Paranoid Android, off @Radiohead's OK Computer, could be called the Bohemian Rhapsody of the 1990s thanks to its segmented, highly dynamic song structure and extended length; a rare case of a hugely popular band dipping its foot into the world of prog rock. I've always loved the song's quirky and mischievous sounding melodies (which were influential on my second record, Extremist), and saw an opportunity to level up my musicianship and production by doing my own cover.
Indeed, Paranoid Android proved to be a challenging undertaking for a number of reasons. First, it has three different guitar parts, including one played on acoustic guitar, an instrument I am still struggling to get comfortable with. Second, said guitar parts were stupendously difficult for me to play. Thom Yorke's manner of fretting the E string with his thumb proved too painful for me, so I spent nearly two weeks just learning to play his verse parts with a regular fretting technique (also, how the hell does he play those parts while singing?) Similarly, Johnny Greenwood's atonal guitar solos, specifically the one at the end, were just outside of my physical ability, so a bit of creative license was used. Third, the unusual song structure and many layers of sonic distortion required a much larger palette of sounds and tones than what I was used to working with, and so the session for this song piled up to nearly 120 tracks. Fourth, I couldn't really get a sense of what the song was actually about, so the accompanying visuals are the most I could make of it.
Despite the challenges, working on this song opened me up to new levels of production. I got to use a new @shure SM7B mic, a new suite of @ArturiaOfficial mixing plugins, and a new acoustic guitar. The result, I hope, is a respectful rendition of this classic that infuses it with the Gothik Serpent sound I've been developing over the past few years.
Check out the Gothik Serpent catalogue: gothikserpent....
Kerwin Tsang - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Synths, Percussion, Mixing, Video
Olivia Jean Kong - Vocals, Camera
Tau Bowyer - Drums, Mastering
26 авг 2024
