Yesterday I learned a few Elliott Smith songs on guitar, including "Last Call", which is one I've long wanted to cover. Elliott Smith is a guitarist and songwriter that I've long (and knowingly) underestimated. For some reason, I am constantly surprised by the quality of his work. You'd think I'd get the hint by now. In any case, I became very jealous of the mode mixing in "Last Call". The verses are in D, but with a borrowed G major, which is shifted to G minor right before the chorus, and the progression that follows is I guess G minor melodic? Regardless, it all sounds very smooth and very effective. The unconventional chords don't feel awkward, but instead give some emotional depth to the music.

I would like to give him a run for his money as best I am able, so I'm revisiting something I started the other day. This is in what I would consider to be A minor, but the first chord is instead A major. the progression for the verse is as follows: A F D E A F Bb E. Point of pride there, constructing a minor sounding riff out of all major chords. After that, I made a chorus out of the chords F G Am C Bb E A C#m F E A. In addition to that slightly fucked up Bb chord, the real weirdo in this progression is obviously the C#m. I like it. As usual though, and this never ceases to amaze or frustrate me, it's much easier to get into these weird notes than it is to get back out of them. As such, I'm not entirely happy with the F that immediately follows it. Maybe it's just a confidence issue? Maybe the right vocal melody will tie it together? We'll see.

There is no vocal melody on this demo, but the verse will be the same melody (roughly) as the earlier demo. CLICK IT.