Skip to main content

All-around Breakdown: Drew Scott Breaks Down Bedroom/"Basement" Pop Debut As Giddeon Gallows - CRITTER (ILL VESSEL MUSIC)


"Navel gazing in my basement for a decade plus / I f**kin' lied when I said it wouldn't take long / Hope you got all day maybe two / It's work, it's hard work / It took two weeks to climb down this hole," Drew Scott sings on "Avoidant" from his debut as Giddeon Gallows, CRITTER. I've been hearing about Scott's Giddeon Gallows side-project for about 6-8 months and now, it's finally out in the world and I'm able to write about it; to my ear, it sounds something like a stylistic mix of Kanye's "Auto-Tune album" 808's & Heartbreak, The Postal Service's Give Up, and early TV On The Radio à la Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. "Giddeon Gallows is basically, just a pen name, it's not an alter-ego or anything. I have a deep appreciation for Pop music, not in a mainstream sense, but more as a vehicle," Drew Scott wrote, via email, describing CRITTER. "While I was finishing ILL VESSEL, I was experimenting with Auto-Tune, feedback, and delay on my vocals as an "instrument," while using these beats that I didn't want to necessarily, rap on," he continued.

While it's been half-joking referred to as his "singer/song-writer" debut, Scott admits, he can't play guitar... so, Giddeon Gallows' CRITTER is just him, an SP-404SX, and a vocal effects pedal. Although, it's technically, been touted as a Bedroom Pop/Chillwave/R&B-minded album, Drew Scott affectionately calls it "Basement Pop;" he's been recording and largely, self-producing his own music starting with BLACKSAGE's SIXTAPE (2014) with Josephine Olivia in his basement studio; since SIXTAPE, such projects as Luvadocious with Al Rogers, Jr. Pale Spring EP's 1-2, Vans_Westly's QUILLS, Warmest Regards (BLACKSAGE & Owen Ross,) as well as all of his solo efforts, have been recorded in Drewcifer's Basement, Baltimore, MD. "There's a vulnerability involved when you can feel the cobwebs, the chill in the room, the creaking floor above. When recording, I like to keep the "less desirable" take, if it works and conveys a certain emotion," Drew Scott further detailed. Giddeon Gallows' CRITTER is currently available to stream or download on Apple Music, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Spotify, and like-minded digital retails. Below, you'll see a rather in-depth track-by-track CRITTER breakdown penned by Drew Scott himself exclusively for The Witzard.


1. "Perpetually" [-feat. Owen Ross]

"This beat is a couple years old and I nearly forgot about it, but I did it in one take, after strewing together some random notes I had typed in my phone. Bounced the acapella, ran the vocals through my [SP-404SX] and recorded that glitchy stuff live, as I recorded. It's a song about fear, but it has an optimism to it. I think, it's about severing ties with toxic elements in your life. Whether that's a person or the constant f**ery that the world operates on or all the above. Owen Ross really gave the ending atmosphere and momentum."


2. "Foxglove"

"This song is many things, kind of like a stream of consciousness dream sequence; by the end, I'm wishing I never woke up buried in all this feedback. The opening line is an apology to my partner for the way the world makes women feel and it spirals from there."


3. "Avoidant"

"Some days, just leaving the house is hard work. It's an ode to anxiety and I like juxtaposition, so I made it laid-back and vibey."


4. "Forbid (Further)" [-feat. Al Rogers, Jr.]

"This is about self-sabotage. I like to blame my lack of happiness on outside elements, but usually, it's a self-made coffin I've built myself. Al comes through with some spirituality and brightness. "Tread lightly, pack lighter" is some advice an old man once gave me. Made this beat on my episode of FLIPS."


5. "Cell Division"

"This may have been the first track I did; the chorus was meant to be this repetitive thing I say to myself. How many times have I said, "this is the last time you do this sh*t to me..." ? Splitting cells is a nice thought, but easier said than done."


6. "Static" [-feat. Pale Spring]

"I really love this track. It's like a ballad, but such a bummer. I think, in relationships, we tend to end up in the same place over and over, like static. Eventually, you get through it or you don't, but you know when you're in the sh*t. The verses are pretty much responses to one another. * Sidenote: Pale Spring should, technically, be Executive Producer of this album; from background vocals to actually, pushing me to sing more, she was a huge influence."


7. "Shoreline" [-feat. Infinity Knives]

"It's about drowning. I grew up near the beach and almost drowned a couple times in my life, so I know the feeling well. It's also, about how a town or city becomes small, after a while, no matter where you are. Infinity Knives is really a brilliant musician and knew exactly the mood to bring out, in the end, with that guitar part: nightmarish and frantic."


8. "Critter" [-feat. 83cutlass / co-prod. Jumbled]

"I asked for some "sad-a$$ beats" and Jumbled sent me the first half of this. I kind of just freestyled it. I thought back to all the times I would just wander around manically in the night in a drunken haze feeling less than human. I made the second part of the beat and 83's voice just made sense in my head and I knew he’d be perfect."


9. "Foggy"

"Recorded this with my sh**ty scratch mic in a real dark moment on-the-spot and I just kept it the way it was."


10. "Cell Division (Reprise)"

"I like to put reprises on albums as a sort of "bookend." Plus, I tend to make a few versions of a beat. I guess, this one's about acceptance, reckoning with yourself about all the mistakes you’ve made, and all the pitfalls we succumb to. "This is the last time..." plays in reverse thoughout."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra

3 Feet High & Rising: Band of Bearded Brothers Cellar Door Moon Crow Unleash Rollicking Single "Whistler" from Upcoming Blues Rock EP (Bandcamp, self-released)

Whistler by Cellar Door Moon Crow British Rock 2-piece band Cellar Door Moon Crow mysteriously found and Followed The Witzard (@SharpCheddar856) on Twitter a few months ago. Their Facebook About section simply lists a brief, yet fitting, mission statement: "Band ~ Beards ~ Brothers Goodwin brothers Phil & Tommy . Sheffield, UK " and their accompanying Biography section contains a similar refrain: "Band ^ Beards ^ Brothers," as well as their Bandcamp page. There really isn't much else to be known about twin brothers Phil & Tom Goodwin , aside from the fact that they make infectious, down and dirty Rock "N" Roll —all entirely written, recorded, produced, and mixed in-house by Cellar Door Moon Crow (CDMC) themselves. CDMC 's Bandcamp page often tags their musical output as " British Rock , Rock, Blues Rock , two-piece band, Sheffield " and I would best liken their sound to a stylistic mix between The Black Keys , Thir

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of