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New album... almost...
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 8:20 pm    Post subject: New album... almost... Reply with quote

I THINK I'm just about finished with my new album... well, 96% finished maybe, there's still a couple things I might want to change (a couple words here or there, and maybe one keyboard that's too loud, one tambourine that's too quiet, or stupid little stuff like that).
But I think I'll just give it a rest for a bit, and maybe not listen to it at all for a couple weeks. THEN decide if it seems fine to send to Rough Trade or to whoever I might try to get to release it.
But then I also have to try to come up with some kind of album-packaging design and artwork, I put so much time and work into the CD-packaging designs for 12 Crass Songs, Em Are I, and A Turn in the Dream Songs, that I'm scared to even start thinking about what to do for another one, something that could be better, or at least different (and hopefully not TOO much worse, even if it's not better!).
Last year's "Jeffrey Lewis & The Jrams" album was so quick to make (one day!), and the two albums that I did with Peter Stampfel ("Come on Board" and "Hey Hey") were also so quick to make (one weekend each, mostly!), I forgot how much stress can go into the albums that are NOT so quick to make (like 12 Crass Songs or 'Em Are I, which both took a lot of time and decisions, and leaving off some songs, and stuff like that!). I think it's good for me to go back and forth doing some quick albums and some more thought-out albums.
I think A Turn in the Dream-Songs fell too in-between, that one was done in two weeks, so it wasn't thought-out/slow enough to be totally thought out, but it wasn't quick enough to be totally raw. I wanted that one to have the "best of both worlds"! But maybe it was the worst of both worlds! It had some stuff on it that I really love and some stuff that I wish I had taken some more time on (songs that I play/understand a lot better now than I did when they were recorded).
More info soon!
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misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm "brand loyal", meaning I will buy it regardless, if I could choose I like the ones with lots of pictures best, but I appreciate it must be so much work and really demanding. I think having some time away like you said is probably best, see if you get inspired about something to draw then. Sorry, I have no idea what is best to do, you're the expert x
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andylips



Joined: 04 Sep 2009
Posts: 75

PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It can be super stressy to make an album, my new one has been 3 years in the making. But, i'm sure whatever you put out, it will work and sound great. You always do a good job!
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the encouragement guys! I played some of the tracks for my old musician friend Jason Rabinowitz, and he sort of tore it apart, making me realize how uneducated my idea of "mixing" is! He tried really hard to convince me that I need to get a professional person to mix it, maybe I'll look into that. I know that Herman Dune do that. But I'll also get some other opinions on it; my own opinion is usually just that if the songs are good then nothing else matters too much, but once in a while I like to try to make something sound "good" in a more normal way that most "real" music sounds. Then I go back home and listen to old Beat Happening and Daniel Johnston, and I never put on most of the "real" albums that people release in the "real" music world because they sound too boring and all sound the same!
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CrackyMcCrackerson



Joined: 26 Dec 2007
Posts: 145
Location: Kansas

PostPosted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Already stoked on this. Can't wait.
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Happy Groundhog's Day!
It's a horrid snowy wet slushy cold day here in NYC and I'm about to finish my cup of coffee and head back out to the Brooklyn studio and try to really finish this album recording, just the last little bits! But then every time I say that I think of something else I want to record.
And I'm almost finished reading the Yo La Tengo book "Big Day Coming", it's crazy how they insist on doing full live takes of everything in the studio, even 15-minute songs, that they have to play over and over for days until they think they get it right! That's a lot of expensive studio time... and a lot of patience... but I guess it's worth it because their albums are great! Plus it means that they can really play live on stage and sound just like the albums because they really learned how to do it for real... even when they need to switch instruments in the middle of the song...
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misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have seen the snow on the news, I hope you have lots of warm clothes. I'm yet to get any snow but it is really cold, which I hate, I am a cold person, even in summer, this time of year is horrible.
I just started reading Cold Caller today, it's set in New York, made me think of you/this place. It's an escape at least, everything here is so miserable. Although I do have a snuggly cat and Broadchurch on the television, things could be a bit worse.
Did you wrap up the album in the end or is there more to record? I thought you were going to leave it for a bit? Not that it is anything to do with me of course.
Some times I hear a song and really hope it was done in one take, but just assume it wasn't... I expect YLT are the exception, but I like this idea. Maybe because I am not paying for it.
xxxx
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You'd think doing it in one take would be cheaper, not more expensive, because you'd just get it done! I guess it makes a big difference whether you're doing it in ONE take or in a LIVE take... you can do 57 takes in a row until you get it right and still be able to say you did it in a LIVE take... but that's a lot different than doing it in ONE take!
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misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I see what you mean. I meant one take, just giving it everything emotionally and really going for it. X
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah! I think Morrissey once said that he learned in the Smiths that he should never do more than 3 takes of anything... if he doesn't get it good enough in the first 2 or 3 takes it loses the feeling. But he just meant the vocals... I think he meant that the band should work forever, slowly, carefully, painstakingly, to get all the music JUST RIGHT, then when all of that is finished, he just pops in and does the vocals very quickly, to catch the feeling.
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misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

He probably did, I haven't heard him say it but it seems he is good at doing the emotional thing on record.
Do you subscribe to that or do more takes? I would find it hard, hypothetically, if I wasn't happy, I'd just over do it to death and never get it done. Being such a perfectionist is a good reason never to make art, everything I do gets destroyed or never finished as I give up. Did you finish it all in the end? Knowing where to draw a line is just so difficult, what are the rules? x
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, I posted that thing about being almost done with the album in late January, and here I am in late April and I'm STILL not done!
I've given it a good long rest, without listening to it, and then I listened to it yesterday with fresh ears, and I guess I'm going to make a copy to send to Rough Trade tomorrow, and if they accept it, then I'm done! Except for mastering. AND album artwork... the artwork might take me a long time. There are three songs that I'm leaving off the album, maybe I can get Rough Trade to release these as a single, hopefully fast, even if the album doesn't get released till later in the year.
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keithos



Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 44

PostPosted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any exclusive snippets for us loyal message board lurkers?
I've been reading through your comics again and it has whet my appetite for new material. Have you ever written any songs about hitch-hiking? I love the idea of just going place to place around the world for free based on a very loose travel itinerary and the trust in strangers who can't even speak the same language as you. I'd be absolutely terrified to try something like that but it's affirming to read that it always seemed to work out.
Anyway, new music please!
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jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1485

PostPosted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I did have at least one hitchhiking song on one of my old tapes... but it wasn't a particularly good song so I left it in the past.
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christian



Joined: 08 Jun 2015
Posts: 77

PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 7:35 pm    Post subject: Re: New album... almost... Reply with quote

jefflewis wrote:

I think A Turn in the Dream-Songs fell too in-between, that one was done in two weeks, so it wasn't thought-out/slow enough to be totally thought out, but it wasn't quick enough to be totally raw. I wanted that one to have the "best of both worlds"! But maybe it was the worst of both worlds! It had some stuff on it that I really love and some stuff that I wish I had taken some more time on (songs that I play/understand a lot better now than I did when they were recorded).
More info soon!


One song from that album that didn't strike me particularly when I first listened to it is "Water leaking", but I absolutely love the live version, and it's made me go back and listen to the lyrics more carefully, and now I appreciate it much more
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