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Ventriloquist of the Night Sky
A 4-track cassette tape collaboration
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Liner Notes
Got this in just under the wire in March.
This one was a bit of a challenge for me.
First time pulling multiple tracks from a tape machine into a DAW. Ooh boy.
I'm using a Fostex X-14 (in pic) which is pretty limited as to what you can do in the box. I was the drums guy and I have no kit or or hand drums of any kind.
Ended up running a MIDI controller into a DAW to control a vintage drum machine sampler and then ran an out from an interface into the Fostex.
I kept it generally pretty simple in the DAW. Removed some of the more offensive pops, tried to make the vocals come through more clearly without making the hiss unbearable. I think everyone did a great job on their performances and that I got things lined up, uh, pretty good! Well done everyone! Looking forward to next year!
- Track 1 - Piano @elesimo[archived]
- Track 2 - Guitar @gardeningangel1[archived]
- Track 3 - Lyrics and Vocals @nancyrost[archived]
- Track 4 - Drums @drivelmonk[archived]
Lyrics
Ventriloquist of the Night Sky When I look up at the stars I can’t really see that far There’s no message I can read Guess I blame my earthbound feet Patterns come and patterns go I can’t see what I should know I cannot, I hope you might Can you help connect the lights Astral projectionist Maker of myths Ventriloquist of the night sky Astral projectionist Maker of myths Ventriloquist of the night sky (instrumental) Astral projectionist Maker of myths Ventriloquist of the night sky How I wonder what we are How’d we ever get this far Can you read between the lines Prehistoric exit signs Astral projectionist Maker of myths Ventriloquist of the night sky
Comments
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This sounds great, the piano and guitar are pretty lush sounding. The retro drum groove is pretty fun too, putting us in a different time and space. Which is perfect for this. The stars we can see in the night sky are "only" 1000-3000 light years away, we're not seeing the glow of bodies millions of years out or anything. So musing on a maker of myths, a ventriloquist who fills earthbound humans with words... fits with my agnosticism. I too wonder what we are.
Ooooh! Nice lo-fi dreamy vibes with this. Great job everyone! The piano and guitar lay a nice foundation for the lyrics and vocals, which suit the music quite well. Some great chord changes and melodic shifts. Also, good job @drivelmonk keeping the drums in sync with everything... I know from experience that's quite hard to do in the analog domain if drums are recorded after other things have been laid down. Worth the wait!
Love the twinkly piano and the warm guitar. Nancy's lyrics and vocal are perfectly dreamy and the drums keep everything driving onwards beautifully, never would have guessed they were the last thing to be added! Love the sound, just enough hiss and tape warmth, deliciously old-school loveliness!
Super cool and chill - love this one! This all works so well together. @drivelmonk nice work on those drums. I'm really loving everyone's contribution to this.
Wow, turned out great! So pleased to be part of this. One of my best friends is an astrophile & philosopher so the lyrics really hit home.
Love the intro.. really chilled. Love the rhymes: projectionist, ventriloquist. This is awesome!! Just all of it works. Great job. Great chord choices.
Large yet intimate sound. Deep and thought provoking. Another amazing 4-track masterpiece!
Really laidback and dreamy feel to this track. Great work all!
Very cool minimal vibe with all the different parts weaving in and out from each other. Lovely warmth and space, which fit perfectly with the lyrical topic. So well done. Super chill and ethereal. Awesome job to everyone and super glad to see it appear before the end of March!! Awesome job!