The RPM Challenge

(Sunday, 17 August 2008) Written by Dazzleships

So, I listened to lat year's Rapids and this years Songs from the Dream Furnace and wondered... what happened?

I feel the melodies are stronger on my second album, but it just does not propell like the first one. Of course, the second album was an absolute chore. I suppose, now that months have passed, it sounds like it.

"Labored" is the word that comes to mind. I recieved some kind words, especially from Aged Machine, but everyone else I sent the album to never made any comment about it. I am not so precious as to think that my RPM buddies have nothing better to do with their time than to praise my work. Nor am I fishing for compliments. I received plenty of encouragement during and after the Challenge was over.

Still, I feel like it was overworked and not very natural. A classic example of the "Sophomore Slump" that -- allegedly -- plagued many bands on major labels throughout the decades. Even on my micro scale, I feel I am in the same boat,

I look forward to next February, and have my three dozen snippets that may (or may not) become full-fledged songs. I can appreciate the artists who could not finish the Challenge because of mundane restrictions, excepting those who felt they had nothing to learn/conrtibutre and were above the likes of us who slaved away in February. (Roman[us] comes to mind.) But, I also wonder if anyone else has experienced the same phenomenon? Or, did anyone find greater artistic success on their second run through the gauntlet?

Comments (6)

1 Easier and Harder
Written by Babys First Ride, on 08-17-2008 02:30
My first CD I finished in 18 days. I was up all night and I had to work really hard to get anything accomplished. The 2nd album I had time to prepare and build up and it was easier in the way that I had everything I needed. But harder because I didn't have a new focus. I was simple repeating the previous year. That made it tough to keep motivated, so I created a mediocre body of work. I had one or two OK tunes, but overall it was less inspired than last year. The songs are better constructed though and more consistent, just not more intersting. Since then I have found a new way to record and finish the music, so I'm looking forward to the challenge again. I will be attempting to create, record and master within the month. Mastering is brand new to me and is far more detailed than I first imagine - but as impossible either. That's what will it interesting again...for me.

2 Written by Sister Savage, on 08-17-2008 03:57
I prefer this year's to last year's. Mainly because I was working largely on my own, whereas I had a partner in 2007, who (as the musician) pretty much dictated the pace and style of all the songs.

I'm not sure if next year will be much of a success though, as I rounded off a lot of half-written songs this time, and have very little left in the pot...

3 Written by Dazzleships, on 08-17-2008 21:46
Babys First Ride explained -- almost to the letter -- what 2008 was like for me.

Sister Savage. I may try collaborating next year to keep me on a schedule. Do what I do, fill that pot with half-finished work.

4 Tough One
Written by Gary Fox, on 08-17-2008 22:56
This year's submission was my 3rd one. I waffle back and forth. When I first submitted it I felt like it wasn't as cohesive as 2007's, which just kind of fell together and seemed to have this thread going through it that tied it all up nicely. Now, 6 months later I would say I performed better and recorded better on this year's. It's also more colorful if such a word can be used to describe sound. My 2007 album has a black and white cover, intentionally since that's how the music felt. This year's album cover was done last minute, specifically to suit the mood of the songs.

In short, don't worry about it. You never really know who good something was until about 5 years down the road. It takes that long to be a different person than you were before and to give you that divorced from it perspective.

Cheers,

Gary

5 Gary Fox
Written by Sister Savage, on 08-18-2008 02:16
I put everything in to 'quarantine' when I consider it to be finished. So, I won't allow myself to listen to it for a week in order to forget what I "think" it sounds like. I usually find that on its release from quarantine I am usually horrified, and rush straight back in to the garage to change it. I can't do that with this challenge because of the timescales, which is so refreshing...and not a little bit scary. :-)

6 Quarantine
Written by Babys First Ride, on 08-18-2008 21:02
I need longer than a week. I need a least a month to really get away and calibrate my ears. But I can imagine life is pretty busy there in the savage kingdom so I can see how a week would work for Sister S. I need a significant life event to take my mind away from the project and it may take a couple of week for that to happen. This year has been full of them, so I guess I've been fortunate that way.

I need to pull a Hemmingway. Find a favorite little town somewhere and quiet my mind so I can write some really meaningful lyrics. I'm afraid Paris is out of the question.

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