HOME/DiY: Blue Room Storage, Pt II

More plaster in the right corner came away.

Today I started on repairing the area ‘twixt walls and ceiling, where formerly there was coving. But before I could start on that I had to clean the areas where I would be applying the plaster.

These voids are massive!

I’m doing so yet more plaster crumbled away from the brickwork. In the picture above I’m talking about the left half of the image. What had initially been a single course of exposed bricks – or one and a half, to be precise (as on the right) – suddenly became to courses.

Some of the new post-cleanup debris.

Having already swept and hoovered yesterday, this new crumblage requires another tidy up.

Endless clearing up!
Working in very cramped conditions.

I’m working in a very tiny space, in a small room, that’s filled with stuff. Not ideal. Still, you gots to do what you gots to do!

This morning we were at B&Q, in Wisbech, getting stuff for this job. So back home, I mixed me up a bucket o’ mud, and slathered it on. ‘Twas far from easy. Esp’ where the gaps were very large. But I built up lots of thick goopy layers, and gradually got there.

It ain’t pretty!

And presto! The bulk of the plastering is now done. Tomorrow I’ll go over it all, and try to neaten it up. The main thing is that all the various planes now meet. The next step is to try and make them flat and 90°, etc.

LATER ON…

Oh my Lourde…

After an evening delivering for Amazon, I finally got home, and this was how my work was looking… the floor’s a right mess.

Oh my Gourd…

The walls are a right mess…

Oh my, oh my…

And my ‘work’ is itself, a mess! But it is at least still up. And, although I didn’t test it, for solidity, I reckon tomorrow I’ll be able to do some sanding and a second coat, to beaten things up a bit. Or a lot, even?

MUSiC: Your Love keeps Lifting Me, Jackie Wilson, 1967

A stone cold soul classic. Could this be what’s sometimes known as a ‘banger’? A one riff wonder: eight chugging bars of solid uplifting soulful grooving. Jackie Wilson sings his heart out. Just as he did his whole life, literally singing himself to death, onstage…

Some versions, such as the one YouTube offered up in ‘first place’ when I searched for the song itself, sound like they’ve had parts replaced with synthesised parts… Sacrilege!!!

The rather silly ‘fly guy n gal’ video, at the top of this blog posts, at least preserves the original sound. With the slightly out of tune guitar, in all its effervescent glory.

The guitar part.
The bass riffs.

I plan to record a version of this number myself, at some point. With me playing all the parts. Or at least all the parts I can. The lead vocal is a very scary prospect ! And do I do ye horns a capella? Or do I get some real horns recorded?

All such shenanigans will have to wait on getting a new computer and up to date DAW software, as my poor ol’ Mac is ailing, and can no longer even run Logic! A terrible state of affairs.

LYRICS

Your love, lifting me higher
Than I've ever been lifted before
So keep it it up
Quench my desire
And I'll be at your side, forever more

You know your love
(your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on lifting
(love keeps lifting me)
Higher (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)
I said your love
(your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on
(love keeps lifting me)
Lifting me (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)

Listen…
Now once, I was down-hearted
Disappointment, was my closest friend
But then you, came and it soon departed
And you know he never
Showed his face again

That's why your love
(your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on lifting
(love keeps lifting me)
Higher (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)
I said your love
(your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on
(love keeps lifting me)
Lifting me (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)

Alright…
I'm so glad, I've finally found you
Yes that one, in a million girls
And now with my loving arms around you, honey
I can stand up, and face the world

Let me tell ya, your love
(your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on lifting
(love keeps lifting me)
Higher (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)
I said your love
(your love keeps lifting me)
Keep on
(love keeps lifting me)
Lifting me (lifting me)
Higher and higher (higher)

Now sock it to me
Hold me, you're my woman
Keep my love going
Higher and higher
I said keep on lifting
Lift me up mama

Yesterday I finally ‘finished’ transcribing the drums. It’s currently very hard to do that, currently, as I don’t have any software in which I can easily loop and/or slow down stuff. Or, rather, what software I do have I’m not so au fait with it. Net upshot, I’m not able to easily loop sections.

Finished is in inverted commas above, because under the circ’s, it’s as finished as I could make it after a few hours of cabin fever screen-burn-out! I may have to tweak it a bit,* as I both learn to play it myself, and teach with it.

To remedy these transcription issues, I just shelled out (poss for a second time?) for the full version of Amazing Slow Downer, an app by Roni Music. Poss’ one of the best most accurately named apps ever!? £12.99, at the time of my purchase.

Combined with Moises, which I will probably also wind up buying the full version of, I can isolate the drum tracks (or other elements), and slow them down, etc.

These are two great apps that I thoroughly recommend to all budding and long in the tooth musicians alike.

* For starters, there’s a very subtle and tasty little drum fill, rather buried in the mix, at about 1:36-7, which I really must cop! And it’s only really possible to hear it once everything but drums are removed, using Moises.

MUSiC/Tech/Art: Polygondwanaland with AI, KG&TLW

Well, this is intriguing!

AI generated – I think? – by the lyrics of the ‘Polygondwanaland trilogy’, by King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard.

I was all set to not even watch this. Then to dislike it… and now I’m bemused, as I really rather like a lot of aspects of the resulting ‘art’. And I’m intrigued as to how it’s done.