The End

8piscean8

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Description

This song is about the end of the World and how us humans screwed it up and how we leave it to start civilization on a new planet. The lyrics are a bit obscure but that's the main gist of it. It's not a protest song or anything of that nature but this is how I feel about the World's current state in a generalized manner.

As usual tell me what you like and don't like and if you heard it on the radio, would you buy it.

I'm also thinking about making an in depth guide/article as to how I mixed this song. So if you think this mix is decent and would like to know all the gory technical details of what I did to the tracks complete with screenshots, please express your enthusiasm for me doing so, and I will.

Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment. All of your feedback, good and bad, is greatly appreciated!

-Adam

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Lyrics

We see the end and it doesn't look so good
The rising tide is higher than it should be

The crashing of the waves brings me down
If I only knew what was hiding in the blue

We sowed our fate with the raping of the Earth
The ozone gone it could only be repaired by science fiction

As the sea rises we race to do
What we do best

Build machines
Build machines
Build machines to fix our mess

Who will save us now since we messed it up
Who can we blame now there's now one left

I know time is wasting away, you look away
Blast off this rock and start again
Don't look back it's too late now to fix our problems
Fix our problems

Maybe next time we'll make it right
Maybe next time we'll make it right

Song Stats

Hits: 2741
Comments: 46
Fans: 11
Plays: 144
Downloads: 130

Uploaded: Jun 25, 2008 - 01:05:49 PM
Last Updated: Jun 27, 2008 - 12:57:58 AM Last Played: Jun 09, 2013 - 04:38:00 AM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Keywords:

heavy (204), dark (410), acoustic indie rock (1), indie rock (40), acoustic guitar (90), piscean dream (1), adam mcclure (1), dayton ohio indie musician (1), end of the world (5)

Hardware:

The usual with the exception of my new Rode NT-1A for vocals and some guitar, a MXR Bass D.I. pedal.

Software:

Logic Express 7, Audacity, iZotope Ozone 3 for mastering, Melodyne for several slightly off notes, iZotope Trash for some tasty distortion.

Comments

	said 1820 days ago (June 25th, 2008)
	1st Comment?! Cool to see a new post from you my friend. Lovely guitar playing, wonderful vocals and some great work on this song. Thanks for sharing my friend, I like you progress with the fine work you achieved so far comparing to your oldies. Very nice! Take Care - Yeman A. Al-Rawi

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1820 days ago (June 26th, 2008)
	Hi Yeman Thanks for being the first to comment sir. You are too kind. I'm glad that you have noticed an improvement in my songs and production abilities. It's great that people are noticing and makes me want to continue to improve my abilities even further! Check out my latest song called The End

peacepiano	peacepiano said 1820 days ago (June 25th, 2008)
	Right Love the song. Not sure if I qualify for radio quality reviewing, but I think I hear the instruments closer than the vocal, its subtle and maybe its my funny setup here, see if anyone else hears it before remixing. Back to the song: the vocal is excellently sung, that is ready for air play. Thanks Bill Check out my latest song called Groove (MJCC2013)

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1820 days ago (June 26th, 2008)
	Hey Bill It's funny because I sort of think that the vocals are too loud. Either way thanks for the comment. I'm also pretty sure that you <em>do</em> qualify for radio quality reviewing!! Thanks for taking a listen Bill! -Adam Check out my latest song called The End

peacepiano	peacepiano said 1819 days ago (June 26th, 2008)
	Space Its not volume so much as "space". The voice sounds like its in a big room, while the guitar is in a very small room. Some times reverb adjustments can change this. Check out my latest song called Groove (MJCC2013)

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1816 days ago (June 30th, 2008)
	Great! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try and tweak the reverb setting because I think there is more on the vocals than on the guitar. Check out my latest song called The End

Elevator_Funk

Elevator_Funk said 1820 days ago (June 25th, 2008)

Missing a Lyric after...
the sea rises we race to do .

As usual it has unique chord progressions and keeps it interesting. Good Lyrics. I can listen all the way thru without getting bored.

If you wand to be on the radio, I think it would be cool if you overproduced your songs just to see what it sounds like. Lots of reverb, echo, doubled/tripled vocals, guitar harmonics.Maybe some record scratches, Jay-Z uh-huhs, Guest appearances by Timbaland...., ok nevermind, it sounds good the way it is.

Check out my latest song called E2A

8piscean8

8piscean8 said 1820 days ago (June 26th, 2008)

Eagle Eye Award
The eagle eye award goes to Brian! Thank you for notifying me of the missing lyrics. By the time you read this it should be fixed.

I'm glad the song kept your attention all the way through. I've been trying to write songs that aren't terribly repetitive and keep the listeners attention. I still have a long ways to go in this regard but am playing around more with dynamics and panning and so forth.

I started working on some backing vocals but just truthfully got tired of working on this song for the time being. I want to go back and add some vocal harmonies, maybe some guitar lines, and maybe some more atmospheric elements but didn't want to go to slick with it. My people are currently in contact with Jay-Z's people to see if I can clear some samples of some <em>uh-huh's</em> (not really but I wouldn't mind Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, or Neil Young guest appearing)!

I always struggle with how many musical elements to add to a song. I also get burnt out pretty quickly and it's a good thing to walk away and revisit songs later on.

Thanks again for listening and commenting!

-Adam

Check out my latest song called The End

lavalamp	lavalamp said 1820 days ago (June 26th, 2008)
	Nice besides the very good lyrics, I really dig this musically. Great job. Great vocal delivery, too. Dave Check out my latest song called A Funky Little Thing

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1820 days ago (June 26th, 2008)
	Hi Dave Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's great to hear comments like this from you! Check out my latest song called The End

Skean	Skean said 1820 days ago (June 26th, 2008)
	Nice I like this song very much... Nice played as sung too. Take care & thanks for sharing --- Kenta Check out my latest song called In My Deepest Thoughts

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1819 days ago (June 26th, 2008)
	Hi Kenta Thanks for listening and commenting. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Check out my latest song called The End

egobandit	egobandit said 1819 days ago (June 26th, 2008)
	SIng it Im tellin ya Ive been singing it for a long time.. This is great.Love the low end sound to this. I hear what your saying about the mix being radio ready I feel it screams fuck the radio sorry just my opinion I hope you dont take offense. This song is plain out right great thanks for sharing! Check out my latest song called piece it together

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1819 days ago (June 27th, 2008)
	Sing It! You've been singing this for a long time? This song? That's great if that's the case. I agree, screw the radio!! I just want to sound half professional, that's all! I don't want anything to stick out like a sore thumb. Thanks for listening and the great comment! Check out my latest song called The End

Lennon714

Lennon714 said 1819 days ago (June 26th, 2008)

radio
From what I can tell, it's ready for acoustic radio. Though it is an acoustic song, I would like to hear another guitar in the background to kind of fill in some of the spaces. Nothing ridiculous or overdone, but something subtle. However, that's my opinion and I could be very wrong. Grain of salt and all that.

Anyway, the song is really well done and very well sung. The subject matter is fresh and interesting.

Check out my latest song called The Robots of Coconino County

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1819 days ago (June 27th, 2008)
	Yes I couldn't agree with you more that there needs to be another guitar part in some spots to fill in the gaps. I also want to go back and add some backing vocals. Thanks for your comments Eric! Check out my latest song called The End

asconejar	asconejar said 1817 days ago (June 29th, 2008)
	:) it takes a lot of effort to write this kind of music, socially conscious type, though acoustically done, making the lead guitar in electric, I believe will add more bright sound. Check out my latest song called There Could Never Be Goodbye

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1816 days ago (June 30th, 2008)
	Agree I'm thinking about going back and making the lead in electric and perhaps adding some background vocals. Thanks for listening and your comments! Check out my latest song called The End

jiguma

jiguma said 1816 days ago (June 30th, 2008)

A little Kurt in there
Lovely mix Adam - sorry I'm late. This sounds great - all the parts work together really well, and it's all well played - but the mix is outstanding. I really like your drumming - in the run of things here at MJ, a live drummer stands out from the crowd. The fact that you do everything else so well too is an added bonus. If I had to nominate a nit, it would be the little lead break at the end, which just misses the mark. Maybe a few more passes on this would nail it.
Really good post Adam, you must be pretty pleased with this one.
Neil

Check out my latest song called INTO THE BLUE

8piscean8

8piscean8 said 1816 days ago (June 30th, 2008)

Thanks
Hi Neil,

Thanks for listening and the great comments! Could you hear the bass guitar alright? It seems to be getting lost in the mix on several systems I have played this song back on. I was just wondering how the separation sounded on your end. I was also wondering if you could be more specific about the lead break at the end and it "missing the mark". Does it not fit stylistically, wrong notes played, or some other reason? I'm just curious. That was basically a one take part and I thought it sounded decent. Thanks again for the feedback! I'm pretty pleased with this one but will probably go back and tweak it some more before I release it to the general buying public!

-Adam

Check out my latest song called The End

michael2	michael2 said 1815 days ago (June 30th, 2008)
	nice one cool tune, and you are absolutely right: we have screwed this whole place up. great lyrics, and I don't think the vox are too quiet. if anything i would say lower the drums a hair. great job. Check out my latest song called yes you told me (that you're cynical)

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1815 days ago (July 1st, 2008)
	Cool Sweet! Glad you liked it. I'm off to listen to your new one now. And yes, yes we have screwed up the Earth pretty bad. Check out my latest song called The End

	said 1814 days ago (July 1st, 2008)
	Although I do not... ...subscribe to the belief in a humanly generated apocalypse, this song certainly captures the current feeling shared by the masses on the matter. Musically, lyrically...this piece is superb. I really dig the mix. Big, raw feel throughout. Great percussion track too. Be well!

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1807 days ago (July 8th, 2008)
	Thanks Thanks for listening and commenting Michael! Check out my latest song called The End

TheWhizzies

TheWhizzies said 1808 days ago (July 8th, 2008)

Reminds me of a current movie...
I couldn't stop thinking about Wall-E as I listened to your song! The subject matter of the lyrics really parallels the themes presented in the movie.

The way you sing this piece is a little awkward in places, but like Michael Wark suggested it does have a raw, emotional quality that can't be denied... and since I think that polished tunes are (usually) overrated, I will fave this because even after one (and a half) listens, it has stuck with me.

Check out my latest song called The Captain Whizzy Theme

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1807 days ago (July 8th, 2008)
	Thanks I just Wall-E this past weekend also and even though these lyrics are pretty old I was sort of surprised to see the same theme (sort of) in the movie! I agree that some of the vocal phrasing needs to be fine tuned. Thanks for listening and the fave! Check out my latest song called The End

dajama	dajama said 1804 days ago (July 11th, 2008)
	Great sound and really good song. I love the acoustic guitar sound. How did you record it? Really up there and clear. Great drums, too. This is a terrific song, with a great vocal performance on top of everything else. Interesting lyrics - thought-provoking and well-crafted. Very cool track. Nicely done. Peace. Check out my latest song called Across the Wire (MJRF)

8piscean8

8piscean8 said 1799 days ago (July 17th, 2008)

Thanks
Thanks for listening and commenting!

I recorded my acoustic with an Rode NT-1A about six inches from the 12th fret and an AKG Perception 200 about six inches from the bridge. The AKG has a bass roll off switch on it that I used. I also recorded it in the center of my acoustically untreated spare bedroom (oh how I want some Auralex). Both of those microphones are considered large diaphragm condensers. In the future I really want to get some small diaphragm mics to experiment with. The strings were also pretty dead (they should have been changed prior to recording, oh well).

Thanks once more for stopping by!

-Adam

Check out my latest song called The End

	said 1803 days ago (July 12th, 2008)
	The End. Love this, very enjoyable listen. Well done. Peace Dee

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1799 days ago (July 17th, 2008)
	Thanks Thanks Dee for checking out my song! Check out my latest song called The End

psexnyc

psexnyc said 1799 days ago (July 16th, 2008)

Trying To Critique This Song....
My desire is to totally complement you on some well done work with this song....but Criticism done Constructively is what we should be doing in this space, so I'm trying....As I listen for a 3rd time, I find myself wanting the guitar to sound "brighter" with more 'color' in it.....if that makes any sense. But other than that, I love the vocal delivery of this song. And I really like the Intro too. Nice stuff! I'm going to listen again.

Check out my latest song called Want Miss Need Love

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1799 days ago (July 17th, 2008)
	Thanks Thanks for listening and commenting! I agree that the guitar doesn't sound quite right. I got tired of messing with it and rerecording it that I just had say enough is enough, for now. One of these days I will nail the perfect acoustic guitar tone! -Adam Check out my latest song called The End

Pete_NB	Pete_NB said 1799 days ago (July 17th, 2008)
	Tone Just reading the post regarding the guitar tone needing to be a little brighter. I agree, I was thinking that the acoustic sounded like it had old strings on it. May not be the case and could be a simple matter of EQ. Either way, a great tune, with good playing. I really dig the electric behind "build machines". Tastefully done! Check out my latest song called Run With Me

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1799 days ago (July 17th, 2008)
	Close The part behind "build machines" is actually a synth part with some distortion on it. And yes, yes those are old strings. I'll be recording with new strings on my next tune. Thanks for listening and commenting! -Adam Check out my latest song called The End

Lennon714	Lennon714 said 1798 days ago (July 17th, 2008)
	great song The music is strong and interesting, while the lyrics tell a good story. The lyrics are interesting in that they give the listener enough to fill in the blanks, but you know what's going on. If that makes sense. In other words, it's not just narration. Check out my latest song called The Robots of Coconino County

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1787 days ago (July 29th, 2008)
	Thanks Thanks for listening and commenting. I like to write lyrics that are sort of open to interpretation. I'm glad they weren't too vague and that you could fill in the blanks. Thanks for stopping by! -Adam Check out my latest song called The End

chikoppi

chikoppi said 1787 days ago (July 29th, 2008)

Critical Nitpicks and Second Guesses
Great tune! Put in in mind of Radiohead. Really nice mix as well. The only comments I can offer are nitpicks!

Very clean vocal track. The sense of space and distance is just right. I'd like to hear a version with the vocal track inched louder by a decibel or so. Sometimes the guitar seems well in front of it, though the mix remains tight and clear throughout.

I like the tones of the guitar and bass and how closely together they are mixed. The guitar is very meaty for an acoustic (heavy in the mid-range) and I think it contributes to the character of the song by suggesting weight. I kind of noticed the absence of brighter frequencies, but I won't suggest lifting them because that absence adds color.

The natural, understated kit is another nice instrument choice. I'm a bit torn on the EQ. The thickness seems right, but I think a bit more skin might better plant them in the mix. This is especially true where the dense fills appear, as I think the kit gets a little too blurry there.

In general, the mix is great. To me it sounds heavy in the 100-500hZ range, but that focus creates a terrific warmth. There isn't a lot of stereo width, but I think any more than what you have would make this sound overtly "produced," which would ruin the character.

Kudos on some great work!

Check out my latest song called Bass and Stereo Width

chikoppi	chikoppi said 1787 days ago (July 29th, 2008)
	P.S. Almost forgot. The subtle effects were perfectly envisioned and timed, especially the dissonance beneath the chorus! Check out my latest song called Bass and Stereo Width

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1787 days ago (July 29th, 2008)

Nice demo
Thanks for asking for a review of the songwriting and production aspects of your latest song via the Critics Circle. I will avoid comments about vocal performance, etc., and just discuss the issues you are concerned with.

The track, on first hearing, has a demo feel, not a polished finished-product feel. The mic'ing of the guitar at the outset is nice, and the trap driven drumset line works well. Vocals are set back in the field due to your reverb, which is reverse from normal pop rock mixing, that places vocals in front of drums, etc. Panning has everything in the middle, with subtle left-right positioning, which is good for a demo, but a polished track would come up with ways to separate the instruments so that the listener could visualize each player in his own setting. The arrangement builds slightly, mainly due to the nice build by the drummer. But starting with the second verse ("We sowed"), my ear wanted another line of countermelody, perhaps something like a Moog that accentuated the sense of science fiction, kind of a concept voice. The distorted guitar that comes and goes in the second chorus seems random, then abandoned, and doesn't add anything for me. And the build during your repeated coda lacks the precision my ears wanted, sounding slightly out of sync (as opposed to psychedelic, as you might have been shooting for) and messy. Part of that is the choice of sounds, which blend in too much, and the choice of octave, which muddled together other instruments. The song is kind of apocalyptic, yet the song didn't approach epic feel, even tho I got the sense you wanted it to, which is one of the reasons I felt like it was merely a rough demo track.

The song's structure is balanced and well constructed. The content, which is depressing and fairly stock, uses a generalized narrative style, as opposed to an intimate personal first person, which is hard to pull off without sounding removed, dogmatic and presumptive. I would have preferred a story song about a guy caught in this change, this regret, this hope, as opposed to an impersonal anthem. I like the "gone/science fiction" rhyme.

If the song could be arranged to instill a sense of machine, a sense of Luddite fear, and, ultimately, a determination to make it right (or a hopelessness that its too late), then I would have embraced the song as a cool concept piece. Without it, the song is well done but doesn't move me, pull me in, or bring anything compelling or new, and falls flat.

Check out my latest song called Dignity

TobinMueller

TobinMueller said 1787 days ago (July 29th, 2008)

chikoppi
I just read chikoppi's review and agree with everything he said. Perhaps you can hear my comments in his, and visa-versa. His mention of Radiohead made me look at the song differently. Please keep in mind where I come from in my reaction, an expectation of more production end of the music industry. Hope that helps mitigate some of my comments. But I hear so many possibilities in your song to create better visuals, and I think very visually as a music producer. However, if Radiohead is what you are going for, then this is a more successful track than I suggested above.

Check out my latest song called Dignity

chikoppi

chikoppi said 1787 days ago (July 29th, 2008)

Intent
I should say that I made an assumption the intent was to target a stripped-down "indie" flavor with the production style. I guess I just sort of thought that treatment fit with the song.

It would be interesting to create a production-heavy version, with lots of effects and sonic manipulation, and then compare listener reaction to the two versions.

Check out my latest song called Bass and Stereo Width

Vic Holman

Vic Holman said 1786 days ago (July 29th, 2008)

Hi Adam
thanks for asking me to offer some ideas.

Outside of the other critiques. I thought I would give some thoughts on expanding this.

I like how the single acoustic starts it off. Possibly after the first verse bring in a second and pan them seperately, maybe 45 degrees left and right. It would give some greater sense of space in the stereo field.

Also adding backing vocals to what would be the chorus. Choruses tend to be what sticks in the mind of most listeners. I wouldn't even minded some distorted guitars low in the mix during the chorus just to toughen it up some.

The brief electric lead sounds interesting but I think something more direct without heavy effect would fit the overall sound better.

I also seem to miss any bass whether electric or even synth to add to the bottom end. I don't know if you have either the bass guitar or keyboard. So, I can't really get on about that. If not I would ask some one to add some.

All in all a pretty nice tune. Hopefully some of these ideas can help if you decide to develop it further... and knock it out of the ball park.

Check out my latest song called They Must

8piscean8	8piscean8 said 1777 days ago (August 8th, 2008)
	Thanks Just wanted to say thanks to Tobin, Vic, and Brian from the Critics Circles for taking a listen and giving me some great constructive feedback. It is all very much appreciated. Thank you gentlemen! -Adam Check out my latest song called The End

hongshan	hongshan said 1590 days ago (February 10th, 2009)
	Nice song Adam, Good song. Are you using a 'd' tuned guitar. It has a nice bottom edge. Good lyrics and strong vocals. Nice touch with the synth around the 'build machines' lines. Love the doomed vibe to the lyrics - very dark and thought provoking (Nirvana without the grunge). Make some more songs soon! Looking forward to hearing. Micky Check out my latest song called Metal teeth

8piscean8

8piscean8 said 1590 days ago (February 11th, 2009)

Thanks
Thanks for stopping by and listening Micky.

The guitar I used for this was just in standard tuning. I'm still not too happy with my acoustic sound but will work on it in the future.

Recently I have been working on some electronic and alternative instrumental stuff which should be out later this year. I'll probably go under a different band name also and plan to sell an EP off of iTunes.

Thanks again for listening and your comments. They are very much appreciated!

-Adam

Check out my latest song called The End

KenneSilva	KenneSilva said 1513 days ago (April 28th, 2009)
	Adam No doubt we humans can use some help, eh. The song kind of remins me, in a good way, of something Seether might do. Thanx 8^) Check out my latest song called Mon Cheri

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Artist Info

Name: Piscean Dream Band - Adam McClure
Location: Miamisburg OH USA

I make music to please my soul. I've always enjoyed music and creating music is a perfect hobby. I make music for fun, not profit. Drop me a line if you want to collaborate. -Adam Free iTunes podcast of Piscean Dream Band here! ... [see more]

Check out some of my other songs:

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