Original Song - Let the Dust Settle Down
Here presenting a live performance version of my original tune - "Let The Dust Settle Down" from my 4th studio album - "Truth Be Told" released in August 2023
The version in the album has Acoustic Upright Bass, Piano and Vocals, while here I render the song with just the piano and voice. This is a home recording, done in a single take without any overdubs.
I have just had a friend "treat" the individual piano and vocal stems and generate a decent mix for the video.
The song encapsulates the concept of "equanimity" and maintaining balance through the vicissitudes of life. For "once the dust settles down, clarity emerges"
The lyrics are as follows:
Let the dust settle down
Let the dust settle down
Let all pretence, mere appearance
Come crashing to the ground
Let the dust settle down, settle down
Everything seems fine, In the sunshine of our lives
But there awaits, That perfect storm
It has all the strength, To run through our defence
And everything, we’re holding on
We pick up all our pieces, And build it up from scratch
That’s how life will ebb and flow, Can’t get too attached
So Let the dust settle down
Let the dust settle down
Let all pretence, mere appearance
Come crashing to the ground
Let the dust settle down, settle down
Let the dust settle down
Let the dust settle down
Once the cloud has cleared out
Can then the truth be found
Let the dust settle down, settle down
We travel through this life, confined in space and time
Caught between the poles of, Hope and despair
And the stories that we’re told
To aggrandise and weave control
Gives us a sense of purpose, Inside our black hole when we stare
The meaning of our existence, Cannot be so inane
We need deeper investigation to arrive at our refrain
So Let the dust settle down
Let the dust settle down
Let all pretence, mere appearance
Come crashing to the ground
Let the dust settle down, settle down
Let the dust settle down
Let the dust settle down
Once the cloud has cleared out
Can then the truth be found
Let the dust settle down, settle down
Hope you enjoy it and any kind of feedback is most welcome :)
Warm Regards,
Arnab
Comments
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Thank you for posting, I enjoyed the piece very much. The music and the vocals were a joy.
Constructive critique: To my albeit non-musical ears there's too much competition between the vocals and the music, at times, the clarity of the words is lost. Wait for more experienced musicians to comment before replying, could be wrong!
Secondly, try to avoid aggrandization, (used the word deliberately to make the point), simplify words like aggrandise and inane or you run the risk of coming across as patronizing, Lesson taught to me by RDM seems to have a thing for the word detritus!
You've been given a gift in your voice, share it.
Thanks,
Sid
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@sidshovel - Thats really good constructive feedback :) something that helps add value to my musical endeavour. Thank you :)
Maybe in this version the piano is playing a little too much, so I should just keep only the chords going instead of playing inner lines for sometime. Point taken :)
The feedback about the usage of the words, wow that's a new perspective, really welcome. I have never received feedback yet on a word level, much appreciated :)
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Wow and a brilliant piano player as well?? I'm curious do you have a family musical background? Where did your outstanding talent come from? Did you use the same mic on piano and the vocals? This a beautiful song with a great message. I can't help but stare at the big brass locks.
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@StoneFlowers - Thank you, thats so very kind of you:)
My family is from the Eastern part of India (the land of Bengal) known for its affinity and regards for art and culture from across the globe. I definitely had a natural predilection towards music as a child, but have acquired most of the skills over the years through learning and practice.
For this recording, I have used a basic Audio-technica microphone to capture the vocals and the "Keyscape" plug-ins on logic for the piano sound, all the instruments routed through an SSL audio interface.
Really thankful to you for boosting my morale with your message :)
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Interesting on the recording technique. So you did this on one track or two? I've just started messing with Logic Pro w SSL2+ interface and mic. It's a bit of a learning curve. So I'm working with an online tutor who turns out to be a damn good producer. He's got me hooked up with some of his A list musician friends and I'll have a few of my originals available soon with a full band sound.
That's a very cool story about your background. Maybe I should get some big brass locks.😁
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@StoneFlowers - hahahah nice one about the big brass locks :)
I recorded this on two separate tracks, one each for the piano and voice. I used pretty much the identical set-up as you have mentioned above. I armed both the tracks for "record" and did a few takes, kept the best one for the video. Then I isolated each track separately and had a friend just do a basic clean up and EQ-ing for both and a well rounded mix (not release quality but good enough for video)
Wow, the update on you getting your songs worked on by a full band sounds so exciting. Looking forward to a full release from your end. Even if you decide to do one song at a time, do share the tracks once you have produced them to your liking :)
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Yeah man I'll post them. The EQ and compression stuff is got me a little bolloxed but I'm working on it...keep the music flowing my friend.
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Wonderful performance Arnab! You are truly a talented musician and performer.
In terms of the songwriting, one thing I noticed was the piano was mirroring the vocal melody quite often, and I wonder if that is what Sid was picking up on when he said they were competing? It might be better if the piano wove around the vocal melody rather than following it. And that's pretty rich coming from someone who can't play piano/keyboard at all!!
The chorus was memorable, especially your hook "Let the dust settle down". The lyric flowed very smoothly, but I have to say that at the end of the song I probably didn't remember much of the verses. What I did get was the mood and vibe, the lovely melody and that strong chorus. And that was more than enough for me to enjoy the song thoroughly.
Well done.
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@RainyDayMan - Thank you :) It is always an interesting perspective when coming from another seasoned and earnest musician.
All the points that you have raised are quite valid. It is an ever evolving process and so such feedback helps to improve subsequent performances and compositions.
Truly means a lot :) !
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You have a great voice. You should let it loose on something more emotional and immediate, less intellectual, like a love song. That voice could really work some magic with material like that! (Of course, you might have such songs that you have not shared with us yet 🙂)
I enjoyed this one very much. I have no suggestions or criticisms to offer.
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@OnlyGavin - Thats a good one :) I haven't written any conventional love song yet but I have songs with more emotional outbursts, hahaha. Will share soon :) Thanks!
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This style is what it is . It's kind of a dead genre. Very hard to innovate within jazz standards. It would probably be more interesting trying r n b or even smooth jazz.
Jazz is performance based, song less important than other genres
When I watched the video I assumed it was just turn the camera on and play. Then I noticed the breaths in your voice were amped.
Then I saw the headset on. Is there a mic in there somewhere ?sure sounds like it. Reverb too
I think it's good musicianship and a good voice. The song part didn't click with me, I'm not a huge fan of jazz standards anyway. I do like jazz While eating dinner... not withstanding the elite jazz
Guys who make it more accessible
I'd definitely try different styles0 -
@Domd - Thanks for the feedback. Yes it was a live set but I recorded it over a microphone and the piano through Logic and mixed the song.
This song specifically is stripped down even on the record with just the piano, voice and upright bass.
It's not really a jazz standard. There is a strong lyricism and a significant melodic motif in it as well. But obviously it may or may not work in the case of every listener and that is absolutely fine. So does any kind of music :)
But appreciate your detailed breakdown of your listening experience
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No, lyrically it's not like a standard, it's more folk. I just mean the general style , it's not like 'I get a kick out of you"
I like your music in general.
I'd say it's stronger melodically than lyrically0
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