Damocles

by @b3nut

NSFW

Liner Notes

#rock #alternative #shoegaze

A reflection on our habit (points fingers at himself!) of often trying to do too much and how time seems to be getting more scarce...at least it feels that way to me.

I was trying to go for a shoegaze vibe, and I've been listening a lot to Die Nerven of late and I love Max Rieger's guitar sounds...not sure how actually shoegazey this is...maybe slippergaze since I was wearing my puffy North Face house slippers? LOL! (hey, it's cold up here!)

EZ-Drummer Squier Rascal Bass w/flats -> Ampeg B-25 Slick SL-55 -> JHS 3-Series flanger -> MXR Carbon Copy delay -> Peavey Classic 30 (left guitar) Squier CV 60's Jazzmaster, same chain as above (right guitar) Slick SL-55 -> JHS Nötadümble OD -> Classic 30 (lead) B-3 + Leslie Vintage Mellotron sampled instrument (stock Logic Pro plugin)

Lyrics

V. In the chamber of sleep Staring into the darkness Waiting for the inevitable advent of the day

So much to do in so little time Days feel like they keep getting shorter And we’re spreading ourselves too thin I think I’m spreading myself too thin

C. Hands of time become a cage No blanks left on the page Time’s a nemesis in the end Like a sword above our heads

V2. Around and around we go Where we stop does anyone know? But that boulder won’t push itself back up that hill

We pretend we don’t see the threaded blade We think we’ve got it all made But one day that thread’s gonna break One day that thread’s gonna break

C. Hands of time become a cage No blanks left on the page Time’s a nemesis in the end Like a sword above our heads

B. Pack ten pounds of shit in a five pound day Why the hell do we live this way? Can we learn to sometimes say no? Can I learn to say no?

Comments

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Excellent work, guitar has an underwatery feel to me, and really dig the lyrics.

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Sounds like a beautiful cross between Cracker's and Nirvana...Maybe Carvana? This is cool, radio ready, great vocals and lyrics

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The opening brought me immediately to Radiohead. Great guitar sounds. The lyrics resonate with me for sure. I tend to tackle the similar ground. B. The organ is absolutely glorious!

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The music bed in this tune is incredible… sounds like U2 jamming with Deep Purple to me… just fantastic. I wouldn’t know anything about being overcommitted, tho!!

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@cts

Y'know...I've been having these moments quite often after I passed a "certain age". Interestingly enough I find myself managing the shoegazing a wee bit better. Cool track and I have to say those who use EZ Drummer really do amaze me. I've yet to get to this quality of production with it. I very dig the guitar solo...especially the tone. The bass sittin' quite nicely underneath. The buildup to the end is wowing me big time. I've got my pad and paper. I took notes. FAWM is also a place of learning for me.

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@gm7

Great back story. The guitar tone is there for sure and some tasty bass runs.

the line " But that boulder won’t push itself back up that hill" luv the low note on hill. Killer solo I bow , or in the case, slipper gaze to you sir!

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Mmm tasty production! Everything sounds really great! Nice tune too! Dude! Muscular songwriting! I second the idea of Slippergaze!

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Yeh, did you just invent a new genre? Slippergaze! I'm here for it. Question, is this a saying or did you make this up? "Pack ten pounds of shit in a five pound day". I've never heard that one. You may need to submit that to Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. 😉

This does feel like a departure from your usual sounds. I like the vibey guitars. Maybe I should do a "Slippergaze" song this FAWM.

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Thanks man! It's a riff on an old saying "packing 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag"...forget where I picked that up.

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Saw you post about this and was excited to check it out - you made me seriously chuckle with slippergaze. ;) Nice mix of genres and really cool tones and atmosphere. I love the flow of this song - great counterpoint between the verse and chorus. That chorus really lifts it, even though the chords head downward. It has a great groove throughout (and GREAT playing too). Very enjoyable.

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Almost getting a Porcupine Tree vibe in the chorus -- the unexpected harmonies in the 2nd and 4th lines of the chorus are my favorite part. Great groovy bassline throughout.

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Nice work! I think your slippergaze turns into full shoegaze at the end of the choruses when the B3 really kicks in. And that guitar solo is a winner. Fits in well with the darkness of the lyrics.

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The harmonic structure really hits home for me. Descending lines, unresolved pieces, melancholy... also a great vocal line! P.S. What the heck is slippergaze xD Oh no, this term already exists!

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Mmmm, nice. That snare makes sure that the languid groove on the bass never dozes off, and those gauzy guitars are the business. Shoegaze, yes, but there's a strong prog vibe in the lyrics that those suspended chords (and the strong production chops) pull out nicely.

That drum sound is sweet; which EZX were you using?

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Thanks man! Edit: I used the stock Vintage Kit with I think the stock Messy Rock pattern library. I was misremembering things... 🙃

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Love this song, love the guitars and especially love the vocals, first ever slippergaze song I’ve listened to and it’s great 😁

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Slippergaze you should tag it. The sword is hanging around everywhere! one can only hope the perpertrators fall on it themselves. There is a bit of Bowie influence in this to my ear, great solo. love the big echo back, very good song mate!

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This is a total vibe, sounds fantastic. Vocal tone is killer and the melody feels like the best of Soundgarden Chris Cornell verses. Thanks for posting this, time pressure is everywhereband this song is a relief valve.

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I’m digging those guitars! Your voice really rings out on “spreading ourselves too thin”. Favorite line: “pack ten pounds of shit in a five pound day” - this describes my life! And the organ really lends itself to the vibe there. Excellent production!

[FAWM]