Touchstone v2

by @majordanby · @motorcitymusicman

Liner Notes

#collab #upbeat #quirky #alternative

Dan: @motorcitymusicman wrote a great lyrics only song which I really liked but loved the chorus he wrote and wanted to make it into something. He kindly let me steal it and this happy little song popped out. I chose to use his lyrics to bookend the song which I think works pretty nicely.

I had lots of fun with this one. I got tired and went to bed, thinking I'd finish it tomorrow but I couldn't get it out of my head and thought of some fun la la la bits to put over the instrumental bit and had to come back to the studio.

Thanks, @motorcitymusicman I hope you like it.

EDIT: Had to add some more little bits upon listening in the cold light of day.

Lyrics

He is a modern touchstone Like in the tales of old When scratching rock on metal Showed the purity of gold He is a modern touchstone His mark tells false from true The way that you react to him Reveals the truth of you.

The lost and the found, And broken little things, All neatly stacked up in rows, Waiting to be claimed, Yes I feel fortunate, But I’m not ready yet, Yes I feel very lucky, Now I’m ready for bed.

My mind is not always closed, But it is slightly ajar You’re not the person that you said that you are, You’re driving passed in a fast and a beautiful car, With the wind in your hair, Throwing dust everywhere.

La la la la la. etc.

The devil he takes on such a pleasing form, And gently brushes your cheek, A look that bores through you soul, The bass is so very smooth, A perfect canvas for the night, And the rhythm guitar riff, Is in G major ninth.

And this is going nowhere, It doesn’t mean a thing, What is he droning on about? What does it mean? Is there a hidden clue, Or message beneath? Is there a nice way of ending this? Or should we just stop….

He is a modern touchstone Like in the tales of old When scratching rock on metal Showed the purity of gold.

Comments

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the bassline leading to 01:00 is nice and harmonies coming in was lovely. great lyrics. happy song with depth. great collab you two!

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Love the groove of the song. Bass is beautiful. Voice entrancing. It feels like a modern lullaby. "What does it mean? Is there a hidden clue, Or message beneath? Is there a nice way of ending this?Or should we just stop…." The eternal FAWM question encapsulated here. Great interpretation and collab!

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This is a pretty unique song. In multiple ways.

The gentle buildup in the beginning and winding-down near the end is greatly done. I love the drums in this, that quick hi-hat riff with a single snare at the end really sets the song apart. I also really like the sweet backing vocals.

That the second half of each line is double-voiced really makes for pretty unique phrasing and the double melodies are really well written and just work. Cool! The sweet and soft voice also really helps and really fits the sweet and soft instrumentation.

I like how at 'should we just stop' it plays with the rhythm, but is there a reason that the song didn't actually end there?

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@ambroise

Loce the variety of soundscapes in this. I love how it builds up an tels a whole story one "picture" at a time. The bass at the beguining is daaamn smooth. There's a DrJeckyl/MrHide thing going in the lyrics. The reassuring touchstone is one thing, the seductive devil the other, more precisely itsmalevolent twin brother.. I don't know which is @motorcitymusicman's and which is @majordanby's but both are clever, deep and yet funny.

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This is intriguing -- I think I'm being led into a character analysis, and find myself bopping my way through a stream of consciousness meta song! He's an unusual man, this touchstone fella... I love the catchy rhythms and la la las, nice harmonies, and the bookending of @motorcitymusicman 's lyrics works really well. Groovy how someone else's ideas can inspire something completely different! (Maybe someday I'll be brave enough for a collab....) #tit4tat

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I particularly liked this these lines: "My mind is not always closed/But it is slightly ajar."

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Another mega song. I definitely sync in musically so deep with what you always end up producing. I love this and that quirky hi hat and off beat snare truly add something special to the story. Great collab guys and beautifully written lyrics and music

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This was a great listen. The lyrics are fantastic, with lots of great lines (e.g., the one about the fast car throwing dust everywhere, and the rhythm guitar riff in G major ninth). And the overall concept is very strong. Musically, the vocals here are some of the best I've heard this FAWM and you've added a strong melody and a great musical bed. Excellent work!

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Fine song that is open to interpretation. Love the vocal double tracking and the verse where you question whether you're communicating and if so, what?

[FAWM]