The City Veins

“I just sang lyrics that came into my head; sort of like freestyling but not that coherent”

This is a quote from Aaron from the City Paper article, and in essence this is the biggest problem facing this band right now. I have come to realize that this is a pretty big problem. As a band, we suck a lyrics. A lot.

The problem is that none of us are lyricists. Personally, when I am listening to a song, I hear the lyrics as just a sound and a note. I can recite complete lyrics to some songs, and yet have no idea what they are about. Incidentally, I think this is why I can listen to, and love, opera despite having no idea what is being said. This also explains why I am not a huge Bob Dylan fan.

For example, Aaron and I wrote a new song last weekend. While no where near finished, I think it has potential, and features an interesting little experiment. Aaron sings a Bb at the end of the chorus, but we change the chord underneath so that the Bb serves a different purpose each time. After the 1st chorus, we play Bb major, and thus the note Aaron sings is the root. We play an Eb at the end of the 2nd chorus, and that same note is now the 5th. After the last chorus, we play an F# minor, and now that Bb is an A# and the third of the chord. Each of these changes propel the song in different directions.

Right now, the song is an interesting little exercise, but nothing more than that. What I have come to realize is that without lyrics, there is no real point to the experiment. Aaron and I did a quick recording of the song, and Aaron uses his patented “freestyle” lyrics. The lines all end in an open O sound, which is good for singing (Incidentally, I think this is why I prefer Italian operas. I think that Italian is by far the best singing language, lots of open vowels.), but gives the song a weird faux-Jamaican/Raffi sound. It is horrible, and almost ruins the song. Also, I think that New Orleans has suffered enough, and should be spared from hearing the way Aaron pronounces “Bayou.”

The answer is obviously to write lyrics, and I have started to do that, but writing lyrics is hard. The goal is to say something meaningful, without being cheesy, or trite or, and this is a personal preference, The Decemberists. There is added pressure because bad lyrics stay with you for the rest of your life. Occasionally my Ipod will play Roosevelt Roosevelt songs, and then I am subjected to my 20 year old ideas of poetry. And no one should be subjected to their 20 year old ideas of poetry.

So this is my charge for the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck.

Photo by Flickr user ildalina.