Cosmos Girl
Welcome back to our third blog installment where we have discussed some of the inspiration and ideas behind our songs “Heaven Undone” and “Cordillera.” In our first blog post we talked about how our song “Heaven Undone” was strongly influenced by water. We really wanted to create a song that sounded like the Ocean and had a fluid sound. Our second blog on our song “Cordillera” was about the rock in The Canadian Rockies! Now we are entering into new territory with the song “Cosmos Girl” where we take you to the moon and back.
The music for “Cosmos Girl” was first conceived three years prior to its release in 2009. Peter and Dan had been working on the musical parts for several years and were slowly perfecting the roots / folksy feel of the song. It was not until Union Soundtrack had recorded their first EP that the music for what was to become “Cosmos Girl” was unveiled to Austin. Once Austin had a chance to work with the music it was only a short time before “Cosmos Girl” was born. The love song about a girl on the moon just wrote its self and the original music remained unchanged. We all found “Cosmos Girl” to be such a neat song with a unique bridge and swinging melody that seemed to defy gravity. It really is a pleasure to play and we all love the quirky nature of the song and it is one everyone can sing along too.
Cosmos Girl – Union Soundtrack (2009)
The girl on the moon, surrounded by shooting stars, views the earth far below.
On a pale and lonely night a boy solemnly roams and looks up into the night, tonight.
Two worlds collide when the two of them lock eyes through a high powered telescope.
There is no atmosphere in space as the boy’s heart starts to race as he soars towards the girl on the moon.
I fell in love in outer space no gravity
I feel in love in outer space no gravity
I fell in love in outer space no gravity
So how could I fall so deep?
Well this love, ya this is love, Woo hoo.
I fell in love in outer space no gravity
Well I feel in love in outer space no gravity
I fell in love in outer space no gravity
I fell in love in outer space no gravity
I feel in love
Will you fall in love with me?
The song has been a favorite of many of our closest friends and has had mixed reviews from people that hear it. It is common for people who hear the song once to dismiss it because of its non-traditional structure; however, we have also found that once the song is heard a second time people really seem to get into it and are shortly singing along. We hope you enjoy our tribute to the moon and let go of your grip on gravity and come join US in outer space.
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Cordillera
Welcome to the second installment of our nine week project where we will outline the ideas and inspiration behind each song on our self titled debut album. Last week we divulged some of the details that brought US together, the concept of incorporating natural imagery in our music and the inspiration behind our song “Heaven Undone.” This week we are very excited to talk about the title song on our album “Cordillera” and to set up the discussion we will first define the term:
Cordillera: (from old Spanish cordilla, “cord,” or “little rope”), a system of mountain ranges that often consist of a number of more or less parallel chains. Cordilleras are an extensive feature in the Americas and Eurasia. In North America the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas, and the mountains between them are collectively known as the Cordilleras, and the entire area has been termed the Cordilleran region. –Encyclopedia Britannica.
Our song “Cordillera” is a tribute to the awesomeness of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The song is designed to bring the listener along on a journey through the steep valleys all the way up to the top of the mountain peaks where you can almost kiss the stars. We wanted to write a song that would capture the essence of these majestic mountains and convey that spirit back into the listening world.
Cordillera Lyrics:
Come back, come back to reality
Up high on mountain peaks
Come along tell me what you want to do
Without you I’m incomplete
The road, it’s long and steep
In the valleys below come with me
Too long
Too long I’ve been away too long
Drowning in urban seas
Get back, get back to where your heart belongs
“The Canadian Rockies”
The road, it’s long and steep
In the valleys below
Come with me…and kiss the stars
Come back, come back to reality
Up high on mountain peaks
Come along tell me what you want to do
Without you I’m incomplete
The road it’s long and steep
In the valleys below come with me
The song “Cordillera” was originally called “The Canadian Rockies” in its infancy. We had recorded a demo of the song, without lyrics, for preproduction purposes that we submitted as a candidate for the new CBC Hockey Night in Canada theme contest. We still have the certificate from the CBC thanking US for submitting. It was not until we had finished the final recording of the song that we decided to call it “Cordillera.”
The best part of writing “Cordillera” was that the song just came out naturally and required little tweaking during production. We just enjoyed the energy so much that we wanted to capture the innocence of the song so we decided to keep it as raw as it was the first time we played it. We wanted to write a rock song about the Rockies and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Cordillera: (from old Spanish cordilla, “cord,” or “little rope”), a system of mountain ranges that often consist of a number of more or less parallel chains. Cordilleras are an extensive feature in the Americas and Eurasia. In North America the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas, and the mountains between them are collectively known as the Cordilleras, and the entire area has been termed the Cordilleran region. –Encyclopedia Britannica.
Our song “Cordillera” is a tribute to the awesomeness of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The song is designed to bring the listener along on a journey through the steep valleys all the way up to the top of the mountain peaks where you can almost kiss the stars. We wanted to write a song that would capture the essence of these majestic mountains and convey that spirit back into the listening world.
Cordillera Lyrics:
Come back, come back to reality
Up high on mountain peaks
Come along tell me what you want to do
Without you I’m incomplete
The road, it’s long and steep
In the valleys below come with me
Too long
Too long I’ve been away too long
Drowning in urban seas
Get back, get back to where your heart belongs
“The Canadian Rockies”
The road, it’s long and steep
In the valleys below
Come with me…and kiss the stars
Come back, come back to reality
Up high on mountain peaks
Come along tell me what you want to do
Without you I’m incomplete
The road it’s long and steep
In the valleys below come with me
The song “Cordillera” was originally called “The Canadian Rockies” in its infancy. We had recorded a demo of the song, without lyrics, for preproduction purposes that we submitted as a candidate for the new CBC Hockey Night in Canada theme contest. We still have the certificate from the CBC thanking US for submitting. It was not until we had finished the final recording of the song that we decided to call it “Cordillera.”
The best part of writing “Cordillera” was that the song just came out naturally and required little tweaking during production. We just enjoyed the energy so much that we wanted to capture the innocence of the song so we decided to keep it as raw as it was the first time we played it. We wanted to write a rock song about the Rockies and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Heaven Undone
Welcome to the beginning of a nine week blog project. For the next nine weeks we will be detailing the ideas and inspiration behind each song on our debut album. The first song we choose to unveil is “Heaven Undone” for two reasons: 1.) we have a recent video of US performing the song live on our website and 2.) It is the first song we produced together as Union Soundtrack. You could even say that this song is what brought US together in the first place; but, to get into that we must go back to the beginning.
Peter Vruwink and Daniel Carlson have been playing together for the past 16 years and have been a part of two commercially successful bands “Tractor Boy” (1994) and “Will Minor” (2002). In the year 2004, Peter and Dan started a side project and began co-writing music. It was not until 2007 that they felt that the music had evolved enough to expand and began looking for a singer. In recent years, Austin Schumacher was also involved in a successful group called “Darwin’s Engine” (2001) and had befriended Peter and Dan at one of the many shows they played together.
It was not until Dan had seen Austin in a local Safeway that the thought of contacting Austin as a potential candidate occurred to him. Not even a month had passed and Austin was at the rehearsal space, listing to the material Peter and Dan had developed over the past few years. One song in particular struck Austin as special; the raw sound of what was soon to become “Heaven Undone.” The Trio worked effortlessly to peel back the layers of the song and to uncover the melody and rhythm that was hidden inside the raw recording of the song.
From a guitarists’ perspective Dan was quoted to say: “The guitar riffs were always there, the trick for me was to get out of the way and let the music blossom. First impressions are always the best approach for me to take when writing. Clear the path and try not to get in the songs way.” Peter also took a new approach to his drumming technique by restraining himself as a drummer and letting the beat carry the song along. When asked how he felt about the song Peter said that Heaven Undone was his favorite song on the album. The song was like a chameleon, there were times you could see it and other times it just disappeared. The magic of the song was learning to let the song reveal itself and that’s how we knew that we had a special gift for creating music together. Austin just dove in singing with no fear. “I could feel the magic in the music, there was so much melody in Dan’s guitar that I could not help myself but to abandon my inhibitions and let it out.”
Now let US talk about the inspiration behind the song “Heaven Undone.”
Heaven Undone
You move like a tidal wave
I get washed away
In the swell of your wake
Now I’m lost at sea
How can this be?
When I hold my breath and wait
Under the sea
So high, the sky
I’m on my knees
Rowing away
You move like a tidal wave…
Now you’re moving me
Into deeper sea
I fall overboard
And I know for sure
If I hold my breath and wait
Under the sea
So high, the sky
I’m on my knees
What you couldn’t have
You took away
And that is more than I can sail
Oh rain it down on me
Because you are, heaven come undone
You are heaven come undone
The inspiration behind “Heaven Undone” is elemental water. We wanted to create a song that would feel, sound and move like water. It was during the process of writing the first three songs that we began to develop our ideas based on natural elements and imagery. We decided to develop a sort of concept album that would play tribute to our surrounding environment. Heaven Undone was a pillar that had allowed US to drive our music in this direction. Heaven Undone is a song of awakening. It is a second chance at experiencing the beauty of truth.
Let US know what “Heaven Undone” means to you by responding to our blog and check back next week as we will outline the creative inspiration behind the song “Cordillera.”
Peter Vruwink and Daniel Carlson have been playing together for the past 16 years and have been a part of two commercially successful bands “Tractor Boy” (1994) and “Will Minor” (2002). In the year 2004, Peter and Dan started a side project and began co-writing music. It was not until 2007 that they felt that the music had evolved enough to expand and began looking for a singer. In recent years, Austin Schumacher was also involved in a successful group called “Darwin’s Engine” (2001) and had befriended Peter and Dan at one of the many shows they played together.
It was not until Dan had seen Austin in a local Safeway that the thought of contacting Austin as a potential candidate occurred to him. Not even a month had passed and Austin was at the rehearsal space, listing to the material Peter and Dan had developed over the past few years. One song in particular struck Austin as special; the raw sound of what was soon to become “Heaven Undone.” The Trio worked effortlessly to peel back the layers of the song and to uncover the melody and rhythm that was hidden inside the raw recording of the song.
From a guitarists’ perspective Dan was quoted to say: “The guitar riffs were always there, the trick for me was to get out of the way and let the music blossom. First impressions are always the best approach for me to take when writing. Clear the path and try not to get in the songs way.” Peter also took a new approach to his drumming technique by restraining himself as a drummer and letting the beat carry the song along. When asked how he felt about the song Peter said that Heaven Undone was his favorite song on the album. The song was like a chameleon, there were times you could see it and other times it just disappeared. The magic of the song was learning to let the song reveal itself and that’s how we knew that we had a special gift for creating music together. Austin just dove in singing with no fear. “I could feel the magic in the music, there was so much melody in Dan’s guitar that I could not help myself but to abandon my inhibitions and let it out.”
Now let US talk about the inspiration behind the song “Heaven Undone.”
Heaven Undone
You move like a tidal wave
I get washed away
In the swell of your wake
Now I’m lost at sea
How can this be?
When I hold my breath and wait
Under the sea
So high, the sky
I’m on my knees
Rowing away
You move like a tidal wave…
Now you’re moving me
Into deeper sea
I fall overboard
And I know for sure
If I hold my breath and wait
Under the sea
So high, the sky
I’m on my knees
What you couldn’t have
You took away
And that is more than I can sail
Oh rain it down on me
Because you are, heaven come undone
You are heaven come undone
The inspiration behind “Heaven Undone” is elemental water. We wanted to create a song that would feel, sound and move like water. It was during the process of writing the first three songs that we began to develop our ideas based on natural elements and imagery. We decided to develop a sort of concept album that would play tribute to our surrounding environment. Heaven Undone was a pillar that had allowed US to drive our music in this direction. Heaven Undone is a song of awakening. It is a second chance at experiencing the beauty of truth.
Let US know what “Heaven Undone” means to you by responding to our blog and check back next week as we will outline the creative inspiration behind the song “Cordillera.”
Saturday, April 3, 2010
A great new blog idea occured to me just now!
Well our show was great! We had a great time playing and we didn't want to stop. If you were unable to make the show we recorded a video of US preforming "Heaven Undone"
Check it out on You Tube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tGgWQ3Om2g
We also played three new songs that have me really excited. We are currently working on a second concept album that will have an urban feel. By that I mean that the music will have a harder edge to it and perhaps be less forgiving that our first album
Over the next nine weeks I will be blogging about the motivation and themes drawn by each of our songs from our debut album. Each week I will focus my blog on one of our songs and give you a detailed outline of the meaning we find in the song that may not be obvious to the listener.
The first song I will focus on will be "Heaven Undone" because we have great video footage from our most recent show.
See you next week,
Union Soundtrack
Check it out on You Tube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tGgWQ3Om2g
We also played three new songs that have me really excited. We are currently working on a second concept album that will have an urban feel. By that I mean that the music will have a harder edge to it and perhaps be less forgiving that our first album
Over the next nine weeks I will be blogging about the motivation and themes drawn by each of our songs from our debut album. Each week I will focus my blog on one of our songs and give you a detailed outline of the meaning we find in the song that may not be obvious to the listener.
The first song I will focus on will be "Heaven Undone" because we have great video footage from our most recent show.
See you next week,
Union Soundtrack
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