So, six days out from the end of the month and I've got twelve tracks pretty much sorted out of the 14 required to 'win' at FAWM. But where the hell am I gonna get two more songs from? I've exhausted this month's reserves. Already I've resorted to singing about dragons and declaring the odd track an instrumental. Two more? Arghargh. Then again, I'm recording in addition to writing, so maybe I've done twice as much as is required.

I'm deliberately not seeing if NZ get the required 24 runs with three wickets in hand, so I can instead watch highlights of it when I get home and still be excited. Highlights mightn't be the real thing, but they're better than watching words on a webpage. 

I have this urge to attempt an ultra-marathon. Yep, all six Star Wars movies in one day! That'd be awesome. Apparently Reuben has a day or two off next week, I wonder if he likes Star Wars...

I looked at some scales at the Warehouse, but couldn't buy any, cause I've lost my wallet. They're cheap though, but also said I weigh 71kg, which is below my target already. It's also about 15kg off reality. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it's the packaging's fault, and not the scales. 

EDIT: Ooh. I forgot. South Park tonight. The episode that's going to bring down civilization as we know it. I wouldn't even know it was on if it weren't for the stupid church bringing it to my attention! Thanks! Anything else I should (not) be watching coming up?


TOP 4 SONGS OF THE FORTNIGHT!
1. Words Just Get In The Way - Richard Ashcroft
2. Rusty Cage - Johnny Cash
3. Heartbeats - Jose Gonzales
4. Keys To The World - Richard Ashcroft

TOP 4 ALBUMS OF THE FORTNIGHT!
1. Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash
2. The Greatest - Cat Power
3. Eye To The Telescope - KT Tunstall
4. Keys To The World - Richard Ashcroft

Only four this time. I haven't listened to much over the past couple of weeks.

So, I'm in the midst of recording the February album. If you've just joined us, I've joined the community at fawm.org, and am trying to not only write, but record a whole album of 14 songs inside a month. The rules of the game only call for writing, but as I've taken over a year to piece together absolutely nothing towards my scheduled third album, this is like a big kick up the ass to get something out, so I'm writing each song as it's recorded. As in each instrument's piece is done as it's recorded, so in the space of 3 three or four hours or so, I'll go from having nothing put a pile of gear to having not only a pile of gear, but another track for my third album. So it might not be the best album I've ever done, but hey. It's something. And that's all I want :p

Anyway. Today's progress netted three new backing tracks, one with a melody kinda built in, which is nice. Even better, the third track is the obvious 'single' I was hoping would emerge. I was afraid none of the tracks would stand out as being equal with my previous work, and this entire record would just be a blip, but I've nailed one. It just works, it has that indefinable something that makes it, even without vocals. YAY!

Another cool thing - at last night's band practise, with Reuben and Engue, we made some good progress towards gelling our sound and all. Basically, we've had about five or so get togethers to jam things. with a couple of other different people at times, but this Sunday it was just the three of us, and we decided to work on a few more things we had lying around, rather than just jam out the same peice over and over. And it worked! In two practises, we increased our 'repertoire' from one track to four, including the original thing we've been jamming out, a ballad thing, an indie/rock thing, and my song, Pakistan, that we used to play in Vetox (my old Htown band). Reuben wrote the original thingee, with some vague vocals/melodies, the ballad thing (known in the band as 'the whipping ladies song' 'cause I misheard Reuben when he said, 'wooing ladies,'' and the indie rock thing came out of a jam.

lunaspark.muzic.net.nz/indiesong.mp3
http://lunaspark.muzic.net.nz/pakistansong.mp3

I warn you. These were both recorded with a mic suspended in the middle of the lounge; we'd only learnt Pakistan half an hour earlier, and I forget/mis-sing all the words, as I haven't played it in ages. But YAY! We're finally a proper band. Reuben's bought a house, with the help of the bank, and it has a big band-worthy lounge, so in all hope we can keep playing there, but that remains to be seen.

Anyway. I might go back to recording/writing, or perusing Fark.

So, five days into February, and I've got two backing tracks down... and I haven't even had a day off work yet :p Twelve to go. Then lyrics and melodies. And so on...

I reached target yesterday for the first time on a Saturday this year. It's been a busy week in the store this month so far, it's like everyone's thinking, 'It's February! I need some new music,' and buying it all from us. It's also International Buskers Descend On Auckland's CBD Week, which I assume the council thinks is a good thing for retailers, bringing people into the city and so on, and it seems to be working. But it's not. Whenever the buskers perform outside, the number of people coming in actually drops to virtually nothing. Grrr. So I get to hear people whooping and cheering, and not see.

I had so much I was gonna write about before I started this entry, now I'm rambling about meh. Argh, now I've got sandwich hiccups.

If anyone out there in LJ land has lots of money to spend, on me, buy me all this stuff. Speaking of LJ, I'm beginning to think I should've started using tags way back when. Does it make it that much easier to find entries about things?

I might blog again later, when I've got something to say. Or on Cold Ones Tuesday (Monday is a holiday, you see).

TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF THE FORTNIGHT

1. Maximo Park - A Certian Trigger
2. Cat Power - The Greatest
3. Gorillaz - Demon Days
4. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
5. The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike

TOP FIVE SONGS OF THE FORTNIGHT

1. Maximo Park - Graffiti
2. The Go! Team - Bottle Rocket
3. Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure
4. Gorillaz - Fire Coming Out Of A Monkey's Head
5. The Strokes - Juicebox