05 ‘Stay’ – At War With Walls And Mazes (2008) – Son Lux

  • piano, orchestral chords
  • drums, bass and vox enter
  • vox harmonies, distant higher register, low up close
  • processed vox also
  • after first verse bass gtr and organ solo
  • after 2nd verse, cello and strings solo
  • then drums and bass join
  • piano line (verbed) hitting only key notes of the vocal melody as it is sung
  • sung ‘stay’ sustained and morphed/merged into strings
  • final lyric line repeated, up close

KEY IDEAS to plunder

  1. piano line (verbed) hitting only key notes of the vocal melody as it is sung
  2. sung ‘stay’ sustained and morphed/merged into strings

04 ‘Betray’ – At War With Walls And Mazes (2008) – Son Lux

  • half time beginning
  • drums, orchestra and bass
  • rattling percussion, sticks clattering,
  • same lyric repeated, same chord progression
  • after orchestral opening verse begins with just bass, drums and vox (maybe quiet piano  chords)
  • funky bass line
  • all stop then coda
  • coda features woodwind
  • half time entry of drums again

KEY IDEAS to plunder

  1. half time beginning
  2. half time drums only, harmonic progression stays the same tempo

03 ‘Weapons’ – At War With Walls And Mazes (2008) – Son Lux

  • synth arpeggios
  • drums and vox enter
  • skittering drums
  • vox tripled, hard panned
  • distorted synth solo
  • rumbling of drums increases
  • vox become background
  • dropped pitch vox as texture
  • harmonic instruments drop out, effected drums remain
  • choral vox with shimmering volume effect
  • distortion in end fade out

KEY IDEAS to plunder

  1. dropped pitch vox as texture
  2. choral vox with shimmering volume effect

02 ‘Break’ – At War With Walls And Mazes (2008) – Son Lux

  • great rattling drum entry
  • ticking shuffle keeps the beat
  • big orchestral chord stabs, simple 3 chord progression
  • crowd shouting as part of the drum track ambience
  • breaks down to vox and piano, with slight harmonica bridge
  • vox harmonies out of time with lead vox
  • rhythm returns with chugging shuffle
  • outro, backwards sounds before piano leads out with melody

KEY IDEAS to plunder

  1. rattling drum chaos with melodic chords
  2. vox harmonies out of time with lead vox

01 ‘Prologue’ – At War With Walls And Mazes (2008) – Son Lux

  • short (34 secs)
  • vox dbled and slightly distorted
  • lyric: excerpt from later song (weapons)
  • minimal instrumentation – harmonica, bass strings

KEY IDEAS to plunder

  1. opening prologue states theme and lyric
  2. vox focus, minimal inst. backing (breath based inst ie harmonica, recorder etc)
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