Psychedelic doom/drone

[rpopescu]

Hello gents,

Please be gentle, this is one of my first attempts at both recording and mixing.
The stuff's done on a Tascam 424 MKIII (4 track tape recorder), using a Gibson SG, an Edwards Les Paul, Orange Tiny Terror, and Korg Microkorg.
There's three guitar tracks and a synth track.

The music is supposed to be a bit on the heavy, distorted, repetitive side.

Unfortunately while transferring from tape to the computer I have overloaded a bit the signal I think, because at the build-up near the end there's some digital distortion which is not present when playing the tape. Oh well live and learn!
So here it is: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=861206&content=songinfo&songID=6779169

Comments and advice welcome!

 

[acattoir]

Must be good cause now I want to kill myself!
Really though, this could be a very interesting musical score for a movie scene. You've got something intereresting going here I think. Keep going with this. I have no critique at this early stage.
ac

 

[rpopescu]

Hey thanks!

I thought I'd post a few more details. All tracks are on their first take; song was written on the spot as each track was laid down.
About the sucky playing: I'm what they call a bedroom guitarist (although technically I do have my separate gear room), never had any lessons, and probably never will, although the wife insist on it... I think she has a point, but a long time ago I've seen one of my friends playing Bach and Paganini on the guitar and decided then that I'm never going to learn how to play, as it's obviously really difficult, and I think the more you learn, the more you realise that you have a lot more to learn, and I don't really have the time to get into that. As long as other people find it passable, I'm pleased. Then it's off to my imagination and such to compensate for lack of technique.
Anyway... I guess I'm digressing... I've in plan this "album", suite of songs, about in the same vein of this, designed to portray some creatures from the Romanian bestiary. This song is the first of the series, and it's roughly translated as "The Earth-Dog is dreaming". This Earth-Dog creature is basically a dog, but it lives underground, far away from villages and fountains (wells), preferably under graveyards, and it attacks people wondering lost in night, and bites the nose of the dead, unless they carry a coin in their mouths. You can hear him howling at night when the Strigoi come out (undead souls). Funny sort of chap don't you think?

 

[VomitHatSteve]

This is a pretty good job.

My primary complaint is that it gets a little repetitive. Throughout the whole song, the only thing that really changes is the synthesizers getting louder and the feedback at the end.

What the song really needs is a definite melody line. You've got the ambient synths and the rhythm guitar, which both sound good, but without a melody of some sort to give the song direction, it just kind of seems to meander for a while before ending. It doesn't have to be a good melody (look at some old Black Sabbath for precedent!), just some melody.

 

[rpopescu]

Thanks for the positive appreciation!
As far as the repetitiveness goes, this is supposed to be quite repetitive... A dark room and being under influence help a lot Meandering along is not that bad, this is supposed to be psychedelic drone doom. I think! I definitely agree with you in principle, however, I think the critique can be applied to a lot of the songs from genre bands, Sunn O))) and Boris spring to mind. Also, having more than 4 tracks would have helped!! I'm actively searching for an 8-track now.
Personally I think that a drum track would go a long way to making it a much better song; think of very melodic, non-static drumming like the stuff Floyd and Sabbath's drummers would do over trippy passages. Unfortunately all I have is a software drum machine, which is good, but I ain't no drummer and can't do more than simple fills and rhythms.