tongue and bass...

[deepbob]

*explicit lyrics warning*

lil bit. political content too (recommend avoiding 'hey george' if you're a GOP sympathiser), try to look past it if you can.

this is psycadelic tunage designed to be listened to under such circumstances and requires lots of volume/stamina to appreciate.

good luck...


tongue and bass
(schmee)

band-aids (straight)

it's all fine for now
so we don't need to fight
cause we're stuck on band-aids
and not wrong or right

we're stuck on details
and gallup's big poll
not taking the right toll
of every chance roll

it's all part of the way
of entering the light
of fighting the good fight
and putting it all right

it's all fine for now
so we don't need to fight
cause we're stuck on band-aids
and not wrong or right



it's all fine for now
so we don't need to fight
cause we're stuck on band-aids
and not wrong or right

or putting it kinda
just leaving it well
in our political hell
we're just wishin things well

reactionary made
independence pollution
that makes us all slaves
in the Man's institution

it's all fine for now
so we don't need to fight
cause we're stuck on band-aids
and not wrong or right

remind me ('peaking' remix)

(instrumental)

pluralistic ignorance

we're under the gun,
and we gotta run,
we're under the gun,

which way do we go?
your running the show,
which way do we go?

what you gonna do?
who you goin screw?
what you gonna do?

we're under the gun,
and we gotta run,
we're under the gun.

layers

(instrumental)

down low

(instrumental)

hey george

at least your consistent
and your argument's persistant
idiosynchro-matic, pluralistic ignorance
it doesn't really seem to make a damn bit of difference

your poppa made our bed, while fighting the nasty red
the communist disorder, the economic border
where all ameri-cana pissed and barked,
and spit out new-world orders

and after so many buried and dead
and with all these ideas, in all of our heads
you take power from the Feds
by giving power to the Feds, instead

yes, that's what i said,
- despite making no sense -
you'd think i was ****ing dense
you'd think i'd have no defense

but at least your consistent
yeah, that's what i said
cause at the end of the day,
"do what i say, not what i did"

it's the message for all today
even martha said, "that's the way"
and way far out, in the chill of the right
endless ranks salivate, all ready to fight

and even if your mind is closed
and well after the question is posed
even doin what you're supposed
with your red, white and blue eyes closed

you won't see - believe me - can't see the light,
can't look around while you're in the good fight
can't see what others around you just might
but at least your consistent, and all that, despite...

crossed purposes changing each social season,
supplanting causes with treachery and treason,
vested interests all paid for and special
just turning the tide, of logic and reason

to meet your political ends, and little else
to feed your billionare friends, and little else
to need/knead the world's dough, and it just goes to show
how little we understand, and how little we know

how little we act and little we go
hiding neath the corporate shelter's ego
like a proud pink tent, in a circus side-show
at least we're consistent, in how we make the dough

it's the same damn recipe we're servin up
and Barnum indeed, had it all figured out
and while Teddy cut the foundation nation
few Americans know what this game's about

they're thinking of God and the toil of manufacture
of Adam Smith pasture, and national rapture
of grounds high and moral, of political spoils...
a competive, productive, mericratic, hydrofoil

but way back when, and at the beginning
back when even America wasn't yet winning
the people elsewhere, of all race and creed
weren't around, and failed to heed

the shot heard round the world
the starting gun of a modern age
the resource race of a thousand grabs
the lessons learned from Sun Tzu's page

employed to win a race of slavers
a nation led through positional favor
will no one stop this ancient, headless monster?
the unilateral, republican, corporate sponsor...

billions in distress, it's all a ****ing mess
and all we can do is pass the buck
hit the bible, pray for luck
you know we're not the ones to give a ****

but at least we're consistent
you can judge by our path
the proof is in the pudding, you know?
the proof is how we act

at least we're consistent
at least our argument is consistent
sufficiently superficial, causes artificial
and the truth of the world is still ignored

goin fer a jog

(instrumental)

band-aids (psilocybin)

it's all fine for now
so we don't need to fight
cause we're stuck on band-aids
and not wrong or right

we're stuck on details
and gallup's big poll
not taking the right toll
of every chance roll

it's all part of the way
of entering the light
of fighting the good fight
and putting it all right

it's all fine for now
so we don't need to fight
cause we're stuck on band-aids
and not wrong or right



it's all fine for now
so we don't need to fight
cause we're stuck on band-aids
and not wrong or right

or putting it kinda
just leaving it well
in our political hell
we're just wishin things well

reactionary made
independence pollution
that makes us all slaves
in the Man's institution

it's all fine for now
so we don't need to fight
cause we're stuck on band-aids
and not wrong or right

made it! ('all our tomorrow' remix)

(instrumental)



NB: no guitars were used in the recording of tongue and bass.

[deepbob]

c'mon what kinda critics are you?

hehe seriously, i know there is a ton of musical rubbish in this stuff, but i'm looking for specific issues to focus on and would greatly appreciate any comments in the negative. even if for half of one song cause that's all you could stand =)

i'm trying to straddle a very "uncomfortable" sound quite intentionally as it suits the political tone of the words set against this, or pulls off the psycadelic effect desired.

trying to create stark constrasts between good playing and terrible playing in layers which reveal the dissonence between the two, and am enjoying the result, especially in it's psycadelic properties.

also trying to "paint" impressionisticly using multiple layers of bass, percussion and voice. everything here is improvised except words which are usually recrafted poems to fit the musical structure - which is why the jams often have no apparant compositional structure, and even sometimes confuse completely.

usually when musicians are presented with crap they have little problem tearing it apart - why so shy?

i know momma said if you don't have anything nice to say not to say it, but please bag on it as much as you can - i need the opposite of nice =)

[dancehallclasher]

Originally posted by deepbob
i'm trying to straddle a very "uncomfortable" sound quite intentionally as it suits the political tone of the words set against this, or pulls off the psycadelic effect desired.

well, if the words are that important, you might want to try to record the vocals in a more straightforward way, because they're almost unintelligible. i like the music though. it's weird as hell, like psychedelic/jungle or something.

[deepbob]

hey thanks, exactly the reaction i'm trying to achieve.

my direct inspirations here are the cocktau twins, and linton kwesi johnson's poetic structure (without any pretense of being able to hang with that kind of dub reggae), a penchant for jazz/funk/afro/latin rythm, and a lifetime of psycadelic worship to guide my intuition (a la hendrix, floyd, grateful dead).

thing with the words, while they are often a critical spike to setting the tone - they are sometimes intentionally difficult to percieve. sometimes it's because i'm trying to layer the same thought in three different ways over time, so that individually they mean nothing but collectively become interprettable.

eg the second version of 'band-aids' where i sing in 4 layers and intentionally make each track indistinguishable on it's own, but collectively represent something interprettable. i love the expression that can come out of trying to interpret something 16 different ways in the same space of time.

and sometimes i just want people to feel the mood, and would love them to want to listen again, exactly because something didn't make sense the first go around. an old and overused psycadelic trick i suppose.

however, i've tried to build a lot in this stuff to reward the listener if they come back to it, and if they listen to it in different sound configurations.

but admittedly, i'm no singer, nor sound engineer and have fudged a few areas where i'd like the articulation of words to be more audible, or in the other direction, have an individual voice track that's too loud at times.

what i'd love to hear from you real bassists is whether my complete lack of bass technique (been playing about 6 months with out a pick, all five fingers on my right hand and basic knowledge of only the blues scale off of B and E and how to arppegio decently) - is getting in the way of my bass improvising here.

ie, am i playing bass clean enough to get across the jamming here, despite the lack of jaco-like technique?

"layers" for example is just meant to be a good ole fashioned blues jam voiced in a technologically amusing array that should be overwhelming to the sober ear, but crystal clear to the 'inebriated'.

you guys hearing decent blues there or am i kidding myself?

other palces, i'm trying to come up with new stuff entirely, like down low - what the hell style is that? you tell me.

i appreciate a lot of the other crap here is mostly ear candy in basic harmonics and rythmical trusims, like 1/2 second delaying simple 120 bpm rythms for a psycadelic fold effect - but hey it's fun as hell as let's me make my point =)

extra A+ for effort if you've read this far. much thanks.

-deep

[Dave Castelo]

Originally posted by deepbob
c'mon what kinda critics are you?

lazy ones?

sorry

[RedV]

They're not bad; I admire you for putting all of that work up for criticism...kudos to you

Your playing's not sloppy or anything..not bad at all, really. I think you're getting your point across just fine doing what you're doing. Keep at it.

Alex

[deepbob]

very kind indeed.

i posted this awhile back but dint label it very well, or bump it or anything and it disappeared super fast. perhaps this'll get a few more listens...

you folks remember the notion of albums? this one predates "tongue and bass" by about two weeks, and is more diverse, Super-cheesy to tastefully-cheesy.

album 4, "some basstistics" is on the way, with two songs down and around 6ish to go. album 1, "early times" is too ridiculous for this place =P

schmee proudly presents**:
musolitics.

--______________
our thang
1.41 Mbs, 3.32 Mins

hit me now with the big wet sound
hit me trippy like a muther ****ing hippy - just doin our thang
just doin our thang

that's the thing like a big red mustang
do a buck twenty, make it fun if - if you're gonna hang
we're just doin our thang

hit me now with the improv sound
hit me multicolor, let me hear the other - doing our thang
just doin our thang

that's the thing cant swing with the gang bang
master feat hits the (up)beat, tastes sweet, and won't meet doin our thang
doin our thang

hit me now with the trickle down sound
hippy sound, the hippy revolution, evolutionary swing
just doin our thang,

all around the world
all the boys and girls


--______________
signal
1.4 Mbs, 3.31 Mins

on the road, in our car all the time
you know what we don't, at this opportune time

a tip of your hat, would be really quite fine
at the signal, and in a car fast as mine

but the phone and the kids and the cop in the road
have you thinking of you and just you alone

in your own simple world, with roads all your own
you fail to think, and leave the signal alone


hard-to-reach places
1.07 Mbs, 2.40 Mins

(instrumental, bass motif mercilessly stolen from the unmatchable 11 hour limit - where's the album? quick!)


--______________
another day
1.31 Mbs, 3.17 Mins

to work we go off, and on with the show
what other way is, when that's all we know?
traffic's all hectic, and the air's gone septic
and everyone's a critic or some dirty skeptic

while the radio's cold with advertising
and breakfast seems less appetizing
when ours is more about us and less about you
when the gold diggers and campers are all through

we got the message, you've said all you can
and it really doesn't matter what we say
you're driving SUVs because you can
just another day in the USA

this talk of coming together and working it through
quite frankly this important issue doesn't suit you
and yet we're constrained by what you do
and what it is you would have us believe to be true

we got the message, you've said all you can
and it really doesn't matter what we say
you're driving SUVs because you can
cause its just another day in the USA

well, we're getting there, half century of discussion
but no gain on those dreaded repercussions
but take heart and let me finish this rant
the only way you won't, is if you damn well can't

we got the message, you've said all you can
and it really doesn't matter what we say
you're driving SUVs because you can
just another sheep in the USA


--______________
your house
0.82 Mbs, 1.59 Mins
(Music and Lyrics by Steel Pulse, rev. lyrics inaccurately percieved by schmee)


your love, is right for i
realised that so much, when i first met you
that was some time ago, but then i knew this
resist, no, no, no,
oh yes, right from the start
oh no, no, no, could never part
oh i, hear from the part - yes
i wanna live in your house
i wanna live in your house
i wanna live in your house, your house
wanna live in your house

you say, dry your, nose
wipe that teardrop from your, eye
was in a little situation
and with a solution
whats the revelation to a triumphant call
say spap spa baba ba bap
i wanna live in your house, i wanna live in
i wanna live in your house

( --= oh i know ye
too much for what some say
cause at the close of the day
they'll be so far away
but then i know what this voice said
cause at the closing of the oh
yes i know what this voice said
you'll be there, you'll be there
it's with you
that brings the flag above our head
once when i was
once when i was
in a situation
and with a solution... =-- )

--______________
engage
1 Mbs, 2.29 Mins

democracy set the stage
republics turn the page
but the crowds all still rage
and no one likes to engage

we shout across the aisle
we sigh and turn the dial
we know they're in denial
but we never have the trial

special men make the calls
respect decorates the halls
just throwin ****, and ignoring what falls
noone's got the balls

special men make the calls
respect decorates the halls
just throwin ****, and ignoring what falls
but not a one's got the balls

we finally have the debate
cept the one i nominate
and we see them demonstrate
all the illusions we create

democracy sets the stage
but republics turn the page
and the crowds all still rage
so why don't we engage?


--______________
all our tomorrow
0.72 Mbs, 1.44 Mins

nothing moved, all was down
not a virtual, single sound
the people mill about, all around
while the action figures, all abound

we went walking thru the park
nothing of interest found
there was all our tommorrow
sitting down on the ground

nothing moved, all was down
not a virtual, single sound
the people mill about, all around
while the action figures, all abound

we went walking thru the park
nothing of interest found
there was all our tommorrow
sitting down on the ground

the owners don't won't own up
and the ****ing freaks, all hound
standing on the family crest
protecting their own mound

we went walking thru the park
nothing of interest found
there was all our tommorrow
sitting down on the ground


--______________
peaking
0.6 Mbs, 1.26 Mins

(instrumental)


--______________
afro-keef
1.41 Mbs, 3.35 Mins

(instrumental)


--______________
our thang
0.84 Mbs, 2.02 Mins

(reprise)

--______________
thanks fer listening.



** = subject to change

musolotics artwork


thanks fer listening - as always, comments greatly encouraged and appreciated, from great to the small, positive to negative, come one, welcome all, and let's all have a ball.

--(oh yeah... copyright 2002 schmee)--

[Farley]

Musically it sounds cool. Lyrically, the song may not go over big with some audiences. Not too many bands can successfully pull off political sentimant / commentary in their music.

[deepbob]

hey thanks. seriously that's so cool.

i have no desire to perform, i'm basically trying to produce music that works well in situations of high intoxication or for background/soundtrack music for video. but i don't see "hey george" hitting rush limbaugh or MTV anytime soon =)

i am trying to work in video (coming from 2d design), so i'm making MTV-style videos of these tunes eventually - with the express intent of being a form of 'guerrilla' media, or more precisely, engage in meme-warfare on behalf of various groups i feel under represented in the ocean of corproate tunage out there.

i'm a big fan of the grateful dead sense of value, and am more focused on turning out creativity, not single songs that i sit on for years and hope to collect royalties off of.

so i want this stuff to all be public domain eventually. i've already published some of the instrumentals over the net to game developers for free useage all they'd like to.

the whole thing is one massive project to get a demo reel going. but i am really digging the ability the digital workstation provides to create such a diverse set of sounds and riding the intuition for all it's worth, and getting close to frogetting about the video and just focusing on the audio.

been playing musical isntruments for decdes, but i started about a year ago as a poet, and realised no one could "feel" the meter behind what i was writing, so i decided to set it all to music and accidentally taught myself how to improve bass in the process =P woops.

from there, it's just been intuitive magic and the funnest thing i've ever done in my life.

so thanks =) i'm doing what i think i am. and that's the hardest part to be sure of, ya know?

"self-awareness is the key to your upheival from mediocrity"

sorry for the novel, but i think out loud (brainstorming roxxors dood!) and type 120 wpm.

[Farley]

Right on. If your diggin' it then that's all that matters.