man it's been a while since i've done one of these

let's pretend this is about me drinking an entire bottle of wine by candlelight because tbh i'm drinking an entire bottle of wine rn

yeah it's fuckin NEW YEARS

whoa blastron you're so good at sound design

damn straight i am *shoves Alchemy presets under the rug*

ran out of tiiime

yay i had time to compo this week

i had time to compo this week, i am very out of practice, this is short, vOv

This one got away from me :(

Revisited an old idea

Logic crashed on me and wiped out all of my work, here is something I threw together very quickly

Yeah I think I lost the plot of this one.

you really shouldn't look down right about now

I couldn't tell so I did both

Ran out of time, didn't master, sorry it's really quiet!

Yeah I got too caught up in getting the sample and forgot to come up with a real idea.

this theme is too spooky for january

This is when the credits roll and photos of the cast fly through the screen.

Holy shit this is the most rushed I've been in a while, I forgot how long writing vocals takes me.

-------

i -> III -> VII -> iv
i -> III -> v -> VI

caught so suddenly beneath the streetlights
we are wrapped up in the noises and the glow

thought like our faces make the headlines
we are held up by the stories we don’t know

when the clock strikes one
it’s time to go but i can’t see your face within the crowd
and when the daylight comes
i’m left with only lightbox silhouettes now
caught on camera, snapshots, flash-frozen memories

i don’t know
if our night was ever more than a figment
time corrodes
in the fractured days we captured and set it alight
overload
paralyzed, with heartbeats pushed to the limit
never sure
if what we have is something that’s worth the fight

I'M BACK

also super late to start, fuck traffic, fuck meetings

Late as hell, because I was swamped at work and was going to miss compo but starla was all "no do a late entry come on do it" so I did, enjoy a rush job!

"blastron it's been forever since you did a vocal track" OKAY FINE IS THIS VOCAL ENOUGH FOR YOU

----

we keep on going but we don’t have much to go on
you think you got me but I think you got it all wrong

duck down, bring it back, spit another line before we
break down and come undone

the bald truth never got me anywhere
it’s uncouth but i can’t have you believing that I’ve
got you locked on in my crosshairs
it’s a bit dishonest but i’m slippin’ on into your heart

the bald truth is a figment of another day
i want to let you know just how I’m feeling but I
can’t do it when you listen so closely
call me a liar but I wanna get into your heart

Yeah, not really feeling this one. Long week!

Sometimes, it's hard to see the start of something new through the haze of what was lost.

Written in literally 15 minutes because I was stuck in traffic forever

i mean seriously

I didn't even touch VI-VII-i take THAT

ERROR 344 IMAGE NOT FOUND, RESTORING FROM BACKUP

Today I wrote in C Mixolydian and didn't use a VI-VII-i chord pattern! That's extraordinary as fuck.

My ears are kind of plugged up at the moment, so the mix is all over the place. Sorry!

This is my Wrestlemania intro theme.

Or, rather, the intro to it, because I was stuck in traffic for an hour longer than I thought I was going to be.

"'hey blastron you should do more vocal entries' FUCK YOU THIS IS HARD"
- blastron, July 26, 2012

Below you, the rushing depths. Above you, the fading light. The edge of the cliff is so slippery, and you don't know how much longer you can hold on.

What's in the box?

A DAW that still isn't set up the way I like it, that's what. Fuck.

What was the theme again? I forgot. AHAHA I AM SO FUNNY

This was an excellent excuse to use Logic's "world instrument" samplers.

Looks like you didn't wait long enough.

VERSE 1

the light comes through the window
but something seems to change
a glimmer of a distant memory
flickers and fades

the sky has never been so
beautiful and blue
the softest breath of freshest air rolls in
pure and true

CHORUS 1

so calm your mind
‘cause there’s nothing left to fear
the things that bring us hope
are the things that brought us here

beneath this perfect sky
know that all we knew
has almost gone away
into the dark

it fades

VERSE 2

familiar names and faces
but slightly different lives
we stand here in this altered history
‘cause we survived

our battle’s far behind us
and everything has changed
the stories that we wished were never told
will fade away

CHORUS 2

so close your eyes
let your worries disappear
the future that we sought
is the future we’ve made clear

‘cause all that we have changed
in our search for the light
is nothing but a shade
captured in time

hearts beat cold as the fog rolls in
and it flows into the crowd
stars may burn but their warmth grows thin
they’re like crystals in the cloud

so gather round and huddle close
before the fire dies
we’ll raise our voice against the cold
our spirits burning bright

the snow may fall but we’ll never hide
our frozen song will light up the sky

blueprints scanned a foolproof plan
a belt of tools a careful hand
preparations underway

in darkened vaults and guarded rooms
i carefully will search for you
you’re buried far too far away

with careful hands i reach out for the prize
the gemstones sparkling brightly in your eyes
the softest light that plays upon you reaches to me in the darkness
the greatest crime in history is tonight

beneath all the traps and wires i know that you’ll be
waiting there for me to find you
amongst the gold and gems and works of art
through laser walls i slip unnoticed
another crime so perfect for you
headlines made the thief who stole a heart

Holy shit, I'm still sick this week. SINGING ANYWAY (don't tell my coach)

--------

the sunlight flickers in your eyes as you begin your journey
through crumbling towns and shifting sands you walk towards your ending
your heart your mind your soul your aching bones are your undoing
you see the flashes of your life within your mind pretending

the starlight comes in time the sunset fades behind the mountains
your windswept eyes observe the sky you try to find the pattern
your heart your mind your soul your pulse is faint youre barely breathing
your blood and breath will fade in time come here its home youre seeking

(i dont want to go)
(i dont want to go)

i raise my voice defiant to the blackened sky im screaming out
because my tattered life is mine to hold and im not leaving now

i hear their voices in my head but i am not retreating

Chiptunes are from the past, right?

I came up with a really cool first 5 seconds and then had to improvise from there.

It turns out that doing a compo on freshly-installed software is hard. WHO KNEW

Someone had to do it.

Grey dawn and concrete skies
I couldnt get to sleep last night
My thoughts wont give me quiet in my mind

I think I have to change
And try for something kinda strange
The possibility I hope to find

They tried to
Say, Your dreams would never shine
So shut them down and step in line
Your naive hearts too precious for this town

Amidst the
flashes in the stormy sky
I realize we still have time
And nothing they can say can weigh me down

The future is
Ours to mold, although they tried to
Tell us no, our voices ring out
Clear and true, and echo as we fly

The promise
Tomorrow holds wont go unanswered
Let us go, Ill take your hand and
To the blue, well soar into the sky

As we fly

Yep I did this in half an hour fuck traffic

Today I tried playing my guitar for the compo. It didn't turn out too hot. I am not good at guitar.

------

the clouds break on a new day
living in the same way
the fuss of a million footsteps

complex as they reflect
living at the apex
of all that weve ever wanted


the citys beating out a mournful soundr
it thinks its winding down
and burning to the ground

they think weve peaked they think weve reached our prime
they think were out of time
but they are gonna find

(that we are never gonna come back)

were soaring ever
upward into the brilliant sky
ever higher in the dawn
nothing now can ever bring us down

were flying ever
faster up to the highest heights
breaking limits long forgotten
every minute further from this town

Yeah, I re-recorded 95% of this shit from scratch tonight.

Sometimes, if something looks ominous, you should (not) investigate.

Today I tried to compo like my evil twin. It turns out that my evil twin doesn't actually compo much differently than I do, it's just that his tracks are evil.

Today I tried to learn how to use Logic's vocal recording and mastering tools. I spent way too long learning and not enough time actually doing!

ANYHOW.

Lyrics:
-----
in just a second we will start to fade away in
to the rushing realms of the impossibilities
of heartbeats lost in the crashing of the
crowd their thunderous roar surely drowning out our

thoughts our hopes our dreams our minds the plans that we had
made but now in truth we face reality and
shudder in the dusk as we contemplate the
sunset of our lives unappreciated

standing now will we be crying out or are we
reaching out as we're seizing every second
stronger now our voices ringing out the echoes
building now we're growing louder every second

time slips by but we are still alive and we will
have to try to keep on seizing every second
learn to fly trying to reach the sky cause we don't
have to die cause we have got another second

chances lost and found and made forgotten as we're
staring at the truth of the unmitigated
loss of every heartbeat we're drowning as we
float through time in ways unanticipated

face it down the time is now we'll never get to
dream again pretend to better see that all the
time is slipping by as we contemplate the
sunset of our lives unappreciated

standing now will we be crying out or are we
reaching out as we're seizing every second
stronger now our voices ringing out the echoes
building now we're growing louder every second

time slips by but we are still alive and we will
have to try to keep on seizing every second
learn to fly trying to reach the sky cause we don't
have to die cause we have got another second

I have been listening to a lot of chillstep lately. This isn't chillstep, though, I just thought you might want to know.

Yeah, I need to take an earlier bus home.

Special challenge: only use piano.

Usually, the theme gives me inspiration. This time... well, nothing really. So I piled some drums on top of each other.

It's in your dreams. The place where nothing can stop you. Except your own mind. I kinda suck at coming up with titles.

glimmer softly as our effervescent city passes by
the way it trembles makes me think about the unrelenting time
flicker gently like the candle flame that burns within the night
as the future slowly leaves its mark

caught within all the waveforms soundscapes flutter, dance between the walls
trapped in switches and toggles, faded, panned, the echoes slowly call
then fade away upon a wind that slowly rises as we fall
and the sunset surely fades to dark

i'm prescient in hindsight as i stumble through my machinated dreams
a shadow of the future passed up by the present

and the twisted filter logic kept us shackled in the dark

in the bright white noise we are looking at the things we have done
in my mind my choi-ces familiar though we've only begun
as our lives beat down we are listening to our stories unfold
as the light fades out is this something we've already been told

girl, i don't know
why you came to the floor
'cause you're by the wall
you're not movin' at all

i see you standin' there not doin' a thing
just kinda standin' there like you ain't got nothing
but let me bring you in, and make you move

gonna make you move, move, move on the dancefloor
gonna make you shake, shake, shake, like you came here to party
i can't wait gotta raise up the roof
we'll feel the rhythm in the air tonight we're makin' it move

wanna get, get, get with you baby tonight
gotta make you mine, mine, mine, wanna get to your body
i can't wait 'cause I came here for you
we'll feel the rhythm in the air tonight we're makin' it move


whoooAAAAAAOAOOAOAOAA

Someone told me to do sidechains. So I did sidechains. I'm satisfied. (Not really.)

Bonus challenges today were to use "jazz chords" and slap bass, and you can't have slap bass without a driving drumline, so everything kind of progressed from there.

we're lying in a field of rust
as all the cities turn to dust
again

behind our backs the sun will set
on all that hasn't happened yet
oh

we'll fall into the summer sky
the clouds above us getting lighter
(we are not alone)
we'll soar into the heaven's light
the stars above us blazing brighter
(far away from home)

we will dance amongst the stars
as they shine within the dark
we'd cast away their doubts
if they'd only see us now

You know, maybe I should just stop doing vocal entries.

In which the disintegration cannons are fired upon an advancing enemy.

This sad tale may or may not have been drawn from personal experience.

Fake horns and vibraphones = hot and spicy.

Let's go full chiptune. (You never go full chiptune.)

Sometimes, you've just got to keep moving forward.

I think I spent too long on the sound and not long enough on the song.

it was everything i ever imagined it to be

Those are the lyrics: "I want more."

I simultaneously promised people piano music and metal. This is the result. Sorry for the hissing in the background, I think the cables hooking my keyboard up to my computer have shitty shielding.

IT'S METAL WEEK

Today, I tried to rip off a chord progression from a song I like. I'm not sure if it worked.

----------

you get what you want
piled up on a plate
eat from the table
i pick up the scraps

why do you always wake up
half asleep as you stumble
right into all that you could want
as i sit here struggling

for all I ever wanted
all i need is a moment
in the sun but I always feel
like you own the sky

Today I decided to learn how to glitch. MANUALLY.

I didn't intend to make this, but I did anyway. I like it when this happens.

I tried to make electroswing. Today I learned that I don't know enough about electroswing to do it in an hour.

Sorry, my heart's not in this one. Have some uninspired pseudo-liquid D&D, I guess!

This is really the kind of theme that needs vocals to express... and I'm on vacation, on a laptop, without a good microphone. LET'S DO THIS

When you open a brand new Logic song, the default instrument is an electric piano. That counts as a new beginning, right?

DOIN' SHIT ON MY LAPTOP, FAR AWAY FROM HOME, YEEEEEAAAAAAAH

give me 30 extra minutes every week holy shit

Special challenge: 5/8, chiptune-y synths, improvise all the vocals on the spot. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

"Man, it would be a great idea to do a vocal entry, except I'm sick! Let's do it anyway! Hell, let's make it ALL VOCALS"

FUCK

Spent half the time updating Logic, didn't get to record the lyrics... or write more than just a chorus.

Life underwater, buried in the ashes of the past
Faith in the silence, still waiting for the questions never asked
Time long forgotten, stories lost so deep within the dark
Faded to blackness, watching for a history's faded mark

A dim shaft of sunlight, breaking through the past's ensnaring shroud
Reflecting off of mirrors, illuminating all that's underground
Time moving forward, the sounds of footsteps echo in the air
Murmurs of voices, echo in the dusty atmosphere

These ancient halls will come alive
Just one more time

I will remember all the truths that we thought had been lost to time
I will remember all that you were searching for beneath the light
And all the darkness that you knew as all your stories reached their end
Will teach us now all that must ring true within these messages you sent

Holy shit why do I try to write lyrics they take so long!

======

I'm hiding inside a darkened place
lost and alone in space
searching for friendly faces

adrenaline ripping through my mind
don't know what thoughts are mine
hoping that they can't find me

sudden motion within the dark
skittering like a spark
flashing like arcs of lightning

suddenly bathed in harshest light
heartbeat is taking flight
but i must calm my mind

I better not
cry out 'cause they're listening for signs of life
watch out as I tremble in silence my
breath stops now I'm frozen in time as I
stare now at the beating heart of fear

flash out like a blinding ray of light
strike out knowing they'll never find me I
can't stop now my life is on the line
flee now from the beating heart of fear

That's basically the only thing I can think of

The theme had the word "zeal" in it I think I'm in the clear.

A CHRONO TRIGGER REMIX, ORIGINAL MELODY DO NOT STEAL

RAP IS HARD

bring this party online it's now time to unwind
this rap arena combat is falling on my side
beats so attractive, my synthesis subtractive
take the other fuckers down before they even get a rap in

the mic pops as its burnin' from the friction
many lyrics in a minute bring the temperature up to ignition
no superstition here just clarity of diction i
don't need a magic feather flyin' higher than the competition

don't need to make sense i'm incensed
i rock tents, apartments, and basements
my beats won't leave you in suspense
all perfect tens, y'know,

i'm like a wizard motherfucker as i'm spittin' invocations cause i'm
ten inches and rigid phoenix feather good for evocation
at my station your frequency is fadin'
better get off of the field before i start to lose my patience

HEY BLASTRON RECORD MORE VOCAL SONGS

OKAY

no new messages waiting i thought that we were a sure thing
my heartbeat feels like it's empty
no goodbyes no farewells no nothing i'm sitting here waiting for something
what happened to turn you against me

within the ashes of memory your back is turning towards me
i feel a rush coming over the feelings i thought that were done for
the loneliness i think i'm falling to
the emptiness i'd locked away

without you i'm lost and broken
without you i'm so afraid
without you i feel i'm fallin'
without you i fade away
why won't you stay

Yes, heroes, welcome to my lair! It is time for me to exposit my entire evil plan to you while you stand there, looking shocked! Let me tell you all about how I will bring New New Tokyork to its knees.

There's a lot of buildup, then I realized that I actually need to go somewhere.

"hey blastron you should do more vocal entries" FUCK YOU THIS IS HARD

So, like a valley, I started out strong and then everything went downhill, but then I made things go uphill again. It's a metaphor for life.

Simmering beneath the surface, something lurks in the dark recesses of the minFUCK IT I DON'T KNOW

Yyyyeah phoned this one in. Enjoy the cool riff that I somehow extended into an entire song.

"Time" sounds better than "life" but they're metaphorically interchangeable. If it bothers you pretend it's "life".

Never doing this again for a OHC, holy fucking shit.

listen up now as i
tell you all a story bout the night
we arose from the shadows
to reawaken light

and bring freedom to the people
be they rich or be they poor
and cast of the chains of this we say
of this eternal war

we tore forth from the bunkers
our standards held so high
a song sung as much as this one
lifted to the sky

and our battle cries awakened
the faithful and the strong
our voices joined in frantic cries
as we sang


for freedom we ride into the light
the dawn will echo into the sky

When I die, I think I want over-the-top brass pads and a badly-played tin whistle to be played as I'm lowered into the ground.

Maybe there's trees, and a drumline.

I left my baby at home as I walked my way to war
But I'd neglected to mention the feelings I'd had before
But when it was over, my choice was made
She wasn't there
I left my baby at home as I walked my way to war

Tonight we ride
we will not tire
Tonight we soar
through demon fire

i watched you fade into the
sunset as they bore your bones away
and though I pray your mem'ry
softly surely slowly slips away

but it is not my time to cry
for your soul i shall start to ride
to hell and back i climb for
to stem the waking tide

and through the flames
and through the fire
my beating heart
will never tire
for you

There's a riot running out of control.

You only got one.

Something... you'd long forgotten. Something... haunting. Something... with ludicrous amounts of reverb.

My first OHC.