Wixel March Record is Ready

Here we are, the third edition of the 12 months, 12 records thing. I guess most of you already know what it is about. It’s a project in which I force myself to record and release a record within each month of the year 2009. After two instrumental months, I thought it was a good moment to experiment with vocals. I adore singer songwriters like Smog, Phil Elvrum, Adrian Orange etc.. but I always had trouble singing. It’s not easy singing in tune, and I honestly don’t know why it is so easy to some and so difficult to others. A few years ago I decided to not care about my vocal skills and just sing. First attempts were terrible, but after a while you get to know what your voice can do and what it can’t. I’m not saying it is good now, but it is ok for me. Maybe in a few decades I can sing like Justin Timberlake. That would be it.

So, these songs are basically a temporary glimpse into the process. I glued all those songs together with some more typical wixel sounds; decaying guitar strums, looped melodica, a whole lot of glockenspiel and slowness. Everything was written and recorded during this month except “Across the Sea” and “Homeless Hearts”. I recorded them this month, but wrote them much earlier. 3 and 2 years ago respectively. The whole sounds pretty mellow and laid back, sometimes a bit darker, but always melancholic. It’s about 33 minutes long.

You can have a listen here in the player below:

If you want to purchase a physical copy:
There are 31 copies, they are 10 euro each and shipping is 3 euro. E-mail me first for availability! The address is wimmaesschalck@gmail.com. We’ll work it out from there. At time of this writing, there are only 8 copies available, so if you want it, you probably need to be “quick”.

Finally, some more details on the music/credits/etc:

• “Blood Red Bird” is also the title of a song by Smog. It references to “Bloedrood” which is dutch for “blood red” and which was my first singersongwriter recording name.

• All songs written, performed and recorded by yours truly in the month of March ‘o9, except the backing vocals by Kristof Deneijs (of Yuko fame) on “Old Summer Songs” and the vocals of the second part of “Into ”the forever” We Hum” were made and recorded by Ellen Evers of The Puddle Parade. “Across The Sea” and “Homeless Hearts” were written in 2006-2007.

• Artwork was made by Jo, inspired by some random bird images on google image search.

• “Hum For The Domino Sparrow” is dedicated to the poor sparrow ‘faunabeheer’ killed because it almost ruined their anual domino day. It was such a tragic/comic event. Never forget.

• “The Forever” is the place where birds go when they die, also known as “The Big Black Nowhere”. I don’t like the word “heaven” but I guess it’s similar yet more real. Or it’s just silly me talking!

Thanks for reading up!

January, the record, not the month.

hi again again.

no words this time.

Awesome Stupid Project #02

Hi Yall,

2009 has begun. Olé! Hopefully it will be even better than 2008. Aaahh Humans, always trying to upgrade their happiness. Me too. Anywizzy, I’m starting with another awesome stupid project. While I was eating with 6 lovely friends during new year’s eve, I suggested we all should do something new in 2009, something we hadn’t done since we were born. Anything was accepted. Unfortunately not many responded, someone told me she was going to travel by herself and I said I was going to release 12 records in the year 2009. I don’t know how I came to think that it was logical to say something like that. It’s not daring (aka lame), nor funny, nor useful in any way. It’s time consuming and it doesn’t really add up to the giant pile of significant creations humanity is creating.

However! “Lame”, “Not Funny”, “Not useful in any way”, “Time Consuming”, “Not Really Adding Up To The Giant Pile Of Significant Human Creations” sounds exactly like the conditions for my Awesome Stupid Projects™.  Awesome! So, I will make sure to release 12 records this year. I haven’t set out the rules yet. Rules must be set in Awesome Stupid Projects™. Otherwise it just isn’t an awesome….

…Eh, Hang on, procastination sucks big time! Now is the time. Without further ado, the rules, as I make them up.

#1: make 12 records in 2009.
#2: since there will be 12 months in 2009, record one each month, release in the next.
#3: their length must exceed 20 minutes. records, not singles.
#4: they may be limited, but kept in print for at least 1 month after its initial release.
#5: they should be in all possible ways similar to real releases. (a minimum of promo is required, I have to defend them like I do with other releases. It would be too easy to record an improvisation and then not tell anyone about it existence)
#6: they don’t have to be actual cd’s, but they can’t be digital/virtual only. they have to be physical.

..and that should be sufficient. i guess it will be difficult enough holding on to those rules.. after all, my musical integrity is at stake here.

Consequences

WOOOOHOOW! News just got in!! A new wixel record will be out in february 2009! Further details are unavailable at the time. Title, artwork, music remain to be revealed.

Haha, this is gonna be fun for me / but not really for the world.

So, what are the consequences of all this? There will be a lot of music. I have to be creative rather than, just being myself and record stuff accidently. Because I’m forced to record 12 records in a year, I might also become a genre-hopping no face. I don’t know! Maybe I’ll be all death metal during March and a folk loving hippie in June accumulating in a romanticist opera in December ‘o9 just because I get really bored with that “same old wixel sound”. How exciting this is! Maybe I will perfect my music to silence by December. Maybe I even get to release it as my very first Deluxe Box Set in 2010! Maybe that year will even see my first “Best Of”. Maybe it will be titled “Wixel - Best of the years 2009 - … ermm just 2009 I’m afraid”.  I’m thrilled! The only downside is that my artistique integrité is at stake. Because truth be told, who has made 12 records in a year and got away with it? (ok, there’s the awesome machinefabriek, but he’s the sole exception that confirms the rule.).

So. Exciting Times! We’ll see how it goes, if there ever appear guest musicians, will my voice make its debut? Will I use a distortion pedal? Or a beat faster than 90bpm? Or will it just sound like 12 bad wixel records?

Anywizzy! Better start recording and find out!

xxxxx

ps: I have not given up on Awesome Stupid Project #01. I’m currently at the song “(Another Song) All Over Again” by Justin Timberlake. This song sucks really bad, I mean really really bad. I like some of justin’s songs, but this one is a smelly stinker! Can you believe I got that record on vinyl? I still have several “anothers” to go. I’m looking forward to hearing “Another Trauma” by Sophia, it’s been ages since I heard that song. More news when i reach the letter “b”.