Shocking Clarity
I’ve been playing with my new microphone a bit over the past few days, and it’s rather intimidating. The device itself doesn’t pose the threat, but rather the way in which it cleans up my act. Take for example, tonight’s cover of Grandma Song, originally by Defiance, Ohio (who have mad wicked tracks online for the free downloading).
If you listen to this track next to anything else I’ve recorded of myself lately, it’s pretty fucking spotless. No background hiss, no low-level interference, no cracks and pops. Just me and the noises I make, naked. What intimidates me is how little I know about leveling, about frequency response, about dynamic ranges. This track makes me sound like I’m ten feet away, which is probably closer than I really am though.
The original version of this song is from the album The Great Depression. Second only to Hop Along’s Freshman Year, I probably listened to this albums more than anything else in 2006. This song in particular always makes me shiver when I hear it, which sounds pretty lame now that I’ve typed it. The references to collapsing buildings and the idea of visiting a loved one in the hospital to “watch everything recede” just fuck me up I guess. Do yourself a favor and download (via .torrent) the rest of the album right now, they’re not all so sorrowful, I promise.
PS: Turns out Defiance, Ohio has a new album available online free to download titled The Fear, The Fear, The Fear. Ch-ch-ch-check it out.