Music

In my spare time I like to produce music using the KXStudio GNU/Linux distribution. It includes tons of great audio production software and doesn't cost a thing.

All of my songs were made using one or more of the following tools:

Here's an overview of the various names I work under and some of the things I've produced:

Verdigris

Post-punk/Alternative

I'm a big fan of the post-punk sound; lots of reverb and echo, low-fi guitars, monotonous vocals, dark and brooding songwriting. Verdigris' stuff is on the more upbeat end of the scale.

Behind Glass

This is probably the most complicated track I've put together so far. I jammed out the two guitar riffs and laid them over each other, really loved the sound, and built the track up from there. It features more complex drumbeats than I usually bother with. The guitar solo turned out great too, especially when it first comes in.

I heard about a neuroscientific theory, in which brains are made up of several distinct consciousnesses, all influencing each other, but only our primary consciousness gets the final say, and takes all the credit. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a secondary consciousness inside such a brain, desperate to take over.

A Stranger

This track has a catchy chorus that tends to embed itself into your head. It was also the first track I recorded with a guitar solo (sadly pieced together from multiple takes, not performed live). The chorus has some fun vocal panning.

A while ago, for various reasons, I had to keep a relationship secret for a while. This song about that experience, sneaking around and pretending to be something we're not.

Somewhere Less Unreal

A "weird vibe" track, featuring discordant synth drones and tinkly bells following the exaggerated vocal. The first Verdigris track to feature no guitars at all.

It's a bit of a downer lyrically; you're not feeling right, so you're trying to psyche yourself up, put on a happy face, and get back to normal.

Come To Ground

I love the chorus of this one, not so keen on the verse. It's got a good bass groove underneath though. If I rerecorded it, I'd add a bridge part.

It was written about society or whatever. If we don't stick together we fall apart, blah blah.

She Severs

Possibly my favourite. It's a bit darker than the others, a bit truer to the genre. It's the first track in this project to feature a prominent synth instrument.

The lyrics describe an irresistible woman who chews men up and spits them out. Not speaking from experience, I promise, I just thought it would be a fun subject.

Nuntoucher

Rock/Metal/Punk

Nuntoucher is all about scratchy vocals, distorted guitar, and grizzly bass. It's basically an excuse to make lots of noise and get silly with it.

Stagefright

I love the energy and main riff of this short track. The drums were painstakingly clicked out into a MIDI track. It took ages.

It was written semi-autobiographically about relationships where you suddenly find yourself out of your depth, under the metaphor of a theatre performance.

To The Grave

This is the first full track I ever completed; it turns out colossal guitar noise masks a lot of production mistakes. I used a distorted vocal to mask the crappy recording (from a dictaphone), but it fits so well, future Nuntoucher tracks will probably do the same thing. I do have a proper microphone now.

Despite what the song is saying, I don't think I have any terrible secrets. The theme popped into my head, so I wrote a fun song about it.