Mat Amyx
news for 01-25-09
Jan 26, 2009
Hello friends, work on a new album is nearly done. The easy part is over anyway. The music is done, recorded, FINISHED. Damn thing just needs lyrics and vocals now. I'll be working with someone for that part and it's not how I've gone about it in the past. It could be easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy or it could take a while. The music is great if I don't say so myself. It's a mix Nick Drake guitars and Mum beats. I might put up some of the new songs sans-vocals if anyone shows intrest.
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Spoiler Alert! Part Three.
Nov 24, 2008
13. When That Person… Falls Apart. The full title of the song is When That Person That You Think Has It All Together Falls Apart. There was this girl that I worked with, not knew, just saw her at work, that I thought had it all figured out. She was pretty and smart and very put together. One day she was bawling in the corner of the break room and it blew my mind. I never got to know her but that day she was crying stuck with me. I invented a fictional story for why she was crying and what would make her feel better.
14. Stealing From Thieves. This song is about Bush. About W. About that dumb dumb dumb man. I rewrote the lyrics after a first pass cause I didn’t really want to be political song guy but the rewrites keep steering back to good ole W. The music is angry and W just makes me feel angry so they were just meant to be.
15. The Whale. I’ve always been crazy about the music for this song. Its fun to play and it changes a lot. Its about that feeling you get when you’re nervous and your chest feels tight. Like you’ve got a whale in your chest. There’s also a fair amount a regret for bad decisions thrown in there too.
16. Firefly. Big finish? Nah, I thought I’d end on a calm note, sort of. This is the moment of growth. This is when I became an adult. This is when I decided to ditch the schoolboy crushes and be a big boy. I encourage you to do the same. It feels good. So that’s kind of a happy thought to end on huh? Oh but this song is also kind of about a girl that doesn’t manage her diabetes and is driving hard to an early grave. That’s not so happy.
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Spoiler Alert! Part Two.
Nov 24, 2008
04. Our Fight Song. This song is about 9/11 kinda. The music was written on 9/11 and the lyrics are a reaction to the anti-Arab, extreme blind patriotism that we’ve been dealing with for the last 7 years. It basically states that its normal to be angry and to want justice but you have to temper that with some faith in the good of people and the universe.
05. With No Teeth. Another song about being into a girl that isn’t interested. This one is dark and self loathing though. I don’t write creepy songs. I’m generally a positive person. I don’t write many songs in minor because they just feel wrong for me but this song is minor and perfect for that moment in my life. A good friend that used to be in the band expressed concern when I showed it to him. Not about me, he was worried that it was too dark. Oh well, I’m proud of it.
06. You Think. This one is about my Lady. When we got together she expressed that she didn’t think she was good for me and we were too different. She is and we’re not. I’m crazy about the synth parts in this song. I’m generally crazy about most synth parts. Synth bleeps and blurps make my heart sing.
07. So It Goes. From the phrase made famous by my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut. Things happen, people die, world collide, so it goes. The song is cool I think, it went real fast. From stumbling into writing the guitar part to recording the last vocal line was about an hour and a half. Awesome.
08. False Hope. False hope is one of my least favorite phrases. It makes no sense at all. Having hope is like being pregnant. You have it or you don’t, you are or you aren’t, it’s not conditional. Now, your hope might not be rewarded but that is a different issue all together. The music is some of my favorite I’ve done. The guitar solo that starts the song was part of a different song that never got off the ground. I always liked it and hated to ditch it completely so I rammed it on the front of False Hope.
09. Heart. My least favorite title on the album. Ok not just my least favorite, I hate it. I wanted to call it Fidelity but then that one lady that I can’t remember her name right now had a song by the same title last year. Ordinarily I’d just ignore the other song and name it what I want but I actually like her song very much so I yield. My song is about being in a relationship that isn’t going well and wanting to find someone that makes you feel good but you feel so guilty about wanting to break your commitment you this other person.
10. Pimples & Pixiedust. Complicated guitar/time changes abound!!! The words are about starting a new relationship and wondering if you’re good enough for this new person. Really tough, this song is all about the complicated guitar/time changes!!! I could play this song for hours and have. It’s fun.
11. Jac Jac Attack. My Girlfriend Sleeps a lot. Loooooooooovvvvveesss her sleep. This tune is observing that she likes to sleep and promising that I’m going be a good boyfriend. Synth bleeps and bloops play a pivotal role here. As previously stated, they, like my girlfriend, make my heart sing.
12. Am Song. Another minor song. The song is pronounced A MINOR SONG. It should have a real title but early drafts of the song before it had lyrics were labeled Am Song cause it is in Am. The name stuck. The song is about small home town resentment. I’m from a tiny tiny town. Even though it treated me ok I have a lot of issues burned deep into my head. I’m different, not way different but different enough to not fit in with the folks I grew up with.
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Spoiler Alert! Part One.
Nov 24, 2008
Hello friends. Mat here.
If you are interested in the new album I’m going to go track by track and explain what I was thinking when I was writing and recording Leave Me the Way I Was Before. It’s a mildly long album and I’m sorry for that. I got a little backed up song wise. These songs were waiting for a whole band to play them. The band never came together. If I was being completely honest, which I rarely am, I’d tell you that I was a little lazy too. For every song on the album there are two that didn’t make it on. I have a problem with writing new songs while recording. I never stop writing. I should be putting out albums every other month. We’ll see how that works out in the future. Also, I’d rather you didn’t read this if you are like me and prefer to interpret music on your own and get a more personal meaning out of songs. Nothing bums me out more than finding out that a musician actually meant their cool song to be about something lame. You’ve been warned.
Let’s start with the title. Leave Me the Way I Was Before is a line from the Tori Amos song Cloud on My Tongue which is on my absolute favorite album of hers, Under the Pink. My interpretation of the line and how I think it applies to my work is that relationships change people and change is scary. These songs for the most part are about my marriage falling apart, having some disastrous dating experiences and eventfully finding a wonderful girl to settle down with. These relationships have changed me, maybe not for the better. I probably am an improved individual for having interacted with these people but if I knew the trouble and heart ache I would endure I might not have gotten out of bed.
01 Good Monster. The lyrics are about how everyone (or I) has the capacity for evil and to hurt people. In other words, to be a monster. Not that I ever act on my baser instincts but it’s a struggle. I imagine, or rather I dearly hope, that everyone has these tiny dark moments. The music, as most of my songs are, was written on guitar first and then embellished. Lyrics always come last for me. I hate writing lyrics. Hate it. My standards for lyrics are high. I think most people’s lyrics are garbage. I would never say mine are all that great but in the trying to write good lyrics I nearly make my brain explode.
02 Rick James: Matador. I love this song. It’s silly. It’s about a dude that wants to do great things but ends up slacking off. Pretty simple. Rick James is in the title because the character in the song wants to be a musician. It could have been Steve Perry: Matador or some other musician but Rick James is funnier in concept. Plus his name just makes people smile. Matador is in the title because he wants to be a bullfighter. Matador is also my favorite record label.
03. The Loophole. This song is about offering way too much to a woman that doesn’t quite want you in a romantic way and how some girls totally take advantage of that. I admit that I’ve been way too devoted to a girl that wasn’t ever going date me. This girl (who appears a couple of times on the album) strung me along for months knowing that I would provide her with all the benefits of a devoted boyfriend without any of the annoyances. Thus: A relationship loophole. Men, listen up. If she’s not into you right away she’s never going to be into you. She’s never going to “see all the things you’ve done for her.” She’s never going to “see how much you love her” and realize that you are the man for her. It’s rough to hear, I know. Here’s the good news, eventually you will meet someone that does want you back. I know its hard to wait for something that intangible when you’ve got prospects right in front of you but please, don’t waste one second of your life waiting for some manipulating bitch to “realize how much she appreciates you.”
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