Category: Anderhill

Mississippi (and other demos)

Originally, this post was simply going to be the lyric to a potential song called, Mississippi.

But I’ve since changed the lyric and tried several different treatments of the song. I worked out a straight blues piece, did something with a Bo Diddley beat, and played around with something that reminded me a little bit of Talking Heads.

Then I decided to see if I could put the words to a random piece of electronic music with house and industrial influences that I had in my files. The entire track is based on a single chord: a major 7th. I sing baritone.

This is what I got.

At first I listed this as Anderhill. I’m not sure it is. Anderhill music doesn’t usually have vocals. It’s more of a Dan Steven Erickson thing.

There are multiple problems with the recording. But at this point it’s just a demo. I still haven’t even decided if I like this treatment of the song the best of the options.

There’s a reason I don’t produce many songs with vocals. I don’t have the equipment or engineering skills to get the sounds I’m really hearing in my head. When the music is all programmed using GarageBand, and the vocals are recorded with an iPad mic, you know there’s a lot to be desired. But that’s what I’ve got and I try to make the best of it.

The story behind the lyrics.

As a kid, I was in a cult. I was essentially a slave from the ages of 10-16. That experience left a lot of emotional turmoil and scars in me. I’ve always had a deep pull into the blues, and I associate that with my childhood history.

However, I’ve never quite made the jump into committing to only playing the blues. And based on this version of Mississippi, I’m still not committing. I either lack the discipline, love musical variety too much, or fear the flack I’d get for being a white man attempting to play and sing the deep blues.

But the truth is that I have more in common with the African American slaves than most people do. My history of being a boy who was forced to do hard labor, was beaten and oppressed, has made me understand the spirit of the blues more than your average Joe.

Here’s the first version of the lyric to Mississippi.

Maybe I should move to Mississippi
Because I got them kind of blues
Sometimes we can make our own choices
Sometimes we don’t get to choose
Maybe I should move just south of Memphis
Cuz I can feel the spirits calling me
Muddy Waters, Willie Brown, and Elvis
Maybe I should move to Mississippi

Maybe I should sell most my belongings
Quit my job and load the truck
Buy a one-room shack out on the delta
Maybe then I’d have a change of luck
Could it be I missed my calling
And there’s only one thing that’ll set me free
Oh Lord, them blues just keep returning
So, maybe I should move to Mississippi

In the middle of the night I hear the howling
Freight trains, hound dogs, and slide guitar
Some say it’s the devil but I know better
It’s just years and years of tears and scars

Maybe I should move to Mississippi
Carry on and accept my fate
Play them blues with all my might
Before my time is done and it’s too late
We only get one chance to live a life
In the end you know we’ll all be history
I’m tired of being stuck at this crossroads
Maybe I should move to Mississippi

As I worked the song into the different treatment options, I made some changes to the lyrics. I added a chorus, ditched the bridge, and tweaked the last verse a bit.

Here’s the current version of the song.

Maybe I’ll just move to Mississippi
Cuz I got those deep down blues
Sometimes we make our own choices
Sometimes we don’t get to choose
Maybe I’ll just move south of Memphis
Cuz I can feel the spirit calling me
Muddy Waters, Willie Brown, and Elvis
Maybe I’ll just move to Mississippi

You can break me down
Bring me to my knees
Put me in shackles but I’ll still be free
Cuz there’s something deep inside of me
That will not be denied you see
Maybe I’ll just move to Mississippi

Maybe I’ll just pack all my belongings
Quit my job and load the truck
Buy a one-room shack out on the delta
Maybe then I’ll have a change of luck
Could it be that I missed my calling
And there’s only one thing that’ll set me free
Oh Lord, them blues just keep returning
So maybe I’ll just move to Mississippi

You can break me down
Bring me to my knees
Taint my blood with your evil disease
But there’s something deep inside of me
That will not be denied you see
Maybe I’ll just move to Mississippi

Maybe I’ll just move to Mississippi
Carry on and accept my fate
Play the blues with all my might boys
Before my time is done and it’s too late
Maybe then I can kill this oppression
That another white man instilled in me
Maybe I’ll make a deal down at the crossroads
Maybe I’ll just move to Mississippi

By no means is this a final product.

The song and the recording of this song are still works in progress. It’s over six minutes long. That doesn’t bode well for commerciality. (Not that I really care.)

The phrasing and melody could still use some subtle sculpting.

I’m still not decided on the current musical treatment. It’s unique, but the Bo Diddley version is good, too. The lyrics might still need more editing. The recording is subpar. But it’s a start. It’s the birth of a song.

Oh, and I’m going to continue to add new demos to this collection. – dse

Lyrics Copyright 2024 by Dan Steven Erickson

Falling in and out of Consciousness

Here’s another album by A Cult of Lies. This dark ambient/drone album includes three previously-released tracks and two new compositions. Purity, Uncharted Waters, and In the Direction of the Apparent Course of the Sun were all released as singles in the past few months. I’ve recently composed two new tracks to complete the album.

The two new tracks are titled Falling in and out of Consciousness and Subatomic. Although I didn’t set out to have a theme to this album, it seems to explore the idea of attempting to understand the subconscious mind through tones and textures, guiding the listener on a journey into the unknown.

The photo is an experimental image of a lighthouse at night on the coast of Maine. – dse

Pop, Smack, Sugar: Pure Digital from Pop to Death

Here’s the first Anderhill release of 2024. Pop, Smack, Sugar: Pure Digital from Pop to Death is an experimental electronic album that explores pop and post-pop sounds. You’ll hear the classic sound of Anderhill’s electronic sax, but the overall sound splits ways from older Anderhill with big drums.

I’ve been musically blessed and cursed with a heavy pop influence my entire life. Both as a songwriter and a composer, it seems no matter how hard I try, pop always bleeds through into my musical compositions.

So, for this project, I decided to embrace that pop curse and use heavy drums with a straight-up pop sound. Working fully inside of the digital audio workshop, I strictly use digital sounds only. This is ironic as I’ve recently built an all-analog guitar-pedal rig, and I’m a much bigger fan of analog than digital.

The song titles were simply chosen as a mostly-random list. However, “Pop” and “Death” were purposely chosen. The photo was taken at Old Orchard Beach, Maine on a cold winter day.

Listen and enjoy. – dse

In the Direction of the Apparent Course of the Sun

A while back, I said I would compose a new album using the aleatoric method before the end of the winter. Life has been busy and that may not happen. But I wanted to at least get a single in the can to start 2024.

This is new work by A Cult of Lies: In the Direction of the Apparent Course of the Sun. 

I used the aleatoric method to choose some parameters for this piece. I used a 12-sided die to decide the number of sounds and notes used. The number is five. I rolled for 5 of 12 sounds and five notes.

Sounds: piano, bass, electronic voices, human voice, mallets
Notes: D, E, F, Bb, B.

The track is heavily effected with reverb and delay to get the ambient and noisy sound.

The title is the definition of an old British word: Deasil. The word was used to describe correct direction or luck. Ironically, the photo was taken on a foggy day with no view of the sun.

I’m currently working on putting together a new series of effects pedals for electric guitar. Expect a project that incorporates electric guitar sounds and electronic amp noise later in 2024. – dse

The Sound of Household Appliances

People make jokes about recording the refrigerator or the dishwasher and calling it ambient music.

There’s actually some truth to the idea. The third EP that I composed as Anderhill incorporates a washing machine and a dryer.  The 2019 EP is called We All Must Rise. It includes the tracks “Washing It All Away” and “Deep Cycles.”

When I first made these tracks, I was just experimenting. It was fun. As I continued to compose and produce ambient music, I realized that the tracks were good ambient/drone tracks.

In 2020, I decided to create long versions of “Washing It All Away” and “Deep Cycles.” The result is the two-track, 20-minute EP, Laundry.

These two early Anderhill compositions helped to create the experimental foundation of my work in electronic music.

Using household appliances in my music has become fairly common. Heaters, fans, and refrigerators can all be heard in Anderhill music. Take a listen and enjoy. – dse

Spellbound

In 2022, the last track of the year was Non, an odd (non)musical piece with heavy effects. This year’s final Anderhill track is made of similar cloth. Spellbound is barely held together by a thread.

I titled it Spellbound because it sounds like someone is spelling words out throughout the entire track. This year’s final composition is a little more musical than last year’s Non.

You can hear classic Anderhill tones in the mix that go clear back to 2019’s Time & Texture EP. You can even hear a touch of the 80’s sound of Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wings” in the mix. But this track is much more psychedelic than either of those examples.

The photo is my own abstract photography of Portland Maine at night taken from South Portland across the Casco Bay.

Although I might not put as much focus on experimental electronic music in 2024, you can expect some new Anderhill compositions. For now, enjoy the last track of 2023. – dse