"Mythical Sunshine"

It's called Mythical Sunshine and if you live anywhere where it stays cloudy and/or rains for five months in a row, you'll know why.
 
What does it need? What can I do? What needs re-doing? Is the bass too loud? Thanks for your ears . . .
 
 
Begun in 2010
file corrupted and computer died 2013
(managed to save some mixdowns and parts)
reassembly begins 2014
here we are, is it 2017 already???
 
https://soundcloud.com/songsbytom-com/mythical-sunshine
 
 
 
Mythical Sunshine
I think I saw you long ago
was it a memory or a dream
overcast haunts me
I look for a happiness unknown
in this grey, unchanging scene
 
I know I'm not the only one
who finds this gloominess a trial
and if I'd never seen the sun
a lighter grey might make me smile
 
what has it taught me
has the eternal end begun
another symptom of my disease
and if you brought me
brought me a single ray of sun
it would bring me to my knees
 
and to the sunless, leaden sky
I speak a curse into the wind
nobody knows it's there but I
I can't make the sunlight shine again  
 
etc, etc.
 

I like the structure and progression of it, good mood too.  The drums come in real nice right there, very cool.  The criticism is the vocal work.  It's fairly shaky in the beginning, a little pitchy on those first couple of lines.  After that, it was hard not to hear the imperfection of pitch.  Good song, in my opinion, just would retouch that vocal stuff to make sure you're getting good pitch and texture.  
 
 

What does this need?
 
It needs some music mogul to stumble over it and drops some pennies to post it on his immense twitter feed.
 
Best song ever!
 
mofo
 
6:10, that guitar, holy mollie.
 
Now, this begs the question.  What do you need?  You need some serious glue.  Your tentacles have probed into the root tapped.
 
ashes to ashes, dust to dust, soul to soul, morning to night, dig.
 
96 proof in the speak easy boy.
 
Q. the Screed Jesse!
 
 

Kakku, thanks for the listen!
 
Voda la Void, thanks for the comments on the vocals, I'll give them another look. That's my achillies heel. More of an achilles leg.
 
Wookiee, thanks for the comments! I agree the initial reverb is over-ponderous. It's also baked into the cake, I'm afraid, from audio files and mix decisions made 8 years ago! I could easily chop the whole beginning off, and save everybody two minutes . . . hmmm . . .
 
Jesse Q, you are great as usual. I'll look up what that thing called "Twitter" is. It's a pet, isn't it? I might get one myself, but I hear they need feeding a lot. And it comes with 144 characters, which I'm not sure, I already have enough characters in my life. Oh, and thanks for the listen and the cool comments.
 
Andy, thanks glad you liked it. 
 
-Tom
 
 

emeraldsoul
 
if you live anywhere where it stays cloudy and/or rains for five months in a row
 

 
Yes...I'm in Scotland...
 
Excellent song Tom, loads of little bits of ear candy going on, cool chord progressions too. Very good writing and production.

Tom, the opening piano had me wondering about all that reverb. Not like your previous controlled mixes. But, as you explain, "baked in". I guess it can be lived with. Overall though, a fine song and production.

Great stuff Tom - I like it a lot. It was along time getting here but it was worth the wait.
Personally, I like the vocal.

nice piano tones at intro...
tho the verb is a bit heavy...
it does give the song a specific mood, so i say roll with it.
 
dig the bass line, it's simple but funky
 
some of the vox is shaky, but again, it gives it a mood......
you could identify those specific areas, and just double track a second vocal performance, 
and mix it in an out at will, just to smooth out those things..
 
i'd much rather hear a vox dealt with like that..
then hear an autotune.
ugh.
 
cool rhythm guitar stuff happening below....
what is that?
 
 

Optimus - yes that reverb on the opening piano is not optimal, but that's a fork in the road in the past :) thanks for the listen.
 
Eph, thanks! Really glad you got the vibe there, PDX!  I agree, it's the song first.
 
Then, it's the gain matching, the eq, the mix levels, and the tricks like compression, reverb, delay, panning, and then it's limiting on the master bus and some glue compression, then it's mixdown to wav or mp3, whereupon you have to re-listen and find all the things you forgot to do, and then lather, rinse repeat. Cool, huh? What kind of moron would actually go through all of that?
 
Daryl, If I could ever get a mix to sound as utterly clean as yours, I'd be a happy man. Thanks for the listen.
 
Bats - thanks for the  listen and the comments! The vocal could use a little refinement, I'll get some more doubletracking going. I'm not sure what you were noticing with the "what is that" on the rhythm guitar? I played it on my strat (sounds like a keyboard player playing guitar, doesn't it) but I double tracked it, blended it, and it's going through S-Gear. I was hearing Nile Rodgers but instead it ended up like, well, Joe Walsh sober. ?
 
cheers, and many thanks again. 
our forum works much better when people take the time to comment 
on each other's stuff!
 
-Tom
 

S-gear is an amp sim:
http://www.scuffhamamps.com/product/s-gear
 
you probably have a room full of real amps so you wouldn't need this!
 

I liked it.  I didn't know where it was going at first.  Once it kicked in I was grooving. 
IMO  - I listened on my studio monitors. The clarity of the mix is outstanding.  I feel the the voc was out front a little too much.  This may be the reason why people are picking up on voc shaky parts.  "Shaky" is character to me sometimes.
The call out I think was too loud at 1:06.  A little too much high end.    The lead vocal is really out front during the quieter parts 1:43.   I know people will disagree with me but sometimes it is ok to have the lead vocal in the mix, in a carved out spot.  Lastly, I feel there seems to be more mid-range and not enough sub.  When I play the tune at extremely low volume I can not hear the kick.  I think it can slide in right under the bass gtr.  There seems to be room.  I only tell you these things because you asked and I know how valuable the forum's crits are to me. 
Cheers,
John M

What does this tune need - absolutely nothing - this is one magical song - you've got a hit one your hands with this one. Love the playing - the vocals are really perfect for this tune and the mix sounds spot on. This is a great one my friend.

Nice track Tom. Moves smoothly along and through the hooks nicely. Sort of a gentle swing to it. Relaxed vocals and well arranged. I certainly enjoyed it. Thanks!

Hi Tom, the overall song, mix and performances sound great to me. I personally like the reverb on the piano intro and I think your vocal fits the tune...if that makes sense.