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Beat Up Comic Books (w/michael2)
by rsorensen

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Guest profile visits: 1068
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Song comments: 65
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Submitted on: May 13, 2008 - 04:09:35 AM
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Description michael2 posted an open collab earlier today he called 'I'm Uneasy'. As soon as I heard it I knew I wanted in. For the vocals I went for a Pavement meets Flaming lips kinda thing. I tried to keep it pretty rough and 'indie' as possible, whatever that means. All the vocals are first takes, and it shows! oh I threw in a FLips style slide solo as well.

michael2 - all the music
rsorensen - lyrics/vocals, slide guitar solo

Michael - Thanks for creating another inspiring tune for us to play with.
Lyrics Beat Up Comic Books

I got myself a big dog
at the SPCA
he don't fetch or shake hands
and he won't play with me
but that don't matter
cuz I don't need a pal
I heard guys with dogs get girls
and I really need a gal

CHORUS
I've never been that good with girls
I've never been a ladies guy
I need all the help I can get
I've got no skills that I can try
I've read the pick-up manuals
I've tried to improve on my looks
the only action that I get is
from my beat up comic books

I got a letter in my mail
that said I could be a stud
All I have to do is
enhance my junk
It's what all women wanted
Size indeed matters
So I went down to my bank and got
a pink money order
Hardware michael2 - intel mini mac, m-audio 49e keyboard, ibanez bass, ibanez artcore guitar, line 6 toneport

rsorensen - intel Mac Mini, Blue Snowball, Gibson Firebird VII, POD-XT Live
Software: michael2 - GB4, ambience reverb, line 6 gearbox, bs-0 sound font player, TAL bass synth

rsorensen - GB4
Fan List

Peter Bauckham

MarkHolbrook

Karmatoburn

mowguy3

five_extra_arms

TobinMueller

Bob Rodgers

magnatone

michael2

Mckenzie

lengold

blaky smith

Feter

cjdaley

SystematicFailure

biba_nova

Vic Holman

racerat

chipan

davisamerica

buckhorn

echoroom

bud

rustykangaroo

obbster

digitalnirvana9

Nick_Flash

jiguma

dajama

Skean

stratcat

Drew Kopr

blinddogsky

ageofthedeathtree
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Peter Bauckham said 192 days ago
Wow
you work quickly - I liked Michael's backing track and love what you've done with it. Great.

Peter

rsorensen said 192 days ago
:)
Thanks peter - I guess I work quickly when I'm inspired. Michael's songs will do that to me every time.

MarkHolbrook said 192 days ago
Simply amazing you guys!
Love the lyrics Mr Sorensen! Haven't all we guys seemed to be in this place at one point in life!?

Micheal as usual the musician in you simply blows me away.

This is a great collab!

M

rsorensen said 190 days ago
lyrics
thanks man. i got the idea from all the junk mail i keep getting trying to convince me that increasing the size of my junk is the answer haha. appreciate the listen. michael's the man!

mowguy3 said 192 days ago
So Quick
I listend to "I'm Uneasy" just a few hours ago. Very nice song with many opportunity's for michael2 offer. I was kinda wondering who would be first and in what direction it would go. Your additions are just to cool. Your lyrics and vocals on such a short turn around are fantastic. And then there is your unmistakable guitar. Great Job both of you.
Thanks and take care, Russ

rsorensen said 190 days ago
quick
thanks russ. yeah i think michael and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to writing certain music. as soon as i heard his song i knew exactly what i thought would work for it vocally, so it didnt take long to record. thanks for checking it out!

Dee1962z said 191 days ago
Beat Up Comic Books
WOW !!!
I love to listen to first takes they are the best. This proves it. Your a brilliant singer and the Music, Guitar is simply outstanding,
Well done you guys/ You both Rock!!

I LOVE IT !
Thanks for the download.

Peace Dee xx

rsorensen said 190 days ago
first takes
thanks dee. yeah i wanted the vocal to be rough and somewhat vulnerable, so what better way to do that then use first takes ;) thanks for checking this out.

Bob Rodgers said 191 days ago
Great!
The lyrics and vocals are just great on this fine song!
Love the guitars, a great collab!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
:)
thanks for stopping by and checking this out, bob.

magnatone said 191 days ago
Beat Up Comic Books
This is a TERRIFIC collab! Your lyrics are so good, and the vocals shine. I see why Michael2 inspires you, but YOU are also very inspiring!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
magnatone
thank you! very kind of you to say. this place is full of inspiration for me - yourself included.

michael2 said 191 days ago
wow
I LOOVE this. you did such an awesome job. love that melody and the slide guitar is so perfect. it's a little flaming lips and maybe a bit of Sparklehorse too. That was such a quick turnaround too; thanks for jumping in on this one.

rsorensen said 190 days ago
thanks
really glad you like it michael. i've never heard of sparklehorse but i'll check em out. and thanks back at you for offering this one up. it's really good, man. you should do more with this warm sound.

Mckenzie said 191 days ago
ARGGGHHHH!
I LOVE THIS! Its absolutely brilliant, your vocals remind me of Josh Rouse (dont know if youv'e heard of him) and the production works perfectly. A really enjoyable listen - Thank You!


rsorensen said 190 days ago
josh
thanks. i checked out josh rouse and yeah, you're right! he's really good thanks for introducing me to his stuff. and thanks for commenting.

lengold said 191 days ago
Those lyrics
and melody are just inspired, love the vocal and 'backing vocal' sound too. Wonderful collaboration.
Cheers
Len



rsorensen said 190 days ago
bg vocal
thanks len. yeah i was going for that kind of neil young/flaming lips style shaky whine for the bg vocals. glad you liked it.

Feter said 191 days ago
Beat Up Comic Books
WOW ...loved this so much ...the vocal work so great
the mixing is super here .very alive and so true !
this colab Rock ...thnx for sharin !!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
warm
thanks feter. yeah michael's production is killer. everything's so warm yet not muffled in any way. i would have never thought of mixing this way. glad he did!

SystematicFailure said 191 days ago
///
wow killer slide guitar solo! my ears perked right up when that kicked in. great lyrics (enhance my junk haha) and vocals too, and what an excellent song to sing to! GREAT COLLAB!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
thanks
that solo was done at 2am. i couldnt get the right fuzz so i spent more time nailing that down then on the solo itself. thanks for listening.

biba_nova said 191 days ago
great stuff
love your vox
love m2s track
top notch stuff

b

rsorensen said 190 days ago
:)
thanks b. glad you like it.

Vic Holman said 191 days ago
jeez_
that was fast. I'll waste a week just thinking of something to sing about.

You found a great melody right of the bat. vocals and harmonies are well suited. Nice slide too!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
fast
thanks. yeah like i said i can work fast when im inspired. ive worked on certain songs for weeks though so it doesnt happen every time. thanks for listening vic.

LunaTrick said 191 days ago
Cool song!
you hit your mark with the pavement vocals too!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
thanks
i love everything about pavement. malkmus sings a little more cavalier than this, but it has that same spirit I think. thanks for stopping by.

racerat said 191 days ago
tone
The first thing that impressed me about this song is the tone. Very warm-- like tape. The drums are almost muffled, but in a good way. Soft and cuddly in a dog-like kind of way. The oh-so-faint synth stuff that is rooting this so deeply in the alt-category is one of the towering strengths of this song. The vocals are faltering in a very vulnerable-guy-kind-of-way. With songs like this you are gonna get all the chicks...
P

rsorensen said 190 days ago
tone
thanks man. yeah the tone hit me like that when I first heard it. SO warm! Michael really nailed that particular indie sound. regarding the vox, this was kind of an experiment for me as I tried to make the performance sound like it came from a more vulnerable, self-conscious place. Glad you think it worked.

davisamerica said 191 days ago
fountains of wayne...
kinda but not ... wow i am digging where you took this tune ... i really love the lyrics .. vocals fit like a glove and the slide .. well man u nailed it down nicely here!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
vocals
yeah michael created a really open soundbed for melody, so it wasn't too difficult to find something that worked. glad you like it, thanks.

buckhorn said 190 days ago
This is great.
Wonderful lyrics. Dry natural vocal fits in perfect and adds empathy to the story. Enjoyed a lot.

rsorensen said 190 days ago
dry
thanks. yeah i really backed off the reverb on the vocals for that reason. glad you think it works.

echoroom said 190 days ago
Oh man
this is fantastic. great vibe, wonderful vocals (really beat up!), wonderful lyrics... I cant believe you wrote this so quickly. Man, I'm taking my hat outta this ring... i cant top this!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
no!
thanks but it's no competition! please do something - i'd love to hear different takes. I'm sure michael would too. thanks for the comments.

bud said 190 days ago
Perfect collab
dream team material - the lyrics are wonderful and the vox sound great. Michael's bed was a great start. Nice slide.

rsorensen said 190 days ago
the original
thanks bud, it certainly was a nice start. i'm excited to hear what others do with the vocals, including the man himself!

egobandit1 said 190 days ago
ahh!
I see the fantastic Four used to read them religously when I was kid. Very cool collab this song has a grabbing mass appeal that works realy well .. I like the enhance my junk line. Too much excellent!

rsorensen said 190 days ago
ego
FF rules! the movies sure do suck though! thanks for listening man. Your new one is a great ride.

rustykangaroo said 189 days ago
i'm a true believer
this is one groovy sounding tune !!!! the lyrics are equally creative and solid. great vocals and guitar work. i checked it out when i saw the title. i love the comic books myself. if i could make a suggestion; it would be nice having a little more punch when you arrive at the chorus. just something to give it more sonic impact.....but if thats not what your going for i totally understand. you could speed up the tempo and make other changes with the delivery, but that is not a suggestion that is just the sign of greatly written song. you can't go wrong once you have a good melody and this tune definitely has one. i dig that gibson firebird. i had an ibanez with beefed up pickups that looked just like it. i could kill my brother for pawning it it was around 30 yrs. old.

rsorensen said 189 days ago
hi
thanks for checking this out and sorry about that ibanez. sounds like she was a beauty. I definitely thought of adding more punch to the chorus, and even tried adding some crunchy guitars, but everything started to get lost (like michael's key synth and guitar parts), so I aborted the idea and just kept the whole song in that same laid back, self conscious kind of vibe throughout. you're right though - it could use something more, even if it's subtle. I may revisit these ideas. Thanks for listening I appreciate the feeback.



rustykangaroo said 188 days ago
i can hear it on the radio
yeah i don't think the song should lose its "laid back" vibe. something subtle would be great. i'm really enjoying the tune its really has hit potential in my opinion.

obbster said 189 days ago
Great
What a great catchy song. Lyrics are really good, im impressed with how quickly you managed to get these vocals done.




rsorensen said 189 days ago
vocals
thanks obb - i usually spend a little more time recording vocals, but the nature of this song called for first takes only so i went with these. thanks for commenting

digitalnirvana9 said 189 days ago
Very Junoesque!
Would make a great theme song for a movie.....Good work! Peace,
Norman

rsorensen said 189 days ago
juno
thanks norman. man i love that soundtrack. Jason Reitman's making another film right now here in vancouver. hopefully it'll have just as good a soundtrack as juno. thanks for the comment.

Nick_Flash said 189 days ago
perfect
This is great Ridd! Very catchy chorus and the lyrics rock. You certainly can complete a song. The high pitched backing vocals sound great. I tried that once on an older song of mine and have wanted to try again ever since. It really adds depth.

Well done man.

rsorensen said 188 days ago
collabs
thanks nick. when people like you and michael post 'in-progress' songs like this it's like candy to me. i think it's my favorite part of macjams now. so thanks to you for offering up songs like 'The Pain' for chumps like me to get it on!


jiguma said 189 days ago
I was wondering ..
.. what you'd come up with Ridd - definitely not a disappointment! The vocals sound great - absolutely love the lyrics - very clever.

The slide sounds magic - my only nit is with Michael's bed - that fuzz/static/distortion at the start takes a few bars to get used to. Small nit, great song!

Compliments on the turnaround - like Vic I'd be still thinking about a general theme for the lyrics.

Cheers from Oz,
Neil

rsorensen said 184 days ago
:)
thanks for the comments, neil. i truly loved michael's song, ESPECIALLY the fuzz/static/distortion ;) so it didnt take long to come up with the vocals,
Loved your Music Blog spotlight. Sounds like you have a pretty cool setup for yourself over there. Jealous!

get30inc said 188 days ago
nice tune
hey, great song! i like it a lot, nice work

rsorensen said 184 days ago
hey
thanks for listening

dajama said 187 days ago
Great
I love the music, and the lyrics are excellent. I like the guitar solo - very cool sound. The singing is the real beauty here, though. I love the tone and attitude of alternating hopelessness and humor. Classy. Nicely done. Peace.

rsorensen said 184 days ago
vocals
thanks man. definitely going for that kinda vibe with the vox. glad you think I got it.

Alannah said 187 days ago
I just listened to M2s original .....
.. and came up with the bright idea that you and Ledebutant should collab together on this ... and then I realized that I already wrote down your number from my email notification ... so finally .. how many days LATE do I arrive here ????? Who's doing the fem backing voc ???? I think some of us have the same fav people .... small clicque !

rsorensen said 186 days ago
fem backing vocal
hah it's all me. no girls singing on this, though that is a great idea!

stratcat said 186 days ago
I like
the concept. Sounds like you have had some lady problems. Dont sweat it, stick with the music you will be better off. Great job.

rsorensen said 185 days ago
lady problems
hah haven't we all. i'm doing alright now though thanks hehe. thanks for checking this out!

Dragonas said 185 days ago
Quick...
somebody send this song to Rivers Cuomo because this would make a GREAT Weezer song!
I just love it!
Your vocal talent and lyrical creativity really shines through on this song.
I could seriously hear this song (after being properly mixed and mastered) on alt-rock radio.
Just great!

rsorensen said 184 days ago
weez
thanks dude. it is indeed weezerish!

Birdman Wayne said 185 days ago
Nice!
Very nice song my friend. I'm sorry for being late to the party, I noticed you posted it but didn't have the time to listen. Tasty vocals from you as always, cool music work from Mikey. Please more from you both!

Take Care
- Yeman A. Al-Rawi

Remark80 said 117 days ago
Original
This is so original. The production here is great. Great bass and guitar lines it really makes this song flow so smoothly. The lyrics are so original and the chorus is incredibly hooky and catchy. Nice job. This is great stuff.

Drew Kopr said 113 days ago
Kick ass
Great music, vocals, singing and harmony.

Dj French Toast said 74 days ago
Downloaded
great song !

Artist Profile
rsorensen photo
rsorensen

Artist Bio I'm an illustrator working in Vancouver, Canada. Recently I decided it was time to take writing and performing music to the next level. I recently completed recording my first album called New Beautiful by Satellite Tragedy, and it'll be released by Pop U...[more]
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Your Poison (extended)
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Clouds
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Street Corner Salvation
Street Corner Sermon
Why We're Alone
Away (LIOLI 8)
I'm Comin' Home
This Heart of Mine
Innocence
Dream
Marriage of the Devine
Sitting on the Side of a Mountain
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These Odds
Amanda (w/michael2)
Nobody Knows (w/michael2)
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I'm a Superfriend (She's the One)
So Stupid (remix)
So Stupid
900-lb Gorilla in the Room
I Don't Wanna Be a Rock Star
One Last Chorus (You Can Have It All)
If I Only Had a Brain
Decaffeinated Blues (MJ Coffee House Challenge)
Pretend (MJ Coffee House Challenge)
Chronicles of a Dysphoric Translator (Part IV-VI)
The Kind of Man (w/spitlogic)
I Love To Hate You (w/gail60)
Beat Up Comic Books (w/michael2)
Getaway (CBGB's Demo Challenge)
Chronicles of a Dysphoric Translator (Pt. I-III)
this c a n n o t be d3c0d3d
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