this was never meant to be recorded like this, only played live, usually drunk, but a friend of mine talked me into recording it for inclusion in a radio rock project we were hatching up. well, he was hatching up. i didn't really have much of an artistic investment in it, i just agreed to play bass, because my friend needed a bassist more than any other reason. he wanted this to be a "hidden song". i obliged.
however, he was a little taken aback by the result. he wanted it to be twangy and country, which indicated a misunderstanding of the content. it's comical on a surreal level, but it's not a cheap comedy skit. his ideas would have devalued it and that sort of pissed me off; my refusal to redo it pissed him off. this was part of the reason that the project never went anywhere, except to spark rabit iz wolf:
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/rabit-iz-wolf
recorded in the spring of 2001.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/ignorance-is-bliss-cynicide-mix
Saturday, November 16, 2013
hexonxonx (remix/cover for inrimake)
i put together a skinny puppy tribute disc over the summer of 1998 called 'the souls that create'. this was my contribution to that disc. the original version is found on skinny puppy's 1989 record 'rabies', which is better known as 'the one that al jourgenson fuckered up'.
it's based on a combination of reconstruction and sampling, with the vocals performed by a text-to-speech program.
for those curious, the walk/ogre version of dig it with the text-to-speech vocals was released a few weeks after this, and it's hard to think i had nothing to do with that.
recorded in july, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/hexonxonx
it's based on a combination of reconstruction and sampling, with the vocals performed by a text-to-speech program.
for those curious, the walk/ogre version of dig it with the text-to-speech vocals was released a few weeks after this, and it's hard to think i had nothing to do with that.
recorded in july, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/hexonxonx
eat my fuck (original album mix)
this is something i did between inri demos. i needed a break from structured writing. just wanted to make some noise...
i suppose this is the biggest sample collage of them all, but it's best not to take it too seriously. the idea here eventually morphed into a project called "fuel true anarchy in the americas" (jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/ftaa), a play on the ftaa trade agreement, which itself got toned down in scope.
there's everything from science docs to hitler in here. it's meant to be a passive trip through real and imaginary time that is experienced with the aid of psychedelic drugs, rather than any kind of political statement. it's quite consciously absurd, often juxtaposing ironic statements with their contradictions.
the core of the ambience was produced by a program called sound raider. i then took the sound it created and shaped it by adding in vocal samples, looping certain parts, running things through effects, sequencing the noise into a more melodic shape, etc. it's consequently a sort of a collaboration between myself and the machine, rather than the work of the machine itself.
no sane person could really listen to this passively. you basically *need* drugs to get anything out of this at all.
...and i think i'm probably the only person that ever experienced it properly. hey, it's never too late...
recorded in june, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/eat-my-fuck-2
i suppose this is the biggest sample collage of them all, but it's best not to take it too seriously. the idea here eventually morphed into a project called "fuel true anarchy in the americas" (jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/ftaa), a play on the ftaa trade agreement, which itself got toned down in scope.
there's everything from science docs to hitler in here. it's meant to be a passive trip through real and imaginary time that is experienced with the aid of psychedelic drugs, rather than any kind of political statement. it's quite consciously absurd, often juxtaposing ironic statements with their contradictions.
the core of the ambience was produced by a program called sound raider. i then took the sound it created and shaped it by adding in vocal samples, looping certain parts, running things through effects, sequencing the noise into a more melodic shape, etc. it's consequently a sort of a collaboration between myself and the machine, rather than the work of the machine itself.
no sane person could really listen to this passively. you basically *need* drugs to get anything out of this at all.
...and i think i'm probably the only person that ever experienced it properly. hey, it's never too late...
recorded in june, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/eat-my-fuck-2
wish (r2d2 mix)
i ran the track through a digital noise reduction and it came out sounding like this.
recorded in may, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/wish-r2d2-mix
recorded in may, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/wish-r2d2-mix
the phantom of the washing machine
glitchy phantom backing tracks, with basement sounds.
recorded in may, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/the-phantom-of-the-washing-machine
recorded in may, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/the-phantom-of-the-washing-machine
slipping away (remix/cover for inrimake)
this is a reconstruction of a stabbing westward song that was meant for inclusion on a fan-made compilation that i'm not sure ever came together or not. it received positive feedback on the mailing list. it's not very similar to the original; really, this is so dramatically different from the original that it's reasonable to say something like that it's "inspired by" the original rather than a remix or a cover. it does contain creatively reinterpreted samples of the original.
recorded in may, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/slipping-away
recorded in may, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/slipping-away
why (wtf mix)
this is a glitchy, instrumental remix of the track 'why' that i only vaguely recall putting together.
recorded in april, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/why-wtf-mix
recorded in april, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/why-wtf-mix
Friday, November 15, 2013
inri (original album mix) (inri015) now fully uploaded
my first cd demo represents a dramatic shift in sound that, at the time, was meant to be permanent but that ended up being merely a step in a long journey. on one hand, the shift in sound reflected my changing tastes away from alternative rock and towards industrial music. on another level, it was a return to my childhood roots in 80s synthpop. i was also expanding my tastes into glitch, noise and what could be called "musique concrete".
the shift to using drum machines was dominant in the new sound, as was the reality that i had a synthesizer available to me starting in the beginning of 1998. another major factor was the use of a pc. however, my main songwriting tool remained the guitar and these are still mostly guitar-driven pieces.
the guitar work is one of the things that separates the sound from a typical industrial aesthetic. i've never been a fan of heavy metal and largely shied away from creating that kind of thing. yet, i found myself connecting more with psychedelic guitar at this point than punk rock. industrial psych generally implies something like trance, but it need not to. industrial hendrix? well, maybe it ends up sounding more like synth pop, which has historical roots in psychedelic music and progressive rock. the point is that the music does manage to carve out a unique space between industrial music and synth pop that i don't know of any clear comparisons to. people have suggested mid-period swans, the legendary pink dots and nine inch nails - only the last of which was a significant influence, and none of which are really that close. a better comparison, although still not a significant influence at this time, would be joy division - who would become a significant influence after this phase. my actual influences at the time would have been more like brian eno (through his 70s and 90s work with david bowie, as well as his work with u2), early prog (genesis/floyd/crimson), peter gabriel, the beatles, radiohead, the smashing pumpkins, REM, sonic youth, the tea party and a bit of contemporary electronic music (prodigy, nin, coil, foetus, autechre, nitzer ebb, ministry, econoline crush, gravity kills, stabbing westward, skinny puppy and side projects). the sense of humour is coming from frank zappa and matt groening, if they are not actually the same person. i wasn't listening to much tears for fears, i don't think, but you can hear them lurking underneath everything.
some of these songs are reworked versions of tracks i had recorded previously. in almost all cases, i consider the versions here (and on the follow-up demo, inriched) to be the authoritative versions of these tracks.
the demo is consciously constructed to alternate between "conventional songs" and "experimental pieces", although both definitions are stretched. it generally takes the form of connecting passages. it's meant to give the record the feel of a cohesive work rather than a collection of songs.
lyrically, i'm still a teenager, but i'm starting to grow into myself a little more. there are still some points of embarrassment, but it's really only the 8th track that is causing me any serious grief. my singing style has changed quite a bit though - most of the lyrics here are in a spoken word style, rather than sung. it's partially the result of insecurities with my voice, but it's mostly due to the shift to something electronic. i found the dead pan vocal delivery more appropriate. it's something that stuck with me though until relatively recently.
some of this material was written as far back as 1994, but was only sequenced in the second half of 1997 and recorded in the first half of 1998. unfortunately, i decided that the songs sounded better in mp3 and consequently compressed everything before burning. i understand now that i was hobbling together a crude mastering process, but it means (unfortunately) that the closest thing i have to the finished tracks are low quality mp3s and a cd-r. these tracks were taken off of a cd-r and edited mildly (mostly the removal of badly placed simpsons samples) over the second week of november, 2013. this is my first official record; as always, please use headphones.
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, synthesizers, drum programming, sequencing, sampling, vocals, cool edit synthesis, windows 95 sound recorder, found sounds, strategies, soundraider, hammerhead, sound design, metronome, digital wave editing, production
released june 20, 1998
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inri-lp
the shift to using drum machines was dominant in the new sound, as was the reality that i had a synthesizer available to me starting in the beginning of 1998. another major factor was the use of a pc. however, my main songwriting tool remained the guitar and these are still mostly guitar-driven pieces.
the guitar work is one of the things that separates the sound from a typical industrial aesthetic. i've never been a fan of heavy metal and largely shied away from creating that kind of thing. yet, i found myself connecting more with psychedelic guitar at this point than punk rock. industrial psych generally implies something like trance, but it need not to. industrial hendrix? well, maybe it ends up sounding more like synth pop, which has historical roots in psychedelic music and progressive rock. the point is that the music does manage to carve out a unique space between industrial music and synth pop that i don't know of any clear comparisons to. people have suggested mid-period swans, the legendary pink dots and nine inch nails - only the last of which was a significant influence, and none of which are really that close. a better comparison, although still not a significant influence at this time, would be joy division - who would become a significant influence after this phase. my actual influences at the time would have been more like brian eno (through his 70s and 90s work with david bowie, as well as his work with u2), early prog (genesis/floyd/crimson), peter gabriel, the beatles, radiohead, the smashing pumpkins, REM, sonic youth, the tea party and a bit of contemporary electronic music (prodigy, nin, coil, foetus, autechre, nitzer ebb, ministry, econoline crush, gravity kills, stabbing westward, skinny puppy and side projects). the sense of humour is coming from frank zappa and matt groening, if they are not actually the same person. i wasn't listening to much tears for fears, i don't think, but you can hear them lurking underneath everything.
some of these songs are reworked versions of tracks i had recorded previously. in almost all cases, i consider the versions here (and on the follow-up demo, inriched) to be the authoritative versions of these tracks.
the demo is consciously constructed to alternate between "conventional songs" and "experimental pieces", although both definitions are stretched. it generally takes the form of connecting passages. it's meant to give the record the feel of a cohesive work rather than a collection of songs.
lyrically, i'm still a teenager, but i'm starting to grow into myself a little more. there are still some points of embarrassment, but it's really only the 8th track that is causing me any serious grief. my singing style has changed quite a bit though - most of the lyrics here are in a spoken word style, rather than sung. it's partially the result of insecurities with my voice, but it's mostly due to the shift to something electronic. i found the dead pan vocal delivery more appropriate. it's something that stuck with me though until relatively recently.
some of this material was written as far back as 1994, but was only sequenced in the second half of 1997 and recorded in the first half of 1998. unfortunately, i decided that the songs sounded better in mp3 and consequently compressed everything before burning. i understand now that i was hobbling together a crude mastering process, but it means (unfortunately) that the closest thing i have to the finished tracks are low quality mp3s and a cd-r. these tracks were taken off of a cd-r and edited mildly (mostly the removal of badly placed simpsons samples) over the second week of november, 2013. this is my first official record; as always, please use headphones.
credits:
j - guitars, effects, bass, synthesizers, drum programming, sequencing, sampling, vocals, cool edit synthesis, windows 95 sound recorder, found sounds, strategies, soundraider, hammerhead, sound design, metronome, digital wave editing, production
released june 20, 1998
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inri-lp
abusive (original album mix)
the first half of this is something sound raider spit out. the samples are from a harrison ford film; i had put them aside with the intent of doing something gruesome with them, then decided against it; sound raider got to the files before i deleted them.
i got a lot of concerned questions about this, but the truth is i just thought it was twisted.
the second half is the beginning of the next song and is generally attached to it in mp3s from the period. iirc, this was an actually an error on my behalf that i never corrected.
recorded in june, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/schizoid-terrorist-original-1998-cd-mix
i got a lot of concerned questions about this, but the truth is i just thought it was twisted.
the second half is the beginning of the next song and is generally attached to it in mp3s from the period. iirc, this was an actually an error on my behalf that i never corrected.
recorded in june, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/schizoid-terrorist-original-1998-cd-mix
happiness is a harsh gun (original album mix)
this is what it sounds like when you open dlls with a wave editor. there was some strategic reshaping, but that's where the bulk of the sound comes from.
recorded in june, 1998.
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/03-happiness-is-a-harsh-gun
recorded in june, 1998.
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/03-happiness-is-a-harsh-gun
Thursday, November 14, 2013
symphony #0 (original album mix)
i kind of expected i'd be writing symphonies at some point and didn't want to steal a number from myself. this is more of an experiment than a symphony, even though it gets a little "symphonic".
more importantly, it's the first serious example of me putting my long-held disdain for the idea that music should have a "theory" (an idea that i think is preposterous) into real action. it's the first exploration of a long mental process that has yet to reach it's conclusion. i'm very adamantly of the view that art is not a realm where theories should exist or be viewed with anything other than scorn. theories are rigid, formal things; art is informal, chaotic.
the track is composed of a single brief melody that was chosen by randomly mashing notes into a scorewriter. i then took that melody and pasted it over top of itself at differing speeds. i then took that and pasted it over itself, backwards.
that might sound like it's going to sound awful, but it actually sounds quite lovely. one could analyze it quite easily, but it's creation is beyond the realm of any rules of construction.
which is where art belongs.
recorded in june, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/symphony-0
more importantly, it's the first serious example of me putting my long-held disdain for the idea that music should have a "theory" (an idea that i think is preposterous) into real action. it's the first exploration of a long mental process that has yet to reach it's conclusion. i'm very adamantly of the view that art is not a realm where theories should exist or be viewed with anything other than scorn. theories are rigid, formal things; art is informal, chaotic.
the track is composed of a single brief melody that was chosen by randomly mashing notes into a scorewriter. i then took that melody and pasted it over top of itself at differing speeds. i then took that and pasted it over itself, backwards.
that might sound like it's going to sound awful, but it actually sounds quite lovely. one could analyze it quite easily, but it's creation is beyond the realm of any rules of construction.
which is where art belongs.
recorded in june, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/symphony-0
the phantom of the opera (original album mix)
a synth-pop cover of the popera classic...
i decided to do this tongue-in-check because the preceding track borrows a little from the melody at the very end. in that sense, the cover is meant to be the second half of the preceding track. it also functions as an intro to the next, building a bridge between the two tracks.
i think it's kind of groovy, actually. the percussion is a looped sample of a washing machine....
recorded in june, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/the-phantom-of-the-opera-3
i decided to do this tongue-in-check because the preceding track borrows a little from the melody at the very end. in that sense, the cover is meant to be the second half of the preceding track. it also functions as an intro to the next, building a bridge between the two tracks.
i think it's kind of groovy, actually. the percussion is a looped sample of a washing machine....
recorded in june, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/the-phantom-of-the-opera-3
weedin’ the yard (original album mix)
i was flirting fairly heavily with glitch around this period. insofar as my exploration of the topic is concerned, this would be the furthest i would delve into it, properly.
what i did to create this mess was take the dub out of an old double cassette deck and plug it into it's own in. this created a feedback loop that i was able to play as an instrument by turning the levels up and down. both the static and the pitch bending in the track are created by turning the recording volume up and down.
recorded in may, 1998.
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/07-weedin-the-yard
what i did to create this mess was take the dub out of an old double cassette deck and plug it into it's own in. this created a feedback loop that i was able to play as an instrument by turning the levels up and down. both the static and the pitch bending in the track are created by turning the recording volume up and down.
recorded in may, 1998.
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/07-weedin-the-yard
i feel much better now (original album mix)
at this point, i had the conceptual idea of a record that alternated between "songs" and "sounds". i think this is the first of these sample collages that was constructed specifically to fit between two songs.
recorded in may, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-think-i-feel-much-better-now-1998-cd
recorded in may, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-think-i-feel-much-better-now-1998-cd
nope (original album mix)
there was a bit of discussion during this period about the possibility of me taking anti-depressants. i didn't like the idea....this was my reaction....
i was given a prescription, but never filled it. the discussion has never really gone away, but i've never accepted anything.
yes, that's mulder & scully.
recorded in april, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/nope-1998-archived-112-kbps-mp3
i was given a prescription, but never filled it. the discussion has never really gone away, but i've never accepted anything.
yes, that's mulder & scully.
recorded in april, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/nope-1998-archived-112-kbps-mp3
why (original album mix)
here's the biting, satirical, misanthropic anarchist jessica that you know and love! finally...
this is the first thing that shows up that's explicitly political in more than a social sense. the lyrics are clear, obvious and mixed very much to the front. here's the story on that: i'm emulating a beat-box situation. i'm a politician, tongue-in-cheek, with a sound system in the back. when i get my headphones fixed, i'll see if i can mess with it a bit, because it's a bit too pronounced, but the general aesthetic is going to stick with it. it's purposeful.
the paper crumpling sound in the middle is meant to represent me spoiling a ballot.
if you listen carefully, the background guitar wanking is awesome.
recorded in april, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/why-original-1999-album-edit
this is the first thing that shows up that's explicitly political in more than a social sense. the lyrics are clear, obvious and mixed very much to the front. here's the story on that: i'm emulating a beat-box situation. i'm a politician, tongue-in-cheek, with a sound system in the back. when i get my headphones fixed, i'll see if i can mess with it a bit, because it's a bit too pronounced, but the general aesthetic is going to stick with it. it's purposeful.
the paper crumpling sound in the middle is meant to represent me spoiling a ballot.
if you listen carefully, the background guitar wanking is awesome.
recorded in april, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/why-original-1999-album-edit
wish (original album mix)
i had earlier recorded a vocal version of this, but i had the good sense to realize it was awful and replaced the vocal parts with synth sections, creating an electronic/ambient piece with a liberal use of noise. it's admittedly a little elevator-music sounding, but i think that's sort of part of it's charm. it's very precious sounding.
this is one of my favourite early pieces. i used to just sit and play the simple guitar outro, with drum loop in my sennheiser 440-IIs, for hours at a time...
the decision to remove the vocals on this track was largely a reflection of my growing confidence in the quality of the music to stand up on it's own. over the '98-'99 period, i was largely aware of how cringeworthy my lyrics were and put them into three overlapping categories: (1) comedy/satire, in which case i let them stand as they were, (2) cries for help, in which case i upheld them as they were hoping somebody would listen, (3) songs that i had no lyrical idea for but that i felt needed lyrics, in which case i felt trapped by the genre conventions and upheld ideas that i truly didn't even like at the time simply so the songs would have vocals. over time, i eventually got to the point where i had enough confidence in the music that i no longer felt that the songs required lyrics, and i started to look at it as something to use sparingly based on whether i actually had an idea to express. while there are definitely songs in this period that i wish i had kept instrumental versions of, the final mixes only include a couple with lyrics that i actively regret. this is the first time i was able to mentally push back against myself and say "no. this song does not need lyrics.".
recorded in april, 1998. edited on nov 14, 2013.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/outro
this is one of my favourite early pieces. i used to just sit and play the simple guitar outro, with drum loop in my sennheiser 440-IIs, for hours at a time...
the decision to remove the vocals on this track was largely a reflection of my growing confidence in the quality of the music to stand up on it's own. over the '98-'99 period, i was largely aware of how cringeworthy my lyrics were and put them into three overlapping categories: (1) comedy/satire, in which case i let them stand as they were, (2) cries for help, in which case i upheld them as they were hoping somebody would listen, (3) songs that i had no lyrical idea for but that i felt needed lyrics, in which case i felt trapped by the genre conventions and upheld ideas that i truly didn't even like at the time simply so the songs would have vocals. over time, i eventually got to the point where i had enough confidence in the music that i no longer felt that the songs required lyrics, and i started to look at it as something to use sparingly based on whether i actually had an idea to express. while there are definitely songs in this period that i wish i had kept instrumental versions of, the final mixes only include a couple with lyrics that i actively regret. this is the first time i was able to mentally push back against myself and say "no. this song does not need lyrics.".
recorded in april, 1998. edited on nov 14, 2013.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/outro
think (original album mix)
this is a nice update of the original in all aspects, with slightly modified lyrics.
recorded in mar, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-think-i-feel-much-better-now-1998-cd
recorded in mar, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-think-i-feel-much-better-now-1998-cd
hurricane (original discarded outtake)
wind sounds. really, i was experimenting with synthesizing using two different methods: my jx-8p and cool edit as a synthesizer slash effects processor, just to see if i could.
recorded in mar, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/hurricane
recorded in mar, 1998.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/hurricane
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