Feb 2022 utter-chaos odd-time-signature outsider-art maximalism baroque-pop indie-pop
This is a very silly song about a giant scrap metal sculpture park called Dr. Evermor's Forevertron that is located near me in Southern Wisconsin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forevertron
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2239
I often participate in the PRF Monthly Tribute series where people pick a new artist every month to cover OR record tributes to. Everyone votes for their favorites at the end of the month and then the winner gets to pick the next month's artist. @tangle picked XTC this month after winning with last month's Bjork cover. I love XTC and want to record something this month, but I'm prioritizing finishing FAWM first, so I started out by writing a tribute song instead (doesn't sound much like XTC in the end, but it started out related!)
Process-wise: I stole the structure (verses in 3/4, chorus and bridge in 4/4) from XTC's song "Great Fire", set up the drum track, and then started adding stuff in and tried to make some XTC-like choices as I went along... weird chord progressions, angular sparse verse + poppy maximalist chorus, a shit ton of instruments in the loud parts including 12-string guitar, toy piano, sleigh bells, theremin, and clavinet, intricate vocal arrangements, that staccato rhythm at the start of the choruses; the Victoria and Albert + "glory" parts are kind of a lyrical nod, along with this being super-American and very local to contrast with their many hyper-British songs. It kind of got away from me after that, but it started out with the best intentions of trying to make it kind of related.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert may observe the launching of Dr. Evermor
it includes a giant telescope where skeptics may supervise the ascent
Feathers of rust
Flowers of aluminum
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Magnetic attraction
Riveting action
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Testify to Dr. Evermor's glory
Let's ride into the heavens on a magnetic lightning force beam
The Bird Band and Orchestra will play us all "Beautiful Dreamer"
Feathers of rust
Flowers of aluminum
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Magnetic attraction
Riveting action
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Testify to Dr. Evermor's glory
The Celestial Listening Ears await your transmission
The Gravitron prepares your body for ascension
Feathers of rust
Flowers of aluminum
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Magnetic attraction
Riveting action
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Feathers of rust and flowers of aluminum
Testify to Wisconsin's glory
Prince Albert and Queen Victoria
May observe the launch
Testify to Dr. Evermor's glory
Testify to Dr. Evermor's glory
All hail the Forevertron
All hail the Forevertron
@richaaaay Mar 2022
The chorus and especially the bridge stand out here for me. I fully appreciate what you’ve done here with the time signature changes. I think it’s effective and a worthwhile endeavor in sing craft. I have not done it enough but when I hear something like this I am reminded about how cool it can be. Great work.
@thedutchwidows Mar 2022
I was listening to the XTC PRF album today while I was working and this is one of the best on the album and deserves to win! I love the shifting time signatures, and the ‘testify to Wisconsin‘s glory’ is a brilliant hook.
I really like PRF albums - always full of really good stuff.
@balancelost Mar 2022
Haha, that is quite a sculpture! I think the word is Gilliam-esque. I think you score top marks for XTCishness. Kinda reminds me of Factor 41 by Sleeper too but they were almost certainly influenced by XTC. I love the way it lurches between the wonkiness and catchy parts. Real crisp mix in this one and the guitars are satisfyingly crunchy. I love those song that are earwormish about something totally random and obscure - this is one of those.
@ndavies Feb 2022
This is a lot of fun! If they used this as a radio jingle, I might actually bother to stop there
@guatecoop Feb 2022
Well, I just read the liner notes and I am definitely interested.... Wow, maximalism for sure in a really fun way. That switch from 3/4 to 4/4 is great! The organ break before the theramin is excellent to take it to the last part of the song. I don't really hear this song getting away from you...It seems as though you will refine it or let it evolve, but it never felt like you'd lost it.....I really love the initial inspiration and how that didn't come through as a rip off in any way to me. Great song with loads of details. How you managed to get all of them to cooperate into a cohesive song? That's just what you do so well....Well done!
@tamsnumber4 Feb 2022
Love the effects, rhythm, vocal and never saw a scrap metal playground let alone heard a song about it....it's all good!
@sailingmagpie Feb 2022
The switch between the time signatures really give this that woozy feel that you find on a lot of XTC's stuff. Love the inclusion of theremin! Everything needs more theremin!
@mikedebenham Feb 2022
I can hear the XTC bits now you mention it, but after passing through the bowels of the owlertron they sound like something else entirely. I love your songwriting range - hopping deftly between genres but always carrying a bag of melody with you.
@miltz Feb 2022
I get a bit of The Raincoats vibe in the verse (which is good to me). The chorus is catchy as all get out. The maximalism works well here; there's never the sense that the song is smothering under it, it's all just the song.
How had I never heard of the Forevertron?
@rayboneor Feb 2022
You had me at utter chaos. Testify! This is a crunchy delight. But where is the chaos? Thanks for pointing out the time change. I probably would have missed it. This is pretty fun. I love the repetition of "Testify to Wisconsin's glory." I want some aluminum flowers to testify to my glory at my posthumous Dannytron
@circle Feb 2022
I've never listened to XTC, but reading your liner notes made this sound like exactly my kinda thing and it is. Great staccato guitars and drums right on the beat. The chords in the verse are brilliantly strange, and the chorus catchy and bouncy. So many great production touches like the high cartoony sound, the "whoo!", the dreamy bridge section. always good!
@frenchcricket Feb 2022
This is so much fun! I also feel really proud of Wisconsin’s heritage and history for some reason. The sheer bounce of the chorus is so catchy and i love the theremin
@thelowestbitter Feb 2022
That shift between 3/4 and 4/4 works really well, sometimes those sorts of shifts can sound awkward but it sounds great. That chorus is great, that testify to Wisconsin's/Dr Evermor's glory line is super hooky. LOVE all the handclaps and the toy piano in the chorus, it sounds so joyous and it's fabulous
@fuzzy Feb 2022
I'm loving this so much.
Really great guitar figure there.
The relentless drumming drives this forward nicely.
I love time sig changes, so of course I love this.
Gosh that's a catchy chorus you got there.
Is that a Theramin?!? :D
Now I gotta explore the XTC discography, it seems.
Excellent tune here for sure.
@adforperu Feb 2022
Yeah, this is bags of fun. Can definitely hear the XTC influence, though I'd never spot it without your liner notes I guess. Agree with Tom in that the time signature change really propels the ever so catchy chorus.
@davidtaro Feb 2022
I hope this is ok to say - I wasn't entirely digging this one at first. I guess I must be a man of simple tastes, so was trying to figure out the 3/4 to 4/4 thing, and all those cool chords. BUT, five minutes after the song ended I find myself nodding my head and gently singing 'Testify to Dr. Evermor's glory', over and over again. So I think you win that one :)
@paulh1237 Feb 2022
Love the extended lines in the verse agaisnt the 3/4, gives it a really off kilter feel. Bit of a New Pornographers feel to this, I totally dig it. The hook line is such a sing along. Also, great middle 8!
@dasbinky Feb 2022
I am in love with this song.
You've got that XTC vibe down in the melodies, and I feel like they'd write about the Forevertron.
This was one of my favorite places on Earth. (I think it's mostly gone now? I think there's still some stuff there, but I haven't stopped in a while.)
So much love for this, both sonically and lyrically.
@w1n Feb 2022
XTC is not what comes to mind at first, get more of a Helium/Mary Timony vibe from this song, but that's not a bad thing in my book. They Might Be Giants also comes to mind.
Catchy and quirky in the right way, love how you've gone for a really maximalist approach, adding handclaps, glockenspiels/toy piano and theremin (real one or a synth patch?) can't go wrong as far as I'm concerned.
@ayehahmur Feb 2022
Oh, My. Word. Love the inspiration - it's given you an utterly fantastic, quirky lyric. More I love that spiky guitar line. It's SO Andy Partridge, and the way the vocal works over the verse is outstanding. And then that big footstomper of a chorus. Ace!
@geoff61 Feb 2022
I like quirky subject matter and this fits, the bonus is that musically and vocally it fits the same groove quirkyyyyy!!
@coolparadiso Feb 2022
i listened commented and my ipad died so later its take 2. Starts a little edgy then moves into a cool melody, the drums are very dominant! keeps your interest with some nice moves, good instrumentation movement
@bootlegger Feb 2022
I've heard of that place but never gone. Really cool, kinda trippy song. I get a little bit of some they might be giant vibes. Really digging it. Oh nice harmonies!
@b3nut Feb 2022
Really digging this ode to one of southern WI's quirkiest attractions! I need to stop by there again...it's been awhile. I drive past it every couple weeks on the way to rehearsals in Reedsburg. Cool track!
@katestantonsings Feb 2022
So many layers of cool here:)!! Your voice is cool. The time signatures are cool. The harmonies are cool. Your vibe and sound is cool. You are cool. Cool topic, too!! Love this all around—particularly the breakdown in the bridge. It’s already in my head. Catchy!!
@lanasolyluna Feb 2022
Without reading the liner notes I just thought this was a great catchy indie pop track with tons of fun layers, not silly at all so it functions that way too. Great lyrics too and your vocals as always are a treat.
@clioem Feb 2022
Now I'm dancing to this. BEST FAWM FIND
@clioem Feb 2022
hahaha, this is amazing!!!!
@loveonamixtape Feb 2022
Ahh this is super fun! Love all the layers in the chorus, the theremin especially! And that chromatic hook on the "glory" lines is great. How you juggled all these tracks and got such delightfully kooky order out of this chaos is amazing.
@karlsburg25 Feb 2022
have to just comment again!!! seriously think its one of my fav fawm songs this year. Am on third listen!!!!!!!!
@karlsburg25 Feb 2022
I really have got to try more unusual time sigs. I love it and the brilliant use of unique harmonies and intricacys vocal and instrument wise in thev verse is a treat and then the catchiest of chorusues whacks one in the face. Plus i ahve to say i adore any song with a bridge of such beaity. You are a star..........and i can't spell after teaching ;-)
@thefourthkings Feb 2022
Thank you for sharing your process, really interesting!
The tribute idea is a really good one, woudn't have noticed if you told me this is a song of a song of that era... keep it up! :)
@vomvorton Feb 2022
Ha I recognise the EZDrummer claps! I love those little guys. This is great fun, I love how the chorus seems to gain extra power from the shift into 4/4 (also the layers and layers and layers probably help!)
I think my favourite bits are the bridge and any moment where I can hear the toy piano plinking along in the background! Really fun.
@shortdan Feb 2022
I like the effect of the shifting time signature - it really works here. My favourite bits - the harmonies in the 'The Celestial Listening Ears...' section and the final chorus where you chuck everything and the kitchen sink at it. Ace!
@zecoop Feb 2022
Good grief that is a work of art of a song! WOW. I love XTC too and although in the end it doesn't wound like them, that's really a good thing, because you have your own little, ahem, big anthemically weird song. It is glorious and wonderful and by the end, with everything that's going on and all that clapping, I was clapping and singing right along. Amazing song. :)
@jimeddy9 Feb 2022
Oh my, I love me some XTC-inspired pop! An all time under-appreciated band. Your vocals are just detached enough, but can't fully conceal your sweet voice. Love this song!