TRACK LISTING AND TIMES

1. Million Worlds Away (4:48)
2. Mood Shift Trigger Blast! (2:55)
3. I Have Nothing to Lose (3:51) [FEATURING SCOTT H]
4. Autotrophy (Desert Song) (2:46)
5. Pop Song for the Plebeians (4:40) [FEATURING KATIE COYLE]
6. Toasting Triumph (3:33) [INSTRUMENTAL]
7. A Fool in Love is a Fool Nonetheless (3:17)
8. Gone (5:27)
9. Railway Children (1:24)
10. Sorry (0:39)
11. Bite the Bullet (5:08)
12. Pleasantries (3:56) [FEATURING TAYLOR ASBRIDGE]
13. Hearts Like Bridges (8:22)




So, this is it. The daily track-by-track for my latest album, which is self titled. I've done this for quite a while now, so I'm certain you know how it goes. Every day, I will be releasing one track from my album for you to hear. Anyway, today's track is a song which you've probably heard before, due to the fact that it was released as the first single from the album. However, due to consistency, I'm gonna be posting it again now. Prepare for a new track tomorrow and I hope you enjoy!

-J





1. Million Worlds Away (4:48) (Baroque Pop/ Symphonic Pop)

A cool, thin layer of ambience starts the song off, like a gentle breeze for about 5 seconds. Then, a slow, low key piano melody appears, one which both has hints of beauty and can make you feel slightly on edge and uncomfortable. It is deliberately recorded in low fidelity, to give it an unusual, old-timey, almost vaudeville feel. The melody worms its way firmly into your head, before Jason starts singing the first verse, which is the point that you know, automatically, this album is going to be a radical departure from everything else that he has done. Whereas before, he may have operatically belted out the vocals, he chooses to subtly coo them out in a warm, sincere voice, leaving all the tiny imperfections and bumps in. It is only on the last two lines of the song that he decides to use power, by belting them out in an emotional, heartfelt tenor. After the verse, the piano melody plays again, above a quieter solitary piano note that is being played on the lower end of the piano on a different layer. Now you can slightly make out distant string instruments, such as violins and cellos playing. The second verse is sung in much a similar style to the first in terms of structure. The only difference is that his vocals are slightly more on edge and louder now, as the song increases slightly in volume. After this verse, gentle, quick drums appear alongside a simple acoustic guitar melody similar to that on the piano and a comfortable, groovy bassline. As Jason gets ready to sing the third verse, you can hear some different voices of both genders in the background singing a catchy “ooooh-ooooh-oh” melody that will stick with the listener immediately. He then starts singing the third verse, which is structurally like the other two, only it has a slightly more wrought and emotionally worn delivery, with a slight increase in volume, at points developing into a tortured yelp, before it goes into the chorus, which is marked by the piano melody shifting into a different one, which is played on the upper end and is faster and more immediate. The other instruments become louder and Jason’s delivery of the vocals is getting gradually more and more emotional. He sings both stanzas of the chorus like this, although in the second one, it gradually winds down so he gets quieter towards the end. After the chorus, it goes back into the fast paced drumming, quick string instruments and catchy piano melodies, with Jason singing gently on top of it, although the background singers, in the distance, are singing it relatively loudly. They go through the two verses in this way with the background ambience being raised slightly louder, so the song sounds a little like dream pop or shoegaze. The choruses are then sung, even more heartfelt than before, and it goes into the bridge, which is like a continuation of the chorus with a different, quieter vocal pattern and slightly more rhythm-orientated piano lines, before it turns into the chorus again. After one more repeat, the song devolves into the piano melody and Jason softly singing the final line over and over again, before a final guitar note ends the song.

The summer’s arrived.
The winter’s nowhere in sight.
And I feel fine.
And if the world is set alight,
I think I’ll be alright.
With you by my side.

Fog like a shroud of grey,
Please just go away.
We can do this some other day.
But I,
Turned around and said,
“I think I’ll be alright,
With you by my side!”

Then I’ll bleed another dimension,
Beauty through ascension,
A million worlds away!
But if the sky comes falling down,
The sky will still fall down...
So let’s make the most of it!

We could cry together.
But in the end it won’t be worthwhile.
We should stay together,
But the pain would remain futile,
Hand in hand, we try to fly,
But we fly apart.

I want to go home,
I am fully grown,
Let my parents know that...
This baby bird’s let his wings be shown,
Cross the desert, cross the sea,
Cross it and come back to me!

So... this house is not a home.
But I am fully grown.
I love you, I hate you, I know.
And so... my mind plays Judas,
I want to work right through this,
But whatever happened to love?

Feelings are closing in!
Whoever’s gonna win?
In the end, we create our sins.
We create the lives that we want to live.
Existential crisis is only existential anyway.

We could cry together.
But in the end it won’t be worthwhile.
We should stay together,
But the pain would remain futile,
Hand in hand, we try to fly,
But we fly apart.

I want to go home,
I am fully grown,
Let my parents know that...
This baby bird’s let his wings be shown,
Cross the desert, cross the sea,
Cross it and come back to me!

Baby, I’m waiting.
I’m weary, you’re belated.
I hope to god... you know...
That I don’t ever have to go.

We could cry together.
But in the end it won’t be worthwhile.
We should stay together,
But the pain would remain futile,
Hand in hand, we try to fly,
But we fly apart.

I want to go home,
I am fully grown,
Let my parents know that...
This baby bird’s let his wings be shown,
Cross the desert, cross the sea,
Cross it and come back to me!

Cross it and come back to me...

Cross it and come back... to me...



Jason: “This song was the first I had written for the album... I mean, I had the melody written, like, a year ago but I wanted to save it up for something truly special, which I honestly believe this album is. The lyrics I created directly after I came back from my disappearance and are about a variety of things really... all the obvious ones that you would associate with me, so that’s my marriage, Eric, my mental stability, my parents, everything... but rather than just write separately about those things and then cobble them together, the words just sorta naturally flowed, a stream-of-consciousness thing. I mean, as you would expect, it was very difficult to sing about these things, which is why my vocals sound so emotional. I captured it first time... if I had to redo the vocals, then I don’t I think that the soul of the song would be... I dunno, not as good, not as heartfelt. It’s a radical departure from anything I’ve done before. There are no metal elements in this song; in fact, there’s barely any in the whole album. The rock elements are few and far between, although you can sort of make them out at points. But I think it’s worked really well. It’s turned out exactly how I want it to and I hope you guys like it as well.”


SOUNDS LIKE:




TOMORROW: MOOD SHIFT TRIGGER BLAST!

OOC: Yeah, you've probably seen this before. Sorry.

Edited by user 15 August 2012 02:51:57(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

2. Mood Shift Trigger Blast! (2:55) (Post-Punk Revival/ Indie Rock)

Some ominous, dark and relatively quick guitar notes begin the song; creating a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere, before some fast paced drumming and a strong, firm bassline enter the fray creating a somewhat eerie post-punk revival backdrop. This carries on for a few seconds, before a startling and powerful indie baritone erupts from Jason, who is singing the lyrics with precision and rhythm. Imagine if Ian Curtis somehow managed to have a baby with Wayne Coyne and you’re almost at the style of vocal that Jason is portraying. He cuts through the verse in this style consistently, before the song enters its first chorus. The guitars go to a more simplified 4-chord melody as the drums continue to power away in the background. Jason is singing in a similar style to before, if only a little more powerful and emphatic vocal. In the background, you may also start to hear slight violin strains playing. There are two parts to the chorus in the song, although both are pretty similar to each other. The only difference is that the second part has the violins playing a bigger role and Jason’s singing calms down a little bit back into the smooth baritone that has already been so apparent in the song. The chorus finishes and the violin section completely cuts out. After a couple more strains of the original melody, all of the instruments cut out bar Jason, who is now singing the next verse. Once the first line of this verse has finished, all of the main instruments come back in playing the same melody as they were in the first verse. This verse continues in much a similar way to the first, with Jason’s vocal keeping a steady rhythm and pace, as the guitar melody starts to crumble and crackle. Another chorus soon appears, and it carries on in the same way to the last, except that another guitar melody starts to appear underneath all the layers, playing a simple, but melancholy indie rock guitar solo. The violins at this point are very obvious and are at the forefront of the mix. Also, the bass is quite high up in the mix at this point. Although the bassline itself is relatively simple, it is firm and is extremely memorable, and it is effective in its role. After the entire chorus is finished up, it keeps on playing the melody, except for the violins, which are playing a melody similar to that of the miniature guitar solo. Also, Jason is vocalising in the same melody. Eventually, all of the instruments besides the violins cut out, playing this memorable melody. This carries on for a few seconds, before the track eventually fades out into the next one.

The sirens are wailing and we’re all caught up in distress.
We don’t know where to go from here, all we’ve got is matchboxes and torches,
We sail along the ground in our flying balloon,
We fly and part the seas in our raging monsoon,
I’ve lived a thousand lies and I’ll live again,
No one can be saved, no one can be saved.

And the trigger of the gun is our only hope!
We pray to whatever gods we believe in.
Bedside redemptions can be deceiving,
But we’ll gladly deceive them today.

And mood shifter blasts back to good again!
We pray to every god that we believe in.
Empty promises that we’re receiving,
We could receive them any day.

Our walls are crumbling down and the inferno lights up our faces.
Young lovers, clumsy and awkward, are singing and singing, they sing ‘til their hearts burn out,
My energy is being depleted,
I think that I’ve been defeated,
I can’t go through this on my own again,
No one can be saved, no one can be saved.

And the trigger of the gun is our only hope!
We pray to whatever gods we believe in.
Bedside redemptions can be deceiving,
But we’ll gladly deceive them today.

And mood shifter blasts back to good again!
We pray to every god that we believe in.
Empty promises that we’re receiving,
We could receive them any day.



Jason: “Mood Shift Trigger Blast! is one of my favourite songs on the record, probably. It is truly representative of the direction in which I want this album to go and, towards the end is one of the best melodies I’ve ever written. I have to say, I think this is probably the most “pure” indie songs on the album. Another thing is, because of its short length, it was relatively easy to produce. I mean, the orchestral tracks at parts could be pretty difficult to mix, but it all worked out well in the end. I think that the drum and the bass are the main elements of this particular song, the instruments that truly carry it forward. One of the things I think people will point out is my voice. I mean, I’ve done deep baritone voices before, but I think this is probably the only track I’ve ever done that I’ve kept it up throughout. And, yeah, I truly believe that baritone was the only type of voice that would have done justice to this song. If I did a massive operatic falsetto over the top of it, it would just sound ridiculous. Anyway. Lyrically, this song is pretty story based. It’s pretty much about the end of the world as we know it and false promises. I, personally, am not a religious person, at all. I’m a firm atheist. However, I think the whole idea of “bedside redemptions” and false apologies to your God or Gods are ones that really fit in well with the song, which is why I put those references in. The title itself is nonsense I made up that sounded like a good idea at the time.”


SOUNDS LIKE:

Jason: Wow, thanks Lily, that's a hell of a compliment. I really, really appreciate your kind words... I hope the rest of the record lives up to the hype. When artists such as yourself take the time to comment on my work... it's seriously humbling. Thank you.

Jason: Thank you! From an artist such as consistent and lyrically talented as yourself, that means a lot. And, yeah, I hope the rest of the album is received as well as these couple of tracks.

Vin: This... This is interesting. It is good and I like it. I'll always love Shattered Fairytale more than anything else you'll ever do. But you're doing what you want rather than what fans like me want and I respect and understand that. Like I said this is good. Keep it up. Maybe it'll change my mind (no pun intended) and I'll prefer this to your old stuff.

Cassie: Jason Smith's number one groupie here! :D you know that I loved Mind babe, but this new work is fabulous. I sooo respect that you're changing style and sounds and I could listen to your sweet playing all day. I love it. For real. Wonderful

5. Pop Song for the Plebeians (4:40) [FEATURING KATIE COYLE] (Psych Pop/ Funk Rock)

To begin with, a small rumbling of drums and a funky guitar lead into a cacophony of chanted “la-la-la”s and synths that have time travelled straight from the 80s. The bass in this song is also extremely song, and forms the backbone of the memorable, funky melody of the song and paves way for the guitar to come in. It’s loud and fun, and extremely catchy, to begin with. This party of noise and synth lasts for about 20 or seconds, before it turns a bit quieter, with the bassline and drums acting on their own, with a small underlying synth melody. Jason’s relatively low, unobtrusive vocal cuts through singing the lyrics gently, drenched in echo and reverb, as is common with his production technique. Once the first verse finishes, it segues straight into the chorus, which retains the melody of the guitar and bass, although another quiet, funky guitar breaks through playing the same melody. Katie sings the main chunk of the chorus in a high, eerie falsetto, as Jason smoothly coos the backup lines in a very deep, quiet baritone. In between this chorus and the next verse, a small sprightly bridge of an upbeat synth and guitar combo, with a miniature drum solo appears, before it returns to normal. However, this time around, the synth and the guitars are slightly louder and higher up in the mix. Although Jason sings the first line in a vocal style similar to that of the first verse, he belts out the rest of the verse in a very emotional, loud, but still quite deep voice, quite like that of the first track on the album. It goes into another repeat of the chorus, which hasn’t changed at all in style. It then goes into the bridge of the song, which consists of both vocalists on the track belting out the lyrics in a fully throated, emotional tone, as the melody turns even more upbeat, if slightly less funky. At this point, it sounds more like a psychedelic pop song from the 60s. After two repetitions of the bridge, it goes into two more verses, with Jason singing once again in his quieter, more subtle voice. One more bridge separates the last verse from the last chorus, with loud, crashing drums and sunshiny synths and even a flute stuck deep in the mix somewhere, before it goes into the final chorus, with all the instruments in full swing, at a relatively loud volume. The melody then continues until the track finally ends on an unusually placed, but effective, marimba solo.

Do you see? This is what you left of me.
What I’m becoming, I’m going straight for the throat.
Memories are meaningless to me.
I will clutch at straws, waiting for the ice to thaw and hope that words spill right out.

This is the sound... (So what? This is the sound you want...)
Merry-go-round... (And what? I’ll give you what you want...)
This is the sound... (So what? This is the sound you want...)
Round, we go round... (And what? You know this is what you want...)

Tongue tied... knots on the radio.
Suffering for my art has never been so fucking hard.
Wait and see... what’s the hurry?
Endless weeks go by, with the same old lullaby being force fed to me!

This is the sound... (So what? This is the sound you want...)
Merry-go-round... (And what? I’ll give you what you want...)
This is the sound... (So what? This is the sound you want...)
Round, we go round... (And what? You know this is what you want...)

Hold on, I’m coming,
Wait for me, my love,
And hold on, I just wanted,
To see you in my arms...

Hold on, I’m coming,
Wait for me, my love,
And hold on, I just wanted,
To see you in my arms...

Life dealt me aces and kings...
And they say it ain’t over until the fat lady sings...
But you see... what they’ve done to me?
I’m weary now, and tearing apart at the seams.

Marching on all in, I feel like I’m falling...
But I’m fooling no one and my poker face is appalling,
Appealing to the plebeians.
The hoi polloi will really be feeling this.

Hold on, I’m coming,
Wait for me, my love,
And hold on, I just wanted,
To see you in my arms...

This is the sound... (So what? This is the sound you want...)
Merry-go-round... (And what? I’ll give you what you want...)
This is the sound... (So what? This is the sound you want...)
Round, we go round... (And what? You know this is what you want...)



Jason: “Aha, Pop Song for the Plebeians... this is probably my favourite track on the album, due to the fact that it sticks out so much. It’s like being stuck inside a time machine and being unable to get out, just a completely mental mix of sounds from the 60s, 70s and 80s that somehow manages to function as a pop song. It’s one of the biggest songs on the album, I feel, in terms of substance and just... I dunno, it packs a certain punch. I never thought I’d actually be able to write a proper pop song, and I still haven’t, but I reckon this is as close as I’ll get. Lyrically, I think it’s pretty obvious what the song is about. It’s about dissatisfaction with pop music and how the music industry has become homogenized, in a way. How everything’s now about celebrity, with music being second in the list of priorities. You knew I wouldn’t just be able to write a fun, happy, vibrant song without making it negative in some way. It’s surprisingly angry and raw at times as well, despite being the most accessible song on the album. It’s like a combination of David Bowie, jazz fusion, post-punk and Funkadelic. I brought Katie on the track a while ago, since I just didn’t feel as if my voice suited the main part of the chorus. It just didn’t sound as natural as Katie’s vocals when I tried the falsetto. I would absolutely love it if this became a smash pop hit, just due to the fact that it’s parodying the charts, parodying the people who are in charge of the “music” industry, parodying the celebrity life. I’m gonna release it as the next single, probably, and hope people just take notice. If you think this song is about you, it probably is.”


SOUNDS LIKE:

Jason: Haha, thanks Glama! I wouldn't quite call myself legendary, but I am really, really proud of this song in particular. And yeah, Katie did an immense job on it. Thanks!

Jason: This track simply couldn't have worked without you on it Katie, thank you so much. Those words mean a lot coming from you, someone who is one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, really they do. I'm sure a time will come where we will be able to work again, it's always a pleasure. I'm really happy that you enjoy the track so much.

Jason: Thanks so much Johnny, seriously. That means a lot. Trust me, next time I make a record, which will probably be straight after this, I'm gonna want you to feature on it. Yet again, thank you.