I am a bit bored!

http://www.myspace.com/missworldsknickers

I shan't put that one on the mixtape for mum, then.

Alright?

I finally finished I Win, it's not the most amazing song in the world but for some reason I find it really enjoyable to sing. Another thing - I always seem to be able to perform best when hungover. Don't ask me why, maybe it adds more depth to my voice, maybe it allows me to make melancholy stuff sound really forlorn, maybe it's every artist's secret.

I say all this, but now I listen to it it's still full of flaws. How to professional artists manage to make every word they sing so perfect? Lots of takes of each word? I like doing it all in one go - if it goes wrong I start again. Gets annoying when I seem to go wrong on the last note a lot. :-)

Enjoy.

I have not felt very creative lately. Actually that's a lie, I have, I just have had no time. Frustrating as it is, at least I have a job and money and a place to live and stuff. I feel like I should be using my new life experiences to write interesting songs, however I decided to write a sad folk song with rather dull lyrics. It's only half complete as well. I figure you've got to run where it takes you most of the time, so the creative juices don't dry up. Hopefully this is a sign of starting to do a little more than I have been.

Does anyone have any requests?

I've been writing a fair bit recently but have nothing that's a complete song yet. Bit of a dry patch as I've been busy with many other things, like oh, being made redundant and looking for a job. Saps the creativity a bit! I've done a few covers in my time, I keep trying to add to my list so I can do a little covers album for my mum, who's been asking for one for about 3 years now. She hasn't even heard me sing before. I would like to do an album full of only my own stuff for her, but I don't think any of it will be suitable for that. I can see many years of development before I've got a proper album of songs that I am happy with.

Anyway, just so you don't miss me or anything, I did a quick cover today of a Dream Theater song. I made a massive breakthrough in being able to sing in front of Joe yesterday and we were practising this song together with him playing and me singing. It is a very important development in my confidence. I did the guitar on this version myself though as Joe isn't around today. I feel much more confident when I am playing guitar at the same time as singing, I suppose I feel too explosed if I'm just singing alone, that's not what I feel I was made for! My ultimate plan would be to find a decent vocalist to front my band and do backing vocals myself. I discovered yesterday that Joe has a pretty decent voice, I shall have to encourage him :)

Here you go anyway, if you want something to do. Please excuse the few dud notes and the high bit that I totally miss. I CAN make that note, I just totally chicken out when it comes to it :E And I hate to re-record stuff, what comes out first is often best.

I have been trying to design a MWK website but am feeling so unartistic. If anyone is bored and fancies coming up with some interesting artwork, Miss World's Knickers really needs a logo. I'm thinking the style is black, pink, red. Kind of like this lj style but not quite as pink. With knickers.

New song! This is another miserably depressing one, but at least it's not suicidal. It's just got a slightly pathetic undertone. Ooh the rubbishness of human nature just seems to flow out of me. I tested this out on people last week and they seemed to like it so I've done a better version, fewer mistakes. Still can't sing it too well but this is probably as good as I can be bothered to make it. Or as good as I can make it with my environment. The song would be great if I got someone with a better voice, and also I think it would sound good with a piano instead of a guitar. But still I'm quite proud of it. The little guitar melody came to me in an instant and I knew I had to make a song from it.

It all happened rather quickly and if you could see my notepad you will only see one scribbled out word on it when writing this song. The verses, bridge and chorus are exactly as you hear them now. this is in stark contrast to Smile, which was an A4 mass of scribbles and changes and arrows. Red Shirt Guy was written over multiple sheets over a few weeks and I've lost some of it under the pile of paper in my room. It's strange how my writing style so far is inconsistent. There are no specific surroundings I need and it never happens the same way twice. Smile was written in the dark under my duvet in a stream of disorganised words, Red Shirt Guy was composed over a number of weeks with advice from freinds, and the new one was written as I was simply fiddling with my guitar at my desk. Sometimes I start with the words, other times with a melody, others with a chord sequence.

This is all terrible as it means I do not know when my next bout of inspiration will come, it appears to be completely random and I can't sit down and say ok, I'm going to write a song. Every now and then it will just pop into my brain and I need to grab a pen and paper (or indeed, record myself humming on my phone when I was on the train) or it's lost forever.

Anyway, I think this one is quite pretty, though I realise I need to do some happy music before I send everyone to sleep. Comments welcome as always!

Yay, I've done it. Joe and me worked out the guitar rhythm and he recorded it ready for me to add vocals. Today is the first time I got the chance to, so I've spent the idea singing away. I don't think anyone's in but I decided not to care and just get on with it.

The result is a rhythm guitar and vocal track, which needs some bass and drums adding to it, along with the solo Joe has worked out which is available in midi format here. It sounds excellent on a phone, 8-bit heaven!

:-)

The singing isn't really up to scratch, it's damn harder than I thought. I am not a singer and so am finding breathing and timing difficult. I think I might look out for some guides online, maybe I can learn something about it. I have found it much harder than learning to play an instrument, it certainly doesn't come naturally and is tiring. I did about 4 takes and that was enough, I was knackered! The quality waned as I was trying too hard and my voice was tired. Do excuse the out of tune bits.

Let me know what you think!

Yesterday I decided to write a song about the red shirt guys in Star Trek. I cannot write funny songs, this is a rule. It's so much easier to write about depession and love. This must be why there are so many songs about these things. Well anyway you don't know unless you try. Here is the rhythm I came up with, and Joe kindly recorded it for me as his guitar sounds a lot nicer and he can also play it with skill.

There will also be an awesome guitar solo in there somewhere.

Suggestions for humorous lyrics are welcome. It's going to be somewhat a comedy lovesong I think, an ode to a guy in a red shirt.

"Red shirt guy you'll never know just what you mean to me."

"like a quasi dimensional space ameoba ripping apart my soul."

etc etc.

For the past while I've been working on this one song. I have tried all sorts of methods to perfect it but I'm a bit stuck. It seems ok for now in it's raw form. I need to find someone who can produce music, to suggest ways I can add things to it, perhaps some strings. A way to space it out and make it seem more epic. I'm not too frustrated with it anymore, if I look at it as a pure acoustic version then there's nothing to complain about. I have big plans for the song and anyone who has some constructive ideas or input is most welcome.

Listen.

Excuse the roughness of it, my recording equipment is basic and this was pretty much a first draft.

It is interesting really, as my first song I've written, I never knew how I would go about writing a song. It came out in a burst one day, I wrote the verse as practically one whole mash of words on a bit of lined A4 paper, not in any way broken up. It reminded me of the style of Eminem. I decided I needed to break it up, and found a few words I had written for another song that I thought might fit as the chorus. This was a love song, so I changed the words to fit my verse and decided where I could break it up (this was very hard).

I must also mention that I don't generally feel this way. The song ended up being about... well, I guess it's being sung by someone who is commiting suicide. I didn't intend for this, it just came out and certain words fitted that ended up being along that theme. It wasn't until I finished and tweaked it that I realised what it was actually about, which is an interesting way round to do things. I find when I write a song I do it from someone's perspective, not necessarily mine, but I take on a persona, imagine how I would feel and the words pour out onto the page. Everyone knows what it's like to feel miserable, so I guess I've found that the easiest thing to write about so far.

Another thing to add is, I have changed the chords to the chorus now but have yet to record a version with it. In this version, the chords stay the same throughout!

MWK is my small musical effort, currently based in Northampton UK. It's not a band as such, more a collaboration of anyone who happens to pass by.

From time to time we will post mp3's, band news, rehearsal and gig details if any of this ever happens. Snippets of maybe songs, full songs, covers and individual efforts will all be here in time.

Remember, God may have given rock and roll to ya, but Miss World's Knickers gave you the lovely smell that went with it.

Emma