“Vigil” is a very 1980s new wave tune about the tension between doing your duty and feeling trapped, about experiencing isolation and depression and yet soldiering on for a greater cause.
Tag: Songwriting
To Catch The Rain: Waxing Poetic with an ’80s Wave
A song about love’s failures set to an unmistakeable 1980s new wave vibe.
Eternal Summer: Turning Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 into a Song
I was asked to set a Shakespeare sonnet to music — Sonnet 18, more commonly referred to as “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” The goal was to have a song they could sing as a group to showcase their talents. Ideally the track had to sound modern, electronic, and yet also possess a hint of mystic middle eastern world music.
Araw at Yelo: a Song About Infatuation and Melting
“Araw at Yelo” (literally “Sun and Ice”) was one of those upbeat compositions. It gave our guitar virtuosos space to cut loose, and expressed the sheer joy of youthful infatuation.
So Many People Ask: Jobless & Penniless, But Rich in Love
This song was written in 1994 as a response to classmates and contemporaries who would ask: “Where do you work now?” or “What keeps you busy?” or “What are your plans?” And I didn’t have a penny to my name. But what I did have was more valuable than a job.
Why I Finally Decided to Record Songs Written 30 Years Ago
These older songs are a lot more naked in sentiment. Instead of poetic attempts at saying “I love you,” some of these songs literally have “I love you” in there. Ugh. My middle-aged dad brain cringes at the thought. But here’s the thing that convinced me to go for it: Alanis Morissette singing her heart out in Jagged Little Pill. If she could do it fearlessly at 19, why can’t I?
