Approaching the unknowable

approaching the unknowable (mp3)

Lyrics

lo! the unknowable approaches
it holds no discernible form
and our science is as our songs are
a useful metaphor

and we humans we look for patterns
patterns for that's our flaw
we're flawed in that we're fragments
of continuous irreducible infinite beautiful phenomena

and though we've named apoptosis and named the graviton
and we claim to know what folded time is
in truth all metaphors are wrong

and perhaps we're all awaiting judgement or perhaps we will repeat
perhaps we will be raptured, perhaps we'll simply cease
perhaps whatever happens
will be continuous irreducible infinite beautiful phenomena

Music

Chords

capo on the second fret. not sure i'm naming these chords correctly...

verse: G6 flat3, Em flat5, Csus4, G6 flat7 (x2)
pre-chorus: F flat5, Cmajor7, Em flat5, G (x1.5)
chorus: Am walk down to D7, G walk down to Em, C walk down to Am, Am walk down to D7, G6 flat3

voicing for weird chords
G6 flat3: 3 2 0 3 0 0
Em flat5: 0 2 2 3 0 0
Csus4: 3 3 3 0 1 0
G6flat7: 3 5 3 4 0 0
F flat5: x 3 3 2 0 1
Cmajor7: x 3 2 0 0 0

Structure

verse pre-chorus chorus verse pre-chorus chorus

Songwriter Notes

custom song #7! robert's questions...

Why do cells die?
What is space-time? If there is a force (gravity) that causes an object to move towards another when within its gravitational field, what  elements/particles are responsible for exerting this force?
Do you believe in hell? An afterlife? If so, any thoughts on what they're like?

Conorl 21:56, 17 August 2009 (PDT)

Another song started lyrics first! Actually I really struggled with the words for this one. I started out by writing a short essay response. Then I took that essay and put it in verse form, but there were like 8 verses. Way too many. Then I reworked it so that it was more like 4 verses. Then I tried to set it to music, and it totally didn't work. Then I took a nap. Then I woke up and came up with a new melody and chord progression, and took my four verses and reworked them to fit the new melody. By the time I had done all of this, it was about 12.30 and too late to record in our studio as it's located above our landlord's bedroom. (only room with grounded outlets) so i took the guitar in the living room and recorded it into my cell phone. Then i uploaded the track to the PC and threw a few synths on top of it. I like the result, but I'm sure some will find it hard to listen to. The fidelity is pretty awful, and you can hear tons of digital aliasing. Though I sort of like that. Conorl 08:37, 18 August 2009 (PDT)

Comments

Love the subtle synths on this one! This is a good combination of the stark acoustic stuff you've done in the past and the electronic stuff you've been working with lately. I think of the comp version of Helicopter as the first attempt at this kind of arrangement; the difference between that and this is night and day, I think. Now it seems so much more natural. You've really developed an ear for how to combine the two sounds. Nice work!

I am intrigued by the weird chords, and appreciate the names tabs for them. I'm gonna try them out!

Something about the chorus isn't hitting me quite right, but I'm not sure what it is. The fact that the synths drop out there might be part of it. Something about how "phenomena" is sung doesn't do it for me. I'm thrown by the pause before it, I expect it to come sooner for some reason. And the melody of that word doesn't seem congruous with the momentum of rest of the chorus melody somehow. I sort of want the melody to continue downward, or have a different cadence. That resolution strikes me as a little pat somehow. Maybe I'm crazy? A minor quibble. Beautiful tune, in any case. Gabemcelwain 08:04, 19 August 2009 (PDT)