of simple hope

of simple hope

i think this'll round out the October Mountain stuff.. it's a song i wrote most of out on tour, in New York City when i got some time to myself.. that whole descending guitar lick just sort of came out, and i though the king hen would find a way to use it, but we still don't have a spot for it.. not really.

this song also benefits from the round of drum recordings i did when i got back from tour.. it's got a good freakout part for the end. i've always liked that effect, sorta like Amsterdam by Coldplay or something.. but with a guitar solo, ha!

of the songs that are left, one is a rap tune "implement the surprise!", one is a Summerteeth-era Wilco tune that never came together... we have a sorta Bjork thing with mideastern flute.. and a song called "in principle" that's mostly drums and piano, but emily's been struggling with the words lately. oh well..

Scattershot

ahhh... Scattershot

this is probably the single biggest joy & headache surrounding October Mountain. sooo many instruments, sooo many tracks, a lot of good ideas, and maybe some questionable ones.. and it all started way back while i was on tour with the King Hen.

Emily wrote the whole thing, and got pretty far with the dulcimers and keyboards and drums.. i really liked it when i finally got home and listened to it, but it wasn't finished. this was the beginning of the end, i guess... 'cause i started working on the drums, and we added accordions and guitar.. then started in with the flutes and clarinets, and a bass clarinet. whew. much thanks to Jana Thomas for doing all the clarinet work, and Kathy Lee for doing the flute bits, and the awesome piccolo bit on the second verse.. i love that part.

it was around this point that the whole thing just started to be a mess. so there was a lot of sorting and editing and mixing, and i couldn't get back to that little gem of song that i heard the first time. oh well. i still really like the song, and the ambition and everything.. too much second guessing, probably.

Scattershot

fight the battle you've been groomed for
i'll foot the bill this time
maybe it's not because of but despite
creation is expulsion and obsession with the light

grips of melancholia
caught in the scattershot
the flowers become wrecking balls
and you might regret your lot

is that what you call crazy?
the voices in your head?

well put me at the bottom of your list
'cause falling apart isn't something to brag about