new collective
i make covers occasionally using a limited midi palette, informally known as "new collective". basically drums, bass, electric keys, organ, and a clav. it's a weird little sound; kinda loungey, kinda funky. i use it as a way to practice decent drum grooves and arrangements without having to worry too much about the live preformance that i tend to do. it's fun!
the idea i had was to convert all of these to midi and put them here. this turned out to be WAY more convoluted than i thought. plus, neocities doesn't want to host mp3s unless you upgrade (understandable). since i haven't done that, i'll just talk about what i've done and if i happen to do the midis, they'll be here too. cool?
midis
ArtOfMotion.mid - "Art of Motion" by Andy Mckee, from Dreamcatcher (2004), Art of Motion (2005)
notes: arranged 06/14/2020. very fond of mckee's work and this tune in particular, was excited to nail the riffs and figure out how to arrange it.
others in the series
Adia.mid - "Adia" by Sarah Mclachlan, from Surfacing (1997)
notes: arranged 01/14/2018. very sweet song, loved doing the harmonies for this. in the mp3 version, i have it sampled as if the "band" goofs off at the ending, with a trill in the keys and sampled drumsticks hitting the floor.
AzyzLla.mid - "Order Yet Undeciphered" by Masayoshi Soken, from Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward (2015)
notes: arranged 05/11/2020. this tune has SUCH a cool vibe, no notes on the arrangement besides the instrumentation. i kept that driving feel with a straight ahead kit, the organ, and so on...i did add some real chorused guitar on this one. fun to quote the ishgard theme in this as well!
BayCity.mid - 黄昏のBAY CITY by Junko Yagami, from Full Moon (1983)
notes: arranged 01/08/2017. when this song was getting sampled to hell and back, i sought out the original work, and junko yagami is SUCH a great artist. super fun 80's pop! i tried to harness the vibe in a more stripped down setting.
BlackingOutTheFriction.mid - "Blacking Out The Friction" by Death Cab For Cutie, from The Photo Album (2001)
notes: arranged 01/30/2017. the original has phone samples at the beginning and end (a dial tone at the end, a ring tone at the beginning) to go with the theme of the song. i always imagined it being a phone call with a lot of dead air...the sad kind. plus i even mimic the phone line with a minor second at the building point! It's Theming!
Butterflies.mid - "Butterflies" by Toad The Wet Sproket, from Dulcinea (1994)
notes: arranged 07/29/2017. this song is also cool, not too much done on the arrangement, besides some noodling in the outro. again, wanted to capture the initial vibe that drew me to the song in the first place. the bass line is my favorite.
DeathWolf.mid - "Death Wolf" by Taking Back Sunday, from Tidal Wave (2016)
notes: arranged 04/10/2017. imagine my surprise learning that TBS had a new album out around that time...big fan of them in my high school years. this whole album rules, so i had fun arranging this one. the original has a crowd sampled in the middle of the track.
Emotion.mid - "Emotion" by Carly Rae Jepsen, from E•MO•TION (2015)
notes: arranged 09/24/2020. REALLY dig this song, it's got swagger to it. the original had me using a different clav sample, which i wasn't impressed with (still thinking about trying to redo the clav...). this quotes "call me maybe" in the outro, and also has a silly fall apart ending.
Golden.mid - "Golden" by Fall Out Boy, from Infinity On High (2007)
notes: arranged 02/21/2017. always loved the harmonies in this song and the progression. this is heavily extended and has an upbeat backbeat (a UB-BB if you will) instead of the solemn solo piano of the original. plus: fun with the arpeggiator!!
NewAesthetic.mid - "Your New Aesthetic" by Jimmy Eat World, from Clarity (1999)
notes: arranged 04/16/2017. this song has a sort of dark tone to it that i tried to reflect in this arrange. the original has a radio static squeal at the beginning. plus, the harmonies are cool. a guarantee to make me think of arranging a song is to have Cool Harmonies. also: more fun with the arpeggiator!!!!
September.mid - "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire; from The Best of [...], Vol. 1 (1978)
notes: arranged 09/22/2020. did this one in the real throes of the pandemic. september is a song that means a lot to me, as it was a staple in my jazz ensemble and was retired after i graduated. it's a very nostalgic song for me (and probably a lot of people given its age). this arrange starts slow and then goes back up to tempo. also with the new clav sound.
Ohx8.mid - "Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh" by Say Hi, from "Oohs and Aahs" (2009)
notes: arranged 02/27/2018. this is a kind of obscure 00s indie band, which i was into in high school. this song also has some swagger in it. however, arranging the titular "Ohs" was torture, since there is echo on the tracks and syncing up the off beats was nightmarish. came out okay though!
OutOfRange.mid - "Out Of Range" by Brand New, from Mene (2016)
notes: arranged 01/20/2017. this is the one that started it all (rip brand new 2000-2017). this song took me a bit to warm up to, but now it's one of my favorites. maybe in part to this arrangement! it's got a groove to it. i really love it. that's all.
PassionOrSanctuary.mid - "Passion" or "Sanctuary" by Hikari Utada, from Kingdom Hearts II (2005)
notes: arranged 02/15/2017. kh is definitely what i would call a "fandom in law", and i know for a fact if i had a ps2 in the mid 00s, it would have also irrevocably changed my brain chemistry. still! i like this song and based it off a piano arrangement i had of it.
Pompeii.mid - "Pompeii" by Bastille, from Bad Blood (2013)
notes: arranged 05/01/2020. had fun with this arrangement, starts with a rainstorm and a fade in on the original on the chorus, and THEN getting into it. that's what arrangements are about babey--mixing it up! played with the drums echoing the melody as well (something i learned from music school, despite not being a drummer/percussionist).
Santa.mid - "The Man Who Would Be Santa" by Vertical Horizon, from Running On Ice (1995)
notes: arranged 01/28/2017. most people know this band's later releases, but i think their live stages album rules so hard. i arranged this a little more bouncily than the original...and of course, i was drawn to the harmonies. you know how it is. i even included a bass solo!
Sleepyhead.mid - "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit, from Chunk of Change (2008)
notes: arranged 02/18/2018. i have a remix of this song that lives in my head rent free (the neo tokyo remix?), which is what this is based on. the beginning sounds like a tune up from the bass, and then we get into it. i remember letting loose and going by feel on this one. love it.
TenDesires.mid -
notes: arranged 02/10/2018. HUGE fan of touhou and its music. i still have half a mind to arrange all of the 1st stage music of all the games, and it started with this one. people always talk about how stage 5 and the extra boss stages have the best music, but don't forget about stage 1! give it some love too! i enjoyed putting the main touhou theme in here where i could.
TH1-1.mid -
notes: arranged 09/02/2018. this is another attempt to arrange all of the 1st stage musics. don't know if i could truly convert this to midi, as the washy chorused guitar in this is crucial to the whole mix, and even solos. a really laid back loungey feel here.
Yes.mid - "Yes" by Coldplay, from Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2007)
notes: arranged 02/21/2018. coldplay makes very zeitgeist albums, and this one is no exception. it sounds like a cold, dark winter's day, which was perfect for the mid 00's. i had actually not listened to the album in its entirety until some years later, and this was a song i missed out on. the beginning is staged like a preformance.
