Feb 2022 guitar-pop stretched-metaphor upbeat collab
@brisk: This was a real collaboration - a few days ago I sent @richaaaay a bunch of random words I had been working on on a train journey, and then he came up with the verse and prechorus sections. Then I did the chorus, and then we both had a stab at the bridge, and we went with his (because it wasn't insane), and then we've both taken turns at tinkering with it, and doing stuff. He's been such a patient and giving collaborator, and I'm beyond pleased with the end results. And like we agreed yesterday, this song could never have happened without this collaboration.
Oh, and he's done all the mixing and production stuff, and I think he's done a cracking job.
@Richaaaay: Stephen is pure genius! I’ve admired his work from a distance and to get this little peak into his unique musical mind has me yearning for more!!! The chord progressions and composition are something I never would have imagined on my own. I feel like we’ve broken all the rules but this song is better off for it…
Dah-dah-doo-dah!
A promise is a simple empty vessel
A thimble or an oaken whisky cask
A champagne flute or a polished granite pestle
Really any vessel does the task
Even when it's just a trickle
Even when you drink it fast
Even though the fates are fickle
All you have to do is ask
Cold sweet water
We need a little water every day
Life's a red and rocky desert
And desert's where us rocks have got to stay
Some folks always keep it in a bottle
They never even try to twist the cap
Say its their right not to but no not all
people entertain such selfish crap
Even when its just a tipple
Even when you drink alone
Why'd you lock it up inside a bottle?
Won't you throw the thirsty guys a
Cold sweet water
We need a little water in our mouths
Burning like the Martian surface
And promises are worth as much as vows
But maybe where we're going we won't need that lovely water
And maybe we'll at last be self-suffish
Maybe it'll wreath the very air that we all breath
And maybe we'll be drinking all day long just like the fish
Dah-dah-doo-dah!
Cold sweet water
We need a little water every day
Life's a red and rocky desert
Desert's where us rocks have got to stay!
Hey!
@mistermann Mar 2022
There is some very understated sophistication in that arrangement/composition and you pull it off with such an effortless 70s folk rock/supergroup vibe. Very nicely done.
@katestantonsings Feb 2022
Brisk's writing voice is so uniquely him. I get excited when my ears can't predict the chord progression--this song did that! Several moments I didn't expect :) Beautiful guitar work, Rich! I say keep breaking "rules" you two!! I love collabs like this. They're...authentic and pure.
@anaezia Feb 2022
The guitar is so beautiful. It made me sentimental. So soothing.
@hbusse Feb 2022
Fascinating lyric with vivid images. I particularly like how that second verse runs right into the chorus. Interesting, unexpected chord progressions and modulations. Way to bend and break some rules!
@sheslin Feb 2022
Ooh that guitar is so lovely - and the vocals too! I just love the vibe - it feels like a journey but I love it is about the oh so very important to us water! Clever lyrical crafting. Great melodic choices and that chorus is particularly catchy. I like the dark turn towards the end, and then back to the happier catch place. What a great collab!
@paulh1237 Feb 2022
I love the detail, especially in the first verse with the thimble / oaken whisky cask. Really catchy singalong chorus and the theme works really well.
@mikeb Feb 2022
Acoustic top-40 pop-rock from the late 60s! Reminds me of a Worcester (Massachusetts) band Orpheus who had a few hits back then.
@p3t3h4rv3y Feb 2022
oh yes bahdadadah! pop-tastic, granite pestle, graphite pencil
awesome - water is great too
subtle piano - nice vocal, reminds me of someone- it'll come to me..
lilac time? airhead? indie-poptastic
@oaksnprairie Feb 2022
I love the sweet 60s pop vibe, you two sound great together.
@markg Feb 2022
I like the last verse, you conjecture a future that does or does not require water.
@roddy Feb 2022
This is so good. You choice of chords is excellent and very creative. The overall sound is so rich and varied. I could listen over and over again.
@mckillop Feb 2022
Brisk and Richaaay - love this!
Very breezy and light, a fun treatment of an essential of life.
I think the melody in the chorus is my fav aspect of the song, but there are so many good things: harmonies, instrumentation, production, etc.
Nice work!
@karlsburg25 Feb 2022
I love it when you feel you're breaking all the rules in a collab. Its rare but wonderful when it comes off so beautifully like this. The rhythmic jaggedness of the verse in this leading to that beautiful perchorus then into the chorus is a real treat. Well done you two.
@jamesstaubes Feb 2022
This is well done. The mix and vibe are on point. The guitars are impressive. I love this line - people entertain such selfish crap. That bridge section is great. The buildup is cool. Lots of dynamics.
@andrea Feb 2022
This is an interesting and fun song. I really like the theme and the harmonies. The bridge is probably my favorite, particularly the last two lines:
'Maybe it'll wreath the very air that we all breath
And maybe we'll be drinking all day long just like the fish'
Sucha great collaboration. It feels like you had fun doing it and it shows :)
@vomvorton Feb 2022
This is really nice, getting Brian Wilson vibes from the melodies and arrangement. Feels like it evolves really nicely from verse to chorus to bridge, I like this a lot.
@thedutchwidows Feb 2022
This is a lovely collaboration; you complement each other really well. Lovely melodies, great guitarring, just a really good song all round! Very nice!.
@nadine Feb 2022
It's so fun to listen to a real collaboration cause its quite hard to ping pong in this short amount of time. And you both did well. The bridge is fun to hear cause its very unusual!
@kristi Feb 2022
I enjoyed those metaphors! These particularly: Life's a red and rocky desert/And desert's where us rocks have got to stay. Great vocal and harmonies and the upbeat melody. And I like how it builds right before the bridge. That 1st line of the bridge is very thought-provoking. Great work!
@oswlek Feb 2022
Well this is an interesting little number! Every time I think I have a handle on it, it goes and springs something completely fresh on me. My favorite part is the end of the second chorus into the bridge, which then resolves wonderfully into the "da da da" part. So much that I wish we had spent just a little more time there before hitting the final chorus. Of course, the final chorus was great too, so maybe I shouldn't be so quick to say that!
Good work, guys.
@davidtaro Feb 2022
I’ve been listening to this at various points this evening, and every time I do, I have a huge smile on my face. I think the biggest thing for me is the sense that it’s truly a collaborative piece. I can hear what each of you are bringing to the party, but you can also tell it’s gone back and forth, been polished and honed, and that you’ve had a brilliant time doing it. I love the unconventional structure and chord progressions (very Stephen) and that opening guitar figure which is pure Rich. Some lovely words too, I particularly liked ‘self-suffish’! Well done chaps!
@n24 Feb 2022
Really beautiful track! I love the harmonies and the rhythm of this track, it’s gentle but very catchy and melodic. I love the slightly dissonant instrumental middle 8 section it’s a really fun experimental break from the very boppy main body of the song. I really love the lyrics too, there’s some really lovely detail on a fairly straight forward concept that brings the song alive. I particularly like ‘ Life's a red and rocky desert, And desert's where us rocks have got to stay’ as always, great work both!
@feb21sundari Feb 2022
Cool collab. Nice rhytm and song in a friendly mood.
@bandybum Feb 2022
Love those opening harmonies, nice chord changes, cool guitar in 2nd verse and delightful playful lyric
That bridge makes me smile and think of 10cc :)
@nahlej381 Feb 2022
This is gorgeous! Rich your production is getting TIGHT! Solid collab! Sounds like you were in the same room! It’s very dreamy.