(for more information on the upcoming audio project, click on the QUICKSAND category, to the right)

The demo version of rain can be streamed in entirety from Last.fm

He hangs upside down suspended by a thread – twisting and turning
It served him as a lifeline, salvation she gave freely
Seven years and a lifetime dead

Darkened clouds clouds gather in the west, propelled by winds that blew his dreams away
Mark his bed with all the passions that you sold
Bury him in the rain

Into the age of reason crying he was born
Ripped from the warmth
Never has a shadow so surrounded yet to walk alone

She feels the first tears gently fall and prays they’ll wash the memories away
Attend his duties with all the passions that you stole
Bury him in the rain

Sightless are the windows; too weak to face the sun
Another day has passed
He hides there in the darkness, a sickness on the inside – evades the dreams that came undone

All he ever wanted was a heart to call his own (there’s no protection from the rain without a home)
Remember him with all the passion in your soul
Bury him in the rain

[Demo}+:

• The guitar solo, while not note perfect, is almost exactly what I want in terms of tone and feel.  It was played with an e-bow, eliminating the percussive string attack — if anything, it should be a bit soaking in reverb (a la Type O Negative’s Love You To Death).  No need for flashiness, either.
• The guitar noises that drift in and out through the verses are nice.  I’m not sure if more of that would ruin the effect or not, but it’s worth exploring.

{Demo}-:

• That ridiculously self-indulgent bit of noodling that doubles the length of the song.  Good lord, I used to love to hear myself play guitar.
• The “drums” do not work at all, but the idea is there — space in the verse, taut and heavy during the choruses.
• The underscoring padding through the verses should be thicker, more spatial. Vocals, too, should be more dense — perhaps some harmonies?

{Backstory}:

Yet… another… divorce song.

Jesus. If I could only write lyrics and music that retained potency all the time, I’d be a trillionaire.  Or whatever famous songwriters become. Hundredaires?

Note, too, the fascination with rain.  The first song on the No More Heroes disc (where this almost all started) was Waiting For the Rain, and the metaphor pops up throughout (cf: Broken, After the Flood). It probably says a lot about the human condition, that as much as we hate being caught up in the storms of misery or depression, there’s something very comforting about staying there, relishing the discomfort.

That said, this is another lyric that I’m very happy with, even in hindsight.  It avoids — to me, at least — sounding like so many lyrics, ripped from the spiral-bound notebooks of a broken-hearted seventeen-year-old.

I was twenty three, thanks very much.  And I scribbled this on a fast food bag on my way back from lunch one day.  So there.

{Demo notes}:

Vocals by Jonas Grey; percussion by D. R. Ummachine; everything else by me.

{Fixes/Influences}:

Note: these link to YouTube videos, most of which are probably unauthorized.  If one of them is down, try searching for the song.  And as always, if you dig the songs, I highly recommend dropping a few bucks on the full discs — these artists are well-worth your financial support. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions in the comments.

• Harmony Korine (Steven Wilson): The dynamics are spot-on for what Rain should be.
• Everything Dies (Type O Negative): As much for the video as the music — keeping in mind that all of this should be as visual in the soundscape as possible.
• Way Out of Here (Porcupine Tree): The first verse has no drums at all, relying on a syncopated synth for rhythm; it builds beautifully into the first chorus, which explodes.  This is a good line to pursue, I think, for the rhythm and dynamics quandry. Plus, the video (the ever-excellent Lasse Hoile) is so perfectly autumnal…