Oh Dear Life w/Les Kloo

hackneybloke

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Description

i wrote a song for acoustic guitar and vocal then sent it to les kloo who sprayed beautiful graffiti over it.

Hackneybloke: Original music, acoustic guitars, vocals & lyrics
Les Kloo: Bass, percussion, synths, production and mix.

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Lyrics

Oh dear life....oh dear life
You and your surroundings
What is it you're waiting for
You and your surroundings
Show a light to what's in store
In my solitude...in my solitude
Oh dear life
Pour light into this shadow

Song Stats

Hits: 1413
Comments: 47
Fans: 49
Plays: 133
Downloads: 38

Uploaded: Feb 17, 2012 - 11:19:09 AM
Last Updated: Feb 17, 2012 - 11:19:09 AM Last Played: Apr 30, 2013 - 12:34:08 PM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Song Actions

Keywords:

life (247), dear (3), (0)

Comments

KCsGROOVE	KCsGROOVE said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	oh dear life very cool flowing piece! the synths made me think of early Genesis work! dig the vocals, Julian Wonderful mix Excellent collab, gents :-) KC Check out my latest song called I DON'T LIKE IT

CIASM_ZENABI_	CIASM_ZENABI_ said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	oh dear life i relly like this. it has a unique feel to it. amazing what you can do with two minds. the vocals sound great and individual. got a cool energy. the signature vocal line of oh dera life is very catchy, memorable and appealing. this is a cool track. i really enjoyed it. cheers graham Check out my latest song called GLOWING IN THE DARK (2012 REMIX)

magnatone

magnatone said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)

Oh Dear Life
oh man, this is just spectacular you guys! i absolutely love the synth work - really, this is breathtaking on every level. "pour light into this shadow" is one of the best lyrics i've heard in awhile, and these vocals are great julian. congrats to you both, i'm a total fan of this power duo! (thanks for the D/L!)

Check out my latest song called Blind Love (Seeing Heart) - Orchestral Version

TvRicky	TvRicky said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	"Pour light into this shadow" Pour it Baby! Yeah..Smooth Groove Played my man..Jam my friends..Just Jam..Bass and Synths merge and it's on..Yeah. Get down..Such explosive magic exposed. Magnificent Performance Grand..Production Magical..Musician Maestro's do your thing!!! Vox excellence. Composed with Perfection! A SincerelyZipped, TvRicky Check out my latest song called 'Is It Over'

carbon	carbon said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	massive professional sound all around. love the vibe, the vox, the lyrical sentiment. i'd recognize the rhythm section and synths even without attribution. i can't believe i get this download for free. thanks for sharing this excellent work guys. Check out my latest song called 12.26.12 (retread remix)

sammydix	sammydix said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Dear Life i say again, absolutely wonderful. more words would just take away from the meaning. you two will work together again, right? Check out my latest song called House Terrace w/Yomar

Bob Rodgers	Bob Rodgers said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	An excellent piece Julian, I love this! Synth and drums sound great and I like all the different variations in the music, so well played and produced. Superb vocals and lyrics, a great collab and very much enjoyed. Bob Check out my latest song called We Can't Let It Go

Narad	Narad said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Oh Dear Life Beautiful stuff ! Highly enjoyed ! :) Check out my latest song called Train of industrial delight II

aRcTip	aRcTip said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Oh Dear Life While this isn't the kind of music I usually listen to, I was really drawn into the synths, the vibe and the psychedelic stuff that's sprinkled here and there. Really like the 3:30- 4:00 part too. Enjoyed!! Check out my latest song called Frolic

Philip18

Philip18 said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)

Dear Life
Sits in a great groove. The synths have lots of life, bounce and colour and complement the lyrics. I like the arrangement - it has light and shade. Solid bass and expressive drums. The vocal over the top of the repeated theme works well at the end of the song. Impressive work by both of you!

Check out my latest song called Close to Midnight w/ alackbass, rok41, paul f. page, & KyasheMusic

alackbass	alackbass said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Oh Dear Life w/Les Kloo Wow! A prog-rock feast. What a great combination of talents. Ambitious and powerful. Amazing! Check out my latest song called Just Ain't Worth a Song (2 Track)

Saltaireguru77

Saltaireguru77 said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)

Oh dear life
Loving that digital wave grind! Not what I'd typically expect from you Julian but the addition of Les pushes you in a different direction and really makes me reassess what "hackneybloke" music is all about. There are layers upon layers upon layers all at work here and I've no idea how you even begin to imagine that when you create it. Beyond impressive. Loved that change of pace at 03:35 when the lyrics kick in and then a few secs later the drums pick it back up again. Great stuff.

Check out my latest song called Slo-Parts Boogie (w GuyGrooves)

mrattue	mrattue said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Dear life Really effective and interesting stuff. The sound is actually brimming with energy and positive vibes, for me, bright colours and confident, optimistic tones, so in a sense seems to answer the question posed by the rather downbeat, uncertain lyrics. Really impressive, this, and much enjoyed. Thank you for the post. Marc Check out my latest song called Merrily Down The Stream

davajonah	davajonah said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Fabulous Very proggy. I love the marimba sound in there. Vocals crystal clear, very Coral like! Great mix. Sounds altogether very pro! Check out my latest song called Nocturne op. 55 Andante

Symphony101	Symphony101 said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Oh dear, superb track !!! I love everything on this, specially the synths are awesome, great work ! Check out my latest song called Lonely Generation

five_extra_arms	five_extra_arms said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Oh Dear! This is really amazing. Great vocals, magnificent synth beauty, production, mix. Everything imaginable. I'm sure you two will work more magic together in the near future. You can't deny the immensity of this project. Downloaded!! Check out my latest song called Green Machine

PeterB7858	PeterB7858 said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Magic wand... Hard to believe that this began life as an acoustic song. Les has indeed waved a magic wand over it said "abracadabra". Wow. It is great to hear those trademark hackneybloke layered harmonies back. Wonderful post, Julian and Les, Yep, D/L! Thanks, Peter. Check out my latest song called Autumn Falling

lholden	lholden said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Oh dear life Wow... it is truly hard to believe that this was an acoustic piece at first. It has such a beautifully, flowing quality to it now. It sounds fantastic. Well done to you both. Thanks for sharing. Check out my latest song called If Only We Could

Sigmund

Sigmund said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)

Oh Dear Life
This sounds like a slightly different direction for you, Julian - but a cool one at that. Shades of Moody Blues, Kansas, Genesis all come to mind as I listen. Les certainly gave you an interesting soundbed to work with. Vocals are as smooth as ever, and I like the sparse lyrical content - inventive way to approach the song. Very enjoyable listen - thanks man!
Sig

Check out my latest song called Under Your Bed - feat. strangedream, rok41 & Steve Ritter

johnwhitehead	johnwhitehead said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Life This is so cool. Prog pop-rock for the undercaffeinated. 1st verse could've come a tad sooner, but that's a nit. Really inspired lead singing & harmonies, Julian. Such a lively, jumpin track. Brilliant concept & execution. Four stars on the MJ-O-Meter! Check out my latest song called Wandering Blues

rok41	rok41 said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Oh Dear Life Simply bad ass!....King Crimson, Asia, Yes comes to mind with the feel...Lyrics are simple but effective and vocally you sound great Julian. This is one of my favorite listens ever on this site, and that's saying something. Check out my latest song called The Game

Bent_Axis	Bent_Axis said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Great collab! Very easy to listen to, great lyrics and composition. Check out my latest song called Ben Taxes

egobandit	egobandit said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Sprayed graffiti excellent synth work, very tight , what a wonderful performance by the both of you guys! Tops and thanks for the great download! Check out my latest song called time to time

Loob	Loob said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Great collab! Just seems to have a dear life of it's own! Not a single nit. Check out my latest song called Maybe Next Year

Les_Kloo

Les_Kloo said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)

Graffiti
Indeed it is. Not malicious, but certainly obfuscating.

I do like those lyrics, and your delivery is on the money. I don't think it's crazy to suggest that you post your original version at some point in the near future. It has an essential purity that gets buried by all the fluff I piled on. I do like this version, but this is one of those cases where it makes sense to have two versions, this one and the Julian Unplugged version. The guitar chords and unconventional transitions alone make that a no-brainer. Just don't change the title to "Oh Dear, Life."

Thanks very much for letting be part of this Julian. I enjoyed the hell out of it.

Thanks also to the kind commenters!

Check out my latest song called SugarBubbleWater

finkeldink	finkeldink said 463 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	My two favorites! LK and hknblk! Quite a departure from the typical LK stuff and from the typical hknblk stuff as well. Man I wish I knew how to do that electrictronical thing you do Mr. Kloo. I'm also glad that Julian isn't predictable either. Nice curve ball man! Great work fellers! Excellent work. Check out my latest song called The Trader (Curtain Call- with Loob and egodays)

ktb	ktb said 462 days ago (February 17th, 2012)
	Oh Dear Life picking up jaw from floor...wow....'Happy the man" vibe. Big mix, you guys blew it up. Too cool. Check out my latest song called Blackwater (by Tokai)

Kicbal

Kicbal said 462 days ago (February 18th, 2012)

Works for me
Nice to hear you in a different light, but good songwriting and creative ideas will usually translate well into different styles. I'm wishing that there were a bit more of your guitar other than the middle section, but otherwise, this is an aural feast. Sparse but meaningful lyrics helped by an emotive soundbed and vocal performance. Killer stuff. Downloaded.

Check out my latest song called Dirt Oasis (rough mix)

grah3am	grah3am said 462 days ago (February 18th, 2012)
	Dynamic Duo Great dynamics. I agree with Sam about the lyrics. Their sparsity adds weight. The music recalls all the suspects others have mentioned, with occasional whiffs of Zappa. Favourited and downloaded for future enjoyment. Well done, chaps. Check out my latest song called To the Dump

RochaMalhada	RochaMalhada said 462 days ago (February 18th, 2012)
	oh Really great compliment with Les's work . - Harold Check out my latest song called Ascent of a Tree (w Mike_D & FEEL)

DWL	DWL said 462 days ago (February 18th, 2012)
	A different take on one your songs Julian. An interesting departure. I wasn't expecting this but it works. Really well put together. Cheers Dick Check out my latest song called Not For The Likes of You

lengold

lengold said 462 days ago (February 18th, 2012)

Adorable!
Feel so lucky to have had an opportunity to hear this before it was posted. Listening again I am still blown away by it. Sounds fantastic loud in my monitors.
Duane has done a wonderful job with synths and, as he knows, I am a massive fan of his drum programming. Must take many hours to get it this good.
Your vocals are sounding great and more domineering than usual (which I really like). Strong song writing talent on show too. Dark.
Loved it and downloaded. Thanks.
Cheers
Len

Check out my latest song called B E A U T I F U L

Hickling_Stan	Hickling_Stan said 462 days ago (February 18th, 2012)
	Full of life First time back in ages and there's a new HB songf to listen to. Completely engaging but in a quite different way to much of your work. An inevitable download and inspired me to get back to recording something again! cheers mark Check out my latest song called Elective Introspective

Mosaica	Mosaica said 462 days ago (February 18th, 2012)
	Lots of life... ...in this song! Uplifting - has that '70's stadium rock sound of "Yes", "Genesis" etc. Love the busy-ness in the instrumentals as the song progesses, and your vocal and its harmonies work perfectly against them. Thanks for the download. Check out my latest song called Stride La Vampa

Daugrin	Daugrin said 462 days ago (February 18th, 2012)
	Ah yea! Been waiting for this, worth it! That other guys not to bad either, great job gentlemen. Daug Check out my latest song called Ride Yer Bike

Leon	Leon said 461 days ago (February 19th, 2012)
	a tasty mix of... Jazz and art rock. the result is one intoxicating blend of music. Love the unpredictability of this music, like it takes twists and turns that are all pleasantly surprising. love the vocals that carries lots of emotions... Check out my latest song called Just Another Day

richard13	richard13 said 461 days ago (February 19th, 2012)
	It's too late to second so I'll have to 37th what everyone else has said, that this is quite spectacular, unexpected, and professional sounding. Wow! and thanks. Check out my latest song called Caledonia

Moviz	Moviz said 461 days ago (February 19th, 2012)
	Great work by Les I must say..... wonderful textures indeed and your Vocals sound just right Julian........ certainly a lot of 'light' shining here in this out of the ordinary song..... great performances and an excellent collab, regards M Check out my latest song called Shine Your Light

ted23	ted23 said 460 days ago (February 20th, 2012)
	Yeah I guess it's ok.............. :D Nice work gents. The guitars sound spot on and paired with that groovin bass is just ace. Stellar mix, really dynamic composition. Pretty epic! Check out my latest song called Living Dead Love Song in Z minor (HALLOWEEN 2012)

smokey bacon jnr

smokey bacon jnr said 460 days ago (February 20th, 2012)

errm..
I much much much prefer just you and the guitar, with maybe just a tiny little synth colouring. For me, this is way too overblown and proggy and takes away from the subtlety of your voice and the depth of the meaning. This sounds like something out of the seventies, whereas your stuff usually sounds timeless. Interesting experiment, but get back to basics!!

Check out my latest song called Trailed in the Mud

Char	Char said 458 days ago (February 22nd, 2012)
	Absolutely delicious. What an enchanting piece of music. You two are great together. Thanks. Check out my latest song called The Sea

gadzooks

gadzooks said 458 days ago (February 22nd, 2012)

Oh Dear Life
I am so use to hearing a smooth mellow feel to your music that this is an interesting change and change is always good. I can still hear your acoustic style underneath it all and your distinctive voice. Very melodic and quite progressive. Les is amazing. He added tasty graffiti over an excellent tune. Yes, very 70's progressive rock sounding and really well produced. You and your surroundings ... Bowie. I have the highest respect for everything you do musically that I have heard. This is a very creative and successful collab. I really enjoyed it.
And thanks so much for visiting my song ... it's been a long time.
Cheers
SG

Check out my latest song called Song of Life

lavalamp	lavalamp said 457 days ago (February 23rd, 2012)
	Almost missed this Glad I didn't. Great graffiti work. Amazing percussion. Total prog rock. Crazy stuff, in a good way. Brilliant LL Check out my latest song called A Funky Little Thing

awigze	awigze said 457 days ago (February 23rd, 2012)
	cool all the way around. Has a Gentle Giant feel to it... Doesnt need the lyrics to solidify this, you could read the phone book and it would still sound great. well done. Good idea having Les get involved. Check out my latest song called Dark Waters w/scofugate, ktb, Pickquickrecords, Ren-Tin-10

Doug Somers	Doug Somers said 453 days ago (February 27th, 2012)
	left speechless Brilliant guys. It really is totally brilliant musicianship and production. Synth reminds me of Styx a little. You both nailed this one. And it's free too! Appreciate the dload, Doug Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]

neilh79	neilh79 said 450 days ago (March 1st, 2012)
	Oh Dear Life Really nice feel to the song Julian, good to here one of yours again, the embellishments from Les a really good, great job Check out my latest song called Resurrection of Life Final Mix! (w/ Loob, Rok41, Symphony101, Gadzooks)

paul f. page

paul f. page said 448 days ago (March 2nd, 2012)

Bass...
That's what caught me about this lively track: the bass thumps through with such certainty (and clarity). Guitar/synth riffs are very spontaneous-sounding and, wow, dexterous! Your simple lyric is beautifully supported by the surrounding instrumentation and those words behave more like a mantra than anything else, digging into the listener's psyche. This is such a well-produced track. Glad I could hear it.

Check out my latest song called I Speak Of Love

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Artist Info

Name: Julian Sims
Location: London United Kingdom

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Genre Info

Art rock is a sub-genre of rock music that is characterized by ambitious lyrical themes and melodic or rhythmic experimentation, often extending beyond standard pop song forms and toward influences in jazz, classical, or the avant-garde. The art rock

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