Welcome to Part 2 of the Mobile Musical Memos Series. For an introduction to the concept behind it please go here:
And here are today’s 5 memos with my comments.
“Goodbye To This Place” (working title)
Why I recorded it: To capture the moment of leaving in a song is something I tried quite a few times. Good-bye situations just seem to fascinate me. I don’t know why, but the theme always comes back to me. This here is a variation of “I’ll never gonna wear this … again” from the first “memos” episode. In “Goodbye To This Place” I picture myself on the way from her flat through her neighbourhood to the subway station thinking about all the things I won’t be seeing again. I always liked Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau singing: “Fremd bin ich eingezogen, Fremd zieh ich wieder aus.” (“I moved in as a stranger, As a stranger I move out again”)
What I think about it now: I first had a rocksteady beat in mind, then speeded it up quite a bit under the influence of the Alpha Boys live set. Though the tempo is not fixed yet, the track is ready for a first demo recording. Could be one of the first songs you hear in a better quality.
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“The doctor said I can’t …” (working title)
Why I recorded it: Thinking about “Ska and Old Age” is a reality, when your 30th anniversary with Ska lies behind you. There are some interesting points to be made. On the one side the principles of Ska seem to include some physical aspects, I’ll give you the buzzwords “dance”, “party”, “drink”. Life gets less centred around these when your youth is long gone. On the other side we see many artists not only from 60s Jamaica, but now also from 70s/80s England still (or again) spreading their vibe to Ska fans of every generation.
What I think about it now: On their album “The Liberty Of Norton Folgate” Madness don’t try to pretend they are still the nutty boys they used to be. And I would like to find a way to put physical decay in the context of a Ska song. Maybe it’s good for a whole concept album. I’m curious to know how people could dance/move to something like this. 
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“Greying Father“ (working title)
Why I recorded it: Same as memo 2, plus: In my neighbourhood I see many “old” fathers with children’s push chairs. It’s not exactly a cult, but something that you surely see more often than 10 years back. These sneaker-wearing fathers with greying hair are statements in some respects:
1. Women are better at getting proper well-paid jobs.
2. Self employed media workers and former slackers embrace fatherhood.
3. They still find it hard to grow up.
Well, although I would rather be totally unique. It can’t be denied that I am part of that crowd.
What I think about it now: I like the melody and style, the words seem over the top, which in this case I don’t think works. In the meantime I am working on a different text version, exchanging “Grey haired father” with “Seven lager”. Will be about getting drunk in a pub, chatting up the wrong woman, getting a good hiding by some bouncers, landing in hospital and rethinking all of this.
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Memo 4 “Greying Father II” (working title)
Why I recorded it: B part for memo 3.
What I think about it now: Takes it into a “Alice In Wonderland” vibe. Should be good. Some day.
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Memo 5: “Where Is Your Soul “ (working title)
Why I recorded it: Some of my favourite records from 2009 were albums in which people from a Hip Hop/R’n'B background presented songs in a total 60s soul vibe. I am talking about Raphael Saadiq and Mayer Hawthorne. In shuffle mode on my iPod they mix very nicely with soulful Ska/Rocksteady/Early Reggae tunes I also stored. If my aim for the next recordings is to fuse Ska, Power Pop and Soul then this track leans heavily to the old school Soul side.
What I think about it now: I haven’t given it much of a thought since recording it, but it will be good. Right On!
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