I Didn't Catch That - ST23 R2

[BoffoYux]

The Pannacotta Army - Oxford Blue

The sun won’t shine
There’s a sour taste to my wine
I’m feeling Oxford blue
My chips have gone cold
I’m a sorry sight to behold
My troubles were once few
But they’ve multiplied a hundred times
Since I met you

My heart was unstricken
Until you came along
But now I’ve been smitten
By your siren song

There’s no spring in my step
This party is dead
I’ll get my coat and leave
Since I met you honey
I’m mourning my joie de vivre

My head was screwed on straight
Before I went on the slide
You drew me like clickbait
And next thing I’d subscribed

The stars no longer twinkle
What happened to the simple
Pleasures I once knew
They’ve all hit the high road
Since I met you

[BoffoYux]

▷ - Jibber Jabber

i always hated going to parties, I'm very easily overwhelmed by constant and overlapping chitter chatter. ill usually go on my phone to deal with it but it doesn't help that much when someone would point out that I'm on my phone at a party and should be ""enjoying myself"".

i have very scattered yet surprisingly vivid memories of a room full of people, Christmas lights on a Christmas tree in the middle of a large awkwardly shaped room with a bar to the side, and a kitchen counter at the front. i would be sitting in the corner on a hard wooden chair at a round table on my phone staring at the patterns in the glass that the table was partially made out of. that house had a pool area that i liked a lot, although i always stayed in the spa, never going into the actual pool. i would spend most of my time at those parties doing absolutely nothing, just wanting to go home. the only exciting part that i really enjoyed was the brief ecstasy of being gifted something on chrismas, though that ecstasy was often clouded in fog due to how loud everything around me was... people, music, and other various sounds.

when i saw the challenge i very quickly landed on the concept of "jibber jabber", and thought of some ideas on how i could turn "jibber jabber" into a song, one of the first ideas i had was what ended up being this; being forced to go to a party you dont care about, and feeling overwhelmed by everything thats happening.


i was at my mums place when the challenge was posted so i didnt have my DAW, but i did have a bunch of kalimbas, one of which was tuned to a microtonal scale; a 7-note subset of 10edo (10 equal divisions of the octave) that was given to me by Phlub. this tuning ended up inspiring the feel of the track.

while messing around on my microtonal kalimba i kept thinking about 7/4 and ended up creating a short loop in garageband, which i ended up exporting and sampling directly. cuz of that, this whole track is in a mix of 7/4 and 7/8.

this track is also my first experience with vocoders, i made a few tiny experiments with vocoders to get the hang of it, and ended up using it in a few different ways in this track. i also took the opportunity to experiment with vocal effects thanks to Leonie's great judge review on Yumemechta, thank you!


this track is in 10ed2 (3l4s MOS, 10 equal divisions of the octave)
this track is in 7/4 and 7/8.

[[INTRO]]
on the 25th of december
the spirits were too high to be sung
but those spirits faded away
with the usual gifts of wealth to the young

[[STEVE 1]]
i wanna stay home, but they'll say
"you cant stay home itsss a holidayy!"
i wanna say no, oo but
festivities are drivin me away

to a room filled with alcohol
and endless joy for all
as families enter the room
i feel overwhelmed by

[[DROP 1]]
endless jibber jibber jabber chipper chitter chatter
bibble babble wiffle waffle wiffer blibble blabble
pitter patter tipper tapper dipper snipper snapper
wibble wabble dingle dangle wiffer yipper yapper
jibber jabber wicker wacker snappin chrismas crackers
sipper sapper muncher cruncher foodie photo snappers
dipper dapper gipper gapper crazy cracker snackers
tipper tapper pitter patter jibber jabber yappers

i am beggin on my hands and knees
take me back to my room where i can breath
cuz im drownin in your celebrations
cuz im suffocatin amidst your conversations

[[STEVE 2]]
later that day
im mustering the courage to eat
dip my feet in the pool, oo in the
shallow end, id rather take the spa than

that room (that was once) filled with alcohol
and finite joy for all
everyone but me
i feel alienated...

[[DROP 2]]
blibble blabble jibble jabble chipper shibble shabble
bibble babble wiffle waffle bibble kibble kabble
fibble fabble dibble dabble wipple flibble flabble
jimmer jammer dipper dapper liddle dribble drabble
shibber shabber stibber stabber kibble pikher pakher
blibble blabble fibble fabble shribble zhibber zhabber
tsipper tsapper disser dasser chripper jripper jrapper
dizzle dazzle kipper kapper dibble dzipper dzapper

im surrounded by my friends and family
yet i still feel so god damn outta place
cuz their dear persuasion breeds alienation
like im stuck in "City" or some alien nation

[[OUTRO]]
on the car ride home
staring out the window
calming down by disappearing
dissociating like an empty painting

[BoffoYux]

My Broken Demo Tape - Die Happy (Content Warning: Suicide)

About half way through the round one judging period, I (Joy) spiraled into a several days long anxiety attack that nearly resulted in a suicide attempt. I went to the ER and from there to a psych ward, where I stayed for almost a full week. I was apprehensive about writing about this experience but the challenge allowed me to censor the words I was least comfortable writing and singing with nonsense.

Lately I feel like I'm struggling
With all these things that I'm juggling
And my job makes me wanna Na Na Na
And my body makes me wanna La La La
These days I feel like an anxious mess
And I suppose it's anyone's guess
To how I'm ever gonna Ha Ha Ha
'Cause I think I'm gonna Fa Fa Fa
Fall apart in a public restroom
Wake up alone in a guestroom
In a cold dark psych ward, Hey Hey Hey
Where everybody is Way Way Way
Way over their heads in psychosis
Striking out with every diagnosis
Banging their heads against the Bay Bay Bay
There is nothing left to Say Say Say

Cut to the restaurant kitchen
Where I thought for sure I would give in
'Cause the knives were looking like Na Na Na
And my mind was going like La La La
Stopped myself right there in the threshold
Before my instincts took hold
Suicidal ideations like Ya Ya Ya
Giving up on aspirations like Ga Ga Ga
Gotta get outta here before I fucking die
Do whatever it takes to stay alive
Take me to the hospital Why Why Why
Admit me now like Bye Bye Bye
Do whatever it takes to get better
Don't have to keep it together
Let it out, let it out, baby Cry Cry Cry
But tonight, I am not gonna Die Die Die

How are you doing?
How's your appetite?
Have you been able to go to the bathroom?
How would you rate your depression and anxiety?
Have you been hearing any voices?
Have you had any thoughts of hurting yourself or others?

I promised myself that I would die happy
Surrounded by friends, crying from laughing
I promised myself I'd get through the weekend
Reach out for help, this can't be the end
I promised myself that I would die happy
Surrounded by friends, crying from laughing
I promised myself I'd get through the weekend
Reach out for help, this can't be the end
I promised myself that I would die happy
Surrounded by friends, crying from laughing
I promised myself I'd get through the weekend
Cry out for help, this can't be the end

[BoffoYux]

Profestriga - Commercial Thanatology

A passion of my wife’s is the reform of the funeral industry. A major part of the inspiration for her becoming a mortician was a recognition of the major ethical abuses in funeral service, especially the predatory nature that many funeral homes take to their clients. In constructing the song, I wanted to include elements of various funerary musical traditions, including choral music, jazz, and garbage funeral home Wurlitzer. The choral sections are sung by my wife in several takes, and then supplemented with VSTs. In those sections I wanted to evoke church choirs, singing in a language not understood by the audience. The words are taken from the ancient, untranslated, and untranslatable Tartessian language of Southwestern Spain. While “translations” have been proposed, the consensus among linguists is that these proposed translations are wholly incorrect and essentially the product of wishful thinking. Even the sound mapping we have is our best guess at pronouncing an unknown alphabet. I chose to use our best guess at Tartessian sounds because 1. archaeologists believe that the various monuments which contain Tartessian inscriptions served a broadly funerary function and 2. the death of a language serves as an analogue for our own deaths. Once the language is gone, all we have are echoes of what it once was, but stripped of the significance that it once held. We can try to piece it back together, but ultimately the effort is often fruitless.

Choral lyrics:

lokoponii rapotoa airikalte lokona
nena rekatis inkolo poit
eromare petasioni

Main lyrics:

Funerary practices are essential to our species. We need to see the dead before us to process all the feelings; to really begin to grieve; to see and to believe, that our loved one is really gone and they’re not coming back. This really is so long, and long will be our lack.
Death is our oldest constant and the grave our oldest spell—a ritual that we all must cast and have cast on us as well—a working that binds future to past allowing us to last through our bleakest moments and then to let them pass, to know that we have not failed the dead, they remain in our hearts and heads, and to assay our own dread of the day that we too must lay down in that final earthly bed.
Let me lay it bare: the funeral is essential care, care we all need when into death we stare, and I’ll grant a penny to the ferry man is fair. But to give this care is sacred, be you priest or not, else the grave is nothing more than a place for us to rot. It will give no comfort to those whom we have left behind. Funerals are for the living and let us keep in this mind, especially when we consider those for whom it’s just a part of the fucking grind.

Consider the inherently unethical practice, the tactic of extracting wealth from the recently bereaved: the grieving, those reeling, half still in shock then through cost letting the sting of the loss extend to their wallets. It’s lawful but awful, the consequence of a society where people are products and their corpses a means of extortion for those morticians shirking a sacred task that dare ask,
“Are you really doing enough, have you given up sufficient stuff? What more can you give to add to my hoard? Surely you have capacity in your worst moment to consent to a contract that binds you to my service, and surely it’s worth it to honor your mother or father ? Or are you a failure of son or of daughter?” You need to embalm them, even if it does poison our water, we wouldn’t want them to return to dust, and of course we must paint their face: make them look warm where they lay so you can pretend they’re asleep like on any other day. I’m so sorry for your loss, and for you I will pray, but tell me again how much can you pay? Let’s break out the debit, how good is your credit? If you don’t spend enough you’re a shallow miser I said it. Surely the dead care that we gilded the box on which we pile dirt and rock, so maybe go find something to hock, you fuck.

The embalmers I know like to claim that their line goes all the way back to the Sep priests in service of Thoth and of Ma’at, they’ve sought that honor, first earned by Isis that brought together the parts of Osiris and taught Egypt how to mourn, but their generosity was born of care for the dead, that while forlorn and torn from those they adored, they would not hoard but give as much as they could afford because it mattered, it determined their loved one’s place in the hereafter, but our modern morticians are but crafters of patter, false faces that hide what they’re really after, They are not sep priests but grave robbers, the goal of their grave goods is nothing more than a means to fill their own coffers.

[BoffoYux]

Spintown & Company - Herobrine (Sound Of Evil)

Herobrine is a character from Minecraft lore created by the fans. Although Mojang has acknowledged the existence of Herobrine, he has never actually been IN the game of Minecraft. I decided to take a look back at the games history to see exactly how Herobrine came to be and wrote about that.

The title was originally going to be just "Sound Of Evil", but Joe went a different direction with the scat than I thought he would, so I thought "Herobrine" worked better.

Joe: "For the scat part, I tried doing my best impression of what I thought an epic Minecraft battle would sound like. I looked for Minecraft monsters sounds and "taking damage" sounds and I tried to recreate them with my voice as well as I could."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herobrine

(Verse 1)
Through the fog I make out your silhouette
Not a cow, but an anonymous threat
White eyes peirced the mist and rattled my spine
I needed answers so I went online

(Pre Chorus)
As I plow my fields
I can feel your eyes
As I work my mine
I can feel your eyes

(Chorus)
What do you want with thee
Why are you haunting me
Is life about to end
Or do you need a friend
Do I need my sword or just a hand to extend

(Verse 2)
I took to 4 chan to make a query
When my posts were removed I felt leary
Was this a bug deep with in my desktop
My heart dropped when Herobrine said "stop"

(Pre Chorus)
As I plow my fields
I can feel your eyes
As I work my mine
I can feel your eyes

(Chorus)
What do you want with thee
Why are you haunting me
Is life about to end
Or do you need a friend
Do I need my sword or just a hand to extend

(Bridge)
*Minecraft battle sounds*

(Verse 3)
Notch's dead brother? A programming glitch?
Are you a sheep? A pig? I don't know which
You take control of whatever you want
I find your random structures left to taunt

(Pre Chorus)
As I plow my fields
I can feel your eyes
As I work my mine
I can feel your eyes

(Chorus)
What do you want with thee
Why are you haunting me
Is life about to end
Or do you need a friend
Do I need my sword or just a hand to extend

(Outro)
A legend they tried to remove
And that nobody can disprove
The evil is often unseen
So don't listen to disk thirteen
Even when you play offline
You could run into Herobrine...

[BoffoYux]

The Moon Bureau - Runcible Spoon

NOTES / STUDY GUIDE:

My adult introduction to the concept of a nonce word was “runcible spoon” in Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussy-cat” so I thought why not make up a few to throw into an eponymous song. Will Mrs. Bureau find this concept amusing?

Hanna Barbera’s “Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo” - Greatest Crossover Event Of All Time or The Moment It All Went Wrong? Discuss.

Nena - Best enjoyed in English or the original German?

[assuredly not, all of the above, Hielten sich für Captain Kirk]

Mombing along in the afternoon
Having a lunch with a runcible spoon
Darkening clouds of gathering doom
I wrote a nonce word song for you
Do dah doo dah da doo da doo

Hanna Barbera in tronzible hues
Mailing it in when you drew up The Shmoo
Lolliger bombs in a delicate queue
Barney’s in rubble and Betty is too
Do dah doo dah doo doo da doo da doo

Oh could it be that all the words and worlds are spent
I don't know what you said but I could tell just what you meant

I popped the 99th luftballon
Not gone yet but we will be soon
Only one thing that’s left to do
Sing the words that sound like me and you
Me and you
Trumbalee trumbaloo
Me and you, me and you
Trumbalee trumbaloo
I wrote a nonce word song for you

[BoffoYux]

West of Vine - (Made Me Say) Woh

NOTES
At the risk of explaining the potentially obvious again:
Riptide is a song by Vance Joy (that does not spark joy for me but ymmv)
In the movie The Big Lebowski the main character is The Dude who famously says "The Dude abides"
Six Flags is a string of American amusement parks
"Woh" is not a real word

You said why can't I find the Joy when you play Riptide
You said why can't I be more like The Dude who abides
You had nothing nice to say
You said it all anyway
So I said woh

You said when it’s right you’re higher than a ride at Six Flags
You said when it's time that I could never fly by your side
Another dream you had to crush
And I can only take so much
Til I say woh

A mien so mean I knew you meant it
There was no way to prevent it all from crashing down around us worse than all the rest
My pain won't make yours any less
But I digress

So I said woh

[BoffoYux]

cardamon seed - an exemplar study on how not to be a pop star

for Lawrence

How many failures does it take to fly? To lift up your skirts, miss the ground and aim for the sky? This can’t be the splash that you wanted to make, your face on a book says you lost and you ripped up your fate. [chorus sounds] Defeat’s not a crime, nor’s the art that you made, people try to listen staring backwards while you’re out of your brain. You couldn’t catch a break even you were right, the goal hanging open, it was waiting but a princess had died. [chorus sounds] Why are we certain that you’ll just fall short? Your future/past performance as a guide says it all! It feels outrageous to point these fingers at we two singers comparing us side by side and how should we take this? The instant famous, the raging blindness... At least you can say you tried. When everything’s quiet at the edge of your day, do you hold yourself up from within, or just fade away? [chorus sounds]

[BoffoYux]

Stacking Theory - Deep

I followed the Wikipedia link for this challenge, and noticed beatboxing was included as a non-lexical vocable technique. Obviously I cannot beat boxes, so instead I made a midi instrument full of me making different sounds, and then played around in the sequencer to make some 'beats'.

After a few days of listening to it, trying to find the song within, I had a moment where I remembered what it was like trying to talk to my brother underwater (in the pool where we once played Marco Polo, for anyone playing along from ST22R2). I started to hear that bubbly gurgle sound in my non-lexical vocable beats, and a song was born.

It's pretty self-explanatory as a song, but I will throw a second nod back to ST22R1(Mordialloc Beach) as we leave the song with a Kite, and the hope that it may bring.

open up
on the frown
of a man who found
that the sound of the world
is bringing him down
so tries to escape
to a quiet place
but the only place he has found is

deep deep deep deep deep deep deep underwater
deep deep deep deep deep deep deep underwater

pan across
to the beach
that contains his loss
carried off
on the wings of an albatross
he has gone
he's forlorn
can't go on
he has stopped
he has dropped
and we watch
as he's sinking
deep deep deep deep deep deep deep underwater
deep deep deep deep deep deep deep underwater

I can hear you
calling through the water
in the voices of the fishes
they are with us
they are with us

I can hear you
calling from the darkness
come in deeper
come on, deeper
I am deeper
I am deepest
I am deep

closing scene
the titles rolling in
unresolved
he is lost
he is wandering
with a kite he just might but it's tight
will he fly?
will he slide?
will he climb?
or will he dive deep?

[BoffoYux]

Siebass - I Taught My Dog to Speak

Challenge: I believe I've completed the challenge using "wordless" vocals and nonsense lyrics via numerous barking sounds.

I taught my dog to speak
I taught my dog to speak
I thought that it'd be chic
Oh I taught my dog to speak

I taught my dog to speak
I taught my dog to speak
It took almost all week
Oh I taught my dog to speak

and he said "Get a job you deadbeat." ...


Just kidding he said

Woof woof (woof woof)
Bark bark (bark bark)
Ruff ruff (ruff ruff)
Arf arf (arf arf)

woofa woofa ruffa ruffa (woofa woofa ruffa ruffa)
arfa arfa muffa muffa (arfa arfa muffa muffa)
barka barka warka warka (barka barka warka warka)
take a walka in the parka (take a walka in the parka)
sniffin tails and sniffin trees
for happy pups this life's a breeze

When I taught my dog to speak

I taught my dog to read
Oh I taught my dog to read
It was hard I will concede
I taught my dog to read

I taught my dog to read
Oh I taught my dog to read
He spends all day watching MSNBC

And he said


Regular investment in a total stock market index puts you on the fast track to financial independence.

I mean, he's not wrong.

Just kidding, he said

Woof woof (woof woof)
Bark bark (bark bark)
Ruff ruff (ruff ruff)
Arf arf (arf arf)

woofa woofa ruffa ruffa (woofa woofa ruffa ruffa)
arfa arfa muffa muffa (arfa arfa muffa muffa)
barka barka warka warka (barka barka warka warka)
take a walka in the parka (take a walka in the parka)
sniffin tails and sniffin trees
for happy pups this life's a breeze

When I taught my dog to read

I taught my dog to think
I taught my dog to think
I must've had too many drinks
Oh I taught my dog to think

I taught my dog to think
I taught my dog to think
With a nod and a wink
I taught my dog to think

And he said

The essence of comedy is a subversion of your expectations. You expect a punchline, but you are greeted by silence. That in itself is its own joy.

Just kidding he said

Woof woof (woof woof)
Bark bark (bark bark)
Ruff ruff (ruff ruff)
Arf arf (arf arf)

woofa woofa ruffa ruffa (woofa woofa ruffa ruffa)
arfa arfa muffa muffa (arfa arfa muffa muffa)
barka barka warka warka (barka barka warka warka)
take a walka in the parka (take a walka in the parka)
sniffin tails and sniffin trees
for happy pups this life's a breeze

Oh when I taught my dog
Oh when I taught my dog
Oh when I taught my dog
Oh when I taught my dog to speak


[Hey, should we tell him that's not a dog?]
[Nah dude, let sleeping...you know what? Nevermind.]

[BoffoYux]

With Joe - Know Better Next Time

I struggled figuring out how to implement the nonsense lyrics at first then came up with the idea of this song from the point of view of someone that is entitled and believe they know everything and they are always right. So whenever someone is disagreeing with them it ends up just being nonsense.
The nonsense syllables are very loosely based of the reversed words of "You know what, you think you’re smart but you don’t know anything. Admit you’re wrong about the world. If you don’t, you’ll never learn”. These lyrics are used as backing vocals in the outro.

I know I'm pretty
I know I'm smart
My mumma told me that I'm a star
That I'm perfect
And I could do no wrong
I was the best little boy I could be

Pre-chorus
So when I find someone tryna disagree
With what I know is right, it's clear to me
There's no curing this insanity
They may as well be

Chorus
Ta wonk oi
Tramzoi nit oi
Wonk nit oit tub
Nit i nah
No roi timda
Row et tooba
Tanod i fee
Ral reven loi
Their mouths are moving
But my mind ain't grooving
I think I gotta tell ‘em
Oh baby girl, no that's not right
know better next time

Verse
So I've heard that life's not easy
They must mean mine
Who else could it be?
‘Cause no one understands what I've got going on
They don't know struggling
Good thing, I'm so strong

Pre Chorus

Chorus

Post Chorus
Ta wonk oi
Tramzoi nit oi
Wonk nit oit tub
Nit i nah
No roi timda
Row et tooba
Tando i fee
Ral reven loi
(background vocals:
You know what
You think you’re smart
But you don’t know
Anything
Admit you’re wrong
About the world
If you don’t
You’ll never learn)
Their mouths are moving
But my mind ain't grooving
I think I gotta tell ‘em
Oh baby girl, no that's not right
know better next time

[BoffoYux]

Celestial Drift - Anbesol

Anyone who has ever suffered from a canker sore at any point in their life will likely relate to this song. For reference, Anbesol is a popular oral numbing gel used for canker sores, toothaches, and assorted mouth gum injuries. One side effect is temporary excessive salivation, which, coupled with its numbing effect if you get it on your tongue, can make it kind of hard to speak clearly if you get it on your tongue.

Its active ingredient is benzocaine. And while I can think of plenty of classic hard rock songs about its pharmacological cousin, I’m fairly confident this is one of the only tunes out there about this particular pharmaceutical compound.

[verse 1]
I wake up in the morning and without any warning, I can feel the sting of these irritants forming
When I try to eat potato chips they feel like razorblades against my lips
And my gums are looking like a pack of fresh ground beef, I’m dodging landmines when I brush my teeth
I’m in some horrible, deplorable, oral pain, so I open up a tube of that benzocaine

[bridge]
One drop two drop three drop four I gotta have relief from these canker sores
Five drop six drop seven drop eight, man this shthuff is great!

[chorus]
My gums are bleeding and I’m needing that Anbesol
My mouth is sore and I need some more of that Anbesol
It numbs my tongue, makes me sound dumb like that alcohol
Yqmipcmxwwdyhkbrolvjbtovlgxqlz Anbesol

[post-chorus]
Anbesawawawawawawal
Anbewasawawawawawawawal

[verse 2]
I got volcanic eruptions going off in my cheek,and I can’t tune em out when I’m trying to sleep
These tiny craters with the color of white keep me tossing and turning all through the night
I know for a fact that the meds I seek could get me slobbering and blobbering when I speak but ,
I got horrid unignorable oral pain, so I grab myself a tube of that benzocaine

[pre-chorus]
I need it
Lord I need it
Awww I need it
Awwwwwwww

[chorus]
My gums are bleeding and I’m needing that Anbesol
My mouth is sore and I need some more of that Anbesol
It numbs my tongue, makes me sound dumb like that alcohol
Vhsfktxjvkawxhqtzrblkqzxnlnbxb Anbesol
Wtjmlxbrujmhsjgsfoegcdbqorwjte Anbesol
Szifmjiyjyyjtseygjsnurweockcmf Anbesol
Anbesawawawawal
Anbesawawawawal
Anbesawawawawal
Anbesaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawl

[BoffoYux]

Cavedwellers - Oaktown Races

This is a play on Camptown Races ("Camptown ladies sing this song "doo dah doo dah"). Oakland is my home (I'm in a suburb) and Truth went to Cal Berkeley for his undergrad. The locals often call it Oaktown.

V1
I see the writing on the wall
It’s not hard to understand at all
This year is nothing like the last one
I fear they’re gonna pull a fast one
Ooh-di ooh-di ooh-di oh well

V2
They sold a pretty poison pill
Defend the one who does you ill
Wake up in hospital again
It’s not easy taking down a friend
Ooh-di ooh-di ooh-di get well
But don’t pretend
It ain’t true-di ooh-di ooh-di oh well

Ch
Oaktown races
Confined spaces
Crowd replaces
Quiet places

V3
Instead of following the crowd
Mistaking powerful for loud
Why not just find an intersection
And peaceably find your perfection
Ooh-di ooh-di ooh-di do well
What’s your intention
Truly ooh-ly ooh-ly do tell

Ch
Oaktown races
Confined spaces
Crowd replaces
Quiet places

[BoffoYux]

Sober - Plastic Paddy

Every word of this song is true:

sober1b.png (11.47 KiB) Viewed 2133 times

I am a Plastic Paddy I’ve got stories I can tell
Passed down from my grandaddy, a proud American Celt
And if’n he were alive today he’d tell you just the same
How his great grandaddy came from Ireland with an Irish name

All our lives we’d heard about how many years ago
Our great great great grandaddy came from Munster all alone
He worked upon the railway like poor paddies often did
And married him an indian maid and had a hundred kids

Well I loved to hear the stories of our old ancestral home
And dreamt of going back to see our history for my own
I taught myself to play Dublin street ballads on guitar
Wore a flatcap and got a big ol harp tattooed on my right arm

Then I had to know just how Irish that I was
So I got a kit that took your spit and analyzed your blood
And then could you imagine the report came back to me
That my Blood Irish Content was point zero three

So to all my plastic paddies, I give you warning free
Think twice before you send away for 23 & Me
My family lore is fiction and I’ve no identity
In my heart I’m still a paddy and as plastic as can be

[BoffoYux]

Berkeley Social Scene - Not Doomed

Ken had a piano part. He tracked it. Then we did live Ken drums and live glennny guitar take. Then we did me (glennny) on bass and Ken on 2nd guitar in the studio. Ken wrote lyrics. Ken wrote an initial melody, I tweaked it. I sang the bass vox and backing vox and whistle licks. We got Lunkhead to lay down the sweet sweet solo. Classic BSS collaboration.

Tell me that you'll live forever
Promise me you'll never die
In the darkness, we endeavor
To find a light we can abide

Every day you read the papers
Looking for some kind of sign
Deciphering the coded message
Reading your horoscope and mine

We're not doomed, just dancing in the dark
Lost our way, but (somehow) we'll find our spark

Bm E A A
We hide in crowded rooms, losing track of time
Lost in electric dreams, so vivid and wide
Embracing the unknown, finding the divine
Lost in reverie, until everything is fine

Tell me you'll live forever

We're not doomed, just dancing in the dark
Lost our way, but (somehow) we'll find our spark
We're not doomed, we'll make it out just fine
In the distance, a bright light shines

[BoffoYux]

See-Man-Ski - Cross These Silver Linings

Firstly, and most importantly, this track comes with my 9 year olds directorial debut on the world of music videos, check out her work below (be sure to like and comment to make her feel like a super star)

youtu.be/85Zic40ZrA8?si=0cSJ0iEI0_dA9tfg

This track was in collaboration with my band Ivan and the Devil. We have recently had the misfortune of our lead singer and songwriter Sam deciding to part ways and I wanted to use this as an opportunity to try and restart the band again. I wanted to write something fitting to the timbre of what the band was about, constantly thinking "What would Sam do?". I was also conscience of the criticisms of my first track being a bit samey against my other material. So I changed the way I sang and made the piano the main instrument as well as inviting my bandmates along for the ride.

The song itself comes from the departure of the lead singer, the idea that their could be a silver lining as we can start a new. I decided to tick the boxes with the challenge straight away by having the non lyrical vocal melodies, I then made the chorus abstract, how do you cross a silver lining? It also that has multiple meanings, have you crossed paths with the silver or have you crossed out the silver lining?

A massive thank you to Ian and Sam (a different Sam) from the band for providing the violins and harmonica

what a shocker!
you're alive then you're dead
said the monsters
living inside your head

when you stumble
do you trip or you fall?
this false perspective
gets the best of us all

knock, knock
thumping hard on my chest
competing thoughts
my minds manifest

what a shocker
you kicked whilst I'm down
and I'm down (x3)

cross these silver linings
keep us all on track
cross these silver linings
strike out the fallback

what a shocker!
you've hit a brick wall
went on stage at the curtain call

it's getting tighter
does this pressure feel right?
when your fingers tremble
and knuckles turn white

tick, tock
as the pendulum swings
just get your coat
and your belongings

what a shocker
now I'm coming around
and around (x3)

cross these silver linings
keep us all on track
cross these silver linings
strike out the fallback

[BoffoYux]

The Alleviators - Break Through

Do you know the feeling
Like the ceiling's too low?
Like you're pressed up the glass
With no room to grow?

From the other room I hear the music

All I want's to sing it with 'em
Is it something I can give 'em?
So I just try to find the rhythm
Keep knocking on that door
'til I find the words for

These voices in my head
Mama always said you gotta
Give what you get
So much to give, I'm sick of it
Isn't it enough to pay the rent
Baby, we're note dead
Playing one more set
Anything everything anything to get to you

To break through
Breakthrough
Breakthrough

Searching for strength
Some lost wavelength I knew
So much at stake
What's it take to break through

When I don't even know what it is I wanna break into

All of the baggage that I carry
Leave me feelin unextraordinary
A leap of faith can be a little scary
I just try to move my feet
Directions that they're tellin me, those -

These voices in my head
Mama always said you gotta
Give what you get
So much to give, I'm sick of it
Isn't it enough to pay the rent
Baby, we're note dead
Playing one more set
Anything everything anything to get to you

Just to crack the code
It's a dangerous hope
But it's all I know
Count it out, give it one more go
What a dead-end gift
Don't know when to quit
What a power if
I get away with it and
Come crashing in

Just try to find the rhythm
Keep knocking on that door
Till you know the reason for-

These voices in my head
Mama always said you gotta
Give what you get
So much to give, I'm sick of it
Isn't it enough to pay the rent
Baby, we're note dead
Playing one more set
Anything everything anything to get to you

[BoffoYux]

glennny - Who Am I?

I heard myself, but it wasn't me. It sounded like me, it felt like me. It was what I always aspired to be, but it didn't come from me. I have begun to question who I am. I don't know anymore. There are confusing things in this world. I had a dream there was a band that proclaimed not to be me, but I am split as to whether I believe them or not. Am I this mortal coil? Perhaps I am just an idea. Enlightenment comes with guitar solos. I am not sure of anything. Forgive my ramblings, I am confused and lost. I am probably glennny.

P.S.

Kilroy refers to the classic Styx song Mr. Roboto. I tried to achieve the identity crisis of Mr. Roboto along with the dynamic intro. Rael is the other twin/brother other self of Peter Gabriels protagonist in the Genesis concept album : The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. I aspire to be like Frank Zappa and Robert Fripp, TV influenced my growth, I relate to Gilligan on Gilligan's Island and Jack Tripper from Three's Company.

It sounds like me
It feels like me
But I have no memory of it
Am I a replicant?
Or a visiting occupant of this shell?

I finally made my mark on society
But is it me or some kind of facsimile?
I’m not Kilroy
I’m not even Rael
I’m behind a curtain
Or at least some kind of veil

A little bit Zappa
A little bit Fripp
A whole lotta Giligan and Jack Tripper
Amnesia is such a trip

Who am I?
Just a subtle and befuddled archetype?

Am I dreaming?
Is this a psychotic break?
My identity is in crisis
I’ve had all that I can take

A little bit Zappa
A little bit Fripp
A whole lotta Giligan and Jack Tripper
Amnesia is such a trip

Who am I?
Just a subtle and befuddled archetype?

I am possibly, maybe, probably glennny
I am possibly, maybe, probably glennny

A little bit Zappa
A little bit Fripp
A whole lotta Giligan and Jack Tripper
How can I find the end of this trip?
Who am I?
Just a subtle and befuddled archetype?
Who am I?
Just a subtle and befuddled archetype?

[BoffoYux]

Also In Blue - Tenebrae

You see a lot of good television about medical emergencies, but the camera always follows the action into the ambulances and operating rooms, which ignores how most of us experience these things - a burst of frenzied activity, followed by hours of silence and stillness as you try to cope with the adrenaline and wait for a doctor, or a phone call, or some other small communication to tell you if people are okay. This attempts to capture the feel of that moment. (The ambulance sirens in the far distance during the silent break halfway through were an accident… I hope whoever called for it got the help they needed.)

The “La da da” bit at the end attempts to reflect the addled wordlessness of these moments, when it’s impossible to know what to say even if you’re not sleep deprived and stressed out of your mind… It's also how this melody came to me this round, without words; I decided to let it have its own way.

There’s a cradle in the corner of the room
Outside the window, see the moon is new,
The night is dark, the sky is falling.

They’ve been gone perhaps an hour, maybe two,
And we sit and wait for news; there’s nothing else to do,
But no one’s calling…

The clock is ticking,
But the sound is muffled, strange and slurred;
The smallest hours stretch
And grow beyond absurd,

And we sit weaving prayers from ashes
And the songs of rising birds
In the hour before the sunrise
Where there aren't any words

[BoffoYux]

Governing Dynamics - Stay Dreaming (Plaguesong)

I have largely made peace with my lyrics being inscrutable to the average user (particularly average listeners judging 20+ other songs), but that said, this one is more cryptic than usual. Sorry about that. It's about the covid pandemic.

Skyward blackbird
Superstition or science
Decoy, killjoy
Pick imposition or silence

Who’s drawing the line between
Cautious or crying wolf

It's a nightmare knot
Threads far too frayed to pull
It's a numbers game
We’ve made the figures invisible
If you can see the bottom
You can bet it’s not too deep
So just stay dreaming, if you can still sleep

Desync, wrongthink
Phantoms banished per our votes
No old blues, just new truths
You can recite them all by rote

I’m scared enough to remember
What you’re bored enough to ignore –

It's a nightmare knot
Threads far too frayed to pull
It's a numbers game
We’ve made the figures invisible
If you can see the bottom
Surely it can’t be too deep
Just stay dreaming, if you can still sleep
Stay dreaming, go back to sleep

And I won’t sound any alarm

I won't sound any alarms
If that's what keeps you together
I'll live this dream
Let's laugh and sing and dance forever, forever

I won't sound any alarms

[BoffoYux]

Boffo Yux Dudes - One Fine Evening at the Jazz Club

Song Notes: You want notes?

Some of the Scooby Doo kids crash a Jazz Club where Bob Dylan is trying to perform. HiJinks ensue!

Shaggy: Zoiks, Scoob. Look at all these people! It's crazy, man!

Shaggy : Hey Fred - What's actually in the scooby snacks. I mean, they taste great, but liike, WHAT AM I EATING

Scooby : (snickers) Runce Roove Rasted Ruman Resh Rits Rard Roo Row Rack...

Shaggy : Scoob! Like, Man - I was wondering when you guys would get here. The place has been hoppin like old man jenkins with a bag over his head!

Bob Dylan Does Scat with the Jazz Band

Harmonica sounds
Shaggy: Mr. Zimmerman

Harmonica sounds
Shaggy: Mr. Zimmerman

(Bad Harmonica sounds)
'Mr. Zimmerman I think you’ve had a little too much rum in your punch’

Fred: I remember smoking a J with Miles Davis in Kansas City. That was some heavy stuff.

Scooby laughs
Rut Row. Rear rums the Ruzzkill...

Shaggy: This reminds me of the time we got stuck in a ghost kitchen and there were posters of Zac Bagans all over the place. Jinkys!

Fred: Do you know how hard it is to iron ascots? It's a pain, let me tell you.

Rinkies. Re Reed rum Raction! Rare are ra rores?
He heh heheheh

Bob Scats some more with the band

Roo Razz Ra Rood Rugs? RY RANT RUM!

Roo Ret Rem Rin? Ry Roughth Rare Ruz Ra Rest Rist.

Fred: Do you remember the time Thelma and Daphne got totally wasted and ended up in a 3 way combo with Dave Brubek? Man, he knew how to 'Take Five'.

Van: Just because I'm a van and I have a cool paint job, doesn't make me a mystery machine. I'm an all utility vehicle. You kids need to clean me out once in a while. Have some pride!

[BoffoYux]

Definitely Not Secretly Glennny - Scatterbrain

we decided not to try to top last week's entry with Glennny schtick, so we've gone in a different direction, instead making a song about what happens to a person who keeps getting into high pressure situations that make that person's brain go Zoop! straight to a beach in Rio. We tried to make the song feel like you're in a high speed car chase and then the camera smash cuts real hard to some dude on a beach with an umbrella drink listening to some very odd scat bossa. And then we slam back. This song definitely scattered our Definitely Not Secretly Glennny brains.

You sat down
Twirled your hair
Asked why I was just
Standing there

Jaw wide open
Beside the pool
Looked kind of cute
Except for the drool

MmmHmm

V2

I sat down
Stared right at your nose
Scraped up my chair
Got uncomfortably close

(whispered) I’ve got a secret
I’m a touch insane
I’ve got a twingy twangy twiddling,
stuck inside my brain

I wanna be a lifeguard
But I’d surely drown
When pressure’s on my body locks
Then I hear this sound

Chorus

V3

You said life’s a chore
Guardin’ is for plants
Leave growing town, you can’t slow down
A fast romance

I don't know what is happening
When you lean in for a kiss
My heart splattered at my feet
Last I heard was this

Chorus

V4

Your fingers brush my shoulder
you wipe spittle from my chest
You get a little bolder
You have something you must confess

You said: I’ve also got a secret
I’m a touch insane
I’ve got a twingy twangy twiddling
Stuck inside my brain

Inside your head it’s noisy
I heard it across the room
When I’m near you the lights go out
And I hear this little tune

Chorus