Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
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Please give me the name of a songwriter you admire.
I've been thinking about this song-writing business a lot lately. Not the commerce of it, but the craft. As a relative novice I've been revisiting bands/songs I like and studying their work again from a more analytical angle ("What are they doing there? "Why did they do that?"). More often than not I've come away with my admiration increased, at least in regard to some aspect or another.
So, please help a keen student out. Without concern for genre or age, tell me the name of a songwriter you admire. Just one. I'm not asking necessarily for your favorite or the best (what is that anyway?). Just someone who's work you consider top notch, admirable, front rank etc.
Thanks.
Comments
Nick Cave.
Bob
I think the guys in Sigur Ros are on another planet, their music is as close as I get to 'spirituality' since I stopped taking hallucinogens. Untitled #8 (and Kveikur almost as much) sounds like the end of the world to me. I kind of go overboard though because a lot of times they make me want to quit, I aspire to the level/headspace they're at & that's a long ways off.
Rakim
Elliot Smith
This suggestion isn't a close fit for this particular forum, but it's still brilliant songwriting.
Before the Leaving. Alela Diane. The studio version, although the live one is great too.
It depends on mood. 3 A.M. would be better than 3 P.M. It's a quiet song, and at first there might not seem to be a lot to it, but there are still things going on. If it gets in then it's devastating.
I had an older sister who would sing along with her records, so I thought I hated Joni Mitchell. Then, at 13 or so, I remember lying on the carpet, my head between the speakers, listening to Court and Spark... it sunk in. I had to buy Hissing of Summer Lawns for myself, after hearing "The Jungle Line" on the radio. At the time she was alienating her previous audience, I was hooked.
John Bramwell (I Am Kloot)
The books
Yeahsayer (specifically the album : "all hour bells" )
Breaking the rules here but:
Band of Skulls
@JohnnyGoodyear
Sorry for posting another but this topic is really interesting to me and I've always found methods of songwriting very interesting.
Apparently arctic monkeys write their lyrics first and then construct the song to the lyrics.
Also heard that David Bowie cut out all the lines of major tom and put them on the ground of his lounge room and rearranged them until he came up with the final song
I like Piers Faccini
Gordon Lightfoot, Elvis Costello
(One of) The Inventors of 90s Quiet/Loud Music:
the cut-up method is how i derive half my lyrics, from news stories, etc. thom yorke has dabbled in it as well.
John Martyn
Has to be George Formby....
Yes, George Formby indeed !
Otherwise, David Sylvian.
too may to mention.
Jimmy Web, Randy Newman, Aimee Mann, Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal, Rosanne Cash, John Forgerty, Nick Lowe,
the list goes on and on.. too many to mention
Leo Sayer (yes really) (and to keep it at the asked quantity of one).
Peter Sinfield, Neil Peart (yes, the drummer), Roger Waters. Not much original, probably.
John Frusciante
On a different tangent..
Skinnyman. A masterful lyric writer. Even if you hate hiphop have a listen to this:
Richard Thampson, Martha Tilston, Jake Thackery. Trouble with this type of question is that it is very subjective. Interesting though as I haven't heard of many already mentioned.
Yeah I've got a lot of listening to do from this thread, needed some fresh leads so it's great
Martin Page
I've admired Symphony X above most others... check out the 25 minute epic track 'The Odyssey' is a good stand-alone synopsis of their work. The album 'V', their masterpiece IMO.
Elliott Smith is already taken, so I will nominate Sam Beam, better known as Iron & Wine.
Neil Young
Will Oldham. Aka Bonnie "Prince Billy", Palace, Palace Brothers and Palace Music.
I choose him specifically for you because the man loves words.