Archive for January, 2012

Build a Rocket Boys! (2011) – Elbow

  • lyrically: melancholic, nostalgic for youth
  • sounds like the singer’s solo record – very personal storytelling
  • richly melodic, but with a full band sound plus strings and choirs
  1. 2 gtrs hard panned; left = melody, right = rhythm on the 1234
  2. low bass comes in with vox

02 ‘Lippy Kids’ – Build a Rocket Boys! (2011) – Elbow

  1. piano or keys playing steady every beat, incorporating the melody into the rhythm
  2. chorus: bvs, hums
  1. 1st note repeated before launching into melody
  2. multiple vox parts overlap
  1. chorus: switches from funky to steady beat
  2. background children / crowd as solo
  1. harmony and rhythm set on the one instrument; ac gtr
  2. chorus: key chords on the 1s, otherwise the same as verses
    same chords and melody
    ie. accent instrument in between verses and reinforcement in choruses
  1. bonging, like an electronic alarm or school bell
    bonging follows and stays on last note of melody, in between lines
  2. bonging slows to end
  1. chorus: no beat, just organ drone + vox
  2. string sustain rises in pitch before 1st verse

08 ‘The River’ – Build a Rocket Boys! (2011) – Elbow

  1. sawing wood rhythm? – maybe hammond rotating speakers…
  2. piano, vox & choir (oohs)

09 ‘Open Arms’ – Build a Rocket Boys! (2011) – Elbow

  1. drums: velvet underground train or nothing
  2. train drums contrasting with long slow bass, and piano/vox melodies

10 ‘The Birds (reprise) – Build a Rocket Boys! (2011) – Elbow

  1. reprise previous track in a completely different style
  2. crowd hubbub sfx bridging from previous track – create contrast with lead vox creating a lonely feel

11 ‘Dear Friends’ – Build a Rocket Boys! (2011) – Elbow

  1. ac gtr swell (with elc gtr texture ringing out) before vox enter
  2. horns enter final section, ac gtr and drums fade out, leaving horns alone – verbed

Build a Rocket Boys! (2011) – Elbow

  • lyrically: melancholic, nostalgic for youth
  • sounds like the singer’s solo record – very personal storytelling
  • richly melodic, but with a full band sound plus strings and choirs

09 ‘The Last Dictator IV’ – Paradise Discotheque (1990) – Crime and the City Solution

  • crossfade from previous track
  • jangling gtrs
  • drums enter softly, buried, and build both in loudness and instrumentation ie. snr enters, then tambourine etc
  • chord change when vox enters
  • mutli part vox
  • 2nd gtr plays high part – sustained, distorted (or jangling?)
  • jet engine sound enters
  • drums breakdown to toms
  • glissando – jet rises
  • jangling breaks down and peters out
  • toms slow
  • all peters out

KEY IDEAS to plunder

  1. jangling gtrs
  2. drums enter softly, buried, and build both in loudness and instrumentation ie. snr enters, then tambourine etc

08 ‘The Last Dictator III’ – Paradise Discotheque (1990) – Crime and the City Solution

  • 3/4 or 6/8
  • ‘train’ whistle or organ? on the 2, 3
  • vocal breathing gasping persussion
  • ride, hi hat random percussion
  • distant elc gtr picking
  • different vocal styles for different characters, sometimes doubled
  • ‘angels’ doubled with pitched down version
  • violin enters
  • big impact when bass and drums enter, key point in the story ie. character’s pov
  • bass keeps beat, drums dance around the beat
  • drums and bass drop back to on the 3 / 1 every few bars
  • gtr chord – starts jangling as rest fades out – crosses into next track

KEY IDEAS to plunder

  1. vocal breathing gasping persussion
    • big impact when bass and drums enter, key point in the story ie. character’s pov
    • bass keeps beat, drums dance around the beat
    • drums and bass drop back to on the 3 / 1 every few bars

07 ‘The Last Dictator II’ – Paradise Discotheque (1990) – Crime and the City Solution

  • spoken word intro, background laughter
  • drums, bass & organ
  • bass line: 2nd string
    8 0 8 0 8 0  8 0 8 0 8 0
    5 0 3 0 3 0  5 0 3 0 3 0
    ‘basis’ note between every other note
  • gtr plays same riff but offset – they play the same thing at the same time (doubling) for only 2 bars every cycle
  • gtr and bass hard panned apart
  • horns warble (sax) – verbed and panned
  • stabs of horn on the 1s
  • vox verbed
  • staccato violin, coming and going volume wise

KEY IDEAS to plunder

  1. bass line: 2nd string
    8 0 8 0 8 0  8 0 8 0 8 0
    5 0 3 0 3 0  5 0 3 0 3 0
    ‘basis’ note between every other note
  2. gtr plays same riff but offset – they play the same thing at the same time (doubling) for only 2 bars every cycle
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