The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hey guys,

Here's my latest. I wrote it with a BW-feel in mind, I'm not sure how much of that got translated into the final product. Comments are appreciated!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D8naI0Qdac&list=UUyrRdesUNkeF8esZPsjFHXA&index=1&feature=plcp

Most definitely has a Brian Wilson feel to it! You've got some great chord changes in there! Vocals sound perfect too.

Really love the intro. The lyrics contrasting the happy backing track really make it feel like BW to me. Do you play all of the instruments?

Oh man. I feel you on the sentiment of this song. Which sucks, don't it?  :lol

I, of course, love it! Only quibble would be to mix the track  up a bit somewhat, that cracking arrangements a bit low.

Thanx for the comments. The lyrics are actually based on something I'm going through right now (don't we all at some point?). I might try my hand at another mix down the line.

The instruments are all automated, believe it or not. I use a program called UJAM, I can input chord progressions and build a backing track.

And....my attempt at a better mix. Thanks for the suggestion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw9FMG8dfOM&feature=youtu.be

Kick-ass!

I wasn't being a prat in my prior post about the lyrics, it's kinda my life at the moment too! Hence, I am feeling you on these lyrics. But sleep deprivation does wonders for the proof reading  :lol

No worries, I got what you meant the first time around. :)

The new mix is certainly better. I really like this catchy song. Good lyrics and an overall quirky feel which I really appreciate. My suggestion would be to think about adding a few backing harmonies though... And perhaps the lead multitracking could be recorded a bit tighter?

Nice work. Better than the original version. I'd still say the instruments sound a bit lost in the mix.

My suggestions would be: work up more of an arrangement - the dynamics don't change much throughout the song, and when the chorus comes in you could lift the whole thing with some backing vocals, percussion and / or some more instruments.

Also, its a hard song to double track the vocal on, and in parts yours sounds quite out of sync, so if your DAW allows, add a little light chorus or fast delay to thicken it up, and only double track the bits you can do perfectly. (Or, if you don't have effects, you could cheat and duplicate one vocal track and paste it nest to the original, very slightly out of synch, so it sounds a bit like chorus delay...)

Have you considered using a more sophisticated piece of software? I would recommend REAPER (http://www.reaper.fm/ (http://www.reaper.fm/)) - it is straightforward to use, but at the same time very sophisticated, and has a great user forum where people are very helpful. You can try it for free or buy it cheaply for about fifty or sixty dollars.

This is a nice song and I'd like to hear this song worked up a bit more.

Wow. That's pretty awesome. Wouldn't have guessed.

BTW - Song sounds great. Very BW circa '64/'65. Love your voice - killer vibrato!

Hi there,

 I really didn't want to get too heavy on the production. I know the double tracking could be a bit better, but I didn't want to loose the enthusiasm and joy of singing it by perfecting it to bits. I appreciate your comments though, thank you! (BTW, the piano-voice bridge thing is inspired by the low key parts in Good Vibes.)

Complements don't come much higher than this. Thank you, sir!

Of all the instruments, only drums & guitar twangs sound fake, but everything else I thought was the real playing. Good trick! Very interesting to learn new technical terms & stuff, this time - about "You-Jam".

About the song: I like the arrangements, the melody - only the chorus & middle-8. Speaking of the latter, I caught the GV influence, though I noticed it first at the cello intro. The vocs are rather good, I especially like the falsetto which at times is similar to Brian's, whine-wise. I'm not a lyric analyst (it usually bores me), so I can't comment anything about it, forgive that.

All in all, nice song. Your collaborations with rab are much better, however. For some reason, I didn't post in those topics, but I shall do it soon. Need to re-listen them.