#hopefully this doesn't sound argumentative that wasn't my intention here

[ghostchasersmagazine]

#now i will admit#i have yet to watch goober but from what I've read on it#i can understand why it's is the least favorite scooby clone.#goober fans please fact check me#but don't yell at me

I'm assuming based on your tags that you are open to hearing a counterargument, so as someone who genuinely ranks Goober and the Ghost Chasers as my favorite of the "teenagers solving mysteries" shows, here's my defense of the show's heavy use of the Partridge Kids.

To start, a caveat: I do generally watch the non-Partridge Kids episodes more often than the ones with them, so I do get in a sense the criticism against their inclusion. Likewise, Goober and the Ghost Chasers is a "what it says on the tin" type of show, so if you read the fact that the Partridge Kids are in literally half the episodes and went "oh I don't think I'd like that" you probably won't. This defense is not one trying to argue that including the Partridge Kids was a brilliant move on the writers part, just that I personally enjoy it and think it works for the show.

I have two defenses for it. The main defense is the fact that the Partridge Kids do not get special focus in the show and instead are treated just like any other friend the Ghost Chasers have. Of the eight episodes they appear in, only one episode has the fact that they're famous musicians be relevant to the plot (and coincidentally, that happens to be my least favorite of the Partridge Kids episodes). The rest of the episodes really only use it as plot set up (e.g. "We were playing a gig and then a ghost showed up!").

I also think the idea of the Ghost Chasers and the Partridge Kids being friends fits naturally into the series, purely due to the fact that the Partridge Kids are well, kids, and around the Ghost Chasers' age (or at least Laurie is anyway). In terms of accepting that the main characters are friends with the celebrities they meet, it's easier to understand the Ghost Chasers are friends with other kids than say, how they happen to know Wilt Chamberlain.

There are also moments in the show that drive home that the Ghost Chasers and the Partridge Kids are actually are friends and interact outside of ghost business, such as the episode opening where the Ghost Chasers are hanging out at their house, or the one where the Ghost Chasers go to take publicity photos of them as a friendly favor, or the one where the Ghost Chasers tag along with them on their vacation (though Ted does still have ghosts on the mind in that last one). There is at least some attempt to show in-universe that these characters are all friends and do have a relationship with one another.

The Partridge Kids themselves never overtake the episodes they're in either. They fit neatly in the (admittedly formulaic) roles the other friend characters do - Danny is a conceited-yet-cowardly comic relief so he goes with Gillie and Goober, Laurie is the level-headed responsible one so she goes with Ted and Tina, and Chris and Tracy, while truthfully doing very little in most episodes, bring welcome side interactions. It's really no different then when the head of NASA helps Tina and Ted in his episode or when the absent-minded farmer friend accompanies Gillie and Goober in his episode.

Thus, Goober and the Ghost Chasers never becomes The Partridge Family 2.0 when the Partridge Kids are in an episode - they're treated just like regular characters who have natural interactions with the main cast. You can still watch the show without any knowledge of the series they're from, it's a just fun bonus if you do. (Really, this how the show treated its celebrity appearances in general. The fact that Michael Gray is an actor was never discussed in his episode, and while Wilt Chamberlin being a basketball player is prevalent in his episode, knowing who he is beforehand isn't necessary to enjoy it.) I feel that The Partridge Kids aren't taking too much away from the main characters because they are rarely the main focus of the episodes they appear in.

In my opinion, disliking the Partridge Kids because of the roles they fit into in the show is less a criticism of their inclusion as characters and more of a criticism of the show's plot structure more generally, which is a different aspect to critique entirely. It's also one that I don't think getting rid of the Partridge Kids would fix. Since nearly every episode of the show uses the formula of "character calls the Ghost Chasers about a ghost and helps them along the way", replacing the Partridge Kids with another celebrity or an original one-off character wouldn't really make a difference in how said formula is used.

My other, more personal defense for the inclusion of the Partridge Kids is that I think having them feature so heavily in Goober and the Ghost Chasers really helps cement the show as a fun time capsule of the early 1970s.

I view the usage of the Partridge Kids in the same way I view the Ghost Chasers' clothes: it's a peak into what it was like back in the early 1970s, at least through a pop culture lens. The Partridge Family is popular so let's include those characters, just like how turtlenecks and jackets are popular so let's have our characters wearing them. Yes, this does inherently date the show, but I've always been of the opinion that a piece of media doesn't have to be "timeless" to be worthwhile.

There is the criticism that a focus on what is popular at the time, in this case the Partridge Kids, is just a show relying on other, more popular media for content, which in turn inherently makes it worse. I do get that argument and don't necessarily think it's wrong or unfair. But here's my counterpoint to it: All of Hanna-Barbera's "teenagers solving mysteries" shows in the 1970s also fit into this criticism, and I don't think Goober and the Ghost Chasers is particularly more egregious than its contemporaries.

Consider how Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids modeled its main character after David Cassidy, or how Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels was directly inspired by Charlie's Angels and modeled one of its main characters on Farrah Fawcett, for instance. Going further, the mere fact that all of these shows use the Scooby formula makes them all "guilty" of this criticism in sense. The influence and acknowledgment of 1970s pop culture is prevalent in all of these shows, and I think it gives charm to all of them.

That's how I feel about the Partridge Kids in Goober and the Ghost Chasers. I think that if it can be accepted that the usage of more popular elements doesn't inherently taint a piece of media, such as how these shows using the Scooby formula doesn't inherently make them bad, then the same viewpoint can be applied here. It's an example of fun 1970s cheese that enhances the viewing experience in my opinion.

In conclusion: I don't think removing the Partridge Kids would improve Goober and the Ghost Chasers, since I think the characters' usage in the show as it is fits what the writers were going for, and similarly their inclusion in the show adds a layer of 1970s pop culture to it that I personally enjoy watching.

I genuinely believe Goober and the Ghost Chasers would have been a decent show if the Partridge Family weren't shoehorned in almost every episode and it actually focused on the main trio/Goober.

[simplydnp]

you majored in straight up math??? God that's so fuckin cool of you!!

yeah! i've always loved math, so even though i registered late for uni, i knew it would be for math--i just wasn't sure what to do with it. ended up in math-ed. but, unlike some places, i did a double degree, so i have my full mathematics degree & my full education degree

the math degree was so cool. i've really considered going back for my masters since i loved it so much. there's something about pure math that just,,, makes sense to me. proofs are sometimes a pain in the ass, but there's really nothing like staring at one for hours and then it suddenly Clicks and you're off to the races. it's all built on logic--everything that happens makes sense and has a flow.

i also really enjoy the language aspect of it--which a lot of people find couter-intuitive. math should be numbers! but when you do high level math, there's not a lot of numbers involved usually 😂 it's all logic and arguments and specific wording and sentence structure. i love that shit. there's a specific and intentional way to communicate. there's words you use for getting from one idea to the next.

there's a really great video that breaks down how math and language is connected and, in particular, if you're good at 'traditional' math, you might not want a math degree.

here's a transcript:

if you want to go to school for mathematics and this is what you think it'll look like [gestures to background full of equations, trigonometry, and formulas] i suggest you do something else. the joke in the math community is that after sophmore year, you don't see a number over like, 10 again. this is because you learn math as a language. it's like the difference between studying Spanish and studying linguistics. you can study Spanish, but that doesn't mean you'll understand language as a whole. while linguistics studies syntax and semantics because it's the structure of language as a whole that they study. so in this example, if you want to just study spanish, be an engineer. if you decide to take this [math] route, you have two options: pure or applied mathematics. so applied wants to study linguistics as a whole, so they can become a Spanish translator--and maybe pick up Portuguese along the way. while pure mathematics wants to study linguistics so they can make up their own language. it sounds strange but the best mathematicians are often very good with languages too. if you're interested in learning why they have so much in common, then mathematics is for you.

[end ID]

it's like problem solving to the nth degree. a silly example is something like 'what's 1 + 1?' hopefully you know the answer is 2. but in pure math, they'll ask you why 1+1 is 2. and it takes you down this path of laying the foundations for the building blocks of traditional math. (now, that's advanced linear algebra which, frankly, i really disliked, but it's an easy example)

calculus & number theory were actually my 2 favourite 'subjects' in the mathematics we did (which, is very funny bc calculus has the least proofs and you take 4 years of it, vs 1 entirely proofs based course). i was lucky to have really great profs for most of my courses as well

[wonglix]

➺ sɴᴇᴀᴋʏ

⤷ staff!y/n x boyfriend!hyunjae

⤷ it’s not easy dating an idol, the sneaking around taking a toll on both of you. unfortunately for you, hyunjae isn’t only your boyfriend, but you also work with him - which makes sneaking around even harder. stress and the secretive manner of your relationship prove to be a lot for you handle when you forget a really important date.

⤷ fluff, lil’ angst

⤷ 1.3k words

you loved hyunjae with all your heart, but sometimes you wished that your relationship was just a little simpler; that you maybe met under different circumstances that wouldn't require you to hide your relationship, to sneak around behind everyone's backs. it's already tough dating an idol, but it's even more stressful to work with hyunjae every single day while pretending you're nothing more than coworkers; nothing more than an idol and their staff.

the numbers of times you were almost caught exchanging small pecks backstage were too many to count; the glances you kept giving each other getting you almost in trouble way too many times. it's nice being able to work with your boyfriend, if only you didn't have to smile and pretend that all the people hitting on him weren't making you upset sometimes. at this point, you want nothing more than to be able to be open about your relationship; at least being able to tell the company without fear of getting fired.

since you're both working in the same industry, you're both aware that time is precious and that stress is a constant factor of your relationship - making the few normal dates you have ever the more special. unfortunately, fights and arguments stemming from stress and missing each other are somewhat common, both of you being too busy to keep up a regular date-schedule.

you're currently talking through the boys' schedule with their managers when you catch hyunjae waiting for you from the corner of your eye. he's staring intently at you, impatience written all over his face while waiting for you. you wave your hand at him dismissively, hopefully making him understand that this will take a little longer. you can see him huff and puff while he turns to walk away, a small smile threatening to creep its way onto your face.

the meeting took a bit longer than you expected, a small bubble of guilt rising in your chest for making hyunjae wait for so long. rushing to the practice room, you're surprised to find that hyunjae wasn't there with some of the other members. younghoon sees you in the mirror and gestures for you to come in; sangyeon, jacob, sunwoo and changmin all turning to look at you.

"hey y/n! hyunjae already went home if you're looking for him.." younghoon said, a somewhat dejected look on his face. the confusion on your face was evident and ultimately was what made sangyeon tell you about the talk they had with your boyfriend earlier.

"huyunjae was kinda...upset earlier, y/n. he really looked forward to spending the day with you today, so when the meeting suddenly came up, he got upset and just went home to cool off." you looked between them with furrowed brows, shaking your head a bit at sangyeon's words.

"we hadn't planned anything for today, though? i get that he wants to spend time with me, but we didn't make plans for today, so i don't understand why he's so upset. i wasn't the one who called for a last-minute meeting, you know?" you could feel yourself getting a bit heated; thinking that hyunjae was overreacting and dragging the others into this mess for no apparent reason.

the silence that followed was almost deafening until jacob asked a simple question, "do you know what day today is, y/n?" confusion took over your features once more, blurting out a simple "friday?" that would've made the boys laugh if it weren't for the current situation.

"and what date?" changmin probed, all of them waiting for a look of realisation to wash over your face. pulling out your phone you glance at the date on your display, "today's the twenty-......twenty-third? today's the twenty-third?!" the frown on your face was replaced by the shocked look of realisation the boys have been waiting for, all of them nodding silently.

you let out a humourless laugh, refusing to believe that you forgot a date this important, "there's no way today's the twenty-thrid, right? i would never forget, i wouldn't..." the fake confidence vanished with every word, your lip quivering at the end of your sentence.

"you did forget, y/n. but instead of beating yourself up about it here, you better go see your boyfriend to celebrate whatever is left of your anniversary," you would nag at sunwoo for his bluntness under every other circumstance; right now you could only muster a small nod though, hurrying out of the practice room while hastily waving goodbye to the boys. you couldn't help the tears that were welling up in your eyes, the stress and regret making your emotions act up.

you tried calling your boyfriend multiple times while on your way to the dorm, all to no avail - he wasn't picking up and you weren't even blaming him. you could only imagine how sad he must be; not only did you wave him off like that but now it's also abundantly clear that you forgot your anniversary. hyunjae wasn't the only one looking forward to it, you too were excited to spend the day with him and do all the stuff you had planned - picnic date, excessive cuddling, exchanging little gifts.

reaching the dorm, you stopped before knocking, taking a shaky breath to calm you down a bit. finally having worked up the courage to knock you do just that - once, twice, thrice. nothing. you knock again, the door flying open this time before you were able to knock twice. you're met with eric's displeased face, his brows furrowed.

"in his room," was the only thing he blurted out before he went back into the living room, leaving you standing in the doorway. maybe you'll scold eric for being rude later. maybe.

rushing to take your shoes and coat off you hurry to hyunjae's room, knocking on his door softly. he didn't answer, so you knocked again, "baby, it's me. i'm sorry, please let me in." it was silent for a bit until you heard the door unlock, though he didn't open it. slowly opening the door, you're met with your sulking boyfriend, sitting on his bed and playing on his phone.

slowly walking over to him, you sit down beside him, just looking at him for a bit. it's clear that he's upset, but he seems to be more sad than mad or angry. sighing you cautiously take his hand in yours, a small smile on your lips when he doesn't pull away. lifting his hand to your lips, you press a few soft kisses to his knuckles before you start speaking, "i'm sorry baby. i didn't mean to forget, but it's just been so much work lately. i'm happy you and the boys are getting the attention you deserve, but it's making my life a lot harder." hyunjae lets out a dry laugh at that, the smile on your face growing at the sound.

"you know i love you baby, and i was looking forward to it just as much as you were. i promise we'll celebrate, alright? just a bit later than planned. a belated anniversary, if you will." hyunjae finally turns to look you in the eyes, a small sigh leaving his lips.

"it's alright, i know how hard you work. i was just so excited to finally have a day just for us, you know?" nodding you lean forward a bit, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "i know baby, but we’ll catch up on it. how about we get some midnight snacks, and you stay the night at my place? i still have to give you your gift, you know."

he thinks about it a bit, his grip on your hand tightening a bit. "can i pick a movie?" you nod, a small giggle leaving your lips; hyunjae smiling at the sound. he leans forward a presses a chaste kiss to your lips, murmuring a little "happy anniversary, dork." against your lips. you nuzzle into his neck, wrapping your arms around his torso. "i promise i’ll make it up to you, jae."

[domeyashiro]

Your and some of your followers condescending tone, though. Nanahara is one example that Yashiro knows how to say no to sex invitations. And I know everyone has the right to their opinion. What made you think I don't? You don't need to voice your opinion in such condescending way to pass your point across. I know pretty well how to read @one of your followers and I am old enough to disagree with an opinion without making the other person sound stupid. None of you hold the rights to the story, and your opinion is pretty much, your opinion. Your arguments might make sense for some, but not for everyone and that needs to be respected. Being popular and having a lot of people liking what you say doesn't give you the right to be condescending to whoever disagrees with you. I really wish people would understand that in fandoms. I'm not giving "hate" to that anon that argued about non-consensuality. I am stating I disagree for this and that. If that offends anyone, I am sorry, it wasn't my intention. Still, that doesn't give you the right to say I don't know how to read or that I am stupid because of that. I'm definitely not coming back here because I realized this is pointless and apparently, I should only send an ask in this fandom, when I agree a 100% to the blogger's take. I also don't want to see anyone going up a pedestal to be offensive towards me as well just because I disagree with one opinion.

Anon, you keep putting words in my mouth. I made an effort to explain my opinion in a way that would hopefully allow everyone who reads this blog to follow my reasoning without much difficulty. We’re from all over the world and not everyone speaks English fluently. I try to keep that in mind when I write, that’s why I break things down as easily as I can. If that sounds condescending to you, I’m sorry, but I won’t change it, because when I reply to anons I’m not only replying to the person who asked, I’m also putting my opinion (yes, my personal opinion, as I keep repeating in every second post) up for discussion in a fandom of thousands of people. Unlike you I’m not anonymous, so by trying to be as clear as I can, I’m also protecting myself from getting tons of outraged anons who misunderstood me.

Yes, people like you. Because sometimes, despite my best efforts, someone still chooses to be offended by my reply, even if they have to make up most of the stuff they accuse me of themselves. (Where did I call you stupid again? Or said anything even remotely close to you giving “hate” to the other anon?) You’re fighting against windmills. (Here, now you have a whole paragraph of me being condescending to you, so you know what I sound like when I’m rolling my eyes in front of my screen. But I usually reserve this tone for discussions about piracy in the very rare cases when I wasn’t quick enough to look the other way.)

Anyway, of course you’re old enough to have your own opinion. I never said anything to the contrary and I have no problem whatsoever with you or anyone else disagreeing with me. But are you also old enough to accept when someone doesn’t 100 % agree with you? (Like me yesterday.) Because if not, I very much agree with you that you should stay out of adult fandoms and away from this blog, until you’ve learned that tolerance goes both ways.

[faint-waves-music]

Discussing Far East Winter.

My new EP, Far East Winter has been a very interesting EP to make and because of that, I wanted to write something of an article in regards to it. So, here we are! I'm going to discuss the background of this EP, my influences, inspirations, some of the ideas I had with this record, a short run through of each track, and a few things I learned along the way. Hopefully this is an informative and interesting read and hopefully you enjoy the record, too.

I had contemplated doing an EP of this nature for some time, in fact, you can hear my earliest inclinations toward this idea on my "Cherry Blossom" single from 2017. I've always been a lover and admirer of sounds from all over the world, but music and sounds from the East and the far East have always really caught my ear. I think so many of the instruments and the scales/notation they tend to use are absolutely beautiful. The only reason I hadn't done this sooner, is because I didn't want to do this just to do it and because I'm not sure I was totally ready to. If I was going to do it, I wanted to do it some semblance of justice. If "Cherry Blossom" was me seeing if I could pull it off at all, "Far East Winter" is the more refined, realized vision of incorporating these elements into my music.

As far as who/what inspired and influenced this record, I'd say it was a good mixture of eastern and non-eastern artists. Many of my ideas were informed by Roxy Music, Prefab Sprout, Tears For Fears, Vangelis, Hiroshima, Kitaro, Hiromitsu Agatsuma, and Himekami, just to name a few. I was in a creative space where I also wanted to kind of continue the easy listening/downtempo/adult contemporary-inspired direction I've been taking Faint Waves since 2017, but I had to do something interesting to really change the pace a bit and since I wanted to do a winter release, I knew the sound couldn't just be sunshine and ocean waves. The result is a more winter-into-spring sounding EP, not necessarily dark or discordant sounding, but a bit more bittersweet and melancholy in places. That's not to say there aren't hopeful moments, as the first and final tracks on the EP are a bit more optimistic than the rest, indicating glimmers of hope amongst the moodier parts of the record.

Much of the record I think has a very soft rock and sophistipop vibe, but there are few moments that are a bit more downtempo, new age, or experimental. I also made some stylistic choices on this EP that kind of set it apart from other things I've done, namely with the drums and bass. I've often relied on a fretless bass emulation for many (the vast majority, actually) of my songs, it's been a tried and true element and staple in the music I've made. However, I felt this record warranted something different, so I've switched things up and used a finger style bass emulation. It has a much deeper sound and I think has given the record a bit more of a soft rock or vintage R&B vibe. As for the drums, I made a similar stylistic decision to go after more of an organic feel. So, rather than using solely Roland and Linn samples as I have in the past, I opted to use more live sounds. That doesn't mean I haven't used those Roland and Linn samples at all, as they're still in the mix. Many of the songs feature a live kick drum layered with a Linn kick and on "Lovers In The Cold", you can very clearly hear the use of a CR-78 hat sample alongside the rest of the drums. Small changes in the grand scheme of things but I think they've made a big difference in the overall feel of the EP.

The first song I had completed and the one that really solidified the fact that I was doing this, was "Lovers In The Cold", which ironically became the last track on the EP. "Lovers In The Cold" is a bit of a sophistipop track with both western and eastern instrumentation, including a Xylophone, Sax, an Erhu (a violin-like instrument of Chinese origin), and a brilliant emulation of the Ruan (a plucked instrument of Chinese origin). I'd say the sound and structure were most influenced by acts like Hiroshima and Roxy Music, while the blocky pad chords remind me more of Prefab Sprout. It's definitely a pretty layered track for me, lots of moving parts. The way I've always seen the song, structurally, is as an argument between two lovers. Xylophone is one party, while the Erhu is another. The Xylophone is very quick moving and aggressive but the Erhu is more relaxed and to the point. They have this back and forth, but every other time the Erhu comes in, there's one extra note that wasn't played the previous time. So, it's almost like someone is getting the last word in there. Then, you have this kind of breakdown in the song where everything slows down a bit and rather than them playing separately, you have the Xylophone and the Erhu playing simultaneously. Going along with the two lovers metaphor, that part of the song could be them reconciling, working together to make things work before everything falls apart again.

There were a lot of demos with this EP, more than maybe any other EP I've ever made. A lot of stuff didn't make the cut or just plain didn't get finished. The next track that saw completion after "Lovers In The Cold" was probably the fourth song I had made overall and it's a tracked called "Only Tonight", which was loosely inspired by "Advice For The Young At Heart" by Tears For Fears. This track was one that definitely went through a lot of changes before it became what it was. It started out very synthpop, with these big electronic strings, before I transitioned to a more organ-centric sound. It took quite a few demos for it to start to take shape as it is now, a piano ballad. I think after the organ became integral to the song, the drums were what really started to make it take shape. Those drums, at least where they start initially, have a very Burt Bacharach feel. That shaker-sidestick combo he's so fond of. It starts in that kind of Bacharach-like place but as the track goes on, the drums get a little more aggressive and eventually the sidestick is replaced with a snare. For the piano, I didn't want a big sound because the organ/bass combo was already doing that for me, so it's pretty much this continuous riff of single notes. Then the piano is accompanied by a Shamisen (a stringed instrument of Japanese origin) and later on, a sax. The track also features a Vibraphone and a Gong sample. The Vibraphone is this kind of arpeggiated-sounding series of a few notes, it really gives the track an underlying sense of movement and urgency. "Only Tonight" is an interesting one because I feel like it became what it is very naturally, but it did take some time to get there. Glad I didn't give up on it though, as it's a favorite of mine.

After that, I think came "Snow Summit", which also went through a lot of changes as it went on. It's kind of a weird one. It doesn't sound like it at all, but it was pretty Vangelis inspired. Vangelis, Yello, and Kitaro are the big inspirations for that one. It went through a lot of changes and I don't think I was ever really sure the track "worked", so to speak. Once I laid down the bass for it, I feel like it all clicked a bit better, but it's still by far one of the most oddball tracks I've ever produced. It was inspired by a Yello song called "Homer Hossa", which if you aren't familiar with, is basically just a lot of sound effects, percussion, and little actual melody. "Snow Summit" is kind of that way, except it basically has this big brass backing track accompanying all these weird sounds. I think my intention with it, is that I wanted it to be as foreboding and endless feeling as the summit of a mountain would be. You're cold, the wind is blowing, there's snow everywhere, and you can see for literally miles. That kind of thing is intimidating and I think I wanted to convey that with this noisy, aimless kind of a track. It's probably the most "experimental" thing I've done. Huge brass, eastern percussion, simulated wind, white noise stabs, and huge bass drops. That's "Snow Summit" in a nutshell.

After that, came "Hatsukoi". Hatsukoi translates to first love, if you're curious. I knew I wanted a beautiful opening song for the EP and after drawing a blank for a long time, this is what materialized. Inspired by Kitaro and to a lesser extent Himekami, "Hatsukoi" is a bit of a new age jaunt. It's basically comprised of strings, a few different kinds of percussion (both eastern and western), a Celeste, a Pipa (a four stringed instrument of Chinese origin), a Xylophone, wave sfx, and bird sfx. This track doesn't really develop beyond the first couple minutes, but I found it very lovely and relaxing and didn't feel the need to add to it. I had a few demos where a flute came in the second half but it was just overkill in my opinion. It's a bit more hopeful and warm than everything else on the EP. It's very much in line with some of the more atmospheric, new age inspired things I've done. It's very much Kitaro by way of Faint Waves, in my opinion. I'd love to explore that kind of sound more in the future, to the degree of acts like Kitaro or Himekami. That kind of Electronica-meets-New Age-and-Classical sound is always brilliant. Exploring that sort of thing could be an EP or album in it's own right, but for this release, I wanted a balance of downtempo/chilled vignettes with more deliberate/aggressive songs.

The next song that came to be was actually an older, unfinished demo that I had lying around. "Tao Of Knowing" originally started as "Charm", a new wave/sophistipop song inspired by Johnny Hates Jazz and Tango In The Night-era Fleetwood Mac. "Charm" was originally much more electronic and instead of a Koto (a stringed instrument of Japanese origin) carrying the song, it was a piano. I revisited this song during my time producing Far East Winter and I found, with a few changes, that it would fit the record. I changed quite a few things; the key changed, the chiffer lead at the beginning of the song became a Shakuhachi (a flute-like instrument of Japanese origin, derived from the Chinese bamboo flute), the main piano riff became a Koto, the poppy drum samples were replaced with the ones I was using for this EP, and I wound up writing a new pad for it as well. Once I had made those changes, the song still went through a few more permutations before it became the song you hear on Far East Winter. The song has a very mystical feel and I think that sets it apart on the EP, in a good way. The original demo had a very new wave feel to it and I think a little bit of that is still intact, particularly in the drums. This one may also be one of the more aggressive sounding songs in the Faint Waves canon, too. Very in your face at times.

The last song to be completed was "City Street". I knew from the beginning that "City Street" was going to be a short interlude kind of a song. My general vision for it from the get go was very similar to how it came to be, I knew I wanted to be very ambient and atmospheric, and to feature a Rhodes. That's exactly how it turned out but I just couldn't seem to get it to materialize. At first, I tried to make the song quicker and more urban sounding, to coincide with the name. It just wasn't working, so I scrapped almost everything except the percussion I had. The percussion I did have, I wound up changing quite a bit, leaving pretty much the bare minimum. Once I was happy with the percussion, I layered a few different sound effects. One was of nighttime ambience (crickets/frogs/etc.), another was just general city noise, and the final was of a little bit of traffic. After that came the Rhodes, which I pretty much treated almost as a pad as I wrote and produced it. I applied a lot of effects to it, reverb and delay mostly, so it would kind of linger well beyond the length of the notes would allow. On top of that, I used a Pipa again, I actually recycled a melody from another song of mine ("Congo") for that and adjusted the notes accordingly. The end result is a very soundscapey interlude that's heavy on ambiance, maybe slightly reminiscent of Kenji Kawai. Good for falling asleep to maybe, as much of my catalogue is.

In conclusion, I learned a lot going into this EP and coming out of it. I did a lot of reading and listening, trying to understand what they were doing as far as Eastern instrumentation and notation were concerned. Reading and learning about scales like the Japanese In Sen scale, as well as putting them to use, was incredibly challenging and fun. I made more songs for this one EP, than I have any release before, and it's because of what I was working with. There's a real beauty and true uniqueness to the music and culture on that side of the world that we don't often see. They do things in music that the West never has and likely, never will. I think my research and desire to understand, is what made this EP so special to me, as well as what has made the EP sound so unique in comparison to the rest of my material. I might have done some familiar things but I don't think I've ever made anything similar to what I've made here. In many ways, I feel like I needed to do a project like this, just to stretch my legs a bit and get out of my comfort zone. This record is a sign of things to come, not in the sense that I'll necessarily be making another record like this, but in the sense that my next record will be just as different. So, stay on your toes and enjoy.

- Faint Waves.