Archive for September 2008

Coming Attractions

Today, I recorded the last missing piece for my upcoming solo album Heteroscedasticity. I still have to assemble the individual tracks to a coherent unit (tough job) and create some kind of artwork. It is going to be a download-only album, available for free, licensed Creative Commons by-nc; so you can create your own physical album if you care. Right now, the song order in the music section does not correspond to the initial title numbers. I will fix that once all tracks are there. Please be patient – and re-download everything after the album release for maximum correctness.

I had planned to make a video of me playing some songs live to a non-existent audience. I’ve already compiled a setlist: some songs from the album, a couple of other tracks, and a cover version. I’m not sure when/if I find the time for this, but the idea is to have some moving pictures to go along with the album.

I don’t have the time to do more promotional activities and for the time being everything is strictly non-commercial. I’ll just see where it goes from there – probably nowhere. And that would be okay with me. But at least I can point back at something specific whenever someone learns that I used to make music while I was studying. This being said, I’m not going to burn my drums. But we (my drums and I) are going to live apart and I’ll be busy with other (non-musical) things, anyway.

Blogroll

When I switched to WordPress some time ago I created a blogroll (to be found in the right side), basically because it was the default setting. Ever since I have the feeling that every blog I link to becomes rather inactive. By now there’s only a couple of blogs left which are updated on a somewhat regular basis. The rest remains dormant, if not dead. I don’t think this has much to do with me linking to them. Maintaining a blog requires a certain amount of dedication and content. Still, I’m hesitant to add new links to the list. But then again, what would the internet be without links? The internets? The nets? The islands?

Statusupdate / Twitter

Prophylaktisch habe ich mir ein Twitter-Profil eingerichtet. In welcher Form ich es nutzen werde, kann ich im Moment noch nicht sagen. Heute erscheinen übrigens die neuen Alben von Neal Morse (christlicher Progressive Rock) und Van Canto (A-Cappella-Metal), beide sehr hörenswert.

ANOVA (mit gerichteten Kontrasten)

This is a song about statistics, more specifically analysis of variance (ANOVA) and its possible romantic implications. I enjoy data analysis and dread the day the lyrics become autobiographical. A former fellow student inspired me to the chorus when I visited him early in August 2008. I wrote the lyrics on the train home and wrote and recorded everything a couple of days later. There’s drums, guitars (acoustic and electric ones), keyboards (bass and piano), vocals (lead and harmony!), a few recorder notes, and even hand claps!

Download the song: mp3 ogg (more music)

Sie denkt an die Sonne. Sie träumt von der Welt.
Sie kämmt ihre Haare, wie ihr es gefällt.
Sie lacht mit den Kindern. Sie füttert den Hund.
Sie geht gerne joggen und bleibt so gesund.

Sie mag die Bretagne. Sie spielt gerne Skat.
Sie pflanzt viele Blumen und fährt häufig Rad.
Sie kocht Marmelade. Sie schreibt ein Gedicht.
Sie sieht in den Wolken ein weißes Gesicht.

Ihn kümmert das alles nicht,
Denn jetzt gerade denkt er sich:
ANOVA mit gerichteten Kontrasten.
Voll Euphorie haut er die Syntax in die Tasten.
ANOVA und dazu dann noch ein Schaubild.
Die Glückshormone tanzen wild in seinem Kopf.

Sie liegt auf der Wiese. Sie badet im Meer.
Sie ist nicht mehr 18, doch nimmt’s nicht so schwer.
Sie liebt Schokolade. Sie ist stets auf Zack.
Sie bäckt einen Kuchen mit Kokosgeschmack.

Ihn kümmert das alles nicht,
Denn jetzt gerade denkt er sich:
ANOVA mit gerichteten Kontrasten.
Voll Euphorie haut er die Syntax in die Tasten.
ANOVA und dazu dann noch ein Schaubild.
Ein Nudelholz trifft ihn von hinten auf den Kopf.

Benommen schaut er in das Licht.
Er traut seinen Augen nicht.
ANOVA mit gerichteten Kontrasten.
Mit voller Wucht fällt sein Schädel auf die Tasten.
ANOVA mit unendlich vielen Sternchen.
Die Engel singen im Chor in seinem Kopf.

ANOVA mit gerichteten Kontrasten.
Mit voller Wucht fällt sein Schädel auf die Tasten.
ANOVA mit unendlich vielen Sternchen.
Der Rhythmus schlägt von innen gegen seinen Kopf.

(words and music by Johannes Schult)

Do It Yourself / Save You From Yourself

It’s difficult to find the right words to describe my attitude towards do-it-yourself musicians who embraced the internet and get some exposure they couldn’t possibly have gotten way back when. Sure, the mainstream is still there with over-priced albums and mass media advertising. Just go to your local mall and look at it yourself. No need to write about it. But what’s with the sullen one-man-bands out here? Not all of them are good. Few achieve professional recording quality. None produces an epic masterpiece like Mike Oldfield’s “Music of the Spheres”.

Still, there’s plenty of great artists out there who have realized that locking up the music won’t help their mission. My latest discovery is Scott Andrew. He’s making acoustic pop that, at times, reminds me of R.E.M., yet sounds merrier. Stumbling across his homepage, I found an inviting virtual place. I immediately felt encouraged to check out his music and liked what I heard. The songs didn’t leave me speechless, but the light atmosphere and the charismatic voice sounded good.

I could have left it at that. If a musician offers his songs for free on his homepage he must be stupid and doesn’t deserve any (financial) support, right? Wrong. Scott sells his latest cd “Save You From Yourself” for 8 US$ (if you signed up on his mailing list/demo club). So I just bought it. It felt right. The album arrived today. It looks good, sounds great, and beats 98% of the current German charts.

Podcast news

For the first time some of my music has been featured in a podcast, namely the latest show of Jawbone Radio. (Around 2:30 and at the very end.) Thanks to Len and Nora!

In the development stage

My approach to making music is somewhat reckless these days. I attempt to write one hour songs, i.e., tunes I write and record within 60 minutes. So far I’ve done six songs; the fifth one is actually featured in the previous update. Right now I’m just accumulating these one hour songs. Maybe I’ll release more of them in the future, maybe not.

The format forces me to write rather short songs, of course. Needless to say, I needed between two and three hours for the first bunch of songs, because I was too ambitious, i.e., got stuck with the lyrics or recorded, like, 30 different drum tracks. But I already find myself enjoying it, since I’m no longer obsessing over every little detail. My solo music isn’t that sophisticated, after all.

What’s the Baby Using?

This little number was (obviously) inspired by LEN TV (and the madness that ensued). Please note that it is actually 25 seconds long. The song was written and recorded on Wednesday, 27th August 2008, while I was packing my suitcase. (Yep, I spent the last week in Bellingham, WA.) There’s drums, electric guitars, an acoustic guitar, a bass courtesy of my keyboard, and my obnoxious vocals on it. (I also tried it with ukulele only, but I don’t think that version is going to be released until someone compiles Jutze archive anthologies.)

Download the song: mp3 ogg (more music)

What’s the baby using?
What’s the baby using?
What’s the baby using?
It’s using 25.
It’s using 25.
It’s using 25.

(words and music by Johannes Schult)