‘Dotty Ditties, Volume 3(*) *A Collection’ Individual Song Breakdowns ____________________________________________________________ Individual Song Breakdowns The previous song breakdowns apply. I’ll be using this space to discuss the last 5 tracks. For the “Misinterpreting Movies Theme” explanation, click here. For the Dotty Ditties, Volume 1(?) EP song breakdowns, click here. For the Dotty Ditties, Volume 2(!) EP song breakdowns, click here. "Somnambulists Agree..." (drum transcription) Like the other volumes of DD, the tracklist is sequenced in the order in which the tunes were written/initiated, this being the first one on 11JAN22. When the chorus hook came to me, I used a tuner app on my phone, singing into it to transcribe the notes. I can’t recall if I used that as a basis for writing the opening riff, or if that came naturally as a result of knowing the notes. While playing a couple of gigs in Colombia with Darkest Hour, I was mentioning possibly needing a pianist and Aaron Deal recommended his friend Mary. She did a splendid job on this as well as the closing track; the solo that I wrote for the second verse was no walk in the park! My old pal Sophia also makes an appearance with her awesome Viper (7-string electric violin): in the second verse, the guitar takes over the piano melody while the strings harmonize/play counterpoint, and also the outro is all the more epic with the inclusion of strings. I’m curious about and interested in analog gear along with digital, which resulted in my megaphone purchase. I thought I could achieve the same effect with a plug-in, but there are random squeaks of feedback and that makes it totally worthwhile. The section at 2:37 came about merely because I wanted to try it out for the first time, and the lyrics and cadence were written quickly and in the moment (and are not central to the other lyrics, and thusly mixed). It added some variety, filled up some space, and gave a satisfying lift to the drama. There are many touches of sound design and other embellishments. One of the opening effects is a whirring gas pump suddenly clicking off, and the recurring effect in the instrumental breaks is a prison-cell door opening and closing, which I voice-recorded at the Heptapyrgion in Thessaloniki. It also bears mentioning that there’s an entire draft of this song wherein I’m pronouncing all of the “ee” sounds in the chorus with a hard ‘e’, rather than “ay”. It didn’t sound bad, but the tuning was overshot, thanks to the insight and dog-like ears of my man-behind-the-scenes Gabriel Riccio. Prompting me to replace all of these ‘ee appearances’ led to the super-heated “me/may” at 3:21. Lyrics: You wanted everything you got I wanted everything I'm not Just an ort of flattery Ease the pain of existential ennui and drain This is my reveille Somnambulists agree broke is free Somnambulists agree broke is me This restitution of torpidity Turgid and putrid in its unprecedented volatility I can't feint in my dubiety of prayer Eternal sleep is wanted, for hope is threadbare Somnambulists agree broke is free Somnambulists agree broke is me Somnambulists agree broke is free Somnambulists agree broke is me "Just an Honest Straight Shooter" (drum transcription) The impetus for this one came with the chorus hook, which is why it slams into it from the start; another occasion of using the tuner app to locate the notes and therefore format the backing instrumentation. The synth solo grew from the odd drum groove, which I sorta wrote stream-of-consciousness-ly. While tracking guitar there, I experimented with palm muting and letting the strings open up in strategic spots (I’m such an amateur!). The brief, silly bridge was partially inspired by “Bohemian Rhapsody”—wanting to do something ostentatious and operatic—and desiring a self-induced challenge. “Words said by the crow” is just an alternate, stupid way of conveying the already-stupid “that’s what she said”; it wouldn’t be a DD release without a touch of immaturity. The ending vocals are the opening hook (which is two different takes) mixed together to create a double, rendering the “proclaim” and “weakness” lyrics quad-tracked. Oh, and one of the chord partials in the ending “cute” is an A1; I had to track that within an hour of waking up, hah! Lyrics: Those that chide, then hide away as they PROCLAIM They tell the truth But they're insecure, so they obscure their WEAKNESS They're so damn couth Those that chide, then hide away as they PROCLAIM They tell the truth But they're insecure, so they obscure their WEAKNESS They're so damn couth I know I'm right You know you're wrong I know I'm right You know you're wrong You can go get fucked I'm spent from your mom That was a low blow Words said by the crow Some day you will find a way to EXPRESS Yourself without Putting down an otherwise commendable QUALITY Your word shall tout Those that chide, then hide away as they PROCLAIM They tell the truth But they're insecure, so they obscure their WEAKNESS They're so damn cuuuuuute "Utterance of an Atman" (drum transcription, percussion overdub transcription) ‘Atman’s’ simple, funky bass line came to me while noodling during the composition of DD3. I tried to utilize weird, abstruse guitar chords; I guess the Screaming Headless Torsos lyric “twelve-tone beat / atonal heat / nonsense chords that always meet” was subconsciously galvanizing me. Probably because of the resulting harmonic sophistication, I perhaps ‘over-composed’ the vocal arrangement, as Gabe had to tune a few words. I met Ben (saxophonist) via Instagram. He was a fan and had been following me, and coincidentally ‘liked’ one of my posts precisely when I was in need of a player. I direct-messaged him and he freakin’ eviscerated my arrangement within a week. Rather than re-use the conga samples that I had taken for DD2 (from the Delectable Machinery record), I tried setting up two buckets, filled with various amounts of concrete mix. It worked well. The sound effect at 1:18 is luggage rolling down the street with lots of processing. The bridge—again—stemmed from the bass riff. The lyric at the beginning (“if you rest / you rust”) was something that I overheard one of my mother’s customers say to her. I really liked it, and it fit in with the lot of the lyrics. Lyrics: Everyday, sit and wait Why can't you concentrate Wanderin' 'round, circlin' town The whole world thinks you're a clown These thoughts can't bring me down Don't know why you're so vexed Imbroglio's a pretext Get off ya ass and just move You've got so much more to prove My ways are set, inveterate I need a life hack to bring my mirth back I need a life hack to bring my mirth back Odiose, yet verbose You're adipose with prose So fulla shit just like me Could you just speak sincerely If that day comes, will I be numb If you rest, you rust If you rest, you rust I can't hold on no longer It's all so hard What is my identity Is my soul redolent of me I need a life hack to bring my mirth back I need a life hack to bring my mirth back Can one live fat, yet destitute To suffer is the truth You'll wind up in a vacuum when your work ethic catches up to you "Saprogenic Greetings" (drum transcription) A warped desire to create a dance song that is secretly pretty complex, backed by lyrics largely inspired/based around one of the many stratum of sub-stories that comprises Infinite Jest (‘Cult of the Endless Kiss’), this one is another curveball. But again, it wouldn’t be DD without some curveballs, either. There are no tempo changes in this one; the choruses are based in 13-lets, and also contain a wild 12-tone synth lead. I had Minou in mind while writing the vocal arrangement. After the ‘trap’ section, each syllable/word she sings is sustained at different lengths and form various chords. Her part turned out so well! The only true ‘live’ drums are in the bridge at 2:15. The sound effects there are kisses with lots of processing - a little nod to the subject matter. Lyrics: Undulate like a tidal wave, frothy slate Levitating a spiral plane, sinuous Trances in which she could not breathe Denature the self, halation as he bleeds See into your mind while entwined Hitherto now was slow, cathexis on the foe Pulchritudinous anguish Pulchritudinous anguish Hear the pule of death flourish Pulchritudinous Vanquish I wish the crowd could carry on for their sake Bloodened maw, those lips still talk, as do mine This is such a baleful cult, pressed for time Mafficking the decline, sans tumult Undulate like a tidal wave, frothy slate Levitating a spiral plane, sinuous Undulate like a tidal wave, frothy slate Emanate from the spider's cage, penumbra "Proletariat Blues" (drum transcription) This has happened more times than I can count, but one night while nearly dozing off, I was struck with the entire first stanza, word-for-word. The next morning, I took the bass riff (which pre-existed from a noodling session) and formed a pretty chord progression via piano on top. The vocals are entirely double-tracked, with a triple at the very end. More megaphone action closes the tune, although I didn’t bother filming it. The ending ambience is from a hotel room, highly processed as usual. Lyrics: We need to wise up, rise up Crash through the walls of lassitude Why can't we comprehend 'I got mine' won't stand Labor is the voice of the engaged hoi polloi All our lives, been a liminal experiment But it's bound to change whether we anticipate Of this inculcation can we break free Wish I believed in humanity If it could have changed, it would've changed decades ago We're so far down the road Profligate incorporate, enslave the kids for the workload Not a damn soul knows what to do Proletariat blues, we're confused But I still think we could break free Wish I believed in humanity Of this inculcation can we break free Wish I believed in humanity

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