Musical Notes: Proclaim

You can stream and purchase this song here.

Drums Imitating Loop Imitating Loop Imitating Drums

The song has an interesting history. Before Jason and I even considered collaborating, he had sent me a recording of the intro drum part, which I loved. (Actually, I think his first version was programmed on Hydrogen.) I cobbled together the first version of “Proclaim” around programmed drums (this time in Garageband) that mimicked Jason’s part. Later, Jason pieced together his final (live) drum part from the programmed tracks I had created to mimic his original programmed track! (Confusing enough?) Finally arriving at our final version, we decided to include it on the first album. It was an interesting, circular process. 

For more information on Jason's drum part, click here.

From Crowder to Tool to Celine Dion

The intro guitar riff was the first piece of the song to come into existence. In its composition, I drew heavily on the song “Our Happy Home,” David Crowder Band’s interpretation of the 1795 hymn “Jerusalem My Happy Home.” (Crowder’s acoustic riff is itself reminiscent of various Dave Matthews Band songs.) I love the mood of “Our Happy Home” and the latter portions of A Collision, the album it appears on. That was the starting point.

The bass guitar and drums in “Proclaim” draw heavily from Tool, the machine-gun riffs of the bridge cite Killswitch Engage, and the guitar solo pays homage to Zakk Wylde (starting at about 3:12) and Dimebag Darrell. I even lifted a little gem from the Adult Contemporary playbook: the climactic key change. Hopefully, it brings the song to a high point without recalling Celine Dion (3:17).

I designed the vocal harmonies to emulate intervals used by Alice in Chains, although the texture of my voice cannot recreate their classic sound. It also occurs to me that the call and response of the chorus mimics the Evanescence song, “Whisper.”

--Aaron