Curiosities and Such

For me, 'Curiosities and Such' was a further progression on the sort of minimalist style I created on "...Cubist". Everything was once again done 100% with the analog sequencer, but I think some better decisions were made than with some of the tracks on "...Cubist". Vocally, I wanted to step out from what I did on the last album and create a bit more texture and atmosphere, and try to smooth things out a bit. I still only used a minimal amount of tracks for vocals, but I tried to be creative about it. One of the things I realized as I was finishing the song is how much instrumental space there is.....there's not this constant vocalizing all through the song, which I like in regards to arrangements. More of these double time beats that I'm into right now, similar to Only Copernicus and I Recall the Telephone Booth from "...Cubist". Just really like those.

 

Which Witch

This really reminds me of how I wrote songs in years past, where I knew I needed something for an EP, so I just wrote and recorded a new song in a matter of hours. Most things are written quickly, but I rarely write and then record it immediately following. I had the title floating around for some time, and then the lyrics came together based on a recent personal experience. The bassline has a bit of New Order, which makes sense since I've been on a kick listening to their mid-80's releases like Low Life and Brotherhood. Its another excercise in minimalism, but this time I let the bass carry all of the weight, since it really doesn't let up throughout the entire song. The dischordant solo in the middle is a favorite and again, it's just a sound I programmed and played within a matter of minutes. I really think this type of music can be as spontanious as anything else if you let it. You just have to NOT slave over every minute detail. Easier said than done.

 

Headley Grange

I really like doing instrumentals. They offer a chance to do something without worrying about where a vocal is going to fit. Headley Grange is the house/estate that Led Zepplin recorded the infamous Led Zepplin IV album. I know what you're thinking, how on earth does that fit in with Joy E? Actually, quite a bit I think. To me, music is music, so conceptually I can be into something like Led Zepplin IV as much as something from OMD, for example, which obviously has more context from a musical perspective. The point is that I've always been fascinated with the making of that particular Zep album, and the song Stairway to Heaven, so it in turn inspired this piece. No sequencers, everything was played live.

 

Let Us Speak No More, Let Us Speak Light

Kind of a strange song that I couldn't decide whether to even include until the last second. It originally had a different chorus that I had gone so far as to send to mastering with everything else, but after I sent it out I realized how much I disliked it and wrote the current one. I didn't like the new that much better, though! For me, this song was more about the arrangement than anything else. It opens with two verses, goes to the chorus, moves to a layered riff section and then goes back to the chorus until the end. There's no bass until the chorus and then it's just the barest of lines, which is something I started doing seriously on "....Cubist". Lyrically, it recalls a true event, something sad. Even now as I write this I wish I would've kept this off and replaced it with something different, but what can you do?


Cluster of Bare Trees

This song points to the future of JE. No, I don't plan on doing only instrumentals, but the kind of stark atmosphere that this song introduces to the JE sound is a place I'd like to explore much further. Here's hoping.