February Album Writing Month - FAWM.ORG

headfirstonly (@headfirstonly)

progress: 20

winner!
joined: January 29 2009
location: Gloucestershire, UK
website: headfirst.www.idnet.com/about_music.htm
influences: Pretty much anything and everything I listen to...

Bio

I had a real blast completing FAWM last year and I'm looking forwards to more madness this time around.

Music is a hobby rather than a profession, but it's always been an obsession. I used to play gigs as a keyboard player back in the 1980s and I've acquired quite a roster of synths over the years; my main workhorse these days is a Korg M3. I also play acoustic and electric guitar, fretted and fretless bass, Chapman Stick and Theremin. Expect all of the above to appear on this year's tracks. My recording gear is a mix of dedicated hardware (KORG D3200) and computer based DAW software (n-Track and Ableton Live).

I can't recommend FAWM highly enough as a way of getting to know what you (and your kit!) are really capable of. And although vocals are way outside my comfort zone, I'm making an effort this year to ensure that the songs outnumber the instrumentals...

***

February 22nd: And as I hit 14 songs I've finally installed a set of proper monitors in my studio. Which has meant that I've listened to all of this and realised that it all needs remixing. Argh!

February 26th: General consensus seems to be that I've found a singing voice that works. I just hope Roger Waters doesn't want it back.

March 4th: The songs have indeed outnumbered the instrumentals, and even I can hear the improvement in my singing from last year. At 19 original songs and one collaboration I've far exceeded my goal this year, and it's all down to the great feedback and encouragement I've received from fellow FAWMers. Thank you to everyone who commented, and special thanks to @mattblick for giving me the opportunity to work on my first collab. You folks rock.

I have filled up my Soundcloud account (see link above) with stuff, should you be interested in hearing other music I've written...

cheers
Chris

2012 Songs

1	Get Out There	7 comments // 3 months ago
2	One for Lilly	7 comments // 3 months ago
3	Hack the Gibson	10 comments // 3 months ago
4	The Endless Cycle	2 comments // 3 months ago
5	Spaces	4 comments // 3 months ago
6	Mental Boogie	6 comments // 3 months ago
7	Spirit of the West	3 comments // 3 months ago
8	Working on the Moon	4 comments // 3 months ago
9	Monastic Plastic	4 comments // 3 months ago
10	Shut Up	15 comments // 3 months ago
11	Gear Acquisition Syndrome	7 comments // 3 months ago
12	Petrichor	3 comments // 3 months ago
13	Fair Means or Fowl	5 comments // 3 months ago
14	Dog Tired	5 comments // 2 months ago
15	F-15	5 comments // 2 months ago
16	Nevada	8 comments // 2 months ago
17	Proton Decay	3 comments // 2 months ago
18	Cheese On Toast (with mattblick)	8 comments // 2 months ago
19	Promised You The Galaxy	2 comments // 2 months ago
20	Proteus	3 comments // 2 months ago

Soundboard

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dragondreams 2 months ago

Many thanks, Chris.

I loved your finale track too!
mikedebenham 2 months ago

Thanks for the kind words, headfirst. Thanks also for reducing my desire to kiss Sir Terry Pratchett. Didn't realise he was part of the salmiakki cult. Hmm, I may have to reassess my opinion of his books.
foxis 2 months ago

Congrats on "winning" (by a big margin)! And thanks for your comment on my one and only song. Life sort of got in the way....

I'll try to have a listen to your stuff as soon as my life is less chaotic!
Take care!
solarrainuk 2 months ago

Appreciate the kind words, thank you. Glad you enjoyed the tracks
mattblick 2 months ago

Douglas Adams - correct! - I'm just about to post the lyrics/quotes
mattblick 2 months ago

Thanks - that's brilliant - just the right blend of hairy-chested, personal wind machine 80s fromage. I'll slap up a quick mix and then fix and remix post FAWM - I've named you as a collaborator, so feel free to put anything in the updates about what synths you used or any such info you want
lowartmusic 2 months ago

Thanks for the great feedback on Infinite Standby
mattblick 2 months ago

Excellent - I've put up the version so far.
*30101
Will email you the chords tomorrow and obviously update the track when I get your part. Thanks a lot!
toms 2 months ago

Thank you, Headfirstonly, and congrats on an awesome win!

edit: I listened to about 1/2 of these. You have quite a range in your compositions!
timothybracken 2 months ago

Thanks for the comment! Man, you've got a lot of songs here! Gotta have a good listen...
mattblick 2 months ago

Hey Chris - thanks for the comment on Sadie's Sister - I to am second time FAWMER and totally agree with you. Is there anychance you would be able/interested in doing a keyboard track for an 80s pop rock/hair metal pastiche I'm going to put up today? Something like, I send you a mp3 and chord sheet and you send me back a WAV or mp3? As you've already won & have so many synths and all....?

BTW - love 'Street Cop'!
BTWBTW - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0225216/
$\'Old Foot Dupree\' (Danielle) - livinginthemusic$ livinginthemusic 2 months ago

Thanks so much for your comments on Is Ma Li Nu Tian Don. Glad you liked it I've gotten around to adding some more songs--this time in regular english!
johnnycashpoint 2 months ago

Cute giant robot dogs for teh WIN!
debs 2 months ago

@headfirstonly I enjoyed the blog - thanks for posting it! And I'm watching the TED talk right now!

You said: " One way to describe the process is that it feels like I'm discovering something rather than making it. Perversely, although this sounds like I have less conscious control over the creative process when I work this way, the music that I create is almost always far more satisfying. I enjoy listening to it much more..... I've learned to really treasure pieces I've written that turn out like this."

This is absolutely exactly it. It feels like it comes "through you, and not from you" (to quote Kahlil Gibran on an entirely different topic). And it is somehow more satisfying
darcistrutt 2 months ago

Glad you enjoyed our little trip back to 1960 movie land. Thanks for letting us know!
orphansongs 3 months ago

Thank you for your kind words.
bradbrubaker 3 months ago

Thanks for the comment on the Napalm Lipbalm track. A mighty nice compliment for a track I was a little shaky about.
mojo 3 months ago

Mrreow amrreew! Meeeeeeew! *purrrrrrr*
[Mojo thanks you for your comments and is glad you appreciate catcore.]
timfatchen 3 months ago

Thanks for the nice Pliocene comment. Absynth 5, yes indeedy, and there are sooooooo many sounds that other have created that it takes real effort to make your own from scratch. Those were all already-created sound patches. But one can tweak, and morph and build/substract...in fact one could spend a lifetime sound-designing and forget to actually use it in making music! Native Instruments runs short sales from time to time, I think I picked up Absynth for $90 or something at a one-day Thanksgiving sale (download).
downburst 3 months ago

Thanks! You're very kind. I followed you back on Soundcloud. I look forward to some listening.
aardvarkk 3 months ago

Hey there! Thanks for your comment on track *25469. I definitely use sidechaining here and there. In that particular track, I sidechained a pad around the 2:30 mark without keeping the actual sidechain signal active. You get a sort of "reverse sidechain", in which you can hear the pumping, but can't hear the signal that's causing it. Thanks again for your interest, and I'm glad you enjoyed the track!
dragondreams 3 months ago

You are VERY kind, thank you.

And I'm looking forward to your track 10! The problem is, you've got me hunting through all the ads for a Stick of my own...

I've bookmarked your web site in readiness for the day when I finally get my hands on one!
kidd 3 months ago

Best. Dinosaur. Ever!
timothybracken 3 months ago

Hey, thanks for the comment!
shutyatrap 3 months ago

Thanks for taking the time to listen to my work. I will back to listen to some of your tracks soon.
seantwright 3 months ago

thanks for the kind words about my music.
samhealer 3 months ago

Thanks for the comment Have to admit, I've never particularly heard any of Jarvis Cocker's work, I'll have to have a listen at some point!
explodingmary 3 months ago

Have to get a kit, now.
headfirstonly 3 months ago

@dragondreams Already working on it
dragondreams 3 months ago

Many, many thanks for being the first to stop by and leave a comment!

I'm desperate to hear that Chapman Stick of yours strutting its stuff!