Our Artillery

This is one of those songs that don't quite make sense but it's all the better for it. There was a period in my life where I could toss these off while I was asleep. I think maybe it's still like that but I have to focus and get in that zone. Anyway, at the end of the song is a line that goes, "I know nobody and nobody knows me," which I stole from a Mt Eerie song without even realizing it until a year or two later. My favorite line is, "it's rigid and odd inside of the womb."

Our Artillery - Brian Adam Ant

Afternoon Amphetamine Rush

Once upon a time I was really bitter and jealous over somebody and it was not worth it. However, I did get a lot of good songs out of it, and it really helped a lot to have something to do in order to get over this situation. There are some records, like Bob Dylan's Blood On The Tracks, that are synonymous with the term "break-up album." When I was in this certain head space, the prospect of making a musical documentation of this break-up seemed like the best thing in the world, and maybe it was the best thing to do at the time, but I sort of feel like I've exhausted my break-up song resources for a while, which is probably a good thing. Hey at least I did it before Kanye. 

The lyrics in this one started off as pretty honest, although I dont know why I used a stupid phrase like, "turquoise concubine." "You will startle me with your sharp keys/and lay a slanted scratch across my cheek," was sort of prophetic in a weird way, but I think that you had to be there.

Afternoon Amphetamine Rush - Brian Adam Ant

Granny Smith Potplatter Sample

In honor of today's date being the date that it is, I have posted this slow-moving space jam recorded Christmas, 2007. I love this song and I wish that I could still play it but I cannot remember the chords at the end! The title comes from all the apples I was eating at the time, all the potted plants I was consuming, and all of the "Dim Sum Appetizer Platter Samplers" that I was required to sell in that month at my job at PF Chang's. The repetition of the line, "I will become someone someday you'll see" is meant to reveal different layers of meaning behind the phrase. Other than that, it's wordless, which I'm okay with. Also check out the killer white noise at the very end. Although it's overall pretty repetitive, I'd call it more like meditative and it's definitely one of my favorite vocal takes I've done. The xylophone featured on this song is one that I bought about five years ago in an antique store in Old Ellicott City for $10. It's German and has an H note instead of a B. Best $10 I ever spent. 

Granny Smith Potplatter Sample (Remaster) - Brian Adam Ant

Sometimes A Great Notion

This one's a really personal song that I wrote while I was living in New York.It was a pretty lonely time and this song is about that. There's not much more that I'd like to express about it at this time. 

Sometimes A Great Notion - Brian Adam Ant

Drums I Didnt Play

This is an instrumental song that I recorded when I was about 18 or 19. The melody's kinda cheesy but I like it. I stole the drum loop from Phil Elverum of the Microphones, from his song called Drums No One Played. It sounds super lo-fi and crappy because everything was recorded with a tiny computer mic and I had no idea what I was doing. 

Drums I Didnt Play - Brian Adam Ant

Peacebone

Here's a cover of Animal Collective's Peacebone. I thought it worked well as an acoustic song. One microphone, a few takes, and low pass filter. Recorded in my closet.

peacebone - Brian Adam Ant

Grow Up To Be Grown

Here's a weird song that I came up with some time ago, and I've never really been able to properly record it; hopefully someday it'll match the sound I had in my head. The lyrics took a long time to finish, I had a few lines where I sat there for hours trying to come up with something. The bridge sounds like it comes out of nowhere, which I like. 

Grow Up To Be Grown - Brian Adam Ant

Civilians Coughing

This is a song that I wrote after watching the original version of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." It's actually about zombies though, but I got the idea from the movie. It's sort of about the pre-zombie disease spreading around. My favorite line is, "the old couple across from me, viciously salivating." The intro was supposed to be for a different song, "Waitin for the Apocalypse," but I wrote the intro and it didnt fit that song at all. Ian said it sounds like the Flaming Lips, which is nice of him to say. 

Civilians Coughing MP3 - Brian Adam Ant

Rainy Winter Weather

This was the first song that I finished for my first proper solo album, Separation Celebration. I'm really proud of this one, compositionally. I wrote it in November of 2005, I remember it was a few days before Thanksgiving; for some reason almost every year I always have really dramatic things happen to me that I write songs about in the days preceding Thanksgiving. I wrote it in the attic while my ex-girlfriend and I were living together, and we broke up shortly after. I had written the lyrics and the tune was sort of there, and I decided to rip off the chords from John Lennon's "Crippled Inside." It's a really bitter breakup song, which I was doing a lot of at the time. I dont know what Black Licorice Rum is, I think I made it up. Yes, I realize that the phrase "fictional lie" is redundant. My favorite line in the song is, "I got a heart shaped like an eclipsed moon." I really remember the feeling of awkwardness, impending doom, and being panic-stricken and heartbroken in the days before my ex moved out. Probably one of the worst times in my life, and here it is for you to enjoy. 

Rainy Winter Weather - Brian Adam Ant

Dark Globe

This is probably my favorite cover song that I've ever recorded. I'm not sure when exactly it was, maybe 2006? I used Ian's $30 little digital recorder thingie. This is probably my favorite Syd Barrett song ever, because it's such a bold statement and I love the way he sings it himself. I basically tried to replicate him in my own weird way. 

Dark Globe - Brian Adam Ant