The Smiley Smile Message Board

I enjoy the Smiley Smile originals on this board, and I've been slowing down my production pace recently. Maybe if I post some projects regularly I will feel the incentive to continue working on new things. So to quote Mikey Love, "...to my dying fire, I think I'll add a log."

1. No Title

• https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/a-backing-track

2. Thank Him

• https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/the-beach-boys-thank-him-cover

3. Words of Love

• https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/buddy-holly-words-of-love-cover

4. Don't Take Him Seriously

• https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/dont-take-him-seriously

5. That's Not Me (Backing Track)

• https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/the-beach-boys-thats-not-me-backing-track-cover

Quite nice joe. I like the horn parts a lot. Do you plan to add vocals or just leave it as an instrumental?
One thing I would suggest is to add some variation. This is something I really learned from the Beatles, they had a basic first verse, then added something in the second verse, etc. This type of building can make your song feel more like a story.

Thank you. I have a melody for it, but I just didn't feel like singing. This is an old project that I dug up to practice mixing, and to see if I could jam more instruments in. You're right about the variation. I tried to build the first verse to the second verse then the third verse cuts the accordion and adds horns, on the second time around after the chorus there are violins, but that's the only difference, on the pre-chorus there's an autoharp, and the fade has an added trumpet part. So there are a few minor changes in the instrumentation, and one musical change, but the two halves of the song are pretty much identical. I have a few ideas for things to add in certain parts and I do plan on adding vocals at some point. Thank you for the feedback!

Definitely the best one you've posted to SoundCloud so far.  As a backing track, it could use words.  It sounds like a backing track more than an instrumental.  I dig the horns too.

Really good effort.  How many of the instruments do you play?  I'm still learning how you guys here at Smiley put these tracks together.  From what Zach says, some of it is samples.

I'm listening when I get the time.  You are good enough that you should keep trying.  -Will

You're right, it shouldn't be a stand alone instrumental. I'll try to get to the vocals some time. I technically play everything, but I do a lot of looping and splicing together of separate takes, so I'm cheating a little. I'm actually physically playing the Concertina, Acoustic Guitar, Tambourine, and Autoharp. The rest is synthesized on my MIDI keyboard. I'm glad we have this little board to show this stuff... I'm a fan of Zach, Orange, Michael Leroy, Joel, etc.... Those guys sound like professionals, I think it's clear that I'm a hobbyist, and sound like one. I really appreciate the comments. Thank you!

12/7/15

Just posted a cover of Thank Him. Too high for me to do the harmony on the lead, but oh well.

Here it is: https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/the-beach-boys-thank-him-cover

Sounds great. The piano intro is beautiful, sounds like a Sufjan Stevens recording! I like the vox a lot, nice double tracking   8)

Thanks Orange!

12/14/15

Buddy Holly - Words of Love
Not a sound I like, but I think it came out strong. I used this to practice compression; I think it's the most professional sounding of the ones I've done.

Here it is:

• https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/buddy-holly-words-of-love-cover

12/21/15

Don't Take Him Seriously
This is an original I did a while ago. I was just messing around with it recently.

Here it is:

• https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/dont-take-him-seriously

Somewhat abstract but still melodic, which I always enjoy personally. I'm know this isn't any revelatory advice, but I think this could go on a good bit longer, with different parts coming in and out. But I mean, I know for me, once a song is "finished" I usually like to move on to the next one. But either way, keep going joe!

Thanks Orange. I'm always a fan of a dynamic song with multiple parts. I would have done it if I had thought of it. I wasn't planning on trying to write anything for a while. It was a spontaneous recording I just decided to make it real short. It's about the same length as "Had to Phone Ya" I was listening to that song a lot at the time; I think it inspired the length. Thanks for always commenting.

12/21/15

That's Not Me (Backing Track)
Doesn't sound quite right to me. A little stiff.

Here it is:

• https://soundcloud.com/user-609363677/the-beach-boys-thats-not-me-backing-track-cover