Studio diary: day 10

Yawn! Daniel and I were so tired today that we didn't even crack the usual joke on the shitty weather, we merely grumbled and nodded, completely lost for words amidst yet another full-scale blizzard. It's starting to get on everyone's nerves this snow and the damp cold, it's not funny anymore (it was at the beginning of November for about one and a half minutes, but now the novelty of a white city has worn off, it's simply annoying).

And so we found ourselves back in the cellarful of noise, ready to continue with our god-given mission of putting to tape our latest paranoias in the shape of songs. Not having had a bite for the whole day, I was starving, but the only place I could find something in Weissensee was at the gas station. Imagine what kind of junk shitty food it can be... well, it was, but at least it kept me with enough energy to record for a few hours.

We started with "Instead", tracking some crunchy guitars with the Les Paul, and finishing it with a cool effect involving an E-Bow, feedback and the pickup switch on the guitar. It looked rather ridiculous, with Daniel and me with our hands on different parts of the guitar, but it worked out pretty well. After finishing with the E-Bow and packing it again in it's bag (I'm a tidy guy, I pack up everything after I use it, at least I try), I discovered with amazement that Daniel cannot even see a piece of cloth or anything made of felt, like a tennis ball or my E-Bow bag. So it was of course mandatory to try and rub the bag on his arms and face. Boy, it was as if I was pointing him with a gun. Well, not really, he probably might not have reacted with such fear and loathing to a gun. It's funny what an amazing number of different phobias are out there...

Daniel needed a coffee after that, a I needed some more heavy guitars, so we started with "Cosmonaut", which until now, was the only one left untouched. Being both in a silent mood and focused on the duty, it took no time at all to finish all the rhythm tracks. We spent some more time looking for the right sound for my solo (which precedes Jorge's, to be recorded next week), and we tried different sounds and guitars, but it looks like the Les Paul has won again over the Tele. She's got something, that little guitar, I tell you. A Tele can cut through any mix, but the Les Paul fits like a glove, it's hard to explain. And so we were ready with "Cosmonaut" for now.

Time to change gears and go for a more pop tune, "Talking To Nobody". After a desastrous try at getting the intro harmonies right (and deciding that I still had to fucking decide once and for all what I want to play and stop wasting precious studio time on it) we focused on the rhythm tracks. The song has a steady cushion of acoustic guitars, so we tried a few sounds that could suit them without being too bland or too heavy. Which is not always easy. I finally decided to do it the harder way, let's see how it all turns out at the end...

With the rhythm guitars and a few licks here and there finished, it was solo time. It's a really simple melodic solo (well, as usual, I'm not exactly a shredder) and tried a funny combination of double-tracked solos, with the Tele and the Les Paul again fighting to be number one. Who won? You'll probably have to check it for yourselves when the album comes out. Here's a clue: we still don't know either. I'll leave it to the mixer, let him surprise me.

Somehow without noticing it, it was already time to go, and we were both glad it was so. We were starting to get too tired to be focused on what you're doing, so it's better to leave it and come back again the next day with a fresh pair of ears and a few new jokes in the pocket.

St

Songs recorded (Feb 10)
Instead: guitars
Cosmonaut: guitars
Talking To Nobody: guitars