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Dare To Sing (AUDIOCRACY w/ Tadashi Togawa) by TobinMueller [Email]

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SONG STATS:
Hits: 656
Comments: 25
Votes: 8
Plays: 115
Last Played: Oct 31, 2008 - 05:06:02 PM
Downloads: 30
Fans: 29
Uploaded: Jul 07, 2008 - 11:06:19 AM
Last Updated: Jul 08, 2008 - 03:08:56 PM
Fan List
Keywords:
Audiocracy (8), Revolution's Son (1), post apocalyptic (1), twonicus (8), dchapman (3), Todashi Togawa (1), Tobin Mueller (7)
Description:
This is one of two songs I wrote with my son (known as Twøn professionally, "twonicus" on Macjams) from the first AUDIOCRACY album. It all started with a little acoustic guitar figure he came up with, which I embellished and then added a whole new section B and C and outro vamp, etc. All acoustic guitar work on the track is my son (before his right hand was electrocuted and he could no longer play).

We then added lyrics. Twøn brought in some ideas, after we talked about them for hours on the phone. Half way thru singing them in, we got a better idea and morphed the song into something post-apocalyptic, a perfect final track for the CD. It started as just a songwriter trying to convince his girl not to leave, but ended up as a cry from the last Adam to his only prospective Eve. The melding of the two adds to the effect, I think. It's a cool back and forth between father and son, too (you'll be able to tell who the more youthful voice belongs to), both vocally and as a song-writing team.

After we sang everything in, I sent the track to Tadashi Togawa in Japan and he added three layers of guitars: the muted electric guitar that echoes around, the intro distortion lead, and the internal rhythm el. guitar and leads. Darren Chapmen added the fabulous outro guitar lead. It was at this point that we realized the entire track was recorded under the norm A=440 tuning. (It is actually A=400.) The guitarist had a difficult time playing in tune, which added to the strange feel of the track, perfect for the mood, I think, of floating past dreams and hope... and regret.

After all this was in, I added my re-tuned electric piano, synths and organs. And re-sang some stuff, layered harmonies, etc.,m and remixed. It has become one of the reviewers' favorite tracks, doing a nice job culminating the albums textual and musical themes. After all the crazy intellectual energy of many preceding tracks on the album, the repetition and vamp nature of the last section is soothing and, hopefully, thought-provoking. In context.

It's official title on the CD is Part 7 - The Re-Emergence: Dare To Sing.

Please note the CD Reviews quoted in the Music Blog entry: AUDIOCRACY: Revolution’s Son by Tobin Mueller/twøn/dchapman. The CD is for sale on CDBaby and iTunes (search: Audiocracy or Tobin Mueller).

Many thanks, again, to Tadashi Togawa, Darren Chapmen, and Twøn. Best if listened in headphones. That minimizes some of the metallic saturation of the mp3.

Lyrics:
VII. Dare To Sing (6:58)

Say it now say it now say it now say it now

Say the words just like you've always heard them
Say the words and you think you understand
A simple rhythm, just like an incantation
You move your lips along because you think its just a
song to sing when you're here with me

Hear it now, like at first, like you don't know how it ends
Listen closely to the way it makes you feel
Are these words that you've heard, meanings that you can defend
Have you ever really listened when you
Dare to sing when you're here with me?

Listen

Do you know
What is left
Behind the words
Here, unspoken?

Lean in to the motion
There's no other way to go

Say the words just like you've always heard them
Say the words and you think you understand
A simple rhythm, just like an incantation
You move your lips along because you think its just a song
Think its just a song

Hear it now
Like a story with an ending you can write
if you turn the ink to blood
All these words you pretend
Meanings that I can't forgive
Have you ever really listened when you dare to sing?
When you dare to sing?
When you dare to love me?

Revolution was my life.
Revolution was my death.
Revolution made of love.
Revolution... leave me alone. Leave me alone now.

Why bother to keep pretending?
All around us more and more is ending.
I don't want to be the last Adam
less you will be my only Eve.
Don't leave. Don't you leave.

Will you be my revolution? My private revolution.
Please. Please. Will you be my Eve?
Won't you be my Eve and dare are to sing?
Dare to sing?
Dare to sing...

©2007 Tobin & Anton Mueller



Hardware:
Lead vocals, acoustic guitars, Olympia 5-string bass: Twøn
Vocals, organ, synths, percussion: Tobin Mueller
Electric guitars: Tadashi Togawa and Darren Chapman

Software:
DP, Logic
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Dare to sing. &mdash 07/07/08 - 11:15:05 AM
I can only comment if it sounds good as I am not an expert only been experimenting with music self taught for about just over 7 months.
And two my two ears it sounds really good.

Peace Dee.


[ Reply to This ]
what great vocals &mdash 07/07/08 - 11:52:33 AM
The obvious thing to notice is the powerful vocal achievements. Fabulous! Your voices are clearly closely related, and you sound very good together.

The arrangements of the perc and synths comes out balanced and supports the vocal arrangement in a good way, never getting in the way. The little melodies that appear on organ/synth adds some nice texture, as the guitar parts do. The different guitar parts are all well performed and with good timing.

Brilliantly mixed and produced as always Tobin:)

[ Reply to This ]
Dare To Sing &mdash 07/07/08 - 12:11:58 PM
Amazing musicality and a fine performance in each detail of the rich and lush arrangement. Powerful vocals and awesome vibe. Terrific track!!

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Human &mdash 07/07/08 - 12:34:12 PM
Beautiful evolution. It is so nicely produced! It's very much a painting.

Questions, echoes...

Deep! Inspiring! Speechless!

Doug

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Belongs on a CD... &mdash 07/07/08 - 02:27:11 PM
...as is should be...beauty in power...great piece and brilliant performance, guys...

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Dare To Sing &mdash 07/07/08 - 03:47:28 PM
this song give the real view for how a giant work
can be done .great building and strcutrue this song
has .I dunno why I still think this is very much
theatrical ..very nice piece of Art ..thnx alot for
sharin !!!!

[ Reply to This ]
A really good track Tobin .. &mdash 07/07/08 - 05:25:37 PM
.. nothing new there! A very full sound even for you - there is a metallic mp3 sound (I would never have described it as that, but it is an accurate description) in there - very loud in the phones. Not something I usually notice in your songs Tobin.

It's a demanding listen - I'd have maybe liked a little more light and shade, but that's probably in the track order on the CD rather than this track in isolation. Excellent performances all round - Darren and Tadashi play very well in this context (as usual). Twn's vocals are strong and direct and his bass playing excellent- lovely keys.

Not my favourite of yours, but a really top song, performance and production!

Neil

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love it! &mdash 07/07/08 - 09:29:52 PM
very intricate through the phones. nicely layered and of course great playing. most impressive to me are the vocals and harmonies.

It's great when a father & son are able to work together, really shows how great a bond can be.

excellent team work throughout!

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Touching &mdash 07/08/08 - 09:27:20 AM
More than anything, I find this to be a very touching piece, Tobin, for reasons that have less to do with the music, which is excellent (an All-Star band), and more to do with being a father. Since I have been "absent" the past couple of years, I had not followed the developments with Twon closely - his accident. But to hear the two of you (and Darren and Tadashi) giving this piece all you've got is really an inspiration.

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cool &mdash 07/08/08 - 01:02:51 PM
love the cacophonic assault in the intro. really unique sound. great song.

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Cacophony &mdash 07/09/08 - 07:34:46 AM
The "cacophonic assault in the intro" is a statement of where the character is coming from, the culmination of revolution and violence, destruction and loss, and the disorientation resulting. I especially appreciate how my son's youthful voice ascends from the chaos, so wanting clarity. Searching for lasting love. There are a few moments like that in this track, I hope. Thanks. We tried nearly 5 separate ways to do this, and ended with what you hear. It took way longer than you'd think!

[ Reply to This ]
Sing &mdash 07/08/08 - 04:14:33 PM

I'm fascinated by the notes that are sung .
It's very interesting how you searched the notes
like you would on a instrument , not the first
obvious note to play , something more complex .
The result is very rich .
Great track .




[ Reply to This ]
You guys are really good &mdash 07/09/08 - 01:44:09 AM
I mean REALLY good. Have you ever heard of "Kevin Gilbert". He grew up in my neighborhood and we all played music growing up, but he was miles ahead of the rest of us. He has since passed away, but he did manage to win a grammy with Cheryl Crow and put out several amazing CD's. If you need more info let me know. Definitely would be of interest to you.

Great song, lots of elements here. Genius at work!

[ Reply to This ]
Kevin Gilbert &mdash 07/09/08 - 07:39:29 AM
Wo, Kevin Gilbert is one of my all-time favorites. His album Thud! was my favorite album on 1999. Thanks so much for mentioning him. So cool that you knew him, shared music. Such a loss. His mastery of combining audio ideas with a story concept is something I admire and appreciate.

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Super Group &mdash 07/09/08 - 10:22:56 AM
Dynamite Epic Tune. So cool of you to do a project with your son. By the time my kids are old enough to jam with, I'll be the one in diapers. Nice to hear Tadashi in the Mix.

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Dare to Sing &mdash 07/09/08 - 05:19:33 PM
wow! How in the universe did we miss this one?!? brilliant work all of you. LOVE drums in this, great vocals and lyrics. Love the kind of mid-eastern feel to it. it all sounds very balanced to my ears. great tune guys!

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Special &mdash 07/09/08 - 06:30:41 PM
Music with Tadashi, one of my favorite artists, and this is a very cool song your vocal is grand...

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Powerful &mdash 07/10/08 - 07:12:01 AM
well written song.Reminds me of thematic bands like Genesis.If the rest of the cd is this good it's got to be great.Excellent guitar work and vocals.

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Rest of the album &mdash 07/10/08 - 07:25:14 AM
Thanks. I think several tracks are better than this one, actually. Here is a list of all reviews I know of: AUDIOCRACY reviewed. You can buy the CD via CDBaby!

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Wonderful mix &mdash 07/10/08 - 08:23:01 AM
and wonderful artwork. The song is wonderful.
Thank you very much.


[ Reply to This ]
Nice track &mdash 07/10/08 - 07:58:30 PM
The sound and production overall is terrific. The track has a really rich, balanced sound to my ears. The instruments sound great. I especially like the acoustic sounds. Excellent vocal performances here, two great voices, sparking off each other nicely. Great arrangement and terrific ending. Nicely done. Peace.

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A beauty. &mdash 07/10/08 - 11:33:02 PM
I think the final two minutes conveys about as much emotion as anything I have heard before. Extremely powerful. Great production ... and it's just a trifle, but I really like the echoey unresolved finishing chord. I suspect that it's a setup leading to another section.

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Really a &mdash 07/14/08 - 12:37:51 AM
powerful and moving song, as most of what your doing lately. Most enjoyable work. I think you got me worked up to dare again.

Thanks for the great tune and some motivation.

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Prog rock rules... &mdash 07/15/08 - 05:56:09 PM
Nice arrangement and delivery.

Cheers!

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WoW! &mdash 07/18/08 - 05:48:51 PM
What can I say, one of the best tracks I've ever heard on Macjams....Marvelous work!

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