MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Jun 9, 2006 1:41:13 GMT -5
LOL @ the 'so unsexy' beat. That song was Alanis-inspired all around! It's included on the album too. I can send you the .zip file of the entire CD sometime if you want. Thanks Justin! I'm glad you like it. I dunno, something about the song I do like. I don't know if I consider it my *best* in any way but it was my first real attempt at writing a fictional story for a song and it fit the general theme of the album so that's why I like it. Maybe we'll see it on your chart?
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Devyn
Local Modern Rock Junkie
Number One: twenty one pilots - Heathens (1 Week)
Posts: 2,591
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Post by Devyn on Jun 9, 2006 11:07:19 GMT -5
Possibly ;D
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Jun 10, 2006 0:34:05 GMT -5
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Post by Drew on Jun 10, 2006 9:18:00 GMT -5
Thanks guys! Although I'm still not sure if sending it out so soon is a great idea since 'Evolve' took huge jumps on two personal charts this week. The original plan was to send the second single out by the end of June so it's really only two weeks sooner than planned. Wouldn't have made a difference on my chart...
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Jul 5, 2006 23:54:06 GMT -5
Interview with MaxMag:
MB's new single is called Julien and it is a fictional story about meeting a guy who lives on the street due to uncontrolable circumstances from his relationship with his parents. Eventually Julien is able to move out of the streets and start a life of his own with newfound confidence. MB says that in some ways, Julien reflects himself in that he was able to start his own life by finding confidence. We had a chance to sit down and chat with indie singer/songwriter MB recently and talked a bit about his new album One Way Undone as well as what inspired it and what MB will be doing in the near future.
Max: On your myspace page, you mention how your new CD follows a certain storyline. What does that mean?
MB: Well, I wrote the songs out of order chronilogically but as I wrote each one, I was able to place them in an order in relation to the other songs in such a way so that at the beginning, the song is about insecurity and being unsure while at the end, there's being completely sure about everything. I wrote some of the songs while I was experiencing whatever the song was about at the time, such as Pictures to Remember or The Fear, while other songs were written as more of a looking back or looking ahead, like in Evolve or People Talk. At first I wasn't really going for a storyline but after a few songs, I did decide on the theme of the album.
Max: Was Lukewarm really the starting point for the album?
MB: Yeah, really. It wasn't the first track I wrote but when I wrote it, it really hit me where I was headed in my life and I was like wow! I never done this before. That particular song really made me think about myself in terms of what I'm doing, where am I going. Am I on the right path? After I was over the initial... shock that Lukewarm gave me, I started to write more freely about myself and eventually about myself and my role in society, which is where Evolve came from. That song is my way of questioning society and the conservative side of things and why people have to force their business and opinions onto people whom don't effect them.
Max: Was Evolve meant to be a political song?
MB: I don't know a lot about politics and I'd really rather keep my writings outside of politics so as far as the subject goes, Evolve is probably the closest those two will intermingle for me. I wouldn't call it a political song though. It's more of my questioning the way the current societal environment is. We're questioning abortion, gay marriage, Sunday shopping in my part of Canada. As far as abortion goes, I don't have an opinion really either way because it's up to the individuals involved. Who am I to say that a 15-year-old girl who was rapped by her uncle shouldn't have an abortion? It's not my business so I guess that really makes me pro-choice.
Max: Who is Julien?
MB: Julien is a fictional character that I just made up. Essentially, the song is supposed to be about a guy who was kicked out of his parents home and is living on the street but is an honest good guy that was kicked out due to something out of his control but is very common. So basically, two people, in the case of the song it's me and him, have this thing in common. For me, I don't have much trouble but for him, it cost him his home and family. Really, it's just how even empathy for a group of people isn't enough because in that group of people, you still have divisions among them in terms of levels of difficulty.
Max: Inside Outside is an interesting song. Where did that come from?
MB: It's actually an old song from a few years ago that was inspired, musically, by a dream I had of an Alanis Morissette commercial advertising some sort of Best Of CD. But the commercial was almost mocking her by placing a verse from a bunch of her songs together so that they formed their own song but it was really choppy. And the words were kind of like the lyrics to the verses now. I am so blunt, I might cut you. The music was meant to be choppy and kind of vague but overwelming.
Max: Big Alanis fan?
MB: Yeah! Have been for a while. Her Greatest Hits CD was disappointing because of what they did and didn't include but I always liked her albums. Actually, a bunch of songs I wrote in 1999 were inspired by her style of writing. I'm not sure if I still have any of them though but the way she writes interests me sometimes.
Max: There's a song on your CD that some have said is about suicide.
MB: Oh yeah! The End Of Olde Time?
Max: Yeah, the last track. Is it really? It sounds really eerie.
MB: Honestly, when I was writing and recording that song, I never thought about it until after the CD was complete and really, it does fit. But no, it's not about suicide. I think to really understand the song, it needs to be put into context, which is the entire CD. It's the last song of the album because it's the final chapter of the story. In the song, I'm coming to terms and am accepting the situation that I've discovered myself in and am now ready to start living the life that I have. So I'm putting an end to the person I was before and opening up and living freely the person I've discovered myself to be. I think if I were to meet myself today five years ago, I probably wouldn't recognize myself. Not to say I was wrong with who I was before but knowing what I know then and knowing what I know now helped to shape the person I've become. I don't think I could ever sit there and say 'What I said last year wasn't the real me. This is who I am. This is the real me'. People change. People's opinions change. And they change when you let yourself live.
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Devyn
Local Modern Rock Junkie
Number One: twenty one pilots - Heathens (1 Week)
Posts: 2,591
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Post by Devyn on Jul 16, 2006 20:46:55 GMT -5
Awesome album with some awesome instrumentals ;D. The best free thing you'll get EVER
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Aug 26, 2006 0:30:46 GMT -5
themaxonline newsnet -- August 25th: MB is celebrating the biggest hit of his career so far with his current single Julien. The Canadian singer/songwriter says that he never imagined his new album would be well received with the lack of interest in the beginning. That was fine with him, of course, since his music was strictly for the purpose of fulfilling a hobby. With Julien in full swing, MB is hoping to continue the success of the song with the album's third single, due out this fall. MB says he'd like the entire CD, entitled One Way Undone, which was released in May, get more attention as a whole rather than on a song-by-song basis, but at the present time, any attention is gratifying. What does the future hold for him? There are immediate plans for an instrumental CD coming out this fall, possibly coinciding with the next not-yet-determined single. MB is also looking at a few different choices of recording. "I'd like to redo some older songs and repolish them," he says, "A few songs I like but really could sound better if I could redo them with the increased abilities I have now. I'd like to make a 'Best Of' CD but have it packaged as its own album and make it sound fresh and new." He also says he wants to start work on the next album as soon as September, to hopefully be released by mid-2007.
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Sept 14, 2006 22:30:23 GMT -5
themaxonline newsnet (September 15th) -- Singer/songwriter MB is taking his music one step further this fall when he releases an instrumental disc called What Lies Beneath. The album contains tracks that have appeared on previous records by MB except all the vocal tracks have been removed leaving only the music. "I've been becoming increasingly interested in just music without words," MB recently said, "I thought it was a good idea to do instrumental versions of some of the songs I think are my best musically." MB is no stranger to instrumental tracks. His debut album Miscellaneous contained two of them and some of his singles contain instrumental versions of the songs themselves including one of his biggest hits All I Need. His current CD One Way Undone also has an instrumental track and is the album that contributes most to the new collection. MB adds "I know I'm far from being the best singer but I also know at times the music I make can sound pretty good. This way, a new perspective can be taken with just the music in mind. Plus, it can also make pretty good background music." The collection will be released October 24th. The tracklisting and album cover art has also recently been announced as it appears on Wikipedia. 1. Everything Will Be Alright [intro] 2. Stay For You 3. All I Need 4. Building (previously unreleased) 5. Missing (instrumental of People Talk) 6. Layers 7. It's All Good 8. The Rocking Chair (previously unreleased) 9. Piano Song 10. Inside Outside 11. End Of Olde Time 12. Evolve 13. Moving (previously unreleased) 14. The Fear 15. Song Eleven (Safe And Sound instrumental) 16. Everything Will Be Alright (Don't Stand In My Way updated version instrumental) 17. Last Day
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Oct 2, 2006 23:26:52 GMT -5
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Post by jt40 on Oct 3, 2006 5:04:26 GMT -5
I prefer Julien > Evolve > The Fear
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Post by qnx100 on Oct 3, 2006 19:57:20 GMT -5
Julien > The Fear > Evolve
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Oct 18, 2006 23:41:59 GMT -5
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MIKEB
The King Of Rationality
Posts: 4,536
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Post by MIKEB on Dec 10, 2006 15:50:15 GMT -5
One Way Undone is reeling in a few Best Albums of 2006 reviews! Star Magazine: MB's third effort showcases emotion that were always evident in his earlier work but this time the lyrics aren't typical teenage non-issues but actual topics that deal with significant issues of today. His biography at 21 makes for a good trip from start to finish where you wonder whether he'll be okay when the album begins until the end where he reassures that he's on his way to being fine. Interesting sounding music and some clever lyrics result in a fine piece of work. Riddles Online Mag: One Way Undone is a more than one listen album. The music doesn't jump out at you on first listen but if given the chance, the songs will grow on you. MB is strongest with his lyrics on such tracks like Pictures To Remember, Inside;Outside and Third Wheel whereas his music is strongest on songs like Evolve and Julien. The song that sounds closest to his older work is most likely Third Wheel, which is fitting since it is also the oldest song on here written in 2004. This album is a must-listen for 2006. There are also some not-so-great reviews: SimSong Mag: This album sucks! MB can't sing, his music clashes and is hard on the ear, he's offkey, the notes are desonant, the lyrics barely make sense... There isn't one song on here I could force myself to listen to the entire part. It just couldn't happen, and I managed to listen to Paris Hilton's entire CD before I vomited. Don't quit your dayjob MB, and if you don't have one, get one before you become too famously associated with this album. I'll continue to update with some other mock (and possibly real ) yearend reviews and stats!
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