Welcome to HeartSongs, our regularly scheduled (probably) look at songs and the people who write them. We spoke to Charles Griffin Gibson AKA Chuck from New York City about his new single ‘New Yorker’. The song is free to download from bandcamp.

“I've done a lot of freelance work around the corner of 34th St. and 10th Ave. Right around there is this building with red neon letters that say "New Yorker". When you see it at night it has this Great Gatsby green light vibe. I don't remember what kind of mood I was in, but one night I saw it and the basic chorus just popped into my head. I stopped on the street and sang it into my iPhone. I would sing it to myself from time to time when I would see the sign, but otherwise I didn't think about it for like a year. Eventually I had some home studio time to mess around with and I found the recording and started to build the song out.

All the songs on the record have been written, recorded and mixed over a long period of time, and each one in it's own way feels like a science lab creation. Some have guitar parts that date back four years, drums recorded in a real studio, vocals I did a few weeks ago in the bathroom etc. Some of the songs have ideas from a brain (a younger me) that I don't recognize anymore. The whole record has been crafted in a very piecemeal fashion, just like the monster in Frankenstein. "New Yorker" is one of the songs that is a bit more contained / newer though. I'd say it was recorded and mixed within a six month period. The other reason why I'm calling these "Frankenstein Songs" is because as I was working on this album I started to feel like the monster from that story. I've spent a lot of time fighting my body. Diets, surgeries, cosmetic routines, exercise regiments etc. It's sort of like I'm the doctor and the monster actually. I think there's a lot of themes in the songs that speak to this idea of trying to force yourself, both body and soul, to become something different.

A lot of it is true, but I've borrowed a few details from other friends. I did move to NYC when I graduated college, just not the East Village. I didn't buy a bed in Queens, but my best friend did and he had a funny story about it. I did get a "cool" job at a "cool" office. I did start wearing black because everyone wears a lot of black here. I threw in the Billy Joel line because I saw him at Madison Square Garden this year and it doesn't get much more New York than that. Overall, I was just trying to get at the origin story, as I see it, of many young non-native New Yorkers.”

‘New Yorker’ Lyrics

When I graduated college

I moved into the east village

I got a job at a cool office

I got Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits

Huh-huh-huh

I found a couple bars to lay my head

And I drove to Queens and I bought a bed

I made a whole bunch of New York friends

And I wore all black cause everyone else did

Huh-huh-huh

And now I’m a New Yorker

At an art gallery downtown

I’m a New Yorker

Get the hell outta my way now

Yankees, Rangers, and Knicks

Theater, Pizza, Velvet Underground

I’m a New Yorker

Get the hell outta my way now and go die

Now I’m used to living hand to mouth

I go to Rockaway when it’s really hot out

I hate Williamsburg North, East and South

I know all the lunch spots in Midtown

Huh-huh-huh

I work so hard that my hair’s been gettin’ thin

I ain’t got no time to hit the gym

I picked up a little bit of Spanish

I’m a pretty smart guy, not for nothing

Huh-huh-huh

And now I’m a New Yorker

At an art gallery downtown

I’m a New Yorker

Get the hell outta my way now

Yankees, Rangers, and Knicks

Theater, Pizza, Velvet Underground

I’m a New Yorker

Get the hell outta my way now and go die

Go die

Welcome to HeartSongs, our regularly scheduled (probably) look at songs and the people who write them. We spoke to Kim Ware from Americana/indie-folk collective Good Graces about their recent single ‘Remember The Old School’

"I'm a member of a Facebook group called Theme Music. I haven't been as active recently as I once was, but the group inspired about half the songs on the new album, including "Old School." The way the group works, once every two weeks we're assigned a new "theme" to either write a song based on or cover an existing song that fits it. Then you record and produce a video for the song, and post it to the group. "Old School" was inspired by an "Old / New" theme if I remember correctly. The title just popped into my head, followed by the idea of writing a song from the perspective of someone older who still plays music and perhaps doesn't feel like they are getting the recognition they deserve for it, but then remembers that what really counts is being passionate and honest about it. They aren't getting rich from it, but that's ok, and perhaps it's just as important that they realize that and understand what they ARE getting from it.

So it's sort of a song about saying, "Yeah, what I do might not be trendy or cool, but it's me, and I love it."

I guess it's a bit autobiographical in that sense, but I also wanted to add some humor to it, kind of make it my "Get off my lawn!" song. I think as we get older it's easy to fall into the, "My music is better than yours!" thing, and brush off anything new in favor of the music we used to listen to when we were growing up; I especially see it around country music. Folks pointing fingers at what's being played on Country radio but saying, "That's not "real" country!" I think that is so silly! I kind of wanted to poke fun at that, too. Near the end of the song, the lyrics in the chorus subtly reference one of my favorite bands, R.E.M. A lot of what I hear in current Americana / folk stuff they did with Automatic for the People, which is kind of amazing. That was 25 years ago! All of those things inspired the song in one way or another.

Initially, all I really knew was I wanted it to be very punk rock! Or at least more punk than anything else I had done. I felt like that genre fit the resentment and resignation that you speak of. Then when Jonny and I started putting it together, I referenced Rilo Kiley a bit in my head. I'm a big fan of their arrangements, and how some of their songs seem to have a strummy acoustic foundation but then incorporate a drum machine, or sometimes lean sort of punky, or at least have a little attitude. So I wanted the song to reflect all of those same elements.

REMEMBER THE OLD SCHOOL

We’ll make the rules up as we go

And we will break ‘em and nobody has to know

We’ll drive too fast, get there too late

And we’ll believe the others didn’t mind the wait

And we will try to cover up our worst mistakes

We’ll tempt our fate

Are we hanging out, or just hanging on

Have I forgotten all the words to my own song

I’m not expecting you to try to sing along

That would be so wrong

(Chorus)

Yeah I may never be in fashion, I don’t know the latest trends

But at least I have the passion, or at least I can pretend

When every shoulder seems so cold

We’re not getting rich, we are only getting old

Our fingers bleed, our muscles hurt

Can’t see the shine underneath all our own dirt

And all the good guys never seem to finish first

And it just gets worse

(Chorus)

Yeah we may never be in fashion, we don’t know the latest trends

But at least we have the passion, or at least we can pretend

We win the game, but lose the fight

We save the day, but we never spend the night

We only wanted someone there to hold us tight

It would be so right

We can’t go big, so we just go home

And then we stay up watching Netflix all alone

And we’d call a friend but we can’t find the phone

‘cause we’re too stoned

(Chorus)

Yeah we may never be in fashion, we’ll never be that cool

But we’ll still talk about their passion, and remember the old school

(Chorus)

Yeah I may never be in fashion, and I might look like a fool

But I’ll never lack the passion, ‘cause I remember the old school

Welcome to HeartSongs, our regularly scheduled (probably) look at songs and the people who write them. We spoke to Zach from North Carolina’s Snatch The Snail about ‘In Convenience’ from their new record, Not Another Snail Album.

“The inspiration behind the song started with the first verse. I was working at a movie theatre at the time I wrote it and would constantly drink Icees. My favourite flavour was blue, plus there's a photo of me with blue dye in my mouth and that image stuck with me. From there, we move onto the chorus. First thing that came to mind about the Icees was that "It's a guilty pleasure" so I went with that. And after saying "It's hard to resist" I immediately considered it a "That's what she said" joke. I do stand-up comedy sometimes and like to slip jokes into songs, so I went with it. Also, I was dating a girl at the time who has a "That's what she said" bumper sticker, so it was a done deal.

The second verse was more random. I like the phrase "Nevertheless" but wanted to switch it up and write "Never ever the less". "Put it to the test" made it feel more sciencey, which I dig. "Lest we forget" I got from an old episode of Spongebob. "It's just a jest" was just true about the joke concept. And "difficult to digest" just rhymed and sounded good.

Recording was pretty straight forward. I did it all myself with my home equipment. The guitar parts for the verse and chorus were taken from two different songs that I never used. This is the only album where each song was done first with an acoustic guitar and a metronome, and then drums, bass, electric guitar and vocals were done later. There's also a violin track from the violin setting on a keyboard. It always seemed cheesy to me, but I feel like it added a lot to this album without it being too obvious.

To add to that, the title is ‘In Convenience’ because Icee's are most commonly found at convenience stores, plus I was watching a lot of Jay and Silent Bob at the time. Spacing it out as two words added to the punny nature of the song and had slight sexual undertones.”

LYRICS:

My tongue and my teeth and my lips are blue

I've got brain freeze

From all of the Icees I drink on the reg

If I'm feeling crazy

I'll switch it up to red

It's a guilty pleasure and it's hard to resist

That's what she said

Never ever the less

Put it to the test

Lest we forget

That it's just a jest

But it's getting difficult to digest

Hello! 

Welcome to the second installment of Musos' Guide's monthly (mostly) math-rock column AlgoRhythms, coming at you this time with a bit more of a "What is this about?" approach after last time's platform for flaunting my music taste. So, what is this bizarre genre to which this page of the internet is dedicated? Well, according to the infinite wisdom of Wikipedia it's "a style of indie rock that emerged in the late 1980s in the United States, influenced by post-hardcore and progressive rock bands, characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures bearing similarities to post-rock."

My taste for this music stems from those irregularities and intricacies, which lends a sense of engagement when listening, as the layers unfold listen after listen. Starting with the quirks of Foals' debut album and delving deep into the frantic math-core of Rolo Tomassi and The Dillinger Escape Plan, the road has been frenetic and interesting. However, it's the invention and optimism of "math-pop" bands like Signals. and The Darien Venture that really sparks my imagination. 

Below are a list of bands I would consider vital to my induction into this style of music, topped off with a new track from Manchester Orchestra for good measure. As my first choices weren't available on Soundcloud, I've included one track for listening now and an additional, ideal suggestion if you're looking for some "further listening" or "homework" whatever on this mathematical journey. But for now, waffling over once again, and time for the music... 

Biffy of the Month: 'In The Name Of The Wee Man'

This track, like a lot of the band's b-sides in recent years, is a taste of the "good old times" in the present day. Cutting through the pop-rock anthems for which they are now known and renowned, this track harks straight back to the Beggars Banquet trilogy with its raw and visceral nature. Yet, the song is still absolutely massive before it descends into madness and Simon Neil's feral screams make a welcome return to close out studio album #7 (Ellipsis). That slow burn into a ferocious closing is undeniably cathartic, and tracks as exciting as this are why Biffy Clyro are one of the biggest names in UK rock music today. 

1. Foals - 'Mountain At My Gates' (Two Steps, Twice)

Whilst the disjointed and angular roots of Antidotes makes it my favourite Foals album without question, 'Mountain At My Gates' is a killer track from their equally killer most recent record What Went Down. You might notice that the "build to an impressive something" theme here, which is pretty much story of those awesome loud-quiet dynamics. This track in particular is full of guitar and swagger before that understated "solo" picks up the pace and Yannis Philippakis' shouts get slightly more unintelligible and soulful. 

2. 65daysofstatic - 'Red Parallax' (The Fall Of Math)

Again, it's that bizarre debut record (The Fall Of Math) that really resonates with me, but over the years since 65daysofstatic (pictured above) have really made a name for themselves alongside the likes of Mogwai as one of the instrumental musical behemoths. Most recently they've provided a soundtrack for the video game No Man's Sky featuring an array of expansive and energetic tracks like 'Red Parallax' to capture the game's vast and engaging nature. This track instills a wonderful sense of purpose and wonder into the listener. 

3. Battles - 'The Yabba' (Futura)

Embed doesn't seem to be working, so the Soundcloud page is here. 

The artwork of Gloss Drop enticed me into the music of Battles, and their mystical powers of composition still enthrall me. 'The Yabba' was the first track released from latest album La Di Da Di and is somewhat jarring with its meandering pace and direction (the music video is likely to confuse also). Walking that line between math- and post-rock, song durations stretch out, and so clocking in at just under seven minutes this track is going to divide opinion between those who "appreciate the art" and those who are a little more wary of the style. 

4. American Football - 'Give Me The Gun' (I'll See You When We're Both Not So Emotional)

American Football's self-titled debut record is arguably the modern math-rock record, with its lush and intricate composition setting the path for pretty much everything that followed. Yet this is a band I somehow bypassed until I was already at the heart of the party, and then the self-titled return to the fray arrived last year and affirmed their status. Equally tender and beautifully poised, tracks like 'Give Me The Gun' serve to showcase the band's talent and deft of touch in composition as layers of emotion and instrumentation interweave to strike the perfect tone. 

5. Brontide - 'Matador' (Tonitro)

Returning to the "building to something awesome" theme, this track is a prime and straight-up awesome example of loop pedals and crescendos. As the layers and tension build you can sense that dirty guitar chord break minutes in advance, but it's still satisfying when it hits. Like American Football, Brontide have that intrinsic ability to compose music which is simultaneously free-flowing and complex. Two records in and their brand of pop-tinged instrumental rock is up there with the best you can lay your ears on. 

6. Manchester Orchestra - 'The Gold' (The Alien)

Finishing with something more on the "indie" spectrum we have the phenomenal Manchester Orchestra, who released the arguably perfect track 'Shake It Out'. Ahead of new album A Black Mile To The Surface which is released next month, they've released some tracks to remind us of the powerful and emotive nature of Andy Hull and company's songwriting. As 'The Gold' saunters along, it gives all the flavours of a stadium anthem of the future, and like most songs by this band that feral edge lingers under the surface. 

Thanks for your attention for another month, and catch us in the same place next time. If you have any suggestions of any kind, musical or otherwise, please just shoot a nudge over to @kj_mccormick and I'll be happy to chat it out with you. But for another few weeks, have a lovely summer time and... 

Goodbye!