‘Dotty Ditties, Volume 5: Here Are Some More New Songs’ Individual Song Breakdowns ____________________________________________________________ Individual Song Breakdowns “Everything’s Tangled (And Made to Be Broken)” (drum transcription) Whilst in New Orleans, I took in a random performance of a jazz/funk band, titularly led by a fantastic bassist. I wish that I could remember his name. His playing impressed upon me the creative use of double stops; I’m assuming as much that they were, perhaps they were more randomized dyads. At any rate, it inspired me to explore the technique and such shapes in the verse of this tune, which opens with a previously banked bass riff (another occurs at 1:23). I also had fun writing my first xylophone arrangement, although it wasn’t quite as fun readapting the parts once I actually sat (stood) with the instrument and attempted to play them, hah. Lyrically—this may sound funny or seem ridiculous—this started as a vehicle for criticizing the wholly shoddy nature of Apple’s cabling for their products, but cloaked in metaphors. Well, I ran out of steam with that and opted instead for hurling general criticisms at social media, thus the “how in the hell did I end up here?” line. The chorus is an admixture of both concepts. Lyrics: Encased in white Lying there, all threadbare The surge of new Bifurcated for the static Befrayed despite You’re molded to be pragmatic The sham’s see-through And yet you have fanatics Everything’s tangled and made to be broken I don’t like to be outspoken How in the hell did I end up here The sentient sprites Generated, adulated Crude shock of new Coruscated with the static It’s feigned downright Chromatic, upload somatic The sham’s see-through Does the problem lie within you Cheap looks This pageantry makes my brain cook Everything’s tangled and made to be broken I don’t like to be outspoken Everything’s broken and made to be tangled I don’t like my psyche mangled “Arrow Slit” (drum transcription, e-drum transcription) More banked bass riffs in this one, including the sexy intro. Took a shot at writing some busy e-drums for rhythmic accompaniment. Lyrically, this is ultimately about taking a chance, risking it and going through “the arrow slit” to see what comes out at the other end. However, it’s also fed through the filter of a doomed relationship. Funny side note, the “why must you congregate around so much shit” line came from observing my dogs outside. Lyrics: I just love when you hate me Why don’t you, why don’t you I just love when you blame me Why don’t you, why can’t you just leave So you’ve got all the schemes Chimeric possibilities Inured, you take the flit Into the arrow slit Why must you, you congregate Around so much shit What one thinks finds expression in words, what one says happens This bloodless velleity is bound to color you I’ll do everything in my power to not hurt you Oh yeah, onward Incommodum And you vituperate while you protuberate Captious palaver bores Oh look, there’s the door My mind defaults to blank I relinquo So you’ve got all the schemes Chimeric possibilities Crawling up from the pit Beckoned inside the arrow slit Why must you, you congregate Around so much shit What one thinks finds expression in words, what one says happens This bloodless velleity is bound to color you I’ll do everything in my power except to love you “Frolicking in the Lava” (drum transcription) At some point between DD4 and DD5, I had purchased a 7-string guitar with a tremolo bar. I set out to write something heavy, dense, complex, and weird, utilizing said axe and knowing I’d end up sample-programming most of it. I also wanted to incorporate Mary and Ben, to really challenge them and also extend an opportunity to Ben to take a solo and maybe have a bit of fun for once, hah. He did somewhere around 13 takes, and I comped it, using little bits from almost every take. He later re-learned the comped solo and shot a little video of him for inclusion in the EP stream. Awesome! I didn’t try using a scale or have a tonal center in mind to inform the composition; I merely randomly decided to use every note except B and C#. The bass parts were pretty nightmarish for me to track. And the outro is like a big polyrhythmic unison, with the piano and sax following every other kick drum (quintuplets), the vocals and bass locked with the non-kick-drum orchestrations (triplets), and the eventual entrance of a clean guitar playing an unbroken string of 8th-note triplets. The whole section in 17-8 at 1:24 is one of my favorite moments in the entire EP. I had the opening lyric, then continued to write stream-of-consciousness-ly: just let my mind go wild with pithy poetry, witticisms, and 50-cent college words. Even while possessing the advantage of being the author, I’m not certain what this is about. It’s a dizzying peek into my subconscious, a swirl of conjecture, ridicule, and paranoia. Lyrics: Those who cannot laugh at themselves Are doomed for failure, failure In this culture of hyperreal I gaze into a melting star Null my weal What are we other than An accretion of thoughts and experience Answer that My own integument is purulent Surely I am in this state, chrysalis I am a tantalus, view my insides Askance, turn away and traduce and divide My own integument is purulent Surely I am in this state, chrysalis I am a tantalus, view my insides Are we simpatico My own imago I know someone who knows you I know someone who knows you Artificer, artificer, artificer clue Take the shortcut ‘round the back Haul the carcass in the truck I know someone, I know someone I know someone you fucked Black tempest, stochastic Inviolable, elastic Our last days lay in waste Knavish face vitiates Endless descent Such a frisson Those who cannot Laugh at themselves They are doomed Are doomed for failure “Megalopsychia” (drum transcription, percussion overdub transcription) Sometimes I use one of those “musical key characteristics/moods” charts to inform a section or an entire composition. If memory serves, I wanted to incorporate the xylophone and santoor with sparse overall instrumentation, and try and craft a sad song, picking an apt key. However, I believe I jotted down a note erroneously, hah, but once discovered, continued to pursue the endeavor. There’s a key change to illustrate the bridge, which includes a muted piano (great job, Mary!). I also wanted a big climax/outro, omitting the melodic percussive elements and adding electric guitars, synths, and huge drums; the quick triplet guitar stabs mimic the santoor melodies in the first chorus. I think this song is a bit of a departure for me, and I feel good about how it turned out. Lyrics: All of my life I learned to despise your kind Now I know You tried hard, your best But your best wasn’t quite good enough Forgive, I forgave you I won’t, I won’t gloze over the past I don’t miss you at all My bones, in them I know you’re home Sleep now Contempt filled my chest It was aimless A cycle of the past Locus My own nook, tenterhooks So irascible Impassable I’ve come to determine that my Life is multivalent, an imposition Or was I a picayune to you Strive to be anodyne Unknowingly it was internecine All of my life I learned to despise your kind But I Forgive, I forgave you I won’t, I won’t gloze over the past I don’t miss you at all My bones, in them you’re at home In them you’re at home I won’t gloze over the past Sleep now “17 Jinns” (drum transcription, e-drum transcription) Had to bring the brutal—for 47 seconds, at least. Hey, that’s a lot of information in under a minute! As has usually been the case, the EP sequence was arranged as per written, starting with “Everything’s Tangled…” on 22NOV22 and ending with this tune on 30NOV22. Special thanks to my pal and perennial helping hand, Gabriel Riccio: throughout all of the Ditties, I’ve sent him mixes for vocal review, and any possible touch-ups. Happy to report that none were needed this time around, yay! Thank you for reading. Lyrics: Goddamn this fucking paradigm Too stupid to realize Loiter at the gates of hell Minuet with a bombshell Drowning, burning, flailing Repine for your bloodline If you could, would you reconsider Little lickspittle Your telos is charred BLEGH

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