New one - "None of This Is Happening"

famous beagle

famous beagle

Well-known member
Kind of another ballad-esque tune, but it rocks out in the middle a bit.

Thanks for the listen.
 

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  • 04 None of This is Happening.mp3
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It was good, Beagle, but that chord progression (sounds like a III7th chord resolving to IV) sounds just like the Beatles (or Imagine/Working class here era Lennon), and so does the drumming. Those pauses during the fills...very Ringo.

The song and mix are in the 1 percentile of songs I've heard posted. But I heard you kill it on that Pink Floyd solo, and that makes me up the ante -- if you have that much talent why copy the Beatles? I just wish it did something more than sound like the Beatles. A little more edge or something new to offer. Is that unfair? Take it as a compliment because it is in a way: I judge you to a higher standard now that I know what you're capable of.

The mix sounds spot on; there's nothing to critique. It's a beautiful mix, actually. Gun to my head, maybe the toms are a little loud but that's nitpicky stuff.
 
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The Beatles? Never heard of them; I'll have to check them out. :)

Thanks much for the listen and kind words. What's funny is that, although the Beatles are probably always going to be my #1 inspiration just because I listened to them for about 10,356,902,143 hours in my 20s alone, this song actually started as an ode to "Crimson and Clover," with the same I-V-IV-V progression and all. And that's definitely where I took inspiration from for the recording, with the tremolo guitar, for sure. In fact, I think I had the drummer directly rip the first drum fill (at 0:17) from "Crimson" --- just as a kind of conscious nod to it.

But the Beatles thing ... it's just really hard for me to avoid it if I'm not hyper aware of it. I learned how to sing from them; I learned how to write from them; I learned a lot about arranging from them, etc., etc. Sometimes it's more on my sleeve than others, and I try to balance it out with my other influences, but sometimes it just can't be contained I guess. And yes, you're right about the III to IV move. :)
 
Very Beatle-esque. Fucking good, buddy (Huge Beatles fan also).

Just like 4tracker said...the mix is spot-on! I personally like piercing sound toms, I think that's very subjective though.

Great mix.
 
I can definitely hear the Crimson and Clover now that you mention it, especially with the tremolo. I understand getting influenced by something, especially something as engrained in Western culture as the Beatles, but too many talented musicians get hooked into that influence and music dies for them in the 1960s or 70s. I see it all the time and hate to see it. I have nothing to contribute to you with regard to the mix or performance. They're great (other than that loud tom ..hahah). But what I can say is find Famous Beagle's own voice. Allow yourself to explore new music (music didn't begin or end with the Beatles or any other band, and trust me, I have to remind myself of this too) and writing styles. I'd be super curious to hear what you come up with if you go out on a limb and "experiment" a bit.

All that being said, I liked the song a lot. I mean how can't I? It's catchy and just well done all around. And after listening to it four times now, I do have one more criticism: that lyric about nuclear disaster is a bit corny!
 
4tracker said:
I can definitely hear the Crimson and Clover now that you mention it, especially with the tremolo. I understand getting influenced by something, especially something as engrained in Western culture as the Beatles, but too many talented musicians get hooked into that influence and music dies for them in the 1960s or 70s. I see it all the time and hate to see it. I have nothing to contribute to you with regard to the mix or performance. They're great (other than that loud tom ..hahah). But what I can say is find Famous Beagle's own voice. Allow yourself to explore new music (music didn't begin or end with the Beatles or any other band, and trust me, I have to remind myself of this too) and writing styles. I'd be super curious to hear what you come up with if you go out on a limb and "experiment" a bit.

All that being said, I liked the song a lot. I mean how can't I? It's catchy and just well done all around. And after listening to it four times now, I do have one more criticism: that lyric about nuclear disaster is a bit corny!
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I know what you mean for sure with regards to people getting trapped in the past. I'm certainly a nostalgic person, and so my tastes tend to bend towards all things vintage. However, I do have more recent influences as well: two big ones being Wilco and Radiohead for sure. And there are lots of other minor ones as well, such as Midlake.

I have some more from this album that I'll share that I don't think are as derivative in this regard. I don't know if you checked out the one before this, called "People in the Seventies," (ok, so the title's vintage-sounding), but I don't hear it as very Beatles-esque, myself.

Anyway, thanks for the comments!
 
I can hear both influences, but to me it really don't matter. Your writing the song for YOU, producing it for YOU, and it's all about YOU. If the Beatles are who you are, then that's whats you do. For me personally, finding a style that isn't already been "taken" is an almost impossible task and I don't care if people say my music sounds like this person or that band. I just say do what you know and what you have been influenced on and maybe put your own spin on it.

As far as the song, I absolutely love it. Very catchy and I love your voice in this. The mix sounds great, nice separation and nothing really sticks out as being to harsh or loud. Great job my friend.
 
CMolena said:
Very Beatle-esque. Fucking good, buddy (Huge Beatles fan also).

Just like 4tracker said...the mix is spot-on! I personally like piercing sound toms, I think that's very subjective though.

Great mix.
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Thanks very much for the listen and compliments! :)
 
Bruthish said:
I can hear both influences, but to me it really don't matter. Your writing the song for YOU, producing it for YOU, and it's all about YOU. If the Beatles are who you are, then that's whats you do. For me personally, finding a style that isn't already been "taken" is an almost impossible task and I don't care if people say my music sounds like this person or that band. I just say do what you know and what you have been influenced on and maybe put your own spin on it.

As far as the song, I absolutely love it. Very catchy and I love your voice in this. The mix sounds great, nice separation and nothing really sticks out as being to harsh or loud. Great job my friend.
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Thanks man! Yeah I know what you mean about valuing originality versus quality. It's a really tough line to draw. Just because something is unique doesn't make it good, and just because something is reminiscent of something else doesn't mean it's not. (I'm not saying that 4tracker was quite saying this, but you know what I mean. ) Like you said, it's pointless to try to find something that's never been done. So I just try to do what makes me happy, and hopefully other people like it too. Sometimes my influences are more apparent, and other times they're harder to trace. But yeah, I'm not gonna beat myself up about it.

Anyway, thanks for the listen and the kind words.
 
Beagle,

Very nice tune all around. Would be a great mood changer in between a couple of more upbeat songs in a set or compilation. Mix and performance sounds very good to me through phones and even my crappy monitors. You didn't specifically ask for any comments, but I'll throw this out there for what it's worth...

I would maybe consider a high harmony on the first couple choruses. Just on the "this is happenin" lines, not on "None of". I think emphasizing the "this is happenin" but not the "None of", would leave a little room for interpretation...Is it really Not happening? On the repeated chorus after the lead break, I would omit the harmony, and just let "None of, this is, happening" conclude the song.

Please don't beat me up, but let me know if I'm out of line with this type comment. I'm new and just learning what is acceptable for comments.
 
Bruthish said:
For me personally, finding a style that isn't already been "taken" is an almost impossible task. I just say do what you know and what you have been influenced on and maybe put your own spin on it.
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Yes, very true.

Beagle, as you said, unique doesn't equal good and visa versa. I wasn't bagging on your song (I like it and listened 4 times!); more like a gentle creative nudge to get outside the comfort zone. I hope that was clear, because I can see the thread derailing into an off topic debate based on what I wrote.
 
einstein magoo said:
Beagle,

Very nice tune all around. Would be a great mood changer in between a couple of more upbeat songs in a set or compilation. Mix and performance sounds very good to me through phones and even my crappy monitors. You didn't specifically ask for any comments, but I'll throw this out there for what it's worth...

I would maybe consider a high harmony on the first couple choruses. Just on the "this is happenin" lines, not on "None of". I think emphasizing the "this is happenin" but not the "None of", would leave a little room for interpretation...Is it really Not happening? On the repeated chorus after the lead break, I would omit the harmony, and just let "None of, this is, happening" conclude the song.

Please don't beat me up, but let me know if I'm out of line with this type comment. I'm new and just learning what is acceptable for comments.
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Thanks very much for the listen and your comments. It's not out of line at all; it's very appreciated! :)

To be honest, I would have added a good deal more in the way of vocal harmonies on all of the tunes from this session, but we just didn't have the money to spend on the time. Other than the bass and drums, everything else fell on me, so time was money. (I mostly do my recording at home, but this tune, along with several others I'll be introducing over the next few weeks, were recorded in a local pro studio in Dallas.)

This band is defunct now --- didn't take long to implode after recording the album, go figure --- but when we performed this song live a few times, we did something very similar to what you mentioned, harmony-wise. :)

---------- Update ----------

4tracker said:
Yes, very true.

Beagle, as you said, unique doesn't equal good and visa versa. I wasn't bagging on your song (I like it and listened 4 times!); more like a gentle creative nudge to get outside the comfort zone. I hope that was clear, because I can see the thread derailing into an off topic debate based on what I wrote.
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No worries at all; you made it very clear. I appreciate your input! :)
 
Mix is impossible to critique - anything people don't like would simply be nit picky or subjective. YMMV guys.
Not sure if you will have a chance or intend to but a harmony in the chorus might be interesting. You may need a falsetto or chick though :) chick would be better.... :D
 
I listened to this before reading any comments. I was going to say it reminded me of "crimson and clover" and the saw you had said it was an influence for this song. I love the strummed guitar chords with the tremelo effect. I don't see anything wrong with this mix. I disagree with the nit about the toms. The toms are deep loud and bold. They really sound good. In fact, that is what brings the Beatles to mind when I listen to this song...The toms. Ringos toms always sounded so good on those Beatles records and you have captured that on this song and how they're sitting in the mix.
I wouldn't change them at all.
Great tune and mix!
 
ido1957: Thanks! Yes I wish I'd added a harmony in the chorus, but I just didn't have the time unfortunately.

Jimistone: Thanks a lot for the listen and comments! I'm glad someone caught the "Crimson" influence. I've always loved that tune and the spirit behind it. I used to sit and listen to it on headphones and fall asleep to it sometimes --- great record. :)
 
I have nothing constructive to say. Great fucking song; wish I could write one like that. Love everything about it.
 
Man... That kick is thunderous. Turns out, the more I listen to it (the kick), the more I like it. When the chorus came in, I found myself thinking "I think it would be cool if the chorus had a chorus effect on the vocals." Not sure why I think that, but ... it's almost like I expected it.

Rock-out part in the middle is just awesome. The build, the sound, the rise... It's perfect, man.

I love it, man. Thanks for sharing. Mix is dead-on awesome.
 
Anorton: Thanks man! I'm glad you dig it. :)

PoeticIntensity: Thanks for the listen and the suggestion for the chorus. Interesting idea. Yeah I don't think the drummer can complain about not being heard on these tunes. :)
 
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