- Title: Ourboretum
- Artist: Tripecac
- Timespan: 2003-2005
- Theme: a rewarding relapse
- Length: 76:16
- Tracks: 14
- Lyrics: 1
- MP3s: 14 play all locally
- Rating: **** [4] (2 ratings) rate this album
Track List
# | title | lyrics | time | download | listen | started | recorded | rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Background | - | 8:07 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-02 | 2005-02-08 | ***½ (2) |
2 | Green | - | 4:23 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-05 | 2005-02-08 | **** (2) |
3 | Sprint | - | 7:21 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-24 | 2005-02-10 | **** (2) |
4 | Taxed | - | 4:49 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-25 | 2005-02-14 | ***½ (2) |
5 | Lost | - | 4:51 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-26 | 2005-02-16 | ***½ (2) |
6 | Nuther | - | 5:06 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-26 | 2005-02-16 | **½ (2) |
7 | Glued | lyrics | 6:25 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-27 | 2005-02-17 | ***½ (2) |
8 | Ciao Bella | - | 2:42 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-29 | 2005-02-19 | ***½ (2) |
9 | The Fool | - | 4:29 | download | listen locally | 2003-04-01 | 2005-02-19 | ***½ (2) |
10 | Practicy | - | 1:50 | download | listen locally | 2003-04-02 | 2005-02-22 | *** (2) |
11 | Bang | - | 6:05 | download | listen locally | 2003-04-06 | 2005-02-23 | ***½ (2) |
12 | Temperary | - | 7:41 | download | listen locally | 2003-04-22 | 2005-02-24 | *** (2) |
13 | April Shower | - | 10:33 | download | listen locally | 2003-04-23 | 2005-02-28 | **** (2) |
14 | Glued Reprise | - | 1:54 | download | listen locally | 2003-03-27 | 2005-03-01 | ***½ (2) |
Total | 76:16 | play all locally | album rating: | **** (2) |
Notes
During Thanksgiving week of 2002, I was 3000 miles from my family and friends. Feeling the holiday loneliness, I decided to socialize with the only people I knew in town. They were into bar-hopping. It had been years since I'd actually gone out at night, so I was out-of-practicy, but I decided to give it a shot anyway (no pun intended).
The first evening actually went well. The novelty of being around people was stimulating, and I think others were attracted to my energy. I drank enough to feel relaxed and empathic, but not so much that I acted the fool. It was a good vibe.
The second evening required more effort. I felt self-conscious and less impressed with the people around me. In an attempt to reprise my confident groove from the night before, I drank... a lot. For some reason that "strategy" seems to work, because people kept coming over to talk to me. Perhaps I was an oddity ("what's that geek doing in here?") or maybe I still had "it" from the previous evening, whatever "it" is. I kept drinking, trying to maintain "it", even though deep down I realized that "it" was only temperary, and not sustainable.
By the third evening, I was exhausted, hungover, and unhappy; my social muscles (and liver) were taxed. My eyes had lost their sparkle. My friends dragged me out again, but this time I felt so crummy that I just tried to stay in the background. I avoided alcohol and gazes, and kept my eyes glued to the floor and the door, itching to get out of there.
The next morning, I shunned everyone. I didn't want yet anuther night of strangers and forced smiles. I fled the phone and went for a long jog. Gradually I began to feel better. I was surrounded by green, blue, and white: my favorite colors. The air was cool and invigorating, cleaning my lungs and thoughts like a fresh breeze after an April shower. I felt healthy, natural, and happy again.
After jogging through my usual route, I decided to push myself before returning home. I wanted to end my day with a proud bang of accomplishment, to make up for the wasted evenings. I thought about sprinting home, but instead decided to extend my jog another hour, to the top of the arboretum, which I hadn't visited in several weeks.
What happened next is discussed in the song "Cheating" (on Disco Hike). I won't repeat it here, because I am out of space, but I'll give you a clue: "Ciao Bella"! :)
This album is named after that fateful day, and represents a return to introverted habits. I finished it in three weeks, which was even faster than Coma Pill! All the sounds are from the Triton, except for my voice on "Glued".
Songs
Background
- Ourboretum track 1
- started: 2003-03-02
- recorded: 2005-02-08
- length: 8:07
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I guess I considered this song background when I created it. I still think it's pretty boring. In fact, it's very boring! In fact, this is exactly the sort of song that Coma Pill tried to expunge from the Tripecac vocabulary. So much for progress, eh?
Green
- Ourboretum track 2
- started: 2003-03-05
- recorded: 2005-02-08
- length: 4:23
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I don't know why I called this one "green". Perhaps winter was ending? I worked on it for two days in 2003, and didn't have to add much in 2005; my main additions were the koto and bongos, with which I tried to give the song a more "organic" feel.
Sprint
- Ourboretum track 3
- started: 2003-03-24
- recorded: 2005-02-10
- length: 7:21
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I think the song is named after the phone company rather than the race, since it's not very speedy! There's actually two parts: a short, slow, semi-annoying groove in the beginning, and then a longer, simpler, peppier jam section. The segue between the two sections is so quiet that it's almost as if this were two separate songs. To give the track some closure, I ended the second section with part of the first groove. If you think this description is long-winded and clunky, just wait until you hear the song!
Taxed
- Ourboretum track 4
- started: 2003-03-25
- recorded: 2005-02-14
- length: 4:49
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I guess I paid my taxes the day I started this mellow jam. I finished it on Valentine's Day 2005. I wish I had something insightful to say about the song, but IMO it's pretty nondescript. My favorite bit is the clav solo, which is unfortunately mixed a little soft.
Lost
- Ourboretum track 5
- started: 2003-03-26
- recorded: 2005-02-16
- length: 4:51
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I'd just gotten back from a ski trip, and discovered that my favorite spoon had been lost while I was gone. I spent several hours looking for it, but never found it. Creatively, this song feels a bit lost too, as if I'm retreading old ground while trying to get somewhere more inspiring.
Nuther
- Ourboretum track 6
- started: 2003-03-26
- recorded: 2005-02-16
- length: 5:06
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
Glued
- Ourboretum track 7
- started: 2003-03-27
- recorded: 2005-02-17
- length: 6:25
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I think I named this after I saw someone glued to the TV. We eliminated TV soon after. My productivity has soared ever since! In 2005 I improvised the lyrics, which are about addiction.
Lyrics to "Glued":
ok, y'all hey, pay attention to me (somebody talking?) pay attention to me hello? i'm talking he was glued to the tv oh what a shame eyes wide open to an empty brain he was glued to the tv oh what a shame his eyes wide open a susceptible brain and the junk came pouring in and the garbage came shooting out his mouth that turned dirty he thought it was cool to pout and be angst-ridden and all that gunk ('sup dude) it's hip, it's cool it's, oh it's so cool i gotta have my junk (bling bling) 'cause i'm glued to the tv i can't think for myself oh god, neither can i sing go travis, back on the shelf (go travis) he was glued to the pc and developed a slouch spent all his days hopping from his chair to the couch he was glued to his hobbies he was glued to his tasks and if you tried to talk to him he'd embarrass his big, translucent white butt (did you say butt?) (is this rated g or something?) his glowing big white butt 'cause he was glued to the chair and the table and the pc and the tv too he was glued to the books and the cds and the dvds, yahoo! he was glued to the inside he was repulsed by the out he was glued to himself and to himself he... (what?) something or other 1,2,3,4 hear the snapping? just keep to the snapping, travis i deserve 'cause i am glued to the tripecac formulae i was glued to the formulae of the trippety-cac i had to improvise every song and then edit back some sanity some comprehensibility some sense of melody some sense of the thing we call sanity, sanity, sanity, sanity santitah, sanituh, sanitoo-too-too how can you keep a straight face, travis when you do what you do? 'cause i'm glued to the mirror where i practice my faces i'm glued to my images in many strange places like my hard drive here we go again travis talking about computer talking about your geekiness talking about yourself again all you ever do is stay glued to yourself travis you are glued to yourself travis, hey you are glued to yourself travis, hey you are glued to yourself travis, hey you are glued to yourself travis, hey you are glued to yourself you are glued to the inside you are glued to the tv you are glued to the computer you are glued to your books you are glued to your routine you are glued to your tests you are glued to your tune you are glued to your bed you are glued to your books you are glued to the mirror you are glued to the... something to the something you are glued to the something, travis you are glued to yourself travis you are glued to yourself travis you are glued to yourself travis you are glued and now it's time to come unglued so i wander through the tempo a little bit i try to improvise try to adapt to the external stuff and this is what i get if i don't pretend that i am in rhythm with myself in rhythm with the day in rhythm with my heart in rhythm with my body then i can't succeed, no way 'cause i don't mind being glued to the things that define me ok that was really dumb so i'm taking the mic so i'm grabbing the mic from the travis from the travis everybody let's celebrate i got the mic from the travis from the travis just you and me, guys you and my brain i was raised by the tv this is me i'm gonna be extra spicy extra witty i will say the cliches that i know i will tell all the jokes that i've heard i will say all the stupid things that i mimic every day of my life 'cause i was glued to the tv and i was glued to my gameboy and i was glued to my stupid, stupid friends and all my toys i am stupid every day this is what i have to say all the obvious things that come through my mind he was glued he was glued he was glued and i think you are glued too you're glued (i just burped) just face it, you're glued that is the height of comedy, comedy, comedy to burp to make bodily functions is the height of comedy according to my tv glued, glued, glued, glued glued, glued, glued, glued glued, glued, glued, i'm out of here i'm being rude slam
Ciao Bella
- Ourboretum track 8
- started: 2003-03-29
- recorded: 2005-02-19
- length: 2:42
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
"Hello, beautiful!" Or, "Goodbye, beautiful!" Thumpity thumpity thump, it's back to the Coma Pill thumpity thump. So much for subtlety thumpity thump. At least it's thumpity thump short!
The Fool
- Ourboretum track 9
- started: 2003-04-01
- recorded: 2005-02-19
- length: 4:29
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This song's title has a couple meanings. For one, I started it on April Fool's Day 2003. Also, sometimes I feel like people think I am a fool, even when I'm being serious and strategic. I finished this song very quickly (in about an hour).
Practicy
- Ourboretum track 10
- started: 2003-04-02
- recorded: 2005-02-22
- other names: Practice
- length: 1:50
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This started as a piano-only ditty. I think I was forcing myself to practice my fingering and/or composing technique. In 2005 I added the other parts. Since the melody is so cheesy, I kept it short.
Bang
- Ourboretum track 11
- started: 2003-04-06
- recorded: 2005-02-23
- length: 6:05
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This song certainly has some punch to it at times, but seems a bit rambly overall. It was originally drowned in muddy reverb; I lightened it a bit but it still sounds soupy. My favorite bit is the jamming towards the end, which is mostly from 2005.
Temperary
- Ourboretum track 12
- started: 2003-04-22
- recorded: 2005-02-24
- length: 7:41
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I think someone was in a bad mood when I started this, and my consolation (to myself or that person) was that it wouldn't last long. Unfortunately, this song does last long; wayyyy too long! Given the title, you might think it's a fist-pounding, foot-stomping, door-slamming powerfest. Ha! Instead, you're suckered into a slow, sappy snore-a-thon, with sloppy strings, a meek melody, and muddy mixing. It's laboriously long, lethargic, and... well... lame. The only shining light is the climax at around the 5 minute point. It gives you hope for a second, but then the song descends back into its boringness.
April Shower
- Mix 3 (triton instrumental) track 12
- Ourboretum track 13
- started: 2003-04-23
- recorded: 2005-02-28
- length: 10:33
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
I guess it was raining the day I started this. Since this is the last song I started in April 2003, I decided to make it the last song on the album. There were about 10 minutes left to fill, so I made this really long. Hopefully it didn't end up too boring! I try to end albums on a positive note, no pun intended!
Glued Reprise
- Ourboretum track 14
- started: 2003-03-27
- recorded: 2005-03-01
- length: 1:54
- Travis Emmitt - Korg Triton
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This is a very short, instrumental version of "Glued". It focuses on the organ solo which was buried under the vocals in the "real" version.