Hmm, it seems the server that hosted the space I was given is down at the moment... And the other hosting service I usually use is transferring to a larger server. If you get on msn I can send the songs to you, though. 
Yikes, triple post... 
New song, sort of. It's a really old song that I've wanted to redo properly for ages. I fucking love the main riff. Link:
Bradford T. Fuckingwrong (yes that's the song title)
Despite my stance on the rather undesirable 'loudness war', the production here was intentional. Slightly unstable, intentionally 'ugly' sounding. Anyway, give it a listen... Crank this fucker real loud.
New song, sort of. It's a really old song that I've wanted to redo properly for ages. I fucking love the main riff. Link:
Bradford T. Fuckingwrong (yes that's the song title)
Despite my stance on the rather undesirable 'loudness war', the production here was intentional. Slightly unstable, intentionally 'ugly' sounding. Anyway, give it a listen... Crank this fucker real loud.
I'm still not sure if an abomination of multi-posting like this is better than the rule of 'keep all your stuff in one topic,' but here I go anyway.
Just recently I busted out the old Genesis again to play some Phantasy Star IV, one of my favorite 16-bit RPGs. My brother was watching me play, and after remarking how awesome the battle theme was (which was cool, I've been trying to convince him that it's a great game and that he should play it for awhile now :p) I decided to cover it.
Anyway, enough backstory, here's the link:
EDIT: Better mix: http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... ix%203.mp3
I spent all day recording this one-- Most of it's played, but a few parts are pieced together from different takes because I'm nowhere near as good a guitarist as I sound in my songs.
Intro and ending courtesy of recording an emulator through my headphones.
Just recently I busted out the old Genesis again to play some Phantasy Star IV, one of my favorite 16-bit RPGs. My brother was watching me play, and after remarking how awesome the battle theme was (which was cool, I've been trying to convince him that it's a great game and that he should play it for awhile now :p) I decided to cover it.
Anyway, enough backstory, here's the link:
EDIT: Better mix: http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... ix%203.mp3
I spent all day recording this one-- Most of it's played, but a few parts are pieced together from different takes because I'm nowhere near as good a guitarist as I sound in my songs.
Intro and ending courtesy of recording an emulator through my headphones.
Last edited by Josiah Tobin on Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
Bradford T. Fuckingwrong is cool... weird title, but cool. I like the riffs.
I like the Phantasy Star theme, but I still prefer your noisier stuff to your covers.
And, on a random note; I've got Phantasy Star Online I&II for Gamecube. Cool games. Hard, though... and very, very long. I still haven't gotten around to fighting through the last dungeon and killing the final boss in PSOI, yet... I will eventually. 
I like the riffs.
I like the Phantasy Star theme, but I still prefer your noisier stuff to your covers.
And, on a random note; I've got Phantasy Star Online I&II for Gamecube. Cool games.
Hard, though... and very, very long. I still haven't gotten around to fighting through the last dungeon and killing the final boss in PSOI, yet... I will eventually. 
I've never played Phantasy Star Online, actually. I suppose it's the old-school purist in me, since the new games don't really appear to have the feeling or intention of the original four PS games-- but then, I can't really judge without having played the game(s).
And yeah, Bradford T. Fuckingwrong is one of my favorite songs from a new project I'm working on... The weird name is obviously intentional, there's lots of strange stuff like that in the songs. Hopefully I'll be done with the project soon and have it uploaded somewhere for all to freak out to.
And yeah, Bradford T. Fuckingwrong is one of my favorite songs from a new project I'm working on... The weird name is obviously intentional, there's lots of strange stuff like that in the songs. Hopefully I'll be done with the project soon and have it uploaded somewhere for all to freak out to.
Alright, so I entered this month's Dwelling of Duels, but apparently Paragon (the organizer) didn't receive the email so the song didn't make it. I'm rather disappointed about that, but on the plus side, it means I can post it elsewhere before the voting period concludes.
So here it is... My rockin' cover of the Star Ocean battle theme, and one of my favorite titles of any battle song: "For Achieve!"
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... eve%21.mp3
I'd just like to make it clear that most of the lead guitar is pieced together from smaller segments since A. I'm not that great of a guitarist, and B. there are some stupid stretches required to play some of that fluently. (I was told it was still a valid entry so long as the small segments were actually played) I'm sure there are easier ways, but eh. I wanted to get it done in one sitting, and I did. I'm really proud of the bass tone and overall sound of this one. I don't usually go for snappy drums, but this one's an exception. I might even go so far as to say it's punchy. (I've always wanted to use that word)
So here it is... My rockin' cover of the Star Ocean battle theme, and one of my favorite titles of any battle song: "For Achieve!"
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... eve%21.mp3
I'd just like to make it clear that most of the lead guitar is pieced together from smaller segments since A. I'm not that great of a guitarist, and B. there are some stupid stretches required to play some of that fluently. (I was told it was still a valid entry so long as the small segments were actually played) I'm sure there are easier ways, but eh. I wanted to get it done in one sitting, and I did. I'm really proud of the bass tone and overall sound of this one. I don't usually go for snappy drums, but this one's an exception. I might even go so far as to say it's punchy. (I've always wanted to use that word)
[Copied post because I'm like that]
Alright, so I've only just recently realized that I wasn't really giving my music my all. I would write one really cool song, then think 'this is awesome! I can totally do this music thing,' then write a whole bunch of really shitty songs that just had something in common with the first awesome song. In short, I wound up with a huge batch of incredibly similar-sounding material, only a fraction of which had any real sort of 'soul' to it. I kept trying to convince myself that I was being too hard on myself and that it probably wouldn't sound the same to someone else, but obviously that's not what I want to do.
After getting re-acquainted with Tribal Machine's music-- great industrial rock band, the first show I played was opening for them (http://www.myspace.com/tribalmachine ...listen to Black Fly)-- I realized I needed to put a hell of a lot more into my songs if I wanted them to be more than just generic shells. So I wrote and recorded this song today, and I've spent basically all day tweaking and adjusting it... I'm still not entirely sure what to think of it, but I'll acknowledge that it's 'good,' at least. Here's the link:
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... 20Once.mp3
For some reason, when playing in iTunes the song abruptly cuts off when there's still around 12-13 seconds left. Not sure if this problem persists in other players or not. You'll get to hear the majority of it, at any rate.
No vocals so far, as I still have to write a full set of lyrics for this one... Plus I want to work on my voice a bit before I record anything for this song. A couple possible flaws that I'm aware of are that the whole mix may have a bit too much low end, and that the guitars are possibly a little bit too quiet. (comments on either would be nice)
Oh, and before anyone calls me out on this, I'm aware the section from 1:05 to 1:29 is an almost exact replica of the main part of N.W.O by Ministry. There's a reason for this, which you'll probably find out soon. Just know that I'm not taking credit for anything that isn't mine here. :p
Alright, so I've only just recently realized that I wasn't really giving my music my all. I would write one really cool song, then think 'this is awesome! I can totally do this music thing,' then write a whole bunch of really shitty songs that just had something in common with the first awesome song. In short, I wound up with a huge batch of incredibly similar-sounding material, only a fraction of which had any real sort of 'soul' to it. I kept trying to convince myself that I was being too hard on myself and that it probably wouldn't sound the same to someone else, but obviously that's not what I want to do.
After getting re-acquainted with Tribal Machine's music-- great industrial rock band, the first show I played was opening for them (http://www.myspace.com/tribalmachine ...listen to Black Fly)-- I realized I needed to put a hell of a lot more into my songs if I wanted them to be more than just generic shells. So I wrote and recorded this song today, and I've spent basically all day tweaking and adjusting it... I'm still not entirely sure what to think of it, but I'll acknowledge that it's 'good,' at least. Here's the link:
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... 20Once.mp3
For some reason, when playing in iTunes the song abruptly cuts off when there's still around 12-13 seconds left. Not sure if this problem persists in other players or not. You'll get to hear the majority of it, at any rate.
No vocals so far, as I still have to write a full set of lyrics for this one... Plus I want to work on my voice a bit before I record anything for this song. A couple possible flaws that I'm aware of are that the whole mix may have a bit too much low end, and that the guitars are possibly a little bit too quiet. (comments on either would be nice)
Oh, and before anyone calls me out on this, I'm aware the section from 1:05 to 1:29 is an almost exact replica of the main part of N.W.O by Ministry. There's a reason for this, which you'll probably find out soon. Just know that I'm not taking credit for anything that isn't mine here. :p
Hey Josiah...just listened to your new track. Was awesome! I cant comment on the Ministryisms, as I dont know much of that band. I hear rumours that they are greatly influenced by you.
Some really nice bass sounds in this track too...not something I have heard so much of in your stuff. As for the vocals (or lack thereof!), I would say that this is another song from you that can exist wholly without them, as you certainly put enough into these things to make them cool. Especially if said track is part of some epic sweeping flowing masterpiece of an album (like I hear in my head!).
And about the quality/consistency issue you comment upon...err...chill dude! Everything you have ever let me hear has been amazing. It is totally normal to have lots of other things that are not so cool. I am sure that even the most accomplished artists (of any art form) have plenty of mediocre cast-offs that they dont feel so good about. To have created as much high quality material as you have already justifies you as a fully fledged 'musician'. Its not like you have to live, breath and shit 100% perfect music! Its all part of the package.
Hmm. That last paragraph didnt make much sense. Oh well! Keep up the good work anyway my friend.
Looking forward to Swimfail II!
Some really nice bass sounds in this track too...not something I have heard so much of in your stuff. As for the vocals (or lack thereof!), I would say that this is another song from you that can exist wholly without them, as you certainly put enough into these things to make them cool. Especially if said track is part of some epic sweeping flowing masterpiece of an album (like I hear in my head!).
And about the quality/consistency issue you comment upon...err...chill dude! Everything you have ever let me hear has been amazing. It is totally normal to have lots of other things that are not so cool. I am sure that even the most accomplished artists (of any art form) have plenty of mediocre cast-offs that they dont feel so good about. To have created as much high quality material as you have already justifies you as a fully fledged 'musician'. Its not like you have to live, breath and shit 100% perfect music! Its all part of the package.
Hmm. That last paragraph didnt make much sense. Oh well! Keep up the good work anyway my friend.
Looking forward to Swimfail II!
"Mongo only pawn in game of life..."
You aren't familliar with Ministry? Not even N.W.O.!? 
Legendary song! Wow, they're one of my biggest influences. Possibly my favorite band too, although that's very often a tie with several other artists. Here's a clip of the part I 'covered' in the song:
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... 20clip.mp3
Obviously, that song gave me the idea of sampling an air raid siren.
And yes, I'm very proud of the bass tone here. I've been using it in lots of recent stuff (haven't posted it here though), I'm just borrowing a friend's cheap bass guitar but it sounds amazing pushed through my guitar setup (treble 3, mids 10, bass 4, gain 2). Of course, I'm not a bassist, so I'm still learning as I go. You might be amused to know that I struggled with that one-note groove bassline in the Ministry ripoff part for quite awhile. Simple as hell, but the pattern tripped me up on bass for some reason.
The quality thing... Well, you may be right, but the fact is I'm just not sure I'm A. really satisfied with the music I am making, and B. that I'm doing anything remotely original. Then again, that's very difficult these days, but I think it's still possible. I think I just don't spend enough time working on my songs, it's like I whip them out in less than a day's time and never touch them again, and I think they sort of blend into this body of work that I'm not very satisfied with because of that.
One of the things is my complacency with my guitar playing; I've been at this kind of plateau for ages now, able to play fairly tight but simplistic rhythm guitar, but unable to really break the formulaic limitations of my 'style.' Plus I still can't really play decent lead. Another issue is my obsession with connecting what I see with what I hear; with the obviously fake and industrial drums/samples/etc. that I'm using for this stuff, I find looped and processed guitars really meld to the drums and samples quite well. But for some reason, if I load the beat up and improvise riffs to play over it live (like I did with this song, for the most part), there seems to be this kind of 'gap' between the real guitars and the blatantly sequenced drums. Funny thing is, it's created only from looking at the session file and seeing that the guitars are seperate from the drums in that they have parts that aren't perfectly synced, even tiny bits, parts that sound 'too real' which I know is ridiculous. If I had heard the song without ever making it or looking at the session file, I'm sure it would sound fine to me. It's really a very aggravating habit that I need to break. This is actually why I tend to layer a bunch of samples over most of my stuff; I feel it sort of bridges the perceived gap created between the guitar/drums.
Anyway, sorry for ranting like that. I'm not trying to sound like I'm whining here or anything-- just trying to figure out ways to better evolve musically.
I think I will add vocals to this at some point, probably not very much though. I really need to work on my voice for singing heavier stuff; I've pretty much nailed singing a few of my acoustic songs since I last posted any, but the more powerful style of singing still eludes me. (Anyone have any tips? Especially for having a little bit of grit to once's clean singing without doing it improperly and ruining your throat like I have?)
Legendary song! Wow, they're one of my biggest influences. Possibly my favorite band too, although that's very often a tie with several other artists. Here's a clip of the part I 'covered' in the song:
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... 20clip.mp3
Obviously, that song gave me the idea of sampling an air raid siren.
And yes, I'm very proud of the bass tone here. I've been using it in lots of recent stuff (haven't posted it here though), I'm just borrowing a friend's cheap bass guitar but it sounds amazing pushed through my guitar setup (treble 3, mids 10, bass 4, gain 2). Of course, I'm not a bassist, so I'm still learning as I go. You might be amused to know that I struggled with that one-note groove bassline in the Ministry ripoff part for quite awhile. Simple as hell, but the pattern tripped me up on bass for some reason.
The quality thing... Well, you may be right, but the fact is I'm just not sure I'm A. really satisfied with the music I am making, and B. that I'm doing anything remotely original. Then again, that's very difficult these days, but I think it's still possible. I think I just don't spend enough time working on my songs, it's like I whip them out in less than a day's time and never touch them again, and I think they sort of blend into this body of work that I'm not very satisfied with because of that.
One of the things is my complacency with my guitar playing; I've been at this kind of plateau for ages now, able to play fairly tight but simplistic rhythm guitar, but unable to really break the formulaic limitations of my 'style.' Plus I still can't really play decent lead.
Another issue is my obsession with connecting what I see with what I hear; with the obviously fake and industrial drums/samples/etc. that I'm using for this stuff, I find looped and processed guitars really meld to the drums and samples quite well. But for some reason, if I load the beat up and improvise riffs to play over it live (like I did with this song, for the most part), there seems to be this kind of 'gap' between the real guitars and the blatantly sequenced drums. Funny thing is, it's created only from looking at the session file and seeing that the guitars are seperate from the drums in that they have parts that aren't perfectly synced, even tiny bits, parts that sound 'too real' which I know is ridiculous. If I had heard the song without ever making it or looking at the session file, I'm sure it would sound fine to me. It's really a very aggravating habit that I need to break. This is actually why I tend to layer a bunch of samples over most of my stuff; I feel it sort of bridges the perceived gap created between the guitar/drums.
Anyway, sorry for ranting like that. I'm not trying to sound like I'm whining here or anything-- just trying to figure out ways to better evolve musically.
I think I will add vocals to this at some point, probably not very much though. I really need to work on my voice for singing heavier stuff; I've pretty much nailed singing a few of my acoustic songs since I last posted any, but the more powerful style of singing still eludes me. (Anyone have any tips? Especially for having a little bit of grit to once's clean singing without doing it improperly and ruining your throat like I have?)
New demo song; this one's for a thrash metal band a friend wants to start with me. The song's called Race For Arms, pretty brutal neck-snapping thrash.
Link:
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... g%2329.mp3
I have to practice my endurance; I recorded this one in sections because the really fast picking bits killed my wrist.
Link:
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... g%2329.mp3
I have to practice my endurance; I recorded this one in sections because the really fast picking bits killed my wrist.
awww f**k. i'm stupid, because i wrote a lengthy and detailed answer to all this, saying that the last 2 tunes rocked like something that really rocks, your bass tone is great and monga's not-knowledge of ministry is a big surprise, but then i didn't send it. how dumb. well, anyway, keep doing that stuff, you're getting better all the time. and since you started out really good, you know what that means.
thumbs up 4 josiah!
ah, this detail seems important ro me: the second tune has the potential to be some kind of dancefloor hit. really catchy "chorus". excellent work!
thumbs up 4 josiah!
ah, this detail seems important ro me: the second tune has the potential to be some kind of dancefloor hit. really catchy "chorus". excellent work!
cool bands! <br> http://www.myspace.com/knorkesuedfrucht --> happy heavy pardy shit with a good shot of folk and a maniacal attitude <br> http://www.myspace.com/parityboot --> the more serious industrial metal stuff. loaded with samples, groove and atmosphere, rather syl-ish
Josiah Tobin wrote:New demo song; this one's for a thrash metal band a friend wants to start with me. The song's called Race For Arms, pretty brutal neck-snapping thrash.
Link:
http://www.distractionware.com/josiahto ... g%2329.mp3
I have to practice my endurance; I recorded this one in sections because the really fast picking bits killed my wrist.
chugchugchugchug HERO!
...
uh, sorry. But this one is Ministrish, too
Nice one, anyway. As for fast picking techniques I remeber mr. Jed Simon suggested some technique of practicing, don't remeber exact name, but surely ended with -king.
Ministry-ish? You sure? I think it's the just the drum programming that lends that to most of my stuff... Otherwise, looks like I'm fucked if I can't escape from the shadow of one of my influences.
Thanks for the comments though, both of ya.
Ike: Yeah, I'm really proud of my bass tone-- I can't get enough of it, I always have to make it louder and louder in the mix. When you said the second one would be fit for a dancefloor, did you mean the first one? ('For Once') Just seems like that one would fit the description better than a heads-down thrash tune.
Thanks for the comments though, both of ya.
Ike: Yeah, I'm really proud of my bass tone-- I can't get enough of it, I always have to make it louder and louder in the mix. When you said the second one would be fit for a dancefloor, did you mean the first one? ('For Once') Just seems like that one would fit the description better than a heads-down thrash tune.
Josiah Tobin wrote:Ministry-ish? You sure? I think it's the just the drum programming that lends that to most of my stuff... Otherwise, looks like I'm fucked if I can't escape from the shadow of one of my influences.
Yeah, drum sound and groove reminds me Psalm69 album and their new stuff. IMO Ministry's distinct sound is built around such beats so I think association is hard to avoid.
It sounds cool though, bass is indeed very nice.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests