"Sunday Sadness - Daydreaming"
Sunday Sadness - Daydreaming
by Schwa was composed for his beautiful daughter but could easily be an anthem
for single parents everywhere who only have the privilege of being with their
children part time. For anyone that knows Schwa they know that this tribute
only scratches the surface of the love he has for his children. In typical
Schwa fashion, this isn't just a sad song, it's a celebration of that love and
finding the positive in what is otherwise a less than ideal situation.
Schwa sets the tone of Sunday
Sadness with piano that, with only a few simple notes, alternates between
sadness and hope. With chill guitar and synth he wraps it in a warm blanket of
groove. His vocals are heartfelt and authentic, there's no mistaking his
unconditional devotion. There's no self-pity, no anger, only longing and a
sadness from having to say goodbye every sad Sunday.
Schwa's dedication to his children is
evident not just through tributes such as Sunday Sadness, but in his
relationship with them, his pride in them and their love and respect for him.
Like Schwa himself, it's a rare and amazing thing. Sunday Sadness is a living,
breathing embodiment of an emotion that most people cannot put a name to let
alone express with such clarity. My absolute favorite thing about Schwa's music
is how different every musical experience is. Always something different,
something new. Always something to look forward to.
"EMERALD"
In EMERALD - 10, Schwa brings to his listeners a ballad that's beautiful in both composition and sentiment. It's a deceptively simple tune that embodies the most complicated things in life. While influenced by Sigur Ros's Njosnavelin, Emerald is Schwa, through and through. His piano guides Emerald into life and it's carried along by a beautiful and earthy acoustic guitar. His vocals are soothing and sweet, bringing a chill up the spine. But it's the violins, crying softly throughout, that bring it to life.
Schwa will always say about his music, "I do it for me, take what you want from it." Emerald came into existence at a difficult point in my own life and it affected me in a completely unexpected way. That's the magic in music, great music, it can be listened to by a million people and touch them all in different ways. I know Schwa's music has this effect, I've seen it elicit emotion and interpretations as varied and unique as the listeners themselves. Emerald brought me to my knees, forced me to re-examine my perspective of things that were happening in my life. I still have trouble listening to it but I can't not. It's beautiful in it's intention and soul and deserves to be enjoyed for what it is, a loving tribute.
Schwa has put Emerald out there for the world to hear. Take what you want from it, there are no wrong answers here.
"Number 9 - Underneath It All"
In 9 - Underneath it All, we see Schwa move in a completely new direction. 9 is deep, dark and disarming. Schwa explores what it means for two people who have been walking parallel paths to connect. To find someone who has been down a dark road, like you have, and found their way to you. Finding that person, that kinship, brings closeness, comfort and peace.
The music of 9 is as dark and beautiful as the lyrics. Schwa's guitar takes on a life of it's own, alternating from hard rocking to hauntingly beautiful to simply lovely and back around again.
The vocals in 9 are something entirely new for Schwa. They start out dark and gritty and continue to build and grow in both momentum and emotion. And in this he reaches a place that I don't think his music has ever been before. To hear Schwa let go, uninhibited and without fear, is a thing unequaled. He manages to be vulnerable yet powerful, exposed yet completely secure. This isn't something that can be contrived or taught. This is a talent that only comes with the confidence and utter faith in every word you're singing.
Once again Schwa has taken his fans on an exciting journey into uncharted territory. 9-Underneath it All is like having a picture window into his heart and soul as he reaches out for something unseen by the rest of us.
"Where We Are"
Where We Are is a bittersweet exploration of love and longing. It's full of both hope and sorrow, making it a heart warming, if not sometimes heart breaking, journey. It's about standing at the crossroads of a second chance, with all the uncertainty and sadness that can accompany it.
Schwa's vocals in Where We Are are smooth and emotional without being pretentious or demanding. His sincerity shines through as well as his patience and determination. The music is a seamless union of a sweet guitar, a cool drum line and deep bass. It comes together to create something that is mellow, funky and soulful simultaneously.
Schwa could have taken the same song, slowed it down and set it to an acoustic guitar or piano and created something smothered in heartache. Instead, the music he created carries the thread of hope weaved throughout the lyrics and brings it to the forefront. Making Where We Are a song you can rock to and still feel good about it.
"SEVEN - Almost Too Good"
SEVEN-Almost Too Good is the fun and insanely energetic new tune from Schwa.
Unlike a lot of his tunes that build up gradually, SEVEN rocks from the first beat to the last. Schwa captures, in music and lyrics, the passion and exhilaration that occur when you fall head over heels in love. I don't know of anything else that generates the same feelings of elation and invincibility in such a pure and beautiful way. For 4 minutes and 29 seconds SEVEN is the embodiment of that bliss.
The vocals of SEVEN are a shining example of the growth and development of Schwa's talent. There was a time when his vocals served as a background to his music, if they were present at all. In SEVEN they take center stage. Yes, the music of SEVEN rocks but the vocals are, and should be, the focus. They're upbeat and impassioned and imbued with utter sincerity.
The music of SEVEN creates a foundation and complements the vocals without overpowering them. It pulls the listener in, careening him up into the midst of the excitement. While the guitar and drums drive it along, it's the piano that gives SEVEN an almost whimsical, innocent quality. When it's all put together you can't help but rock with it, and smile.
SEVEN is some of Schwa's finest work. Even the most jaded will find themselves believing that true love may still exist in the world. We each remember, or long for, that feeling of anything being possible with the right person at your side. SEVEN reminds us that we're not alone in that feeling and that it can, in fact, be a reality.
"NumberFive"
A big part of what makes Schwa's music so powerful is his fearlessness in exposing his heart, his pain, his joy and his fears. Schwa's latest release, simply titled 5, is a piece that was born of blood, sweat, tears and other unfortunate events. It has been through several incarnations, each more touching and well produced than the last. At no time, however, did the heart of the song alter or become lost in the effort to polish it. On the contrary, he managed to take the raw framework of this song and pare it down to it's essence.
The music of 5 sounds, to me, like what heartbreak feels like. A rush of emotions; melancholia, anger, yearning and nostalgia to name just a few. It has a driving beat that builds gradually and carries it through but there's a sad guitar always there, sometimes just as a hint in the background, haunting. The vocals are emotional and uninhibited, exposing the lyrics for what they are, the truth. It's evident that this wasn't drawn from imagination or from interpreting someone else's story; this was written and recorded at the height of emotion.
Anyone who has ever experienced the loss of a great love and the hope of it's revival will be drawn to and moved by this song. 5 touches on every raw nerve I have relating to my own experience. Some things never go away, they are permanently imprinted in our heart and soul. For better or worse, they make us who we are. The best we can do is learn from these experiences and, if we're lucky, honor them with something beautiful - like 5.
"Perspective - Number Six"
Perspective Number 6 (a.k.a. my new favorite song!) the latest triumph released by Schwa is a testament to both the artist and the man. It's a song about embracing and honoring the past but not living in it. It's about appreciating everything you have and everything around you.
In Perspective Schwa blends acoustics and electric in perfect balance with just a touch of the abstract that makes it a signature Schwa piece. The introspective lyrics give you insight into his heart and mind; so much so you feel compelled to re-examine your own perspective. The vocals are warm and strong with a self-possession that can't be achieved without believing in oneself. All the pieces put together create a balanced, peaceful, and moving work of art.
-Chrome
R says "Diggin it man. Real solid chord progressions. Good use of liquid and solid. Lush synth sounds over power guitars. The acoustic parts are real nice too. As always through the holes and sustain notes there are always little surprises of cool synth gurgily atmospheres."
"MILLION"
In Million Schwa demonstrates why Paradox.27 is so appropriate. My first
reaction to Million was, "Wow, this is a really sad song." But I knew
there was more to it so I played it again, and again, and again. While I still find it to be a sad song about mutual loss I also found in it a way to deal
and move on and find hope. Million begins quietly with a melancholy guitar but builds momentum and picks up speed the deeper it goes. It's a
subtle transformation that happens so seamlessly you almost don't see it coming. Before you know it you're rocking out to what should, by all rights,
be a heartbreaking ballad. Schwa's vocals had a big effect on how I started to view Million, they're soft spoken but strong and solid without a
hint of sappiness or self-pity.
Million, much like its creator, is a paradox. It seems to be one
thing but upon closer inspection turns out to be something else
entirely. It's sad and it's happy; it's complex and it's simple.
It can bring about powerful memories of your own painful experiences while
at the same time you'll find yourself doing that embarrassing little rock out dance you do in your car while singing it out loud. Million isn't one of
those songs you can listen to once and get the point, there are just too many layers for that. Every time you hear it you'll find something new in it
and in yourself. It will take on new meanings and confront your assumptions about what effect losing someone or something will have on you.
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I like these comments!
I really dig what I've heard so far. There's a common thread through all of your work, I've noticed. There's a particular tension, that's alive and shifting through out the tracks, but in the center is calm and peaceful. The drive is there, but it's not forced. I'm reminded of an image from Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land: She rushed about the nest, unhurried. Your music conveys (to me, anyways) a sense something that is content with it's desires. Please keep this up, and let me know when you break an album.
Will Slaten of Reading Makes Me Angry
Jesse - "I admire those who can take a harsh and cold world, pocket it and send it back out as the beautiful place it was ment to be..."
R - "Million: Dude fucking totally dig it man. Once again love the textures.
The music is getting more pop alt 80s sounding (of course in a modern way) and I am totally digging it.
This one has a lot of various flavors in it across multiple genres.
Very cool man.
I would like to be there one time when you are recording since as you put it -
the methods are beyond prehistoric.
Maybe, but the results don't show that."
Rx - Million: "Yes! Like the new tune. Very peaceful."
"WAITING"
One of three things is bound to happen when a person or band remakes a song.
1 – pure butchery. They take the song and try so hard to make it new that they kill the spirit. I heard a remake of U2's One (as a duet no less) that has doubtlessly ruined that song for me and many others forever.
2 – absolutely nothing. The remake sounds exactly the same as the original. No effort is made to improve or personalize the song. I was half way through a remake of Melt with You before I realized it was a remake.
3 – a Zen-like balance between old and new. When Joey Ramone remade What a Wonderful World he managed to keep the spirit of the song while making it unmistakably Ramone-esque.
In Waiting, Schwa has achieved that balance by taking a fantastic song originally by Monster Movie and adding just a touch of Schwa to make it his own.
I'm constantly being admonished to listen to all Schwa tunes on a "really good system" and this was no exception. There's good reason behind the OCDish reminders though. There are so many layers and such subtlety in this tune you have to crank it up and pay attention. It's easy to be drawn into a hypnotic trance but you have to stay focused to really appreciate all there is to it (at least for awhile, then zone out and enjoy the ride).
But my favorite part is the vocals. The first time I heard this song I knew that Schwa's voice was made for it. It's chill, smooth and energetic.
Waiting makes you question your own apathetic behavior and inspires a desire to do what it is you have been putting off or waiting for the perfect time to do. You feel ready to climb that mountain, write the great American novel, or declare your love/lust for that elusive someone. I think Monster Movie will be both impressed and pleased with this beautifully done remake of what was already a fantastic song.
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Monster Movie says:
"...listened to the new version and it sounds good...i think your version of Waiting sounds kind of like a hit record...
4:00 AM
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