The Music of James Gillice

2012

2012-01-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

This is my first post of the new year. 2012 is well under way and by now everyone is past that awkward phase where you are constantly writing the wrong year on checks and such. It's been a great year so far. I'm excited about the music that I'm currently finishing up for "Never And Forever". That project was started a year ago and has come along very quickly compared to other releases of mine. Of the final 8 tracks that will be included, 5 are (mostly) completed and the remaining 3 are well on their way to completion.

Most recently I have been working on track #6, "Anything At All". This is probably the darkest song on the album. I'm not sure that "dark" is the right word. It has several different parts to it. The verses are the "darkest" and slowest parts, while the chorus is decidedly quicker and livelier. The last third of the song is altogether different as well. It builds and builds to a (hopefully) thrilling climax. In theory (and in my mind) it all will sound great...it's now just a matter of getting the sound and feeling that I want in the studio process. I'm making progress but it's not where I want it just yet. I'm also having trouble coming up with a vocal melody for the verses that I am completely satisfied with. The original melody that I had written has grown stale and boring in my mind. I've got a few other ideas, but I haven't decided on anything yet.

I'll keep this blog updated as things progress. If you've read this far, thanks for your interest and support.

James

1. "Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes

2011-12-31T07:46:00.000-08:00

The Fleet Foxes self-titled debut album was my favorite album of the year back in 2008, so I had high hopes for this release. It exceeded expectations. Fleet Foxes does something with their music that is not an easy feat to pull off. On the surface it can sound like a retread of so many styles of music that are now decades behind us, and yet the songwriting is so good, so pure and fresh, that it feels vital and relevant to an entirely new generation. This album is filled with beauty and craft that reminds us of what has gone before, and yet is not limited by those references. This music is alive. The songs are big and beautiful but never overblown. There is a certain timelessness here. This is music that people will still be enjoying in another 20 or 30 years.

2. "Bon Iver" by Bon Iver

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Music, at its best, has the power to transport you to another place. It can stir feelings, emotions, and thoughts within you that can be difficult to comprehend, let alone try to explain. It can bring you to tears and yet leave you unsure if you are in fact sad, or just incredibly happy. Just as all of the most important events in life, the best music is a poignant mixture of sorrow and joy.

There are many moments on Bon Iver’s self-titled second album that strike that perfect balance between light and darkness, sorrow and joy, happiness and despair. Moments so breathtaking that any attempt to explain them in words only leaves the speaker frustrated and lacking. This album is an incredible accomplishment. Everyone needs to experience it.

3. "The King of Limbs" by Radiohead

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Deemed a “lesser” Radiohead album by many, this is still something that 99.9% of humans couldn’t dream of producing. It represents a left turn in a career full of left turns, and yet the second half is more straightforward and beautiful than they’ve sounded since...maybe ever. At only 8 tracks, it feels like two very different short EPs that have somehow been stuck together on one CD. A fascinating listen. Perhaps not the best album for newcomers to Radiohead, but a solid addition to their catalog.

4. "The Whole Love" by Wilco

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Despite the widespread opinion of this album being some sort of “return to form” after a couple of lesser albums, this is really just business as usual for Wilco, who never really stray too far from “form” anyway. Apart from the electric guitar freak out of the 7 minute opener and the unparalleled beauty of all 12 minutes of the closing track, there are not many other surprises to be found...just a bunch of completely solid Wilco songs. And that’s never a bad thing.

5. "The Year of Hibernation" by Youth Lagoon

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

“Youth” being the key word here. This album sounds like a 14 year old boy made it in his grandmothers basement. In actuality songwriter Trevor Powers is a 22 year old who records in his bedroom at Boise State. The production is muddy and overly saturated with reverb. In a fragile, weak voice we hear of posters on bedroom walls, hunting for snakes, memories of simpler times...in a nutshell, being caught in the strange place between childhood and adulthood. As unlikely as all of this sounds, somehow it all just works. “When I was seventeen, my mother said to me, don’t stop imagining, the day that you do is the day that you die” Powers sings on “Seventeen”. Lucky for us, this album never stops imagining.

6. "Burst Apart" by The Antlers

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I didn’t discover The Antlers first album, Hospice (2009), until earlier this year. That being a devastating and emotionally brutal concept of an album that completely draws every bit of feeling you could expect from it’s title, it could simultaneously rip you apart while at the same time trying to put you back together again. I’ve never heard or felt anything quite like it. It would definitely have been my top album of 2009, if only I’d known it existed.

But alas, this review is not about that album. Compared to Hospice, Burst Apart took a while to for me to really get into. I think I’m beginning to realize the reason for that is because a lot of the music of Burst Apart is just a bunch really good musical ideas rather than “songs” in the traditional sense. The beauty is in the subtleties that you often don’t notice until the 5th or 6th listen. This may not pack the emotional wallop of their previous effort, but maybe that’s a good thing.

7. "The Unfazed" by Dolorean

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Not to be confused with Spanish alternative dance band Delorean, mysteriously, this Portland band remains largely unknown in the United States, although I hear they have a much larger following on the other side of the Atlantic. This is an interesting fact considering that their sound is definitively American. Nothing complicated here. Simple and beautifully well written songs of life and love gone wrong are set to lush americana soundscapes.

8. "Rome" - Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever sat down to watch an old classic 60’s western movie and been inspired by the music to say, “you know, someone should make an entire album of music like this, only with a modern twist”? Well, neither have I, but that’s exactly what Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi have done with Rome. And what a great idea it turned out to be. For vocals they’ve enlisted the help of Jack White and Nora Jones, giving them each a different avenue in which to let their talents shine. There may be just a couple too many instrumentals that sound maybe just a bit too much like the rest, but it is all of consistent quality. When you're in the right mood, this is an incredible listen.

9. "Tamer Animals" by Other Lives

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

If the second half of this album could keep the brilliance of the first half going, this would be my album of the year. So many amazing things happen in that first handful of songs. The latter half, while still interesting, feels more like a lesser band impersonating the first half. But make no mistake, when this album is good, it is frighteningly so...magical even. Other Lives are now on my bands to watch list. Hopefully this is only the beginning and they someday get the chance to fully realize their potential.

10. "The King is Dead" by The Decemberists

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

“The King Is Dead” presents The Decemberists in a complete 180 turnabout from the conceptual ambitions of their previous album. They’ve seemingly traded in the metal-tinged medieval fantasy leanings of 2009’s The Hazards of Love for a pair of cowboy boots, a harmonica and a fiddle. This time around they’ve settled for good old fashioned SONGS rather than grandiose concepts. While the latter certainly have their place, The King is Dead is a refreshing change of pace. Not quite as many highlights as previous Decemberists albums (For my money, 2005’s Picaresque is the best thing they ever did) but a very listenable album right through. If for some reason you were to attempt to get your mother into the Decemberists, this would be the album to start with. That is meant neither as a compliment nor an insult but I suppose it could be both.

Favorite Albums of 2011

2011-12-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again when I like to reflect back on the music that meant something to me over the past 12 months. And then I like to quantify and rank something that probably shouldn't be. Putting two pieces of art up against each other and declaring one as "better" than the other is probably a futile exercise...and yet as humans it seems we love to do this. And as it turns out, within the human race, I am no exception. But rather than call this a "best" album list, lets just say these are the collections of music that meant the most to me personally. Your mileage of course will vary, but I offer this as both a window into what inspires me as an artist and also a tool for anyone who's looking for some decent music.

This year I'll be distributing my list a little differently. Starting tomorrow I'll post each day until the end of the year, counting down my top ten album choices. This serves several purposes. It drags the experience out for as long as possible and also allows for greater appreciation and exploration of each album that I post about.

So come back each day for the next 10 days to see how it's coming along. Let me know if you've found something you like. Or maybe you think I'm forgetting something. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

See you tomorrow.

James

Update...5 Down, 3 to Go

2011-12-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

7 months Later...

So...apparently I haven't blogged in a while. Fortunately that doesn't mean that I haven't been working during all these months. Sure, I can admit that this has taken longer than I thought it would...that I've seen self imposed deadlines come and go more than once. Could I have been finished by now had I put in adequate time and effort? Quite possibly. But in reality life (and inspiration) just doesn't work that way.

Yes, there are times when I just don't have it in me to sit down at a computer at the end of a long day and pound out work on these same songs I've now heard hundreds of times. That being said, I am still quite fond of this current batch of music and firmly believe this will easily be the best work I've ever done. Creativity and motivation seem to come in spurts, and I try to get the most out of those periods before they disappear.

I'm now well past the halfway point. 5 of the 8 songs are finished. 4 of those have been listenable online for many months now. If you haven't heard them in a while, it might be a good idea to go and check them out. I've been quietly making changes and improvements to those online files. Track #4, "You Can Never Go Home" has had the most substantial facelift compared to the first version I posted months ago. I think it's really come together nicely. In retrospect, I probably made it available for listening sooner than I should have. Sometimes I just get too excited for people to hear new stuff.

I'm currently fighting the temptation to make some more music available for listening. Track #5, "Save My Soul" could really be released today and I would be happy with it. But my philosophy with this record has been one of "good is not good enough". And so I find myself taking things that are good and trying to make them better. As good as "Save My Soul" is right at this moment, I still have a couple of things I want to try that will improve it. For example, at this point the song has no acoustic strumming whatsoever, and really I don't miss it that much and it may not need it...but I'd like to add it just to see how it sounds. Also, the end of the song needs...I don't know...something. I don't know what specifically, but I'll know it when I hear it. And really it doesn't NEED it...it's really good as it is...but why not take that extra step toward greatness?

The remaining 3 songs are already recorded in very rough versions. I could see them being finished very quickly but again, inspiration is fickle and comes and goes at her pleasure. So really we're looking at early next year before it will all be ready for you to lovingly download onto you hard drive. but I'll go ahead and say that I really believe that it's going to be something that people will enjoy and come back to. Something worthy of your playlists.

Also, I'll try to keep the blog a little more current...in case there is anyone out there who actually cares and reads this.

Update...2 Down, 6 to Go

2011-05-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

It is a great feeling to have two new songs completed and out there for all to hear. I am happy with the positive feedback I've received on "Never And Forever" and "Come And Gone". People seem to be enjoying them. If you are one of those people, please don't hesitate to share with friends. I would like as many people as possible to hear this music.

I know I've mentioned "So Far Gone" a few times before. Well, it is almost completed and ready to debut. This is the song that I feel people will connect with the most. I mentioned in my last post that the song sounds a bit "samey"...meaning that it was interesting and beautiful but it kind of repeats itself and goes on without any real changes...not necessarily a bad thing, but could get monotonous. I've made some changes that I feel have taken this song to the next level. It has gone from being merely pretty great to mesmerizing and heart-rending...and it was all done with the addition of one simple guitar figure that embellishes the chorus.

I know what I like in music and this is it. And can't speak for the rest of you, but this new part completely makes this song into greatness for me personally. I hope when you hear it that it makes you feel the same way. I hesitate sometimes to talk up my own work because music is so subjective and I don't want to build too much expectation for what is essentially a very simple song. I'd rather just release it and have others talk it up for me ;-) . Of course that's not going to happen if something is not genuinely great. Anyway, I will upload it for all to hear once I get the mix sounding exactly as it should. Probably over the weekend.

As for the rest of the songs, they are in various stages of completion. "You Can Never Go Home" is probably the most complete, while "This Time" has not even been fully written yet (hence no lyrics online).

If you're reading this, thanks for paying attention. I'm grateful that people enjoy what I do.

James

Progress on "So Far Gone"

2011-05-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

Been working on finishing track #2 from Never And Forever, titled "So Far Gone"...(not to be confused with "Come And Gone"). Added some additional harmony vocals for the verses. The mix is sounding really nice. Great song, but a bit samey. Needs some kind of catchy, standout guitar performance for the chorus, as well as a short solo and outro. I have a few ideas in my head but I am curious to see what happens once I plug in and start recording. The songs is actually quite passable as it is...but "good enough" is not good enough this time. We're going for greatness here. We'll see how that turns out.

Too busy tonight to get any recording done...but soon enough.

New Song - "Come And Gone"

2011-05-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned that I would have the title track online soon. That was the plan...and it is still very close to completion. But yesterday I decided to work on "Come And Gone" instead.

"Come And Gone" has been all but finished for over a month now, but there were a few problems that I didn't know if I could fix without re-recording some parts. Low and behold, with maybe an hour or so of mixing, I was able to fix everything that had been bugging me. I was so excited that it was finished that I immediately posted it.

Title track "Never And Forever" is still in need of a couple of backing vocal tracks. It is very good as it stands, but I need it to sound like I hear it in my head before it can go out to the world. It may take a few more days before I can get the recording done. Look for it to be out soon.

Never And Forever...It's About Time

2011-05-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

If you follow my Facebook fan page you may have noticed a while back that I posted the Never And Forever artwork. It is a an image of a clock face that I found while searching the internet for ideas on how to visually represent the concept of "time". I was subsequently able to contact the photographer and receive permission to use the image for my album art. I have not altered the color at all. That is exactly as the original. My wife says it's a bit too much green, but I really like it. And so a special thanks goes out to photographer Katherine Gray, wherever and whoever she may be.

Over the past months, I've recognized a theme running through all of these songs...that being the passage of time...how it changes situations, individuals...for the better or for the worse. How it continues on and we are powerless to stop it, nor can we turn it back. Each of these songs deals with this subject in a different way. The past, regrets, things left undone, things that should have been left undone, things to do differently in the future...all of these ideas are touched upon through various stories and experiences both personal and/or observed in the lives of others.

I have re-designed my bandcamp page and created a page for the new album. There is no audio up just yet, but you can read through the lyrics if you're into that sort of thing. I hope to have the opening title track up in the coming days. It is very nearly finished, as are several other songs. Stay tuned for more info and audio as it becomes available.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, while your on my page, why not go and download the rest of my music in preparation for this new release. They are free if you want them to be, or you can pay what you want. I am completely fine with either amount.

Thanks for listening,

James

New Sounds from New Songs

2011-04-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

I've decided that even though a song is not "finished" I can still let you listen to parts of it. I've isolated several pieces of "Never And Forever" and uploaded them for your curiosity and pleasure.

NAF Pre-Verse Sounds by James Gillice

NAF Outro Guitar by James Gillice

NAF Slide Solo by James Gillice

IMO...

2011-04-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

My opinion on my latest project...

Work is progressing at a steady rate on LP4 (a.k.a. "Never And Forever"). There are 2 aspects of this album that have me really excited.

The songs. I really feel like this is a strong collection of songs. Each one offers something special. They are very emotionally personal but touch on many universal themes that I think people will relate to.
The album itself. This collection of songs works well together. There are similar themes, moods, and styles throughout. Whereas on "Making It Right Again" (LP2) and "Never And Forever" (LP3) you had a wide variety of song types and moods and feelings, "Never And Forever" picks a single mood and works within slight variations on it. Also the production styles of each song are similar, creating a unified and coherent work. There is also a continuous narrative that progresses a storyline throughout. While it falls shy of the "concept album" title and all the baggage that goes with that, there is a story that is being told here. It starts a little dark and tragic and slowly works through the tragedy and all that is entailed in that and finds some hope and resolution by the end of it. This is supposed to be an uplifting album, but you will have to listen to it all the way through to get that from it.

So those are my thoughts and feelings at this point. The most frustrating aspect (as always) is getting the mixes sounding just right. No matter how good a song may be, if the mix is bad then it will drive me crazy.

Here is the supposed tracklist again. Only 8 tracks. Short and sweet. The first 4 track are pretty much set in stone. The back half could change a bit depending on how "This Time" and "Save My Soul" turn out when finished. Thematically, "This Time" might be a better closer, while musically "Time Takes Time" is better. I think when all is said and done the answers will be obvious. But for now...

Never And Forever
So Far Gone
Come And Gone
You Can't Go Home
Save My Soul
Anything At All
This Time
Time Takes Time

"Never And Forever"...

2011-03-05T01:03:00.000-08:00

...is the working title for my next musical project. It's coming along much faster than I could have hoped. A little bit darker, a little more mellow, a little more moody and emotionally engaging, and easily some of the best music I've ever created. This 7 or 8 track album is going to be very consistent in mood and texture. Hopefully it will play out like a nice little journey of sorts for the listener. It will be a great little album to sit down and listen to as one entire piece of work. I can't wait to release it to the world. It is definitely a step in a slightly new direction. That direction being mainly up, top bigger and better things.

Here are the tracks that are slated for inclusion along with a brief description:

Never And Forever - Fast with a driving beat and a fantastic chord progression. No real chorus. Doesn't really need one.

So Far Gone - New sounds and textures. Slightly reminiscent of "This Moment". A little darker maybe, and yet it has a bubbly light quality to it as well. This would be the single.

Come And Gone - Quite epic in both sound and sadness. Built around a steady and beautiful guitar figure that builds upon itself. Crescendos quite nicely into the bridge before stripping it back down to the lone guitar before one short final burst at the end.

You Can't Go Home - A simple acoustic folksy number? At first it might seem so. By the end it gets quite dramatic and beautiful.

Save My Soul - This is the song that is the LEAST complete right now. Hard to know how this will sound when it is finished. A fantastic song structurally and lyrically. I can't imagine it NOT being excellent when finished.

Anything At All - A dark descending guitar introduces the verses and is repeated in the chorus. There is also a pre-chorus that picks up the pace and lightens things up a bit before going back into the guitar again. An intensely building outro changes the second half of the song completely. A string section spirals upwards continually and is joined by guitars that build to a glorious climax.

Time Takes Time - A perfectly mellow closer that ends the album on an uplifting note. A song of hope for the future. "I'll be just fine, but time takes time"

And there you have it..."Never And Forever"...coming soon to a computer near you.

Watch this space.

Happy Accidents

2011-01-31T13:18:00.000-08:00

Songwriting = 25% Inspiration, 25% Hard Work...and 50% Luck.

Sometimes when you are writing songs things just go ridiculously well.

There is an old song called "Anything At All" that's been kicking around for years as a semi recorded instrumental version. It had this sad descending guitar thing happening in the verses that I really liked but I could never get the chorus to come together in a satisfying way. The lyrics of the chorus were pretty much finished, but musically it just wasn't working...

So there it sat on my hard drive for years and years while I moved on with other, less difficult songs....

Fast Forward to January 2011...

I'm sitting in my bedroom listening to a few new musical ideas that I had quickly recorded to my phone in recent months (I record like that when I am in a hurry, so as not to forget things...I lose more good ideas by simply forgetting them than I care to think about). As I'm listening I notice that one of my new ideas has a descending melody that is similar to the guitar line from this older song, but it is laid over a completely different (and more upbeat) chord sequence. So of course when I realize this I start getting excited. It turns out that this new piece fits together perfectly with the old song and creates an exciting new chorus that changes the entire mood of the song. And the old lyrics fit in perfectly as well. Add in a nice verse to chorus tempo change and we've got ourselves an exciting new direction for this song.

And if that's not exciting enough, I also came up with an extended outro the comes in after the second chorus. It started out as an idea for a bridge, but it was so good that I just wanted it to keep building and building to an epic finale. And it does sound quite epic. It's almost like an entirely different song tacked on at the end...but it works. And the total song length is still under 5 minutes, which is good.

Anyway, the stars have aligned and a great song has been born. Now let's hope I can find the magic in the studio to create the sounds I hear in my head.

And for those keeping score at home...

1 month into 2011 and already 3 songs completely written and mostly recorded.

The Return to Songwriting

2011-01-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

The past few years have been so focused on recording and mixing music that I have had less time to actually write it. Of course there were songs here and there that would pop up, but I never felt like I could or should take the time to finish them until I had released the ones I was already working on.

That's all changed now. I can finally focus on creating songs...not embellishing, not tweaking, not recording...just writing the very basic elements of songs. I think I must have a lot of pent up music that is just waiting to be released. Over the weekend I had the house to myself and was able to spend a lot of uninterrupted time just writing and recording. In just a day and a half I was able to able to lay down all the main components of a song ("Come And Gone") that until now had only existed on paper. I am very happy with the results. It's a great song. The recording sounds pretty awesome. There are still things I would like to add and clean up, but it is pretty much a complete song. It just needs to be finished and mixed.

When I had gotten to a good stopping point on that song, I had to figure out what to work on next. With so many pieces of music in my head and lyrical ideas floating around, there are a million places where I could jump in and start working. So I went back and listened to a series of short low quality audio clips of song ideas that I had recorded into my phone and random times over the past year or so. One particular clip stuck out to me as a simple yet poignant little chord progression with a nice melody. So I pulled out the acoustic and started strumming. The idea for the theme of the song came very quickly and the lyrics followed. Soon I had a completed song. It is a very simple song and did not take long at all to record. It's called "You Can't Go Home" and I am loving it. It sounds great as it is, but will benefit from a better mix as well as a few embellishments such as a slide guitar solo and some backing harmonies.

All in all I am very excited about these songs and I can't wait for people to hear them. It is hard to be patient and wait until they are finished.

But it just feels so good to be writing songs again. And what makes it better is that I think I might be writing the best songs I've ever written.

Best Albums of 2010

2010-12-31T21:46:00.001-08:00

When I'm not working on my own music, I like to take as much time as I can to discover and enjoy other new music. 2010 was a very good year for doing just that. Here is a list of the top ten albums that meant something to me this year for various reasons.

So let's get to it. Here are my top ten favorite albums of 2010.

10. I Heart California by Admiral Radley

Members of Grandaddy (a favorite band of mine) and Earlimart (who I know by name only) combine forces on this album with wildly mixed results. Not many albums can mix together so many songs that I love with a few that I really don’t care for at all. Despite this inconsistency, the best of these really are great songs. This is certainly not an album I can listen to in it’s entirety but half of it is very, very good.

Standout Tracks:
#2 - "Ghosts of Syllables"
#4 - "Lonesome Co."

#5 - "The Thread

#9 - "GNDN"
#11 - "I Left U Cuz I Luft U"

9. Transference by Spoon

A below standard album from an above standard band. Still, there are enough highlights here to give this one a mention.

Standout Tracks:
#3 - "The Mystery Zone"
#5 - "Written in Reverse"
#8 - "Goodnight Laura"

#10 - "Got Nuffin"

8. Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter

Not as consistent as 2008’s Microcastle, but where this album is good, it is REALLY good. More poppy and accessible than they’ve been in the past. Easily the worst album cover of the year though.

Standout Tracks:

#3 - "Revival"
#5 - "Memory Boy"
#6 - "Desire Lines"

#8 - "Helicopter"

7. Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens

Wow. What can you even say about this album? It is hard to even form words to describe this. It is something that needs to be experienced. With this album Sufjan is more a composer than a songwriter. There is so much going on at any given moment in these songs. So complex and busy and yet incredibly infectious and often quite moving. If there is any flaw to be found it is that this exercise in overload sometimes can almost be a bit too much. All in all an amazing listening experience from an obvious genius.

Standout Tracks:

#1 - "Futile Devices"
#4 - "I Walked"
#5 - "Now That I’m Older"
#8 - "Vesuvius"

6. The Devil to Pay by Brett Shady

The debut album from Brett Shady may not break any new sonic ground, but it doesn’t have to nor was it meant to. Half of it’s charm is the feeling that you’ve heard these songs before somehow...perhaps as a child on the radio during a late night road trip...perhaps in a distant dream of some alternate version of the 1950’s...who knows exactly, but you know you’ve heard them before. The rest of this albums charms can be found in equal parts of simple yet smart and affecting ‘everyman’ lyrics, beautiful sparse country-tinged arrangements, and incredible sing-along pop moments. Not a poor track to be found here, but there are certainly highlights that hopefully are a sign of things to come.

Standout Tracks:
#1 - "Somebody Else"
#2 - "Jerome, AZ"
#6 - "Red House Plea"
#10 - "Angels, Ghosts And Demons"

5. The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

I’ll say this right off the bat...The Suburbs is the weakest album Arcade Fire has released to date. With that said, that still leaves plenty of room for this to be an excellent album, which it is. Of course it’s still early to really be able to say...ask me again in 10 years for a more definitive answer. To be fair, this has only grown on me since I first heard it and I imagine it will continue to do so in years to come. The Suburbs definitely has its highlights and moments of brilliance and yet sometimes it seems like it just barely misses the target or plods along in a boisterous yet unaffecting way. At 16 tracks, it feels at least 2 tracks too long. Don’t get me wrong, this is excellent music...they just set the bar so high with previous releases that it’s hard to see things for what they are until the dust has more time to settle.

Standout Tracks:

#1 - “The Suburbs”
#2 - “Ready To Start”
#9 - “Suburban War”
#15 - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

4. Mines by Menomena
I don’t hear this band talked about much and I haven’t seen them mentioned on many end of year lists. I can only scratch my head and wonder if I’m hearing something different than everyone else. To my ears this is one of the most refreshing and brilliant bands to come out in a long while. They are yet to put out a full masterpiece, but they are at the top of the list of bands that I expect great things from. Mines showcases Menomena with their most mature and solid set of songs to date. The songwriting here reaches emotional highs that they had yet to reach previously. They are not all perfect but there is so much here to love. Each track has so much going on while at the same time feeling sparse. The production is brilliant with the drums up front and the piano and sax not far behind and which both, along with jagged guitar stabs, weave in and out of the music in the most creative and often surprising ways. This band sounds like nothing I’ve heard before.

Standout Tracks:
#2 - “TAOS”
#3 - “Killemall”
#8 - “Oh Pretty Boy, You’re Such A Big Boy”
#9 - “Five Little Rooms”
#11 - “Intil”

3. Broken Bells by Broken Bells
Although this album is completely interesting and engaging throughout with not a weak track to be found, I can’t help but be slightly disappointed every time I listen to it. You see, half of this album is a complete masterpiece...the other half is merely great. When I listen I find myself wondering what could have been. Perhaps this super duo of Danger Mouse and James Mercer will eventually create this perfect gem of an album that is hinted at here. Until that time we must be content with mere greatness (with a heavy dose of brilliance).

Standout Tracks:
#1 - “The High Road”
#2 - “Vaporize”
#3 - “Your Head Is On Fire”
#4 - “The Ghost Inside”
#7 - “Citizen”

2. High Violet by The National

In 2007 The National released Boxer...a fine enough album with barely a weak song and several songs that I really enjoyed. And yet there was enough there that I wasn’t completely sold on that I have not returned to that album much over the past 3 years. By comparison, High Violet never left any such doubts in my mind. From the first listen there was no question it was brilliant, it was just a matter of figuring out exactly HOW brilliant. Listening to this now at the end of the year I am realizing that it only keeps getting better the more time passes.

Standout Tracks:
#2 - “Sorrow”
#3 - “Anyone’s Ghost”
#5 - “Afraid of Everyone”
#10 - “England”

1. Teen Dream by Beach House
The title of this album gives it away, the key word being “dream”. “Teen” or otherwise, this album feels like a complete dream. There is not a single song that is not completely gorgeous...and yet if it has any fault, it’s that they are all so good that on initial listens, nothing really stands out. You keep waiting for it to falter and it never does. There are many songs that came out this year that I would consider better than anything on here, but there is no album that is as solid as this.

My first listen to Teen Dream was on a solitary road trip through the northwest corner of Nevada and into Oregon. It was a route I had never been on and it was amazingly desolate. At one point I think I drove over a hundred miles and only passed a handful of cars going the other direction. The cloud formations that day were otherworldly and that combined with the thrill that comes from seeing a new place for the first time provided the perfect atmosphere for this album. It truly felt like I had wandered into a dream. A Teen Dream apparently.

Standout Tracks:

#1 - “Zebra”
#4 - “Walk In the Park”
#5 - “Used to Be”
#7 - “Better Times”
#8 - “Ten Mile Stereo”

I'm Ready For What's Next

2010-12-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

As I have been working on completing "Here Nor There" over the course of the last 5 years, I have also been writing many other new songs as well. I have many that I feel very good about. "Come And Gone" is one such song. It is nearly complete lyrically. I've had various verses and chorus' written for some time now. I've finally sat down and finalized the complete song structure and begun the recording process. Here is the very early results that give a glimpse of the vision I have for this song. The prominent guitar line that you hear has been in my head for over a year now. I'm pretty much obsessed with the way it floats over the top of the chord sequence. I'm hoping that I'm onto something great here.

Have a listen

Come And Gone (Early Sample Clip - 01) by james Gillice

Cleaning Out the Closet

2010-12-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

With my third-born album "Here Nor There" now grown up and moved out of the house, it's time to go through a few old things and put them in order. I have quite a few little bits and pieces of songs from past sessions that never found a home. Most of them are in this homeless state because they obviously didn't belong anywhere else. They were either unfinished, didn't fit in, or were just plain not that good. There is one song, however that I was always proud of called "A Lie". I've polished it up a bit, created some artwork, and added a couple more of the best/most interesting of these leftovers to create a mini EP called "A Lie". Remember, these songs are pretty old and somewhat second rate...enjoy them for what they are.

The track-listing is as follows:

1. A Lie
2. So Alone
3. The Descent

All of these songs come from the "Making It Right Again" recording sessions of 2003-2005. Go HERE to listen and download it for free.

'Here Nor There' Song Sampler

2010-12-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

IMPORTANT MESSAGE - Please Read

2010-11-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

Greetings friends, family, acquaintances and/or fans...

It’s James Gillice here. As you may or may not know, in my spare time I am an independent singer-songwriter. I completely write and produce all of my music by myself. You may even be aware of the fact that I’ve been working on completing my third album for quite a few years now. Well it’s finally done! It is called Here Nor There and it is available to download right now! As you might imagine, I am pretty excited about this. This represents countless hours of work over many years. And now that it’s finished I only want one thing...for as many people as possible to hear and own it.

But here’s the problem...it turns out that it is no easy trick in this day and age to get people to even listen to your music, let alone consider parting with their hard earned cash to purchase it. So here’s the deal...I want EVERYONE to own this album. EVERYONE! If you are reading this, I want this album sitting on YOUR CD shelf or taking up YOUR hard drive space, playing on YOUR iPod, being listened to BY YOU, in whatever way and at whatever time is most convenient to you. That is my greatest desire.

I understand that it ridiculous to expect people to pay “full price” for music that they may be only marginally interested in. I certainly don’t do that myself. No one in their right mind would. And so I don’t expect you to either. I know that If I tried to charge (any amount really) for my music, 95% of you will just not be interested, and the music will remain unheard and un-enjoyed. That is just the reality. That is absolutely NOT what I want. Remember, I want EVERYONE to hear and own this album!

Here’s where I need your help. As of today I’m making Here Nor There available as a “pay what you want” download. What I need from you is simply for you to GO AND DOWNLOAD IT! That’s it. That’s all I ask. You will be able to pay whatever amount you feel it is worth to you. For many of you that amount might be zero. That’s OK!!! It is completely legitimate and I have no problem with that. Remember, I WANT you to have this more than anything! I’d rather you have it for free than not have it at all.

But here’s the other part of it...IF this music IS worth something to you, and you have the financial means to do so, PLEASE pay whatever you feel is a fair amount. No amount is too small or too large. Think of it more as giving a tip than making a purchase.

Also, if it just so happens that you DO enjoy this music, there are many other ways you can “pay” for it that have nothing to do with money. Recommend it to a friend...post about it in your blog...post a link on Facebook or MySpace...write a review on iTunes or Amazon...leave a comment at any of those places...there are dozens of things you could do to help without ever paying a dime. The more people that hear about the music the better. But again, the only thing I am truly expecting and asking of you is to PLEASE at least download this album for yourself. That is the minimum “requirement”. Pay if you want, but PLEASE download either way. Please don’t let money be the reason that you don’t own this.

Thank you for your time. Happy listening.
James

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Album Release Information

2010-11-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

Here it is folks. An official album release announcement!

Here Nor There, the third album by James Gillice, will be digitally released on Friday, November 26th. It will be available for download starting at midnight on Friday morning. This will be a "pay what you want" release. More details to follow.

Make the music of James Gillice a special part of your Holiday Season.

Go HERE to preview tracks now and to download on the 26th.

Something to Be Thankful For...

2010-11-23T10:32:00.001-08:00

I worked on about 5 songs last night. I can tell I'm getting close to finishing because the work goes very quickly these days. It's only the smallest of tweaks and changes that need to be made now. It's very, very close...and just in time for the Holiday weekend!

Stay tuned for a big announcement!

...OK...Maybe Not

2010-11-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

So in my last post I said there was only one song left that needed work. Upon further review it turns out that many songs needed a little help. I was able to help 3 of them last night, and there are probably at least 3 more that need a bit more work. I would say 2 of those 3 need major work.

Still making progress, just not as much as I'd hoped. I'm not a perfectionist really...I just know I will have to live with these recordings forever so they need to at least sound good.

One Left

2010-10-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

I've spent the weekend mastering tracks. All are essentially finished except for the last track "Comfort Me" which still needs some re-mixing and mastering. I've been reluctant to start that process because it is going to be some work. But I did get so a lot done with the rest of the songs. I've even gone back to songs that I thought were "finished" and have found ways to make them sound even better. One of the problems is that I'm still learning to use Logic Express, picking up new tricks along the way. Each time I figure something new out, I have to go back and apply it to every song. So that's basically what I did all weekend.

So now it's on to the final task at hand. I've never been happy with the way "Comfort Me" has sounded, but it was such a pain to mix it to the point it is at now. I'm hoping the time I have spent away from it (mixing it at least) will make it easier to come back to with fresh ears. I've had plenty of time to listen to it and I have a pretty good idea of the major changes it needs. I hope I can easily bring it up to the level it needs to be at. So that's my goal for this week. I'm not sure how much time I'll get this week because Desta has a project that she needs to finish on the computer. We really need a second iMac.

More of the Same

2010-10-26T10:35:00.001-07:00

I'm afraid these posts are getting boring (if they weren't already). I really have been working a lot lately, but it's just the same things over and over as covered in my last few posts. More mixing and re-mixing. I will say that it IS going well. A couple of songs are sounding better than they ever have.

I can't wait to finish this process. I'm very close. I can't wait to spend more time playing guitar and writing new songs.

Subtle Changes in the Night

2010-10-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

If any of you have been listening to the new songs on my bandcamp site, you may or may not have noticed that there are subtle changes in the mixes and a song might sound slightly different from one day to another. You see, what you are hearing is not actually the finished product just yet. Those are the "good enough to be heard by others" mixes. Not the"good enough to be on the final album" mixes. So most night I spend listening and tweaking and listening and tweaking again. At the end of the night I post the latest version to bandcamp. This is why I have not enabled downloading from that site yet. I don't want anyone to go and download an incomplete version.

Songs that have been getting this re-mix treatment lately are "Take Our Chances", "The Enemy Is Me", and "Drifting Away". The changes would be most noticeable in those songs. The other songs that I still find myself wanting to mess with are "Comfort Me" and "Castles In the Sand". Once everything is "good enough" it will be time to burn the final disc and get this baby into production.

I've also been working on finalizing the design and artwork. This is one of my favorite parts of the process. I recently added all of the lyrics to the fold out booklet. I'm now in the process of writing the album credits and thank you's and such. There is not a single photograph of myself and I think I will keep it that way. I'm quite sure I used too many on the last album so maybe I'm making up for that.

"Wherever You Go"...Finished!

2010-10-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

So I did end up adding a few backing vocal tracks as well as doubling the lead vocals. It is now a finished song which can be listened to by anyone...even YOU!

Listen on the player embedded on the right side of this page ----->

Go to the song page and read the lyrics if you're into that kind of thing. Don't forget to "Like" it.

Anyway, thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Vocals Recorded

2010-10-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

"Wherever You Go" has vocals! This was the last major missing piece of the Here Nor There puzzle. I recorded and mixed over the weekend but didn't have time to really listen for problems until the bus ride this morning. As is not usually the case after a first mix, it sounded really good with fresh ears this morning. I still may want to go back and do some vocal doubling or create some new harmonies, but it could actually be complete at this point. Like I said, this was the last major task left. From here it's just listening and making minor adjustments until it's as perfect as I am capable of or patient enough to make it.

Once I am fairly certain that I've got an acceptable mix, I'll get this song up on the webs so people can hear it.

The Joy of Just Playing

2010-10-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

Things are very close to being finished. I'm a mere few hours away from getting the final vocal tracks recorded for the last remaining song. When I will actually get to start those hours is another question. After recording is finished, it will just be a matter if going back and making any last minute adjustments to any of the songs that need it.

For several years now, as I've been working on this project, I find that when I have the time I feel guilty if I'm not hard at work with recording and mixing these songs that are all 4 or 5 years old at this point. The production aspect has taken a front seat to actually playing music, which I really have done very little of in recent years. So much in fact that I've at times found that picking up the guitar and attempting to play is not as effortless as it once was. In short, I've gotten a bit rusty and it is frustrating. My fingers will hurt sooner than they should because they are not as tough as they once were. It often takes a concerted effort that once wasn't necessary and I feel the quality of my performance has suffered out of sheer neglect.

But last night I decided to forgo work on the album and just pick up the guitar and play. It was the most rewarding musical experience I've had in a while. It felt great. My fingers are back to their old strength, the music came forth with ease, and most importantly, my heart was in it. It was nice to feel that again.

I can't wait to get this album completely finished so I can get back to the less technical part of creating music...writing the actual songs. And I just think I should mention, I've got quite a few good ones coming through these days. I can't wait to flesh them out and see what kind of life they take on in the recording process. One song particularly has me excited, "Come and Gone" has the potential to be the most beautiful thing I've ever written. I love it. Hopefully you will too.

Stay tuned. Much more to come in the weeks ahead concerning album completion and release.

Much Love,

James

Mixing...

2010-09-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

...lots and lots of mixing. Changing, tweaking, adjusting...all in the name of improvement. Is it worth hours and hours of time for improvements that most people will not even notice? Well yes, actually it is.

To The Last

2010-09-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

"Wherever You Go" is the last song awaiting completion. Last night I went over the lyrics that I'd written a very long time ago and took stock of what was there. It turns out there are more lyrics than I can fit into the song, so it's a matter of figuring out what to cut, what to keep, what changes to make, and what order to put it all in. I'm excited to hear how this one turns out. It's kind of an odd song in a way that I can't explain. It has an unusual melody and rhythm in the verse that is carried along by semi-syncopated guitar riff and a echoing electronic beep of sorts. The strings and backing vocals are laden with reverb to give it an ambient feel that I am really enjoying. The chorus is my favorite part. It's quite catchy and keeps the song from being only a sonic experiment.

This is one of those where I'm not sure where it came from or what it is exactly. All I know is, there it is...and I like it.

It's hard to say what other people might think of it. Maybe they'll love it. Maybe they won't. I'm curious to find out.

Progress

2010-09-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

I've been working my way down the list, trying to get everything that needs to be done...done. "Take Our Chances" is officially finished. "Castles In the Sand" is officially finished. "Drifting Away" is the next major mixing project on my list. And when that's done I just need to finish recording vocals for "Wherever You Go" and then complete a final mix of it.

It really is getting close now.

All That's Left to Do

2010-09-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my short "to do" list of items remaining to be finished.

Take Our Chances - Worked on it a bit more last night. It's in a good place right now. This mix might even be finished. Need to listen to it a bit more.
Castles In the Sand - The mix needs major work. This could take a while or could happen very quickly...you never know with these things.
Drifting Away - Mix needs work. Again, this could be very difficult or very easy and quick.
Wherever You Go - Instruments are all mixed and sounding great. Lyrics need to be finalized and vocals recorded.
Comfort Me - I'm not sure what needs to be done here. Maybe nothing. Maybe something.

And once all of that is done...

Mastering of all tracks - I need to adjust volume and levels and determine track beginnings and endings and any overlaps of the two and basically lay out the structure of the album before burning a master copy.

And finally...

Artwork - The artwork is mostly finished. The CD booklet will include all lyrics this time around. I haven't been able to finish laying this out yet since I haven't finalized the lyrics for "Wherever You Go". I also would like to get a recent photo of myself to include somewhere in the packaging. As of now there are no photos of myself, which may be a good thing. I may have Desta take some photos and see what we come up with.

Looking at all of those items it is becoming apparent that I won't be able to get that all done in the 6 days I have left until my self-imposed deadline of September 28th. Even still, I am pleased with the progress in the past few days and feel good about getting everything completed at some point. I really just want to finish this and get it out of the way so I can move on to better things. This has been a 5 year project and much of this album does not represent where I am at now as a songwriter. I can't wait to move on to the next stage of my work. If you're reading this, thanks for sticking around. I have great hope for the future...stay tuned.

James

We've Made a Breakthough...

2010-09-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

...and I suppose by "we" I mean "I".

For many years now I've been trying to figure out how to get "Take Our Chances" to sound like anything but a complete mess. I've fiddled and tweaked and hoped and prayed that it could be anything other than an atrocity. You see, it had so much potential, but the recordings were just bad. I've known that I just needed to cut a few parts out, re-record some others...but I just couldn't get the nerve to do it.

Well as of last night I've made major changes that bring this little piece of music into the realm "album worthy" material. It had better be since it is slated as the opening track of the album. It's not exactly where it needs to be just yet, but it is now to a point where I know that it's possible. And really that is one of the major things that has been holding me back for a while.

Title Track

2010-08-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

I've had a piece of music that's been sitting around for a few years now. It's really just a echo laden guitar only piece that repeats itself a few times. There's not really anything too amazing about it but it captures a certain mood that I like toward the end of the album. It now has a name and a place on the album as the penultimate track. This move also keeps consistent with my tradition of always using a short instrumental song in this spot. For Let Me In it was "Sleep Well", on Making It Right Again it was "Days End", and now on Here Nor There it is "Here Nor There".

You can listen to it here...

Title Track - "Here Nor There"

Release Date, Cover Art, Final Track Listing...

2010-08-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here Nor There, the new album by James Gillice.

Tentative release date: September 28th, 2010

Final tracklist:

Take Our Chances
This Moment
By And By
Castles In the Sand
Drifting Away
The Enemy Is Me
Wherever You Go
Dear Friend
Take Our Chances (Again)
Here Nor There
Comfort Me

Check out the newly created Here Nor There album page. Also listen to the new track, Take Our Chances (Again).

Artwork, Songs, Layout...All New, All Coming Soon...

2010-08-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings fine people of the internet.

Where in the heck have I been with this blog lately? Good question. I suppose I've been letting the updates to my facebook and bandcamp pages suffice for a while. But as easy as that is to do, I really do miss the more in depth distribution of information that the blog allows for.

You may have seen the new artwork on the bandcamp page. This is in line with the look and feel of the artwork for the upcoming Here Nor There album cover which will be finalized shortly and posted here. To keep things consistent, this blog page will be getting a visual overhaul as well in the very near future.

As for the music itself, it's getting ever closer to completion. All but 2 songs are completely finished now. It's been such a long time coming, I'm almost more excited for the NEXT album, for which I already have many songs written. I PROMISE that one will not take 5 years to finish.

The Logical Choice

2010-02-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

It's a new year...has been for a while now. There have been some big changes around here. After 7 years of using the same computer for recording all of my music, it was well beyond time for an upgrade. I was hoping to finish the new album before this upgrade was to take place, but it is just taking too long and couldn't be put off any more.

So I've made the long awaited switch to an iMac. And with the introduction of the new 27" model, it seemed like the perfect time. So of course with a new Apple computer, it was necessary to upgrade my recording software. I am now using Logic Express for all of my recording and mixing. This really opens up quite a few new possibilities for my music and I have spent the last few weeks learning this new software and getting my music files transfered over.

It has been a set back of sorts, but it should mean that I will be able to get a lot more done in a lot less time, and it will all sound a lot better. I've been working on a new mix of "Take Our Chances" and I am finally getting somewhere with it. I am hoping to have a mix worthy of posting to Bandcamp very soon. Stay tuned.

Take Our Chances...Again and Again and Again

2009-12-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

So I have reached the point of total frustration. The song Take Our Chances is just not working. I'm not sure what is wrong and why I cannot get it to sound good no matter what I do. It might be time to just do a complete overhaul and start from scratch. This track is supposed to be the opening track for the Album and as such I'm trying to get it done first. If it doesn't work out I may just scrap it and keep the second version that ALSO appears on the Album as the penultimate song. I'm just not sure what to replace it with as the opener.

I'll keep you posted on the progress or lack thereof.

Dear Friend...Check it out!

2009-12-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

Yes, as a matter of fact it has been a VERY long time since I've updated.

I'll have more to post soon on the album progress, but for now I just want to make you aware of my new web site that is pretty dang awesome. You can easily listen to ALL of my music, read lyrics, order CD's and/or download songs you like for a reasonable cost.

There are 3 new songs posted as well as all old albums.

Be sure to check out the BRAND NEW song Dear Friend, which will be on the new album. It's a song that was written 8 or 9 years ago that I rediscovered and decided to record. It really turned out to be quite good I think. A tinge of darkness musically, and a bit sad...but not completely hopeless. It should be a great addition to the album. I've mentioned the song before in this blog, you may remember, but now you can actually hear it. Unless you hate it, be sure to come back and let me know what you think.

"Drifting Away" Indeed

2009-07-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Nearly four years ago...

I had just completed my second album "Making It Right Again" over the summer of '05. Because of the huge amount of time that was demanded to complete that album, I subsequently took a few months off from songwriting and recording. Later that year I picked up the guitar again and began writing my first "new" song in quite some time.

That song became what is now known as "Drifting Away"...and last night, almost 4 years later, I did some recording and put the final touches on it. 4 YEARS LATER!!!

If anything around here is drifting away it's time.

Slight Change of Plans

2009-07-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

So...sometimes it's ok to change plans.

My original idea was to complete 14-15 songs and choose the best 10-12 for the final album. At this point I have 10 songs that are near completion. All of these songs are good enough to make the album. So do I continue to try to finish more tunes so I can have the best of the best?...OR...do I accept the songs that are closest to being finished as the final songs? Because of time constraints I am going with the latter option. With a little more recording and some final mixing and mastering this album will finally be finished. Don't get too excited, that's still probably months away...but that's better than years away. The songs that get left behind will serve as a starting point for the next album.

So the tracklist as it stands now is as follows:

Take Our Chances
This Moment
By And By
Castles In the Sand
Drifting Away
The Enemy Is Me
Wherever You Go
Dear Friend
Take Our Chances (Again)
Deep In the Heart

I'd say those first five songs are a lock...the rest could still change as the songs are finished and as I listen to them in order a few hundred times. There may even be a short instrumental or two added just for good measure, seeing as how all of my previous albums have those. We'll see if that works out or not. But rest assured that this baby is nearer to completion that it's ever been before.

I Can Feel It...

2009-05-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

...There is definately an album emerging here. It's identity and form becomes more and more clear each day. Deep In the Heart, the designated closing track of the album, is near completion and sounding just dandy to these ears. A few more tweeks and maybe a last minute addition and it'll be all ready to take it's place among the ever growing list of near completed songs.

Stay tuned...

What's In A Name?

2009-05-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

"Comfort Me" has a new name..."Deep In the Heart" is now the title of this peice of music that's been kicking around my hard drive for years now. I'm very excited that this song is starting to take a shape that is worthy of the great potential I've seen in it since it's birth.

All that is left to do is record the final vocals, add a few more backing vocals, maybe another guitar, and then spend weeks mixing it all until it sounds as near to perfect as I can get it.

"Comfort Me"/"Deep In the Heart" has always been slated to be the closer of the album and now I think it will fill that role quite nicely. Is it overly-sentimantal, schmaltzy, overblown and bombastic? Maybe. Is it quite possibly the best thing I've ever done? Perhaps. Ask me again in 5 years.

Excitement Returns!

2009-04-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

The reality that school is almost over, I mean like as in forever, is filling me with desires to accomplish things in my life that have been put off for far too long. You know,things like finishing this album that is already two years later than I had planned as it is.

Knowing that I'm graduating gives me and feeling of freedom that is unlike anything I've felt in a long time. Not only will I have more time and less distractions, it feels like a huge cloud that has loomed over my head for years is vanishing. A huge burden is being lifted from my back. My main long term goal for the past (large number that I'd rather not specify) years is nearly accomplished.

So, back to the album...

I've taken an important step and gone through all the song I have at this stage, whether completed, semi-completed, or barely started...and I've come up with a working tracklist. Doing this has made this project feel more real and given me some new enthusiasm to get it completed.

Here is the tracklist I've come up with. Remember that many of these are incomplete or need major work...

Take Our Chances
Castles In the Sand
This Moment
Wherever You Go
The Enemy Is Me
Dear Friend
By And By
Take Our Chances (Again)
Drifting Away
So Far Gone
[Instrumental] (needs a name)
Comfort Me

There are a number of songs that got left off of this list either because the quality is not yet what it should be or they are just not far enough along in the completion process. There is plenty of this "B" material that hopefully will come together quickly for the next album. I've got a lot of time to make up for. Here's a few of these songs...

The Edge Of the Known Universe
Somewhere In Between
Never And Forever
Anything At All
Save My Soul
There's a Certain Darkness That's Gone

So there you go...

Stay tuned if you're still out there and care. There should be a lot more updates in the coming weeks. Are you excited? Well I am and that's really all that matters.

My Oh My, How the Time Does Fly

2008-11-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

Well here I am again. Three months seems to be how long it takes me to get to this blog. It has been a crazy few months around the Gillice home, so I'll use that as my excuse for not updating. Between the final stages of pregnancy, a birth and recovery gone wrong, and a small man child that needs attention every waking hour, I have managed to actually get some work done on the album.

Most of what I have accomplished in recent weeks is the finishing and fixing up of lyrics. Most recently (last weekend) I have focused my efforts on getting one song completely finished. That song, "The Enemy Is Me" has been lying around for well over a year. I got the lyrics to a place where I can live with them and so I decided to just finish it off. I now have it to a near final mix. A few more day/weeks of listening and changing and it should be done.

Also, I have 2 very different versions of a song called "Take Our Chances" that I am thinking might both make the album. One will be sort of a reprise of the other but in a very different style. Whichever version I decide to put second in the track order will be called "Take Our Chances Again" since the word "again" is the actual lyric and to differentiate the two songs and because you are hearing it "again" for the second time on the album.

There is a new song that has been developed in recent months called "Never And Forever". The music is fairly cool but I'm unsure about the melody and lyrics. Right now I just want to finish songs that are near completion before working on newer stuff. I've got to finish someday, right?

3 Months? Where Have I Been?

2008-08-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

OK so yeah. I actually went on a recording spree a few weeks back (months?) and got quite a bit done. I kind of go in spurts like that. Sometimes I feel like I have so many songs and ideas in various stages of completion that it is daunting to try to decide where to even begin. I get the most done when I just choose one song to work on and just go to town.

The last song I have been working on (quite a few weeks ago now) is a song called "Take Our Chances". I made some substantial changes to it and mellowed it out a lot. It has some nice slide guitar in it now and a more county/folk vibe than it used to. It was originally a full on Rock song. I still have the old version saved so eventually I'll post both and people can decide which one they like better. I think this new version fit better with the direction I would like to go with this next album.

Am I really still recording an album? Sometimes I forget.

A Few Lyrical Excerpts

2008-05-01T07:06:00.001-07:00

Comfort Me

And what have we become?
In a world of failing schemes and broken dreams
We make ourselves a home

And time keeps moving on
With so much left undone
We run to try and catch the setting sun

But we fall by the way
As our tired, useless legs betray
The masters that they once obeyed

And who could even say
If we're worthy of our days
And the untold prices we have paid

But this is who we are
And this is how we'll always be
I was alone
You came to comfort me...

The Enemy Is Me
(formerly "Stability Crisis")

Now that I have been let in
And I have made things right again
I feel like I am neither here nor there

I'm sure that it must be a sin
To dream about what might have been
Or is the greater sin to pretend that I don't care?

...

Happiness is something
That used to come and go

And heartache is a long lost friend
That I don't hardly know...anymore

But I'm coming to accept the fact
That everything's OK

And it's hard to sit and write this song
When I don't have much to say...anyway

Wherever You Go

Save my soul
I would forget myself
If I could take control

But more and more
I can't forgive myself
My back's against this wall
And I don't know...

If I can take this anymore

UPDATE:

2008-03-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I have posted. Between getting ready to move and school and work, I haven't done much with music lately. Last week though, Desta and Zoe were out of town and I had a few days to write and record. While I did not get as much done as I would have liked, I made some progress on a couple of new songs. One is a pretty rocking affair called "Castles In the Sand" that is quite fun and promising. That song has been sitting around for like a year and a half and was just waiting to be recorded. The other song I worked on is a newer piece that does not have a title yet. I like it quite a bit and am hopeful that it will turn out great.

At this point I really have SO MUCH material to work with. It is hard to figure out which is the most promising and what I should spend my time working on. Maybe I'll just make 2 albums simultaneously? Who knows. But rest assured that the work in going forward.

Once we get moved into our new place and settled a bit, hopefully I can get back into recording on a more regular basis.

IN OTHER NEWS:
"By And By" has just made it to round 2 at Garageband.com and has jumped up to number 50 (of 332) on the "Folk Rock" chart. It currently has a 4.7 (out of 5) star rating.

"By And By" to Be Folk Rock Track of the Day at Garageband.com

2008-01-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

On January 22nd, "By And By" will be featured HERE as Folk Rock Track of the Day. It also was chosen as "Best Lyrics in Folk Rock" and "Best Beat in Folk Rock" for the week of Jan 14th.

It has been steadily climbing the Garageband.com Charts and currently sits at #88 of 235 (all-time: #749 of 2,820) in the Folk Rock genre. These awards and chart positions are based reviews by other users/musicians so it's nice to get a small bit of recognition for this song which is one of my personal favorites.

New Recordings, Mixes and Equipment Failures

2008-01-01T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I have had the a week and a half of nothing but free time. Tomorrow I will start up work and school again. I am glad to say that during this time I was able to get a little bit of recording and mixing done. One of the things that takes the longest about the whole mixing process is that I need to listen to a song for days and weeks before the imperfections become noticeable so that I can fix them. It can take a long time until I am happy enough to declare a song finished.

"Dear Friend" - Finished recording and came up with a near final mix. It just needs to be tested (listened to on various sound systems) and then any problems fixed in the final mixing process. I think this song turned out pretty well.
"This Moment" - This song had a final mix (or so I thought), but after weeks of listening to it in the car and on the iPod, something was just not right. So I took the final mix and using waveform editing software I fixed the problems...I hope. This will need to be tested again to see if the new changes will help. It was mostly EQ issues.
"Stability Crisis" - This song needs a re-write of some of the lyrics and will probably get a new title, but this week I made some other changes to it. I realized that it was in the wrong key. I dropped it down about 2 full steps and I think that made a huge difference. I had to go back and re-program some of the sampled sounds to fit the key change. Then I re-recorded the acoustic guitar to match as well. The song has a different feel to it now but I really like the changes. Oh, I didn't record new vocals for it yet but I did do a pitch shift to the old vocals. Now they are in the right key but sound really funny because they have been digitally altered. I'll have to save a copy of this version just to laugh at later.

I was not able to do all of the recording I would have liked to because my effects processor for the guitar is starting to die. It's a little frustrating because it cost me $90 when I got it 3 years ago. The good news is that if I can't get this one fixed, I can by a much better one for the same price I got this one for. I'm not sure if I want it to be fixed or not.

I'm On iTunes

2008-01-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

If you still have not purchased Making It Right Again, it is now available on iTunes (as well as Amazon.com and other online music stores. The link below will open up iTunes and take you to my album.

"Now I Understand" to be on Compilation CD

2007-11-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

My song "Now I Understand" has been chosen to be featured on the Carbon Drum compilation CD.

Go check it out HERE. It is track #6 on the "Rock , Indie, Folk" CD.

You can pre-order the CD if you like for $9. Be sure to put my name where it says "Which Band Referred You?" Most of that $9 dollars goes to the artist (me) plus you will help me work towards winning a contest by selling thew most CDs.

Thanks for everyone's continued support. I'm pretty excited to receive this recognition from an unbiased 3rd party. Hopefully this will mean that a lot of new people will be exposed to my music. So if you're a fan, please spread the word!

Thanks,
James

Woke Up This Morning...

2007-11-16T07:32:00.000-08:00

...with a song in my head.

Sometimes it just happens like that. You are just given a song as a gift without even trying or asking. Such was the case this morning as I woke up (late for work) and walked to the bathroom. A cheery song about sunshine began playing in my head. It's funny because I was not in a very cheery mood at the time. Inspiration is unpredictable like that.

So, late as I already was, I decided to skip the shower and instead pulled out the acoustic and pounded (quietly, of course) out the chords I was hearing in my head (C, G, Dm, F). I also came up with a chord structure for the verses (C,G, Am, Am).

The words that I heard in my head were these:

So let the sun shine on me
And keep the rain far from me
(Haven't figured this line out yet)
Until the daylight becomes me

So, there you have it boys and girls, the beginning of a song. Someday when you are listening to the finished product you can feel privileged to know the back story of this little gem of a tune called "Sunshine" (or whatever it ends up being called by then).

"Dear Friend"...Where Have You Been?

2007-11-04T23:08:00.000-08:00

I started playing a REALLY old song on the guitar this weekend, just for fun. The song, "Dear Friend" is from way back in the days when Travis Biggs and I performed as "Sneath Clay". It's actually a really good song that might be good enough to bring to life with a studio recording. It has never been recorded. It could be a haunting little number if done properly. I may play around with recording it and see how it turns out. It is completely written already so that will save some time.

Dear Friend,
Where have you been?
It's good to see your face again
I see you've traveled for many miles
And so I greet you with a smile
And ask you if you'll stay a while with me

Won't you stay with me
Like it used to be?

Dear Friend.
Where have you gone?
You've been gone or way too long
And which road have you been on?
And did you sing your greatest song?
And will you ever sing that song to me?

Won't you sing to me
Like it used to be?

And you'll never go a season without rain
Never know the good times without pain
So it is with you and I my friend
Things may never be the same again

Dear friend,
Where did you go?
To look for something else I know
So tell me now, what did you find?
I'll tell you what you've left behind
Or have you now become too blind to see?

Have you come to see
That you're missing me?

'Cause you'll never go a season without rain
Never know the good times without pain
So it is with you and I my friend
Things may one day be the same again

"Take Our Chances"...Again

2007-11-04T23:04:00.000-08:00

So, I recorded a completely new version of a song called "Take Our Chances". It still has a ways to go before it is done, but I think the new direction is a big improvement.

This Blog Needs Pictures, No?

2007-10-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

All these words, as important as they are, seem to make for an uninteresting blog. I will start taking some pictures of my recording equipment or something to liven this place up a bit.

UPDATE: That's better.

"Stability Crisis" Gets a Makeover

2007-10-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

I pulled out the old acoustic today to fix some lyrics that have been bugging me. The song is called (for now) "Stability Crisis" and it's one of my favorites. I have a recorded version of it that I listen to on my iPod but I have been frustrated because there is one lyric that I don't like. Today I changed things around a bit and I am much more happy with it. It still not perfect but I might be able to live with it if the music and production turn out OK.

If "Stability Crisis" turns out to be as good as I am hoping, it may be a contender for opening track of the album. We will see. There is a long way to go before I will need to make decisions like that.

To finish this song I will need to re-record the main vocals and record some backing vocals (which will be an integral part of the song). Also, I thought of a guitar riff in my head today that will need to be added to the verses.

Recording Hiatus

2007-10-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, life is getting in the way of music right now. Between School, Work, Church and Family Responsibilities I barely have time to breathe. Hopefully I can re-structure my time and get back to being creative again. Unfortunately, it is hard to schedule creativity.

I am extremely excited about finishing this project when I actually think about it. It's just hard to find time to think about it. I will post some clips of new songs for your listening pleasure when I get back into things a bit.

"Drifting Away"

2007-09-18T10:42:00.001-07:00

I listened to the mix this morning and it really is a decent song. The frustration I have is with the mix. It's a muddy mess that took forever to get sounding as good as it does now.

The idea of re-mixing is a daunting task. There is always the fear that you will screw things up and never get it back to the way it was before. I also need to re-write a couple of lyrics re-record the vocals as well.

It will take some work, but I think it can be a great song.

Two Finished Songs So Far

2007-09-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

My last post seems a bit negative upon review. When I say I haven't completed much work in the past year, I don't mean that I haven't done anything. In fact, right now I have 2 songs that are completely finished and ready to go.

One of these, "By and By", I actually put up on the web quite some time ago. If you are reading this right now, it is safe to say you may have heard this song. I slightly tweaked the mix of the version that is online and mastered it again. The changes were very subtle and I doubt most people will even notice. But it sounds a lot better to me. I am very happy with that song. It has a simplicity that I enjoy. I can't quite put my finger on what is special about it, but it resonates with me.

The second song that is completely done is a bit of a new direction for me. It is called "This Moment". It reminds me of a song like "That Night Back In June" but with a more electronic, produced and spacious feel to it. I love the chorus personally. The structure is a bit different from the norm. I am excited about it at the moment. It should find a nice home on the album.

One Year Ago...

2007-09-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

...I wrote a song on my birthday.

That song was the first song I had written in quite a while.

"Another year has passed me by, but am I closer to my goal
Or one breath closer to the day my body rests and leaves my soul?"

So the first verse began, and so it remains still. Many other parts however, have been changed, re-arranged and then changed back again. This song, currently called "Drifting Away", seemed to have so much potential at the time. Now I see many faults with it. The frustrating thing is I don't know how to fix it.

I think most of the problem is the that I can't get the mix sound right. Although there are a couple of lyrics that definitely could be improved. The truth is that it has been so long now that I am somewhat over the song. And so the question is this: Take the time to fix the song or just move on to new material?

The sad thing is that in the year since I penned that song, I have written much less new material than I had hoped to. I had hoped to finish a new studio album by this summer. Summer will now be over in a few days and I am not much further along than I was a year ago. With the "recording studio" becoming the nursery, it really couldn't be avoided I suppose. In recent weeks, we have done some re-arranging of the furniture which has created a way for me to record once again.

So this blog will be a record of the creative process that will go into this recording. I don't know who will even care to read this but myself and I suppose it doesn't really matter.