Hot Air Balloon - The Hijinx

After a triumphant blast back on to the scene here in Northern Virginia, the manic talent of Mckinley Corbley has already brought things into full swing here at our woodland studios. Without any hesitation I proudly present the debut single by her group, The Hinjinx. A full length album is expected to be released in the next few months, and we already have several half finished tracks laying around the studio floor.

One part indie cred, one part pop sensibility and a few parts lap drums, hopefully the finished product will get stuck in your heads as much as it did in mine, and we sincerely hope you wonderful folks will stay tuned for more from us.

From us to you, we present Hot Air Balloon by The Hijinx

My Top 5, all time: Favorite Bob Dylan Lyrics

Anyone who knows me, kind of knows me, or was in a room with me at least one time for a minimum of 15 minutes, has heard me utter the following phrase. "There has never been and never will be a songwriter like Bob Dylan." Talking about Bob has become like talking about The Beatles, basically anything you say is a cliche at this point. So I'll get right to it.

 The greatest artist of his or maybe any generation wrote lyrics that put you there, whether it was in his head, his dream, his bed or his crosshairs. He could go from sweet to sarcastic in the blink of an eye, sometimes leaving the listener in doubt about just what the hell he was talking about and why he was so upset about it. He went from Champion of the People, to Champion of Himself, to outcast, to martyr. Through heartbreak and turmoil to sex and drugs and what could possibly described as rock n' roll, Bob touched every base there was and when he was done, invented a few more just so he could cover those.

One of my favorite musicians of all time, picking just 5 lyrics will be a hefty task, and just like the man says, "It depends on how I'm feeling". Without further ado, my personal favorite Dylan verses.


1. "Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there / With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair / She walked up to me so gracefully, and took my crown of thorns /
"Come in" she said "I'll give you shelter from the storm"
"Shelter From the Storm" - Blood on the Tracks

I think this might have been the first lyric I ever heard of Bobs' that really got to me. This track, off of my personal favorite Dylan record, is a perfect example of the genius duality that he can weave in his lyrics. At first glance, the song is a sweet ballad of a woman who lifts the weary veil of the narrators life. She comforts him when he comes to her, and vindicates him when he needs it. But take a closer look at the song and you realize an underlying bitterness that slinks through the verses, of a man who feels like he bit off more than he could chew, and realizes far to late that his salvation does not lie with this woman, or perhaps any woman for that matter. This other side of the song can really be seen when you examine his electric performances from his shows in the '80's, he spits the lyrics like venom, and the scorn that flows from every refrain is palpable. But, taken in context, It's hard to deny the sweetness of the song. After all, all a weary and worn-down man could want in life is a woman to tell him It's all alright, and help ease his burden, no matter how briefly.

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2. "Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free / Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands / With all memory and fate, driven deep beneath the waves / 
Let me forget about today, until tomorrow"
"Mr. Tambourine Man" - Bringing It All Back Home

Bob had cast off the shackles of his role as Folk Champion of the People with his last album, and, with this album, boldly thrust his standard in the sand decrying that he was going to do just what he wanted to do and nothing more. The definitive middle album of his career, the apex between folk and electric, Bringing It All Back Home features the borderline rap shuffle of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as it's opener, almost as a big middle finger to all those who jeered him and hurled calls of "Traitor" and "Judas" at him through cracked car windows. But, writing beautiful acoustic guitar songs is in the mans' blood, and on the second half of the album, he stuck one of the most memorable songs ever written . David Crosby said that when he heard this verse in particular, that he was blown away, and more than a little envious. The stream of consciousness in this track is a roller-coaster, letting us follow the footsteps of the man following in the footsteps of a character that truly has no limits, opening doors to inner peace, whimsy and an adventure that most people aren't capable of letting themselves embark on anymore. A perfect mix of casual listening and deeper, thought provoking brain food, this song has stood the test of time and remains an all time classic.

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A two way tie 'cause I have no spine! Because the great thing about Bob is that he has a song for every occasion, I will echo that greatness by including two separate lyrics that have two distinct feels to them.
Whether you're lonely or pissed off, Dylan has got the cure for what ails yeh'!

3a. "For them that must obey authority, that they do not respect in any degree / Who despise their jobs, their destinies / Speak jealously of them that are free / 
Do what they do just to be, nothing more than something they invest in"
"It's Alright Ma', I'm Only Bleeding" - Bringing It All Back Home

A SCATHING takedown of the those who sit on the sidelines, complaining about facets of life they deem "out of their control". Bob attempts to rally these folk by reminding them that they can enjoy life to the fullest if they would only stop their bitching and take the reigns. The final lyric obviously a lament for the people who simply see life as a series of escalating, arbitrary goals, rather than an adventure to be lived on a daily basis. This 7 minute track takes all challengers, and comes out swinging, with a precision that only someone like Dylan could muster.

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3b. "I got a letter on a lonesome day, it was from her ship a-sailing / Saying "I don't know when I'll be coming back again, It depends on how I'm feeling" 
Well, if you my love, must think that way / I'm sure your mind is roamin' / I'm sure your thoughts are not with me, but with the country where you're goin'"
"Boots of Spanish Leather" - The Times They Are A-Changin'

A crestfallen Bob lets this lyric slip with a babies whisper, you can practically hear the pieces of his livelihood shaking around in his chest. This song (and a good many more) was inspired by Suze Rotolo, who set off to study abroad in Italy, and, almost ceremoniously, being the first woman to break Bob Dylan's heart. As the song progresses, the verses from Bob get more and more desperate and forlorn, you can actually feel the relationship slipping away in the words, just like the ship carrying her away from him. We can all relate to that moment of clarity that he has in the verse, that moment when you realize you have to come to grips with reality, and move forward. We all owe Suze a great debt, who knows if the song would have ever been written had she not left him? A sincere thank you, Ms. Rotolo, from me and thousands and thousands of heartbroken men and women everywhere.

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4. "So long honey, baby, where I'm bound, I can't tell / Goodbye's too good a word, babe, so I'll just say fare thee well / I ain't saying you treated me unkind / You could have done better, but I don't mind / You just kind of wasted my precious time. But don't think twice, It's all right"
"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

I could live a thousand lifetimes and never get over how much this lyric means to me. Let me compose myself for a moment. Ok.

One of the great things about Bob is that he never loses his cool, never. We look to his lyrics for guidance and strength to get us through, and he happily obliges. I could write a novella on this song, given the chance, so I'll try to keep it brief. Dylan gives a weary, hands in the air, "I surrender" in the closing verse of this masterpiece. Yielding to the admittance that, no he doesn't know where he's going, but he knows that he's getting as far away from you as he can. Throughout the song, he is tender, giving credit where it's due but also admitting that the relationship was doomed all along, and that he just couldn't see it. The reason these are my favorite verses, and I think the genius of the song, lies in the last words.

Everyone knows that when you're giving that final farewell to the person who broke your heart, that you must be brave and  firm, but also kind. Because that's what adults do. What Bob allows the listener to enjoy is just a HINT of scorn, that droplet of venom we all want to work in there as a final "fuck you" to them. He lets us indulge in that moment, however immature, in the last verse, and sets off down the road. On to the next one, eh Bobby?

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5. "Come mothers and fathers, throughout the land / And don't criticize what you can't understand / Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command, your old road is rapidly agin' / Please get out of the new one, if you can't lend your hand / 
For the times they are a-changin'" 
"The Times They Are A-Changin'" - The Times They Are A-Changin'

What could possibly be said. One of the greatest songs ever written, It is both timeless and always relevant. This song could be sung by marchers in a marriage equality parade, protesters on the steps of congress, or by rebels overthrowing an oppressive regime. The anthem of change and progression, given to us as an unwavering standard of what the human race can work towards, if we could just bury our prejudices and our close-mindedness. A constant reminder that the wheel is always in spin, and that nothing stays the same forever.

Again, singing the praises of Bob Dylan is basically a cliche at this point. The man has given the world some of it's most important art, and with it, brought joy and cathartic release to millions. This song, I believe, is truly the song of the people. It stopped belonging to Bob the moment he played it next to Martin Luther King in Washington. Hopefully, we can take it forward for decades to come, and remember that we have to keep swimming, and the first ones now, will later be last. For the times they are a-changing. Thank yeh' Bob.

-Jack

  

No Destruction - Zack Svoronos

In between our frantic Mouseing and Peppering, Zack somehow managed to compose himself and put his shirt back on long enough to kick out this awesome solo track. I had never heard the song previously but man, it echoes Dylan and Lou Reed, pushed through a strainer. It was truly a sight to behold, a man and his stool and his guitar.

"There's no need to be an asshole, you're not in Brooklyn anymore"

Here is No Destruction by Foxygen

Trailer Trash / Styrofoam Boots - Lake Jackson

Holy moley! Three songs in one day!

Zack brought his clean shaven, new car driving, school done withing sexy self over for our triumphant return to form after a SCARY long break. Without any time to lose we threw ourselves at the studio, riffing, composing, art-ing, until we decided on some tracks to record.

It gelled like we hadn't been gone a day, and we powered through Modest Mouse, Foxygen, and even a Chili Peppers song that won't EVER see the light of day. Hopefully we can keep up the pace because we have an endless to do list, and lots of people to serenade. Thanks for reading and listening, folks. Much love from us to you.

Here is Trailer Trash and Styrofoam Boots by Modest Mouse

Rhinestone Eyes - Lake Jackson

Hey folks, It's been a while. With the holidays hurtling by, my wonderful sister graced us with her presence, on a break from her exploits in the anarchist wasteland that is New Hampshire. She brought with her an almost equally talented boyfriend named Ben, and with only a few days to spare, we sought out to record something while all the skills were under one roof. Well days turned into about 3 hours and we buckled down and spit out this song. It's always been one of my all time favorite tracks from one of my all time favorite bands, and I was just tickled that we got a chance to tackle it. I hope you all enjoy it!

I present to you, along with very merry holiday wishes, Rhinestone Eyes by Gorillaz

My Top 5, all time: Favorite Arctic Monkeys lyrics

Ever since I first heard Mr. Turners' cheeky voice tell me to "Stop making the eyes at me..", I've been hooked on the clever wordplay the scrappy Brit could craft. The lead singer of Arctic Monkeys has had quite a musical career, with the fastest selling album in UK history under his belt early on, he's been on a seemingly constant evolutionary path that he's been so kind as to share with us.

Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age has praised Turners' ability to pick lyrics, from seemingly nowhere, and commit them to music without ever having written them down, and with the sheer quantity of lyrical gems he's thrown at us over the years (with sometimes blinding speed) It's a wonder why the whole of the US hasn't converted to (Arctic) Monkey-mania yet.

With his effortless ability to yank us from our desks, through our headphones, into the suburbs and clubs of his native Sheffield, England, Alex delights in titillating us with his descriptions of girls in green dresses, gorgeous beyond belief, with popped collars and sunglasses on indoors.

While his lyrical style has changed fairly heavily over the years, his cheek still comes poking through, even when sporting his rock-god in a pompadour persona of late.

He's thoroughly made fans of myself and Mr. Svoronos, we'll be first in line when they come to Richmond in February, but until then, here is a list of our personal, Top 5 favorite Alex Turner lyrics, and what they mean to us.

Jacks' Top 5

1. "And I bet she told a million people that she'd stay in touch / Well, all the little promises - they don't mean much / When there's memories to be made / And I hope you're holding hands by New Years' Eve"  
"Only Ones Who Know" - Favourite Worst Nightmare

This lyrics always gets to me, being delivered in a faint croon over minimalist strums of a guitar. It reminds me of that girl, that girl or guy who we've all had or known. They've always made promises to keep in touch with old friends, but being in a committed relationship can make that quite a task, and friends can become acquaintances, can become people you know. If the relationship turns sour, It's natural for the person who's let old slip away to make room for the new to go back and rekindle old flames, and, in my opinion, this song is told from the perspective of Turner after his girl has done just that. After she left he wistfully croons that he hopes she's holding hands by New Years Eve, and imagines her out having fun reconnecting with all the people that she put on the sidelines when she was with him. It's bittersweet, and one of my favorite demonstrations of Alexs' softer side.

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2."May suggest there's somewhere from which you might know her / Just to get the ball to roll / 
Drunken monologues, confused because /  It's not like I'm falling in love, I just want you to do me no good / And you look like you could"
"No. 1 Party Anthem" - AM

The imagery in this song is palpable. Turner takes us right into the thick of it, a party with sweat on the walls and certified mindblowers. This song leaves no room to spare when describing the girl on the prowl, who locks eyes with Alex and invites him over to laugh at her jokes. A night that calls everyone to "put off the search for your soul" and just go with it. The lyric slinks along perfectly, while our lucky Mr. Turner makes small talk with a girl whom he's decided he wants to loose a night with, and not a minute more. That kind of certainty of living in the moment, and for the night, is comforting amongst an album of heartbreak and longing.

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3."And I elongated my lift home / Yeah I let him go the long way round / I smelt your scent on the seatbelt / And kept my shortcuts to myself"
"Cornerstone" - Humbug

A simple song that chronicles the ambling, almost out of body experience that comes with heartbreak.
Still reeling from a relationship gone bad, Turner wanders around town, hoping to catch a glimpse of the object of his affections, and he keeps projecting her onto familiar places and faces on his journey. I relate to this song quite a bit, as I'm sure many of us do, because of the unique mindset you can sometimes put yourself in. Even though it causes him pain, he let's the cabbie "take the long way round" just so he can bask in the bittersweet memories that it brings him. Be it mistaking other girls for her, or intentionally immersing himself in painful memories that a small town can bring up, Alex let's his emotions get the better of him as he asks local girls if he can "please call you her name". Oh, Alex, sweetie, that's won't help at all.

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4."Not shy of a spark / A knife twists at the thought that I should fall short of the mark / Frightened by the bite, though it's no sharper than the bark / Middle of adventure, such a perfect place to start"
"505" - Favourite Worst Nightmare

An emotional sledgehammer of a song, it was hard to pick any one lyric out. This is the song I would end the show with, a crescendo of massive proportions bringing to close my favorite Arctic Monkeys album. The simple lyric conveys his desperation, and grim determination to keep it together with the girl that he would still adore "with her hands around his neck". Fearing both the bark and the bite, both the inevitable confrontation with the woman and the turmoil in his head leading up to it, Turner lays into the final verse with desperate conviction, lamenting on his inability to hold on to that which was most precious to him. The knife gives it's final twist as she "greets him with goodbye" and Alex wraps up, in my opinion, one of the finest rock albums in recent memory.

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5."Well I'm so glad they turned us all away, we'll put it down to fate / I said a thousand million things that I could never say this morning / Got too deep, but how deep is too deep?"
"From the Ritz to the Rubble" - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Defiantly slurred by a drunken Turner as he's being thrown out of the party, this was another lyric that was a hard pick because I think that this is the finest song that they've ever wrote. A journey of the attempts to shmooze into a club, the drunken escapades and flings that follow and the groggy haze of the next morning. Every verse perfectly immerses us in the night life and bad decisions of Alex and companies' youth. From squaring off with the bouncers, all the way to grimly admitting that "that girl's a different girl today", Turner walks us through a typical Saturday night according to Arctic Monkeys. Once the haze ascends, and Sunday morning comes knocking loudly on the door, the song turns the corner in a huge guitar breakdown laced with regretful lyrics and Alex contemplating just HOW deep is too deep? Maybe he'll learn next week, but probably not. This album is a time capsule that perfectly represents the wild youthful exuberance of the nightlife and adventures of lads trying to meet girls and have fun, the time before all the soured relationships and burdens of fame weighed so heavily on young Mr. Turners' shoulders. One of the most triumphant records of the the last 10 years, Whatever People Say is nearly flawless in execution, and will be playing in my turntables, digital or otherwise, for years to come.

Stay tuned for Zack's  Top 5.

Ingenue - Lake Jackson

Happy Birthday Mr. Yorke! My favorite musician ever turns 45 today, and what better way to celebrate than to put out what me and my sis have been working on the last week or so. She was only in town briefly, and left all to soon, but Mckinley stayed just long enough to help me get down this slinky tune. We actually got to see it played live a few days after we finished the bulk of the work, and man, it was just great. We're both pretty proud of how this turned out, maybe you'll like it too.

Here's Ingenue by Atoms for Peace

And we're back, now with more maraca

It's been a long time, I've missed you all so dearly. With Zack out of town and lot's to do, we had a major lull in the festivities here. But Mr Svoronos has returned, and along with him, my dear sister. Freshly arrived from her New England domicile, McKinley has brought with her an arsenal of talents on things with keys and strings. With only a short amount of time, we set out to get something down, and are in the final steps of putting out a track we're both very proud of. I'll be sad to see her go, but she has to grace the rest of the country with her presence. In the meanwhile, myself and Zack are also fairly close to our most technically challenging song so far, and hope to have that sorted out soon. It's fall here in Northern Virginia, and there's lots of shows to see and music to play. I do hope everyone else is enjoying the weather and the tunes as much as we are.

Videotape - Lake Jackson

So things are moving slow lately, all of my collaborators are out of state or tied up, so I decided to write up a post about this little number I wiggled my way through a month or so ago.

This song is a really complex song. On the surface, well, It's a downer. Really haunting melody and lyrics.
But I've always admired the message between the lines. A soul on it's way out of our world and on to whatever is next, reflecting on a moment, or perhaps moments in time that will be chronicled forever in the metaphorical tape. The minute before death that feels like an eternity, memories of loved ones and better times.

I was going through some really tough stuff recently, and during what could have been my lowest point I cleared my head for a moment and decided to focus the cacophonous energy that was consuming me into something productive. I left work early with a mission, came home and spent hours trying to master the relatively simple melody that makes up this lovely piece of music.

Like everything I have done, or likely will ever do, I fully intend to come back to it at some point to add more, improve on some things here and there. But, like the state I was in when I recorded it, it is a flawed, fragile piece of emotion. Certainly hope it sounds ok.

Here is Videotape by Radiohead

Reptilia - Lake Jackson

Well, this thing seeing the light of day is making me all types of happy.

The first 5 piece song we ever decided to do, this final track is the culmination of at least 3 separate sessions, countless retakes and at least 10 hours alone of mixing and tweaking.

A very appropriate send off to our very own Zack Svoronos, who leaves for the jewel of the midwest, Austin, Texas. Recordings will come slower while he's gone but we've already zeroed in on the next big project upon his triumphant return.

Ironically enough, at the end of the song, I decided to leave in our original exclamation of joy upon getting through our first solid play through, nearly 5 weeks ago. Little did we know how flawed it was, but It's been a real labour of love, and I couldn't be prouder.

Without further ado, enjoy Reptilia by The Strokes

Fell In Love With a Girl - Lake Jackson

Another end of the night project, this is probably the 10th take or so. We had all had a few beers and people kept messing up takes. I had been singing initially but at the end of the session my voice was shot.

Travis took over on vocals from there and layed it out on the second take. If you listen closely at the start you can hear me bitching that my throat felt like John Lennons' after his infamous Twist and Shout sessions.

Also listen for Zacks' banshee falsetto in there that would make Prince blush.

Enjoy Fell In Love With a Girl by The White Stripes

House of Cards - Lake Jackson

So this was basically the, I think, first semi-complete recording we had ever put down.
Me and Travis have been singing and playing this song since he learned it, always really loved it's sexy little shuffle.

The lyrics are deceptively gloomy, a crumbling marriage set to an ethereal guitar jangle. The original track adds some glorious accompaniments that we would just love to get to adding some day.

Anyway, here is House of Cards by Radiohead

-Jack

Follow Me Around - Zack Svoronos

So this was a one off we did between, god knows how many takes of whatever it was we were doing that night. Zack singing and strumming "Follow Me Around" by Thom Yorke.

One take later he was happy with it!

I've found a lot of fun shit we do is in between takes of whatever the goal of the night happens to be.

Here is Follow Me Around by Thom Yorke


-Jack

Local music and Russian Royalty

Woke up at the crack of 11 and myself and Travis took a jaunt over to the local music store, Nova Music Center. After the trials and tribulations involved with tracking a loud, sloppy garage rock song I decided to invest in another mic, and replace the drum sticks that finally gave up yesterday.

The place is the bomb man, lemme tell yeh. Met Anastasia, the head engineer there and she showed me around their studio, where she was mixing a song for a local group. Told me a little about her process. It was super interesting, in a "I want to do this for a living" kind of way. She was also very pretty...

Anywho, I have a dedicated drum mic now

Red with the curls and aquatic oddities

The best days are the ones where you were prepared to not be productive but you end up sitting and recording for 7 hours and forgetting to eat.

Worked out the percussion for one project, and then some kind of drum wizard showed up and we blew through 5 tracks of the next song, after a few retakes. We set a lofty goal of covering an entire album, hope to have that done in a month or so. 

Late in the night Travis came by and we blazed through about 15 takes of "Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes. Lost my breath after 10 or so and we finally locked it down a few after. 

Job well done today boys. 

Bells and animals in hot cars

My latest project makes an annoying ringing noise.

These bells are fairly old and there's some kind of vibration in there somewhere. I've actually had a lot of fun with them so far, basically making up an accompaniment to the next song I'm working on. Might need to tap someone to play bass on the track because I doubt my ability to bring the necessary level of funky grunge to it. 

Hope to have most of it down tonight if I don't get distracted. 

It's a bummer of a song, lemme tell yeh'.

-Jack

New Yorkers and that loud feedback noise

So the most ambitious project we've undertaken so far is a 5 piece recording of Reptilia by those fantastic lads from New Yeork, The Strokes. I can't even begin to guess how many hours I've sunk in mixing this thing alone, not even to mention how long the guys and myself have spend playing it.
Good thing It's such a great fucking song.

The process of it was so backwards It's embarrassing to think about it now. Suffice it to say, don't try and record a rock song with three guitars WITHOUT a drummer.

After uncountable amounts of retakes, and section overdubs, we are getting really close to a finished project, and myself and Zack just spent a late night "working out the kinks" session that proved very fruitful. Once the song gets the stamp of approval I'll go over some of the weird stuff we subjected ourself to to commit this thing to virtual tape. Until then, enjoy this picture of the man himself, right before the fortunate lightbulb moment.

-Jack

Where we start and how we got there

Hello, my name is Jack Corbley, and I decided to start centralizing all the thoughts, ideas and projects that I, or my good friends and musicians are working on or dreaming up.

Short recap: I live in a wooded sanctuary in Virginia and I love music, my whole life I've been surrounded and immersed by it. So recently I decided to start involving myself in it a bit more.

I set out to learn and start mastering the art of recording sound. I set up and expanded upon the the music room to turn it into a ramshackle recording studio, and so far have enjoyed moderate success with the projects we've jumped into.

I'm happy to have a place I can easily use to plop down everything we're up to, for any of you lovely folks who flatter me with your interest.

Here's to a hopefully moderately successful venture into the intricate, wonderful world of recording and performing music.

Cheers - Jack