You're not the Sheriff

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fritsthegirl

fritsthegirl

Taste of home
I feel like I'm inundating the clinic with my stuff...sorry. I was just thinking how it's a bit of a bummer I'm not as productive with everything else in my life. :D

I 'learned' the midi function for this, and got myself a mellotron plug in.
It's a bit of a corny, warbly sound, but I kind of like that about it. It's all panned dead center, give or take 20% on the midi instruments. I used a few filters on the vocals and guitars this time. I like it, but maybe you think it sounds a bit naff and I'm sure there's a lot of room for improvement. Be quite keen to hear what, if anything, you would add (or remove) to it. Or if there is something on the guitars that sounds shitty.

I tried to get the singing sounding more confident, and the levels of this right in the mix. Seems I misjudge this most often. Also attempted to clean up all the lip smacks.

Thanks heaps for listening and if you can be bothered, I'm always keen to hear your feedback, good and bad. Cheers. :)



You're not the Sheriff

I couldn't care less
how much money you’re making
or what you are faking
to get what you want.

You’re dressed up in Gucci
and weighed down with gold
going round in your circles
with other souls sold.

You think that you own me,
but I see straight through you
I never look down.

Oh you think you’re above me,
but you’re not the sheriff of this little town.

I’m sorry I asked
when your face is so masked
with your vacuous smile
and your robotic style.

I hate your fake beauty
& chintzy mauve chairs
and your shiny white floors
reflect judgmental stares.

You think that you own me,
but I see straight through you
I never look down.

Oh you think you’re above me,
but you’re not the sheriff of this little town.

So leave me alone now,
with your inflated ego and misguided pride.
I won’t get my nose brown,
while I am the sheriff of this little town.
 
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A great chunck of Kirsty McColl on this one & that's a BIG plus from me.
I use mellotron wav files that I cut & paste - I LOVE the instrument - it's often a case that I need to plonk some significant reverb on it though just to get it closer to how it used to sound.
As I listened & thought of Kirsty I also thought that you could get away with a 2nd (12 string) acoustic guitar playing double time behind the 1st.
I really like the song - I like the rhyme of smile & style - I like the voice & melody as well.
I like the package actually.
If you've not listened to the late Ms McColl (or MacColl) look her up particularly Don't Play the Cowboy with Me Sonny Jim, Free World and all of Kite actually.
Nice stuff.
 
Love this one. It's probably the best produced one you've done yet, if not your best song.

Lyrics were thoughtful, the mellotron really works for me, and the guitars sounded nicer here. I thought one chord sounded a bit sour at :24 when it rang out.

Your voice is in a better place here in terms of level and clarity. I enjoyed not having to try too hard to hear it and make out what you were saying. Do you add any sort of reverb or delay to your vocals at all? They're really dry, which may be best for this and may help with clarity, but I wonder if just a touch of one or both of those FX would give it some depth as well? I dunno...I'm a sucker for FX, so take that into account. I've listened a few times since you posted and will be listening again.
 
This is your best mix I've heard from you yet in here frits. The slightly jarring mellotron sounds great and the dryness is almost like an effect in itself - you get so used to hearing reverb to knit things together that it's weird that the lack of it actually stands out.

Really liked the lyrics - they're really cutting and raised a wry smile. Excellent stuff :)
 
I enjoyed the counter melodies with the mellotron. You've got a great voice.

I noticed your rhyming schemes were not consistent. In one verse, it's ABBC, another is ABCB, and yet another is AABB

I couldn't care less - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A
how much money you’re making - - - - - B
or what you are faking - - - - - - - - - - - B
to get what you want. - - - - - - - - - - - C

You’re dressed up in Gucci - - - - - -A
and weighed down with gold - - - - B
going round in your circles - - - - - C
with other souls sold. - - - - - - - - B

I’m sorry I asked - - - - - - - - -A
when your face is so masked - -A
with your vacuous smile - - - - -B
and your robotic style. - - - - - - B


Ideally, you use one rhyming scheme in the verses and another in the choruses. Although, in music there are no laws so not actually necessary. Just guidelines. Only fools and geeks like me notice this stuff, so don't let it concern you. :)
 
I want drums and bass in this song! Other than that, I love the style you've executed. I love your harmonies and guitar playing.
 
Chili said:
I noticed your rhyming schemes were not consistent.

[...]

Ideally, you use one rhyming scheme in the verses and another in the choruses. Although, in music there are no laws so not actually necessary. Just guidelines.
Click to expand...

I really didn't notice the varied rhyming scheme. That said, I find that it didn't detract anything from the song. Varying the rhyming scheme might actually work though; if she had set up a certain expected rhyming scheme and then pulled a fast one on us by changing it it could add some interest.

Like having the first two verses as ABBC and switching up the last verse as ABCB or something.

Regardless, I like the song; your voice has improved a lot over the last couple of things you posted here :D
 
rayc said:
A great chunck of Kirsty McColl on this one & that's a BIG plus from me.
I use mellotron wav files that I cut & paste - I LOVE the instrument - it's often a case that I need to plonk some significant reverb on it though just to get it closer to how it used to sound.
As I listened & thought of Kirsty I also thought that you could get away with a 2nd (12 string) acoustic guitar playing double time behind the 1st.
I really like the song - I like the rhyme of smile & style - I like the voice & melody as well.
I like the package actually.
If you've not listened to the late Ms McColl (or MacColl) look her up particularly Don't Play the Cowboy with Me Sonny Jim, Free World and all of Kite actually.
Nice stuff.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ray. I had a quick listen to Kirsty, she's got a lovely voice. That tune is kind of a bit Irish sounding. I'll have to listen to a bit more of her, always great to add some new & excellent music to my collection.

Hmm a 12 string you say, if I had one I'd give it a try. I did attempt doubling the rhythm guitar part with my acoustic but it sounded pants. I don't really know why, but I can never get a double track of acoustic and electric to sound good together.
 
heatmiser said:
Love this one. It's probably the best produced one you've done yet, if not your best song.

Lyrics were thoughtful, the mellotron really works for me, and the guitars sounded nicer here. I thought one chord sounded a bit sour at :24 when it rang out.

Your voice is in a better place here in terms of level and clarity. I enjoyed not having to try too hard to hear it and make out what you were saying. Do you add any sort of reverb or delay to your vocals at all? They're really dry, which may be best for this and may help with clarity, but I wonder if just a touch of one or both of those FX would give it some depth as well? I dunno...I'm a sucker for FX, so take that into account. I've listened a few times since you posted and will be listening again.
Click to expand...

Cool bananas! Thanks Heat, I'm so relieved you said that about the production, because I did spend some serious time combing each track and getting the recording just so. I won't tell you how often I re-did the vocals - but in the end it doesn't matter, as long as it's an improvement.

It's good you say that about the reverb, I did have a bit on the higher vocals in the refrain, but then wimped out. Still a bit unsure about using stuff I don't plainly hear & understand. I mean I hear it but I just can't tell if it makes it better sometimes so I tend to err on the side of caution. I need to live a little, so I might play around with this a bit.

As for the weird note, that was a bit sloppy of me. It was just a few end notes of the intro picking bit that shouldn't have been there. Fixed that now. At least I hope that's the off note you were talking about...

Thanks for the compliments, really appreciate it.
 
robgreen said:
This is your best mix I've heard from you yet in here frits. The slightly jarring mellotron sounds great and the dryness is almost like an effect in itself - you get so used to hearing reverb to knit things together that it's weird that the lack of it actually stands out.

Really liked the lyrics - they're really cutting and raised a wry smile. Excellent stuff :)
Click to expand...

Coooool, thanks Rob! I'm totally in love with the sound of that mellotron. I never would have tried it if my friend hadn't mentioned in passing that it was his favourite sound EVER.

Glad you enjoyed the lyrics. I was thinking of my boss when I wrote them. He really fires me up...in a bad way. :D
 
Chili said:
I enjoyed the counter melodies with the mellotron. You've got a great voice.

I noticed your rhyming schemes were not consistent. In one verse, it's ABBC, another is ABCB, and yet another is AABB

Ideally, you use one rhyming scheme in the verses and another in the choruses. Although, in music there are no laws so not actually necessary. Just guidelines. Only fools and geeks like me notice this stuff, so don't let it concern you. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks Chilli. Fair dos about the rhyming. It does give a more recognizable and familiar flow for the listener. I think the only reason I didn't adhere to the rule on this occasion was because, uuuuhhhm...I thought I could get away with it. :)
 
powerkor_pgh said:
I want drums and bass in this song! Other than that, I love the style you've executed. I love your harmonies and guitar playing.
Click to expand...

It's never enough I know! :) Unfortunately, I don't have drums or bass, so I never really think of them missing from the song until someone says it. And then I think, yeh...a bass, a 12 string, a drum kit, etc...go and get these....today. Maybe I might try making a drum track for the next tune, or ask someone who can drum to do it for me. Been a bit reluctant to so far, because I don't think my songs have been up to the quality I would feel happy to ask someone to spend their time on it. Thanks for the listen.
 
Another nice little gem. I think the recording is very clean and well done. The carnival sounding organ whatever it is sounds great. I really like your lyrics too, and I generally pay no attention to lyrics at all. And your accent is awesome. I know it's just they way you talk and probably no big deal to you, but I love it when someone's regional accent stays true in their singing. Especially female singers. I disagree about drums and bass. I love me some drums, but I haven't heard a song from you yet that really needs them. A simple subtle bass line might be good, but it's not necessary to me. Keep up the good work.
 
SloppyJo said:
I really didn't notice the varied rhyming scheme. That said, I find that it didn't detract anything from the song. Varying the rhyming scheme might actually work though; if she had set up a certain expected rhyming scheme and then pulled a fast one on us by changing it it could add some interest.

Like having the first two verses as ABBC and switching up the last verse as ABCB or something.

Regardless, I like the song; your voice has improved a lot over the last couple of things you posted here :D
Click to expand...

I love how everyone sheds such different perspectives on stuff. I seriously wouldn't have got to this point without it.

Hey I'm glad you think my voice has improved. It's a combo of confidence and recording technique I think. I've had a listen to those first songs I posted and I seriously can't believe I was brave enough to post those now. How embarrassing. :o
 
Nicely done!! I like it. I think you have a choice here. You can leave it as is without additional instruments and without effects such as reverb...etc.........and keep it really intimate sounding....like a sort of personal performance from the front row. Or...you could add more to it and change the dimension of the sound but the feel would be vastly different and I think less appealing. Well done.
 
Greg_L said:
Another nice little gem. I think the recording is very clean and well done. The carnival sounding organ whatever it is sounds great. I really like your lyrics too, and I generally pay no attention to lyrics at all. And your accent is awesome. I know it's just they way you talk and probably no big deal to you, but I love it when someone's regional accent stays true in their singing. Especially female singers. I disagree about drums and bass. I love me some drums, but I haven't heard a song from you yet that really needs them. A simple subtle bass line might be good, but it's not necessary to me. Keep up the good work.
Click to expand...

Cripes, I don't know what to do with all that positive feedback, except to say thanks a lot. Actually you got me thinking about my accent, I never really thought about it but it gave me a funny idea. So cheers for that, and the kind words.
 
Mickster said:
Nicely done!! I like it. I think you have a choice here. You can leave it as is without additional instruments and without effects such as reverb...etc.........and keep it really intimate sounding....like a sort of personal performance from the front row. Or...you could add more to it and change the dimension of the sound but the feel would be vastly different and I think less appealing. Well done.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Mickster, I'm definitely more of the former in style, personality...and skill. :D
 
This is really great. Love the mellotron. Harmonies are awesome, and your productions are getting better by leaps and bounds with each song. This is very catchy. Musically, the arrangement works very well. The keyboard line fits perfectly.

I wouldn't worry about the rhyme scheme. Bob dylan, The Beatles and probably every great song writer has had odd rhyme schemes. If anything, it tickles the ear to hear a rhyme you're not expecting, or not hear a rhyme you are expecting.

I like all your songs, but they seem to be SOUNDING better with each new one.

First song I listen to this morning. I'm sure it will be in my head all day.
 
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