Roots rock with elements of folk, Celtic, blues, and electronica. Some of the tracks are purely instrumental pieces with a new-age jazz/blues feel.

9 MP3 Songs
POP: Quirky, EASY LISTENING: Soft Rock



Details:
About the CD:
I wrote and recorded this CD over several months in 2002. Each song has a personal meaning to me. The songs were arranged in a sequence that is meant to be somewhat chronological. The tracks were digitally recorded using the Linux operating system and Linux software almost exclusively.

There is no overall musical style that I can attribute to this CD, so listening to one of the tracks would not give you an idea of how the other tracks sound. Some are instrumental pieces, and some have vocals. Each track is unique, so I'll do my best to describe what each track is about and sounds like.



About the Tracks:
Scotia.
This is a Celtic flavoured instrumental, reflecting my Scottish heritage. There is a really low bass note partway through the track that sounds cool on a really good stereo.

buick 8.
This is a driving song, but it's not really about driving. Has vocals. Kind of rock and roll. Also has personal meaning to me. I know of no other song with this title.

The Road.
An instrumental piece. If I had to categorize it, I'd say it was new-age surf-rock. I recorded this song with a certain idea in mind of what it was about, but other people tell me it means something completely different to them. I'd be interested to know from anyone what it means to you.

tycoon.
Folk song with electric guitar. It's kind of rock 'n' roll too, with some interesting (to me, anyway) time changes. The lyrics reflect my naive ideas about what it might be like to be a billionaire, along with some social commentary. I like the guitar solo.

Without You.
Keyboard and vocals. I wrote this one on my Korg M1 keyboard. The harmonies took a while to figure out. A regret song. I imagine every songwriter probably has at least one regret song in them. I forgot to incorporate either of the words "fool" or "clown" into the lyrics though. A regret song probably isn't the same without a fool or a clown. Oh well.

discovery.
Another instrumental, this track is based on one of the first recordings I made using Linux software. It started out as a techno dance beat, bass, and electric guitar track, with my then-girlfriend providing vocals. Somewhere along the way the vocals came out and I recorded new guitar parts and a few keyboard parts that sound like I channeled Harold Faltermeyer. I honestly don't know where this one came from, it's like it recorded itself through me.

Rolling Away.
Has vocals. Genre: somewhat country(ish) with a wah pedal lead guitar. The lyrics were an attempt at witty word play, but in hindsight might paint the singer in an unsympathetic light. I'm not like that, really. I still like the lead guitar parts.

alex blues.
Instrumental in twelve bar blues. Not much else to say. Just meant to be a fun song.

Scotia (return).
Pretty much the same as the opening with slightly different instrumentation. (Why did he open and close the album with the same tune, you ask?) It fit with my idea of what the album as a whole was about. And it brought the album to a definite close. Like the first track, there is also a really low bass note partway through the track that sounds cool on a really good stereo.



So, that's some of my thoughts about the album. But I've learned that even the artist doesn't have all the answers to their art. Each person can interpret art their own way. Hope you have a chance to listen to my songs, and maybe you'll have your own interpretations. Thanks for checking out my CD!

Keep on rockin'

Alex B.