Josh Mossotti » Music

Brokedown Empire

Josh — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:31:12 +0000

Well, it’s that time again. I have completed something new and now I share it with you all. When I sent this to my brother I told him ‘If this track were a pickup truck, it would have truck nuts fixed to the back bumper’. There is real meaty pumping texture to this sound. The process of building this track was a little worrisome. I started developing lyrics and vocals as the music was coming together but prior to the arrangement. It felt constricted, I was locked to the sounds of the rest of the instruments at that point and there was no way to salvage it all in a proper form. I ditched the lyrics and pressed on with the song. I think for my own benefit the lyrics of the track and melody of those lyrics needs to be constructed first, then build the track around that sound. I thought I could slide one past myself on this one… getting by with a charming smile and well-to-do attitude. Not this time, not on my watch. Anyway in true fashion the intent of this track was not to sound like the rest. I am coming to realize that’s simply what I do. If you have enjoyed any of my previous work you will likely nod your through this track with pleasure. If not, you sure do have a strange habit of visiting places you don’t want to be, but you are welcome to stay a while and peruse.

brokedown-empire

The Sun is Black

Josh — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:32:14 +0000

Here is a track I completed maybe a month ago. I have kept this around with a few minor technical fixes. I really enjoy the movement of this song. I think there are a handful of tracks that I hold upon a pedestal. When I dissect the reasons for such dramatic impacts on myself I have to conclude the movement of the track is fundamentally the most powerful attribute of these few. Knowing full well that a track that does not follow traditional methods of arrangements of popular music will condemn itself to an obscured existence and limited audience interest, the decision to convey the message in its current form seems to be a greater cause. If you have a moment, take chance, give her a listen.

the-sun-is-black

La Tristesse Durera Toujours

Josh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:04:46 +0000

It has been an awfully long time between posts. Too long for my comfort. And so I shall put forth an offering of my trials. With it a brief description of what has plagued me for o’ so long. Amidst the personal tribulations of everyday life I too found myself spinning my wheels for several weeks on the track that would not budge, cooperate or show even the slightest gesture of mercy upon me. This is not it. There are not many things that come to mind more frustrating than a muses’ blatant disregard for the feeling of its captive. Following is one the harder decisions to make at a given time to step away and know that for right now at least… you can’t hack it, and move on. This is moving on. I ended up taking my heart in a different direction in mourning. This is not the most fancy or complex piece I ever layed ears on but for all of the greats I pride myself in, there must be these. Trusty, loyal and to drive my point finished. The name ‘La Tristesse Durera Toujours’ translates to ‘The Sadness Will Last Forever’ and to that effect it might not hold a candle to Van Gogh last words, but I like to believe that times like this amplified through his life would feel like a bullet in the chest all of the time.

I apologize but until this track becomes sufficiently produced it has been pulled offline. There is a nice track in there but the quality of sound is too low for me to allow it to enter others ears. I hope to fix soon.

Ballad of Marcy

Josh — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:51:49 +0000

Naturally the longer I hammer at this I should grow both technically and with all the grace of God perhaps even artistically. Fundamentally speaking, I can’t imagine building upon a non-existent creative platform, as I can only hope this is not the case for me.

What’s special about this track for me has a lot to do with the time spent building it. I recently had family in town to visit and get into trouble around Los Angeles. My brother Travis, as I have spoken of on numerous occasions, is an incredible voice in poetry and shares a profound love of harnessing creative endeavors. As we both were on vacation from our day-to-day life we found time (several hours each day) to work, and I walked away with a completed new track, he fled home with a quiver of five great new poems. I was hoping to post them here, but indeed they are otherwise embarking on the journeys to find publications. So, alas I cannot. However what I can share is my stake of the bounty. It’s nice to have on record, fragments of the time we spent, in a variety of forms to bring us back to this great place in life we shared.

ballad-of-marcy

The Beggar’s Last Remark

Josh — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:26:48 +0000

If this song were a human I would punch him square in the mouth. There have been a few times that I struggled this hard to get the sound I wanted. I finished the first version a little over a week ago and hated the product. Which was disheartening. There were aspects that were fantastic and I was very pleased with the structure of the tracks message, but there was something about it that made me aggressively loathe its being. I spent the last week listening and narrowing down the problems. It felt like a race against time. If I am not able to fix the problem while the push from this specific creative and emotive place lasts, the song will end up representing a different personal ‘place’ and take on a new dynamic entirely. As I am sure I have mentioned in previous posts. I firmly believe that a specific piece of art in any medium is based on the artists internal state at that place at that time. As in everything, these moods and life circumstances flow like water in a stream, constantly changing and never to be the exact same again. The joy for me in the music is the process of creating. Though it is hard to find when the piece you are working is straying from the original message and mentally you have moved to the ‘next stage in the stream’. By the time I finished I can’t be certain that it is what I had hoped. The wounds of self betrayal are still too gaping and raw to hear this objectively. Perhaps as I carry further down my stream I can look back, pleased with the outcome from this time and place.

the-beggars-last-remark

Theoria

Josh — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:21:01 +0000

Amidst the chaos represented in this track actually lies some music worth sharing. To be honest, this has actually brought me to a dark contemplative spot regarding the work structure I base my creative understanding around. With this piece I decided to truly dig to the roots of what I love of about creating in general and try to deliver something that truly speaks to the nature of me. I have never that I can remember been so satisfied with something I have created and wholey pleased to attach myself to its origin.

theoria

Death In A Straw Hat

Josh — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:26:09 +0000

I don’t think, conceptually, death in a straw hat should promote so much excitement as in the song. It does have a surprisingly powerful roll and at least for me its hard to tame the head bob while listening. It got me thinking. I have struggled to explain the type or genre of music I tend to create because I did not set out with a specific path in mind. I just know I like how music makes me feel and decided to see whats behind the curtain. As I am certain I have alluded to in past posts, I normally do not have the finished product in mind as I set out on building a track. It’s more the adventure in itself that has captivated my being. The not knowing what will come of it, if anything. Setting sail to sail, not to arrive. Until recently a friend of mine was listening to some of my work and said ‘Oh.. Post-rock’. Though many of you with a better musical understanding might disagree. To me it seems to be the closest description I have to what I am making. But what the f***s a label anyways. Enjoy ‘Death In A Straw Hat’.

death-in-a-straw-hat

The Other Prayers

Josh — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:00:30 +0000

I don’t have too much to say about this latest entry into the musical journal I have setup here. I have started to notice a trend of epic sounding tracks in my musical production repitoire and I must say I am a bit baffled. I never set out to make a track with the idea of hitting a emotionally charged chord on this scale. It somehow seems to piece together that way in a few cases. I normally will have a simple melody cycling around in my head like a mouse on a wheel until I realize it within a piece. Then build about it to show it in it best light. There is a lot I like about ‘The Other Prayers’. Hopefully you find something you enjoy about it.

the-other-prayers

He’s Coming To Get You

Josh — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:12:57 +0000

This latest track was unconventional for me on all accounts. Generally, I build a melody in stages and piece together the rest of the attributes based on where the melody is driving the track and the message I am trying to get across. This however came about as one solid composition. Which should essentially be easier to build upon to get the final sound. However it actually made it a bit more difficult because the changes and movement was established with the guitar and metaphorically set up walls or limitations on the other elements being added. Granted it might have only been more difficult because I normally do not produce this way. All in all it opened up a new method for construction that should allow me to create more dynamic music in the future. Oh, and the name came about simply because there is a section of the guitar that to me says ‘he’s coming to get you’. Nothing to deep or abstract this time.

hes-coming-to-get-you

The Sunlight Will Win

Josh — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:28:50 +0000

Indeed the sunlight will win. As usual the title wasn’t the premise of this track from the onset . Though, as the course of this piece progressed, it began to take on a bright almost holy tone. Rather than dig up an obscure piece of relative theology I went with something a bit more earthly and prevalent to our current time. And since there are no lyrics the name does little if only giving me a reference for a piece of work. I get flustered sometimes when it comes time to save an item on your computer, there’s really a lot of pressure… I don’t know what it is or what to call it !! Back off already machine … Let me think. Once again, I have gotten terribly off topic. I apologize and won’t waste anymore of your precious time. This is ‘The Sunlight Will Win’ .

the-sunlight-will-win