Reports of Animals
by @stewdean
Liner Notes
First song of Fawm 25. This sets the theme and direction for the other songs.
This song is inspired by a sign on a motorway that says 'Reports of Animals'. This led to a strange feeling of what may be ahead on the road, assuming animals had somehow made their way onto it. But also, the strangeness of the title led me to think of machines fearing animals that somehow threatened their existence.
Produced using Logic. I sang the vocals and then used AI to cover the melody (as I'll do with all my tracks). No AI was used to write the song, including chords, structure and melody, only some of the production. Many other parts are either real audio or virtual instruments.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] On the road, Heavy rain, I am travelling once again, Not alone but distanced still, Another bend, another hill,
Once was fixed, once was set How it shifts, did we forget? And I read, another sign, Sending pulses to my mind,
[Chorus] So they're wild, So they're radicals, Not exiled, Reports of Animals,
Laying waste, To mechanicals, Nature embraced, Reports of Animals,
[Instrumental]
[verse 2] It is time, it's my resolve, To change the game, and to evolve, I may be trapped, in this shell, But all things, will be well,
For they hurtle, and they flock, Like a wave, set to shock, Far ahead, I sense them race, Crashing through, the interface.
[Chorus] So they're wild, So they're radicals, Not exiled, Reports of Animals,
Laying waste, To mechanicals, Nature embraced, Reports of Animals,
[middle] They are waiting up ahead, Beasts yearning to be fed, They are hiding in the haze, Escaping fences, becoming strays,
Will I see their flashing eyes? Will they charge, will they rise, And my heart, becomes irrational, I am animal!
[Chorus] So they're wild, So they're radicals, Not exiled, Reports of Animals,
Laying waste, To mechanicals, Nature embraced, Reports of Animals,
[outro] Nature embraced, Reports of Animals, Nature embraced, Reports of Animals.
Comments
The arrangement and writing are absolutely top-notch. I LOVE the chorus. It's got a vaguely surrealistic vibe.
This is a really good use-case for AI. Like @tcelliott, I'd be curious to hear how the AI vox changed the feel, but my experience with generative AI is that it probably didn't alter the feel of the song much - so all credit to you for crafting such a compelling piece of music.
I like what I'm hearing. I'm sure that's mostly due to writing. But I think the vocal is very convincing. I would love to hear the original demo and compare the two. No worries if that's an issue. I'm glad you have a working process that gives you results. Keep creating!
Appreciated reading about your process over in that thread so I figured I'd listen to the results. This does sound really good, especially love the instrumentation, like the low strings and the atmospherics (if I read this correctly, all that was you programming in Logic). Vocal sounds good, also I would be interested in hearing what it sounds like with a human collaborator singing.
Amazing song 🎵 Love the arrangement and production... all a bit haunting and dark.. which I LOVE! 😍
I don't have a problem with the AI vocals. It fits with the song and doesn't strike me as artificial. Intriguing title (and road sign.) Animals? All the way out here.
Striking and dreamlike.
This is very good! AI don’t bother me! If it sounds good it is good. It sounds good!
Love the vibe and the lyrics!
Yeah, not a fan of the (admittedly very good) "TTS" vocal, but it's a beautiful song, and the lyric makes me think of this on a film original Musical soundtrack, maybe a (gak!) Disney thing. Anyway, a big (though slightly disapproving of the technology) thumbs up from me!
i love your writing style—if you'd ever like me to sing something of yours instead of using AI, lemme know! your production and song writing is super lovely and haunting...
I honestly would love a bad vocal take instead of AI. It's really, really hard for me to look behind it and enjoy the song. Loved the lyrics though! Easily one of the best in this years fawm.
...very nice flow - great voice, really nice to listen to - and supported by great production skills - i like it...
I love how suggestive and haunting this is. Feels like I am walking into a horror movie that never shows the monster. Also “crashing through the interface” is so suggestive of a context that is hard to nail down. Really nice work!
Gorgeous. Just stunning!! Your lyrics, atmosphere, melody, orchestration, production—all lovely! Well done.
Wow… this is brilliant… I love the well paced vocals and the low strings… love your use of language… there is a wonderfully mysterious feel to the music.
Interesting almost-little twist when they sing "I am animal"
This is beautiful! No objections to the AI here, I think you really crafted something great.
I absolutely love this, the orchestration is subtle but very effective.
U have a new follower, cannot wait to hear what else you do.
Okay, this is truly SICK. I love it. Such cool lyrics, and an amazing vocal performance to support them. I also love the instrumentals, it all fits together perfectly like puzzle pieces. This is amazing, so impressive. LOVE it.
Beautiful song in all the ways already mentioned. I do wonder what it would have sounded like with the original vocal. I'm starting to be able to hear the artifacts in AI vocals, and while it doesn't bother me, I would love to hear a human vocal even if it's flawed. I can hear many different vocal styles working with this, from a Leonard Cohen "You Want It Darker" style to the female pop vocal you have here.