Single from my solo project

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jpmarques

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This is a single from my solo project, no name for it yet, however the song's name is I am using you. I'm looking for some feedback on the song itself but also about the quality of the recording, maybe some tips on how I could make it better.



Hope you like it!
Thanks in advance!
 
Sound good, some nice chords going on. Maybe sounds a little too much like the strokes though, try a different arrangement maybe a larger sound - bigger guitars and more driving drums?? backing vocals??

The recording is nice for the style.
 
I'd recommend singing with your own voice and not trying to sound like Julien Casablanca.
 
the strokes mixed with kings of leon.....not my cup of tea...not my cup of juice either...not even a shot of liquor that i would drink at a party....but then again someone is going to like it...go for it
 
it sounds exactly like the Kings of Leon song called "The Bucket" then moves into a the Strokes song "Hard to Explain", then back to "The Bucket". I'd work on the vocals more, just smoothing it out a little bit, make sure you get all those notes. I'd compress the drum sound... and the guitar sound... if it was me I would use distorted guitars, but that's just me. actually I'd compress everything separately... just for the effect of compression on this song. it just needs more high end.

what they said - larger sound. try panning guitars. put more energy into it.
 
grn said:
it sounds exactly like the Kings of Leon song called "The Bucket" then moves into a the Strokes song "Hard to Explain", then back to "The Bucket".
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EXACTLY!!! I'm glad someone else noticed that
 
Man ... I don't want to be harsh, but this is literally the most unoriginal sounding thing I've ever heard in my life. I don't think you could sound more like the Strokes if you tried. Other than the fact that the guitar tones are a little different:

The vocal is obviously a copy
the vocal melody is a rip off
the lyrics are the same style
the chord progressions are the same
the guitar parts are the same (just the tone is a little cleaner)
the rhythms are the same


It's as close to plagiarism as you can get without being verbatim. I mean ... I don't know ... maybe you'll have a career in writing songs "in the style of" for commercials or something, because you've obviously got a talent for that.

I honestly can't believe you're considering "releasing" this as an album with your name on it.

And again, I'm not trying to just be harsh, but this, in my opinion, is unforgivable.
 
I'll be honest with you, I did inspire myself on the way the singer from Kings of Leon sings on The Bucket, but it was just a source of inspiration nothing more. No, I'm not a J. Casablanca wannabe, I just couldn't sing higher than this or I'd be screaming on parts of the song. As for the similarity to The Strokes you're not the first to mention that, but that came to me after composing the song... it came out naturally. Moreover, this was initially in a bossanova rythm, very slow and then evolved into a faster style.

I really don't see this as any plagiarism, not anymore than Jet are from The Beatles, or The Strokes are from Velvet Underground. There will always be connections and similarities between songs and music styles.

It would be wrong from me to change parts of the song, so they won't sound like some other band. If it came out this way naturally, then in my opinion that's how it should stay.
 
i don't listen to the strokes so i wouldn't know the comparison. all i know is that the drum sound and beat is super boring. and the vocals are too low and too dull sounding. maybe doing another track of vocals with some higher melodies would be a good idea?
 
jpmarques said:
I'll be honest with you, I did inspire myself on the way the singer from Kings of Leon sings on The Bucket, but it was just a source of inspiration nothing more. No, I'm not a J. Casablanca wannabe, I just couldn't sing higher than this or I'd be screaming on parts of the song. As for the similarity to The Strokes you're not the first to mention that, but that came to me after composing the song... it came out naturally. Moreover, this was initially in a bossanova rythm, very slow and then evolved into a faster style.

I really don't see this as any plagiarism, not anymore than Jet are from The Beatles, or The Strokes are from Velvet Underground. There will always be connections and similarities between songs and music styles.

It would be wrong from me to change parts of the song, so they won't sound like some other band. If it came out this way naturally, then in my opinion that's how it should stay.
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then don't ask for opinions if you're just going to get defensive.. it's obviously a strokes ripoff song and in no way original. basically, why bother because the strokes are already doing the same thing but better.
 
jpmarques said:
I'll be honest with you, I did inspire myself on the way the singer from Kings of Leon sings on The Bucket, but it was just a source of inspiration nothing more. No, I'm not a J. Casablanca wannabe, I just couldn't sing higher than this or I'd be screaming on parts of the song. As for the similarity to The Strokes you're not the first to mention that, but that came to me after composing the song... it came out naturally. Moreover, this was initially in a bossanova rythm, very slow and then evolved into a faster style.

I really don't see this as any plagiarism, not anymore than Jet are from The Beatles, or The Strokes are from Velvet Underground. There will always be connections and similarities between songs and music styles.

It would be wrong from me to change parts of the song, so they won't sound like some other band. If it came out this way naturally, then in my opinion that's how it should stay.
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Sorry, I have to wholeheartedly disagree with you there. Even if (and this is in absolutely no way true) you had written and recorded this song without ever even hearing the Strokes, you still should not call it your own. They did it first, and like was said, they do it better. Yes of course every artist or band is inspired by previous bands, and it's hard to draw the line between influence and outright stealing. But it's fairly easy to decide when someone's crossed the line, and I think most everyone here (who's heard the Strokes) will agree that you have done that.

If you "invent" something after it's already been invented, you simply can't take credit for it, even if you didn't know about the original. That's what copyrighting is all about. (And again, I'm not saying you didn't know about the Strokes, because this is the most blatant rip off I've ever heard. But EVEN IF you hadn't heard it, you still can't take credit for it. That's just the brakes.)

If you want to release this as your music, you're free to do so, but you're going to be hearing the same thing over and over again from everyone: "This sounds EXACTLY like .... (insert Strokes or Kings of Leon song)"

Who knows, the music business is so unscrupulous that you may even get away with it for a moment. After Blink 182 hit, there was Sum 41 and several other clone bands. After Nickelback came Default. So maybe you've got a shot at that. But unless you do some major searching for something even halfway original, that's all you'll ever even have a chance to be: a one-hit wonder clone band. And if that's what you're going for, you'd better practice up a whole lot right away, because you still have a little ways to go with your singing, and this style of music won't be around for much longer I'm sure.
 
I'm not getting defensive, I'm just justifying some of my thoughts. You're missing an earlier point I made, it would be extremely wrong and unforgivable if I wrote a song thinking like this: "I want to sound like The Strokes". What happened was that i wrote and then realised it had a Strokes feeling to it, it would be stupid to make it all over again. But hey guess what I fully respect your opinion, thats what i asked for in the first place. I just want to make sure you don't see me as someone with a deliberate intention to sound like this or that band...that's just not fair. It is an original track, because I made up the chords on my own and wrote the lyrics too, thats the definition of original.

Another thing, I have no intention and no possibility to release this, as I am in no way a professional musician.
 
I dunno, except for the first answer he got I think everybody's being a little too hard on jpmarques about plagiarism. I mean, I agree that we should all shoot for an individual unique sound. But he sounds like he's really just starting out - and isn't it part of the natural learning process to copy your influences first, even if you're not trying to, as you mature into a style of your own?

Tim
 
Timothy Lawler said:
I dunno, except for the first answer he got I think everybody's being a little too hard on jpmarques about plagiarism. I mean, I agree that we should all shoot for an individual unique sound. But he sounds like he's really just starting out - and isn't it part of the natural learning process to copy your influences first, even if you're not trying to, as you mature into a style of your own?

Tim
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Sure, but during that period I didn't post my songs on the internet... well, then again, 10 years ago I didn't have the internet so I guess I just destroyed my own point. carry on, gentlemen.
 
You're right Tim Lawler this is my first recording, and I share your thoughts as well, despite the song definitely having a Strokes feeling to it, it certainly is not intended as in plagiarism. However all the other guys who responded were just expressing their view on the song and I wasn't in anyway offended.

Shiatzu, the question is not about having or not Internet. It's about improving and if you don't show your songs to other people you will just be stuck in time.
 
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I disagree with those who have said not to plagiarize... this song IS different enough where you could probably legally get away with it. You may have to change one or two things, and if that is the case, I say put more energy into the vocal and guitar and go for it.

The very foundation of jazz and folk music, and even blues, which is where rock came from, is based on "borrowing" material. We would have no improvisational jazz if these artists did not "steal" and then make it their own. I say go for it... that's why folk music is dead today, no one feels they can borrow from someone else and make it their own and it still be good (plus they're worried about copyright laws with the damn RIAA up their asses, you can't even legally send a song to a friend according to them). I say fuck being original and just do what feels right. Originality is over rated. Hell, the Beatles always said they stole from other artists, always. I think Paul lifted one of his bass lines right from a Chuck Berry song note for note.

You don't need to be original, you just need to be good. If you are talented at your instrument, it does not matter. You will move forward and create something great.

"A good composer does not imitate; he steals." --Igor Stravinsky

Apologies for the rant. I just get upset, people are disrespecting each other over MUSIC! Who are you to talk about copyrights and the music industry when you're not in it, it's just hearsay. Even if you are, I don't agree with what they are doing - which is stifling creativity. We should encourage each other and share, not say "you're music is going out of style".

Rejecting the Beatles, 1962: "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." --Decca Recording Co.
 
Who are you to talk about copyrights and the music industry when you're not in it, it's just hearsay.
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Well, I know one of the posters has quite a few excellent books distributed by a major publishing house (no, it's not me but I wish it was). But I think most of the comments would have been more fitting applied to a professional who was doing a knock-off than to an amateur who was experimenting.

Tim
 
One of the reasons I thought he was going to be "releasing" this as a product was the title of his thread. He says "single from my solo project." I don't know about y'all, but when I hear "single," I think of something that's trying to get radio play. Maybe I shouldn't think that way, especially on a home recording bbs, but I've heard some excellent stuff around here, so I don't assume that these people couldn't by chance be releasing an actual "single."

I had no idea that this was his first recording or that he's just starting out. He doesn't say anything like that in his first post.

So I apologize if I was too harsh. In my mind, JP, you had a full-length album ready to go, and this was going to be your first "single" off that album. I was pretty sure it wasn't a major label release or anything, but I thought maybe it was going to be on some small indie label or something. My bad.

I agree people do start off by imitating their influences; that's only natural. But you can only take that so far until you need to start finding your own voice. Otherwise, you're not going to get very far. People are just going to dismiss you as a knock-off. That's all I'm saying.
 
If this was a sped-up bossa nova, why not slow it back down, let it be a little more atmospheric? Drop the snare hits on the two, and rewrite the melody lifted from Hard to Explain. Record a harmony vocal part on the title line during the chorus.
 
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