Video

Audio

  1. Exit Velvet Symphony 3:10
  2. Surface Velvet Symphony 3:04
  3. Horizon Velvet Symphony 4:33
  4. Clock It Velvet Symphony 4:40
  5. Broken Window Velvet Symphony 4:02
  6. Going To Jupiter Velvet Symphony 2:18
  7. Labyrinth Velvet Symphony 3:44
  8. Atmospheric Pressure Velvet Symphony 4:18
  9. Cloud Parade Velvet Symphony 4:41
  10. Metal Circus Velvet Symphony 6:41

Lyrics

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Instrumental 

Written By
Ed Melendez

Musicians

All Instruments
Ed Melendez

Details

Release Date
November 23, 2012
Artist/Band
Velvet Symphony
Album Title
Counter Clockwise
Sound Engineer
Ed Melendez
Music Producer
Ed Melendez
Album Design
Ed Melendez
Music Genre
Instrumental, Art-Rock
Progressive Rock
Catalog Ref#
GT-1017
Audio Format
Digital Download, Streaming
Music Label
Glittertown Records ©2012

The Album

I am a songwriter and keyboardist passionate about music styles that color outside the lines. Early progressive rock bands like Yes, Genesis, Styx, Kansas, The Moody Blues, and neo-progressive rock groups like Marillion, Saga, Dream Theater, and Porcupine Tree have always been my favorites. However, I also enjoy songs that work well in a pop and commercial format, as I am a huge fan of bubble gum pop.

Although I had no formal musical training, I had an ear for creating music early in my career. The process came naturally to me. I started composing theater projects in my early teens and taught myself how to play the piano and multi-track before I graduated high school. After high school, I played in a number of bands in the late 80s and early 90s, which gave me more and more knowledge of how music works.

My Velvet Symphony project inspired me to attempt to create an entirely instrumental art rock album. I wanted to put all the skills I had acquired over my last 20-plus years as a musician, producer, engineer, and composer to work.
To start, I came up with ten catchy riffs, each about a minute and a half long, including a melody with drums, guitar, bass, and keys. Once I settled on the ten riffs, I began with the last riff I had written, followed by the completion of that song, and then I completed each in its entirety. The practical working model proved effective for the album as it enabled the rapid development of each piece of music.

However, as I arrived at the final riff, which was the first one I had written, the sound began to feel too repetitive, stagnant, and outdated. Writer’s block started to set in, and I began to consider the option of either creating another song to replace it or completely discarding the riff and starting anew. But I felt I had come too far. I had finished all nine songs, so I begrudgingly moved forward and ultimately was able to finish the song to my complete satisfaction.

The final album, Counter Clockwise, features ten tracks arranged in the opposite order of how they were written and completed. This album is available on iTunes, Amazon.com, Spotify, and other streaming platforms. I hope you enjoy Velvet Symphony’s debut album, and check out some reviews here.

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