Volume 1

BandLab

release date unknown

want to listen to some music exclusively in the c major scale that isn't good? you're in luck!

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length: 16m43s
average song length: 0:59

less important metrics

amount of swear words: 1
longest word: “disassembled" (parallax)
slowest song: "i asked god and this is what he said" (70 bpm)
fastest song: "cancel" (165 bpm)
longest song: "parallax" (3:03)
shortest song: "dreamt brûlée" and "zyzzyva" (0:26)
least words: "i asked god and this is what he said" (14)
most words: "parallax" (283)
highest note hit: C5 (parallax)
lowest note hit: B2 (lipoma)

tracks

1. just lay down (2:21)

key: e locrian
released: 1-27-2020
ben's opinion: nah.
fun fact: i tried to include a sample but i didn't know how or why to sample

you didn't see anything
there is nothing there
just lay down
lay back down
there was nothing
you didn't hear anything, i didn't hear or see anything
just lay down
there is nothing
but us
you're safe now
just lay down
you're safe
lay down
you're safe
lay down
you're sa--


2. drop step trip flip beat (0:57)

key: c major (part 1), e locrian (part 2), c phrygian (part 3)
released: 3-30-2020
ben's opinion: it merits little respect, but i respect it anyway.
fun fact: ...yeah i got nothin.


3. behind bars (1:10)

key: f major
released: 4-11-2020
ben's opinion: no.
fun fact: not sure how fun a fact this is, but if it wasn't obvious i rip the piano riff from "we are going to be friends" by the white stripes (after stripping it of charm and emotion, of course)

9:48
9:33
10:22
10:15

9:57
9:26
9:31
and then my mother picks

me up after school
instead of taking the train
11:24
11:48

11:37
11:35
11:11
11:29

11:15
11:42
12:04
will this be over soon

march 27
april 13
never again
this is too much for me


4. parallax (3:03)

key: c major, f major (chorus)
released: unknown
ben's opinion: i mean... it was my first full-length song... i had some prepubescent pipes
fun fact: was originally supposed to be track 2 of my band's first album. i asked evan philyaw if he wanted to be in a band with me and he said "ok" and it just didn't go anywhere. i snuck off with this song, which i had made everything for, except for some weird ghost vocals evan left behind.

it looks like it's moving faster and faster and blanking away
get up from your bed that's enough of a crisis that's all for today
the water it trembles as i'm disassembled and taken aback
look through the viewfinder and notice the error of parallax

do you know where it's all beginning
do you know that they're not still winning
take a listen and hear the singing
take the shot while the sun's still gleaming

plug in the adapter and write up a chapter from what you've received
hdmi how are you so am i but there's no need to grieve
there's no end in sight to this jewel crowned plight so just try to relax
look through the viewfinder and realize the error of parallax

do you know where it's all beginning
do you know that they're not still winning
take a listen and hear the singing
take the shot while the sun's still sun's still
do you know where it's all beginning
do you know that they're not still winning
take a listen and hear the singing
take the shot while the sun's still gleaming

don't you know there's a whole 'nother part in you
zoom in change the focus it's all coming into view
so what are you waiting for
go on and get what you wanna do

do you know where it's all beginning
do you know that they're not still winning
take a listen and hear the singing
take the shot while the sun's still still still still
do you know where it's all beginning
do you know that they're not still winning
take a listen and hear the singing
take the shot while the sun's still gleaming


5. why can't i do that (0:36)

key: c major
written: january 2020
released: 5-03-2020
ben's opinion: nah.
fun fact: my first song about cancel culture! ...okay but this one had context at least. a person i was talking to told me i wasn't allowed to say the word "jew" and i was like "what?! *scoffs* i AM jewish, lady!" (i'm not*) (i also didn't say that) (*i'm jewish by birthright but i don't practice and have not participated in jewish culture except as an observer when i went to friends' bar/t mitzvahs and whatnot)

(sorry to bother you but)

somebody just told me that the
thing that i'd been doing for let's say
so many years was not allowed

don't know if they said why because i ate forgetful pie
so i forgot wait what were we talking about just then

this new thing hurts
why do they tell me to expect the worst
even though the thing from before was a-okay

(is that all?)
(yeah, i think so)
(alright, um...)
(sorry, i just felt like i was forgetting something)
(bye)


6. zzz (0:43)

key: g phrygian
released: 5-10-2020
ben's opinion: rather obnoxious. don't like


7. dreamt brûlée (0:26)

key: e phrygian
released: 6-06-2020
ben's opinion: quite boring
fun fact: originally written for the great extension battle. ended up using "the before times" instead because it was too difficult to sing this one

i don't remember how the verse goes but the first stanza of the chorus goes "when you go to sleep / you subdue to the deep / and they try to keep you there more". i think the next one went "there's no use in hidin' it / don't try to confine it / don't know why i'm tryin' it anymore" but i think i used a verb other than "confine"...

that's how to sing it, if you're interested. the high parts (B-A) were supposed to be sung in falsetto, which is what tripped li'l me up. (sorry about the embed, i'm not a neocities supporter)


8. zyzzyva (0:26)

key: c major
released: 7-08-2020
ben's opinion: also quite boring, but i can enjoy this one more
fun fact: identical to dreamt brulee in many ways, including that it is another instrumental that had lyrics i didn't sing for some reason. also an example of my annoying tendency to want to work in cool words i learned into songs in any way i could.

original lyrics:

i don't walk that fast do i
i don't walk that fast do i
i don't walk that fast do i
i don't walk that fast do i (i forget what went here but something did)

sigh
every time
brains are fried
testified
last to hide
every time
brains are fried
testified
last to hide


9. brother (0:51)

key: g mixolydian
released: 7-31-2020
ben's opinion: not bad, ngl. gotta love the peaking
fun fact: the reason why this song and others like it pause at the end is that originally bandlab would wait until no audio at all was playing to end the song, so if you used an effect with reverb, your song would wait until the reverb completely went away to end it (also, this song was going to have a music video) (also, this song is about my brother! he was 6 when i wrote it)

oh brother
do as i say, not as i do
oh brother
don't hurt me, i don't hurt you

i know i'm big and i know you're small, but we're each our own person damn it all
oh brother
oh brother (why don't you listen to me)

oh brother
let up your bargain, listen to jargon
oh brother
double standard


10. the before times (0:33, 3:55)

key: f lydian
released: 6-9-2020
finished (extended): 8-19-2020
released (extended): 9-01-2020
ben's opinion: it's alright
fun fact: submitted to the great extension battle, a songwriting contest charlesram99 hosted. i tied for second with saccadic chorus, which meant i got to extend my song to a full length one and it would be on an EP with the winner's (Crop Man's "WY") and the other runner up (Saccadic Chorus' "6&Stones"). i also sculpted the magnifying glass for the album cover and animated the teaser. (bonus fun fact: i took the line "(way) back when the world made sense" from a schaffrillas productions video)

original lyrics, extended lyrics

you'll see them
you'll free them
you'll breathe them
you'll be them
you'll see them
you'll free them
you'll breathe them
you'll be them

you see them out there
the people from the before times
you want to hug them
but you are not allowed to touch
you're being patient
the most patient you've ever been
but it seems endless
you wonder when the new life begins

when i was happy
way back when i had my friends
when i slept easy
way back when the world made sense

they said tomorrow
it came to be another day
your stress is pent up
and there's nowhere to throw it away
i feel your pain here
trust me now i really do
why don't you believe me
wait a minute who are you

when i was happy
way back when i had my friends
when i slept easy
way back when the world made sense

(just one place to hide)
(no one to confide)
(believe me i've tried)
just one place to hide
no one to confide
believe me i've tried
just one place to hide (take a step back)
no one to confide
believe me i've tried (don't just stare at the beaten path)

when you were
when you were
when you were
when you were
when you were
when you were
you can't go back

when i was happy
way back when i had my friends
when i slept easy
way back when the world made sense
when i was happy
way back when i had my friends
when i slept easy
way back when the world made sense

(it's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor, would you be mine, could you be mine)


11. to it (0:30)

key: a minor
released: 8-24-2020
ben's opinion: what's there to say?
fun fact: i made a video go-along thing for this. why? ...uh... i dunno.


12. cancel (0:28)

key: c major (vocals are in f major but i didn't know what f major was so i made the instrumental resolve on c)
released: 8-29-2020
ben's opinion: hell no.
fun fact: for this one i wanted to amp up my instrumentals. i thought the ones i made were too shallow and i sought to fix that by adding more instruments all playing different things on top of each other. and i wrote the instrumental in a different fuckin key because i ONLY KNEW C. thinking about this song just makes me angry, especially since it's song #2 about cancel culture and it has no reason to exist, unlike why can't i do that. why did i write so many songs about cancel culture? just... why???

(reported! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha)
i wanna be corrected
i wanna be directed
track me back to the start of my life
i wanna be berated
i want it fabricated
track me back to the first of my lies


13. i asked god and this is what he said (0:28)

key: c major
released: 9-07-2020
ben's opinion: second best song here
fun fact: thought of it at a rita's parking lot. it has a music video

when
look sky
feel good
big eye
when
look ground
sad eye
big frown


14. jokes are funny (1:01)

key: c major (verse), g major (chorus)
released: 9-24-2020
ben's opinion: it's alright
fun fact: had the working title "abet" before i decided to add spoken word of excerpts from a rant i wrote at school (i began writing it after i learned the word "abet" because of fucking course i did)

(-meone wrong is a fun thing to do)
i can't abet it
i can't encourage it
the white fills the sky
i can tell you're nervous
not like you don't deserve it
the wind starts to die (but not when you're saying "i trust you")

together we can
don't know if you can or i can but we can (this is the information age. anything you want you can get)
together we can
don't know if you can or i can but we have to
(-s are supposed to make you laugh. nobody's laughing. it's not funny. you're not funny)


15. lipoma (1:20)

key: c major (section 1) a# major (section 2)
released: 12-04-2020
ben's opinion: section 1 sucks my ass. section 2 is pretty good
fun fact: has a short snippet of "just a song before i go" by crosby stills and nash because it's the first song on a vhs tape of home movies from when my dad was a baby

we are the little creatures
that live beneath your skin
and should you make a noise at night
to feast on your flesh we'll begin

(oh, god... i don't remember)
watching the pus as it travels so silently
gone faster than it came

still in the same spot it was two months ago
it never began to decompose
frozen in frame
static in lame
frozen in frame
static in lame

bubble and-a-and-a boil and-a-and-a
bubble and-a-and-a boil and-a-and-a
build up and build up and
(well i guess i'm glad-)
(can we try that again?)


16. overheard (0:59)

key: c major
released: 12-20-2020
ben's opinion: my best song of 2020 hands down
fun fact: ending part samples a home movie of me from christmas 2007

another buyer sold
rake in my gold
hear her on the phone
listen to her as she calls you a weirdo

can’t wait to find a place to put it
can’t wait to celebrate and boogie
can’t wait to devastate my brain
can’t wait to alleviate the pain


17. christmas is coming a capella (0:51)

key: d major
released: 12-22-2020
ben's opinion: i mean, it's christmas is coming
fun fact: uhhh

i did not write this song

everything was recorded at my house

Volume 2

BandLab

released December 31, 2021

wait no go back
go all the way back
previous volume
next volume

length: 17m34s
average song length: 1:10.2666666666666666666666666666666666666666666...


less important metrics

amount of swear words: 0
longest word: “underestimate" (stranger)
slowest song: "drift away" (60 bpm)
fastest song: "impatient" (156 bpm)
longest song: "parallax" (2:41)
shortest song: "impatient" (0:17)
least words: " " (1)
most words: "seeds" (181)
highest note hit: E4 (stranger), B5 (impatient, falsetto)
lowest note hit: C3 (Mr. King)

tracks

1. missing (1:13)

key: g major
released: 1-3-2021
ben's opinion: charming tune
fun fact: first song i made with my beloved casio mt-240


2. twelve seventeen (0:53)

key: c major
released: 1-10-2021
ben's opinion: eh.
fun fact: i wrote this song about an eye surgery i had in 2015. for some reason.

(daehypeels pu ek-)
my sight i see is suffering
can someone give the pain to me
i'm so deluded am i free
have i reached peak lucidity

i'm thinking back my view was black
i'm gonna have a heart attack
am i alive am i asleep
oh god what's happening to me

echolocation
i'm on probation
i lack ability to glean my situation
echolocation
i'm on probation
i lack ability to glean my situation

i've been released am i at peace
i've really made it in one piece
what was i like what did i say
how does this chemical behave
i fail to recognize the verity or sympathize with me
the sight pays off so now i see to be kind to my memory
(bloodshot)


3. empty (0:45)

key: g major
released: 1-17-2021
ben's opinion: my favorite of 2021
fun fact: i used my dad's yamaha keyboard for the choir voice

there's something so magical
something so ethereal
you almost feel like it's not right
'cause it's never this way

there's something so whimsical
silence unimaginable
there's no one to call for you here
and i love it like this


4. Mr. King (2:41)

key: c major (g major instrumental)
written: 2-10-2021
released: 2-14-2021
ben's opinion: mmmmeeeeeehhhhhhh... ehhhhhh...
fun fact: i remember feeling very happy that i got a full length song done, AND made a music video for it that was ready to go by valentine's day. also, for the entire duration of this song, i had replaced stephen hawking's surname with stephen king's in my head and i didn't notice for a while after i finished it. so... erm... awkward.

i don't know what the hell you think you're doing
but i think it's working
i think it's working

siphoning thoughts i regret
twisting my words so expertly
my nightmare lives on
my nightmare lives on

mr. king said that you can't go backwards
you can't go backwards
you can't go backwards mr. king
recalling one of the best
one of the ones i'd never be
my nightmare lives on
my nightmare lives on

a rift, an imperfection
a cut through the structure
a structure that isn't really there
no way to turn it back
no way to undo the attack
my nightmare lives on
my nightmare lives on

mr. king said that you can't go backwards
you can't go backwards
you can't go backwards mr. king
recalling one of the best
my nightmare lives on
my nightmare lives on


5. my hands (1:17)

key: e minor
released: 2-08-2021
ben's opinion: what the fuck is this even
fun fact: wrote this in the evening on the same day that i wrote and performed "mr. king", which i did during my really long lunch break since that was when the virtual school year was happening

sometimes, usually it's when i'm on my computer, i notice that the back of my hands... are, like, sorta marbled, i guess? i dunno... i don't know how to describe the texture, but they're like... i guess, marbled, with like a... slightly darker tone.. and... it makes... me think that my hands look old. and it doesn't exactly help that those, like, tendons, or whatever-- the bones, like, kinda stick out of the back of my hands... sometimes. this probably happens all the time and i just notice it, sometimes. but... yeah, i'm-- my hands are bony, my... like, wrist bones are pokin' out and my other bones... my hands are weird. man, i wonder how many other people's hands are like that. i mean... this has to be... kind of... common? ...i don't know what i'm trying to say. and... i'm guessing you're not particularly interested by this. so, um... i-i don't know. i don't know what i'm talking about.


6. stranger (1:00)

key: c major
released: 4-02-2021
ben's opinion: absolute horseshit
fun fact: this one has a kinda funny story attached. i was eating with my family at this italian restaurant we'd go to all the time and some dude comes up to us with two cards that are shaped like those curves that are the same size. and i'm like "oh, yeah dude, i know this one." and he's like "ah, i'm impressed. but did you know that jesus god somethin-somesuch" and he hands me the cards, which have a bunch of christian shit on them. i was so dumbfounded by this experience that i decided to write a song about this. unfortunately what came of that fun story is a christianophobic pile of steaming ass. too bad.

(ha, i know this one)
what's going on here
and who are you
hey, this is easy
you underestimate

but there's a trick here
a caveat
i flip it over
color drains from me

the eyes are merely a window
a window to the soul, a window to the soul
some will try to fool you, so follow
follow jesus, and let him guide you
(you wouldn't want to upset jehovah, would you?)


7. seeds (2:30)

key: c lydian ♯2? lolol there's only three notes
released: 4-06-2021
ben's opinion: nah.
fun fact: had the working title "s".

speak solemn slow and steady
slink silent simple sandy
seek solace, so stupendous
see silence so and send us

stupidity surrounds
survey the sea of sounds
stalk sight of slightest signs
surplus of stones that shine

what have you learned
what have you sown
sown from the seeds you were supposed to have grown
i ask the questions
already known
you have to look you have to find you have to go

speak soft and always ready
aggress but don’t get angry
comply to oxymorons
see silence, grin, and go on

agree to what confounds
pursue the absent sounds
stalk sight of absent signs
keep absent state of mind

what have you learned
what have you sown
sown from the seeds you were supposed to have grown
i ask the questions
already known
you have to look you have to find you have to go
what have you learned
what have you sown
sown from the seeds you were supposed to have grown
i ask the questions
already known
you have to look you have to find you have to go


8. i'm gonna lose this game (0:55)

key: e major
released: 6-06-2021
ben's opinion: just listen to the original
fun fact: i recorded this during a virtual scrabble tournament. i think. i might be wrong about that because, like, how

i'm gonna lose this game (yes, yes, you're gonna lose this game)
i'm gonna lose this game (yes, yes, you're gonna lose this game)
gonna lose (yes, yes, you're gonna lose this game)
yes, yes, you're gonna lose this game

they got a bingo early game and my rack's really bad (his rack is really bad)
i'm coming vowel dry this luck's the worst i've had (this luck's the worst he's had)
i'm gonna lose this game (yes, yes, you're gonna lose this game)
i'm gonna lo-

(whining)


9. become (0:37)

key: c major
released: 7-12-2021
ben's opinion: yeah, no.
fun fact: i got nothin'.

(gibberish)

where you grow up
is who you become
who owns your home
is who you become

what teaches you
is what you choose to learn
and what lovès you is what you choose to love

(gibberish)


10. uh oh (0:57)

key: c major
released: 8-05-2021
ben's opinion: ...i wouldn't listen to it.
fun fact: wrote about a kid who wanted me to send them pictures of the back of my mouth. also, the version that appears on the album isn't the same as the version that appears on bandlab (the more accurate version) because the original version exploited a glitch that was later fixed where if you layer multiple notes of a monophonic instrument in bandlab, one of the notes plays a bit after the other.

why are you back
i thought you moved on
this is all so sudden, i-i
i thought you were gone

i don't mean to be rude to you
but i thought you took my hint
have you been here this whole time

maybe i wasn't clear enough before
so let me spell it out for you
i'm sorry but no
you've already told me everything
everything i needed to hear
but you have to go


11. bye home (1:28)

key: b minor
released: 8-13-2021
ben's opinion: ...i wouldn't listen to it.
fun fact: made this while i was packing up to go to a camp that i was really nervous about going to. while i was listening to it i cut my finger on accident because my attention started drifting elsewhere while i was opening a pack of socks with my pocketknife. thus, i ended up not going to the camp. when i did go later, i had a great time. (also, i wanted the drums in this song to be swung, but my fool brain hadn't figured out how to do that yet)


12. impatient (0:17)

key: g major
released: 9-30-2021
ben's opinion: to think this is one of the most bearable songs from 2021 lol
fun fact: this is what i believe to be my first song about aromanticity (it was before i knew, i was just like "when am i gonna fuckin get a girl already"). also, the bandcamp version is the original version without any compression effects, which i made after releasing the original one because i wanted to see what it would sound like.

hope it's coming soon, i'm getting impatient
when you finally do, it better be worth it


13. drift away (0:43)

key: e minor
released: 10-28-2021
ben's opinion: walked so hi worms could run
fun fact: hmmm... i dunno

hopefully i'm ready
the time has come i'm getting a little sluggish
now the clock is yelling
and to my place i'm getting once again

A C B
D A A
wonder how my good friend is doing today
C B B
B D A
dismissing the urge to drift away


14. different in the dark (0:37)

key: a# major
released: 12-13-2021
ben's opinion: worst bar of the whole year
fun fact: wrote this after watching that one paul mccartney gq video in my room after the sun had set

it's different in the dark up here
snuggle up and get inspired on my phone
i'll get to you in a second my dear
i just need a moment spent here all alone

(all alone all alone) it's different in the dark it's different in the dark
(all alone all alone) it's different in the dark it's different in the dark
it's different and it's warm up here


15.   (0:31)

key: c major (a bit flat i think)
released: 12-31-2021
ben's opinion: jolly tune
fun fact: my son stole this melody for one of his songs on accident

(-you)

everything except for "empty" and "uh oh" was recorded at my house

Volume 3

BandLab

released 1-2-2023

wait no go back
go all the way back
previous volume
next volume

length: 7m8s
average song length: 0:47.5555555555555555555...

less important metrics

amount of swear words: 0
longest word: “conversations" (npc)
slowest song: "honeybee" (~116 bpm)
fastest song: "smile and wave" (172 bpm)
longest song: "saint nick a capella" (1:38)
shortest song: "human father" (0:30)
least words: "npc" (38)
most words: "the oligarchs" (101)
highest note hit: G4 (will o' the wisp)
lowest note hit: A2 (hi worms)

tracks


1. will o' the wisp (0:38)

key: c major
released: 3-30-2022
ben's opinion: proper tune, 'at
fun fact: the thing playing in the chorus is my stylophone that i put a bunch of effects over

i can make him get up
i can make him walk around sometimes
the camera's in third person
i have to press e to interact

i'm a will o' the wisp
i'm a pixel on a screen of other people
i'm a desert island
in the ocean in the sea with loads of fish to talk to
(thiw aes eht ni naeco eht ni, dnalsi tresed a m'i)


2. smile and wave (0:32)

key: g major
written: 2-21-2022
released: 3-31-2022
ben's opinion: pretty good
fun fact: for a period i had become incredibly afraid of blurting out something awful that i don't mean and creating an awkward situation. ...for some reason. so i wrote a song about it.

try to exercise some restraint
you're aware of the consequences
sun in my eyes, man, sun in my eyes
tape your mouth shut pretty boy

just smile and wave, smile and wave
you'll make it out alive if you behave
smile and wave, smile and wave
and stop acting so fucking depraved


3. the oligarchs (0:57)

key: e minor
released: 5-02-2022
ben's opinion: not bad
fun fact: this song got a shitty rating when i posted it on newgrounds

through the colors and the threaded sequins
there’s an under-the-table handful of frequents
it’s four or five guys lined up in the ceiling
with a grid of switches to decide our feelings

ever wonder why things seem to look simpler
why we never see the losers and only the winners
they target our minds but i have inexplicably escaped
the vice-grip brainwaves they put in our juice, i did

i don’t think that you understand what i mean
there’s obviously something behind the scenes
behind closed doors and above our cries
all the oligarchs are clinking their glasses to our demise


4. hi worms (0:43)

key: c major
released: 6-15-2022
ben's opinion: goated as fuck
fun fact: uhhhh... i dunno

oh well
i guess it didn't go like i thought
it's natural enough to be
underground and lying motionless

hi worms
the soil's getting comfier
i think i could get used to this
i think i have to
i think i have to


5. human father (0:30)

key: c major
released: 6-23-2022
ben's opinion: it's alright
fun fact: the phrase "human father" came from the will mcdaniel video with the mimic moth

inspect every aspect
identify the nearest source to
purchase every item that he has
graft onto youself some look-alike skin

you can buy all the equipment you can buy
you won't become him but i know you'll try
as you weave your new hair you fantasize
stare at your human father with sparkling eyes

tab
A, C, F, E


6. honeybee (0:40)

key: d major
released: 6-23-2022
ben's opinion: the stupid bass and the stupid ending noise drag it down but it still kinda fucks
fun fact: i did enjoy myself :)

the great absence is upon me
and i'm a honeybee
maybe fate'll frown and cut me
'cause i'm not collecting honey

where will i go
will i even enjoy myself
what will i do
will i even come back home


7. i wanna do everything (0:42)

key: f major
released: 7-25-2022
ben's opinion: pretty fun song, the vocals suck though
fun fact: i got nothin'

get outta my way
just listened to jack stauber and i'm feeling great
my mind's on overdrive i gotta exercise my brain
got to satisfy my urges 'fore i go completely insane
i gotta pump out some ideas need some million buck ideas

oh, i wanna do everything
oh, i wanna do everything
(i open google)
how do you do everything and nothing at the same time


8. npc (0:48)

key: d# major
written: 8-31-2022
released: 10-31-2022
ben's opinion: just a wretched failure.
fun fact: i was so unsatisfied with this song that it motivated me to stop making these short crappy songs in favor of good ones. without this crappy song, i don't even know if i would have finished reading machine or not. (also i stole a melody from a jack stauber patreon exclusive song) (and also stole the beginning part from "growing baby" by jack stauber)

avoid eye contact
keep to yourself
look busy at every moment
keep conversations short

i wanna be an npc
no time to socialize
i wanna be an npc
no time to socialize
just a texture, no real eyes


9. little saint nick a capella (0:48)

key: g major
released: 12-24-2022
ben's opinion: i screwed up one of the chords gggghhhhh... i wish that recording a bunch of mes talking over each other wasn't so fun

i did not write this song

everything except for "i wanna do everything" was recorded at my house

Volume 4

BandLab

released December 31, 2023

wait no go back
go all the way back
previous volume

length: 11m1s
average song length: 1:23.875


less important metrics

amount of swear words: 1
longest word: “mentioned", "imperfect" (i've got grapes), "christmas" (merry christmas (uncles in heaven))
slowest song: "jesse pinkman is not blond" (60 bpm)
fastest song: "the window" (140 bpm)
longest song: "i've got grapes" (2:21)
shortest song: "the window" (0:48)
least words: "dead bart couch gag" (2)
most words: "the quiet game" (229)
highest note hit: D#4 (the windwo), D#5 (i've got grapes, falsetto)
lowest note hit: E2 (the quiet game)

tracks

1. the quiet game (1:41)

key: f major
written: fall 2022?
released: 6-16-2023
ben's opinion: not bad
fun fact: was going to be a reading machine track waaaaaaaay early in development

why don't we all shut up
why don't we all drop dead
why can't we all switch our brains to "off" and play video games instead
why don't we all give up
why don't we all turn in
why don't we all play the quiet game and in the end we'll see who wins

why don't we all shut up
why don't we all drop dead
why can't we all switch our brains to "off" and play video games instead
why don't we all give up
why don't we all turn in
why don't we all play the quiet game and in the end we'll see who wins (sing it!)

why don't we all shut up
why don't we all drop dead
why can't we all switch our brains to "off" and play video games instead
why don't we all give up
why don't we all turn in
why don't we all play the quiet game and in the end we'll see who wins

why don't we all shut up (shut up)
why don't we all drop dead (drop dead)
why can't we all switch our brains to "off" and play video games instead (instead)
why don't we all give up (give up)
why don't we all turn in (turn in)
why don't we all play the quiet game and in the end we'll see who wins (i'll start)


2. the window (0:48)

key: d# major
released: 7-03-2023
ben's opinion: nah.
fun fact: was written because i wanted to exploit the good acoustics of my bedroom at my grandparents' house to sing something. like, right after this, i learned about FAWM.

you don't have a choice, the window is shutting
you better figure something out right now, the window is shutting
come on, come on! come on, come on, write something
squeeze something out of your brain, squeeze harder than phineas gage if you have to
the window is shutting
the window is shutting


3. jesse pinkman is not blond (1:12)

key: g major
written: ~august 2022?
released: 9-11-2022
ben's opinion: nah.

jesse pinkman is not blond
his hair is brown not blond
jesse pinkman is not blond
and that is final

jesse pinkman is not blond
‘cause if he’s blond then i am too
because our hair is pretty much the same color
and i am not blond

and if you tell me that i’m blond
i’ll do that nordic thing
where i pull your lungs out through your back
while you’re still breathing


jesse pinkman is not blond
his hair is brown not blond
jesse pinkman is not blond
and that is final

jesse pinkman is not blond
his hair is brown not blond
jesse pinkman is not blond
and that is final


4. i've got grapes (2:21)

key: g phrygian, c minor
released: 10-24-2023
ben's opinion: i like it :)
fun fact: i learned about the different kinds of grapes while writing this song

i've got grapes i've got lots and lots of grapes
i have so many that i'm willing to share

so if you want some all you've got to do is ask
it's true
i've got grapes i've got lots and lots of grapes
for you and me and anynody else
who might want me to share my wealth of grapes with them

i live in a vineyard
in a little shack on the property
and i've made a deal with the owner wherein
i can work for rent instead of payin' a dime

and he also mentioned that i can have all the imperfect grapes that have dents and stuff
SO YEAH
i've got grapes i've got lots and lots of grapes (vitis vinifera)
tart red, sweet white, but don't ask me for
purple ones, they don't grow here and i don't like them anyway (vitis vinifera)
it's true
i've got grapes i've got lots and lots of grapes (vitis vinifera)
i have so many that i'm willing to share
so if you want some all you've got to do is ask (vitis vinifera)


5. dead bart couch gag (1:27)

key: e major
released: 10-31-2023
ben's opinion: i love this one
fun fact: samples bart's nightmare, which i was watching dingdong livestream gameplay of before i made the song


6. damn the lord (0:57)

key: d# minor
released: 12-02-2023
ben's opinion: quite nice

it's no use
i forgot the actual paper
damn the lord
i'm a grown adult
yet i get dumber every day

please take a seat
while i pity myself for pay
please take a seat
while i pity myself for pay


7. SAND for christmas! (1:49)

key: d phrygian
released: 12-02-2023
ben's opinion: such a fun song
fun fact: wrote this after listening to oily bastard's retracted albums, many of which have a "desert level" song


8. merry christmas (uncles in heaven) (0:56)

key: f major
released: 12-25-2023
ben's opinion: not bad
fun fact: made a video for this to test out how colors interact/come out when run through a vhs tape.

i did not write this

everything except for "the quiet game" and "the window" was recorded at my dorm

bonus tracks

why not, eh?

length: 11m1s
average song length: 1:23.875


less important metrics

amount of swear words: 3
longest word: "responsibilities" (alone)
slowest song: "deleted jake server video" (42.5 bpm)
fastest song: "go away" (169 bpm)
longest song: "the before times extended" (3:54)
shortest song: "alone" (0:24)
least words: "not at all" (14)
most words: "panic/paoli" (239)




1. the before times upbeat (0:27)

key: f lydian
finished: 8-7-2020
ben's opinion: not bad ngl
fun fact: was intended for my patreon.

you see them out there (you so see them)
the people from the before times (the people from the bef- they're everywhere)
you want to hug them (so bad)
but you are not allowed to touch

when i was happy
way back when i had my friends
when i slept easy
way back when the world made sense


2. the before times extended (3:54)

already put the lyrics and other info, it's above


3. alone (0:24)

key: a minor
released: 10-31-2020
ben's opinion: ...nah.
fun fact: made a music video for this one. for the thing where it switches from light to dark, i put tape on my phone and drew where the eyes were in pencil so that i could line up the eyes correctly. also, this is the first song i made that features my korg monotron duo!

oh boy i really live alone
i can do just what i please
i can yell and sing all day
there’s nobody left to-

hooray i really live alone
have responsibilities
i can go buy what i want
nothing’s going to stop-

what joy i really live alone
no one helps me through the fear
want to see my mom and dad
nobody can hear me scr-


4. pascal's triangle (0:54)

key: f lydian
released: 12-10-2020
ben's opinion: what even

(-illed almost immediately)


5. a short story (0:28)

key: b locrian?
released: 1-04-2021
ben's opinion: it's kinda just nothing

when the river
opened into the ocean
a small stone
floated to the bottom of the sea
never to be seen again


6. untitled (0:59)

key: a minor
recorded: 1-21-2021
ben's opinion: it's almost good. but not quite.

something
thinking
looking

throat hurts
back track
health pack

trying
dying
flying
what’s the difference

sulfur
copper
sodium
melting

mine now
take it
break it


7. length (0:55)

key: e minor
released: 2-16-2021
ben's opinion: still can't listen to it without getting wigged out. good thing it's not good
fun fact: i wrote this at a point when the guilt i had felt from hiding my online presence from my parents was about to explode. i was like "oh my god i'm going behind their backs and doing all this stuff and talking to all these people and showing them my FACE for chrissake! i need to fess up!" and the next day, i confessed to my parents that i posted my art online. because i could tell they weren't pleased with me, i told them that i only posted drawings on instagram and didn't show my face, after which i had to hurriedly go to my instagram account and get rid of my story highlights. at the time of writing this (12-30-2023), i still have yet to reveal to either of my parents exactly what i do online. but i've become more lax and take much fewer measures to hide what i do. so if they're not already aware/satisfactorily informed, i guess everything will blow up in my face one day.

there’s something wrong with me
something only I can see
i could just let them see
there’s something stopping me

am i protecting something
from being destroyed
or am i more likely
just being paranoid

i want to go up to 'em
show them what i can do-em
what do i think’ll happen
just get a bad reaction

they kinda already know
just not the length i go


8. renewal (0:28)

key: c major
released: 3-09-2021
ben's opinion: eh
fun fact: made for a video that i made because... uh...


9. 6/4 (0:31)

key: e phrygian
released: 3-11-2021
ben's opinion: ech. hell no.
fun fact: made this after i learned that 5/4 existed. in trying to make a song in 5/4 myself, i failed lol

i’m not scared of you, what, are you scared of me
i wouldn’t blame you if you were, it’s not new to me

a god amongst men, a sight for all to see
i can’t imagine a world where there wasn’t me

i’m stronger than you, you’re weaker than me
i’ll elevate myself to true pure sovereignty


10. ode to bubbo (0:50)

key: g major
released: 3-24-2021
ben's opinion: it could be worse
fun fact: made this, if my memory serves me correctly, after bubbo was signed to needlejuice records

oh, bubbo, you're a bona fide star
you've hit the big leagues, i knew you'd go far
oh, bubbo, just thought you should know
i'm an admirer of yours, i'll be wherever you go

the greatest one can be
the B-U-double-B-O
bubbo
it's bubbo


11. this is me (0:56)

key: c major
released: 5-05-2021
ben's opinion: what's not to like?


12. go away (0:30)

key: c major
released: 7-03-2021
ben's opinion: eh
fun fact: was another patreon exclusive. my goal for these patreon songs was to amass them slowly over time so that, when i became a big hit successful stauber-clone, i could open up a patreon that was already chock full of secret goodies that i had made over the years.

thought i told you to go away
didn't you hear i'm not in the mood today
oh my god, holy shit
you just really don't want to quit

i thought i told you not to go near
can't you see i'm doing something else here
well i guess i'm not
but regardless i still want you to get lost

look, i know i'm being a little mean
but... i don't care
fuck off


13. panic/paoli (3:13)

key: c# phrygian?
recorded: 5-17-2021 - 11-03-2021
ben's opinion: ...
fun fact: made this after i got lost (wow go figure) anyway the reason this never saw the light of day is because at first i was really excited that it was coming out to be a full length song but as i finished it up i fell out of love with it and ended up forgetting about it.

do you know where you are
maybe you don’t
do you know who’s around
maybe you don’t
did you make a mistake
maybe you did
did you make a mistake
a stupid stupid mistake

wander alone wander alone wander alone wonder alone wander alone wander alone-lone
you’ll be alright you’ll be alright you’ll be alright
you’ll be alright you’ll be alright you’ll be alright (right?)

did you forget your phone
maybe you did
all you all on your own
maybe you are
did you make a mistake
maybe you did
did you make a mistake
a stupid stupid mistake
is there a clock anywhere
nothing in sight
growling pain in your gut
you’re not alright
someone asks if you’re lost
you say your fine
now you’re stuck with your thoughts
boy what a stupid faux pas

wander alone wander alone wander alone wonder alone wander alone wander alone-lone
you’ll be alright you’ll be alright you’ll be alright
you’ll be alright you’ll be alright you’ll be alright (right?)

why can’t they still have pay phones
the dumbest man alive
your mom is none the wiser
you’re just too young to die

wander alone wander alone wander alone wonder alone wander alone wander alone-lone
you’ll be alright you’ll be alright you’ll be alright
you’ll be alright you’ll be alright you’ll be alright (right?)

(wander alone... wander alone, wander... wander alone, wander)
(excuse me, can I use your phone for a second?)


14. not at all (0:27)

key: a major
released: 11-27-2021
ben's opinion: a song... from 2021... in... *sniff* a major?! *starts weeping tears of joy*

maybe the right way to try, all along
was not to try at all


15. rate your music (1:24)

key: a major
written: 2-15-2022
released: 4-24-2022
ben's opinion: probably a bit caricaturistic. i'd just listen to west end girls instead

rate your music is a wonderful place
where we criticize each other's music taste
it's an understanding place where we're all friends
unless your playlist contains anyofthefollowingartistsonthisattachedtextdocument

there's a point in time in someone's journey
where you think more like bert and less like ernie
it's a rite of passage that's sacred as hell
and it involves neutral milk hotel

in the aeroplane over the sea
means so very much to me
that painted chick with a drum on her head
did more for me than my parents did

hell, i converted to christianity too
'cause of the line "jesus christ i love you"
that blend of indie, folk, and rock
sharpens your mind and hardens your cock

it would take me years to even come close
to NMH's masterful prose
i'm so glad that my taste has matured
and you might be wondering, what about yours
so come on down

rate your music is a wonderful place
where we criticize each other's music taste
it's an understanding place where we're all friends
unless your playlist contains anyofthefollowingartistsonthisattachedtextdocument


16. man and woman (0:30)

key: atonal
released: 8-11-2022
ben's opinion: eh
fun fact: originally published like normal, but was retracted because i was worried people would think that my lyrics were serious (not sure why)

god created man and woman
god created man and woman
god created them in his lab in an erlenmeyer flask
with a flat wide bottom and three markings on the neck (on the left!)
he put them in the oven and they came out just right
man
and woman
man
and woman
and monster


17. five (0:25)

key: d major
recorded: 8-15-2022
ben's opinion: it's nice

(one two three four)


18. in my world (0:25)

key: somewhere between c and c# major
recorded: 5-31-2022 - 12-07-2023
ben's opinion: eh
fun fact: another patreon song (i re-recorded the vocals in december of 2023 for fun)

in my world
in my world
in my world
in my world
in my world

instead of one president we can have two
so they can tell each other what to do
and they don't have to bother us anymore

anymore (anymore)


19. deleted jake server video (2:07)

key: g minor
released: 10-16-2023
ben's opinion: i love it
fun fact: the rumbling sound is from a crappy lemmings sf2 i downloaded that wasn't put together properly

(he's the last member of the DK crew)


20. jackstauber2.wav (1:17)

key: f major
released: 10-16-2023
ben's opinion: jack stauber jack stauber jack stauber jack stauber jack stauber

(i discovered the loop button!)
(jackstauberjackstauberjack-)

(i've done a lot of learning)
(it's been a lot of fun)
(i'm excited to keep going)
(-hope i continue to grow)
(and continue to learn)

(thank you)

(goodbye)