We Don't Control the Controls

me right now

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:21:01 -0400

me right now

loscampband: A well overdue update on how things are going in the studio: Very well, thank you very...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:00:00 -0400

A well overdue update on how things are going in the studio:

Very well, thank you very much.

It’s mad to think we’re recording our fifth album. 6 years ago we went to Toronto to make number one, ‘Hold On Now, Youngster…’, in what was, with hindsight, quite an ordeal, and now we find ourselves in equally glamorous Bethesda, North Wales, making number 5.

Bethesda is the perfect location for us to be recording. We prefer to record somewhere reasonably isolated, and where we can stay onsite. The nature of the way we record means there will inevitably be days where you have no recording duties to carry out, but it’s nice to still be ever so close to the studio, so you can constantly pop your head into the control room to see what’s going on. The studio is located about a 10 minute walk from the highstreet, so daily strolls there are a must. Bethesda is a quiet, working class, Welsh-speaking town and I’ve really taken to it. Good, honest people and decent pubs.

We’ve 10 more days of recording, and I feel like we’re keeping to schedule better than we ever have before. Usually we find ourselves scrambling and panicking the last couple of days, but there’s no reason that should be the case this time. That’ll mean we’ve more time to work on the final flourishes of songs. Backing vocals, percussion and any other frivolities that might spring to mind. With ‘Hello Sadness’ I recall us finishing off group vocals as we were loading the van ready to leave. No need for that this time.

Personally, this is the most I’ve enjoyed any recording experience. Obviously it helps that the Confederations Cup and Big Brother have started now, and we’ve had Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice too, but the whole living arrangement and the atmosphere within the band has been conducive to great times. I’ve nearly finished writing lyrics for all the songs too. I never start writing before we’re in the studio, because I feel like a phoney if I’m creating ‘art’ under any motivation other than time pressure. I know that’s not ideal. But the songs are really fucking strong, and sounding huge, and it’s been an absolute pleasure to write for them.

I’d like nothing more than to list off songtitles, as that’s the sort of thing that makes this seem REAL, but we need to drip-feed this stuff, so here’s a couple of acronyms for the time being, of songs that I’ve already recorded the vocals for and are near completion - ‘TTBTLT’ & ‘A, B’.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I did some pretty alright renovating compared to the...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:17:10 -0400

I think I did some pretty alright renovating compared to the previous disaster of a house if I do say so myself.

thechosenjuan: The Lego Movie comes from Phil Lord and Chris...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:55:03 -0400

thechosenjuan:

The Lego Movie comes from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the directors of 21 Jump Street and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, not to mention the late, great TV toon, Clone High.

HELP I’M SO HAPPY

gyarados: Alecks and I were having a competition to see who could catch a coelacanth first and...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:07:00 -0400

gyarados:

Alecks and I were having a competition to see who could catch a coelacanth first and while he was putting out furniture for a garage sale in his house I went to the beach and the first fish I caught was a coelacanth lmao

ugh

jackadiddlediddle: awkwardseasoning: omg. We found the new...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:53:06 -0400

jackadiddlediddle:

awkwardseasoning:

omg.

We found the new sass queen of the drum corps world

Photo

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:54:00 -0400

Check out our new band making cool sounds

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:24:09 -0400

Check out our new band making cool sounds

Photo

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:54:00 -0400

Photo

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:46:00 -0400

A warm welcome for Meysell

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:37:00 -0400

A warm welcome for Meysell

Photo

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:31:58 -0400

gyarados: NEVER LETTING ALECKS INTO MY TOWN AGAIN HE RAN ALL OVER MY ROSES THAT I PLANTED SO...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:03:00 -0400

gyarados:

NEVER LETTING ALECKS INTO MY TOWN AGAIN HE RAN ALL OVER MY ROSES THAT I PLANTED SO CAREFULLY BYE

HEY IT WASN’T GONNA SAVE SO I NEEDED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY AND IT WAS SO WORTH IT

Get a load of this guy falling in his own pitfall and then...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:57:00 -0400

Get a load of this guy falling in his own pitfall and then giving me a space station for a tree and an ugly table

bulbagarden: Poliwhirl by ~ravenoath

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:02:03 -0400

bulbagarden:

Poliwhirl by ~ravenoath

gyarados replied to your photo: Don’t ever let me get into interior design. WOW and you said...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:25:35 -0400

gyarados replied to your photo: Don’t ever let me get into interior design.

WOW and you said your house was better than mine

That was yesterday when your house was a tiny lame shack without a dinosaur head

I’m going to be so rich in the morning.

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:24:00 -0400

I’m going to be so rich in the morning.

Don’t ever let me get into interior design.

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:21:00 -0400

Don’t ever let me get into interior design.

carteryoudick: (x)

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:02:25 -0400

carteryoudick:

(x)

A Night at Nick’s Town

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:40:00 -0400

A Night at Nick’s Town