albums
Underway
2023 Battle of the E-Bands
2006 Wonday
Compilations
1993 Songs to Sleep By
1997 Songs to Sleep By 2
2002 Sunday Sampler
2002 Dad's Picks
1999 Mix 1 (sy55)
2010 Mix 2 (triton vocal)
2010 Mix 3 (triton instr.)
SY55
1991 Archives
1992 College Collection
1993 College Collage
1994 The Hermit
1997 Where's My Muse
1999 South or Southeast
Triton
2001 In the Margins
2002 Renewal
2002 Re-treat
2002 Convenience
2002 Back Up
2003 So So
2003 So On
2003 So Long
2003 Baby Steps
2003 Baby Talk
2004 Schmocial
2004 Brroom
2004 Chuckadee
2004 Disco Hike
2004 Extra Extra
2005 Coma Pill
2005 Ourboretum
2005 Jaminy
2005 Padden Drift
2005 Gorilla Love
2005 Aminals
2005 Vegibles
2006 Fruitine
2006 Dignored
2006 Miner
2006 Mouseculine
2006 Yata
2007 Zipit
2007 Sixawon
2007 Halfdosin
2007 Whatcom Home
2008 What Roses
2008 Pho Kit
2008 Composed Pile
2009 Decomposed Pie
2009 Swaddlicious
2010 Lost Train
Soft Synths
2011 Out the Margins
2011 Redebut
2011 Reprogression
2012 Working Progress
2013 Tripico
2014 Aerosol Concrete
2015 Reduced to Clear
2016 Motions
2017 The Walking Dad
2018 Mockolate
2019 Still Testing
2020 Slow Wins Teddy

Track List

# title lyrics time download listen started recorded rating
1 Painfully Moody Saturday - 7:46 download listen locally 2003-05-10 2005-03-15
2 Gassy - 4:41 download listen locally 2003-05-14 2005-03-17
3 Overtime - 5:24 download listen locally 2003-05-26 2005-03-21
4 Death Rattle - 7:10 download listen locally 2003-05-28 2005-03-23
5 Claim - 5:49 download listen locally 2003-05-29 2005-03-24
6 June - 5:45 download listen locally 2003-06-01 2005-03-29
7 Sadie - 4:21 download listen locally 2003-06-01 2005-03-30
8 Mop Up - 5:37 download listen locally 2003-07-17 2005-03-31
9 Eight Oh One - 5:16 download listen locally 2003-07-26 2005-04-05
10 Fifteen - 4:16 download listen locally 2003-08-15 2005-04-07
11 Shot Fuse - 3:20 download listen locally 2003-10-17 2005-04-08
12 Pooper - 6:05 download listen locally 2003-12-13 2005-04-12
13 Eve Ho - 4:30 download listen locally 2003-12-24 2005-04-14
14 Free Wait - 3:34 download listen locally 2004-06-26 2005-04-15
15 Got Gear lyrics 4:38 download listen locally 2004-09-29 2005-04-15
Total 78:12 play all locally album rating:

Notes

The title is a combination of "jam" and "Jiminy" (Cricket). It represents the ambivalent mix of cautious conscience versus self-indulgent improvisation. Inside of us are two voices: one saying "do the right thing" and the other saying "do what you feel like!" Every day we hear these voices; the choices we make about which voice to heed define our "quality" as a person.

When I am in work mode (which is most of the time), I listen to Jiminy. I'm conscientious, methodical, and extremely deliberate in my actions, always questioning myself whether I am performing optimally. In fact, I often represent Jiminy, habitually advising other people about what I think is right. As a result, people often see me as controlling, serious, obsessive, and unadaptable. When I am in "work mode", I can seem boring and annoying, like Jiminy was to Pinocchio.

Perhaps as a relief from perpetually trying to do the "Right Thing" in real life, I enjoy immersing myself in a paradigm where there is no "Right" way to do things. Although in work mode, I strive to be "perfect", in play mode, I don't like to think. Instead, I just like to bang on a keyboard, adlib goofy vocals, make dorky faces in a mirror, eat fatty foods, drink enough to get a headache, makee lot sof tpyos, or churn out a bunch of silly liner notes about myself.

So anyway, yeah. So that!

As for the songs, I started them in 2003 and 2004 and finished them in 2005. Half the music is listenable, but boring (Jiminy). The other half is spontaneous, uncompromising, and sloppy (jam). When you listen to tracks 7 and 8 back to back you'll see what I mean. I'm not sure which I prefer; "Sadie" is prettier, but "Mop Up" gets me bobbin' my head more. Neither is perfect, but then again, no Tripecac is.

I created the music with my usual Triton (sounds and effects) + Sonar (sequences) combo, with no plugins or other instruments. I tried to spice up the last song ("Got Gear") with vocals, but its underlying groove was too thin to salvage the album. Oh well!

So here in this last paragraph I will say that it's okay to "dis" this album! If you find something to like about it, then great! Otherwise, you can console yourself with the fact that this is my last "finishing up" album; I'm finally caught up with my old songs, and will start conscientiously constructing brand new songs as soon as I feel like it.

Songs

Painfully Moody Saturday

I think someone was PMSing. It might have been me. The drums and solos are from 2005; the rest is relatively untouched. It seems like the worst moods yield the best songs!

Gassy

Ahem. I, uh, guess someone (certainly not me) was, um, well, you know, percolating. The song doesn't really fit the title; it's anything but airy. My main efforts in 2005 were clearing up the mix (it was a little cloudy) and adding the solos and dub sections.

Overtime

I guess I was putting in a lot of overtime when I started this. It sure sounds like I was exhausted; there's very little creative energy here. My 2005 edits were similarly uninspired; I guess the lack of enthusiasm was contagious. Some of the solos (and crazy toms) show spasms of life, and the ending is unique, but overall this song is brain-dead.

Death Rattle

Something was dying. Was it my car? My computer? A spider? A bum under the bridge? The song itself is actually pretty lively. Sure, the groove and solos are formulaic to the max, but hey, at least it's not a dirge.

Claim

I think I named this after winning a tax-related claim. It starts off slow, like cheesy 80s rock. I added the aggressive parts in 2005. For some reason I could never get it to sound as good on speakers as in headphones. Oh well. One of these days I'll create a good-sounding instrument and effects template and then stick with it for an entire album. That way I won't have to mix!

June

I started this on the first of June, 2003. It had an interesting melody, but the groove was bland. In 2005 I spiced it up a lot, making it funkier and denser. This is pretty much the story of Tripecac these days; I find something with a hint of a unique idea, spend a couple hours cleaning and expanding it, and then call it "done". There are no radical reorganizations or completely fresh ideas. Nothing is being done from scratch. Everything's done in baby steps. If the original idea is mediocre (as this one was), the end result is tethered to that mediocrity by my unwillingness to take risks.

Sadie

I started this the same day as "June". It's named after the dog on the cover of Baby Talk, whom I enjoyed walking. Like Sadie, this song is very mellow and gentle, almost romantic (compared to the rest of Tripecac). There's not much of a funk factor, and the bass didn't mix well (oh yes, it's the bass's fault, not Trav's, never Trav's!!!), but there are some nice chords buried in there. Cheese. Did I say cheese? This song is cheese!

Mop Up

What was I trying to mop up? A mess in the kitchen? The last few bad guys in a game? The boringness of the previous songs? I don't remember. Let's go with "the boringness of the previous songs".

Like "Glued", this ditches the old song templates and tries to be more "in your face". It's repetitive and weird, very weird. It was really hard to solo to it, mostly because I had no idea what key it was in.

User Comments:

  1. "Some nice moments in this song!" - Giovanna (2010-07-16)

Eight Oh One

Bed time was supposed to be 8 PM. Every day I looked forward to 8:01. Although it rarely happened that everyone was in bed by 8, the nice thing is that just having a deadline made me focus on music. This song seems to benefit from the time pressure. Unfortunately, most of the drums are a bit muffled (but the hi-hat is crisp). Time pressure dictated that I not spend too long polishing the mix.

So is time pressure good or bad? For creativity, I think it's good. For engineering, I think it might be bad. Which is more important: creativity or engineering? For Tripecac, creativity is key. Actually, productivity is primary, creativity is secondary, and engineering is tertiary. Money and fame are N-ary, where N is the number of albums I'll finish before I actually (gasp) sell a CD!

User Comments:

  1. "This song has great "tension"." - Giovanna (2010-07-16)

Fifteen

Did I only have fifteen minutes for music that night? Or was bedtime postponed until 8:15? No, I don't think it was anything as clever as that: I think I simply named the song after the day I started it (the 15th of August). Sigh.

Unfortunately, the music is equally uninspired. It tried to be a long jam, but was so sloppy and painfully mediocre that I left it somewhat undercooked in 2005. Sure, I cleaned it up a bit, added bongos, and tried to improve the mix, but couldn't erase that cardboardy taste that permeates it. File under: "eat to live".

Shot Fuse

I guess the kitchen fuse blew shortly before I started this song. It blew again the day that I resumed work on it in 2005. Coincidence? Or just boring Travis-trivia ("Travia")?

Well, the "funny" thing is that as I was recording the song a day later, the music PC's UPS actually started beeping. No, a fuse hadn't blown; the wall outlet was just being finicky. I jiggled the UPS's plug and the beeping stopped.

Anyway, as for the music, this is one of the few Tripecac songs that swings. I mixed with headphones, which is a faux pas. My excuse was that it was Friday, with everyone here, and I didn't feel like blasting the music. My other excuse was that I wanted to see if mixing with headphones would really ruin things; the last song ("Fifteen") was mixed with speakers and it sounded pretty bad (to my ears). Maybe headphones would help?

Well, I won't find out until I listen to the mp3 and cd a few times. By that point, I'll probably be too wrapped up in other songs to remember to come back and edit this description. Or maybe if I do remember to update this, it'll be on a day when the kitchen fuse blows again.

Pooper

We were invited to a Christmas party (in 2003). I didn't want to go. I felt like a party pooper.

Shortly around that time, I started this song. I think I made it peppy in an attempt to get myself psyched up for the party. It's repetitive (what Tripecac isn't?), but it has a decent (though predictable) chord progression and builds nicely in parts. The solos have good energy too. Overall, I give it an D-minus, rounded up to a B for the super-clever title.

Oh yeah... we ended up going to that party. I didn't have much fun. Even when I was there, I still felt like a party pooper. I just couldn't relax or appreciate the company of strangers. When we got back home and cuddled up on the couch I felt a million times happier!

Eve Ho

I started this on Christmas Eve 2003. The title is a combination of Christmas Eve and "Ho Ho Ho", and also a pun on "heave ho". Funny, huh? Ha ha ha!!! (or rather, "Ho ho ho"). Oh man, I'm on a roll!!!

The music strives to be Christmassy. One of the clav solos has a "Joy to the World" teaser in it; actually, it's more likely a reference to the Christmas song on IPECAC's Leaping Leper Limousine, which rips off the same melody.

The underlying trancy groove is okay. It's, what do you call it, "meditative". Or whatever. Okay, enough rambling, on to the next song!

Free Wait

I only started two songs in 2004. This was the first one. It's pretty mindless. The kick drum is obnoxious. Thankfully, I kept the song short.

The title is a pun on "free weight"; I guess I was going to the gym back then. I was also probably waiting for somebody, and had some free time to allocate to music. I don't know what the weather effects have to do with the title. Sorry I can't think of anything more interesting to say!

Got Gear

This was the first song I started with Sonar 4. I was experimenting with MIDI groove loops.

I finished the song very quickly in 2005. The vocals are silly, but add some spice to an otherwise dull-as-a-dent-on-a-doorknob ditty.

Lyrics to "Got Gear":

INTRO:
  give me a 1 and a 0

CHORUS 1:
  baby i got gear
  collecting it for years
  why don't you come over here, baby?

  i'll show you 'round my gear
  now, please baby don't fear
  it won't bite you, baby

VERSE 1:
  now talk to my pc
  just pretend it's me
  give it your sweet talkin', baby

  now come see my keyboard
  and try not to look bored
  it wants you to touch it, baby

CHORUS 2:
  baby, i got gear
  please baby don't fear
  it won't bite you baby

  gotta mountain of my gear
  it's getting hot in here
  come 'pute with me, sexy lady

VERSE 2:
  now, come meet my children
  they never need ritalin
  just 120 volt AC, baby

  it's all ones and zeros
  my binary heroes
  i love when the packets flow, baby

CHORUS 1:
  baby i got gear
  collecting it for years
  why don't you come over here, baby?

  i'll show you 'round my gear
  now, please baby don't fear
  it won't bite you, baby

VERSE 1: (again)
  talk to my pc
  just pretend it's me
  give it your sweet talkin', baby

  now come see my keyboard
  and try not to look bored
  it wants you to touch it, baby

CHORUS 2:
  baby, i got gear
  please baby don't fear
  it won't bite you baby

  gotta mountain of my gear
  it's getting hot in here
  come 'pute with me, sexy lady

    (it wants you to touch it
     it wants you to touch it
     it wants you to touch it
     it wants you to touch it

     it wants you to touch it
     it wants you to touch it)

ADLIB:
  no, don't touch it
  stop touching it!
  you're messing things up

  great
  look at what you did to the song

    (you killed it!  you killed it!)

  lesson 1:
  never let a girl into your room
  she'll mess everything up

  lesson 2:
  never let a boy into your room
  'cause he will mess everything up

  lesson 3:
  never let your parents into your room
  'cause they will mess everything up

  lesson 4:
  don't invite your friends into your room
  'cause they will mess everything up

  lesson 5:
  just never leave your room
  'cause the world is all messed up

  lesson 6:
  never pay attention to the world
  'cause it's all messed up

  lesson 7:
  don't pay attention to me
  'cause i'm all messed up

  lesson 8:
  don't pay attention to yourself
  'cause you're all messed up

  we say we're all messed up
  this song is all messed up
  way to go, travis

  you ruined my song
  you ruined my song
  it was a nice song
  but you ruined my song

  why did you kill the song?
  what happened to the song?
  it was my song
  but you killed my song

CHORUS 2:
  baby, i got gear
  please baby don't fear
  it won't bite you baby

  gotta mountain of my gear
  it's getting hot in here
  come 'pute with me, sexy lady

CHORUS 1:
  baby i got gear
  collecting it for years
  why don't you come over here, baby?

  i'll show you 'round my gear
  now, please baby don't fear
  it won't bite you baby

CHORUS 2:
  baby, i got gear
  please baby don't fear
  it won't bite you baby

  gotta mountain of my gear
  it's getting hot in here
  come 'pute with me, sexy lady

    (oh great
     you lost it boy
     you lost it
     the gear has failed me)
  

User Comments:

  1. "What a funky song, I really like it!" - Giovanna (2010-07-16)