100 songs in 100 days

http://100sketchesinsong.tumblr.com/ If I understand it correctly a friend of mine is planning on writing 100 songs in 100 days. That's quite a feat so it will be great to see how he goes and how he develops. If you're keen to tag along for the ride check out the link below: http://100sketchesinsong.tumblr.com/

He Who Guards the Fire - A Song By Dennis Liu

This song, or perhaps my interpretation of it, made me cry. It did this by making me think of the relationship between a father and a son as they and their relationship developed and aged to the point that one of them, the father, passes on. It is full of metaphors - many of which I'm sure I don't entirely follow but all of which I enjoy because of the possible interpretations they raise - I am particularly fond of the reference to an evergreen forest which, to me, suggests a desire to preserve the relationship or some golden aspect of it in a way that it never changes.

Gripes:

The lyrics feel a bit thesaurus-y at times and the odd line feels a bit out of place or unnecessary. While I really like the idea of echoes being more frightening than the sound of any beast I'm not convinced that the clarification of the reason that they are frightening is necessary, this explanatory line also lengthens the verse to the point where it becomes out of step with the others. Personally I feel that the echoes here are the sound of silence/the absence of the father. The explanation of why they are frightening runs counter to this though suggesting that it is what the echoes tell or have the potential to tell our narrator something about himself that is frightening, the echoes serve as a mirror.

In writing this I am talking myself round a bit. This is something I am always wary of when talking about something that is feeling based rather than fact based as it means I've pushing myself away from thinking with feelings and towards thinking with thoughts. That move feels dangerous. That being said that additional line could suggest to us that our narrator has not lived up to the expectations he has set for himself through his time with his father. This is very different from simply being alone in that it also reflects some sense of failure and/or disappointment.

How Could We Be? - A song by Dennis Liu

Dennis has been a friend for a while now.When I first met him I got the impression that he was something of a force to be reckoned with in the university's film group. Later I learnt that his talents extended to music as well.

Photo by Aaron Goodwin

While I know very little about music (I have actually said things like "I don't know what to call them, so I'm going to say... notes?") as a general rule I like his work. In fact my wife and I were lucky enough to have him play at our wedding during the bridal entrance and the signing of the register and we have a few of his EPs from a few years back. These days he has taken to releasing tracks online via bandcamp.

Like all of us he's continuing to develop his skills and talent - currently he's doing this by writing songs and recording them onto cassette tapes.

What follows are my impressions of 'How Could We Be'. I write them in the belief that providing or receiving honest opinions can be a great way to develop skills in yourself or others any area. As always though, when considering opinions, its important to consider the source and this source is not very well informed. Feel free to join me as I stab wildly in the dark.

Initial Impressions:

The song is soft and gentle, more suited to an intimate performance with people sitting and listening than dancing and singing along. If anyone is dancing in this fantasy land of mine they're damn good at it and their movements are slow and formal with the occasional step filling in a blank spot in the music. That being said it does seem to have an underlying - and slightly unusually paced - driving beat to it. It stops and starts in a fashion that draws you in while preventing any easy exaggerated seated rocking movements or lighter waving (thankfully). At points, such as the beginning and near the midpoint, the drawing-in highlights the lyrics. This in interesting in the sense that without these pauses, once the song had gotten under way, I found my attention wandering from the words of the lyrics to the tone of the lyrics. While I still heard the words the voice became less of a voice and more of an instrument - it accompanied the guitar rather than the other way around.

Grumps:

Personally I'm not a fan of the cassette recording. I'm not sure if it's intended as an aesthetic thing (akin to the vinyl is better argument), an authenticity thing (the need to get things right in one hit), a convenience factor (reduced post work), some kind of limitation to encourage enhanced creativity, or something else entirely but it doesn't work for me. The crackle in the silence is more distracting than charming. Chances are that doesn't matter though, chances are the recording medium isn't designed to impress me, chances are it's something that works for him for one of the earlier reasons or an entirely different one and, at the end of the day, that's all that matters.