Like our debut Return to Start, this three-song EP features keyboard, guitar, and songwriting work from creature co-founder AM Faulks. These songs actually may feature his contributions more than any so far, and they’re a lot of fun. These songs represent our eclectic styles and are examples of how we create by following the muse – capturing what we improvise in the moment during our jam sessions.
About these songs:
Solace
Written while seeking solace during an ice-story caused power outage. Highlights: keyboard and guitar leads.
This is the second song we wrote and collaborated on together and the second song released for the Weekly Beats 2016 project. Aaron MIles wrote the chords, bass and drums while he and his family were literally seeking solace and shelter at his parent’s house during an ice storm-caused power outage. It was a week of hunkering down with family and waiting out the storm, similar to what we’ve been going through in 2020 during the pandemic. The lyric that was added in 2020 reflects on the gratitude of having family and friend support: “Where would you want to be, if not here with me?”
A few weeks later, power restored across the city, MIles played the early song for AM Faulks at his studio. Faulks whipped up more keys (chords and the catchy, gorgeous lead line) and guitar. Miles then added more sounds and various iterations of vocal sounds. The 2016 version actually had a double-time kind of drum and bass section in the middle with some crazy vocal chops. This 2020 version is a little more tame, smooth and fluid. The middle section now has a Latin feel and features more of Faulks’s guitar improvisations. Miles added vocals and shared it again for Weekly Beats 2020, four years after the original was created. This long process makes the first lines: “take the time, let the flow take root” seem fitting. It’s definitely about time this one gets released to the world.
Full song breakdown, technical details and lyrics on the song details page.
Pirate Circus
A circus party polka dance that 9 out or 10 pirates enjoy.
The pirates are plundering the people again. Making a real circus of it. This song was written to call attention to the social injustices of the world that need correcting. A song to dance to in spite of the injustices. A song for burning the oppressor’s effigies in wild abandon at the bonfires of reckoning and collective cathartic release. It’s the people’s turn to plunder and party.
Or maybe we just pulled this out of the magical musical either. It means something or nothing. We sure like it and want to share it. During a session in the main Creature Den at Miles’s house, the ideas were flowing freely. Faulks just starts playing this bouncing keyboard riff. Like nothing we’d played before. Sounded like being welcomed to the circus, or a nightclub polka. Miles puts down some drums and bass quickly to keep it going. Faulks picks up his guitar and works his magic for the next hour or two. Plenty of material for Miles to later edit into a track to be released for the Weekly Beats 2020 project. This version released here is pretty much the same as it was that night.
Full song breakdown, technical details and lyrics on the song details page.
Monstrosus Among Us
Mr. Monstrosus fights for justice with top-notch finger drumming, and tasty Saturday matinee 80’s sitcom theme riffs.
Another amazing, surprising, and entertaining result of the creative explosions of AM Faulks (aka Monstrosus). He played all these keyboard parts out of the blue during the same session we recorded Pirate Circus. He then took over on the Ableton Push and played all these drums parts. That’s right – these drums were recorded finger drumming on the Push. Miles pulled this edit together for Weekly Beats 2020, adding an 808 break in the middle section, and some vocals written as an homage to Mr. Monstrosus.
Full song breakdown, technical details and lyrics on the song details page.
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