The International House of Dancakes

Just an old track I dug out while searching for instrumentals for something. This was an exercise messing with the idea from the equal interval system that repeating sets of intervals tend to be "accepted" by the ear even if they're in wildly different keys, and then it started to sound so circussy and so creepy that I just ran with it.

About fifteen years ago when we were hanging out in Austin, it came out that Disparition and I had both independently had the idea of writing musicals or concept albums about war from the perspective of those who were not fighting but were caught up in the middle of it. I don't know if anything ever came of his version, but mine has sort of languished in the back of my mind and in my "someday" projects folder since then. For mine I wanted to capture the feeling of helplessly watching the tide of it come for you, the heroic and awful things regular people do to survive in those circumstances, and the consequences that war leaves behind - scars on the landscape, scars on bodies, and the creeping realization that we are irreversibly changed by having lived through those events and what we did, or didn't do, to survive them. I think it might be pretty good, if I ever finish it. Anyway, this song was meant to be fairly early on in that story, when people are just trying to cling to those last few days or weeks of happiness before events overtake them. Just trying to burn into their brains the most vivid possible memory of what life is like when it is simple and good, knowing that it might not be either for a long time. I recorded this rough draft to see if I could shoehorn it into another project, but ultimately felt like it didn't fit. So for now it's an orphan from that war story, just sort of stuck out here on its own. Lyrics: Let us dream a while Here at the door to an uncertain future Let us dream a while Not knowing what tomorrow might bring There may come a day when we find ourselves looking back Grabbing this moment, and clutching it tight Let us dream a while, here on the edge of the night While the stars one by one come alight Let us dream a while Here on the shore of this angry ocean Let us dream a while Enjoying each other for all that we are There may come a day when we find ourselves looking back And count this the last time that we truly laughed Let us dream a while Let us dream a while Let us dream a while Oh, let us dream

This is a set of tracks that were initially intended as part of the soundtrack for a project that is now on indefinite hiatus. I liked the tracks enough that I decided to put them together and release them as their own thing.

This is a set of tracks that were initially intended as part of the soundtrack for a project that is now on indefinite hiatus. I liked the tracks enough that I decided to put them together and release them as their own thing.

This is a set of tracks that were initially intended as part of the soundtrack for a project that is now on indefinite hiatus. I liked the tracks enough that I decided to put them together and release them as their own thing.

This is a set of tracks that were initially intended as part of the soundtrack for a project that is now on indefinite hiatus. I liked the tracks enough that I decided to put them together and release them as their own thing.

This is a set of tracks that were initially intended as part of the soundtrack for a project that is now on indefinite hiatus. I liked the tracks enough that I decided to put them together and release them as their own thing.

This is a set of tracks that were initially intended as part of the soundtrack for a project that is now on indefinite hiatus. I liked the tracks enough that I decided to put them together and release them as their own thing.

Just a nice little droney thing I threw together a few weeks ago.

Just a demo of something super melodramatic and depressing I've been working on. Lyrics: Some trivial mistake is keeping you awake mired in your feelings staring at the ceiling in the deep end of the night til finally you'd kill to have some kind of pill to break the circle that you walk in fidgeting and talkin' to yourself, all the time you keep saying that it's over over and over again you keep saying that it's over over and over again Turn off your TV Wade into the sea and beg the plankton to consume you you wait all afternoon to just melt into the waves but all you ever get is frustrated and wet so you wade back to the shore lay on the sand and start to snore until the cops chase you away why's it keep feeling like it's over over and over again why's it keep feeling like it's over over and over again it happens over and over and you're geting older and time's running out for you to get sober it's something inside you that just isn't right and you can't drown it out although god knows you've tried and why can't you just feel okay? maybe all you really need is someone to watch you bleed to worship and adore you and always reassure you that your pain isn't just in your mind but if you can sleep tonight maybe that will make it right and you can start evolving into the kind of person you pretend to already be online you keep hoping that it's over over and over again keep insisting that it's over over and over again

Bitter Suite by Dan Warren

Just playing around with a jazzy progression and kept adding stuff until I accidentally reverse engineered it into Ben Folds Five.

Just a thing I was playing with that turned into a thing which turned into another thing. I'm not sure it's done yet but I like it.

This is one we recorded for Love Button's album Eat More Fruit, but ended up leaving it off the album for some reason I can't remember. Lyrics: They're coming now just like rednecks to Graceland They seem to think that I know what I'm talking about They think I heal them with a wave of my hand Well I do what I can, and it all works out Cuz they think I'm Jesus, and that's all right They give me money and they call me the Christ And they act like I know everything And the pay's all right, but the lying is the thing They're coming now like a moth to a candle They hang my head on every word I say I'm seeing death in every Christian face If they ever find out just how much I've betrayed them Cuz they think I'm Jesus, and that's all right They give me money and they call me the Christ And they act like I know everything And the pay's all right, but the lying is the thing They're coming now screaming "miracle, miracle" I'll have to tell them all that I'm not prepared One of these days they'll be coming with torches I've seen the future, and I'm not there Cuz they think I'm Jesus, and that's all right They give me money and they call me the Christ And they act like I know everything And the pay's all right, but the lying is the thing

What's a song about insect taxonomy without a bumping, slightly haunting techno remix? This one courtesy of Delstar!

Ainsley Seago suggested that we needed some Schoolhouse Rock style songs about what insect taxonomists do, with the hopes that maybe they will be more likely to be funded in the future. I bashed this track together and she did some drawings, and now there's a video you can check out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYSIhzb14QI

Beer by Dan Warren

Try To Sleep by Dan Warren

Beef by Dan Warren

Affirmations 1: All Is Good by Dan Warren

Learning Japanese by Dan Warren

Introduction to Acupuncture by Dan Warren

Affirmations 2: Nothing Never Lasts Forever by Dan Warren

The Wee Hours by Dan Warren

This is a collection of tracks meant for walking in the woods

This is a collection of tracks meant for walking in the woods

This is a collection of tracks meant for walking in the woods

This is a collection of tracks meant for walking in the woods

What Have You Done by Dan Warren

I wrote this one in 2020 when I was quarantining in a hotel in Moore, Oklahoma but never recorded the vocals for it. I asked Scotty if he would do the honors and he came through as always! Lyrics: Christmastime Where'd the year go Stuck inside Living echoes An endless parade of identical moments that shuffle away leaving no real impression at all Things will be better next year I know they will Things will be better next year Christmastime God I miss you Soon it won't Be an issue Maybe by June we can Meet at a restaurant Surrounded by people and think nothing of it at all Things will be better next year They have to be Things will be better next year

I thought I might get you an iPad Or a year's membership at the gym But I put back my wallet Soon as I recalled that You’re an asshole that voted for him So I’m afraid you’re not getting a sweater Or massage chair to help calm your nerves No Nintendo Switch You dumb son of a bitch I’ll be giving you what you deserve You’re getting’ the finger for Christmas For all that you are and have done I’d give you some coal that’s as black as your soul But you’d prob’ly just burn it for fun I don’t know what you wanted for Christmas I assume that it was something else But you’re a huge piece of shit So you get what you get Here’s the finger, now go fuck yourself Fuck you America does have its problems Shit sucks for the whole working class But how dumb must you be To ever think he Would do shit to help your stupid ass I hope you're too rich to experience The impact of what you pricks did Cuz if you can't afford to They'll probably deport you To a country where you’ve never lived So you get the finger for Christmas ‘cuz you’ve given my country the same I’ll invite you my friend To sit on it and spin So fast that you burst into flames You’re getting the finger for Christmas And if you should think that’s unfair Hey I understand And I do have two hands So I’ll make it a matching pair Fuck you If you go to the mall to see Santa I honestly hope he’ll just say Suck my North Pole You stupid asshole And chase your ugly ass children away The damage you’ve done to America Will prob’ly be with us for life If you vote for that shit Of course you will get Told to go fuck yourself with a knife You’re getting the finger for Christmas You piece of shit snake in the grass If you want some egg nog You can suck my fat hog Shove your holiday cheer up your ass You’re getting the finger for Christmas And it can’t be exchanged or returned You voted for racists And son on that basis The finger is all that you’ve earned Fuck you

This is a song that I actually wrote decades ago. Only a couple of people have ever heard it, and there's a reason for that; I feel like it's too easy for this one to be misunderstood, and I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings with it. But with the election today I'm really feeling this pretty hard right now about the entirety of the USA, and if ever there was a time when I was ready to say "fuck it, if anyone gets mad that's their problem" it's right now. But do let me say this: make sure you listen to the whole thing. It's a simple song about a complicated emotion, and you haven't heard all of it until you've heard all of it. I grew up in Oklahoma feeling like I never really fit in there. When I left for other parts of the world that feeling was confirmed for me; it's not just that I'm generally a depressing misanthrope (although I am that too), it really was just a poor match between a person and a place. I just didn't fit there politically, religiously, or in basically any other way that doesn't involve barbecue or tacos. Having lived overseas for the past twelve years, I'm finding that's increasingly true of America in general. And that's hard, like seriously really hard, because for both Oklahoma and the USA there are so many people that I care so much about there. I love going home and seeing all of them, and treasure every second when I do. I just can't be happy in those places long term, and less so now than ever. I've lost an awful lot of friends back home for someone my age, and I do wonder if I would have lived as long as I have if I'd stayed there and grown old with that feeling. If any of my Oklahoman, or more generally American, friends have made it this far and have mixed feelings about the song or this description, I understand. Just know that it ain't you, it's me. For all that I"m glad I left, I'm also glad that I grew up there and you're why. You're the reason I go back, and I miss you all terribly when I'm not there. We'll see you soon. Anyway, here are the lyrics: We stuck it to the man but it just kept falling off again stuck it to the man but it wound up right back in our hands, so close your eyes and open up your mouth you'll leave your jaw hanging slack to see how fast I'm driving out of Oklahoma sometime this afternoon I'll cross the border bet anything you like that you won't see me cast a wistful glance over my shoulder I always hang my head on the hook right by the door when I get home I just don't feel like thinking any more, so I close my eyes, ignore the input of my ears and I try so hard not to notice that I've never fit in here Oklahoma sometime this afternoon come turn me over bet anything you like that you won't wake me at least not that I'll remember when I'm sober but I ain't dying in my sleep Stuck it to the man but it just kept falling off again I stuck it to the man but it all fell off, so here I stand close my mouth, there's nothing left to say you know I love you and I'll miss you but I simply cannot stay Oklahoma sometime this afternoon I'll cross the border while the sun is in your eyes and you can't see me cast a wistful glance over my shoulder but I ain't dying in my sleep in Oklahoma sometime this afternoon come turn me over bet anything you like that you won't wake me 'least not that I'll remember when I'm sober but I ain't dying in my sleep in Oklahoma

I'm working on a bunch of new music that I'm not ready to post yet, so for now here's a lovely soundscape from this morning, recorded at my little rental house on Lake Hume. It was a very rainy morning, and an Aussie magpie was hanging out in the tree right outside my window, quietly talking to itself about all the worms it was planning to eat once the rain went away. It's out there in the yard now, making the dream come true.

Just messing around with some random short vocal snippets from a Youtube tutorial on Japanese grammar by Cure Dolly. Bass is Venus Theory's excellent foghorn sample library for Spitfire Labs.

Just a quick and dirty living room demo I recorded on my iPad of something I'm working on. Give me your credit cards I wanna buy you a gift Down at the grocery store I'll need a lift It's too far for walking And I've had a few But I wanna buy something Really special for you No, I won't buy more than you'd allow I think I know you well enough by now I heard your new record It's really not bad You get so much mileage Out of always being sad You use the finest materials To frame your broken heart So that all of the tourists Will think you're this work of art But you know I don't buy your stories anyhow I think I know you well enough by now The last time I saw you You were walking home alone I offered to drive you but you said The city knows its own I said "that's a good line, sunshine, take a fucking bow, and I think I know you well enough by now"

This is a bunch of instrumental music I made for a documentary called River Runner many years ago, just sort of stuffed together in one track.

I don't know why I made this either but here it is.

This is a track I did for the Frog Fractions 2 ARG, it was meant to be an artifact from the remains of the civilization of Bug Mars. It's a song of mourning in the last days of a dying civilization. Lyrics: There was no war, there was no victory No grand defeat to make some sense of the Things that we lost, things that we gave for free Because we never understood That when it's gone, it's gone for good The sparkles kill and then they fade away The heart grows still amid the world's decay Even the atmosphere has bled away And still we never understood That when it's gone, it's gone for good

Sometimes I like to just sit down and build a generative music machine that makes pretty noises. This was one of those days, and this is the result.

Just a little instrumental thing I bashed together while learning to use Playbox

This is the instrumental track for a song I have still never recorded. I wrote the song near the end of 2020. It's about reassuring yourself that the currently horrible world events are temporary. It was a sort of cross between optimism and intentional irony, and of course 2021 turned out to suck even worse. Maybe one day I'll record it, but for now it just sort of sounds like Christmas shopping music that's been left out to decay in the sun for a few decades. Here's the lyrics: Christmastime Where'd the year go? Spent inside Living echoes An endless parade of identical moments that shuffle away, leaving no real impression at all, but Things will be better next year I know they will Things will be better next year Christmastime And I miss you Soon it won't be an issue Maybe by June we can meet in a restaurant surrounded by people and think nothing of it at all? Things will be better next year They have to be Things will be better next year

This is just a rough draft of a ridiculous thing I built from a Librivox audiobook of an old book called "The Book of the Damned", by Charles Hoy Fort. The chapters these samples were taken from were read by Matthew Shepherd.

Welp I set out to just make a nice little western thing and it ended up sounding way too much like Gorillaz. I swear it wasn't on purpose. Back to the drawing board.

Just a positive, relaxing, possibly slightly creepy message for you

Just a quick little guide for self-hypnosis and acupuncture.

I'm tired of not understanding Japanese, so I made a machine to do it for me. It's just a sampler fed with random syllables from my Pimsleur Japanese lessons, with the two voices occasionally asking each other if they understand and forlornly responding that they don't.

This is a very old track, basically a found poem taken from a vocabulary building record from the 80s. It (in my mind) tells the story of a relationship that starts off strong but gets weird and creepy, and ends with them parting with no real lessons learned.

I was messing around in bitwig with a rhythmic pattern I learned from karnatic music and I think I accidentally made prog. Lyrics: bwoooop booop peeeoww weeeener neeeener

Last week I was playing around with sampling some sounds from an old data cassette as well as an XDR toneburst. I ended up using those sampler instruments to flesh out a bit of music I'd already been working on, and the end result sounds like a discarded and poorly weathered cassette of some old video game music.

This track is me sort of exploring the idea that quantum foam and the big bang imply that the universe absolutely cannot tolerate the existence of true nothingness. There can be nothing, but not for long. Sort of encouraging, in a perverse way. Anyway it takes a long time to get started; the track began as sort of an experiment in building music out of environmental noise. Lyrics: Can you call it vacuum, the spaces between spaces where there were never things? Can you call it darkness, the absence of a light that never has been seen? Either by sheer providence or through some strange technology, nothing never lasts forever; something comes to be. At its core, true nothingness is riddled with instability, simply as a consequence of some innate geometry. So in the end the emptiness is an impossibility. Nothing never lasts forever; something comes to be.