Turn it on and read all about it: the tunes & the moodswings:
1.Drool All Over You
Grotesque rock´n roll fun with breaks in between. One of the first things that took off very fast. The "fool" section in the middle was a little idea that I already had. Just laughing and joking around.....droollll. Got me very involved. Soon a special version on Youtube...
2.Bet That You Feel Better
I often listen to black music. Many
crossover (blue-eyed soul) artists of the seventies injected their music with R&B
and soul. Those who've managed that perfectly and still influence me to
this day: Boz Scaggs, Todd Rundgren, David Bowie, Steely Dan and Robert
Palmer, just to name a few. They have always put those
sophisticated melodies on top of these irresistable grooves. So now and
then I strum along a shuffle groove I stumbled on and this is the result. There's Sam my son on bass! Slap!I feel better now.
3.Don't Want 2
Energetic powerpop. I've read a biography on Pete Townshend who I admire for his energetic guitarplaying and songwriting. It reflected on my songs, but not in a "Who" way, no.I sing simple, cliché lines along this pianopattern. Sometimes you have to stick with what you´ve got. I wanted 2....
4.Motorbike
I totally improvisized the lyrics. Just wanted the spontanity and the expression of my voice on this latin, funky groove. Intensity in overdrive.
5.When The Gutter Looks Up
I play a lot of piano these days. A lot of songs come out of there, because I'm still discovering "new" combinations of jazzy chords. The title stuck by me a long time (something I've read) and it happened to fit in with the electric pianomotive. I'm really proud of these jazzy, Steely Danesque twists I've came up with. The smell of the downtown blues....
6.Occupé
Sometimes you've got a simple motive and it builds from there. But big ideas on piano, I kept voice to a minimum. A big sound developped, but that was intended. It took a while to figure out all the details arranging drums and melodies. Yes I was occupied...
7.Facebookland
Everyone's face is on the web. Now how to close the book.... This is an old-fashioned Tin Pan Alley farmersong. Just a guitar and some analog hammer & saw effects to stick to the basics. Impress me or I wil impress you...
8.Occupied 100 Percent
We're all occupied with something ($) or with ourselves. No, I am not....!?Wrote this joyous ditty on a cheap guitar. Put some fitting stimulating effects, like carbreaks and money shaking to accentuate greed. Fellt 99% ironic...
9.Drug That Frog
Funky, groovy, just goofing off with breaks (intro) and frogs. Kiss me...
10.Trigger In My Heart
I come from the pop tradition (10cc-like), although I'm more of a ragged bluessinger. Therefore, melody is an important part of my plan to vary in styles as "broad" as possible. I was in love with my piano.
11.An End To Ballads
An after midnight tune. I doubled electric and acoustic piano's, both did it in one or two takes. Not perfect, but I always like to keep the intensity. It's about dark dilemma's; give it up or carry on...
12.Hello neighbours
I live in a Funky neighbourhood. I found a groove and these horns to work with. And I wanted a hypnotic Steve Miller's "Fly like an Eagle" inspired song. Paranoia? Schizoid? Isolated? Moodswing?
13.Beat Yourself To Death
I used irony and latin beats intertwined on this one. Irony crept in again...beat myself.
14.Freaking Again
I had great fun writing this simple ditty, it came very quickly. When I feel up, this kind of song bubbles up.
15.Partner
Boz Scaggs "Lowdown" is one of my most favourite songs rhythmically. There's an almost dark (street) tension in there. It has influenced my style of writing a song with some kind of interesting beat and melody. My voice is not that sophisticated though. I tried the Rupert Holmes mode...
16.Good T. Narcissus
I've used this bit of Bossa Nova kind of guitar chordstructure before, but as years go by, I think I'm more aware of what I can do with it. So instead of that special nova drumpattern, I've chosen a slow funky beat. Look in the mirror boy....now smash it!
17.Cheese Dream #7
With that new Pro Tools system came a lot of interesting plug-ins. Apart from the organic drums I've played everything on the piano. Enhanced some of the melodic stuff like the sologuitar. It's an ode to al the great fusion of the seventies (Mahavishnu, Jeff Beck). But it's not a virtuoso thing here that I wanted to express, but the instrumental melodic side of that instrumental spectrum. The 7th dream.
18.Impossible
Just like "Partner" I figured out this chord progression on guitar with a melody on top. I combined that with a funky groove and bassslapping at the bottom. (Lyrically) I'm not in love, no no...
19.Finger Ballet On WB Strings
WB (Wijnand Brant) plays some acoustic sologuitar in a very expressive way. I had this piano- based song for a while. We just jammed and improvised like the old days and I sort of edited it. And with some feedback from WB, I finally got the "right touch". Just did it for old sakes with an old mate.
20.Toy Tornado
Another instrumental, one of the first songs that jumped out of my skull for this album. It's the same story as "Cheese Dream #7". Freaked out a lot in my toystore.Do I have to say more?
