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I'm fucking stoked about this!!
Devon Graves about the new album:
Well, I finally finished the fourth DeadSoul Tribe album. It is called The Dead Word, but don't ask why because I will not tell you. This was most definately the most pleasurable project I have ever put together.
Emotionally, my spirits were very up-beat. Though there was the standard issure time pressure to complete this thing in time for a 2005 release, I felt little or no anxiety during the production. Every morning I woke up happy and in the mood to record. I am blessed to have this feeling about my job.
This was also the fastest album I have ever made. Just a few days over a month from the first tracking session to the final mix. At the same time, it is probably the most polished production out of the four albums.
Adel was in very good form. The first session with him, we recorded the drum tracks for "Waiting in Line", which took actually quite a while and tested both of our patience. After that, his focus measurably improved. So much in fact that the next week ( he came over on Friday nights and we recorded over three weekends), we decided to just set up and do a line check Friday evening so Saturday morning we would be on the mark. Just hit RECORD and go.
So with all mics functioning, He decided to give a song a try that evening. I remember feeling a bit tired and hesitant to begin, but we went for it anyway. In less than 1 hour, he finished "Some Sane Advise", he was still ready to do more and in less than another hour he completed "My Dying Wish"! We sheduled Three songs for each weekend, and we had two already done on Friday night.
His playing was so solid that I was able to keep nearly all of my original basslines that I has recorded to my drum programming.You see, When I write a song, I tap out the rhythms using computer drum samples, and play guide tracks to that. The bass lines and a simple sketch of the guitar riffs. Then I give a CD to Adel to listen to, and then we replace my electronic drums with Adels drumming.
Often there is some drift in the timing, so I usually have to redo the bass in order to lock in with his playing. This time, I was pleasantly suprised at how little I had to do that. In fact, the only times I DID have to was because my playing was a little off on the guide track, not his. Anyway, Adel kept this speed up for the remaining sessions and I found myself even a bit ahead of schedule.
During the week days between his sessions, I would do all the instrument tracking for the songs he has completed the previous sessions, so just a few days after his final session, I had also completed the rest of the instrumentation right behind him.
The only thing left to do was the vocals. The only problem was I had no lyrics written! So, over the next two weeks, I wrote basically one song every morning, and recorded the vocals that day. This was exactly what I did on The January Tree. I don't know why, but even though I have the songs and melodies completely dancing in my head, the actual words elude me until the very last moment. Then they just flow through me almost effortlessly during the last few days of production.
So, finally, Saturday, September 10th I finished the final mixes in the early afternoon, just in time for me to head to the airport early that evening, as we were on our way to Raismes France to play Raismes Fest. Just to let you know, we kicked ass;)
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