Week 5: Demoing

When putting a record together there's a whole bunch of steps that need to happen before the final thing is ready to go. These are roughly what the steps are (some people would say there are more, others less, but let's go with these for now)

1. Write
2. Rehearse
3. Demo
4. Record
5. Mix
6. Master

Over the last few weeks we've been writing songs and then for the last week and a bit we've been rehearsing them. At the end of last week we hit step 3, the demoing process. Before you get all serious with production you have to sound out the songs and how they translate to record. So for a day and a half we did a whirlwind trip into the studio to record demos of two new songs, "The Rafters" and "Comets".

I think it's probably the quickest we've ever recorded anything. From drums right through to vocals we wouldn't have tracked for more than 6 hours. Even at the demo stage you still need to mix and it turned out to be quite frustrating. When you're in the studio you're listening to the tracks with some pretty awesome monitor speakers. So when you make changes to the mix it's sometimes hard to know exactly how they're going to sound on your everyday stereo or in headphones. So you come out of the studio and listen to the tracks on as many different sets of speakers as you can. Then you go back in and make changes. The problem is this process can take ages and well, for a demo, you just don't have the time. That means unfortunately that the mix is never perfect for demos but if you're listening to the new tracks I hope you can appreciate the songs over the mix.

Anyway the two tracks were completed just in time for Andrew to head over to the States today for SXSW and also a whole bunch of meetings in LA and New York.

We also want everyone to be able to hear what our new stuff sounds like so you can listen online to the new songs now at myspace or thequills.com.au.

Now that Andrew's gone overseas with the new demo in his hands it's back to step 1 for the rest of us: writing. And that means I'm reverting back to being a songwriting recluse. I'll keep you updated on how the songs are coming along.

Oh, by the way. I know some people really like to know the lyrics of songs. So here they are, "The Rafters" and "Comets".

- - - - -

The Rafters

Running scared between the rafters of your conscience
Everyone just seems to stare
The wooden hands of eerie silence down upon us
A desperate plan to cut the air and run

Suddenly you feel it rising, a heat like needles
Crawling fast beneath your skin
Those lonely birds of fear and hope not quite forgotten
Coming home to roost again today

You tell yourself you'll face it in the morning
Now is just not the right time
But how many hours must this endure
Instead find the fight still trapped inside


- - - - -

Comets

I've discovered things since we've been talking
But they're hard to prove
Spies have crept inside here without warning
So I need to tell you

Let's live like comets

Lights atop those buildings means they're stalking
After our escape
The line of turning back has now been blocked
It's beyond our reach

So let's live like comets

Lies that maybe you should know
Are floating out of reach
And signs that happened years ago
Are pointing us to here
Instead of wanting home
We should be letting go

So let's live like comets