The Sound of NSPS

Here, experience a reverse mini-history of NSPS through the audio that Jeremy Mathews created. Please note that as of July 30, 2003 for Timeless Towns and Haunted Places and Februrary 10 for Those Wacky Crazy Canadians, mp3s are new versions of the songs, so erase that old crap, including the February TTHP material. It starts with currently unreleased material. Songs will rotate occasionally, so check back on occasion (makes sense).

Last update: July 30, 2003

Timeless Towns and Haunted Places (These are the official album versions from the long-in-the-works album that Jeremy finally finished. Now featuring "Furious" Joe Irvin and Aaron Leitko on certain songs.)

"Election Day Blues": "Not an actual blues, this little number shows the NSPS Rhythm All Stars at their most rocking, and I even dabble with some lead guitar. Aaron thought the effects on the lead guitar in the first version made it sound like a sitar, but now it doesn't. So sad. My original track sequence had this as track six, but I decided to open with it after finishing this version." —Jeremy Mathews

"Side Effects": "This song is destined to become something I wish I'd never written, but for now it's a fully orchestrated recording and live favorite. The herpes thing is paranoia, not autobiographical, to answer your question. After playing this song live with "Furious" Joe, I felt the old recorded version lacked a certain kick. Now you get the best of both worlds: Joe's drums and the orchestra." —Jeremy Mathews

"Pheromone Cologne": "My sister thinks this song is a sure-fire hit. It taps into the human condition, she says. My friend Ben says he really likes it too. What do you think? Does my acoustic guitar-vs.-sound effects production ruin any chances of traveling to hitland? Oh well." —Jeremy Mathews

"Too Many Milleniums": "This four-minute epic takes a tour of the world's evolution to find some bleak dispair. I'm proud of the guitar riffs and percussion track." —Jeremy Mathews

"The Art of Packing": "Written partly in France, this is a reminder not to be a jerk. I directed a video of this starring James Ruff and used a really heavy dolly. We shot it in my house and put a hole in the wall when moving the dolly tracks, but it's now been repaired." —Jeremy Mathews

Those Wacky Crazy Canadians: Definitive Lie Edition Buy it, OK?

"Heelu's Idiosyncrasies": "This coming-of-age story about a boy with a lost name and a case of outsider's depression was one of the last songs recorded in the very last TWCC session, and I was so proud of the production, arrangement and lyrics that I made it the opening track. Check out the accordions, horns, guitars, modulated voices and one of my few dual vocal segments at the end." —Jeremy Mathews

"The Last Cookie": "An upbeat tune written to make the weak at heart and soul gleefully miserable. The song is about more than a cookie, which is brilliant, really." —Jeremy Mathews

"Reason for the Seasons": "I almost didn't put this song on the album, but luckily Michael Rose brought me to my senses. I originally conceived it as more jazzy blues than odd avant-pop, with a trumpet instead of the synth organ I used." —Jeremy Mathews

"If I Only Had a Time Machine": "The pinnacle of my junior-high writing years, this song has been revised many times and is the oldest song I still play."

"The Sponge": "A catchy bit of country-pop allegory that you need an interpreter to make sense of, despite the fact that I sing the whole thing twice." —Jeremy Mathews

"Something Swimming in My Trunks": "Despite being short, sparse and comparatively simple, this jazzy song has become an old favorite. Believe it or not, I didn't intentionally write it about the obvious sexual subject matter. I had lost all interest in paying attention to literal meaning and I didn't realize it was about an erection for a year." —Jeremy Mathews

Returning to the Fetal Position click here to purchase this album

"Civil War": "One of the best songs I've written. I didn't want to over produce it and only used two guitar parts and "Furious" Joe Irvin's drums. We were recording it and Joe was messing around with his cowbells in between takes. I liked a thing he was doing and made him do it right before I started the song. This is all audible, of course, but I can assure you it wasn't staged." —Jeremy Mathews

"Waiting": "A Prufrock-esque story about a sad little man. The Clarinet and synth-clavinet stuff was rather complicated to arrange properly, but it turned out quite well." —Jeremy Mathews

"The Happiest Girl in Utah": "The oldest song on the album. I based it on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet. In the initial version, I got both the characters' names wrong, then Naresh Kumar read the book and let me know, so I fixed it in the new version. The percussion track is a mix of African and rock beats." —Jeremy Mathews

"Paper Jacket": "Whether it was wise to open the album with this organ and bass heavy song, I cannot say. It does properly kick off the album's depressing tone."

N**ra Sw**t Pix** Sticks

"Nothing he Could Do" (currently unavailable): "The opening track of the original demo is more embarrassing than the other material on the demo in some respects, but better than it in others." —Jeremy Mathews

 

 

 

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