"Push That Boulder" : FAWM

Push That Boulder

6 days ago by @jamesstaubes

Push That Boulder

jamesstaubes

00:00

Liner Notes

Wow! This is amazing — I'm so excited FAWM is doing a September sprint!

Original idea: a huge acoustic break, like Bowie's "Space Oddity." Wanted it to feel modern too, like Remi Wolf. There's a little Outkast in there too — heard "Hey Ya" at the gym and those acoustic guitars got in my head.

Lyrically, I was inspired by "Silo" — love that show. Started from the POV of a billionaire who thinks he runs the world, everyone else just pawns in his way. But it could just as easily be a possessive lover, the government, even something god-like.

Mixing at home is a real fight — my setup isn't ideal, so it never quite sounds the way I hear it in my head. #pop #funky #acousticguitar #vocals #dystopian

Lyrics

Verse 1

I am feeling so right It went down like I prescribed I made plans that turned out Did it without one doubt

Chorus

It’s my world and you’re my play And you’ll do what I ordain Use your will to get your thrill And push that boulder uphill

Verse 2

It is so amusing That you think you’re choosing But it’s like a sequence And it is not freedom

Comments

@kahlo2013 4d

Love love love that catchy bass riff and gorgeous vocals on the melody! This would a great work out song or encouragement song- motivating us to keep going yet recognizing the hard work we have to do to push through it which is not necessarily our desire or choice but we just need to do it. Great use of background vocals and synth layers!

@debs 4d

Excuse me but that bass is fabulous? Love how it's the thing that's doing the heavy lifting and kind of has a light bop to it, and then everything else fills in the gaps beautifully. And then the background vox (or synths?) in the chorus. The whole thing is impeccable - definitely a favourite this sprint.

@jamesstaubes 4d

Thanks! The bass totally makes the song, I agree. The BGVs are 3 tracks of vocals with a synth underneath too.

@ductapeguyTEAM 5d

That rawks. The insistent drums really stood out for me.

@b3nut 6d

I'm always down for a Sisyphus reference! This is stellar, the groove is infectious and your bass tone and groove are killin'. (P with flats? Sounds like it...great thump and kick that propels the groove.) This sounds like a lost hit from the 80's...the repeated ascending melody in the chorus is really strong. The mix sounds great on my kitchen stereo at least, I reference mixes in here a lot (ADS L300c speakers...super accurate little bookshelves!) I really dig this tune...I think you done gave me an earworm! 😀

@jamesstaubes 6d

Thank you! Gotta love a good Sisyphus reference!

The bass is the "Vintage Soul" in Logic. It sounds pretty great, right? They've done a great job on the basses. For so long the bass sounds were lacking but the latest tones work well across lots of genres. I'm a guitar player who can play bass. But it's much easier to play it on the keys with a good sound.

@b3nut 5d

Dang it sounds really good! I'm afraid to load it up and try it as I'm afraid my basses will try to kill me in my sleep. I already pissed my B-3 off using the Logic Vintage B3 plugin for a placeholder organ part to avoid disturbing my wife who was home watching TV....LOL!!!! 😂

@jamesstaubes 4d

A Rickenbacker could get jealous and come for you. Sounds like a good idea for a song actually. The wrath of the killer basses.

@artie 6d

Beautiful track! And the mix was a delight to listen to in headphones. That synthy bass slaps hard too. Great performance and production. Definitely one of my favourite tunes this sprint.

Circling back to an earlier comment I read... how were The Vandals? They're a longtime fav of mine.

@jamesstaubes 6d

Thanks for the comment!

The Vandals were amazing! It's the second time I'd seen them. First, at Coachella in 2016 with Josh Freese on drums. This time Erik "Smelly" Sandin from NOFX was on drums and he was also great. They always put on a fun show. They are so not serious, yet they are serious.

@artie 6d

Yeah lol they’re pretty serious about not being too serious. That’s cool that Erik from NOFX was on the kit, especially now that they’re retired. I forgot that he had sat in on a couple tracks on their Christmas album lol

@jamesstaubes 5d

They actually played a song from the Christmas album!

@artie 5d

That's my favourite album of theirs 😆