New Song - Ghosts On The Corner

[Chili]

Got a new song up and looking for comments and suggestions. I'm not happy with the lead guitar solo part and will probably retrack it in a week. If anyone wants to offer up contribution, that would be cool. I've got to take a break from this song for a while.

All comments are welcomed.

Thanks,

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7937750

 

[The Cancers]

Nice sounds.
I love the "ooh, ahh" coming out of the chorus and in the outro. I'm not as big a fan of the chorus vox, sounds like you're right on the edge of your range.
That's really more a matter of personal taste though.
Probably ought to just stick with "Nice sounds."

 

[jeffmaher]

Great engineering and sound.
ps: What is your main instrument?

 

[joeym]

This is a very good song, Dave.
I find though that some parts need sweetening up. The voice sounds very dry, a bit of ambience would do it good. The first verse up to the solo sounds a bit too long, but I think the problem there is that the instruments play the same thing the whole time so basically it might be lack of dynamics. Try to add stuff by and by. Chorus could use some harmonies to make it stiand out. Solo sounds very good but afterwards instead of climaxing and ending with a firework I feel the song just dies down and fades away. Which is a shame 'cos it's a good song with a good hookline and nice lyrics. I hope you keep working on it. The mix quality is top though, your sound is great.

Just my 2 cents, of course...

Joey

 

[Chili]

Nice sounds.
I love the "ooh, ahh" coming out of the chorus and in the outro. I'm not as big a fan of the chorus vox, sounds like you're right on the edge of your range.
That's really more a matter of personal taste though.
Probably ought to just stick with "Nice sounds."

Hey, thanks for listening. I appreciate the comments. I did like a gazillion takes on the chorus and picked and chose the best parts. still needs some work, huh?

Great engineering and sound.
ps: What is your main instrument?

Thanks Jeff. I would say guitar, but I know I'm not that good.

This is a very good song, Dave.
I find though that some parts need sweetening up. The voice sounds very dry, a bit of ambience would do it good. The first verse up to the solo sounds a bit too long, but I think the problem there is that the instruments play the same thing the whole time so basically it might be lack of dynamics. Try to add stuff by and by. Chorus could use some harmonies to make it stiand out. Solo sounds very good but afterwards instead of climaxing and ending with a firework I feel the song just dies down and fades away. Which is a shame 'cos it's a good song with a good hookline and nice lyrics. I hope you keep working on it. The mix quality is top though, your sound is great.

Just my 2 cents, of course...

Joey

Hey Joey, this is good info and just what I was looking for.
Vocals dry?? Hmmm, I thought I had too much!! easy fix.
I kept the intro and first verse long to fit in context with others song on a cd, hopefully. It's easy enough to edit if it doesn't work once I get to compiling all the songs together.
Harmonies?? Okay man.... go for it!! 110bpm. I can email you a link to a higher res file if you'd like.

Thanks again, Guys!!!

 

[atothebside]

nice song

Great song...

Reminds me of something Tom Petty would do.

One thing I would suggest, although it's just a nitpicky thing: I notice that the main drum part (verses, non-ride pattern) is a loop (I am a drummer who does a lot of mixing and editing). Try altering it a little so that the last hi hat of each measure isn't exactly the same all the time. The last hat in every measure is louder than the others, and I'm not saying that that's a bad thing, but for such a "live" feeling song, you may want to alter it a little so that it doesn't seem like a drum part that has been looped. I realize the fills and stuff are live, so that is good.

Did you ever consider putting an acoustic guitar in there to play little lines and flourishes? That may be the missing element you need to break up the sections that may feel a little repetitive.

Just my 2 cents. Keep up the great work.

-AB

 

[Chili]

Great song...

Reminds me of something Tom Petty would do.

One thing I would suggest, although it's just a nitpicky thing: I notice that the main drum part (verses, non-ride pattern) is a loop (I am a drummer who does a lot of mixing and editing). Try altering it a little so that the last hi hat of each measure isn't exactly the same all the time. The last hat in every measure is louder than the others, and I'm not saying that that's a bad thing, but for such a "live" feeling song, you may want to alter it a little so that it doesn't seem like a drum part that has been looped. I realize the fills and stuff are live, so that is good.

Did you ever consider putting an acoustic guitar in there to play little lines and flourishes? That may be the missing element you need to break up the sections that may feel a little repetitive.

Just my 2 cents. Keep up the great work.

-AB

Hey, Tom Petty, I'll take that.

The drums are all ezdrummer. I start with the canned midi files and edit heavily. I'm not sure I really hear what you're referring to about the hh on the last beat, but you do bring up a point about trying to break up the pattern in the beginning. At first, I wanted to keep it the same to build a solid mood to set the song. But now I'm rethinking and maybe will go back and vary the hh pattern a little.

I originally had an acoustic fingerpicking style track in there. Didn't fit with the rest of the song.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Oh, and welcome to the site.

 

[rayc]

The Ooh ahhs are good!
You do need a little double tracking or harmony to thicken/strengthen the vocal on the chorus.
Your vocal inflections & melodic sense in the chorus are similar to Geckko Zed on this one.
Solo - I like they way the guitar swaps with the keys - though that last key note could be kept up a little longer before the fade.
Very interesting song - keep posting developments.

 

[CIRO]

Nice song, Chili!

Guitars,bass, drums, everything sounds great, good mix too.

Vox is a bit "forward" (my taste...)

Ciro

 

[Chili]

Thanks Ray and Ciro. I'm gonna give the song a break for a week or two, then come back and look at it again. I'll check all the comments here and work in the suggestions. JoeyM volunteered to supply some harmonies, but I know he's got a full plate. (No rush, Joey)

Thanks again,

 

[Greg_L]

Sounds okay to me. I think the vox are the weak link. I'm no singer myself, but maybe this is in the wrong key for you. The mix sounds nice and even to me. I'd like the drums a little drier. They sound like they're in a totally different space from the other instruments. Drums rule, man! Let them in the room with you.

 

[lifelyrics]

Hi Chili,

I agree with the guys about this: cool song, good music, especially liked the "ooh-ahh". Very nice touch.

A couple of things that weren't mentioned: I liked the guitar solo, and that it directly followed the lyric "calling me back with her siren song". I felt like I was hearing her calling in your guitar riffs. Great for the imagery of the song!

The other thing is that I was following the lyrics, and picturing the song, and then it got to the spoken part, and I was disappointed. The words were sort of buried by the music - not that the music was bad, it's just that I was interested in what you were reflecting on in that passage.

So, there's two more cents for you!

Oh, yeah, and I could totally hear the Tom Petty-ish-ness, too. That was a good likeness to mention for this song.

 

[BushmasterM4]

Dude this is tight !!!! Very Dave Davies and Kinks vibe. Very nice.

 

[Chili]

Sounds okay to me. I think the vox are the weak link. I'm no singer myself, but maybe this is in the wrong key for you. The mix sounds nice and even to me. I'd like the drums a little drier. They sound like they're in a totally different space from the other instruments. Drums rule, man! Let them in the room with you.

Thanks Greg. No doubt I struggled a little on vocals, but I've done the same key before with no problem. Definitely going to retrack. I know you're the authoritative figure on drums, so I listen. I purposely added a reverb to the snare and hihat which I've never done before. There's supposed to be verb on the vocals, bass and a little guit too, all on the same fx channel. I thought that would get them in the same room.

A couple of things that weren't mentioned: I liked the guitar solo, and that it directly followed the lyric "calling me back with her siren song". I felt like I was hearing her calling in your guitar riffs. Great for the imagery of the song!

The other thing is that I was following the lyrics, and picturing the song, and then it got to the spoken part, and I was disappointed. The words were sort of buried by the music - not that the music was bad, it's just that I was interested in what you were reflecting on in that passage.

I'm glad you got the Siren Song in the solo part, that's what it was!!! Very cool. Having the bridge as a spoken part was a last minute decision and something I've not done before. I had them forward in the mix and I didn't like it at all, so I put them further back. It's hard to find the right balance. I was kinda hoping people would see the lyrics to follow along. But you're right, the song should stand on its own without the aid of lyrics or an explanation.

Dude this is tight !!!! Very Dave Davies and Kinks vibe. Very nice.

i have never had a comparison to the Kinks before. I'll take it!!! Thanks BM!!!

 

[queepy]

Great drum sound...caught my ear right off the bat, as well as that bass groove.....you have a really smooth vocal style with great tone...and your songs really use that strength to the fullest.....great laid back vibe...like when the heavier guitars come in...nice contrast! I did think the guitar solo could be brought out in the mix just a tad, seemed a little buried...synth part sounded cool tho'.....Very full, warm overall mix, great job!!!

 

[Chili]

Great drum sound...caught my ear right off the bat, as well as that bass groove.....you have a really smooth vocal style with great tone...and your songs really use that strength to the fullest.....great laid back vibe...like when the heavier guitars come in...nice contrast! I did think the guitar solo could be brought out in the mix just a tad, seemed a little buried...synth part sounded cool tho'.....Very full, warm overall mix, great job!!!

Thanks for listening and commenting. I appreciate it. Hey are you StratMonkee over on SoundClick?? Thanks for the add!!!

 

[mattdee1]

Sounds great, I think you should leave the chorus alone personally. I guess it's just a taste thing. I know in the past I've done recordings where people made similar comments "y'know, you could probably do a better job on such-and-such with a few more takes". I'd take their advice, go re-track, and even if I was able to make slight improvements in pitch or whatever, the re-do would tend to lose the feel of the original for some strange reason. But I guess that's the beauty of the digital age, it's not like you'd have to stick with new takes if they didn't work.

 

[Chili]

Sounds great, I think you should leave the chorus alone personally. I guess it's just a taste thing. I know in the past I've done recordings where people made similar comments "y'know, you could probably do a better job on such-and-such with a few more takes". I'd take their advice, go re-track, and even if I was able to make slight improvements in pitch or whatever, the re-do would tend to lose the feel of the original for some strange reason. But I guess that's the beauty of the digital age, it's not like you'd have to stick with new takes if they didn't work.

I appreciate the comments. Nah, you know, there's still some parts that stand out to me that need to be fixed. i think I can get a better take. But if not, like you said, I'm not losing anything.

Thanks again, man!!

 

[RAMI]

I really dig this tune a lot. Drums sound great, as does everything to me.

The verses and chorus vocals are OK to me, but there are a few phrases you sing that sound too "deliberate", like just before the first chorus when you say "she scares the hell out of me-ee". It's like you needed a 2 syllable word, but decided to make "me" a 2 syllable word. You sing the same line later, and it sounds fine. It's just that one time. There are a few other times where that happens. Just a little nit-pick, but it's the kind of thing we might not notice until someone else points it out. (And it's just my 2-bit opinion).

Great song, though....builds up nicely.

 

[Chili]

I really dig this tune a lot. Drums sound great, as does everything to me.

The verses and chorus vocals are OK to me, but there are a few phrases you sing that sound too "deliberate", like just before the first chorus when you say "she scares the hell out of me-ee". It's like you needed a 2 syllable word, but decided to make "me" a 2 syllable word. You sing the same line later, and it sounds fine. It's just that one time. There are a few other times where that happens. Just a little nit-pick, but it's the kind of thing we might not notice until someone else points it out. (And it's just my 2-bit opinion).

Great song, though....builds up nicely.

Cool. I'm really glad you liked it. if you're down to nitpicking on syllables, then I guess I'm finally making some progress since I've been coming here. I've learned a lot from you and some of the others. Thank you so much for that.

and hey, where the hell have you been?? Havn't seen you around much lately. Moving houses is no excuse!!!