Monkey68
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9/29/2008 7:13:28 PM
New Song: CORINTHIAN - PART II
OK - here's a mix I'm reasonably happy with. Once again, feedback much appreciated.
Corinthian - Part II originated from a scratch poem I wrote recently while working in New York.
I was on the 50th floor of an apartment building called the Corinthian, alone in an empty room. In the window, the Chrysler Building, Empire State and Downtown - New Jersey on the horizon. Far below, traffic swept into the Queens Mid-town Tunnel.
I've been working in the city a lot and on this particular night I was really missing my good lady wife (GLW) and kids. I was speaking to them on the phone and realized I had my head in my hands, totally ignoring the stunning skyline right in front of me.
A wave swept over me and I suddenly felt like a ghost, not really present, floating disconnected from the city beneath me.
I badly needed to be among people and headed for the elevator, leaving that empty feeling in the apartment for the moment.
As I walked to a local bar, I was listening to a dance-dub tune on my iPod that was still in rough state - at that stage it was had the working title 'Discord'. The rhythm and feel of the song really helped ground me back in the city streets.
Later that night, I wrote the first 3 stanzas of what is now Corinthian - Part II just so that horrid sensation of disconnection was out on paper before I slept.
When back in the studio, I carried on working 'Discord' and, at some point, started singing the poem I'd written over the backing. It sounded OK but the key was really bad for me - I don't do Johnny Cash. But about a week later, I picked up my acoustic, slapped on a capo and started jamming with the lyrics. For some reason, a drum and bass rhythm jumped out of my Logic library and this weird, electronic/latino groove began to emerge.
The song was written there and then (and Discord became Corinthian - Part I). I took a whole heap of other collected imagery from my year and put it all together, just snapshots of me walking around the city. For those who haven't been there, NYC is just experience 24/7.
The only problem was that this song is near impossible to sing at the speed it's recorded - there's very little space for breathing! So, when it came to recording, I decided to split the couplets and really have some fun with laying out the vocal tracks. Before I knew it, I was harmonizing without any planning. And it all just tumbled out.
So here it is, a catharsis, a recognition, a suite of experiences, a song.
And as I listen to it on iPod in the city, walking all over the place, the rhythm, style and content of the song just make sense.
Everyone should write a New York song.
I give you Corinthian - Part II.
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