Some words about the individual tunes:
Bitter Swede (04:07)
Built around some very traditional chords. I love it when I feel all original at my keyboard and then realize halfway through the tune that it's straight off from Frank Sinatra's My Way... It took me a while to get the first melody right, but as soon as it stuck with me it was easy enough to get the chorus done. My two favourite parts in the tune is where the echo lead comes in and two backing channels melt into one, and the bridge after the first chorus - very simple but very effective stuff that contrasts well with the crazy section afterwards.
Goldie (02:49)
This is actually the last tune I completed for the album. The chords felt like something out of the 80's or one of the Goldfrapp albums, hence the name. I would have loved to have one more voice for this to make a funky disco bassline as well, but sacrifices always have to be made when composing for the C64! Made especially for the 8580 as that triple channel filter saturation would melt most 6581 chips.
Hexadecimal (06:38)
Epic drama. That was the sensation I was going for at least. I made the first lead part early on sometime before Christmas and nailed the chord melodies around 1:00 on my keyboard as well. After that the tune just sat there for a long time. I evemtually extended it and made a 2SID version as an experiment. This version, however, fits the mood better and I'm really happy that someone talked me into adding percussion in the end.
Just Friends (03:35)
Probably the tune on the album that I like the least today. It feels a little formulaic and quickly thrown together. After getting some positive criticism on the actual melody I caved in and included it anyway.
Nocturne (04:13)
Another piece of music from that summer vacation in 2012. Composing at night meant it was only me and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. That peaceful sound was my inspiration for this slow tune. The section around 2:48 is my favourite part of the tune since it grows from melancholic to triumphant. Now that I think about it, that is a reoccuring theme in my melodies.
Random Access (05:01)
The only cover (kind of) on the album. This is a medley of several songs from the Daft Punk album Random Access Memories with a litte Something About Us from Discovery thrown in as well.. I had a blast making it, once again reaffirming my love for those two strange French guys and their way of making music that starts off as weird but in the end becomes so accessible to you.
Scarlet (04:36)
The very first tune I finished for the album, back in the summer of 2012. I was on a vacation at some sunny place and would spend the nights composing in my hotel room. This is also when I started experimenting with octave arpeggios to get decent chord melodies. The tune was finally finished in Brandon Walsh's kitchen later that summer. I eventually ended up releasing it in the High Score Music Competition on CSDB, mainly because I was so proud of the end result - a tune which I feel doesn't repeat itself that much since it comes back in new variations all the time. For me it embodies the theme of Bitter Swede Symphony since there is so much sadness in it.
Washed Out (05:00)
Yet another ballad, this time something built around the arpeggios. Jeff called it a winter tune after hearing it and that description stayed with me. I composed it during the fall of 2012 after recently moving, and I think some of that nostalgia and melancholy washed off so to speak. In my opinion the tune really takes off around 2:23 with a memorable melody that sort of lifts it and goes into the part where the lead starts to play the same melody as the arpeggios.
Years Ago (02:05)
An easy-listening piece that I composed around the slap-bass instrument. Normally I use instruments from the same pool, it's just a matter of old habits die hard. When arranging nowadays, I tend to keep one element in the background, in order to let others shine more. In this tune, for instance, the arpeggios are barely noticable. |
9.2/10 (19 votes) 
