PhonoBrainer

Your voice is an impressive instrument, and I also liked the power chords in the second half of the tune, super crisp tone. I like how you've given your vocals a lot of different looks, different treatments, it kept it interesting. cheers, -Tom

The new one looks like a nice easy load-in!

Mesmerizing!!! More bass or thump in that groove might be a plus. David Byrne lives! I loved this . . . cheers, -Tom

For me this had a nice 50's vibe. You might thicken your lead vocal with a very short delay or something? Maybe a bit more variety in the drum programming, the hi hats got a little samey - adding some nice crash cymbals occasionally on the ones, that sort of thing. Oh yeah I bet you will. nice one! cheers, -Tom

Mostly, your melody hits two notes. Those two notes are perfectly spaced with that groove, the lyrics convey a lot, everything breathes, and your vocal tone is killer. Kudos for not being overly complex! This song is catchy simple and easy. I'd agree a few mix tweaks to the drums but really, not a deal breaker. The intro had like 16 bars of guitar lead, maybe cut to the chase a bit quicker? I don't know where Westerly is, but there are cool grooves to be had there. cheers, -Tom

Vangelis or if you were playing Bach, the formerly Walter Carlos. Those tones are a time capsule from childhood. Only yours sound cleaner. Nice! cheers, -Tom

Welcome to the forum! My guess is your tunes will find a good home here. I really appreciate the unconventional approach to this one, and that sustained "friend" got a little creepy and sad, which of course fits your song. nice one, keep 'em coming! cheers, -Tom

Thanks @Esther Brulard, @bjornpdx, @Hidden Symmetry, @DeeringAmps, and @garybrun for the cool comments, I really appreciate the thoughts and ideas!

I like the major quirky songs you come up with and that's a great place to start things. Kudos to your originality. 1) What kind of mic are you using to record your vocal? Sounds like an sm57 or equivalent? How much did it cost? Reason I ask is, if you are looking to get the biggest bang for the buck in terms of vocal improvement, start at the start - the mic. What mic are you using? 2) Take a look at all of your tracks bouncing along while the mix is playing. Console view, it's usually called. All the faders, all the tracks. Now if you focus on each track, one at a time, try to see an "average" level that any one track is seeming to hold. Most DAW's have a way to show you the average level of a track, but you can just as easily guesstimate. The average or median level any track is supposed to live at, before processing, is safely between -24 and -12 db. If you temporarily disable your plugins on a track, are you seeing this average live above -12db? If the average level of your synth patch is -8 or so, then the peaks are likely already close to 0db, and any plugins you add will just overcook the track and make your limiter sweat profusely. You do have a limiter as the very last plugin in your master bus chain, correct? You might likely know all of this already, just something worth checking. It's so easy to get swept away in the artistic process of creating fun things that the details of the mixing job get wishfully repressed. looking forward to more of your stuff! cheers, -Tom

Lyrics are a standout for me, and chordally those changes hold a lot of interest. Nice tune developing, and I prefer the vocal nice and out front on this, nice pipes! For me the snare needs to have less reverb and a bit more snap/crack. It's mixed like it's in a parking garage and almost sounds like a high tom. Might be worth an experiment, drying it up? nice one! cheers, -Tom

Very pleasant, even without the cosmic theme. My favorite part was the mix on instruments you had going beginning at the :35 area. You could throw in some spoken word gems from N.D. Tyson or Carl Sagan? cheers, -Tom

And when he did, the last thing Steve heard going through his mind was this:

Pink Floydy Organ patch - just great! Everything works great, and I just wanted maybe a bit more bass in the mix, is it an acoustic upright bass? Or a cool fretless with some chorus? I couldn't tell but it sounded great. cheers, -Tom

Yes the stacatto bass works as is, it leaves all kinds of room which is one reason the mix works so well! Very well done all around . . .

The same chord Rosie Grier nails, about 45 seconds in:

Well the room sounds perfect for this. Do I imagine that you have upped your game with some better string sources? These sound a treat! I'd guess this came out of a French press. Loved it! cheers, -Tom

bass guitar up a little in the instrumental bridge section? maybe more "sustained" bass notes throughout the piece, as opposed to the more staccato bass notes? Maybe acoustic guitar down just a smidge when you are singing in the verses? Maybe a longer fade out at the end? As you can see, it's difficult to find weaknesses here. Great mix and instrumentation, and a wonderful vocal. Melody is a hook factory. Brought to mind a bit of Christopher Cross. Fantastic guitar tones. And all feels quite original and inventive in a song subject that certainly has been written about before. Plus, the grammatic incorrectness will cement its acceptance with a much wider audience! Actually, not kidding there. Great tune !!! cheers, -Tom

Hey, mix changes based upon excellent feedback. Horns are a bit more tamed and hopefully less synthy now? Bass is improved, added a few things along the way. @noynekker, @mark skinner, @Bajan Blue, @Wookiee, @KurtS - really helpful feedback from you all, thanks so much! New links are in the OP cheers, -Tom

<exhales after holding breath for three weeks>

Incredibly good slow jam, tasty guitar chops! But as :23 some nasty buzz/hiss shows up, then stays until the horn solo. Worth a check! Wonderful tune! Great feel! cheers, -Tom

Love the big AC/DC vibe! But good lord just listening to that excellent vocal makes MY throat hurt! You must have some incredible pipes to maintain that! Well done! More bass, yes please! cheers, -Tom

I like this a lot! Trappish ambient fun. For variation, I think the authentic hand claps could drop out, or be messed with ocassionally with effects. But by then you are probably adding a lead instrument, spoken word, rises, suddenly it's 7 minutes long . . . all that good stuff !!! A really hypnotic foundation, nice job! Your text has a cool glitch effect, how did you get that going? cheers, -Tom

Nobody needs my analogies this morning, but What we have in this Forum is the Shire . . . thanks to the good Hobbits and the most often excellent moderators, wizards like Gandalf and elvish kings like Elrond. Without these fair moderators, and the integrity of the hobbits and dwarves and such, we would likely see the Shire overrun by trolls and orcs. Occasionally, in some other distant forum land, we hear of a moderator turned into a Saruman. Scary but not insurmountable. I could go on, but you get the gist. Take the metaphor as far as you want. To save you all time, it ends up with Zuckerberg being Sauron.

I'll just throw in "tasty" and "groovin" 'cause it certainly is both. An awesome instrumental with a great mix and guitar playing is much better than the same with lyrics forced in just to have lyrics! My only suggestion might be some tom fills rolling around at the end of some sections. It was a very cool listen, three times! cheers, -Tom