The Theory of Funkativity

Overview

Lyrics

Overview

Engineering

Week 13 proved to be a lucky one. "This City" came together flawlessly, and we are totally pleased with how it turned out.

Kyle and Pat went on a road trip to Orange County and had all sorts of adventures... late night antics aplenty. Sean and Michael held down the fort. The NFL did not disappoint, and neither did the season finale of "The Great Food Truck Race." Suck it, Nom Nom truck.
By Sean
The lyrics for "This City," as contrived as it sounds, were inspired by the last few years I've spent living in Los Angeles. LA's a weird place. It defies big-city conventions, but still maintains a worldly, metropolitan vibe. I love how there are so many distinct sections of the city, but I'm still not used to the sprawl. I wake up excited in the morning knowing that I live in a town that values and rewards creativity, but I can't stand the masses of people that flock here to try to become stars. I hate that I have to sit in hours of traffic each day...but at the same time, I've done some of my best thinking and writing while sitting in my car, stuck amongst the downtown skyscrapers on the 110 freeway. In fact, a lot of early ideas for Theory song lyrics originate in traffic jams. 



"This City"
by The Theory of Funkativity

Verse:
This city's got
Smoke in its lungs
Doesn't set the best example

I fit the part
I sit in traffic
Act like I don't know different

For the greater good
For the commoners
But it's still not enough

I've seen this before
I know what happens
And you won't like how it ends

Chorus:
Everybody here seems like
They're killing time
And nobody wants to have to
Make up their minds

Verse:
Did I come up short
Did I miss the mark
Is my head still on my shoulders

Did I say too much
Is this my stand-in
Can we take it again

All the wasted words
Go on record
Without a second thought

Love to watch you work
When will it be my turn
You're all I think about

Chorus:
Everybody here seems like
They're killing time
And nobody wants to have to
Make up their minds

Everybody here seems like
They're waiting in line
Now let's cut ahead
And we'll get on with our lives

Verse:
This city's got
Smoke in its lungs
Doesn't set the best example

I fit the part
I sit in traffic
Act like I don't know different

Chorus:
Everybody here seems like
They're killing time
And nobody wants to have to
Make up their minds

Everybody here seems like
They're waiting in line
Now let's cut ahead
And we'll get on with our lives

Outro:
Everybody here seems like
They're killing time
Everybody here seems like
They're waiting in line

Everybody here
Everybody here
Seems like they're killing time
By Michael
"This City" was kind to me. Unlike the last two weeks, I didn't run into any major issues in the writing process. In fact, this song came together so naturally I didn't even bother to record a demo version.

I built the song around the rhythmic and melodic pattern that appears in the intro and verse guitar. As soon as that riff was in place, the song became an exercise in simplicity. Those of you who have followed The Theory from the early days (and those who know how to use an embedded music player) probably remember that our old material used to be much more stripped down than the new stuff. The material from the Odyssey has had much thicker instrumental textures. It was clear from the start that "This City" demanded a simpler style. I kept re-recording the electric guitars with simpler and simpler takes.

Neil Young's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere was a big influence for me on this track. It's full of dry, distorted guitars that jump back and forth between lead and rhythm roles. The guitar style "This City" pays homage to that album.
By Michael
I believe that I have the two easiest and toughest amps in the world to record. Both of them appear in "This City." On the left side of the mix (and for the lead parts) is the Fender DeVille. On the right side (starting at the very beginning), the Marshall JMP.

The DeVille is too easy. I can take a random guess at the EQ, drive, and volume settings, and pick a random mic to place wherever I want. The amp is still going to sound spectacular in the mix. It's a big sound that somehow still leaves room for every other instrument and vocal part.

The JMP is a nightmare to record. That's okay, because I think it's one of the best sounding live amps ever built, but it's never going to sound the same way in a recording that it does when you're standing in a room with it. Its sound probably made a lot more sense in the 70s when everything was distance miked. That said, every time I record I get a little bit better at dialing in the right sound. I am slowly but surely taming the JMP.