Return of the Ships (pagan) - Too Eurovision Contest-y?

[Gothi]

Greetings
This melody and chorus have haunted me for several days. I just had to get it out of my head asap. However, now that it is done, it seems like my brain has strayed from the folk-approach and want me to make a Eurovision Contest Song. I usually do not use that much sugar in my coffee, even when writing in major. Judge for yourself, it okay to let me know if it gets nauseating.

All is Reason 12 + Third Parties.

Kindly Gothi
Tribe of Hofund

[Benedict]

I never really get why people get so bent at Pop. Pop is hard to do. Anyone can make a nasty noise with no interest for 99% of people. It takes a lot more to deliver a hummable melody, let alone one that has people wanting to come back.

Without knowing your usual output I couldn't say directly what you "should" do with this but I like it. A new mix that makes it more melodic and charming (less thuddy) would please me. Bands that really last usually have at least one crossover or "I Was Made For Loving You" in their repertoire so why not you too?

[Gothi]

I never really get why people get so bent at Pop. Pop is hard to do. Anyone can make a nasty noise with no interest for 99% of people. It takes a lot more to deliver a hummable melody, let alone one that has people wanting to come back.

Without knowing your usual output I couldn't say directly what you "should" do with this but I like it.

Thanks, mate. Yeah pop is generally underestimated in time of noise + 4 to the floors. Well, I am raised with Abba, Boney M, massive amounts of synth pop, progressive rock and new romantic, and even my days as metal fan offered more melodic approaches like AC/DC, Sabbath, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake back then. It is a part of me, and if it wants to get out if gotta get out. I have decided to use it as last track on our upcoming third album.

[Benedict]

I never really get why people get so bent at Pop. Pop is hard to do. Anyone can make a nasty noise with no interest for 99% of people. It takes a lot more to deliver a hummable melody, let alone one that has people wanting to come back.

Without knowing your usual output I couldn't say directly what you "should" do with this but I like it.

Thanks, mate. Yeah pop is generally underestimated in time of noise + 4 to the floors. Well, I am raised with Abba, Boney M, massive amounts of synth pop, progressive rock and new romantic, and even my days as metal fan offered more melodic approaches like AC/DC, Sabbath, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake back then. It is a part of me, and if it wants to get out if gotta get out. I have decided to use it as last track on our upcoming third album.

Same here and good lad

[selig]

Any time you use one of the popular "four chord progressions" you can potentially run into this issue (sounding "poppy"). You've used what I've called the "Heart and Soul" (or "Unchained Melody") progression.

When using these classic progressions the melody becomes the driving force - use a simple/expected melody on top of a simple/expected chord progression and you sound "pop", but if you can work out a more unexpected melody you'll sound less "EuroPoppy" (if that's a term!), even with such a classic chord progression.

As for your original question, the answer comes entirely from you. To ME it sounds predictable, which is only a bad thing if YOUR goal was not to sound predictable - and only then if you actually agree with me that it sounds predictable.
All of the above is said with no judgment whatsoever, I was raised on equal amounts of bubble gum pop and avant-garde music (and everything in between) so I'm a bit of a freak in that regard….

[Gothi]

Any time you use one of the popular "four chord progressions" you can potentially run into this issue (sounding "poppy"). You've used what I've called the "Heart and Soul" (or "Unchained Melody") progression.

As for your original question, the answer comes entirely from you. To ME it sounds predictable, which is only a bad thing if YOUR goal was not to sound predictable .

Ha, ha. Well usually I do avoid these modern standard progressions, but my brain did not care much for that this time. It finished it before I began making it. Even the half-canon in the second verse. Rare to me. Usually things arise while playing and producing, not by demand: “Do this or I will drive you nuts with the melody.” Predictable is okay, “nauseating sweet” not so much.

[TritoneAddiction]

My approach is always to just go with it. Whatever comes out naturally, let it flow. It's much more fun that way rather than putting oneself in a box creatively. Maybe it's not a coincidence that I've done everything from cartoon music to death metal.

[Gothi]

Yeah. If your soul have some musical to state, one should listen, not reject it, even if it surprises you. At least I did not lift the last chorus the famous halftone. That is something ;-D

[selig]

Yeah. If your soul have some musical to state, one should listen, not reject it, even if it surprises you. At least I did not lift the last chorus the famous halftone. That is something ;-D

You COULD have gone full Barry Manilow with a modulation on the last chorus indeed, and I applaud your restraint!

Sometimes one really has little control over what comes out, we just do our best to get out of the way!

I feel it's good to complete these projects that seem to come from left field, and to only judge them (if at all) after the fact.
As corny as it sounds, sometimes it's not where you end up but what you learn along the way.
So maybe you'd never release it on an album, but sounds like you had fun making it!

Sometimes we lead the music, other times the music leads us.

[Gothi]

Without knowing your usual output I couldn't say directly what you "should" do with this but I like it. A new mix that makes it more melodic and charming (less thuddy) would please me.

High again, mate. Just for your info I read “thuddy” as regarding the off beat low drums in particular and have lowered their impact significantly. Do not know if it was that, but it does sound better to me As for “melodic” I was annoyed over some balance problems between the violin and low bagpipe drone and the violin and clarinet, so I remixed it to put the violin more in front to secure primary attention to the main melody. Again, do not if that was exactly what you meant, but it sounds better to me, so thanks nonetheless.

Gothi

[Cherry Levingtone]

Greetings
This melody and chorus have haunted me for several days. I just had to get it out of my head asap. However, now that it is done, it seems like my brain has strayed from the folk-approach and want me to make a Eurovision Contest Song. I usually do not use that much sugar in my coffee, even when writing in major. Judge for yourself, it okay to let me know if it gets nauseating.

All is Reason 12 + Third Parties.

Kindly Gothi
Tribe of Hofund

Very good. Sounds like relaxing music, or music for traveling. Very nice

[Benedict]

Without knowing your usual output I couldn't say directly what you "should" do with this but I like it. A new mix that makes it more melodic and charming (less thuddy) would please me.

High again, mate. Just for your info I read “thuddy” as regarding the off beat low drums in particular and have lowered their impact significantly. Do not know if it was that, but it does sound better to me As for “melodic” I was annoyed over some balance problems between the violin and low bagpipe drone and the violin and clarinet, so I remixed it to put the violin more in front to secure primary attention to the main melody. Again, do not if that was exactly what you meant, but it sounds better to me, so thanks nonetheless.

Gothi

"Thud" being like hitting a semi-solid thing with a solid thing so you get a thick but somewhat undefined sound. Think of heavy-hitting a punching bag with a cricket bat. That is not as clear as tapping a metal rod to a bell.

So yes, a kind of low-mid-heavy & somewhat-muddy sound where, in this case, the melodic parts are hampered by that. Glad to hear that you took another pass at the mix.

[Gothi]

Very good. Sounds like relaxing music, or music for traveling. Very nice

Thanks, mate. Much appreciated.

[Gothi]

"Thud" being like hitting a semi-solid thing with a solid thing so you get a thick but somewhat undefined sound.

That was what I thought it meant too, and especially the off beat drum had this pellow-hit-by-bat flavor. But the remix was a compromise because I do like that sound on some occasions, a drum with very soft attack. Big bada boom native drums are a signifier for our music, no matter the style of the tune. Sometimes it is too much, and I have to clean up the low ends if people get distracted. Fortunately it does not happen often. But a good compromise it is to me.

[Benedict]

Happy you are happy