Hi folks, hope everyone's doing okay in this weird global crisis! This is a thread in which I'll be posting one new track per day. I put the additional free time I currently have to good use and wrote and recorded an hour's worth of new music in about two weeks. I'm really quick when inspiration strikes, and the flow takes me to interesting places. In this instance, inspiration came from a book I read, "The Terrors of Ice and Darkness" by the Austrian writer Christoph Ransmayr. It's an account of an actual expedition to the North Pole in 1872. It's part fiction, part historical account, very original, extremely well-written, and it is by turns harrowing, horrifying, and strangely inspirational. Although "only" 150 years ago, this was still a time when the entire land mass of earth hadn't yet been discovered. So we have this ship full of men who were setting out into the unknown, with the aim of finding a new route to China via the North Pole.
Anyways, go read the book, it's really amazing (I hope the English translation is up to par, cause the original is really excellent). The music that came from it is stylistically all over the place. You'll find Rock, Folk, Jazz, Classical, Soundtracky, bluesy, maybe even shmoozy stuff in there. I just call it Prog. The entirety is divided into three parts: Draco - Castaway - Time and Tide.
Here's the growing playlist:
https://soundcloud.com/ariston/sets/ice-and-darkness
Ariston / Ice and Darkness / A track-a-day thread (close, but no cigar)
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
Last edited by ariston on Mon Apr 20, 2020 6:47 am, edited 2 times in total.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
A folksy departure with a twist:
https://soundcloud.com/ariston/draco-ii ... d-darkness
https://soundcloud.com/ariston/draco-ii ... d-darkness
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
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el-bo (formerly ebow) el-bo (formerly ebow) https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=208007 - KVRAF
- 16369 posts since 24 May, 2009 from A galaxy, far far away
What fun! Despite the variety and diversity, it all feels thematically consistent. Very enjoyable listen. Brings to mind Mike Oldfield (especially track 2).
Though I understand the impetus to prioritise the quick-draw composition/record nature of the project, I think you'd be doing the work an injustice if you didn't at some point return to tighten things up a bit, performance-wise.
Look forward to listening to the rest
Though I understand the impetus to prioritise the quick-draw composition/record nature of the project, I think you'd be doing the work an injustice if you didn't at some point return to tighten things up a bit, performance-wise.
Look forward to listening to the rest
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
Thanks for taking the time to listen, and for your kind words! Mike Oldfield is spot on, at least the Ommadawn Oldfield, not the Islands Oldfield.
I've already revisited Part 1, and tweaked a few parts. Some of the instances where the timing is just a bit off I actually like, it's almost like an antidote to the perfect metronomic timing in recordings today. I will have to redo some electric guitar (I'm getting a new one for my birthday), my old Mexican Strat somehow refuses to stay in tune...
I've already revisited Part 1, and tweaked a few parts. Some of the instances where the timing is just a bit off I actually like, it's almost like an antidote to the perfect metronomic timing in recordings today. I will have to redo some electric guitar (I'm getting a new one for my birthday), my old Mexican Strat somehow refuses to stay in tune...
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- Banned
- 849 posts since 3 Jul, 2017
No. 5: well, although Power Rock is not my genre, the track is not bad. The guitar is way too much to my taste, but the instrumentation of the track is ok.
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el-bo (formerly ebow) el-bo (formerly ebow) https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=208007
- KVRAF
- 16369 posts since 24 May, 2009 from A galaxy, far far away
Indeed! It's something that I'm trying to explore, currently. And it's not so easy. There's a fine line between 'human feel' and just plain...off, and that can become quite something to navigate when combined with technological limitations. Anyway, I have no doubt you know where to draw that line, and decide what stays for the 'feels', and what definitely is just, erm...slack.ariston wrote: ↑Wed Apr 15, 2020 11:10 am Thanks for taking the time to listen, and for your kind words! Mike Oldfield is spot on, at least the Ommadawn Oldfield, not the Islands Oldfield.
I've already revisited Part 1, and tweaked a few parts. Some of the instances where the timing is just a bit off I actually like, it's almost like an antidote to the perfect metronomic timing in recordings today. I will have to redo some electric guitar (I'm getting a new one for my birthday), my old Mexican Strat somehow refuses to stay in tune...
And yes! Early Oldfield
Brought to mind the second part of 'Tubular Bells' and 'Ommadawn'. Good company to be in, f'sure -
- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
Hey, thanks for taking the time to listen and comment. What do you mean by "way too much"?
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
Next up: I won't keep up with the track a day thing as I'm revising a few things along the way. 21 tracks are done, I'm just tweaking away, and improving, especially the mixes in a few cases. Anyhoo:
https://soundcloud.com/ariston/draco-v-forceful
https://soundcloud.com/ariston/draco-v-forceful
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- KVRAF
- 3080 posts since 17 Apr, 2005 from S.E. TN
I like some of the fancier chord changes and you manage to weave non-absurd melody to fit the changes.
The middle modulations of that last one are reminiscent of mid period bombastic procol harum changes.
The middle modulations of that last one are reminiscent of mid period bombastic procol harum changes.
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- KVRAF
- 11506 posts since 13 Mar, 2009 from UK
I've only had time to listen to part 1 so far, but as soon as I heard the arpeggiated intro, I thought of Mr. Oldfield too. The guitar riffing hinted at the Platinum/QE2/Five Miles Out era. I'll check out the rest of the tracks later.
Good work
Good work
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3879 posts since 28 Jun, 2009 from Wherever I lay my hat
JCJR: thanks for listening! Non-absurd melody sounds like a good compliment, thank you. Regarding Procol Harum, I probably only know none song of theirs... yep, THAT one. Might have to give them a go.
Seismic1: always a welcome visitor in these here parts. Yes, the intro is a dead giveaway, it's actually a remnant from a VERY old track of mine that I wrote in, er, 1990. I thought I'd revisit it and see where I could take it today. Actually I'll post a new version of the first track soon, there's some really sloppy playing there that makes me cringe now. It gets better later on, I always lose that timing discipline when I haven't recorded for a while.
Regarding Procol Harum, I probably only know none song of theirs... yep, THAT one. Might have to give them a go.Seismic1: always a welcome visitor in these here parts. Yes, the intro is a dead giveaway, it's actually a remnant from a VERY old track of mine that I wrote in, er, 1990. I thought I'd revisit it and see where I could take it today. Actually I'll post a new version of the first track soon, there's some really sloppy playing there that makes me cringe now. It gets better later on, I always lose that timing discipline when I haven't recorded for a while.
