Vaccine - Cosmic Bos Improv Squared (Official Music Video)

 Hello friends,

With the full album coming out very soon (1st April in fact), Cosmic Bos would like to turn your attention towards our latest single 'Vaccine'.

It is advised that you listen to the song at least twice to make sure you are fully Vaccinated, but for complete coverage it is advised you listen at least once a day.

This song has been released alongside a companion A side, 'Sir, France is 'cross the Sea, See' which will be getting the video treatment too, we just haven't finished it yet (it has been filmed, just needs editing)

The music for Vaccine was made by doing layered improvisation, with our special guest Chris Mace joining the Bos bro's, meaning only two rounds were needed (although we may have done three rounds, I scares remember). The music was then matched up with a previously written poem by Andy Jackson called 'Vaccine'. 

Here is the original full poem

VACCINE by Andy Jackson

The world is a scary and dangerous place

But based on the numbers, the human race

Is doing just peachy and spreading out quickly

You can tell coz the host body’s getting quite sickly

Could it be true, just like the flu

We are the virus, the variants too

Earth did some healing when we stared at the ceiling,

Imagine if earth gets the vaccine for you

Sure we are clever and built for adaption

But Gia’s been having an allergic reaction 

She’s depleted and requires serious attention 

It’s unmediated, A Greta intervention 

We are the virus, earth is the host

She’s having a stroke, can you smell burning toast?

We’ve got to act fast, we risk getting the ghost

If toxic shock sets in we’ve an hour at most

Harmonious living tween host and microbes 

The employees are wearing the emperor’s clothes

Earthquake, tsunamis, volcanos and fires

Are vaccines for us, the deadliest virus

Heart disease, cancer, common colds and flu 

Are all types of vaccine, if the virus is you

So bigger picture, it isn’t all gloom

Let’s change our behaviour, there’s still wiggle room 

Old ways of thinking should remain in the tomb

Stop staring at Lara with a hundred times zoom

We are just moments on a timeline of plenty

We enter with nothing and pretend we aren’t empty 

But once we’re fulfilled any more is just greedy

The overspill should be providing the needy

And anything we take we give in return 

Earth owe us nothing, we need to learn

Ignorance is letting half of the world burn

Self fulfilling vaccine as the tables turn 

...

Few more words there then in the song, but there was no way to fit the whole poem in so it got a little butchered to fit the music.

Coming of the 1st April is the full album Cosmic Bos Improv Squared: Petite Champignon de Lumiere

11 tracks, all in some way crafted using our new music making technique, Improv Squared. Including the singled 'Faded Memories', 'Ensemble Story', 'Astral Underwear', 'Forever Bruised', 'Vaccine' and 'Sir, France is 'cross the Sea, See'.

As previously mentioned, there is another video to come for this album, and then potentially another one after that for the song 'Back is Back'. More on that to follow.

The album will also be getting a bandcamp release to hopefully get us some much needed revenue.

Thanks for being awesome

Please leave us a comment, or share this with your friends

Peace and infinite love

Cosmic Bos

P.S - Here's the YouTube version for anyone who prefers their music videos served up in that particular fashion, or if the podcast one above doesn't work.

Forever Bruised - Cosmic Bos (Official Music Video)

 Hello friends,

Oh what a world we live in, not much point in trying to comment on it,

Forever Bruised - Cosmic Bos

Lyrics by Dayne Howcroft

Music by Cosmic Bos

Please like, share and subscribe

New single coming next week 19th March

Peace and infinite love

Cosmic Bos

Artwork by Dayne Howcroft

Making of an Album Episode 2: Traditional Writing Techniques (Cosmic Bos Improv Music Podcast Season 4)

 Well hello dear friends,

Welcome to episode 2 of our Making of an Album series, this time (as you already know from having read the title of this blog) we tackle song writing, in particular, traditional song writing techniques.

Subscribe to our podcast on your preferred podcast platform Direct Podcast Page

Album artwork by Dayne Howcroft

Nick and Andy (Cosmic Bos) collectively have several hundred songs to their names, and here they breakdown the fundamentals of songwriting, examining structure and form, before writing a song in front of your very ears.

Visited several times throughout the episode, Nick and Andy sat over two sessions and wrote a song from start to finish. Here we try to show you the creative process in its raw state.

Nick and Andy also talk about the history of songwriting, as well as their own personal histories of songwriting, including several examples from their songbooks.

The first proper song you hear in this episode is Astral Underwear, a song that Cosmic Bos created using their new musical construction method, Improv Squared (More on this in the next episode).

In the middle of the episode you are treated to two songs from Andy and Nicks songbooks.

Love Defined is by Andy Jackson and is about his wife

Spontaneous Plan is by Nick Jackson and is about his wife

Both songs are available on Cosmic Bos From the Songbook (2020), and right here in youtube form too

Email cosmicbos@gmail.com with your favourite wife

The episode concludes with our other double A side single 'Forever Bruised', which is acoustically written music by Andy and Nick over a haunting poem by Dayne Howcroft.

This was a rollercoaster ride to make, and we loved it, hopefully there is something useful and insightful about our ramblings about writing songs, and we also hope that we have demystified the process a bit, and shown how really anyone could write songs if it was what they wanted to do. 

If you want to get involved in our musical shenanigans drop us an email at cosmicbos@gmail.com 

We also really appreciate feedback, and would love to hear your own songwriting stories, comment on this post or better yet, comment on the youtube video version of this episode so we can all share the musical love. 

Peace and infinite love

Cosmic Bos

Astral Underwear - Cosmic Bos Improv(Squared) (Official Music Video)

 Hello lovely friends,

Astral Underwear - Cosmic Bos

From the upcoming album

Improv Squared - Petit Champignon de Lumiere 

Andy and Nick created this song using improvisation layering, the beat, bass and synth were played in first round, then vocals and more synth, then backing vocals. Filming each round, the video was made by boxing up the performance and overlaying some stock footage.

The lyric was prewritten by Andy in the Book of Songs (or BoS as we call it) and it reads a little something like this...

ASTRAL UNDERWEAR

Artwork by Dayne Howcroft

Sitting still, at a desk, with a tie flopped on my chest
Counting seconds, lunchtime beacons, need the valuable rest
It’s hard on the knees, with legs lazy as these
Every movement, needs improvement, I won’t pass the test

But who cares?
The outside world is cruel and unfair
They stare
But no-one can see my astral underwear
I’m here
And simultaneously everywhere
I’m this
And everything else in between

Sit around, from sat to seated, shower, bed, repeat repeated
Counting days, rest is coming, long time been defeated
It’s hard on the head, cycling, work, home, bed
These energy levels are vastly depleted
Oh these energy levels are vastly depleted

But who cares?
The social world is cruel and unfair
Don’t share
Your invincible astral underwear
You’re here
Whilst simultaneously everywhere
Your you
And everything you ever want to do

While in astral clothing
Banish self loathing
Become anything you desire

Guarantee it will suit you
From flower to cashew
Be seagull, be water, be fire

Be anything you can desire
Be anything you can desire

...

Please like, share and subscribe

And if you would like to feature in an upcoming Improv Squared song, email us at cosmicbos@gmail.com for details.

Astral Underwear is paired with another song 'Forever Bruised' which is available on Spotify, Amazon etc. and will get it's own video treatment next weekend. It is quite the polar opposite as far as songs go, with a raw acoustic sound and powerful lyrics by Dayne Howcroft. 

Thanks for being awesome, we love ya

YouTube version for ya

Peace and infinite love

Cosmic Bos

P.S - Coming 1st March is the next instalment in our Making of an Album series, check it out.

Ensemble Story - Cosmic Bos (Official Music Video)

 Hell oh friends,

It's time for a music video, something we here at Cosmic Bos like to make to go along with our songs.

Ensemble Story - Cosmic Bos

Written and recorded by Andy and Nick Jackson

This song was one of the very first experiments in improv(squared) music creation. By improvising a 4 minute sound bed, Cosmic Bos layered on Guitar and Synth, followed by Bass and Vocal, and finally Backing Vocals, to create their 'Ensemble Story'.

Nick and Andy filmed themselves doing this, and that is what you are seeing in the video. Pure visual representation of music creation.

The lyrics were prewritten by Andy, and they go a little something like this:

Cover art by Dayne Howcroft

ENSEMBLE STORY

The weekend brings new music
Old music repackaged
Sounds remixed and reimagined
Sampled sounds of someone banging

Sun will shine some of the time
Under stars from galactic prime
Transitory won’t need glory
Existence is an ensemble story

The moon shows on a cycle
Orbits to plot changes by

Dreams remixed and reimagined
Cold truth leaves us somewhat damaged

Sun won’t shine all of the time
Over these hazy hopes of mine
Mandatory loss of glory
Life is an ensemble story

Song part of Cosmic Bos
Making of an Album podcast

Sit in meditative contemplation
Calmly size up our situation
For all is dust once said and done
Infinite shards of only one

Sun would shine all of the time
Resistance is our only crime
Momentary mandatory
Part of this ensemble story

...

...Here be the youtube link for all you YouTubians out there

Thank you for listening, please like, share and subscribe

Also, reviews and comments really help out us struggling creatives, so, if you've got the time, please

Peace and infinite love

Cosmic Bos

Making of an Album Episode 1: Introduction (Cosmic Bos Improv Music Podcast Season 4)

 Hello friends,

Welcome to the first episode of our limited series 'Making of an Album'

How does one make an album?

That is the question at the heart of this special podcast presentation, and Nick & Andy from Cosmic Bos are going to break it down for you, from writing the songs, to demo stage, full recording and producing, before tackling making music videos and finally releasing the finished album.

It will hopefully be a wonderful experience for all, and we shall learn along the journey together.

What qualifies you to be doing this Making of an Album series? I've never heard of you!

A fine question indeed, and true, that Cosmic Bos is not exactly a well known musical outfit, but in our defence, we have been making music for a long time, with over 20 albums of improvised/revised music available and several other proper albums sprinkled through our past.

Go on then, tell us about Cosmic Bos.

Cosmic Bos came into existence back in 2016, and we released our debut album '7 Billion' in 2017, which has been followed by 3 Seasons of Improvised music podcasting.

Direct link to our podcast

In 2021 Cosmic Bos released 'Virtual Normality' EP, a 5 track proper record, that was designed as the taster for this very Album of a Making podcast project.

So as you can see, we have made a lot of music, which qualifies us to appoint ourselves as qualified to make a podcast about making an album. Ultimately the measure of success of aforementioned project is an actual album existing at the end of it all, which, we confidently think there will be, also, Cosmic Bos is not affiliated with any record labels, so our interest in making an album is legitimately about Making a GOOD album of real music, not a product for lining already overlined pockets.

All music featured in this podcast was made by Cosmic Bos and is available to hear or if you can afford it, buy, at all good online musical stores.

Tracklist for Episode 1

1. Faded Memories
2. Take it Easier (from 'Virtual Normality' EP)
3. Ride Another Wave (from 'Virtual Normality' EP)
4. Where the Warp-zones Are (from '7 Billion')
5. Let's Go Dancing (from 'Ep.14: Utopia in a Cornucopia')
6. Ensemble Story

Both Faded Memories & Ensemble Story come from our upcoming new Improv(squared) album and are both available now.

Here's a Spotify player for convenient listening needs.

Check out the videos for our double A side singles in our podcast feed and on our youtube (or instagram if that's your thang)

We hope you have found this informative and interesting, as the series progresses we will delve into much greater depth on all the in's and out's of album construction, and hopefully we will learn a thing or two on the journey. It's exciting and fills the existential crisis hole that forever questions if we are all just living in a simulation that was literally turned on only twenty minutes ago, and all our memories are merely loaded in code, and our hopes and dreams are just glitches in a system that teeters on collapse under it's own weight at any given moment. Ahem.

Peace and infinite love

Cosmic Bos

P.s - can you leave our podcast a review on your preferred podcast consumption device, it really helps us out. Love ya.

Faded Memories - Cosmic Bos (Official Music Video)

 Hello friends,

Ahead of the introduction episode of 'Making of an Album', Cosmic Bos present to you 'Faded Memories'

Faded Memories - Cosmic Bos

Music by Andy and Nick Jackson

Lyrics and Artwork by Dayne Howcroft

This is the A side to the double A side single released 1st Feb 2022, along with its A sided brother 'Ensemble Story'.

The first taster of our upcoming Improv(squared) project, 'Faded Memories' was a poem that Dayne Howcroft gave to Andy Jackson to turn into a song, along with another poem that will appear on the album. Constructed quickly, Andy and Nick recorded the guitars and vocals first, before adding bass and synths (and another cheeky guitar). In a matter of half hour the song was all recorded, then Nick did the producer thing and Bam! Song done.

FADED MEMORIES by Dayne Howcroft

Fourteen years old, the picture was clear
All set for adventure, no need to fear
With total control of the road ahead
The future was never a dream to dread

 

Wasting time on a hot summers day

No wasted laughter, my mind portrayed

A life of freedom, with hope and meaning

That picture gave me, something to believe in

Time slipped slowly, right through my hands

Back then I could never quite understand

How life can be brutal, how life can be cruel

I guess I forgot the golden rule

Never look back and regret what is done

Because life can be beautiful if you're willing to run

...

Here is the youtube link if you prefer you links to be tube based

Peace and infinite love

Cosmic Bos