For quite a while I had been working on an album called Transitions, in which I was rerecording some of my oldest Song Fight! songs now that I sorta know what I’m doing. While doing this I decided to also do a second companion album, Deadnames, in which I would provide remastered versions of the original recordings.
I came to realize that a bunch of the songs that I was planning wouldn’t really fit Transitions, and that their original recordings didn’t really fit with Deadnames either — but those songs were still overdue to be released, and gosh darnit, I’d already gone through the effort to remaster them! One song in particular really wanted to be released in its original version as a single, and I came to realize that all six of those misfit songs could instead go on their own little EP. So I gave them a bit more love than a simple remaster.
The result: Here’s Notions, an EP in which one particularly silly song is joined by five other particularly silly songs. I hope you enjoy it.
Originally for Song Fight!, 2006
Back before the iPhone came out there were a bunch of early smartphones which were all pretty bad. This song was inspired by one of them in particular, and about how technology can be pretty awful and self-serving. I don’t think things have really improved all that much since then, putting it mildly.
For this one I decided to do a “collaboration” of sorts between Sockpuppet and <3.
(<3) I am not in love It is not what I am thinking of But my life is needing something more Somebody that I can care for
The morning is alright But by the time that it becomes night I don’t know what to do My empty nest is making me feel blue
(fluffy) Hey, sister, I got what you need It’s a robot baby that you don’t need to feed You just plug it in every night And it also doubles as a convenient light
It slices, it dices, it makes julienne fries And inside the box is another surprise It’s a diet pill that’ll make your hair long And the side effect is that you’ll break into song
(<3) I waited my four to six weeks But by the time it was getting bleak A package it came for me I plug it in, but then what I see
When I try to sleep it glows This is something that must too lay low I am getting annoyed At this silly malfunctioning android
(fluffy) That’s not covered by the warranty But we’ll sell you one for an additional fee The product went through a focus group And what everyone wanted was a big feature soup
You can’t expect everything to work right Our scientists made it overnight Just be glad you got it in only one piece Try our other product, a robotic niece
(<3) This is such crap, I am sending it back Everything you make is so totally wack And the diet pill had the opposite effect I now weigh fifty pounds, but my song is in check
I do not think you went to the FDA I will sue you all and make you all pay To get the address I call the support line In Indonesia on my very own dime
(Jane Barbe) The number you have reached Is not in service Please check the number And dial again
(<3) Oh, fuck…
Originally for Circle of Titles, 2020
One of the other Song Fight! traditions is Circle of Titles, where we provide titles for each other to write songs for in a one-on-one way. In 2020 I got this lovely title from T.C. Elliott (known better as Pigfarmer Jr. on Song Fight!) and decided to write a song that was inspired by another friend’s manic episode from their untreated bipolar disorder.
I haven’t spoken to them in a while, and I hope they’re doing okay.
(The bipolar friend, I mean. T.C.’s doing fine.)
Wait Wait right here There’s something I have to tell you Wait Wait right here It is a thing I think you know too well Wait Wait right here There’s something I have to show you Wait It’s oh so clear I can’t hear the ringing of the bell
Wait Wait right here There’s something I’ve only realized now Wait It’s so clear I think we all need our own real space, oh Wait Wait right here I’m trying to find a proper way, how Wait It’s so dear The world can be a big beautiful place
I can’t hear the image that you’re saying I can’t hear, I wish I knew you well I can’t hear the image that you’re singing to me I can’t hear, I know you wish me well
Wait Wait right here There’s something I have to show you Wait Wait right here It’s time for me to have my show and tell, oh Wait Wait right here Remember the thing that I tried to tell you Wait Wait right here Of all the people I’m wishing you well, so Wait
Originally for Song Fight!, 2024
Song Fight! has been running for a long time; it started in 2000, making it an extremely old website by today’s standards, and it’s probably one of the first and is almost certainly now the longest-running songwriting communities on the Internet.
In 2024, the 1000th title was posted, “A Grand Parade,” and for this we all decided to dig up as many past participants as possible to try to get to 100 songs. We succeeded at this!
At one point I was entering under an alter-ego, <3, a vessel through which I was trying to express some gender-related stuff, and she was pretty popular. So for A Grand Parade I opted to bring her back for another song.
I do not want you going outside right now There are so many things to see It’s going to overwhelm and how You will not be very happy
The giant duck is gonna quack And the dogs are gonna bark in back And the Marshall of the big parade Doesn’t care if you feel safe
And the TV man is gonna say It is such a lovely sunny day And I know you want to go out and play But I want you to say inside
I do not want you going outside right now There are so many things to see Why not stay inside and meow? I just want you to be happy
The clowns will juggle and the bands will play And the noise will scare you far away So let’s stay cozy all the day Inside where we are safe
I do not think you will want to be Outside out there away from me So let’s just drink a cup of tea In the morning we will play
I do not want you going outside right now There are so many things to see I am feeling overwhelmed and I just want to be happy
Originally for Song Fight!, 2022
This title went up when the Roe v. Wade reversal took place, and was a reference to the material change in constitutional law that had just taken place. Plenty of other people wrote songs about politics, so I felt okay with taking the title a bit more literally.
This song is dedicated to my friend Beltrami, who is featured alongside me in the cover art. May we someday cross paths in this reality, too.
Reupholster me into leather or pleather Make me watertight for every kind of weather Wouldn’t I be nice made of plush or of ice You have my permission, don’t have to ask twice
Take me apart and use me as a toy Make my only purpose to bring people joy Polish me up and make me shiny and clean I’m your willing servant, please be my new queen
Once was a human long ago But now this is all that I know Every change brings an afterglow What a wonderful way to go
Look me in the eyes and turn me into stone Chisel me down and sit on me as a throne Make this second skin someplace I can begin Reshape me into something with a dorsal fin
Carve me out of wood, make me a work of art Paint me with pictures of my old broken heart Please do not forget what I used to be And please don’t forget to always love me
Once was a human long ago But now this is all that I know Every change brings an afterglow What a wonderful way to go
Reupholster me it would bring me such pleasure Make me into a pooltoy for bright sunny weather Wear me like a costume so that you can be me Make all of my decisions so I can be free
You took me apart and used me as a toy I can’t remember if I was a girl or boy Please do not forget what I used to be And please don’t forget to always love me
Once was a human long ago But now this is all that I know Every change brings an afterglow What a wonderful way to go Oh woh
Originally for Song Fight! Live in Madison, Wisconsin, 2019
Song Fight! is a weekly-ish songwriting contest where a title is provided for everyone to write a song to. People write songs, they’re put up for a vote, somebody wins, and it’s all just a pretty good time overall.
Once a year we try to get together and do a little in-person concert where we get up on stage and perform our songs together. And part of Song Fight! Live involves a “live fight” where we’re given a title to write a song for and debut at the show.
In 2019 we went to Madison, Wisconsin, and the live fight title was The Supper Club. I was having Thoughts about Song Fight! at the time and decided to write a song about how Song Fight! as a community is a place where you should feel comfortable to express yourself in whatever way makes you most comfortable. I don’t know if anyone got that message from the song but it’s something I feel deeply all the same.
A place where you belong, a place to sing a song Welcome to the supper club Everyone is nice, giving you advice Every night at the supper club
We take you as you are, whether near or far Just come on down on in to the supper club No-one needs your name, we’re always glad you came All are welcome at the supper club
Be the way that you want to be Comfort is what sets you free We’re your friends and your family All night long at the supper club
We’re happy when you’re glad, saddest when you’re sad Please join us at the supper club Precious fish to fry, reminder of days gone by Every Friday at the supper club
We relish when you’re here, love when you drink our beer Please relax at the supper club Have a drink or three, connecting you and me The rest of your life at the supper club
Be the way that you want to be Comfort is what sets us free We’re your friends and your family All night long at the supper club
A place where you belong, a place to sing a song Welcome to the supper club We love you through and through, it’s something old and new Please enjoy the supper club We love you at the supper club
Originally for Song Fight!, 2010
This was a dumb idea I had right before the deadline and the original recording took me about 5 minutes to do, including composing it and writing the lyrics.
This version took me a little longer to do.
Open up your door Open up your door Open up your door Please open up your door
Open up your door Please open up your door Open up your door Please open up your door
Open up your door (Open up!) Open up your door (Please open!) Open up your door (Could you open the door please?) Please open up your door (I know you’re in there!)
Open up your door (I can see the light on through the window) Please open up your door (Could you please open the door?) Open up your door (The door, you should open it!) Please open up your door (I know you’re in there!)
Open up your door Please open up your door Open up your door Please open up your door
Open up your door Please open up your door Open up your door Please open up your door
Open up your door Please open up your door Open up your door Please open up your door
Open up your door Please open up your door Open up your door Please open up your door
Open up your door Please open up your door Open up your door Please open up your door
Open up your door Please open up your door Open up your door Please open up your door I need to use your bathroom
#CD #SongFight #Vinyl #Popular #Dance #Electropop #LoungeJazz #Rock #Lyrical ]]>An attempt at making a bunch of background music for video games that may or may not exist.
These are available as loopable game assets
Most of these songs are things done for Song Fight! or Song Fight!-adjacent contests, and represent a real turning point in Sockpuppet’s composition and production without forgetting the roots of where this music came from.
Two of these songs are covers, and are subject to standard copyright:
All other songs are Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.
Hippy likes Hippy snacks. Hippy thinks they taste so good. Hippy likes the Hippy snacks. They’re made of whole grain wholesome wood.
Hippy snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Hippy snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Hippy snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Hippy snacks make them better than me, make them better.
Yuppie likes Yuppie snacks. Yuppie likes them made of meat. Yuppie likes the Yuppie snacks. Suck them from the Yuppie teat.
Yuppie snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Yuppie snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Yuppie snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Yuppie snacks make them better than me, make them better, better, better, better.
Hippy don’t like Yuppie snacks. They prefer things made of soy. Yuppie don’t like hippy snacks. Would rather play with shiny toy.
Hippy snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Hippy snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Hippy snacks make them better than me, make them better than you. Hippy snacks make them better than me, make them bitter.
I was going through a breakup, with someone who really wanted me to do more than I was able.
You shouldn’t fall For anyone at all Eventually you’re gonna hit the ground
Everything you do Please do it just for you Because you are so great to have around
And if you should fall From something ten feet tall I’ll try to catch you and make it okay
But everything I do I can’t do just for you I won’t always be there to save the day
And then if I should fall From fifty stories tall I hope that you’ll be there right next to me
And everything we do We ask each other to Even if we sometimes disagree
But you shouldn’t fall For anyone at all No matter what you think that you have found
And everything you do Please do it just for you Because I don’t want you to hit the ground
I wrote this song the night after I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, based on the then-current understanding of the condition (before new research showed that it’s actually an autoimmune condition), and also about my long-time frustration with just how people who don’t experience chronic pain talk to people who do.
Every day I’m just a little older I feel a little twinge up in my shoulder Icing up my limbs until they’re colder Reduce the burning pain into a smolder
I’ve got fibromyalgia I’ve got fibromyalgia I feel a lot of pain but it’s Mostly in my brain I have Fibromyalgia
I’ve got Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia There’s something in my brain that makes me Sensitive to pain I’ve got Fibromyalgia
Well I think it’s pretty nice To eat turmeric and rice With a spicy Indian curry
And I get so much advice And I’ve heard it once or twice About swimming and Pilates and so much yoga (You should swim do Pilates and so much yoga!)
Fibromyalgia, I’ve got Fibromyalgia It’s excruciating pain That comes from my defective brain I’ve got fibromyalgia
This was the 2016 Live Fight entry for Song Fight! Live! in New York City.
It’s just a happy accident that these two Live Fight entries from the same city happened to go next to each other on this album.
This thing I found lying in the street Don’t know what it is but it’s pretty neat When I picked it up, it filled me with energy
Now everyone’s always lookin’ around Turning their head to see this thing I found Give me a look, I think that it’s jealousy
It’ll always be my lucky charm Keeping me safe and free from harm I know everything will always be okay
Everything all said, I’m good At least long as I’m touching wood My good luck charm will always save the day
It looks kind of like a rocket ship Keep it on my belt, held it with a clip And suddenly nobody wants to fight
Walking through the village green, Lots of people say “that’s keen!” Some of them even cheer and shout “All right!”
It’ll always be my lucky charm Keeping me safe and free from harm I know everything will always be okay
Everything all said, I’m good At least long as I’m touching wood My good luck charm will always save the day
A baker must be what I be Because everybody says to me Something about the dough made of dill that I wear
I’m not quite sure what they mean But I don’t want to make a scene Anyway they said to look out for a bear
I walked on by a man in blue He took one look and said “how do you do, I think I’m gonna take you into custody”
I wasn’t sure just what he meant But then it was clear this was heaven-sent Because that bear can never get to me
It’ll always be my lucky charm Keeping me safe and free from harm I know everything will always be okay
Everything all said, I’m good At least long as I’m touching wood My good luck charm will always save the day
It’ll always be my lucky charm Keeping me safe and free from harm I know everything will always be okay
Everything all said, I’m good At least long as I’m touching wood My good luck charm will always save the day
This was recorded in posthumous tribute to its composer, Seth Gibbs, who probably did not intend for this song to be about himself.
His old band’s original version is available on Song Fight!.
Space cadet, what can you bring us To bring us together
Space cadet, what can you bring us To bring us together
Space cadet can you see all of the planets and stars Lifeless and empty but they know who they are He is so alone But we are really alone
Fly away, leave us alone, we don’t want you anyway I hope you’re happy floating free up in space It’s so nice up there But it’s so rotten down here
Space cadet, what can you bring us To bring us together
Space cadet, what can you bring us To bring us together
You watch the universe go You wishing on the last star What do you think of us now How can you live with us now
Hey cadet, where do you think You’re going don’t float away Take us with you, we’ll miss you so
Space cadet, what can you bring us To bring us together
Space cadet, what can you bring us To bring us together
This song was written as a 20th anniversary celebration of the very first Song Fight!.
20 years ago I knew this guy, you probably know the type. His name was Gary or Greg or something, but everyone knew him as Golfpunk. His whole thing was breaking in windows of expensive cars using a golf club to protest the wealth gap or… somethin' like that.
Anyway, he called himself a performance artist, and some rich dude decided it would be funny to give him a Cadillac to drive around, you know, “ironically?” Golfpunk, he changed, man… He changed.
(Golfpunk, he drives a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drives a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drives a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drives a Cadillac)
Now that he had a Cadillac of his own he suddenly felt a lot of empathy for the other Cadillac owners and stopped smashing windows. He wanted to smash things, though, so… he took his golf club to the golf course and… he started playing.
You know, golf.
The rich peoples' sport.
And he was good at it.
(Golfpunk, he drives a nine iron) (Golfpunk, he drives a nine iron) (Golfpunk, he drives a nine iron) (Golfpunk, he’s gonna crash and burn)
He ended up entering into a tournament and won a lot of money, but then his past caught up with him and all these rich assholes, like, sued him for the windows he broke. And then he had to go on a big ol' apology tour, ‘cause it’s not like he hurt anyone or said anything racist, but God forbid some windows get smashed up.
Anyway, we all kind of lost track of him for a long time, but then a few weeks ago he reached out to me and was like, “Hey, remember me?” And I was like, “Hey, I remember you! Man, Golfpunk! It’s been a long heckin’ time.” Then he kinda went silent.
And then he says to me, “So, um, I’m not Golfpunk anymore. I got married, settled down, had kids… now I’m more of a… golf dad.”
And I was like, “Oh. Huh. Weird.”
And then he said the most offensive thing to me ever:
“And now I drive a Prius.”
(Golfpunk, he drove a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drove a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drove a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drove a Cadillac)
Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is it’s okay to grow up sometimes, and maybe you’re going to grow apart too. And that’s alright.
Just don’t become an asshole.
The original version of this song was written by King Arthur for the A Problem of Perspective edition of Song Fight!.
Here is the problem: The way I see you is Colored by all of the things we’ve been through. Here is the problem: The way you see me is All about the things that you think I did to you.
That’s how a problem of perspective seems to work; Gets in the way of love. We think we’ve been hurt, We say we’ve had enough, we lose the will to trust. That’s what a problem of perspective does to us.
Love keeps no score of wrongs, they tell me, but my Eyes won’t open and my heart won’t let go. I make assumptions, despite the things I see, I… I deny the evidence, I trust what I think I know.
That’s how a problem of perspective seems to work; Gets in the way of love. We think we’ve been hurt, We say we’ve had enough, we lose the will to trust. That’s what a problem of perspective does to us.
At least two sides to every story. At least one truth for every lie. The optimist afraid to disbelieve, The pessimist afraid to try.
That’s how a problem of perspective seems to work; Gets in the way of love. We think we’ve been hurt, We say we’ve had enough, we lose the will to trust. That’s what a problem of perspective does to us.
This song was written for Song Fight! Live 2020, and I don’t think people got the joke that it was a song about how 2020 was going to have been so much better than 2019 was.
(For those reading this from the distant future: It very much wasn’t.)
This year had its challenges All my flowers dead, my pain got worse, my brain got worse, there’s something wrong with my head
What happened to my career, it didn’t go my way Things feel bad, and I’m in fear I won’t live another day
oh, it can only get better oh, I know it will get better
we see the rise of fascists who think many lives don’t matter a president who’s on the brink, only cares to be flattered
where can our people go from here it all just seems too much famine devastation fear we need a human touch
oh, it can only get better oh, I know it will get better
but it wasn’t all so bad some of it was swell remember all the good times we had Song Fight! Live went well
We take the hand we have been dealt this year’s problems were a-plenty 2019 really smelt, so here’s to 2020
oh, it can only get better oh, I know it will get better oh, it can only get better oh, I know it will get better
My isle dauphine She’ll never come clean What does she mean She’ll never go clean Oh, isle dauphine
She walks down the aisle All of the while I’m thinking I’ll Walk single file Oh, isle dauphine
I heard what she said, and She’s turning all red Might as well be dead for Everything she said Oh, isle dauphine
She’s walking the border with everything in order and takes off the garter and Runs a bit harder Oh, isle dauphine
My isle dauphine She’ll never come clean What does she mean She’ll never go clean Oh, isle dauphine
This was written for Circle of Titles in 2016, when I was assigned the title “Strategies to Live,” which felt super relevant given the then-recent Presidential election which was at odds with my safety as a trans person.
It took me five years to release this album, and I kept on feeling like it was too late to release this topical song, and yet, somehow it manages to remain topical.
You can hide yourself down a deep, dark hole Or hoist yourself on a really tall pole Anything that’ll help you get away
You can do heavy drugs to numb the pain, or Ask a surgeon to remove your brain So you can fit right in and start to play
Change your face and change your name Hide everything that brings you shame Or go on a preemptive sneak attack
Dig deep into the viper’s pit Embroil yourself in petty shit Just commit ‘coz there’s no turning back
Oh, I wish I didn’t worry oh so much Oh, I wish I could feel fine Oh, if only all my hopes weren’t out of touch I wish my safety wasn’t on the line
If you’re accused of doing a bad crime Want to hide for a very very very long time Consider all the possibilities
Make a run for President Convince the people you are heaven sent You might just win and then you are home free
Even if you’re caught lying Everyone gives you points for trying It’s not that the bear stakes well, it skates at all
Even if you destroy the world It doesn’t matter, you can fuck every girl And then you can go home and take your ball
Oh, I wish I didn’t worry oh so much Oh, I wish I could feel fine Oh, if only all my hopes weren’t out of touch I wish my safety wasn’t on the line
In the long run everything will be fine It will just be a matter of time, in Twelve billion years this will all be gone
In the meantime just try to survive The world is better with you alive Outliving him is a reason to go on
This song was inspired by repeatedly tapping the tuning fork button on my portable amp.
it’s inimical inimitable and so predictable not a miracle
it’s despicable deliverable get irritable, with a thread to pull, feeling minimal
a seeming emptiness encroaching loneliness result of pettiness, try to redress the phoniness
acrimonious sanctimonious a former holiness, the brokenness melodious
finding time to spare sit in the broken chair being unaware, without a care all thoughts laid bare
a tantric suicide already dead inside climb up the hillside, across the divide, smell insecticide
there’s a new tomorrow, it’s falling into place there’s a new tomorrow, it’s running out of space there’s a new tomorrow, it’s all fucked up get your new tomorrow, you’re out of luck
get a steady job, and another piece of me get a big tv, and another take get a new degree, stuck in the machinery in the new tomorrow, you get what you make
it’s inimical counterfactual and so predictable not a miracle
it’s despicable deliverable get irritable, with a thread to pull, feeling minimal
and you simply cannot see what this all has done to me simply cannot see through the crooked lies simply cannot see everything that’s eating me nobody is looking through each others’ eyes
simply cannot see what this all has meant to me simply cannot see through the skin disguise simply cannot see all the greater piece of me walking through the hallway something on the rise
feeling critical and irritable analytical parasitical
apocalyptical stereotypical it’s predictable, hypocritical, a miracle
Everything you like, anything that gets you high Something there for everyone, something you can try Getting murry with a furry in the simulated leather Bondage in a dungeon where you can do it one better
Get your freak flag on Get your freak flag on
Everything is good in our carved out sexy spaces From the horniest of normies to the kinkiest of aces Post it on social if you’re into humiliation But remember to use content warnings – it’s just polite!
Get your freak flag on Get your freak flag on (Get your freak flag on)
Everything is good as long as everyone’s consenting Couple with some trans girls who are really into fencing Peg a strapping young lad with your strapping strap-on cock Only if he’s legal though, I’ve been around the block
Get your freak flag on Get your freak flag on (Ooh yeah, get your freak flag on)
You can be a top or bottom or an indecisive switch Take ‘em out for breakfast afterwards, if you feel the itch Safety first, remember to wear rubber, use protection And get it nice and shiny so you can see your own reflection Mmm, yeah…
Get your freak flag on Get your freak flag on Get it on and on Get your freak flag on
(freak flag) Safeword to your mother But not your actual mother (freak flag) 'Cuz that’d be gross
I mean, yuck
This song was originally written for Song Fight!, as part of the “Live Fight” challenge for Song Fight! Live 2021.
On the blog I have written up a detailed explanation of the lyrics and video.
Feeling lost in an elephant’s dream Caught up in the digital stream Cave of shadows, can’t say what I mean A million miles far from home
Best foot forward, take a step back Play defense while on the attack Sowing discord, can’t cut them no slack Everybody so alone
If everyone could see Themselves through some other eyes Innocent, caught up in the machinery An algorithmic disguise
Making everything great again Forget about your family and friends Looking for a means to an end Just don’t want to be alone
Fragile gem, split in two Internal dialogue of them vs. you Find acceptance with nothing to do The voices there are all your own
If everyone could see Themselves through some other eyes Innocent, caught up in the machinery An algorithmic disguise
A deeper body ache, and make a bad mistake A million jumping on Sharing a bad take, Nobody can quite shake The feeling that you’re gone
Feeling lost in an elephant’s dream Getting washed away by the digital stream If it feels better to share another meme Doesn’t make you less alone
If everyone could see Themselves through some other eyes Innocent, caught up in the machinery An algorithmic disguise
If everyone could see Themselves through some other eyes Innocent, caught up in the machinery An algorithmic disguise
This song isn’t about Portland, but it also isn’t not about Portland.
It’s also about Seattle.
But also it was just written for the Song Fight! Live Fight in Portland, in 2015.
We’re so happy that you want to stay But our city’s full please go away We don’t want to turn away your kind So come anyway, I guess we won’t mind
We know what you’ve seen on the TV How we live our lives totally fancy free But you really ought to know Portlandia is just a show
We are passive, and aggressive Sacred bike rights often start fights But we all drive, when you arrive We say you’ll never need a car
We have hipsters – Silly tricksters We’re ironic – Catatonic Brew our own beer, but please don’t fear ‘Cause there’s always PBR
So you live here now, you want a job? I guess that’s cool – you’re not a slob You could work at a restaurant If that is the kind of job you want
What’s that you say? You have a degree? A master’s in sustainability? That’s really great, but you oughta know I just got mine an hour ago
We are passive, and aggressive Sacred bike rights often start fights But we all drive, when you arrive We say you’ll never need a car
We have hipsters – Silly tricksters We’re ironic – Catatonic Brew our own beer, but please don’t fear ‘Cause there’s always PBR
I guess we can’t talk you out of it So welcome to Portland, We Give A Shit™ What’s that you say, you love the sky so blue? Well I guess I’ve got some news for you…
We are passive, and aggressive Sacred bike rights often start fights But we all drive, when you arrive We say you’ll never need a car
We have hipsters – Silly tricksters We’re ironic – Catatonic Brew our own beer, but please don’t fear ‘Cause there’s always PBR And there’s always PBR And there’s always PBR
#CD #SongFight #Vinyl #Popular #Dancepop #Electropop #IndiePop #Rock #Funny #Cover #Lyrical ]]>My fifth annual song-a-day expression for Novembeat.
You don’t go places that you used to You don’t enjoy the stories that you’re used to You can’t stand anyone you’re introduced to Sitting home alone is what you’ve been reduced to
Something happened long ago inside you Now it’s back, your life won’t be the same All of the signposts that used to guide you Got pulled up by something, don’t know when it came
But change is coming It’s funny and it’s faint Yes change is coming With noses thumbing Oh, change it is coming The running refrain So humming and strange Our upcoming change
Your friends they act like they don’t recognize you And all these parts they say now that comprise you They preferred the skin that once disguised you So hard to shake the thought, that they all now despise you
But change is coming It’s funny and it’s faint Yes, change is coming With noses thumbing, oh Change it is coming The running refrain So humming and strange Our upcoming change
The you that you are now’s the only you you are You can’t go back to who you once were before Got no choice, you gotta be true to who you are Genie won’t go back inside that bottle any more
Yes change, change is coming It’s funny and still faint More change, change is coming So I’m succumbing to What you’re becoming like an Oncoming train It’s humming and strange This upcoming change
We just don’t know If it’s gonna be all right We cannot know When it’ll be all right We gotta know That it’ll be alright I just don’t know When it’ll be all right
When it’ll be all right
We’re gonna know When it’ll be all right We’re gonna show When everything’s alright Don’t know where to go When everything’s alright But we’re gonna know That it’ll be alright
It’ll be all right
Music courtesy of the itty bitty ditty committee.
Don’t let the door hit you on your way out We all know you are going to just scream and shout Take it back to Twitter with your remaining clout, don’t let the door hit you on your way out
At least half of the nation is so sick of you You are so much worse than the “just a flu” Nobody cares what you’re going to do, don’t let the door hit you on your way out
The past four years have been a tragedy And we have a long way to go we can all see To get a better world for you and me Well maybe not for you
Don’t let the door hit you on your way out We’re better off without you without a doubt Twitter says they’ll ban you so just quietly pout, and let the door hit you on your way out
This is the soundtrack for the September 2018 demo of Admiralo Island Witches Club, a visual novel in development by cloverfirefly! Please check out the game demo at https://cloverfirefly.itch.io/admiralo-island-witches-club-demo
October has Inktober, where artists are challenged to draw one ink drawing every day throughout the month.
November, therefore, has Novembeat, making one short song every day.
This is the second such album I have done, and I feel that it is some of the best music I’ve ever made. It also follows the emotional arc of the month, due to some rather unexpected setbacks.
Think of it as a musical diary spanning one month in a not so great year.
I really liked Stranger Things, or at least its soundtrack.
It was cold out and my leg was hurting and I had a cat sleeping on my lap, so I decided to have some fun with a sonic soundscape that captured the feelings of winter cuddles.
The dark days were getting to me.
The depression was getting to me.
On Black Friday weekend I upgraded to KOMPLETE 11 and decided to play around with some of its presets.
This came out.
I started composing a tango song but it just wasn’t coming out very well. So I scrapped it and worked on a second take for the day.
The pain from the previous four days turned out to be due to a clot in my leg that was growing rapidly, and part of it broke off and went to my lungs, giving me a pulmonary embolism. Because of the clot I had to cease taking my HRT and start taking blood thinners. I was told I may not be able to get back on HRT ever again.
I was happy to still be alive but not looking forward to the impending hormonal crisis.
But I am still around, and defiantly making music.
My leg was hurting even more and my other cat wanted to get in on the action, so she wrote a song with me.
At this point I was just completely falling apart, due to basically going through menopause and feeling worthless, useless, and futureless.
I had been without hormones for a week and a half and my emotions were all over the place. Everything would set me off and I would cry and I was not in a good spot. So I wrote this thing to capture my feelings.
Without HRT I was losing track of time and my mental state, and every day was running into each other. I wanted to be kind to myself after my near-death experience but I also wanted to be productive. And everything felt the same as everything else.
I attempted to self-medicate my ongoing depression with some THC.
I may have used a little too much.
Hello, the Internet Hello, the Internet Hello, the Internet Hello, the Internet Hello, the Internet Hello, the Internet (Internet) Hello, the Internet (Internet) Hello, the INternet (INternet) Hello, the Internet (Internet) Hello, the Internet (Internet?) Hello, the Internet (Internet!) Hello, the Internet (Internet…) Hello
I had trouble sleeping due to the increasing pain, and this music wafted into my consciousness.
I was spending way, way too much time reading Twitter instead of doing anything productive. The senseless repetitive noise of everything around me was more than I could take.
This is a song about a pawn shop bunny
going around as if it’s made of money
trying to buy some milk and honey
but it doesn’t quite care.
Just a little introduction to the album.
I woke up barely able to breathe, and went to the hospital.
It was an embolism, from a DVT in my leg that threw off a clot.
I composed this track from a hospital bed, using GarageBand on my phone.
A little scrap I had lying around, which was begging for a fuller orchestration.
It seems like every album of mine these days needs at least one semi-algorithmically-generated weird-time-signature experimentation.
And Werner just wouldn’t shut the heck up while I made it so I decided to record him meowing.
Oh and there’s scissors for percussion.
The first song I wrote on this day was not very good, but then I was noodling around and came up with this better song. It made me think of a wood elf in a forest grove or something.
The lack of hormones was really starting to get to me. Constantly tired, constantly struggling to wake up in the morning, but this music project kept me going.
Shout out to the Cupcake Royale in Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA, and the restroom cooling fan that was making this really cool grinding noise.
(It has since been fixed.)
This day didn’t go so well, so I was looking forward to a better one.
feeling like drowning, no escape
Met up with some friends at a coffee shop, took up way too much table space while I composed this attempt at making something Lemon Jelly-esque.
I was feeling aimless from my recent health issues, and felt like nothing was going anywhere and nothing was worth doing anymore.
I decided to make some disorganized fun.
My leg was still hurting. Really, really bad. And I was starting to have a pain in my shoulder as well. The pain was getting to be unbearable. So I wrote this track that captured the agony I was in.
Just a little tune that popped into my head that morning.
Ga ga dabba gagabagada baga Da ba baga dadabagada bada Ba ba bada bagagabada baga Ya ba bada yabadabada baga Ba ba baga dababadaba bada Bum ba bada bagagabada bada
Bum bum bum, ba Bum bum bum, ba Bum bum bum, ba Bum bum bum, ba Dum ba bum, ba Dum ba bum, ba Dum bum bum, ba Dum bum bum
I took a little trip down to my platonic cuddle-buddy’s home and I composed this while lying on his lap. It was nice.
Back in the early days of Song Fight! there was an occasional contributor who entered under the name Mouth Reliant. I felt like doing a tribute to his style for some reason.
I didn’t have the energy to clean my home but I made a piano-and-cello tune to help me clean myself, at least.
Pachelbel’s Canon is the bane of every cellist’s existence.
Inspired by the name of the previous track, I decided to go on a spelling spree.
The notes of the musical scale can spell words.
Not very many, though.
dead cabbage dead cabbage dead-ead, dea bae d dead (dead) cabbage dead-ead, ea bae d dead cabbage dead cabbage dead
#CD #Novembeat #Soundtrack #Instrumental #Lyrical ]]>Throughout November 2016 I recorded one short song every day. Because why not.
I went downtown to buy me a stapler So I could put together a couple pieces of paper Office Depot was shutting down They had all the best deals in town For the low, low price of 27 bucks I got a bunch of stuff, who cares if it sucks Anyway I completed my task, it Is great they even let me keep the shopping basket
He actually said “proggy as fuck” but I didn’t want this song to get marked explicit on the streaming services.