Discontinuity of Time

I'm sitting here going through some of my mp3s (of Sliptide music) that I keep with me on my work computer for review. I often listen to my own music to help with inspiration and ideas for new tracks to fit with a somewhat congruent collection of songs (i.e. collections that make up my albums "City Shadows", "Well of Souls", etc..)

Unfortunately, I have a large number of songs that are a mish-mash collection of electronic genres that are different in sound. What I mean to say is: Let's say I started a few songs in November of 2005 that are all related to each other in style and presentation (and for that matter: production value/style). If I drop the ideas and projects and do not keep the momentum, chances are good that I will not find the groove again and the songs I attempt to make will have a different feel to them.

Case in point: I am working on finishing out the track list for "Well of Souls". The original list of tracks is composed of those that were available at the start of this year ("On Approach", "Striking the Ocean", etc..). The album is moving along nicely, but I need about 3 more tracks to complete before I am comfortable delivering it to the public.

While I listen to the set of songs I have now just about every day, when I sit down to compose I end up in a different land full of trip-hop and subdued textures akin to the recent "Aces High" and "Envisioning the West" tracks (clips on the fan club).

I blame it on a few things. I haven't been as religious about weekly studio time as I should be. This is the more "accountable" side of me stepping in. I fully own up to the fact that I have been lazy about it recently. Between work and balancing personal life it can be hard to want to make the time for music.

Secondly, I feel that I am pulled in various directions for music. The songs on "Well of Souls" are very textured, darker in tone and style, and take from some of my thoughts and feelings about life in general. I seem to do well with painting the aural landscape with the various colors of my mind, yet the deep-thinking area of my brain is at war with his loud neighbor: the pop-infused, move-the-crowd, dance-music-juggernaut: I miss making trance and house music like crazy and it has always been a dream to make the back-2-basics sounds that really spurred my love of electronic music.

What do I do?

I know what I must do. 1 (maybe 2) personal projects at a time. "Well of Souls" will be next out of the door (aside from the remastered "City Shadows vol.1"). I do have one song almost done for it. Two to three more and the project should be complete!

Back to my day job. It is 9:30 AM and nobody is in the office again. -_-