Music
Discography - PRE-SUMMER 1995
Although I sang songs into a Fisher Price tape deck when I was about 5, I began to really write songs when I was 13. Over the course of the next 10 years, the songs I wrote started to resemble music. Discography - LATE COLLEGE The second half of college was an incredibly fruitful time musically. Although most of the recordings from this period are far from professional quality, many songs stand up well.
SILENT BOB
From around 1993-1995, I was in musical limbo, recovering from my experiences at Berklee College of music. I spent a long time trying to write whacked out musical theater works, but I never finished any of them.
1,3,7- written by Dan Goldstein © 1995 all rights reserved BEFORE
The experience of playing in Silent Bob helped me finally realize that I was a songwriter and not a composer. This realization resulted in an incredibly prolific summer. In addition to 5 Silent Bob songs, I wrote the songs that would appear on two other albums: Before and Beneath the Dust. However, I wouldn't actually record Beneath the Dust until 1997.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen during the summer of 1995 MANCHESTER
In 1995/1996, I spent a year studying at the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. I brought my guitar along and wrote about 40 songs, most of which appear on two albums I recorded when I returned to America: Manchester and Oxford Road.
Outtake: Lebanon
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen from September 1995 - June 1996 in the U.K. MANCHESTER DEMO
For promotional purposes, I released a four song version of Manchester.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen from September 1995 - June 1996 in the U.K. BENEATH THE DUST (unreleased)
After recording Manchester, I realized that I wrote too many songs to record in someone else's studio, so I began to learn more about recording music myself. Beneath the Dust is my first attempt at recording my own music on anything more ambitious than a four track, but a few of the songs don't sound like it. To teach myself about audio recording, I dug out some songs from 1995 that I wasn't afraid of ruining and produced a surprisingly listenable record. I also included an old 4 track alternate Silent Bob take of the song "Gold Beneath the Dust."
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen during the summer of 1995. OXFORD ROAD
After Beneath the Dust, I finally moved into the digital world and my recording skills began to improve. For Oxford Road, I dusted off 10 unrecorded songs that I wrote in England at the same time as Manchester, and finally got them to tape in 1997. The album is a neat collection of songs ranging from the wacky "Conversation Optional," to the Pink Floyd like "Captive Queen." It also contains some beautiful piano/vocal pieces like "Cobwebs and Decay," as well as "Vital Signs," which sounds disturbingly techno.
Outtake: Zimri and Zepora
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen 1995 - 1996. AFTERMATH
After Oxford Road, I recorded Aftermath, a dark synth pop song cycle written in 1996. The songs are linked by melodies that pop up through out the cycle in different songs. There are some very strong melodies and wonderfully moody tracks hidden on this gem. Although some of the arrangements sound a little dated, the underlying songs are strong.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen 1997 IN-BETWEEN
I finished up my college material with, In-Between. Written mostly in 1997 and finished in 1998, it is a somewhat upbeat and almost pop collection of songs.
Outtake: Smiling Away
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen 1997 GOLD BENEATH THE DUST (compilation)
After I graduated college, I looked back at all my material and decided to make a greatest hits collection ... unfortunately, I hadn't had any hits. Nevertheless, I put together a compilation called Gold Beneath the Dust containing songs from Silent Bob, Before, Manchester, Beneath the Dust, and Oxford Road. I also re-recorded a few tracks from Before and included the unreleased "Zimri and Zepora."
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen 1995-1997 SILVER DUST (compilation)
Gold Beneath the Dust left out a few classics and didn't have any songs from Aftermath or In-Between. Therefore, I released a second compilation containing more tracks from my college years.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen 1995-1997 Discography - POST COLLEGE
After college, my albums finally started to sound professional and the songs matured. I started performing live more often and effectively gave up on having a band. At this point, my songs started heading in the folk direction and I officially became an acoustic guitarist. Up until this point, I considered myself primarily a bass player.
FAIRMOUNT STONES
Fairmount Stones grew out of my first year of post-college life disillusionment. It has some fantastic songs on it, but be warned, it's a real razor-fest. This is the most depressing album I have released so far.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen THE CHASM
The Chasm contains an eclectic mix of styles and moods about loneliness and disconnection. It is about the gap between people who are trying to connect. This album is one of my strongest and has an excellent balance of humor and pathos making it neither novelty nor suicide inducing. "Dry Spell" and "Vaseline" are funny crowd pleasers, "New Years Eve" and "Jacqueline" are wonderful pop, and "Jersey Summer" perfectly captures the melancholy of a summer's end.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen CUBICLE WONDERLAND
Cubicle Wonderland actually contains two connected song cycles that both reflect a desire for a different life. The first part, "Cubicle in the Sky" (tracks 1-8), contains funny, yet poignant songs about office life. It is kind of like a musical combination of the movies Office Space and Startup.com with elements of Dilbert. The second part, "Wonderland Fades" (tracks 9-23), contains more serious songs about longing, restlessness, jealousy, and loss. For anyone yearning for a life beyond their reach (or seeking success in the arts), this may be cathartic... or it may make you slit your wrists. Cubicle in the Sky
Wonderland Fades
Hidden: I Quit
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen FOOTPRINTS
Footprints picks up where both the Chasm and Cubicle Wonderland leave off and deals with obsession and mortality. The Chasm dealt with not being able to tell someone how you feel about them. In Footprints, you tell them and they shoot you down. Cubicle Wonderland asked if there is more to life than toiling away at some job until you die. Footprints copes with the possibility that there isn't. However, most of the album isn't really
depressing and it approaches these themes with novel and humorous perspectives.
Outtake: The Split
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen DUST (outtakes collection) Dust collects unfinished and previously unreleased material from 1998 through 2005. It has three sections:
Dust is available for purchase on CD Baby and iTunes. Tracks Footprints Addendum
Snow In NYC (excerpts)
Outtakes
Outtake: the Split (not included for personal reasons)
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen POSTCARDS
Postcards is a compilation of humorous and serious songs from the Chasm, Cubicle Wonderland, Footprints, and Dust.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen Discography - End of the CD Era Most of the songs in this period have some connection to the time I lived in Jersey City or the few years after when I moved back in to NYC. This is the period of my life before I had a kid and most of it was written before I was married. CDs were still prevalent when this period started, but by the end were becoming rarer. It includes one synth-pop record and three singer/songwriter albums.
SEPTEMBER'S SHADOW - HOBSON'S JOURNEY
Hobson's Journey was released under the band name September's Shadow because it is rather different from my recent work. It features less acoustic and more electronic sounds, there are numerous instrumental pieces, and almost half the vocal tracks are sung by vocalists KT Wills and Stefanie Seskin. Hobson's Choice
The Journey Home from Rexel 4
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen WALKING AWAY FROM WONDERLAND
Walking Away From Wonderland is the follow up to Footprints. Many of the songs deal with losing touch as the years go by either with friends or former lovers. Some of the loss is humorously described in the form of break up songs where the narrator is happy the other person is gone. Others express longing for people, places, and times that are forever out of reach. However, not all of the songs adhere to this central theme and the album's content and mood vary considerably.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen NOT WHAT I MEANT
Not What I Meant contains a mix of humorous and reflective songs many of which have the reoccurring theme of people failing to communicate. Lyrics play on miscommunications where one party and the other are on different pages and at least one of the two is unaware of this discrepancy. It deals with misunderstandings and their lighthearted or heartbreaking repercussions. Musically it continues in the singer/songwriter style with additional mandolin usage.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen BEGIN THE CHAGRIN
Begin the Chagrin presents a range of noble, relatable, pitiable, and revolting characters dealing with disappointment or causing it for someone else. Its frustrated or frustrating protagonists include those failing at art, love, or life in general. Characters yearn to be someone they are not. Starting in the acoustic singer/songwriter genre, its progressions and melodies are catchy without being predicable. Moods range from satirical to somber, sometimes within the same song.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen Discography - Current - Post CDs With CDs more or less a thing of the past and less time to record, I concluded it made more sense to release shorter digital-only collections.
YOU'RE FIRED AND FURY
You're Fired and Fury is a short topical EP mostly regarding the 45th President of the USA and his ardent supporters. Without acoustic guitars, it is a more in your face record than most of my recent catalog, influenced by politically themed music from Phil Ochs through the Clash. It is my sincere hope that this becomes dated as soon as possible.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen RELEASE
Release is an electric guitar centric collection of songs mixing styles and moods. It includes a song about your ex's birthday ("Today's Your Birthday"), a Trump Christmas song ("Christmas from Washington DC"), a joke metal song about a gangster lawyer ("Litigious"), an earnest reflective number ("Release"), a funny obnoxious dating song ("Honest"), and a pop song partially in 7 ("What You're Looking For").
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen POTUS
POTUS is a whimsical collection of historically-oriented songs about overlooked, obscure, or awful U.S. Presidents. Most lyrics are first-person fictional narratives of lesser known or monstrous occupants of the country's highest office. The music ranges from folk to rock to disco depending on the mood of the lyric and period. The album mixes history with storytelling, providing a humanized view of men who have guided America for better or worse (more often worse). Eleven presidents from Adams through Ford are highlighted in this collection, none of whom served a full eight years.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS
Expecting Different Results is about doing the same things over and over again, like releasing music every year and promoting it the same way … It contains acoustic-based songs that address disappointment or surprise with sardonic humor, while pondering whether rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic is actually a perfectly good use of time if you really like chair symmetry. Whether anyone notices your perfect, beautiful chair arrangements is no longer the point. Some songs hew more to the literal meaning of things not turning out as you expect, and some songs convey a general jadedness.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen IMPRINT
Imprint is a short singer/songwriter album about memories that haunt, whether you realize it or not. The past that you cannot bury and recollections that linger, sometimes just out of mind, are always with you somewhere. Whether it is something you regret doing or someone you regret knowing, whether you think about it all the time or hardly at all, those experiences are part of who you are today.
Vocals on "Nine Days" by Chrissy Roberts. MUSIC FOR THE MASSES
Music for the Masses is a singer-songwriter album with contradictory elements of folk, post-punk, and prog-rock. It sardonically mocks earnest, erudite reflection while containing earnest, erudite reflection. The opening track scoffs at writing a song about the French Revolution and then the album later contains a 12-minute prog-rock song about the French Revolution Calendar. It contains a non-Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas" novelty number and the NSFW "It's My Fault."
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen A TREE FALLS
A Tree Falls is a singer-songwriter album about being rejected or ignored. It asks the question, "if a tree falls in a forest ... does anyone give a @$#!?" The answer is no. Whether it is jobs, crushes, acquaintances, friends, roommates, or audiences, the album addresses crushing indifference with a mix of subtle wry humor and pathos.
All songs written by David W. Jacobsen |