Track Notes:
This song was really written around the phrase “neon Mother Teresa” – coined by Kate about our friend Christina during a music video shoot. Later I said “I call dibs on the term ‘neon Mother Teresa’ for a song”.

Recording/Mixing:
There is a lot going on in this recording.

There is one Juno 6 synth track. Like in “Noose”, because the Juno 6 is mono, I recorded the track in mono, copied it to another track, shifted the time slightly, and knocked one track hard left and the other hard right.

One bass track.

One drum line. I normally record the drum parts on grouped tracks. One track each for kick, snare, and toms. The hats and rides have their own track and the crash cymbals have a stereo “overhead” type track.

There are 4 guitar tracks. The first one you hear is pretty straight forward. When the song picks up, the second comes in (a screechy little riff). In the second where I sing “god damn neon Mother Teresa” I wanted the guitars to get really big, wide and phasey. I copied the original guitar track and pasted it to two new tracks. Like with the Juno, I time-shifted them slightly to make them unique to each other. I kept the original track in the center of the stereo spectrum and separated the copies hard left and right. Then I put a phase effect on one copy and a flange and amp simulator on the other (The amp simulator was to make it even more unique to the others.

There are 8 vocal tracks (5 regular tracks and 3 vocoder tracks). The first vocal has delay and a massive reverb from the M-One XL. Because I was using the M-One XL as the general “room” reverb for mixdown I recorded just the massive reverb to it’s own track. The second vocal part (“where she goes..”) I sang twice and doubled it up in the mix. I did the same with the “god damn Mother Teresa” section but I mixed it with a touch of delay. The last two vocals are the “Ooohh Evangelina” part with the 4 vocoder parts.

I wanted a nice, airy vocal sound for the “Ooohh Evangelina” section. I played around with different vocals and thought maybe a vocoder would fit. I put one vocoder part down but it wasn’t full enough. I put down two other vocoder parts using a different carrier signal to alter the sound of each. I mixed the three left, right and center from each other. The fourth vocoder is a copy of one of them, time shifted with the same massive reverb I used on the first vocal section.

I used the M-One XL for reverb and the ADA 2.56i for Delay.
Copyright 2012: Seven Graylands

Lyrics:
At the end of summer
She’ll disappear like a cloud
And at the end of sunlight
She wanders in to the night.

But where she goes, no one knows
What she said, had no words
Where she goes, no one knows

She was holding the moon and dancing with children
Like a god damn neon Mother Teresa
Giving glow sticks to the poor
Evangelina

Oooooooo Evangelina
Oooooooo We want to see ya

But where she goes, no one knows
What she said, had no words
Where she goes, no one knows

When she pulls you closer
Her touch is soft as the fog
She’s a mystic contradiction
who wanders in to the night.

But where she goes, no one knows
What she said, has no words
Where she goes, no one knows

She was singing a song as she spun in the sunlight
Mixing bible verse with a cake recipe
Spreading her arms out to us all
Evangelina (Evangelina)

She was holding the moon and dancing with children
Like a god damn neon Mother Teresa
Giving glow sticks to the poor
Evangelina (Evangelina)

Oooooooo Evangelina
Oooooooo We want to see ya

Where she goes, no one knows
What she said, had no words
Where she goes, no one knows
What she said, no one heard
Where she goes, no one knows
but when she smiles, flowers grow

(Evangelina)

Track Notes:
Years back I had an idea for a song. I jotted down the music and lyrics into a rough track but never completed it. Over the years I picked out elements from it – a musical riff, the music for the chorus, and other things. One of the lines from the original was “If I found the world hanging from a noose I think I’d turn and walk away”. I always liked that line and wanted to do something with it – so I built a new song around it.

Recording/Mixing:
This is a pretty basic rock recording. One bass, two guitars, a synth and drums.

There is one Juno 6 synth track. Because the Juno 6 is mono, I recorded the track in mono, copied it to another track, shifted the time slightly, and knocked one track hard left and the other hard right. This give the Juno 6 a nice, big, wide sound.

If I recall there are 5 vocal tracks. The first vocal with phase and a touch of amp simulator for distortion. The second vocal line which is the shouty, delayed vocal. The chorus has three vocals – the main one and two backups.

I used the M-One XL for reverb and the ADA 2.56i for Delay.
Copyright 2012: Seven Graylands

Lyrics:
I’ve got a shiv for an attitude,
a couple of daggers in my eyes for you.
I’ve got a hat pin in my spine,
watching you suck it dry,
What’s your fucking point?

You’re a greed machine
With a cement scheme
and we’re burning down your buildings with gasoline
More destruction and more confusion
but your profits keep going up

Track Notes:
This is the last song for the new album. I’m pleased with the remake on this. The original contained the same song structure, but I expanded on the idea in the re-recording.

Recording/Mixing:
One various percussion track of congas and tabla and a tambourine track. There are two tracks of various thunder/explosion sounds.

There are one low cello and two high cello tracks, two French horns and one piano track.

This is also the first song I’ve used my accordion on.

There are two synth tracks. The one in the intro is the Korg EX-8000. About halfway into the song there is a low synth line. This is the Synthesizers.com Modular Synthesizer.

One vocal track. Like on several other of these remakes, I ended up keeping my scratch vocal track for the final version.

I used the M-One XL for reverb.

Copyright 1984-2011: Graylands/Nelson

Lyrics:
Watching the ghost parade I know them like friends of mine.
With long necks and holes in arms
My Jesus in the city of skulls
When the prison door slams
It’s then I’ll remember
I’m miles away
Miles away

Watching the ghost parade I know them like friends of mine.
With long necks and holes in arms
My Jesus in the city of skulls
When the prison door slams
It’s then I’ll remember
I’m miles away
Miles away

Track Notes:
I’m pleased with the atmosphere of this track. This was one of the last Souls In Darkness songs Todd and I worked on together. We never finished the original.

Recording/Mixing:
The bass guitar was sent through the Ibanez DD1000 for flange and then compressed with the Urei 7110.

There are two guitar lines. The “lead” is sent through the Roland SDX330 to give it a wider sound.

There are two drum lines – one of toms and the other a standard kit. The tom line was duplicated to another track and tuned up about 1/4 octave. The original and the tuned where then separated left/right to widen it out.

There are two synths. The Juno 106 is the first synth you hear (mostly just a mellow overtone). The Korg Ex-8000 is the second – which plays solo at first and then mimics the lead hook.

One vocal line.

I used the MidiVerb and the M-One XL for reverbs. The larger reverb (the one you can hear on the vocals) is the M-One.

Copyright 1984-2011: Graylands/Nelson

Lyrics:
She feels less than human
Is what she said
It makes me feel so useless
Knowing what you did
How many times before?
How many nights for you?
And I’m calling
Take off that party dress

And I’m calling
Take off that party dress
And you’re nothing
Bones break under stress
And something crawling
under my flesh

Knowing what you did
Knowing what you did
Knowing what you did
I know what you did

She feels less than human
Is what she said
Words that know
Fluids that flow
Something cutting flesh

Party dress dyed red
Party dress dyed red
Party dress dyed red
Her party dress dyed red

There were two versions of this song. The original was recorded with just Todd and I in my home studio. The second was recorded about 8 months later in a 16 track studio and included Martha on violin.

I think we were in the right direction with the original so this third (final) version is based on that.

Recording/Mixing:
The bass guitar was sent really hot through the Peavey 4530 Delay set to flange. It was a mistake at first but I liked the slightly overdriven sound so I left it.

Three drum lines. One a standard kit and two tom tracks. I played the toms twice to fill the sound up (I do love big drums).

The synth is the Korg EX-8000. The synth crashes are the Juno 6.

There is one guitar line and one vocal line (and one background shouty vocal line).

This track is the reintroduction of my original MidiVerb to the studio (it sat in the bottom of a box for years). I had just fixed it up and tried it out during the mixdown of this track. I liked the sound so I kept it. The really long warm reverb on the vocals is the MidiVerb. The shorter reverb (you can hear it on the toms) is the Sony R-7.

Copyright 1984-2011: Graylands/Nelson

Oh why

Track Notes:
Originally a very simple unfinished track. I liked the concept and imagery of the lyrics.

Recording/Mixing:
There is actually a lot going on in this song.

There are three tracks of feedback sounding noise. These come and go throughout the song. There is also one track of random explosions (the same explosions I used in “Eyes”).

There is one piano and one bass guitar track. There are cello, viola and French horn ensembles.

I recorded three guitar tracks. I copied out the lead guitar track, reversed it, put reverb on it, recorded just the reverb, flipped the reverb rightway, and inserted it into a new track. This is mixed in and out through the song.

There are three vocal lines. I used the ADA Delay 2.56i on the main vocals. The chorus (“My God machines..”) is sent through distortion, delay and flange. The third is just me speaking/singing “Gently Eventually Collapsing” overcompressed with the Urei 7110.

Three drum tracks. One standard kit and two sets of toms.

Copyright 1984-2011: Graylands/Nelson

Lyrics:
Electric
Terror
Motorblade
They circle
Humming
Powerhouse
There’s no humans in the planes
No persons in the sky
No one sucking power from the circuit’s mind

My God machines. My Machines. My god.

Track Notes:
A remake of our original track with a slightly different sound.

Recording/Mixing:
Fairly straight forward. Bass guitar, two guitar lines, one drum line and one vocal track. Two synth lines – the Juno 6 and Juno 106 playing the same phrase.

Copyright 1984-2011: Graylands/Nelson

Lyrics:
Lack of communication
Loosely called dehumanization
I’m here all alone
Crying to a dial tone

Crisis line
Will you talk with me
Crisis line
Will you set me free

Track Notes:
I didn’t change this track very much except a slight musical phrase here and there. Lyrics and vocal line is pretty much the same as the original. I had thought of expanding it and doing a large production but after I put down the basic tracks I think I liked the simplicity of it all. So,.. I left it alone.

Recording/Mixing:
The large boom sounds originally were noise crashes on the Moog. This time I created a bunch of different booms by mixing thunder, explosions and other things together. Some thunder sounds were slowed down an octave or two and layered under other things that went boom. I think the large, slow, distant rumbles mixed with the cellos are quite moving.

There is one piano through the ADA 2.56i delay.

There is a track of cellos, one track of french horns, one track of violas, and one clarinet track.

The vocal track in the song is my original scratch track. I will often record a basic rough vocal to see how it fits with the rest of the music. When it came time to record the actual vocals I gave it a couple tries but I really liked how the scratch vocals sounded. I left those as the main and very lightly mixed in a second vocal track behind it to fill it out a little.

Copyright 1984-2011: Graylands/Nelson

Lyrics:
Eyes and tears
Dark stained years
You can try to deny the rotting of time
Can you flatter some with names?
You grow fatter
Succumb to the flame
Shuffle through the days
Not knowing when it rains
Just another crock
Another in the flock
Maimed and raped
Guess I should use I
How time flies when you’re on the run
Under the gun
The wanting of the fun
The scars

[Audio clip]

[Audio clip]

Stoletov 24
Copyright 1988 The Tic Tok Men

Transport to the city
Powered by electrons
Moving very silent
Just the hum of the motor
Turn up the voltage
To accelerate momentum
Switch on auto-drive
For self navigation

Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
My Electric (Electric) / Electric Automobile (Automobile)

Collectors capture photons
In my Stoletov Two-Four
Tesla Coil Dynamos
For rapid current flow
Data diskette audio
Octrophonic sound
Computer compositions
For scenery synchronization

Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
My Electric (Electric) / Electric Automobile (Automobile)

Radar buzzer warning
Grid traffic halted
Initiate hover mode
Fly above the city

Collectors capture photons
In my Stoletov Two-Four
Tesla Coil Dynamos
For rapid current flow
Data diskette audio
Octrophonic sound
Computer compositions
For scenery synchronization

Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
Electric (Electric) / Automobile (Automobile)
My Electric (Electric) / Electric Automobile (Automobile)

[Audio clip]

Instrumental

Copyright 1988 The Tic Tok Men

[Audio clip]

Instrumental

Copyright 1988 The Tic Tok Men

[Audio clip]

Heart Attack
Copyright Seven Graylands 2010

You say we’re a perfect fit
You like the things that make a porn girl quit
And you say
It’s the flesh and it’s the skin
You don’t know but I’m a physical sin

You say you can see my eyes
You can see them moving up your thighs
And you say
Sex and lust and a double life
This back alley and a moonless night
You say
The heat of summer
It burns you up
It makes you want another
And you sweat
You pray with your mouth on mine
I’ll kick you down and fuck you like a sex crime

Your love is like a heart attack
Well it’s as serious as a heart attack

You say you won’t tell me lies
You like a ball gag and tear stained eyes
And you say
Latex, chains and filthy sex
You want my leather gloves around your neck
And you say
Turn on the red light
It makes you feel right
It makes it feel so wrong
You say shut up and stop the gabbin
Rip off the clothes because you’re ready for a stabbing

Your love its like a heart attack
It’s as serious as a heart attack

You say that we’re two of a kind
I’ll fuck you hard like I fuck with your mind
And you say
I’m a slut
And I’m your whore
Bend me over and give me some more

Your love its like a heart attack
It’s as serious as a heart attack
Your love is like that baby
Your love is like a fucking heart attack

[Audio clip]

The Volt Age
Copyright 1988 The Tic Tok Men

Current. Electricity.
From the power plant
Current. Electricity.
And electric light
Current. Electricity.
From the power plant
Current. Electricity.
Powers my computer

Circuit. Energy. Power.
The Volt Age
Circuit. Energy. Power.
The Volt Age

I had been monitoring
From an outer spiral nebular outpost
Lost in the blue screen
of Ordinator malfunction
From the variegated surface of carbonized rock
Came a signal pulse
I called to the coordinates
There was no answer yet

Had you heard but not heard?
Had you heard but not heard?
Had you heard but not heard
that it was The Volt Age?

The wires go through me
The wires go round me
The wires that hold me
The wires frees me

Then a communiqué
Growing stronger with every orbit
Sent a message of point line to plane & acute angles
Molecular autobahn of alternating currents
I send my regards to the 18th century physicist

The potential of the stars has now been harnessed
The powered-up station awaits your arrival

The wires go through me
The wires go round me
The wires that hold me
The wires frees me

Current. Electricity.
From the power plant
Current. Electricity.
And electric light
Current. Electricity.
From the power plant
Current. Electricity.
Powers my computer

Circuit. Energy. Power.
The Volt Age
Circuit. Energy. Power.
The Volt Age

[Audio clip]

Instrumental

Copyright 1988 The Tic Tok Men

[Audio clip]

This is the result of music made on a dare. Don’t try this at home kids.

I think this will end up as a hidden bonus song on Tape-Op Refugees. Shhhh. Don’t tell.

Copyright 2002 Seven Graylands

Well I saw a fuzzy puppy today
It made me sad in a sad sort of way
“Oh little puppy” I said, “I can’t help you”

Well I saw a fuzzy puppy on TV
Funny how he seemed to look right at me
“Oh little puppy” I said, “I’d love to dress you”

Someone tell me why the puppies can’t wear lederhosen
Someone tell me why they can’t wear lederhosen
But I think that I know
They’ve got the wrong sort of waist

Well I saw a little puppy by the road
I couldn’t think of a word to rhyme with road
But I said “little puppy – I can’t help you”

Someone tell me why they can’t wear lederhosen
Someone tell me why the puppies can’t wear lederhosen
But I think that I know
They’ve got the wrong sort of waist

Track Notes:
If I recall, this was the first MDS track. The first few takes of the vocals Dave was having a bit of trouble with the timing or words. Figuring he was bopping and grooving to the music too much, at the start of the last take he said “less dancing, more singing”. We thought it was funny so it was left in.

Seven Graylands: Drums, keyboards/samples, vocals.
David Wilkie: Vocals, Bass guitar
Paget Campbell: Guitar

Copyright Seven Graylands 1992

Lyrics:

“Less dancing, more singing”…

There was a time when I really cared that much
Now I couldn’t give a shit at all
There was a time where I really cared
There was a time I used to care that much
Now I couldn’t give a shit at all
There was a time I used to care.

Track Notes:

The song of the impossible bassline.

Seven Graylands: Drums, keyboards/samples
David Wilkie: Vocals
Paget Campbell: Guitar
Copyright Seven Graylands 1992

Lyrics:
I’m moving forward and I’m moving fast
Nevermind the camera with the landscape all a blur

I’m still in transit in the orient
I’m still in transit in the orient

Track Notes:
I suppose you could call this a standard Seven Graylands anti-love song.

This song has my favourite Paget guitar lead. When he was dropping the track he kicked into distortion mode for the lead. I liked what he was playing but it got muddied with distortion. I asked him to give it a go clean. Perfection.

Seven Graylands: Drums, keyboards/samples
David Wilkie: Vocals
Paget Campbell: Guitar

Copyright Seven Graylands 1993

Lyrics:
Everytime I see you dear
I want to take a spoon and scoop out my eyes
Everytime I hear you laugh
It reminds me of a dentists drill

So maybe I should try and move out of the city
Maybe I should change my ways
So maybe I should try and move out of the city
Maybe I should change my life
So maybe I should try and move out of the city
Maybe I should change my name
And maybe I
Oh maybe I
Maybe I should get away from you.

Track Notes:
My friend was dating someone, who, one could call a stalker in training. When she broke up with him it started getting really weird. He’d stand under the window of her apartment shouting her name. He’d call non-stop. He’d drop by her work. All kinds of strange things. The more he did, the less she’d want to be around him. Of course in his mind he was working on winning her back (and I think he thought he was pretty close).

I thought it might be interesting to write a love song (of sorts) from his viewpoint after the breakup.

Seven Graylands: Drums, keyboards/samples
David Wilkie: Vocals
Paget Campbell: Guitar

Copyright Seven Graylands 1992

Lyrics:
It’s a quarter after two
all the wreckage outside reminds me of you
At a quarter after three
I wrote down the words how much you mean to me
and I’m not sure
I don’t know how you seem to take my heart
and make it a bit squishy mess

“Rain, rain go away come again some other day.”

Restored Tic Tok Men from the 80s.

[Audio clip]

Copyright © 1989 S. Graylands, A. Kroft & The Tic Tok Men

I can see this very close
I can see it coming near
I can compute this logic
When I plug it in and converge
To say it with magnetics
The exact binary
But never see the codes
Except what’s on the screen

The law in my mind
The law is in my hands
I command this how I wish
With a flip of the switch
I never even wonder
I never stop to care
My reality is about me
My reality is on the screen

I am Energy

Power is all around me
It’s much too simple now
I’m thinking in a circuit
Like I’ve always done
Not like electron guidance
My atoms never merge
I always move in patterns
Just like what’s on the screen

I am Energy

Restored Tic Tok Men from the 80s.

[Audio clip]

Copyright © 1989 S. Graylands, B. Horst & The Tic Tok Men

I can not see my vision
If my mind is not plugged in
I can program this universe
Unless the power fails
A movement of this appendage
Changes colours of the sky
Or it just the ceiling
That the walls grow to meet

VR
Reality

This world that I see
Becomes mine to command
My capabilities multiply
With the proper database
A computerized dream
To expand synapse ability
Or a mechanization
Of mass production thought

VR
Reality

Restored Tic Tok Men from the 80s – now with more vocoder goodness.

[Audio clip]

Copyright © 1989 S. Graylands, B. Horst & The Tic Tok Men

There was a photograph
Laptop and EKG
Cellular tonight I dance
Realistic remote design

Technolove
Technodance
Technolove
Technopop

Magnetic attraction into space
Digicore magnetizer
Celestial forager
The multi-function pulsar charge

Technolove
Technodance
Technolove
Techno

DC motor I can’t sit still
Electric heaters on my window sill
Your love is like a disk drive
Pneumatic Jarvik number 5

Technolove
Technodance
Technolove
Techno

I do not believe in colours
Colours block the mind
Except when I wear paisley
But even my paisley is black and white
Atian can dance with no guitar

Restored Tic Tok Men from the 80s.

[Audio clip]

Copyright © 1989 S. Graylands, B. Horst & The Tic Tok Men

I have three screens to choose from
All night, all stations
My video cassette recorder
Has become my dream monitor

Technology has caught up with me
I am no longer a slave to reality
No one tells me different thoughts
Lest I pull the plug

My remote control
Does my thinking for me
My remote control
Runs my life
My remote control
Is my friend

Music and images
In perfect synchronicity
At last the perfection
Of human thought control

Even this computer rhythms
Are forcing me to conform
But it is impossible
To do freeform life control

My remote control
Does my thinking for me
My remote control
Runs my life
My remote control
Is my friend

Buy, Quality, Consume, Reliability,
Warranty, Purchase, Limited, Satisfaction.

My remote control
Does my thinking for me
My remote control
Runs my life
My remote control
Is my friend

Restored Tic Tok Men from the 80s.

[Audio clip]

Copyright © 1989 S. Graylands & The Tic Tok Men

[Audio clip]

Copyright © 1986 S. Graylands, D. Blank & The Tic Tok Men

I’m in the house of mirrors
Where the automatics seem to sing lullabys
at night
When the moon is full
You can see them reaching out for it
Like they know it well
Don’t shut me in
I don’t think I want to stay in here
I think I want to stay

This is where they live their lives
Like an old movie
They see you in black and white
and add the colour in
This is where they live their lives
Like an old movie
They see you in black and white
and add the colour in by computer

The house of mirrors

They say I should call this home
I can call my friends on television
Hear their words on tape
Don’t shut me in
I don’t think I want to stay in here
I think I want to stay

This is where they live their lives
Like an old movie
They see you in black and white
and add the colour in
This is where they live their lives
Like an old movie
They see you in black and white
and add the colour in by computer

The house of mirrors

The vocals were interesting to do. There are 5-6 tracks of vocals. I printed out the lyrics and highlighted different words. I only sang the particular highlighted words for each track. It looked something like this.

We _ _ _ for _ _.

_were _ _ _ the _.

_ _ working _ _ _ military.

_ _ _ secretly _ _ _.

The first vocal tracks were the hardest to get down.

After the vocals were recorded the tracks were each mixed differently. Some got more distortion, some just EQ’ed to death, while others were modulated with filters. I wanted the end result to sound as if the vocals were pieced together from other recordings.

[Audio clip]

Track Notes:
Way back when,. there was a movie concept. A lovely post apocalyptic, dystopian, bio-mechanical, movie concept. This is the main theme for the soundtrack.

The original, called Theme to Dark Ages was much simpler and more moog-ish.

Copyright 1984-2011: Graylands

Track Notes:
Another remake from a 1985 track. I decided to keep most of the original structure and musical phrases. I added a rhythm guitar and a few extra sounds here and there. Other than that, it’s the same with new instruments.

Copyright 1984-2011: Graylands

Lyrics:
Heard her call from an empty room
When I turned she was gone
Unfelt feelings lie on closet floors
I haven’t seen her for so long
Pages torn from an empty book
Somethings missing from inside
Hollow stare, not a fallen tear
My eyes are dry

She follows me
She haunts my dream
I’ll ever be alone
Ride the subline and stare at her door
I know she won’t be home
Walk amount the tombstones
Bouquet behind my back
Place the flowers on her grave
As my life fades to black