The acoustic in this sounds so good! I really like the dreamy sound you get with the reverb. It's a really nice wash of sound coming through my headphones. I like the gentle vocal melody. Really nice acoustic instrumental break around 1:35! The little triplets in the middle were a really unexpected surprise! The outro is really nice too. I like those long sustained notes that float in and fade away. Very nice song!

The acoustic in this sounds so good! I really like the dreamy sound you get with the reverb. It's a really nice wash of sound coming through my headphones. I like the gentle vocal melody. Really nice acoustic instrumental break around 1:35! The little triplets in the middle were a really unexpected surprise! The outro is really nice too. I like those long sustained notes that float in and fade away. Very nice song!

Yo. Such a rad song. Super fav. Great job VL.

Yo. Such a rad song. Super fav. Great job VL.

Omg how lovely, I hope you do get that mandolin sometime this year so we can hear it in a WB! Very pretty song, thanks for the vibes!

Omg how lovely, I hope you do get that mandolin sometime this year so we can hear it in a WB! Very pretty song, thanks for the vibes!

Absolutely beautiful. I've never heard an octave mandolin but I don't see how it could get as much depth as you do with the guitar on this track. I would like Robert Fripp to solo over this one.

Absolutely beautiful. I've never heard an octave mandolin but I don't see how it could get as much depth as you do with the guitar on this track. I would like Robert Fripp to solo over this one.

Absolute bender of a track mate! Your vocals and guitar are doing it big time.

I hear you on the weekly push and the pros and cons, but we wouldn’t be hearing this work of art without that now would we? We all know the rules, once per week. There’s nothing wrong with developing an idea that’s “done” for weeklybeats but has more to give for a longer project. Great work once again and keep em coming!

Blasphemous 2 looks pretty great and inspiring. I’ll have to check it out on Switch.

Absolute bender of a track mate! Your vocals and guitar are doing it big time. I hear you on the weekly push and the pros and cons, but we wouldn’t be hearing this work of art without that now would we? We all know the rules, once per week. There’s nothing wrong with developing an idea that’s “done” for weeklybeats but has more to give for a longer project. Great work once again and keep em coming! Blasphemous 2 looks pretty great and inspiring. I’ll have to check it out on Switch.

I feel the "echo chamber lately of criticism and perfectionism" thing... like, I feel like the hardest part about being an artist (generally) is that once you get past the sketch phase of anything... it becomes about passing over it, making a new round of refinements with each pass... and while it continues to get better, because "refining" necessarily means identifying what you don't like, and make that better, by the time you've gotten to something that is legitimately awesome, you have spent sooo much time nit picking, and second guessing choices, and finding every little thing about it that you hate, that it's hard to see the beautify of what you've made...

And let me just say... from the perspective of someone who didn't spend hours listening to it over and over again, trying to make it into some platonic ideal of itself... I'm having a hard time finding any of the "warts" you mentioned at all... this is a deeply beautiful song.  Like, get lost in memories, day dreaming so hard I had hit back 40 seconds into the next song on the playlist so I could favorite the track, and listen to it again, beautiful. 

I feel the "echo chamber lately of criticism and perfectionism" thing... like, I feel like the hardest part about being an artist (generally) is that once you get past the sketch phase of anything... it becomes about passing over it, making a new round of refinements with each pass... and while it continues to get better, because "refining" necessarily means identifying what you don't like, and make that better, by the time you've gotten to something that is legitimately awesome, you have spent sooo much time nit picking, and second guessing choices, and finding every little thing about it that you hate, that it's hard to see the beautify of what you've made... And let me just say... from the perspective of someone who didn't spend hours listening to it over and over again, trying to make it into some platonic ideal of itself... I'm having a hard time finding any of the "warts" you mentioned at all... this is a deeply beautiful song. Like, get lost in memories, day dreaming so hard I had hit back 40 seconds into the next song on the playlist so I could favorite the track, and listen to it again, beautiful.

Track sounds great, I really like the "simplicity" of only guitar and vocals. (I know it ain't that simple to do...)

Track sounds great, I really like the "simplicity" of only guitar and vocals. (I know it ain't that simple to do...)

Wonderful progression, and your vocals fit so well with this vibe! Nice work!

Wonderful progression, and your vocals fit so well with this vibe! Nice work!

This is so soothing and pretty. Way to keep up your streak of beautiful tunes this year!

This is so soothing and pretty. Way to keep up your streak of beautiful tunes this year! :D

Reminds me of The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. Fantastic book for creatives, at least I thought, probably more on the beginner / philosophy side and well suited to me but was a wonderfully joyful listen to the audiobook and helpful reflection nonetheless.

[quote=Napear]I feel the "echo chamber lately of criticism and perfectionism" thing... like, I feel like the hardest part about being an artist (generally) is that once you get past the sketch phase of anything... it becomes about passing over it, making a new round of refinements with each pass... and while it continues to get better, because "refining" necessarily means identifying what you don't like, and make that better, by the time you've gotten to something that is legitimately awesome, you have spent sooo much time nit picking, and second guessing choices, and finding every little thing about it that you hate, that it's hard to see the beautify of what you've made... And let me just say... from the perspective of someone who didn't spend hours listening to it over and over again, trying to make it into some platonic ideal of itself... I'm having a hard time finding any of the "warts" you mentioned at all... this is a deeply beautiful song. Like, get lost in memories, day dreaming so hard I had hit back 40 seconds into the next song on the playlist so I could favorite the track, and listen to it again, beautiful. [/quote] Reminds me of The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. Fantastic book for creatives, at least I thought, probably more on the beginner / philosophy side and well suited to me but was a wonderfully joyful listen to the audiobook and helpful reflection nonetheless.

This is such a lush and soothing track.  Your vocals sound awesome with the perfect amount of verb.  The outro is so good.  Like stopped my whole train of thought and just was like ooooh yais.  Def hoping you come across that octo-mando! Do you have any irish folk revival albums to recommend? Would love to check it out

This is such a lush and soothing track. Your vocals sound awesome with the perfect amount of verb. The outro is so good. Like stopped my whole train of thought and just was like ooooh yais. Def hoping you come across that octo-mando! Do you have any irish folk revival albums to recommend? Would love to check it out :)

Great song, hit me with some unexpected chord progressions that I really enjoyed. Lovely vocal work.

Great song, hit me with some unexpected chord progressions that I really enjoyed. Lovely vocal work.

Thanks for the tuning idea! I play mandolin and violin, so it should be fun.

Be sure to check out mandocello while your at it. Super cool sound, and a dream of mine.

Also, sweet tune!

Thanks for the tuning idea! I play mandolin and violin, so it should be fun. Be sure to check out mandocello while your at it. Super cool sound, and a dream of mine. Also, sweet tune!

Really cool acoustic sound on this one.  Guitar and vocals sound great and it just has an awesome vibe to it overall. 

I've actually got a mandolin around here that belonged to my Dad.  I've used it a bit in the past, but yeah, without knowing the actual chord fingerings I've just kind of found notes that go together and done my best.  Still, they sound cool.  I'll have to bust it out again sometime.

Really cool acoustic sound on this one. Guitar and vocals sound great and it just has an awesome vibe to it overall. I've actually got a mandolin around here that belonged to my Dad. I've used it a bit in the past, but yeah, without knowing the actual chord fingerings I've just kind of found notes that go together and done my best. Still, they sound cool. I'll have to bust it out again sometime.

Hell yeah, love this.  Big time Fleet Foxes feelings here.

I hear you on mandolin being hard to play too.  As a bass player who is like a bull in a china shop on guitar, mandolin is absolutely ridiculous. 

Hell yeah, love this. Big time Fleet Foxes feelings here. I hear you on mandolin being hard to play too. As a bass player who is like a bull in a china shop on guitar, mandolin is absolutely ridiculous.

It's funny how when you add a nice reverb to it, those acoustic string slide noises turn into expressive additions to the song.

As everyone said, the acoustic sounds so good! Melodically really interesting how you end each verse. My favorite melodic moments were the "facing light, piercing through…" bits towards the end. The rise and fall there was really nice. Good job!

It's funny how when you add a nice reverb to it, those acoustic string slide noises turn into expressive additions to the song. As everyone said, the acoustic sounds so good! Melodically really interesting how you end each verse. My favorite melodic moments were the "facing light, piercing through…" bits towards the end. The rise and fall there was really nice. Good job!

Really nice track, the vocals and guitars and so nicely produced.

Really nice track, the vocals and guitars and so nicely produced.

Bring it on, warts and all. The imperfections are what brings life to a track, as per the wabisabi concept.
I enjoyed this more minimalistic track and its pacing. I'm definitely curious what you'd get with an octave mandollin. Also enjoy the process, don't overthink it. I'm with you, feeling anxious about not being able to enjoy and participate in the community as much as I wish (and will miss it in 2025). But let's take it easy and enjoy the journey.

Bring it on, warts and all. The imperfections are what brings life to a track, as per the wabisabi concept. I enjoyed this more minimalistic track and its pacing. I'm definitely curious what you'd get with an octave mandollin. Also enjoy the process, don't overthink it. I'm with you, feeling anxious about not being able to enjoy and participate in the community as much as I wish (and will miss it in 2025). But let's take it easy and enjoy the journey.

Haha, it's nice to see some other Crimson fans among the WB crew this year

That's a good wisdom. I generally end up finding that the songs I write are not as bad as I seem to think they are on release day. There's something cathartic about it just being out there in the world as "finished", because then I can finally accept it for what it is. And yeah, I *still* hear some of the warts here (I accidentally recorded a mechanical keyboard stroke through a microphone, I accidentally split a take of a sustained note which caused it to Fade In/Fade out between the two takes) but that really is just splitting hairs on what is essentially a finished concept of a song. Once it's released I can no longer shape it into what I think it should be, it just is. That's personally what I find to be so powerful about Weekly Beats. It's like exposure therapy for perfectionism, haha. I appreciate your insightful comment

I definitely suggest giving the first game a shot if you haven't . I liked it when I finished it but the more it sits with me, I kind of love it. I think part of what's so fascinating is that a lot of the imagery in the game is embellished a little bit but not THAT far off from actual religious history.

Also, I saw your other comment about "The Creative Act" so I'll definitely check that out, thank you for the recommendation

So, I don't personally have a ton of album recommendations just yet as I'm getting into the genre, but I do have a few song recommendations. "White Guitar" by Lady Moon is just MWAH, I love it. Beautiful use of her voice (She does this breathy "Ahh, Ahhhh" during one part of the song that I'd love to try in a song sometime), and she utilizes some very colorful chord voicing and key modulations. And even though it's not irish (Let's just consider all of this "folk revival"), the classic "Scarborough Fair" from Simon & Garfunkel is awe inspiring. I had never heard the song before until fairly recently when my wife recommended we watch "The Graduate", where that song pops up frequently.

And just a couple more on my mind. Faun Fables - Ta Nasza Mlodosc and Madredeus - O Tejo. Huge post, but hope you enjoy. I love to share music.

[quote=fetalface]Absolutely beautiful. I've never heard an octave mandolin but I don't see how it could get as much depth as you do with the guitar on this track. I would like Robert Fripp to solo over this one. [/quote] Haha, it's nice to see some other Crimson fans among the WB crew this year :) [quote=Napear]I feel the "echo chamber lately of criticism and perfectionism" thing... like, I feel like the hardest part about being an artist (generally) is that once you get past the sketch phase of anything... it becomes about passing over it, making a new round of refinements with each pass... and while it continues to get better, because "refining" necessarily means identifying what you don't like, and make that better, by the time you've gotten to something that is legitimately awesome, you have spent sooo much time nit picking, and second guessing choices, and finding every little thing about it that you hate, that it's hard to see the beautify of what you've made... And let me just say... from the perspective of someone who didn't spend hours listening to it over and over again, trying to make it into some platonic ideal of itself... I'm having a hard time finding any of the "warts" you mentioned at all... this is a deeply beautiful song. Like, get lost in memories, day dreaming so hard I had hit back 40 seconds into the next song on the playlist so I could favorite the track, and listen to it again, beautiful. [/quote] That's a good wisdom. I generally end up finding that the songs I write are not as bad as I seem to think they are on release day. There's something cathartic about it just being out there in the world as "finished", because then I can finally accept it for what it is. And yeah, I *still* hear some of the warts here (I accidentally recorded a mechanical keyboard stroke through a microphone, I accidentally split a take of a sustained note which caused it to Fade In/Fade out between the two takes) but that really is just splitting hairs on what is essentially a finished concept of a song. Once it's released I can no longer shape it into what I think it should be, it just is. That's personally what I find to be so powerful about Weekly Beats. It's like exposure therapy for perfectionism, haha. I appreciate your insightful comment :) [quote=frogcity]Absolute bender of a track mate! Your vocals and guitar are doing it big time. I hear you on the weekly push and the pros and cons, but we wouldn’t be hearing this work of art without that now would we? We all know the rules, once per week. There’s nothing wrong with developing an idea that’s “done” for weeklybeats but has more to give for a longer project. Great work once again and keep em coming! Blasphemous 2 looks pretty great and inspiring. I’ll have to check it out on Switch.[/quote] I definitely suggest giving the first game a shot if you haven't ;). I liked it when I finished it but the more it sits with me, I kind of love it. I think part of what's so fascinating is that a lot of the imagery in the game is embellished a little bit but not THAT far off from actual religious history. Also, I saw your other comment about "The Creative Act" so I'll definitely check that out, thank you for the recommendation :) [quote=Tone Matrix]This is such a lush and soothing track. Your vocals sound awesome with the perfect amount of verb. The outro is so good. Like stopped my whole train of thought and just was like ooooh yais. Def hoping you come across that octo-mando! Do you have any irish folk revival albums to recommend? Would love to check it out :)[/quote] So, I don't personally have a ton of album recommendations just yet as I'm getting into the genre, but I do have a few song recommendations. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=911kEQHp8yE]"White Guitar" by Lady Moon[/url] is just MWAH, I love it. Beautiful use of her voice (She does this breathy "Ahh, Ahhhh" during one part of the song that I'd love to try in a song sometime), and she utilizes some very colorful chord voicing and key modulations. And even though it's not irish (Let's just consider all of this "folk revival"), the classic [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jj4s9I-53g]"Scarborough Fair" from Simon & Garfunkel[/url] is awe inspiring. I had never heard the song before until fairly recently when my wife recommended we watch "The Graduate", where that song pops up frequently. And just a couple more on my mind. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioGRIlMegE8]Faun Fables - Ta Nasza Mlodosc[/url] and [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7LzluoBkKg]Madredeus - O Tejo[/url]. Huge post, but hope you enjoy. I love to share music.

Dis Perdy

Dis Perdy

Great track, made me daydream about Northern Arizona pine forests. One my favorites from you so far. Well done.

Great track, made me daydream about Northern Arizona pine forests. One my favorites from you so far. Well done.

Every millisecond is gold in here. Thank you sir.

Every millisecond is gold in here. Thank you sir.

Thank you for the recs.  Wow Lady Moon's "White Guitar" is awesome.  Haunting and beautiful.  Added the others to my list for further perusal  

Thank you for the recs. Wow Lady Moon's "White Guitar" is awesome. Haunting and beautiful. Added the others to my list for further perusal :)