Holywood Nose

E

Erland

New member
I recorded this song just after Runaway Rosie.

I am really pleased becasue I have written the 33 songs! YESSSSSSSSSSSssss! Just need to record them. I will also be in the Uk tommorow night. London Baby then back to Scotland.

This song is strange, recorded with the fourtrack, cheap mic and headphones and rushed in little time as usual but its about plasitc surgery and stuff like that. I saw this celebrity women deny that she had lip implants despite having huge sausage lips!

Enjoy or destroy

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/?aid=1375/album590

31. Holywood Nose

Erland
 
I really like this one, man. Might be my favorite from you actually. Great dynamics and writing. There is like a chorus vocal part that might need to come down a couple dB's. Levels are nice otherwise. Terrific song! I like the lyrics especially in this one.

If you haven't cleared you PM's since Monday, please do. I tried to respond. Let me know.

"Hollywood nose..." stuck up in the air right where you can reach it...

Great tune!
 
First listen: Nice vocals! Nice harmonies! Both on vocals and guitar.

Very nice guitar sound, though it could be a bit "fuller." Don't ask me how to do that -- I'm a newbie. :-)

Backup vocals are a little strong in the bridge or chorus or whatever that one part is. "When you look in the mirror... etc."

Love the strings.

Very original. I keep expecting a bass and drums to come in and pull it all together, but that's just me. I can SO hear some bass and drum parts that are funky as hell.

Again, love the strings.

Second listen: This is a very impressive song. You have some nice guitar chops and a pleasing vocal sound. Like SLuiCe, I like the lyrics.

This has become my mantra, but why can't we have more stuff like this on the radio? I'd much rather listen to this than Creed, Eminem or any of that other shit.

Great song. Thanks for sharing. A few little nit picks, but very enjoyable. I'll add it to my collection of stuff that definitely doesn't suck! :-)
 
Backup vocals are a little strong in the bridge or chorus or whatever that one part is. "When you look in the mirror... etc."
Click to expand...
I agree with that...but this is one really kool tune Erland. Voc's great as alway's!*****
 
I heard one of your other tunes on Dave Bakers show and was impressed and after listening to this I am even more impressed.
You have some serious talent my friend.Are you on the violin as well?
I may be in Hartfordshire ,England in febuary.If you think you could meet up with me some where,I will bring you a replacement for that cheap mic.
Sheppard
 
Holy Crap

You are the big E!

I dont think people have checked out your challenge. This dude is recording with a fourtrack and 24 dollar mic! People still nitpick at the sound and request bass and drums. I agree that these additions would make this sparke but I feel one day you might rerecord your songs. I know I would not be able to do this in the time you have and equipment you have. So big pat on the back Erland. Now I have to go write something, lol.

Bird
 
Yeah, ok, you're great. My girlfriend has fantasies of running away with you....so just stoppit already!

Ok?
 
Sounds great Erland, great guitar again, cool lyrics and harmonies. Oh yeah, I think you meant "Hollywood" as opposed to "Holywood". Unless of course, you were going for some pun type thing...:)
 
At 1:23, as this first 'choral refrain' enters everything has worked very nicely and this first line in this first choral refrain works nicely, it's as if it is not part of this song, as if another song is singing within this one, as if someone is singing about this song, very effective.

I feel like the 'pace' of the song is interrupted however, the energy of the song is reduced, as the listener is waiting to long for the second line of this first choral refrain and I think you can shave 2 beats off and pop the second line in sooner, creating more of a 'round' or 'row row row your boat effect' with the tagline that is being repeated underneath it. This is all very complex and I like it.

Just seems like there's a hole from 1:31 to 1:33. A little nibbling on the violin here might fill that well. Somthing even more simple than what you do with the violins at 2:21 to 2:24. At 1:31 to 1:33 to fill with the violins ... just some brushing of the G-string in 16th notes, no trill or mordent, just to foreshadow the use of that device later, and giving a most basic representation of that 'fill device' so that later it is even more welcomed and expected and embraced by the listener as you 'develop' the violins in that 'role'.

At 3:21 to 3:24 your presentation of the idea of creating a brief crescendo with the violins and then an abrupt stop to leave a wide open clean slate to again restate the hook upon is well done.

And I think I'm guessing correctly when I see a picture of you pinching your own nose while singing these last hooks, eh ?

The line 'I'm sure you feel frightened ... " is actually very psychologically deep I think ... what do they feel frightened of, this new 'plastic look' or the fear of aging again, or the fear of their own pretense ... or what ... good writing.

All throughout the song you must realize this is one of your most lyrically 'dense' works especially in the verse. As I'm sure you are reaching a point of exhaustion and are probably laying on the proverbial writer's table with your tongue hanging out, this song deserves the extra attention on reducing sibilance and making the vocal as understandable as possible.

Taking in a bit of bitters and lime before singing a song like this can do a trick.

The levels at which you mix the vocals throughout are getting more intuitive, you are on target with your vocal levels. As you might realize at this point, there is no instrument or musical device, or part in any of your work that deserves the 'stage' over your vocal. Your vocal sells everything, never relegate it to anything less than the 'obvious' star in all of your work to date.

Perhaps just generally a even a little more pep, or staccatto singing of the lyric, cutting off the words earlier and approaching each with a just a touch more explosive energy, popping them out with the lower tummy so to speak.

Anywhoodle, you are certainly pushing the engineering limits of your 4-track that's for sure. You are squeezing the last bits of juice out of that machine. I think you can look forward to months if not a year, of serious re-recording and mixing and mastering etc ...

I think you are certainly the type of person who can put together a seriously tight and well crafted plan of attack to enter an expensive and really nice studio and pull off some great work on a handful of songs in a days time. I can't wait to hear some of these done in a nice studio, or at your home where you might have more gear or friends who will be fighting each other to be a part of your 'post-production'.

And I think out of all your songs you can really put together a smashing CD which will sell very well. NPR and World Cafe loves this type of music and thematic storyline.

As always I hope I can lend an effort for your strings with my stable of violins, violas and cellos.

And I think you've been practicing your violin eh ? The work on the G-string went well in this song, and it was mixed very appropriately. Sounded like a bit of red zinfandel sloshing around in the bottom of the bottle ... errr ... that's good mate.
 
Erland,

Another good song. I've been away from the board this summer, but my plan when I came back was to find the latest stuff from Erland. I remembered you were traveling and planning on writing a bunch of stuff. Much to my supri(eyes), you're at the top of thread.

I'm at work, so I can't comment on the mix. There are points in the song where I'm expecting the melody to go one way, and you take me somewhere else .... nice.

Vocals (and arrangment) are excellent - they make up for any mixing faux pas. I know this is a mixing thread - but the song and vocals are so good, I don't care. I just like the song.

Who's playing the violin (?)?. As I recall, your wife plays ... right? Sounds good in any case.

HOT LINE: "You haven't turned the clock back, you're just hypnotized"

SLuiCe makes a good observation about Hollywood nose's being stuck up. Lyrically, that work's nicely.

There's a couple of spots in the vocal I swear I'm hearing Axl Rose . LOL.

BPOCO
 
I'm with Tom...

Above that: I didn't know you got this stuff in you too. Now I love you even more...(hope my wife doesn't read this) :) And you should do it more often ;)

All mixing comments have been said already. So I just say the usual:

I love it.
 
You know I would have thought that by the time you reached 33 you would have been exhausted, creatively beaten down, etc. Instead you have gotten better and better. I think you have expanded your writing. This song is fantastic. You may have saved the best for last!

This may be kind of weird to say, but I am proud of you. You set a very hard goal and made it coming out stronger on the other side. What an experience. It was fun to watch the trip from here.

Great work!

*****
 
Man, you do this stuff while on the road!

Wow, really cool stuff. This should be the theme for the new TV series called Nip & Tuck--about plastic surgery.

Nice work.
 
wow... great song. i would agree that the guitar sound could be a little thicker, but considering you got it all with a $23 mic, i'm not going to complain.

again, really nice.
 
very pleased

So here I am back in London, wow what a trip. Got my laptop with all my stuff on and I really just want to sneak off and record the last few songs for this. Its been great and I have been really inspired by the people on this board so I will send a Cd to anyone who wants all 33 and post them up too. Gimme a couple of weeks to get back in the saddle and see me family!

Anyway a few more posts to go before that.

So thanks and goodnight.

SLuiCe. Hi man, thanks for that. I agree about the levels but I suppose its hit and miss really. I`m glad you liked this one, I was inspired by your harmonic guitar solos so I thought I would try something with that. Yup you nailed the nose thing. Later.

Hi participant. Yehhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

PiltdownMan. Hey cheers for checking it out. Man If I had a bass I would slap it, a drum I would beat it but well I dont. I would love to do a full production like you mention one day, when I`m older and wiser. Cheers.

freshears. Yeh I agree, I supposes I was going for impact. Thanks for the comments and listieng man. Cheers.

SHEPPARDB. Man, thats amazing. I must check that out immediately! You just made my day even better, thanks. I would be afull to say no. Perhaps I will be in the London area too. Cool. Yup thats me on the fiddle. Its not my fiddle though and I aint good, I just layered it up. Great fun though!

songbird. Hey there, well cheers for that pat on the back! I`m just trying to beat a challenge and I am glad you noticed. So thanks alot for that. All the best birdy.

jake-owa. LOL, thanks for having a wee listen, your girlfriend too.

FattMusiek. Yup thats it hollywood. I`m really bad at typing. Thanks for listeing to this wierd song. Great stuff man, cheers.

studioviols. Wow, your great, really great. All I will say is that I would be honored to get the next song stringed up by you. You have given me a great critique and great advice, I take it all in by the a way. Could you work on track 33. Songbook. I would love a real string arrangment. Its a very simple song, so you could really do what ever you wanted to fill it up. I look farward to getting that out to you.

Hi bpoco, thats really something. I am so pleased you want to check out my stuff. Very nice review man, cheers. Yeh thats me on the viloin, but man I`m only 23, I dont have a WIFE! I put some pictures on the challenge site too. Cnat wait to get all 33 to you. All the best.

Pedullist. LOl, your a great lad! Cheers for listening and commenting too. Check you later Pedullist.

skids. Oh wow, thats not a funny thing to say. I really am so pleased you mentioned that and I`m glad you checked out my progress. I feel much more confident and when I have that I can scream out the song before i`ve had a chance to anylise and care too much, thats when I know it real fun.

Anyway its late and I`m pleased to back in the Uk and pleased I made it to 33. So good night and cheers.

ps. Sloop, thanks for the listen. LOL nice idea.

www.geocities.com/erlandcooper
 
Great stuff. I like the tone of the accoustic a lot. I'm pretty picky about accoustic tracking (even though I suck at it myself). Great arangement.

btw, I heard Runaway Rose after chasing the link to the radio show, excellent song.
 
sweet :D congrats mate. once you've got that cd done, get it mastered and send it out to some record companies. I'm pretty sure you WILL get a fair bit of interest if thats your bag. Then meet up with me, so we can have a jam before you become all rich and arsey :p

Well done mate!!

Ian...........
 
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