Feb 2022 rock southwestern math
Binky says: Musically, this is a love letter to Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, who are probably my favorite live band, and high on my "favorite band no one else seems to be aware of so I feel a need to proselytize" list. They proudly hail from Arizona. It's Southwestern rock. I've never been to the Southwest. I assume it's very nice. I get the impression there's a lot of tequila.
Importantly, the music is wide and airy, like I assume the desert is. I've never been to the desert. I live in the tundra. I like the tundra, because it's not 3000 degrees in the summer, and I am a sweaty man. But I like the sound of the desert. Or the sound of the music of the desert. As played by Roger Clyne. I'm not sure how widely I should generalize. This is not a helpful tangent.
Anyway, this is a super simple arrangement, 2 guitars, bass, drums and vocal parts. It is dripping with reverb and saturation and lots of vintage compressors and such. Still, this is me holding back a lot. I hope it feels like it has the space to breathe.
I am always excited to see what Leslie does with whatever offbeat tidbit I send her, and she didn't disappoint here. I love the melody and the lyrics and the delivery and groove that she's brought to the game.
Leslie says: I wrote my part of this in a way I've never written before. I had no idea what the song was gonna be about, I just imported the backing track and hit record. Played with vocalizations until I had the rhythms and syllable counts I wanted and then I thought up words to fit the cadences (channeling a little Third Eye Blind in places). I love getting to name a song after a percentage to 3 decimal places, almost as much as I love making music with John.
Bound, it's bound to be over
Gotta be, bound to be done
Down, it's down to the moment
Will it be, won't it be won?
Light on the landing when I fall
Don't be surprised
I fall in line
Only 3.857% of the time
I'm out of step
And I don't mind
Bite, it's bite or get bitten
Are you in, are you outrun?
Fight, your fight is forgotten
If you don't, if you can't
If you don't, if you can't
Don't hold your breath until I call
Don't be surprised
I fall in line
Only 3.857% of the time
I'm out of step
And I don't mind
Get out and another night fading
Get out and another light fading
I'm not afraid to lose it all
Don't be surprised
I fall in line
Only 3.857% of the time
I'm out of step
And I don't mind
@andrea Apr 2022
Mid-April and I am just finding this. I totally enjoyed this song. It's got a great enveloping feel that pulls me in to the music and vocals. I like lyrics and the melodies. Really nice!
@nancycunning Mar 2022
I love @lindarling's description of this one blaring in dorm rooms.
The lyrics are great on their own, and then the way they slide into this music feels just right. Seems like composing the music first then the lyrics was a winning approach this time. And yes to significant digits in a love song.
@flower Feb 2022
love letter? this is positively stalker-esque. beautiful
@lindarling Feb 2022
This is my jam! This is so late 90s early 2000s that I could SEE it blaring out of people's dorm rooms in Denton 2! That chorus stays with you but in a very pleasant way. And love Leslie's voice on this. The whole sound is clean and sounds very REAL.
@hbusse Feb 2022
Fab! Love the vocal delivery and the chorus is so catchy. The instrumentation sounds just right to me. Feels to me like a classic 90s rock tune (my hubby listens to tons of 90s rock) - and the fewer instruments does sound like a live show, and leaves great space for the solidness of the song itself to shine through. Well done you two!
@leepat Feb 2022
great southern sound and
love the lyrics, must be the process and how meaning emerged from the rhythms.
great collab!
@rwhosings Feb 2022
I love this!
I don't have anything detailed or constructive to say, I just love this!
@tfish77 Feb 2022
Holy shit those drums! Monster sound. Impressive that Leslie's voice cuts through everything (a credit to the singing and the production). It may be a simple track, but it sounds so wide and full. That chorus is a fucking earworm! Beautifully done.
@tseaver Feb 2022
Great collab: the hook is a gem. Love the soundscape: that drum sound is killer, and the solo roars.
@nadine Feb 2022
Wow the production is so neat *_*! The vocals are great snd work well with the instrumentation. Kudos for putting such a complicated number into a catchy hook line!
@panch Feb 2022
This all sits together so well, everything - writing, performance and production is just right. A really enjoyable listen.
@wrenarcher Feb 2022
This is amazing on all levels.
Leslie’s vocals just kill on this!
The production and mix of the band!… magnifique!
Love this!
@wylddandelyon Feb 2022
Nice vibe. I can certainly relate to "I'm out of step and I don't mind".
@kenmattsson Feb 2022
This is a banger! Love everything about this. Amazing that you could fit 3.857% into lyrics without it feeling forced.
@nahlej381 Feb 2022
This sounds great! Very cool tune, solid production. Nice one!
@whispermouse Feb 2022
WOW. SUPER sounds. I would definitely listen to a whole album of this. The lyrics strike a great balance between being abstract and carrying plenty of meaning. Amazing song.
Also, your proselytization worked - which Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers album should I start with?
@nancyrost Feb 2022
That is the catchiest-sounding number! Love the story of how this came about. Kudos on the arrangement, too - it sounds big, not sparse at all, yet really gives that gorgeous vocal room to shine.
@stephenwordsmith Feb 2022
I think you've hit a very sweet spot with the sparseness and depth of the arrangement. It lends the song a rocking yet reflective air, and gives the lyric space to breathe. The vocals are gorgeous - makes me think of the late, great Dolores O'Riordan, if she were having a good day.
As a recovering statistician, I am deeply tickled by the titular hook having four significant figures, and you deliver it with a fluidity that barely seems possible.
I really enjoyed this. Loved the solo, too.
@bethkille Feb 2022
Yaasss! I love this collab. Great job on the sparse arrangement binky to let Leslie’s vocals shine through. Amazing pipes!!
@sapient Feb 2022
Oh, yes!
What really strikes me about this song is the way it sounds like a live performance. Everything glues together so well, sounding like it's in a real space. It's making my ears very happy.
What's also making my ears super happy is the way the vocal line trips and skips across the backing track. I get goosebumps when syllables do that.
Wonderful work, you pair of desert rockstars :D
@carleybaer Feb 2022
Wow, this is awesome! The lyrics work so well with the music. I love the little lilt on “3.857% of the time.” Definitely has a turn-of-the-21st century, desert-driving-with-the-top-down feel to it. Really solid work, you two. Bravo!
@kevinmason Feb 2022
This feels straight out the 90s or 2000s in such a great way. I think it’s the melodies, harmonies and vocal stylings. And the instrumentation is steady and spacious. Feels like you both sat down and wrote this all together. Great job