- Title: Decomposed Pie
- Artist: Tripecac
- Timespan: 2008-2009
- Theme: loose, uncomposed jams
- Length: 76:52
- Tracks: 9
- Lyrics: 7
- MP3s: 9 play all locally
- Rating: **** [4] (2 ratings) rate this album
Track List
# | title | lyrics | time | download | listen | started | recorded | rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bella Cutie | lyrics | 7:54 | download | listen locally | 2008-10-06 | 2008-10-15 | **** (2) |
2 | Mellow Cootie | lyrics | 9:08 | download | listen locally | 2008-10-16 | 2008-10-22 | ****½ (2) |
3 | Fellow Computie | lyrics | 10:45 | download | listen locally | 2008-10-23 | 2008-10-30 | ****½ (2) |
4 | Feisty Koala | lyrics | 10:02 | download | listen locally | 2008-11-04 | 2008-11-11 | **** (2) |
5 | Fela Bleck | lyrics | 8:29 | download | listen locally | 2008-11-12 | 2008-11-20 | **** (2) |
6 | The Great One | lyrics | 12:23 | download | listen locally | 2008-12-02 | 2008-12-30 | **** (2) |
7 | Irony Deficiency | - | 10:28 | download | listen locally | 2009-01-05 | 2009-01-09 | **** (2) |
8 | Gold Drop | - | 6:08 | download | listen locally | 2009-01-16 | 2009-01-23 | ***½ (2) |
9 | Baby Dew Reprise | lyrics | 1:35 | download | listen locally | 2008-05-15 | 2009-01-25 | **** (2) |
Total | 76:52 | play all locally | album rating: | **** (2) |
Notes
The previous album (Composed Pile) had the rule that I needed to compose each song before starting to record it. I liked the end result, but was disappointed that the album took so long to complete (4 months).
Since I wanted to finish the next album by the end of the year (2008), I decided I would purposefully not compose any of its songs beforehand. The only other "rule" I made for myself was that I had to vary the effects template for each song.
Right around the time I started this album, I was getting into Fela Kuti and afrobeat. I was fascinated by Fela's extremely long, jazzy jams over funky, repetitive, percussion-centric grooves, with vocals not entering until the second half of the song. For me, it was love at first listen. I wanted to see if I could incorporate afrobeat ideas in my own music.
The first 5 songs are my afrobeat experiment, which you can probably guess by the song titles. I don't know if I'd call them "successful", since none of them really sounds like Fela Kuti. However, there are some cool groovy moments at times that might not have appeared if I hadn't been trying to emulate Fela.
The last 4 songs are baby-centric. The vocals are scarce and hushed, and the music retreats from afrobeat back into my usual blend of krautrock and jazz. Back to the womb, I guess.
Where Tripecac goes next I have no idea. Lots of changes ahead. Lots of diaper changes. Ha ha!
Sorry, my sense of humor is sleep-deprived...
Songs
Bella Cutie
- Decomposed Pie track 1
- started: 2008-10-06
- recorded: 2008-10-15
- length: 7:54
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
Recently I'd gotten heavily into Fela Kuti. The title is a pun on his name. The music tries to resemble his type of music (Afrobeat), but doesn't even come close.
The lyrics are nonsense. I just wanted to chant something catchy. "Pidgin" is a pun on Pidgin English (used by Fela in his songs) and the IM client Pidgin, which I had just setup on my laptop. That's the only clever part in the whole song! The rest is pretty dumb.
Oh well, at least this leaves lots of room for improvement.
I've said that before, haven't it?
Lyrics to "Bella Cutie":
down down down it's the energy drop frown frown frown my way down from the top down down down it's the energy pop and it's a stop down down down it's our energy drop frown frown frown our way down from the top down down down it's our energy pop we need to stop bella bella cutie cutie bella bella cutie cutie bella bella cutie cutie bella bella cutie cutie bella bella cutie bella bella cu bella bella cutie bella cutie cu bella bella cutie cutie cutie cu [scat] now it's time for lecture now it's time for words now we're using pidgin now we're pecking like birds [repeat] birds birds birds birds i've got to sing an important message for you here i put my important ideas to stew now that i've got you dancing now that i've got you dancing now that i've got you dancing it's time to lecture you lecture lecture lecture lecture [repeat bits of the above]
Mellow Cootie
- Mix 2 (triton vocal) track 19
- Decomposed Pie track 2
- started: 2008-10-16
- recorded: 2008-10-22
- length: 9:08
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This is my second attempt at creating Afrobeat.
This time around, I listened carefully to some Fela CDs, and came up with several rules which the first song didn't follow:
- The key has to be minor (not major).
- The song has to be modal; the key cannot change.
- It needs to swing.
- It needs a spacious bassline, like in dub and reggae.
Hopefully those rules will help give it a more "Fela" feel. If they don't, then I will just have to try, try again!
Again, the title is a play on "Fela Kuti"; I felt like this song was too mellow, too close to easy listening.
Lyrics to "Mellow Cootie":
yes, it sounds a little bit better i guess, it sounds a little more real ok, it's not afro-beat it's more like elevator bop [repeat bits of the above]
Fellow Computie
- Decomposed Pie track 3
- started: 2008-10-23
- recorded: 2008-10-30
- length: 10:45
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This is the third, thought not necessarily charmed, attempt at afrobeat. I listened to an afrobeat compilation the day I started it and realized that other musicians haven't been able to sound like Fela Kuti either, even the cover bands. So I decided to just try to create something that sounds catchy, and vaguely African. The result sounds more to my ears like Can, but it's at least somewhat groovy, though it gets tiring after a while.
The title is yet another a play on "Fela Kuti", and refers to a guy working as a computer programmer. The actual lyrics are about one of G's former bosses, whom at first everyone thought was a suave, a natural leader, and then later turned out to be confused and/or corrupt.
If you merge the two concepts, you can pretend this song is about a computer programmer who goes corrupt. Or maybe a computer that gets corrupted. But really it's just about making noise.
Lyrics to "Fellow Computie":
big boss, big boss, big boss, big boss big boss gonna lead the way big boss gonna save the day big boss gonna earn his pay big boss gotta have his say [scat] big boss gonna delegate big boss gonna procrastinate big boss gonna fabricate big boss gonna hibernate big boss gonna gamble away big boss gonna spend all our pay big boss gonna waste every day big boss gonna run away [repeat bits of the above]
Feisty Koala
- Decomposed Pie track 4
- started: 2008-11-04
- recorded: 2008-11-11
- length: 10:02
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
Yet another Fela Kuti attempt. This time I focused on getting the repetitive guitar sound first. Drums came later.
It has a similar relentless feel to some of Kuti's stuff, but lacks funk. And it feels a little empty. And repetitive. And dumb. Oh well. Gotta keep trying!
Lyrically, this is a very oblique reference to the fact that my parents were vacationing "down under" (in New Zealand). Do they have koalas in New Zealand? I don't know! Maybe the hobbits hunted them to extinction?
Lyrics to "Feisty Koala":
1 2 3 4 feisty koala in the tree feisty koala don't bite me feisty koala in the tree feisty koala don't bite me don't bite me or i'll bite you back don't bite me or i'll make you a snack no no no no no na na na na na no no no no no na na na na na [repeat bits of the above] feisty koala in the tree why are you looking at me with those big brown eyes that make me want to hug you feisty koala in the tree feisty koala don't kiss me feisty koala in the tree get away from me you furry beast feisty koala in the tree feisty koala get your lips away from me feisty koala in the tree you're cute but you just gotta let me be yeah [repeat bits of the above] 4 3 2 1
Fela Bleck
- Decomposed Pie track 5
- started: 2008-11-12
- recorded: 2008-11-20
- length: 8:29
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
For some reason I was thinking about Fela Kuti and Bela Fleck at the same time, and the title came to me. This of course meant that I had to use a prominent banjo part, which I did, at least at the beginning. I quickly lost enthusiasm for it (and for the song in general).
The end result sounds much more country or polka than Afrobeat, but I kinda like the energy in parts.
The lyrics have no connection to the title; how could they? They're actually about having to walk home in the changing weather.
Lyrics to "Fela Bleck":
[scat] i'm in the cold on a moonlit road my feet are soaked but i'm walking home hey, yeah, come on, go [repeat bits of above]
The Great One
- Decomposed Pie track 6
- started: 2008-12-02
- recorded: 2008-12-30
- length: 12:23
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This is named after Denali, which means "The Great One". I initially planned to finish it on her birthday, but then I realized that once I went to the hospital, it would be at least a day before I could come back home. So I decide to simple have its length equal her birthday (2008-12-23).
The song itself is kinda lame. It feels empty in the beginning, and tired. However, towards the end it settles into a please rhythm. Maybe this will represent Denali's sleep patterns? I certainly hope so!
Lyrics to "The Great One":
here comes the great one here comes the great one, the great one [repeat] [scat] i come from over my hill i ran for plenty a mile she come from over her hill she walked for quite a while [repeat] i come from over my hill after i ran for plenty a mile she come from over her hill after she walked for quite a while we met at the top of the hill and i gave her a smile i still remember the thrill when she returned my smile and then what happened? and then what happened? hanky panky da da denali da da da great one da da denali da da da great one da da da da da, yeah da da da da da, yeah [repeat]
Irony Deficiency
- Decomposed Pie track 7
- started: 2009-01-05
- recorded: 2009-01-09
- remixed: 2009-01-25
- length: 10:28
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
As most of you non-geeks and many of you lucky geeks know, tending a newborn is lots of work. Not only for us geeks, but for the geekettes who have to boobie feed every hour or so. Make that two hours. No, make that ten minutes. And then three hours. And then half a minute. In the middle of the night. Waah!!! Waaaah!!! Wet diaper! Waaaah!!! Waaahhh!! Poopie diaper! Waaaah!!! Waaaahhhh!!! Waaaaaaaahhhh!
Lame jokes aside, I find myself too tired to generate non-lame jokes. I'm very literal minded now. My sense of irony is gone. Do you understand the song title now? Not very subtle, eh? Well, I told you my humor was drained! Or did I? I forget! Oh yeah, another thing, the memory goes all jumbly too.
So anyway, here's a song with no real prospect of being great, seeing that it's coming from my diaper-sogged brain. Maybe once we all get on the same sleep cycle my usual torrent of awesome, awesome ideas will, like, erupt into something non-poop-related. Yeah. Whatever. I'm tired. Good night.
p.s. This ended up more Krautrocky than Fela Kutiy. Is "Kutiy" a word? I don't know! Too tired to look it up, too tired to care. I guess I'll have to make words up until my brain's repaired.
Gold Drop
- Decomposed Pie track 8
- started: 2009-01-16
- recorded: 2009-01-23
- remixed: 2009-01-25
- length: 6:08
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
You've gotta drop the gold or you'll sink to the bottom.
If you want, you can interpret that to mean that I've got to let go of any ambition to end the album on a bang and instead just finish it quickly so that I can get the rest of the songs backed up and safe. In otherwords, sacrifice the potential gold for the actual copper. Hmm. Yeah.
Anyway, this "short" song is a last stab at getting something percussive and groovy to wind up the album. It doesn't bother trying to sound like afrobeat, which requires too much deliberation for my sleep-deprived mind. Instead, it just tries to be funky and kinda catchy, in a repetitive sort of way. I don't know if it works.
Baby Dew Reprise
- Decomposed Pie track 9
- started: 2008-05-15
- recorded: 2009-01-25
- length: 1:35
- Travis Emmitt - mandolin, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This was the original, slower version of "Baby Dew". I didn't want to throw it away, and thought it'd be easier to use it as a reprise rather than try to somehow fit it with the rest of the song.
Lyrics to "Baby Dew Reprise":
ah this is awful [scat] i've noticed something and maybe you've too everybody's joining the baby do family and friends and celebrities too they all want a part in the baby do [repeat]