Backseat Goodbye - Letdown Of The Year (DEMO CLIP)
I mentioned the other day how I might share a song preview, so… Here’s a 20 second clip of the stripped down demo of one of the songs that will be on the new album. This clip is a snippet from one of the verses. For some insight - the song as a whole is basically about visitng your old hometown after moving somewhere else, and how it’s just never the same once you’ve left… It’s also about how everyone seems to believe their hometown is a black hole that sucks the life out of people (myself included in that belief.)
Please note that this is just a clip from the DEMO, not the final version. The final version of this song does feature acoustic guitar, but will also have drums, bass, and electric guitar. I’ll also note, that when the chorus of this song sees the light of day, it will be surprising in more ways than one.
The three simple words in the photo below mark the completion of a song that’s been two years in the making.
The song I’m speaking of has been through many changes before finally finding its spot in the final tracklisting of this new record… It started out as an opening line that came to me a couple years ago which simply said, “Goddamn, it’s a great day for a love song…” and ever since I’ve spent literally the longest I’ve ever spent waiting for one song to come to me. I’ve changed the title three times, from “A Big Love”, to “I’m So Alive”, and finally to the final product, “please.illuminate.me”. I had what I thought was going to be the verse, pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge ready for the longest time, but then a few months back I decided the lyrics just weren’t good enough. So, I scrapped the verses, and a couple weeks ago the right verse finally hit me. Fast forward to today, where I re-wrote the end of the bridge, and made an outro for the song. Finally, after much antipication over a song I was very excited for… It’s here. The only thing else I can tell you about the song is that it’s super-upbeat, and it’s very reminicent of something you’d hear off of my old albums… And it will definitely be one of the singles from the new record.
Other than that, I just have four more songs to finish writing before I’m finished with the actual writing of the album. Last night I finished the song that’s going to close out the new record. The song is tentatively titled “Good Ghosts”, and I really think it’s going to be the perfect way to close out this album. I’ll go ahead and share some lyrics from a verse of the song and let you know that somewhere in these lyrics is what I’ve decided to call the new record (extra hint: the title will be 3 words long):
So, this is what it’s come to Another ten years of guessing When and where the good years will find me I drew all over my arms Words to my favorite songs When I hate the world, they remind me not to Sometimes I wonder Why the hell I think so much Most the time I’m all that’s in my way
Lastly, I’ll share that I’ve decided I wanted to be creative with my song titles on this album, instead of just naming them obvious things from lyrics in the songs, I want to make them interesting on their own. As an example, I’ll go ahead and tell you that, as of now, the first track on the album will be titled, “Elliott Smith Is Still Alive”.
Keep an eye out over the next couple days here on the blog, because I think I may give a sneak preview of a demo clip from one of the new tracks.
This spring I’m launching a completely re-imagined street team for Backseat Goodbye. Feel free to follow the new blog for the team @ thedaydreamers.tumblr.com.
And if you happen to like it, you can download free songs at purevolume.com/backseatgoodbye
As for the other bands on the whole tour, you can check out their music @ myspace.com/holidayparade myspace.com/goot myspace.com/theicarusaccount
If you like what you hear from any of us, then please feel free to come out to the show, we’d all love another person to be there to sing along and have a good time with us! :)
I get this funny/proud/awe-inspiring feeling when I see Backseat Goodbye listed amongst bands I love and look up to… Especially when I really look close and realize I’m the only one on the list that isn’t signed to a label. Makes me feel like I’m doing something right…
And so, I begin the documentation of my second full-length album with this post…
Here’s where the album stands, thus far: Possible Songs - 18 Recorded Demos - 3 Finished Lyrics - 4
I’m shooting to choose just 10 songs for the album’s final tracklisting once this is all said and done… With plans to give the left-over songs a home as bonus tracks & b-sides. I used to put as many songs as possible on my releases, but I’ve done some real studying on my own music & my favorite artists releases, and I’ve found that ten tracks really seems like the golden number for a perfect album tracklisting that does over-do it and leaves you wanting more if you do it right… And really, what more could you ask from an album?
As for where I’m at right this second with the whole album process - I’m in FINISH WRITING THESE SONGS mode. Many of the songs have their skeletons, and now I just need to give them personalites and skin… a.k.a. - I’ve got partial lyrics, verses, choruses and chords ready, now I just need to finish the lyrics and add full instrumentation.
I’m very much a creature of inspiration from pressure when it comes to finishing albums I’ve found. In literally four of my main releases ever, I’ve written the most popular songs in the last days leading up to recording. So, really, this is the most exciting part for me. I believe the song that’s going to be that for this album has come in the last couple of days. Right now, it’s tentatively titled “I Get So Lost”, and I’ve had the verses & chord structure for at least a good month or two now, but it never really had a chorus. Then, a couple days ago, a melody popped in my head, and out came what is my favorite chorus of the album so far. The best songs come completely effortlessly and get stuck in your head, and that’s what’s happened with this whole song. I really wanted to make sure not to force it, and waited, and waited, and waited (while beginning to think that maybe the song wouldn’t have a chorus)… Then, finally it came to me. Needless to say, I’m very excited about the song, because not only does it get stuck in my own head, but I find myself playing it on the guitar to myself a lot, just because it feels so good to play.
That’s where the album stands, so far. The date that’s been set for actual recording to begin is March 20th in New York… So, in short, I’ve got 19 days to finish this thing, which isn’t a lot… But like I said, I’m a creature that thrives under pressure, so, bring it on.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like for a truly independent artist to write/record an album… Here’s your chance to find out (or my version of that journey, at least.)
Over the next few weeks I’ll be documenting the entire process of the making of my next full-length album right here on my blog. From finishing the writing of the songs, demoing the songs at my apartment, creating the album artwork, finding inspiration, picking the final tracklisting, and recording the album in New York… It’ll all be right here as it comes along. I’ll be posting normal text blogs about it, many photos, and some videos here and there, as well… So, feel free to follow the progress. I’ve never really let anyone in on my writing/recording process, so this should be interesting.
Also, I’ll go ahead and share that I won’t be documenting this process like you’ve seen before with other artists. You know, where they just post song teasers and photos of instruments. My version of this will be about the entire scope of what it takes to make an album… It will be a look inside the things that go right, the things that go wrong, and the accidents that turn into melodies and inspiration.
I’m sitting here looking over lyrics to possible songs for my next full length… And I’ve decided that I’ve really let too much get in the way of getting this new record done and released. I’ve been waiting to finish writing, record, and release this record for literally about two years now with everything that has gotten in the way…. That simple fact is driving me crazy.
Just wanted to give a heads up that over the next couple weeks I’m going to finish up the writing of this new full-length, then I’ll be heading to NY to record it in March, and I’m hoping to release it in late-Spring.
I don’t know the real point of this post other than I wanted to say the above and also let it be known that it will NEVER take two years for me to release a new full-length record EVER again.
I’m sick right now, folks… But I’m not mentioning that for sympathy, I’m mentioning it to let you know that the day I get better I will be gladly posting more on here :)
