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River of Doubt2008 by Jim Bouchard [Email]

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SONG STATS:
Hits: 337
Comments: 8
Votes: 6
Plays: 33
Last Played: Nov 22, 2008 - 09:34:40 AM
Downloads: 19
Fans: 8
Uploaded: Mar 23, 2008 - 10:09:37 AM
Last Updated: Mar 23, 2008 - 10:13:29 AM



Description:
I originally posted this in November of 2005 and it got a lot of good comments then. I deleted a lot of my songs from here for personal reasons but also to tweak them a lot and to re-post them for comments. I've been working on this one for a while now and I think it's at a point where I can work on it no longer and would be interested to hear what you think.

If there are those that recall the previous version, this is the Logic Pro re-working of it. There is a section added in the beginning with a bit of an intro on Sculpture synth and charango. The rest of it is the original tracks with some replaced instruments. I took out the Drums on Demand drum loops and programmed EZ Drummer parts instead, and I had to replace the SonicBoombox Berimbau midi parts with EXS24 parts since the Sonic Boombox instruments don't work on my new Intel Mac and I lost those and replaced those with some instruments from the Ultrabeat Asian kit. The mix is pretty well re-worked in Logic, with some tracks getting deleted and other effects being added. This will only be evident to those who are familiar with the original version. If you are really curious, you could listen to the original version (posted on MacIdol):Here.

I heard this great story on NPR about President Theodore Roosevelt traveling in the Amazon up this river somewhat ominously named Rio da Duvida, the River of Doubt. Here's a link to the story. This inspired me to reflect on my own life and this song came out. I was thinking of changing jobs at the time and felt it was rather risky but needed to be done for questions of sanity. I did change jobs, and actually the new job didn't work out very well and I went through a very rough patch; after a year and a half I was laid off. I did land another job that actually is pretty much perfect for me anyway, so it was well worth the risk and all came out well in the end.

Lyrics:
Sure as the seasons
follow one another
Or as a young pup
strains in its collar
There's always a good reason
and always one better
So if I look up
I want to know the weather
Wondering whether it's gonna rain
Wondering if I'll ever see you again
How many days it's been dry
Thankfully there's a tear in my eye

Here it comes
Hey it's okay
I never was one
To waste my days
But I've lately been feeling kind of vague

Things move along
but they dont really change
I never wanted it
To stay the same
There's a better place
And a more fitting frame
And isn't the growing
The name of the game?

Here it comes,
Hey, it's okay
I never was one
To waste my days
But lately the point is seeming more and more vague

And what should you expect when you set out
On a ill-considered journey on a river of doubt
Into a jungle with your teeth tightly clenched
And if it's gonna rain, you're gonna get wet
At this point I might not need
an experience so pure...
Maybe I should have picked the river of
safe and secure
..Aw...no way

Hardware:
carango, Kurzweil KME-61, Guild acoustic guitar, Epiphone bass, mics, computer.

Software:
Logic Pro 8, Garageband, Peak
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new genre &mdash 03/23/08 - 10:26:25 AM
Jim, what a cool collection of influences here. Lyrically I love it because you articulate something I've felt for a long time.

"I never was one
To waste my days
But I've lately been feeling kind of vague"

The music paints a kaleidoscope of imagery. The percussion is excellent and I thought your vocal was fabulous as well.





[ Reply to This ]
.. &mdash 03/23/08 - 11:51:12 AM
Yeah - parts of it sound really tribal and ambient..alot of great sweeping sounds there,with really crisp sounding strings.Beautiful and vaguely psychedelic too - great woodstock contender.I know that river....have fallen in and floundered on many an occasion.Cheers - RG

[ Reply to This ]
Your recordings &mdash 03/23/08 - 03:59:34 PM
always sound amazing.This is no exception.Every part is well thought out and fits together perfectly.Great song!

[ Reply to This ]
Amazing sound &mdash 03/24/08 - 06:28:06 PM
and production here. The percussion is perfectly done, and the vocal is very good. The expressiveness in your voice is excellent. There is attitude, melancholy, and defiance. I also love the effects on the vocal. They work very well here, I think. Very cool. This is a very good song, and brilliantly realized. Nicely done. Peace.

[ Reply to This ]
great lyrics..great sound &mdash 03/25/08 - 03:58:32 AM
...lissened to the original first which I really dig !..perhaps more even only lissened once so far its always different after You've heard a song several times- yes I recognize the River too...lol
Life is but one long River..( : tx wonderful song !!! Love it

[ Reply to This ]
great lyrics..great sound &mdash 03/25/08 - 04:06:12 AM
...lissened to the original first which I really dig !..perhaps more even only lissened once so far its always different after You've heard a song several times- yes I recognize the River too...lol
Life is but one long River..( : tx wonderful song !!! Love it
hey went back for seconds...& i fav the original cause of the music... : ) ( :

[ Reply to This ]
Wow! &mdash 03/27/08 - 10:00:36 PM
This was extremely well done. The first few verses and the choruses had the sense of apprehension, and then the last bit had a carefree attitude. Finally, the very end had a sense of relief. Had I not read the introduction I would have been able to tell you what was happening in this song. The marriage between lyrics and musical dynamics in this song are perfect. I'm trying to get that right in my newer songs. I'll have to use this as a guide. Thanks for posting this.

Also, maybe because you mentioned NPR, but there were times that this sounded a lot like NPR bump music to me. Not the theme that they have people do variations on, but the random songs. This is a compliment because I have "all songs considered" saved as a bookmark because I'm always like, "Wow! Who is this!"

[ Reply to This ]
Lovely backing .. &mdash 04/06/08 - 12:47:12 AM
.. typically amazing production. Shades of Joni Mitchell, and a little Bruce Cockburn for me. Really interesting lyrically and vocally - terrific sound stage settings too.
Like this a lot!
Neil

[ Reply to This ]
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