New Song Didn't Pass the Girlfriend Test

i don't update this blog often enough. i'm going to try and change that by posting regular updates on what i'm working on, whether it's good or bad. today i'm sharing a recent failure of mine. sometimes you write a song, and after it's all recorded you sit back and listen to it and think, "wow, this sucks." this is one of those songs.

so the other day the idea for this track popped into my head while i was riding home from work on my scooter. the main melody came to me and kept repeating in my head. for some reason or another i thought it would be fun to make the song all about my favorite bands. if you are my Facebook friend, you may have seen my status update about working on this song. i suppose i thought it would be a good way to connect with listeners. if just one of these bands happened to also be a favorite of yours, maybe our bond would strengthen.

so i recorded the song as soon as i arrived home. didn't take too long -- a couple hours in all. the lyrics are nothing more than a list of my favorite bands, and the chorus merely repeats "these are a few of my favorite bands." easy, right? i tried to make it a light hearted, fun pop/rock song in the style of The Dandy Warhols, which i've been listening to a lot of lately.

but when i listened to the finished product, it didn't move me. sometimes i feel too close to a song to know if it's any good and seek a second opinion. so i played it for my girlfriend. "meh," she said. it is not a good sign when even your girlfriend doesn't like your song. turns out a list of my favorite bands does not necessarily make a compelling listen. she thought the melody was catchy, but needed a little more effort in the lyrical content.

so here is the song as it stands right now:

My Favorite Bands (demo) by monster-0

here's what i think went right:
- i've got a catchy melody and a solid chorus
- i like the crunchy, buzzy guitar tone
- i like the bridge that occurs at 1:52 (although i need to do more with it)
- i like the "whoo hoos!"

here's what went wrong:
- lyrics don't cut it
- guitar solo is weak sauce
- guitar part is inconsistent
- drums could use more personality

so there you have it. i'll probably scrap the vocals and write something with a little substance, then figure out exactly what the guitar should be doing. if i get another decent version going i'll post the update.

daemon

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Monster-0 Would Have a 100% Metacritic Rating

that is, if Metacritic tracked self-released albums by independent artists. i've just received the first review of my latest album, Don't Worry About the World, and it is positive. i'm batting 1000 over here.

PlugInMusic says, "If I were booking a Daft Punk tour I'd sign Monster-0 as the opening act." click here for the full review.

The Two Most Annoying Things About Facebook

i love Facebook as much as the next guy/gal. like the rest of the civilized world, i abandoned the MySpace ghetto long ago and now do my social networking exclusively on the 'Book. but there are two aspects of it i find aggravating. actually, these points aren't Facebook's fault, as they are user errors:

1. People who use photos of their kids for their profile pictures
dude, this is YOUR Facebook profile. are you really so devoid of a sense of identity that you have to stick your kid up there as your proxy? if i want to be friends with your baby, i'll send them a friend request.

2. People who don't understand the way status updates work
ok, gather around children. the Facebook status update is supposed to read like a sentence that begins with your name. for example, "Daemon Hatfield is going to the strip club." an astonishing number of people can't wrap their minds around this concept and instead end up writing something that doesn't make any sense, like "Daemon Hatfield At strip club."

just glancing at some recent status updates, here is what i'm talking about. names have been changed to protect the idiots:

John Doe "when i am king you will be first against the wall."

John Doe Go buy to Dark Was The Night, a benefit album including Sufjan, Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, Beirut, etc! http://tinyurl.com/cxwxbl.

John Doe TNT starts @ 7pm at CCH. College students...get here!

John Doe At Fazoli's: "Gabe, do you want spaghetti?" "NO! I want pasta!"

John Doe At Cafe du Soleil in the Lower Haight getting work done. Stormy Weather crooning as I caffeinate and start a meeting.

John Doe someone got tased during school! hahah!!

John Doe at one point in your life, your age is exactly the same as the number p to an infinate digit and it passed in such a quick space of time that it wasnt even real.

none of these make any sense! come on, people. is it really that hard to type a verb? i know at least half of you passed the second grade.

Monster-0 on Facebook

Don't Worry About the World Commentary Track

as i did with my last album, i've recorded a commentary track for my second LP, Don't Worry About the World. it's just myself and associate Ryan Geddes talking about what went into recording, and it might provide some insight into where i'm coming from with Monster-0. we talk over the music, so you don't need to worry about playing it along with the album.

you can download the DWATW commentary track here.

as always, thanks for listening.
daemon

The Effect Monster-0 Has on People

My Favorite Year for Music

i have around 4,000 songs in my iTunes library. it occurred to me recently that i could determine my favorite year for music by figuring out what year is best represented in my library. whatever year i have the most songs from must be my favorite year, right?

apparently, it is 2005.

makes sense, i suppose. standout releases from 2005 include:

Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase (maybe my favorite album)
Beck - Guero
The Clientelle - Strange Geometry
Gojira - From Mars to Sirius
Hellfish - One Man Sonic Attack Force
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
Ladytron - Witching Hour
Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

close runner-ups: 1985, 1996, and 2004

mystery solved! three cheers for 2005!