A Song for Sleeping Children
May 10, 2020
Carseat
Lullaby
Close your eyes until you’re floating deep
In a troubled land with fossils of barren sheep
In a world completely undone.
There’s no going back
No going back
To what we used to know.
A lullaby is a song meant for children, and in most circumstances sung right before they fall asleep. Me being young and pessimistic about the future, I decided to write something a bit darker. In this song [I don’t actually believe this], I claim that children shouldn’t dream about anything nice because there’s nothing good in their life to look forward to. Older generations have messed up this world so much that by the time they’re supposedly flourishing adults, the world’s gone to trash. Nice, isn’t it?
I was born in 2002, the year that the majestic “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera was released. Thought it was a nice contrast. I hid the melody of the chorus in a random yet it-makes-sense spot.
I hope you enjoy this dystopian experience.
Looking for feedback on
I know the mixing's not great, but any notes on that would be great. I'm always trying to improve on that.
Discussion
alechutson May 12, 2020 6:22pm
doooope love the mysterious feels you’ve got going on. very compelling chord choices and voicings.
Carseat May 24, 2020 4:46pm
Thanks so much!
juliapiker May 12, 2020 1:33pm
I just love this. I love it so much. Your voice is like warm milk.
Mix wise I am REALLY feeling the low end support. And god the way you build your voice. I want to write a SONG WITH YOU!!!! There are so many lovely lush layers to this mix. The writing is interesting and different and it grows and retreats. Really really awesome submission.
Mix note: I would actually brighten your vocal. Right now it’s sitting along with the rest of your instrumentation. I would mix your vocal a TINY bit hotter and and kick up the high end just a slight smidge. Keep the instruments where they are- theyre great.
Carseat May 24, 2020 4:46pm
Oh my god I’d be honored to write with you. ICE CREAM is my JAM. Like. Holy crap.
Sam Pearce May 11, 2020 2:39pm
Hi Darcy, my name is Sam, and I enjoyed this first acquaintance with your music. I find this song beautiful and disturbing, and I don’t mean the following as a characterization of the music itself, but the feeling I got reminded a little of what I feel when I listen to what I’ll cautiously call ballads by Radiohead, like “No Surprises” and “Sail to The Moon”. Seconding what Nick said, I think your guitar playing and singing are strong and, as far I know given the limited scope of my listening, singular. Looking forward to hearing more!
Carseat May 24, 2020 4:44pm
Thanks so much! I looove “Sail to the Moon”. Ugh. So good.
nick May 11, 2020 9:32am
Fantastic submission, Darcy. Your guitar playing and singing have such distinct character. Love the mood you went with, and a lot of your mixing decisions support it (per ryan’s comment, the high creepy/glimmery guitar notes are perfect—they remind me of St. Vincent’s live “Paris is Burning”). All of these musical comparisons (or at least the ones you like) can be great for comparing your mix to. Listen back and forth and try and find frequencies present in their vocals that are missing from yours. I find that process super helpful, and also rewarding once you get your track sounding like “the pros”. Great job!
nick May 11, 2020 9:35am
Oh also, I have been pouring over this track trying to find the Xtina melody. Have not found it yet, but I will be continuing my search indefinitely.
Carseat May 24, 2020 4:43pm
Awesome, thanks so much, Nick! I’ll definitely have to give that a go. As for “Paris is Burning”, that’s one of my all-time FAVORITE St. Vincent songs. Very humbled by your comparison of me to her.
Xtina is in there. She’s hiding a little, but once you hear her you can’t go back.
nurphgun May 10, 2020 9:26pm
This is a really cool song. In this assignment, a few people have tapped into the fact that children’s stories, music, etc. can be really disconcerting and creepy, and I like that you’ve leaned into that, here. The arpeggios in the latter half of the tune remind me of “Subterranean Homesick Alien”; that plus the sheep line are giving me OK Computer energy. I love the way your voice sounds; the light and close-up consonants are really well sung and well recorded.
Carseat May 11, 2020 6:47am
Hey thank you so much! I absolutely adore Radiohead, so I am honored that you associated me with their sound.
Ryan May 10, 2020 7:13pm
Darcy! Glad you’re here. This track is suuuuper cool. Really love the character of your voice. It’s extremely unique, but it does remind me of one of my favorite singers. Do you know the band Another Sky? The lead singer’s voice is incredible. Check out their EP “Forget Yourself” if you get the chance. Mix-wise, I think you did a great job balancing the voice and guitar, both of which are pretty dark in tone (that higher octave guitar part helps a lot—great decision there). I think you could probably get a little more out of the mid-high range of the vocals to let it differentiate itself just a bit more, but overall, I think you killed it. Well done!
Carseat May 11, 2020 6:50am
Hey Ryan! Thanks so much! I haven’t heard of Another Sky — I’ll have to check them out. And thank you for the mixing notes — I always like to hear how I can improve on that.
aubspeeps May 10, 2020 6:28pm
Um I love your voice wow your tone is so awesome especially for this style and haunting chord progression. Super into this vibe, and I really like how it ends unresolved. I can’t offer much as far as mixing goes, I’m trying to figure that out myself, but great job!
Carseat May 11, 2020 6:52am
Wow thank you! I’m so humbled that you like my sound — your voice is insane too.