New release: Flash of a Smile

[ufug]

Hi everybody. I've just posted a new collection of tunes called "Flash of a Smile". You can hear it on Bandcamp or listen on most streaming services if you search for "Scotty Houston". Hope you enjoy.

Background: A bunch of you have heard earlier versions of these songs. The tunes are culled from three "album" projects I did in 2016/17 over the course of 13 months. The purpose was to get back into writing and to learn some recording/engineering skills--I've been a musician for 30+ years, but other than demoing songs I've never spent too much time immersed in the technical side of things.

By the time I was done, I had gotten a little better at mixing (I still have a looong way to go) so I wanted to remix some of the songs before calling the project finished. That's what this is.

The sounds are mostly analogue, recorded with Harrison Mixbus. Plugins are 90% Guitarix, Calf, Harrison, OvertoneDSP, setBfree.

Also, Happy New Year all!

[magicalex]

I look forward to listening to these properly when I get back from the UK to my decent speakers, but from what I've heard so far, it sounds great. There's a bit of a Jeff Lynne feel to the production I hadn't noticed before.

Happy New Year!

[folderol]

Listening to these now. Nice variety there, and well performed.

[GMaq]

Hi,

I'm so glad you did this project, you already had a great body of songs to work from and the initial productions were already quite good. I felt previously "wow these are great home studio productions!" I think now with the mixing, mastering and sonic improvements that these really sound produced in a larger 'professional' studio not to mention the condensed 'all killer' presentation of so many great songs on one album is an impressive document of your considerable writing, instrumental, arranging and producing skills.

Congrats and all the best with this release!

PS. Your lyrics just kill! Also love the album art with the vinyl LP wear visible on the front... haha nice touch!

[spamatica]

Thanks for posting this!
It's a bit much to digest but I'll try to get back with some comments =)

I have a special leaning towards drums and drum programming, lots of different here, what did you use?

[ufug]

Thanks for the comments. I know it's a lot of songs to ask people to listen to, probably too many...

Hi,PS. Your lyrics just kill! Also love the album art with the vinyl LP wear visible on the front... haha nice touch!

Thanks Glen! Glad you noticed the LP wear. I guess it's an age thing, I just couldn't handle looking at a clean digital image

Sadly, art was the one thing I couldn't do with Linux because I needed CMYK for printing covers. I had to borrow a laptop with Photoshop--I'd never used it before but luckily it seems to be mostly a clone of the GIMP.

I have a special leaning towards drums and drum programming, lots of different here, what did you use?

The drums were the big cheat on this project--they are all loops. I'm really bad at writing drum parts and it just bogs me down time-wise, both making them and mixing them. With loops, I have something I know sounds OK and is pre-mixed to stereo. These are mostly from Loop Loft--they are really well recorded and LL has crazy bundle sales--I got enough to last me a few years for $29. I'm kind of embarrassed that I did use one loop twice in this collection (Hope You've Given Up and Joan), but the songs are different enough that I let it go.

I do want to learn how to do it though, you guys who write beats amaze me.

[Michael Willis]

I hope you'll be happy to know that I listened to the album twice and recommended it to my sister.

Also, I found myself up late tonight reading about radiation toxicology on cockroaches.

[ufug]

I found myself up late tonight reading about radiation toxicology on cockroaches.

Thanks for listening. How did the fact check go? I gather they not likely to survive a direct blast but that they are tolerant enough of radiation that the species will survive our impending nuclear boondoggle...

[Michael Willis]

How did the fact check go?

Hahaha, from what I could find, apparently some species will survive a radiation dose ten times what humans can survive!

I must say that the stanza about the cockroach was easily my favorite part of the whole album, such an ironic mix of hope and despair in a single thought. I repeated it out loud enough times yesterday that my seven year old told me to stop singing it.

Also, there is a greater than zero probability that I am one of those whacked out disaster preppers that spend an inordinate amount of time considering contingency plans for such an event.

[ufug]

I repeated it out loud enough times yesterday that my seven year old told me to stop singing it.

My work here is done.

[marksilver]

just came across this album today (i guess bandcamp forgot to notify my email inbox that you released this )

really quality material on here; i'm really diggin' it!

[folderol]

I repeated it out loud enough times yesterday that my seven year old told me to stop singing it.

My work here is done.

Speaking of which, many years ago the Reader's Digest did an article on cockroaches including a list of the 'food' they could live on. it was a very long list with interesting items like toothpaste and coal!

[psyocean]

Interesting manipulate of hearing... Collection of timeline events... High qualty, excellent work!

[ufug]

Thanks guys. I'm glad I wasn't wildly off-base about cockroach durability! I would have thought somebody here would bust me on "xenomegaphonia" first.

[singforme]

Awesome stuff, I liked the songs before but that album is giving them the right kind of framing and style. My go to soundtrack for taking the kids to the playground.