The music project is one step closer to becoming unstoppable because we learn how to operate the music room. In the senior music recording project, students bring in a musician from the community to record their own song so that we can learn how to act as the recording producer for an artist while operating a professional music studio. I invited Monica Enloe into the studio who I met through a friend of a friend. And in this project we were able to record two of the songs she
Monica Enloe
Monica Enloe is a singer/songwriter in the bay area who focuses on organic, acoustic folk music. Her music is inspired by renowned folk artists like Adrianne Lenker, and uses her songs to connect with nature and the roots of folk music.
▶ Play To Lose
⏸ Play to Lose
▶ Fungus
⏸ Fungus
Play To Lose
“Play to Lose” went through a couple phases before it ended up as the song it was. Monica had the guitar part- a steady, folk-like ballad with inspirations from Adrianne Lenker- but the words were trickier. At first it was titled “Wait and See,” and it was a melancholic ode to loneliness; the original lyrics included, “November winds are picking up, and my eyelids pull me down / from the sediment, the circumstance / I guess I’ll keep them shut for now.” The song felt stuck, reflecting the stagnancy she felt in herself.
But then, a month later, Monica revisited the melody with a new approach. In the new lyrics, she established a setting- a cold bathroom floor- which she then built upon. The relationship between the two subjects in “Play to Lose” is trepidatious and new. Our perspective is through the eyes of one of said individuals who is struggling to cope with the differences between them, “You react to a chemical imbalance out of rationality / a sense of calm in you that isn’t there is me,” and the sacrifice they fear they will have to make. In a song that implies substance use (or potentially substance abuse) she drew a comparison to the risky and addictive nature of Poker. The line, “if I fold my hand or play it just to lose,” reflects the mindset of a person who has to decide between giving up a bad coping mechanism or losing a person they love as a result of it.
“Play to Lose” is a song about commitment; it’s the choice to be seen and criticized in pursuit of companionship. It’s the sacrifice of folding your hand in order to win the game.
Fungus
“The concept of “Fungus” came to me in a dream, actually. Another artist had written and released it as a single, and I remember it sounding like this otherworldly electric folk song. Awake, I couldn’t place the sound exactly, but in the dream I had read an article exploring the contents of the single. I used that memory to actualize the song through lyrics and instrumentals- literally bringing my dream into reality. To summarize the article: “Fungus” uses natural imagery and ethereal instrumentalism to depict an individual’s descent into a shell of what they once were. Here, fungus represents depression, addiction, or any other ailment, as it corrupts the body and mind. “This affliction I’ve got’s like a fungus / it’s eating me up, it hollows me out, out / and I’m not like the person I was / the thing about fungus- it wants what it wants.” The writing implies a bodily takeover to where the motions of life are systematic, much like a plant maintained through the process of photosynthesis. The subject of “Fungus” is alive, but has lost the distinct human characteristic of living. (Source: my REM cycle)”
-Monica Enloe
Reflection
One thing I learned when recording during this project is that working with a reliable musician changes the entire process. Having recorded with other musicians before, this experience was really insightful because my musician was extremely practiced and was able to get a usable recording on the first attempt most of the time. This saved a lot of time to listen through the recordings, and allowed us to finish in time to record another song. So in the future when I’m choosing a musician to work with in the studio, I will be informed by this experience and make sure that I am working with people that I know will work efficiently.