Artist Bio
Influences: Raised in the 80s, so I'm pretty much equally influenced by singer songwriters and blues rock, post punk and electro pop, obscure indie and chart bangers. I love it all, basically.
I'm, Neil, a writer and musician from Glasgow, Scotland. I've been songwriting on and off since the 80s, for myself and for various bands, including the much-missed murnie (https://murnie.bandcamp.com). Musically and lyrically, expect the unexpected. I'm really not a fan of the expected (except when it's absolutely the right thing to do, and even then you'll have to twist my arm).
As of 2020, I've started releasing my FAWM songs under the soubriquet: The Disappointed Skeptics Club (https://thedisappointedskepticsclub.bandcamp.com/releases).
2021 is FAWM number four for me. Last year was the first year that I succeeded in properly recording and releasing an album of FAWM songs. This year my aim is to repeat that feat. And, since last year's songs ended up being a stylistic rummage through my musical past, I think I'm going to try and focus on developing a consistent contemporary sound.
Lyrically, this year's theme is gonna be: Monsters.
Pronouns: He/Him
Songs (19)
| #1 | Fixer Upper |
30 Feb 3 |
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| #2 | Here Come Them Monsters |
24 Feb 5 |
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| #3 | Rooted |
16 Feb 7 |
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| #4 | Jerry, Just Leave Already |
20 Feb 8 |
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| #5 | Attic and Basement |
18 Feb 8 |
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| #6 | Zombievangelism |
17 Feb 10 |
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| #7 | The Chimera Enthusiast |
19 Feb 11 |
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| #8 | The Salt Solution |
14 Feb 13 |
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| #9 |  Head On |
20 Feb 15 |
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| #10 | A Retreat  |
9 8 weeks |
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| #11 | Mnemosyne |
11 8 weeks |
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| #12 | Exaltation and Murder |
13 8 weeks |
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| #13 | Black Cab Driver |
16 8 weeks |
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| #14 | Brightsiding |
10 7 weeks |
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| #15 | Found Footage |
13 7 weeks |
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| #16 | Everybody Falls |
11 7 weeks |
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| #17 | Silver Moon Story |
14 7 weeks |
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| #18 | Mon Leviathan Secret |
8 7 weeks |
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| #19 | Map and Treasure |
9 7 weeks |
Soundboard
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@timfatchen 6 weeks
What? it's taken this long and the "who's still here" thread for me to get here? Ah well...
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@emkaydeebee 6 weeks
The sheet physics/biology of the skull means we never hear ourself like we actually sound whilst we’re the ones producing the sound, so hearing recordings are always going to sound different and thus “wrong”. So as you say, having others like it is perhaps best we can hope for. I personally have huge hang ups about my own singing voice.
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@emkaydeebee 6 weeks
Oh goodness, it's been an absolute pleasure! There's only a couple of people on here that I listen to every single track from, and you're one. When I described your voice in the first one as like a sonic hug, I meant it - it's feels like coming home to hear a voice that's now so familiar. Bravo on a brilliant month!
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@emkaydeebee 6 weeks
Wow - they sound delicious!!
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@kathym 6 weeks
I'm still trying to catch up on all of the thank you's that I owe people for stopping by my song pages and I am very touched by thoughts that you have shared on my song "Tumbling". I will be developing this song further and will keep your input handy so I can make sure it's the best I can make it. The input that I receive from other songwriters is always taken to heart and I know that often times it helps make my songs stronger. Thank you so much for your time and support, Neil, and for connecting with me on this one. <3
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@emkaydeebee 6 weeks
What on earth is golabki?!?
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@vuduluv 6 weeks
thx so much for your kind words re my song. much love...
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@tamsnumber4 6 weeks
Thanks for listening to my songs "I Am Frankenstein", "Amelia" and my collab song "Where I Want You / By My Side", I appreciate it!!
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@kathym 6 weeks
I'm finally catching up on all of the overdue thank you notes for having stopped to consider my song Sweet Louise. I take all comments to heart and truly appreciate everyone's comments. All the love.
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@audrey 6 weeks
Thank you for listening and for your kind words about "No Hurry". I really appreciate them.
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@jeff9 6 weeks
Thank you for your very kind comments on "Camp Meeting" and "If Anybody Cares". Impressed by your work!
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@quork 6 weeks
Thank you for your listen and comment. I was particularly happy with how that song turned out.
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@oswlek 6 weeks
Jeff was the primary author of "Camp Meeting" but I'll gladly accept thanks for the both of us. 😄
Thanks for stopping by and checking it out. 👍 -
@ampersandman 6 weeks
Thanks for the comment on Sing (Reprise)! I do hope I can get my band to adapt it, that's why I made it in 11/8, as a bait to our drummer, haha! My band has played in Scotland before (before I was in), so who knows ... Let's hope this pandemic will end any time soon so we can all get back to the stages (if they survived at all ...).
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@hmorg 6 weeks
Thanks for the comment on "Tarzan Movie"! I'd probably watch it too, if simply because of the touching dialogue between Tarzan and the apes, I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. It was fun to write those lyrics and they practically wrote themselves, totally different from the stuff I usually write, so maybe it was the freshness of the approach that did it.
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@thedutchwidows 7 weeks
Thanks for the drum info - much appreciated, I shall look into them. They may be loops, but your use of them is pretty skilful - I mash loops together and they sound exactly like you'd expect them too. Your use of them sounds natural, and spacey. Anyway, I ramble. Thanks for your comments and support too - it definitely helps to keep motivated and to feel that you're not shouting into a void!
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@gindark 7 weeks
19 songs is still impressive. I've learned a lot this year, so I will take it forward to 2022 and maybe stumble across the finish line, who knows?
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@gindark 7 weeks
thanks buddy. now I've finished all I'm gonna do, I'll get a chance to listen to more of yours, and get a coherent picture of yer hunners of songs 😀
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@ayehahmur 7 weeks
Okay, with the upload of the music for Map and Treasure (https://fawm.org/songs/123898/), I think that's me finally done. 19 is more than I've done before and I've got some hard decision to make about what to work on further for release. But thanks to everyone for their encouragement and inspiration. This has been a brilliant FAWM, it really has.
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@rdopart 7 weeks
Thank you so much for you feedback! And congrats on a prolific month!!
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@brisk 7 weeks
Aaah, thanks so much, I'm glad that you liked the song. The riff was weird. I just thought - I want to write a rocking riff - and then I did. I like it when that happens. Looking forward to neatening this one up. I think I'm giving myself permission to stop FAWMing now, but am looking forward to giving some other people's songs a listen tonight. Mug of tea, possibly cheese and crackers. Thanks for being really positive and helpful.
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@gm7 7 weeks
Thx for the kind words on Some Fuzz Guitar.
everyone likes a fuzz guitar lead break!!! -
@berni1954 7 weeks
Glad you liked my "Girl on a Train" song. I do often wonder how different my life would have been if she had replied. "I feel the same Let's run away together. Come to Switzerland with me!" Yodel ey ee hoo!" 😁
But then I'd never have met my lovely Carmen. Pit we only get one shot at life, eh? -
@davidtaro 7 weeks
Ah, shucks, thanks for the recommend Neil. So glad you liked that one - I was secretly hoping for a McCartney comment (mainly around that bridge bit), so that’s my day made! Looking forward to hearing Map and Treasure - oh, and looks like I have some others to catch up on today. Excellent 😀
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@skittycat 7 weeks
thank you for the lovely comment on Goblin Child x
My little goblin is the best, noisiest, cutest thing ever. -
@emkaydeebee 7 weeks
Ah that’s lovely! It would be an honour and a delight. ☺️
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@emkaydeebee 7 weeks
Thanks for your lovely words on Contemplation. The 5/4 was more luck than judgement, ha ha! Re collaborating - I’ve had a lot of fun with it this year, and a whole gamut of levels of collaborating if that makes sense, from session-musician through to idea creator. It’s been fascinating. Maybe we could chat in January when you know what your concept is feeling like and whether a collab might add value to a song for you (and so make it worth the time) rather than feeling like it has to be an extra to fit in somewhere?
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@emkaydeebee 7 weeks
Thanks so much for your comment on Ajax 409! It was so much fun! Maybe next year we could do a collab too? 😃
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@davidtaro 7 weeks
Ha. Weird coincidence then! I only picked Kensall Rise cos it rhymes with ‘grey skies’ 😅
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@davidtaro 7 weeks
Cheers for the comment on In Times Like These, Neil. I’m intrigued to know who your sister’s friend is!? 😂
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@pianoonthepatio 7 weeks
Hi, thank you so much for your nice comment on Aftermath! So glad to hear you saw a futile running scene when you listened to it! Much appreciated!
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@lizbrinker 7 weeks
Hi, @ayehahmur , thank you for listening to Come On By! @richaaaay is soooo food, I swear.
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@brisk 8 weeks
Oooh, thanks - I have a lot of big gaps in my musical education and I've never heard a single Gang of Four song, to my knowledge. I'll give them a go because I like stompy things. And thanks for saying positive things. I'm going to take an hour this evening to catch up on all the latest developments.
I love FAWM. -
@metalfoot 8 weeks
I will admit I looked up the definition of sodality to make sure it meant what I thought it meant in my head. 😀
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@thedutchwidows 8 weeks
No, thank you for your comments! They've all been much appreciated. Am glad it was raining in the cab driver song - that's how it hit me. But then, I live in the Midlands and it's always raining here too, so that is just my default understanding of the world. Anywhere dry is deeply exotic to me. It's why I seem to be obsessed with deserts.
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@richaaaay 8 weeks
Neil, thanks for listening. Really happy with that song. Appreciate the comments.
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@richaaaay 8 weeks
Hey Neil, thanks for the comment on The Avenue. If you happen to stop by again, I recommend listening to Come On By, a collaboration with @lizbrinker. I really think she brought a little magic to my music.
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@brisk 8 weeks
Ha ha, thanks so much. You can picture my delight when I saw the Götterdämmerung/ Glitterlung possibility; should probably have looked up how to pronounce it though. I think this is one that I will revisit to try to tidy up, and have a go at EQ and compression and all those good things. Thanks for your words.
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@caseewilson 8 weeks
Thank you so much for your kind words on Shine! I'm really pleased with that one and it's a departure for me from my usual darker material!
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@emkaydeebee 8 weeks
Thank you so much for your marathon listening session! Especially for the comment on Tell me (Forever) - I was really proud of that one!
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@emkaydeebee 8 weeks
Thank you! ☺️
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@emkaydeebee Feb 19
That's cool... look forward to hearing it! 😊
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@emkaydeebee Feb 19
Hey, just dropping by to check in... You doing okay? Saw your forum post earlier...
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@thefuneralcrasher Feb 18
Thanks for the lovely comments on The Clown Show song...much appreciated!
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@brisk Feb 18
Thanks for the listen - it's really nice to hear that it works somewhat as is. I will still have a think on how to "sensitively" improve the words over the coming days. It reminds me of my art teacher who said there were two kinds of students (who cared about doing anything): those who kept striving to improve something at the risk of ruining it, and those who said "good enough" because they were too scared to keep going. I feel like the noble thing is to keep striving, but sometimes... "good enough" is good enough.
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@emkaydeebee Feb 18
Growling with attitude?! I think that might need to be my new tagline! Ha ha! Thank you!
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@owl Feb 16
More harpsichord on everything is always the answer!
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@moonraccoon Feb 16
Thanks! That guitar part on The Local IGA was challenging to play, but fun 😀
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@lennie Feb 16
Thank you for your comment on my Skirmish entry (So much left to do) the other day: You said: "...That rolling bass patter really reminds me of one of John Carpenter's soundtracks..." I'm afraid to say that the name didn't ring any bells so I had to do some research. Now I see what you mean and I like his music but haven't seen a single one of these movies - which is how I came to miss him.
Some of the music gets really creepy. So now I wonder if would it be good to see these movies or just let my imagination do the work... -
@emkaydeebee Feb 16
Had to look up IIRC then 🤦🏼♀️ Thought it was maybe a rugby club 🤣
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@emkaydeebee Feb 16
I was so chuffed he asked me - right at the top of my range (before going into high choirboy voice) so was tough, but glad it came off!
Seriously, re your corpse, it worked well. Your transition from the one before was fab - the tea making sounds ideal! I love the being given something so disconnected, and running with it! -
@emkaydeebee Feb 16
Your corpse sounds great!!! (A sentence I never thought I’d be typing pre-fawm!!)
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@emkaydeebee Feb 15
Just listened to their Ghastly Garden Centres track, and yes I see what you mean! Thanks, as always, for your comment on my 10x10!
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@emkaydeebee Feb 15
Oh definitely! I was passed a total curveball on my second (quite intentionally and with good humour)... was interesting!
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@franniezest Feb 15
Thanks so much for checking out my song!
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@emkaydeebee Feb 15
Not yet! I think they both have one last person to go. I’m the stitcher for the second so then it’s down to me to crack on with pulling it together. How’s yours coming on?...
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@emkaydeebee Feb 15
Hellooo! Was your one day holiday also pink-site related?! Looking forward to what you do next 🙂
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@brisk Feb 15
Yes! I have been toying with the idea of just having the cracking voice in the "B" section, and now someone has said the same thing I'm going to consider my prejudice well and truly confirmed. I wish I understood what wandering modulations are - I'm actually going to look that up now and hopefully become a bit more enlightened.
Thanks for the supportive comments on all songs, it really helps. -
@ayehahmur Feb 15
Gave myself a one-day holiday from music yesterday. Feeling refreshed and ready to go again today!
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@jeustan Feb 13
I get it, I'm at least as self-conscious as anyone about my singing. It's a miracle we post songs despite the pesky self-doubt. Big thanks right back at you for your support.
Woah, is that Hagstrom an 8 string? I thought it sounded like a bass I've pined for for years—a Gibson Ripper.
I wish I hadn't traded my Hagstrom Viking. That was a very well made guitar. -
@davidtaro Feb 13
Haha. EDHs... I feel like I've inadvertently laid down a challenge that you're more than capable of rising to. Look forward to hearing how you sneak them in.
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@scubed Feb 13
Thank you for the very generous comment on “Workin’ On That Now”!
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@emkaydeebee Feb 12
I’ll look forward to hearing it!
I’ve really enjoyed doing the two I’m in - just the nail-biting wait for others to do their parts... I’ve even committed to stitching one of them though (feeling the responsibility!) 😬 -
@emkaydeebee Feb 12
Just spotted your doing a corpse this year! Fab! I’ve committed to 2 this year (over on the anything goes tab rather than the acoustic one) and loved it! Am excited to hear the finished products. I loved listening to the first acoustic one that Alex shared this morning.
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@berni1954 Feb 12
Thanks for your brilliant, very supportive comment on my "Working on it"
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@dutch1967 Feb 12
Thanks for listening and commenting on In It For The Do Re Mi. I do agree the objective to get a song out is met and in that this is a win. Also it's been echoing in my head for a few days now, which usually doesn't happen for me during FAWM as I focus solely on moving foreward and getting the next song out. There may just be something to it, making it worth to persue another (couple?) verse(s). Hmmm.
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@owl Feb 12
Thank you for the comments! I had never heard of Zoey van Goey but I listened to a song earlier and loved it, will have to check out more! I wish I could provide the song on vinyl, maybe if some bigwig A&R rep swoops in to make me famous one day, hahaha.
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@dantanz1 Feb 12
Thank you so very much for that nice comment! Means a lot. Yours truly, Dan
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@emkaydeebee Feb 11
Think it’s good to let your, er, hair down once in a while 😉
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@davidtaro Feb 11
Thanks for the Nilsson mention, Neil! Those chords are pretty textbook - like a well-trodden path through the snow. Need to listen to your latest - skimmed the words last night before bed, most intriguing....
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@emkaydeebee Feb 10
Thank you ☺️ You hear it all as I hoped, which fills me with a warm glow that it worked!
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@rwhosings Feb 8
Thank you for you comment! I loved your Rooted song too! So great to walk the different paths our music takes with one another!
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@emkaydeebee Feb 8
Thank you! I’m having to learn to NOT do vibrato, as it seems to sound really rough recorded. Learning all the time! It may well make another appearance this fawm (I’m trying it out in my current number... but we shall see!)
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@emkaydeebee Feb 8
🐭
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@emkaydeebee Feb 8
🤣
I’m sensing other possibilities for the mouse’s musical demise...
mouse rock... mouse heavy metal...
Though perhaps the nicer outcome would be a bit of mouse scat?... 🤔 -
@mikeb Feb 8
Thanks for the comment on my week 1 challenge song!
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@coolparadiso Feb 8
der i only just realised who you are ha h ha
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@emkaydeebee Feb 7
Ha ha, I know - it could have gone either way, right?! I liked the edgy darkness of “and on your little body we will sup!” 😝
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@emkaydeebee Feb 7
Soooooo tasty! Thanks for appreciating the intentional silliness of the song!
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@roddy Feb 6
Aw shucks! Thanks for the nice comments on my piano playing.
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@dragondreams Feb 6
Hey Neil. I just want to say a massive thank you for inflicting so much of my twiddling on yourself! It's very much appreciated. 😀
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@rshakesp Feb 6
Thanks for all your comments - really encouraging. I’m really enjoying the challenge I’ve set myself.
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@emkaydeebee Feb 5
Pleased you like my Call of the Siren - I'm especially happy with it, and yes, haunting is definitely what I was going for. 😊
Am going to spend the evening practicing my radio voice now... -
@emkaydeebee Feb 5
It really is! I'm having a ball this year, and I had been so nervous before hand feeling I had no structure to put myself inside. I'm so enjoying the freedom!
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@emkaydeebee Feb 5
Thanks so much for those last two comments - I was feeling like my Yeah Yeah Yeah was dragging a bit, it needed more and harmonies weren't the right thing, hence the spoken part coming in.
The 14x14 thing was mainly for a bit of fun - took about half an hour, but probably my favourite thing I've done so far, blummin' typical fawm! But hey, you can't beat a challenging challenge for, er, challenging oneself to rise to the, aherm, challenge! -
@evolvemysound Feb 4
Thanks a million for the feedback on one of my favorite songs! I appreciate it!
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@emkaydeebee Feb 4
So chuffed you liked the "When we're nearly 65" - it was fun to do, and interesting to put the nods to the original in. You spotted more in than I'd realised, which is pretty cool - thanks!
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@davidtaro Feb 4
I don't know why the phrase 'emulated wurlitzer through an amp' turns me on, but... not going to lie, it really does. I should probably see someone about that. Looking forward to your next creation in any case...
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@petemurphy Feb 4
Hey Neil, you're welcome. It's a great song. And thank you for all of the kind words. I love Wurly's, Rhodes, etc.
I use them all over my albums (sometimes I leave them sounding natural, but I sometimes distort or manipulate them so that they're unrecognisable).
All the best to you! -
@owl Feb 3
thanks for listening to my odd little first tune--that is a trumpet, more or less, it's the free trumpet fields VST from Spitfire LABS!
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@emkaydeebee Feb 3
Ha ha... you know the answer to that one!
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@emkaydeebee Feb 3
Yeah, challenges may be the way forward this year...
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@berni1954 Feb 3
Thanks for giving my Collab with Doug (Just One) a listen and for your very positive comments.
I Look forward to hearing what you bring to the table .
PS A Scots Williamson You're not related to Saint Robin of ISB, by any chance are you. 😉 -
@emkaydeebee Feb 3
Thank you, I really appreciate your comment on Captain Tom - I’m struggling with inspiration this year, so trying to roll with it when something comes by. How’re you doing?
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@stephentanner Feb 3
Thanks for your comment, glad you like the song. Will check back in for your first release. 👍
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@atam94 Feb 3
Thank you so much for the kind words on my song. I'll be looking out for your first one soon!
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@ttg105 Feb 3
Thanks much for the comment! I'll keep an eye out for your first!