Abubilla Music

Background to Songs: Coins of Love

Written by Jimmy

Weird. 

5 Things

1. This is our rock out at the end song, where we throw everything down on a track to close out album. We did this with 71 Hours to Monday.   We use our little boom machine, loops, and Andy gets to edit a big song.
2. Lyrically, these songs are always about somewhat shallow folks heading off to get drunk.  Not really deeper than that.  Wanted this to be about folks that really are terribly alone and seeking skin, hair and a one night stand to compensate.  But not really redeemable.  Loved the line: ‘don’t call us shallow that would imply some depth.’ 
3. So then we had a working title of Efatuation Nation, buiding on notion of tribes just out there looking for one night stands – to be efatuated with anything they made.  But that never worked.  No one like singing it.  Then the Coalition of Conservatives and Lib Dems was formed. So we called it Coalition Nation and it kind of accidently went political.  So then we got embarassed and took one of the phrases, ‘Coins of Love’ and called it that.  So kind of a weird mess if we’re honest.
4. Musically, this is the kitchen sink.  Andy thru in all sorts of reverse loops to start. Rob throws in a latin loop – remember this album was supposed to be Spanish Jams and other than the references to Seniorita Bonita, we never came close.   Then Andy piles in tons of guitars.  He goes all strange on vocals, so we bring Imogen into save the chorus.   It is her melody and his together, sort of conflicting.  Then everyone does Bvox, with Andy chanting at the end.  Ed has a wonderful trumpet riff buried in the chorus that Andy picks up on vocally in the outro.    We tried really hard to have one of those ‘peak/release’ moments of a song at 3-18.  We talked about Money, we talked about Walk on the Wild Side.   We’ll blog about that sometime.    All Andy’s guitars at end smashing his way thru the latin loops.  And his oh oh oh oh oh wow wow wow.’
5. Then we told Mike to pound the congas. And pound them hard.  And try to find the beat.  And pound them again.  Harder.  And that is Mike at the end, finally putting in a hard’s work as a drummer bitching and moaning about his red hands.   So the album opens with Jimmy telling Gus, ‘we’re in.’  And ends with Mike complaining, ‘Look at the colour of my hands, they match the colour of the walls.’  Fitting.

Jimmy