a laptop into the middle of nowhere and scream your head off. You could even use the natural environment for acoustic effects. So, a shed in the woods for some dark reverb, or a spacious canyon for some distant echoes. Yeah!

That would be fun.

Oh by the way, I can make you a torrent for Borerer too if you want, I have the CD at home.

[Blazingmonga]

Nope, just the mic and a cheap stand (not actually mine). A vocal booth or windscreen of some sort would be really handy, actually... Then again, so would a completely isolated studio in the middle of nowhere. That would be paradise for someone like me. I could do just about anything, practice whatever vocal style I wanted, without being scared someone's going to hear me.

Just had a thought: You can make your own pop shield very easily. I would recommend bending a wire coathanger into a convinient shape and stretching fabric around it. An old pair of tights is ideal. You can add as many layers of fabric as you like. Scrap foam is not too hard to get hold of if you wanted to make any kind of wind shield or dampening chamber (just add a cardboard box). The less you have to modify your vocal technique to compensate for the recording, the better...probably. Although a bit of 'manual compression' is always good (moving away from the microphone for loud bits etc).

I hope you dont live in a flat, or your neighbours will not be too pleased with all this shouting! My dream home would have to be a detached house as far from everything else as possible. Possibly several miles undergound.

...aaah just had a wee dream of my dream home, which includes a wee studio where I can abuse noise and paint and draw, all at once. It would be a wonderful place and I would call it "Room 429" or "Piss Pot Studios" or "MongaLabLand" or or or rorrrraaaaaaaahhhh.

PS: SCTFTPTF is growing on me, as I suspected. There is some steller guitar work in there dude! Some lovely riffage. Yum.

shared!

Monga: Thanks for the advice on the pop shield, I'll have to try that one out! Sadly the only pants I have are jeans, I wonder if denim would work... (I have an old pair that has a very difficult time holding together) And yeah, that would be an amazing home/studio/whatever. I've always dreamed of some kind of underground home, with a little gazebo as access in the middle of a big deserted field or clearing. Just wishful dreams, really, but you never know.

Dunkelheit: Thanks, much appreciated!

~Josiah

i agree with this music

i agree with this music

Thanks!

Also...
Compromise, alternate version.
...I have come to the conclusion that I should not make ska music.