Louis Souyave’s blog

I'm currently maxing and relaxing in the sunny climes of Italy. Sooooo damn chilled out here. written some new material which I'm really excited about. Particularly a new track called 'Posers Paradise', which was inspired by this club I went to the other night, which SHOULD have been immense. It was an amazing setup, out door dancefloors, jacuzzi's, palm trees, hotties etc; however the crowds in there are so fucking miserable. They just stand there staring at the empty dancefloor genlty bobbing with drink in one hand and fag in the other, in vain hope that the two scantily clad local hussies would return to their favoured spot bang in the middle of the abandoned dancefloor, to do their 'routine' of spanking each other over and over whilst demanding that the spandex clad muscle bound slicked back 'Italian Stallions' take photos. You can't fault these people for looking good, but that was the problem, they seemed so focussed on looking good that they forgot they were out for good times. It reminded me of a 13 yr old's school disco to some extent, where the guys stood on one side of the room, the girls on the other, whilst everyone akwardly shuffles their feet in time to the various JT tunes banging out, and whispering to their friends

'She's hot.'

'Yeah.'

'I dare you to talk to her'

'Nah mate, shes not that hot' TRANSLATION - 'Fuck no! What if she thinks I'm a twat'

the difference between the adolescent shin dig and this Italian club/fashion parade was that rather than kids being kept apart by fear of the opposite sex, it was adults being kept apart by their fear of looking less than their best (or even worse, 'uncool'), rooting them to the spot and committing them to a evening of protecting/preserving their Versace and Gucci get up, the way the school kids protect themselves against the ridicule of rejection. The fun and soul was drained from this would-be immense venue purely due to superficial stupidness, and the unwillingness to just let go.

anyways, I wanna go on, but i need dinner. so I'll shut up. I'm gonna record the song asap and then post it so bare with me. until then here is a new mix of one of my tunes, Tonight Tonight.

Louis Souyave - Tonight, Tonight (Save The Cheerleader, Save The World)

2 comments

Louis

In this paper I compare two versions of a haunting track called ‘Diane’. The original was recorded by Husker Du, a ‘phet fuelled American three piece, in 1983, who were die hard believers in the ’louder, faster, shorter’ ethos, which seemed to characterise the majority of music labelled as 80’s US Hardcore. ‘Diane’ was somewhat a departure in terms of writing for Husker Du’s members, Grant Hart, Bob Mould and Greg Norton. The cover, recorded in 1995, is by Irish metallers Therapy?. However taking a somewhat different approach to the song by implementing string sections in place of the classic rock band setup.

The track is a twisted song at heart, more or less providing an account of a murdering rapist. However, despite the evident debauched nature of this track, there is an entrancing aspect which draws the listener in to the world of this maniac. The imagery in this song is truly intense. This is most definitely an evil song though, it is nakedly, unashamed evil. Diane is a malevolent piece, a monstrous affair. Is it pushing boundaries of taboos too far? Before you answer let me remind you of the long and somewhat respected history of the murder ballad in folk music (Johnny Cash etc). Here the artist is just being less tentative around the matter. The curious thing is that Diane is somehow very seductive and hypnotic. From personal experience I have found the song ‘takes you there’. I was visualising all the places. Not the actual happenings of the song, you understand. Somehow the squishy bits never came into it. But I was trying to picture ‘Lake Cove’ – well, not trying to. It was coming to me. I could see a string of coloured lights in the distance, along a road that ran beside a calm sea (or probably lake, I suppose). A seedy resort spot, with one or two boarded up souvenir kiosks and a couple leaning on some railings by the water’s edge. And I just sat there, behind closed eyes, and took it all in. I was mesmerised, and it is incredibly difficult to say why, but it has a power in it somewhere. You will find this power too when you listen to Diane. Maybe not straight away, but it won’t take too long. It’s got a secret compulsion, and you have to respect its power in a sense; but once it gets the scent of you relaxing there, being a bit contemplative and ready to wonder, it will call around and seduce you, taking you to the dark places in small town America/Ireland; bleak scenery situated just beyond that decaying industrial sprawl. It goes without saying that this song is infinitely sorrowful.

Assuming that you have heard line 4, how shocking is that? Bastard!! This is a controversial aspect of this song. Another lyric, in line 7 gives a great juxtaposition image of the lake (evoking feelings of calm and stillness) and the depraved acts of evil – thus accentuating the mental turmoil of the killer. Also, line 16’s meaning is open to debate; does he kill Diane when he says ‘it’s all over now with my knife’ or does he turn the knife on himself?

A feature in both versions of the song is the chilling way in which the backing vocal on the chorus comes in just before the lead; providing the effect of illusion of the combination of voices saying ‘Die Diane’.

Hey little girl, do you need a ride?

Well, I’ve got room in my wagon why don’t you hop inside

We could cruise down Robert Street all night long

But I think I’ll just rape you and kill you instead

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

I heard there’s a party down at Lake Cove

It would be so much easier if I drove

We could check it out, we could go and see

Oh won’t you come and take a ride with me?

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

Solo

We could lay in the weeds for a little while

I’ll put your clothes in a nice, neat little pile

You’re the cutest girl I’ve ever seen in my life

It’s all over now, and with my knife

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

Diane, Diane, Diane

Hey little girl, wanna go for a ride?
There's room and my wagon is parked right outside
We can cruise down Robert Street all night long
But I think I'll just rape you and kill you instead Line 4

Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane)
Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane)

I hear there's a party at Lake Cove Line 7
It'd be so much easier if I drove
We could check it out, we can go and see
Come on, take a ride with me

Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane)
Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane)

Lay down together for a while
I'll put all your clothes in a nice neat little pile
You're the cutest girl I've ever seen in my life
But it's over now and with my knife Line 16

Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane)
Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane)
Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane)
Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane), Diane (Diane)

The Husker Du version begins with tom and floor toms on the drum kit, following with the introduction of the bass part, which sounds strangely like a guitar part, possibly due to effects pedals. After this, the guitar enters (an Ibanez Flying-V through Yamaha amp), heavily overdriven with a series of effects, using strange inversions. However the song revolves mainly around the progression of Am-F-C.

It gets into a great down-tempo punk groove with a trancey and, even more bizarrely, spacey feel. One of the most notable qualities here is the vocal delivery. Each verse begins in this mendacious but lulling conversational tone, and over the course of the next few lines, builds into an agonised and tortured call.

It is quite a feat to imagine that a vocalist could deliver a line such as ‘I hear there’s a party at Lake Clove’ directly after ‘I think I’ll just rape you and kill you instead’ in Hart’s completely casual tone with an everyday, almost ‘bored’ aroma. I also think line nine is worth mentioning. Here the vocal comes back in after a rather large and tumultuous solo from Mould. The guitar part itself is very good, but it’s how it works with the ensuing verse that’s excellent. This is mainly because of the intimacy that it blesses Grant’s vocals with – the fact that we’ve just been smothered by a crescendo of distortion only serves to underline the subsequent gentle cajoling. By the end of the verse, this has been replaced by a final, dreadful shout.

The Therapy? Version of Diane was produced by Al Clay and differs greatly from the original in musical style. This cover uses cellos and violins to provide the basis of the music. The same riff is taken from the bass line of the original, however in this instance is played on cello; essentially the role of guitar is taken on by the violins and the role of bass is played by cellos.

The vocal here differs in that it is sung rather than in a conversational tone, yet still ascends to a grainy scream, causing emotion to sear through the track. The backing vocal is retained from the original, again jeering ’Die Diane’ through a combination of the lead and backing vocals. The vocals and recording on this track are far more polished and contained than the original, using reverb units and better quality studio equiptment.

A factor which makes the cover seem somewhat more disturbed is the juxtaposition between the apparent beauty of the classical strings and the subject of the lyrics. I believe this to be an deliberate decision by Therapy? To challenge whether the listener will focus on the music or the topic when listening.

The cover is shorter by 39 seconds and is in the same key of Am as the original.

Each song should be judged as an independent piece and not as two versions of the same song, in conclusion. Both songs have the same lyrics however, the purpose of each track differs, partly due to the social climate of the time. The original, released in the 80’s Hardcore movement, could be said to be pushing the boundaries of open speaking on violence and psychopaths. Whereas the cover released mid 90s, a time of Grunge and the such, and was intended to present an ironic combination of depravity and serene string harmonies.

I'm not really naked. Perv. hahah, anyways...... here's a new mix of Hoping for a Million Tomorrows like Tonight. This is another track recorded in my bedroom, much to the annoyance of the neighbours, who heard a 'sneak preview' at 3am, when i accidentally pulled the headphones out of the stereo and lets just say, the earth shook. Its got a spooky kinda intro, then develops to prog along the way, have a listen.On another note, i had throat surgery this week so, no gigs for a little while and no vox recording; so focusing on instrumentals mainly, so expect them up pretty Graham Soonish. ta ta

Louis Souyave - Hoping For a Million Tomorrows Like Tonight

Louis Souyave

2 comments

swoooooosh!!!!!!!!!!

this is the best example i have of my new found Electrock (Rocktro). Its called Tonight Tonight (Save the Cheerleader, Save the World). Its about dancing in a club with a stranger. x

Louis Souyave - Tonight, Tonight (Save The Cheerleader, Save The World)

Louis Souyave

2 comments

Something For Something Project - Kaleidescopic Atmosphere

Something For Something Proje

here's a song i did with an immensely talented friend of mine Dave Gardener. It was basically a little experiment we did, where we each took it in turns to add parts to the track whilst the other was out the room. Eventually he never came back...so i added some vocals and finished it myself (a bit too quickly) and this is the end product. Its called Kaleidescopic Atmosphere. x

HELLO!!!! This song is called Boys and Girls. 80s me thinks?

Louis Souyave - Boys and Girls

Louis Souyave

heeeeeeeeeellooooooooooo!!!! i'm Louis Souyave and here are some of my tunes; i call most of it electrock (my mate calls it rocktro). In fact there's an idea...what do you guys prefer? Electrock or Rocktro?  

there's some prog rock up (Hoping For a Million Tomorrows Like Tonight), some massively 80s influenced tracks (Boys and Girls), and some with a bit of drum n bass feel (Kalaedescopic Atmosphere). My personal favourites are Boys and Girls and Tonight Tonight btw. The style changes up quite a bit but have a listen and let me know what you think if you can. anyways, i'll stop ranting now, thanks for taking the time friends.

Louis

x

Louis Souyave acoustic

additionally there's a video of me playing at the Port Mahon in Oxford. Its an acoustic version of  my song 'What began as an idea', which i shall post soonish. tah tah

My name is Louis Souyave and this is my firt Vox Post!!!! I live in South East London and i love my dog, Reggie. I'm a musician and at the moment am pretending to be an actor (I'm gonna be in a music video...which is hilarious cos i havent done acting in yeeeeeeears). Once that little random trip is over, i'll be back to the serious business of the music in my bedroom. which brings me nicely to my main point today. Do all musicians stay up and go to bed really late? Or is it just me and a few mates on our lonesome?

Louis

xxx

Louis Souyave - Tonight, Tonight (Save The Cheerleader, Save The World)

Louis Souyave

2 comments

....and here is one of my songs for you beautiful people.

Its about dancing in a club with a stranger and getting to that point where the othere people around you fade into obscurity and for just a few moments, it seems there is just you and your stranger, entwined by movement and music. 

When was the last time you did something dangerous? 
Submitted by Ross. 

erm.... yesterday, when i stole chicken from Vanessa Feltz.

x