BLIP....album breakdown (Side A)
My attempt to give some further insight into how NAHreally & I made the album "BLIP"
So my latest album, a collaboration with
, has been out for a number of months now so I thought it was a good time to revisit and try and give some further insights into how it was made with a track-by-track breakdown.
#1. These Days:
This track was one of the very last to be written at the very end of the project. We realised the album needed more of an announcement to start it off. NAH originally wrote the verse to a different beat and we both agreed that it really encapsulated a lot of what the record was about - the challenges of modern life, social media and technology.
Went through quite a few attempts before stumbling on the final version. I knew I wanted to create a new beat around the verse to give it a sense of gravitas for a triumphant grand entrance. The swirling strings, flute and vocals bring intent and I tried to make the drums bang but ensure that it was short statement. You were into the album quickly, knew what it was about before quickly moving on to the next statement. Peep the full album visual version below. Amazing work by NAHreally piecing this video altogether.
#2. Smarter Than I Am:
This is the first song we wrote together for the album. The production on this track was my attempt to link NAH’s previous work to mine. It’s smooth, got a bounce with the drum swing and then incorporates a big psych guitar riff for the chorus which in 9 bars long. I vividly remember listen to Jay Dee’s ‘Vintage’ album during this time so elements probably crept into this track.
I also then treated NAHs vocals with lots of effects to introduce the psychedelic sonics to the album. It really felt like a true marriage of our styles to date and an introduction to where the album is going. I think this song caught a bit of lightning in a bottle and gave us a roadmap of what a NAHreally & The Expert album could sound like.
#3. Breaking Down In Real Time:
Another one of the first tracks we did. Think I covered this previously but we had the demo with 1 verse and a hook for a while. We then decided we would make up a wish list of potential featured artists to collaborate with. NAHs first pick was Open Mike Eagle so we contacted Nate LeBlanc from Dad Bod Rap Pod for contact details (who ended up writing the liner notes). Got in touch with OME and delighted to say it all came together as planned! We discussed this on more on the Dad Bod Rap Pod that you can hear here.
Production wise the track was based around the bass line but wanted to incorporate a change which is where the vocal chorus came in. Also wanted to retain the big psych guitar stabs and chops to link in with “Smarter Than I Am” to help create a sonic world for the album. Only added the drums in the chorus near the end of the process. Prior to that it this track had no drums for quite a while.
#4. Rapper Hands:
So this was probably my most intentionally psychedelic beat. I really wanted to lean into the late 1960’s experimental sounds of the Beatles and Beach Boys. The Beatles, Revolver album, in particular was something I kept in mind through making this song (hardly originally source material!).
I wanted something very melodic and lush yet slightly odd. I knew I wanted to add lots of odd sound effects and noises to compliment the beautiful harpischord and strings. Drums also got a nice swing to them as it feels really loose but I remember them taking absolutely ages to mix and having to work on them in a separate Pro Tools session before bouncing them into the final mix as I had to stop tweaking and treating them differently and just work and mix around them (see dry drums pic below).
The song outro was originally a complete beat on its own which we meant to write a whole song too but I felt the textures would really match this and was delighted I was able to piece them altogether and in key. Was completely shocked when NAH sent back the vocals as I loved the humorous approach. One of my favourites for sure.
#5. Why Don’t You:
This is my favourite track off the album. I really wanted to push NAH out of his comfort zone and go a little darker. I took a rawer approach sonically to this one and decided to build in a vocal hook which changes every single time into 5 bar sections for the verse. This idea was inspired by Modest Mouse and their song “We’ve Got Everything”. Each chorus in the Modest Mouse song slightly changes each times - a different rhythm, extra layers, slight word variation etc. It’s always blown my mind (hear below).
So that interesting arrangement idea I wanted to incorporate into our track. Felt it would force NAH to write in a different way and I love his lyrics on this one. Fuzz guitar and bass, lots of delay and effects incorporated throughout. The second section was inspired by softer psych references such as the harmonies of the Beach Boys. Add some phase and effect to try and make it stand out sonically as a lighter section.
#6. Movement & Light:
Early on in the album’s creation we wrote down our dream featured artists we’d like to collaborate with. NAH pick Open Mike Eagle and I choose Hemlock Ernst. Got in touch with the legend that is
to see if he could do an introduction with Hemlock and delighted to say it all worked out. I just felt his voice with NAH would be perfect together on a track so this beat is really tailored for both of their voices. Love how they both combine on the hook.This track is quite a smooth, softer moment on the record, so wanted to ensure the drum programming was interesting and that the bass still banged. It’s probably the most basic beat on the album with the least amount of layers. Sometimes its the simple ones that just work though.
#.7 All At Once:
This was easily one of the toughest songs to get right on the album. The whole track was originally written to the guitar used in the first section and had a more jokey hook. That first section also has me “singing” backing ‘ah’ vocals which is an extreme rarity. I treated them heavily so it sounded like they were matched with the guitar. Later on in the process I then found another sample where the vocals actually did the same idea which felt like destiny that I had to incorporate into the track.
After sitting with the original demo for a while and trying to figure it out, I couldn’t help but think about the poignancy of the words. So I deliberately went in a more serious direction. That’s when the idea of the mid-section with all the news clips came together as a way to express some of the craziness going on in the world. I trawled through tons and tons of news clips from different countries and decades to try and touch on events that have effected our society. Also added tons of sound effects during this piece (starts @ 1min 24sec - hear below).
I then knew I wanted to breakout of this into a new section. Probably tried like 5 or 6 things before I decided to go in the final direction. Just felt the piano line was quite powerful and poignant and gives weight to NAHs second verse. His final line is so powerful to me “only this time around we get to watch em”.
I then wanted to create a moment of reflection which is when I wrote the chords on a felt piano plugin and scored the accompanying strings piece. I saw this amazing video (see below) by Nils Frahm about him created a bespoke felt piano “Una Corda” and was really taken back by it.
So I bought the plugin as I knew I would want to use it at some point and this felt like the right song and moment to use it. It’s such a beautiful, soft and nuanced sound. I think that section gives you time to think about the lyrics and wraps up the end of Side A nicely before the energy of the next track.
So these are my thoughts about the first side of ‘BLIP’ by
& myself. The vinyl is sold out on Bandcamp but still available in some online shops. See links below:Europe: Direct link is here hhv.de
US: Direct link is here: Get on Down
UK: Direct link is here Juno.co.uk
BLIP instrumentals are also available here:
Next time will got through Side B of the album. Hopefully this is was an interesting read. Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Talk soon,
Ex.