Cjbeards - Waiting For YouCjbeards2024-10-15 | Cjbeards - Waiting For YouCjbeards - Cast A VillainCjbeards2024-10-04 | My goal for many of my upcoming songs in this next phase is to take a more playful approach and build on some sounds from my previous album, with the big exception of this dark song. I actually spent more time working on this song than any song in the past and while I don’t expect it to be the most popular, it turned into something truly unique that I’m really proud of. I based this song on the experience of the Joker (particularly from the 2019 film) and the idea that “a villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told”. You might notice two distinct voices in the song: one in the present and a darker voice from the past shaping the present voice into a villain. Maybe you can spot some Joker quotes as well :). I hope you all like the journey this one takes you on and the new look, I’ll be back with a bit more fun soon!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-cast-a-villain-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - Cast A VillainCjbeards2024-10-04 | ...Cjbeards - Masquerade [Album]Cjbeards2024-08-30 | I loved having had the chance to experiment with new styles while revisiting some sounds from my earlier works on this album. With each album I feel like my sound gets closer and closer to what I want it to be, and I feel excited to have discovered a few new styles that can serve as a foundation for songs on the next album! Plus, releasing two songs in one day might just be a personal record. Thanks again to everyone who’s been following along, and as per usual I'll be back next month with something new to shake things up!
00:00 Masquerade 02:16 Silent Night 05:24 Paint My Masterpiece 07:48 Imposter 10:38 Disturbia 13:29 All The Way Down 16:46 Holding Out For A Hero (feat. Kate Glock) 19:49 Boo Hoo (feat. Scarlett) 22:53 Black White Red 25:37 Guren No Yumiya (feat. Nick Eyra) 27:41 Marionette 29:43 Through The Darkness 31:27 Bad Luck (feat. DEVMO)
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-bad-luck-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - Through The DarknessCjbeards2024-08-30 | This track came about when I went back and listened to a previous song of mine “Trick Or Traitor”, and noticed how it almost sounded like the kick was breaking my speaker. Well, using that kick as a baseline, I decided to try making something chaotic, in your face, and truly having you question whether it was the song or your speakers exploding. I hope it did just that!
▶ Free music usage and how to credit: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZTM7nf4Uia19c-NQheqPnLAk1Bs6NS6XZiLt7Mk4Z1Q/edit?usp=sharingCjbeards - Bad Luck (feat. DEVMO)Cjbeards2024-08-30 | ...Cjbeards - Through The DarknessCjbeards2024-08-30 | ...Cjbeards - MarionetteCjbeards2024-07-26 | I’ve mentioned this before but in my creation process the majority of songs, especially when trying something new, can take a fair amount of time to make, while a minority of songs have all their pieces seemingly fit together in no time. Surprisingly, the latter usually turns into a better result and this was one of those cases, with a style you’ll be hearing more of in the future :), so I hope you all like it!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-marionette-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - MarionetteCjbeards2024-07-26 | ...Cjbeards - Guren No Yumiya (feat. Nick Eyra)Cjbeards2024-06-28 | I’m not sure who would have had this cover on their Cjbeards bingo card but here we are! I originally made this song as a challenge for a friend who loved anime hardstyle remixes, with Attack On Titan and its theme being a favorite of mine. And shoutout to Nick for nailing the vocal! Looking forward to the next one!
▶ Nick: instagram.com/nickeyraband youtube.com/@nickeyrabandCjbeards - Guren No Yumiya (feat. Nick Eyra)Cjbeards2024-06-28 | ...Cjbeards - Black White RedCjbeards2024-05-31 | Last year I was watching “Vikings Valhalla” and after some of the episodes this eerie but somewhat epic end credits song played and after hearing it a couple times I was inspired to mess around with some of the sounds and chords. It definitely took a bit of a cyberpunk turn, but I hope you all like how it turned out! Also adding a link to the end credits song below as a reminder to myself where this came from :)
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-black-white-red-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - Black White RedCjbeards2024-05-31 | ...Cjbeards - Boo Hoo (feat. Scarlett)Cjbeards2024-04-26 | I originally created this song as another take on the ending string melody from one of my previous songs, “By My Side”. After having gone back I realized how much I loved that melody, and with Scarlett nailing the vocal as per usual, when all was said and done this song turned out to be a new favorite of mine. Looking forward to exploring this style more in the future!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-boo-hoo-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - Boo Hoo (feat. Scarlett)Cjbeards2024-04-26 | ...Cjbeards - Holding Out For A Hero (feat. Kate Glock)Cjbeards2024-04-05 | What do you get when you combine the popular Shrek song (Holding Out For a Hero), epic electric guitars, and my darker song “Hostage”? You guessed it, this song! Hope it makes for an interesting combination, looking forward to the next one!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-holding-out-for-a-hero-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - Holding Out For A HeroCjbeards2024-04-05 | ...Cjbeards - All The Way DownCjbeards2024-03-08 | I had some fun playing around with a new and more organic sounding string plugin for this song (which you can hear in the intro), and initially wrote lyrics in the third person that were a bit more meaningful than usual, involving the struggle of watching something you care about slowly pass away. But as with many of my songs the initial idea changed, in this case to a more self reflective view and ending on a slightly positive note. A little different but hope you all like it!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-all-the-way-down-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - All The Way DownCjbeards2024-03-08 | ...Cjbeards - DisturbiaCjbeards2024-02-09 | Going back through some older songs I heard the word “Disturbia” from the song by Rihanna and instantly thought I could put an interesting take on it. Switching out the “bum bum be-dum” with choirs, adding in strings, bringing in that smooth bass, mixing in a great male vocalist (which I’m loving doing to change-up female songs) among a number of other things, and we hopefully have ourselves an interesting take!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-disturbia-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - DisturbiaCjbeards2024-02-09 | ...Cjbeards - ImposterCjbeards2024-01-19 | I realized It has actually been a couple of years since I released an electronic style song without vocals. While I didn’t initially set out to make this one an instrumental, during the process the song ended up feeling pretty whole by itself and I decided it would be best to take a page out of my old book and keep it that way. This was also giving me “Among Us” vibes for some reason and so, I hope you all like “Imposter”!
▶ Free music usage and how to credit: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZTM7nf4Uia19c-NQheqPnLAk1Bs6NS6XZiLt7Mk4Z1Q/edit?usp=sharingCjbeards - ImposterCjbeards2024-01-19 | ...Cjbeards - Paint My MasterpieceCjbeards2023-12-29 | I’ve been a big fan of the music from Riot Games (League of Legends, Valorant) and their various featured artists over the years and so I initially created this song as part of the "League of Legends - Remix Rumble" challenge around a month ago. In the process I decided to adapt an existing song I was working on and write original lyrics based on the darker psychotic character "Jhin" from the game who "believes murder is art”... so naturally he fit my current vibe pretty well, hope you all like how it turned out!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-paint-my-masterpiece-lyricsCjbeards - Paint My MasterpieceCjbeards2023-12-29 | ...Cjbeards - Silent NightCjbeards2023-12-01 | Last year around this time someone I know mentioned I could make a great Christmas song. What that idea turned into however was a different story and likely not what they had in mind…that being said here is my spin on this classic, happy early Christmas!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-silent-night-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - Silent NightCjbeards2023-12-01 | ...Cjbeards - MasqueradeCjbeards2023-11-03 | Whenever I feel I’ve made something really original and the start of something new I’ve liked to use that as my break point to start the next set of songs. “Sticks And Stones” was a great example where I felt the style was both me and really original, and it started a new theme with twisting certain popular expressions. I also think it has been great to group songs and be able to look back at how my sound has progressed through those different periods. And now here we are with ‘Masquerade’, a new favorite of mine including one of my favorite go-to vocalists, to kickstart a new look. Also fun fact, I remember being initially inspired to make this song by some of the music from the “Werewolf by Night” Marvel Special. So let’s pull back the curtain and discover what the next chapter has in store shall we!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-masquerade-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - MasqueradeCjbeards2023-11-03 | ...Cjbeards - Twisted Expression [Album]Cjbeards2023-10-13 | And here it is the full "Twisted Expression" album! Which one was your favorite? About to mix things up as per usual next month, see you all again soon!
00:00 Sticks And Stones (feat. Scarlett) 03:17 Deep End 05:38 Mirror Mirror 08:40 From The Shadows 10:48 Trick Or Traitor 13:23 Kill This Love 15:24 Hand That Feeds Ya 17:52 Swimming With Sharks 20:56 I See Fire 24:08 Bad Deeds 26:30 Scaredy Catty 28:36 Box Office Killer 30:57 Silent
▶ Free music usage and how to credit: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZTM7nf4Uia19c-NQheqPnLAk1Bs6NS6XZiLt7Mk4Z1Q/edit?usp=sharingCjbeards - SilentCjbeards2023-10-13 | A while ago when I made “Silent And Grey” I was originally planning to release both the vocal version and a separate instrumental version called “Silent”. I decided against it but have always loved the instrumental and after releasing the updated version, “Mirror Mirror”, I wanted to officially throw this one out there as its own song, despite you all probably being tired of it by now. And that’s it folks!… well for this album anyway, coming back soon with a switch up, see you there!
▶ Free music usage and how to credit: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZTM7nf4Uia19c-NQheqPnLAk1Bs6NS6XZiLt7Mk4Z1Q/edit?usp=sharingCjbeards - SilentCjbeards2023-10-13 | ...Cjbeards - Box Office KillerCjbeards2023-09-29 | This song is a bit different from my usual style with a slightly more pop feel and some pretty minimal instrumental parts in the intro and bridge. I’m noticing it can be very difficult to make a vocal sound in-key and powerful by itself but I hope you like this attempt at a slightly different style (and still some darkness for those that listen till the end). Enjoy the slick animation and my first “explicit” song!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-box-office-killer-lyrics?bagon=1Cjbeards - Box Office KillerCjbeards2023-09-29 | ...Cjbeards - Scaredy CattyCjbeards2023-08-31 | In the second drop of “Sweetest Dreams” I had a combination of sounds that I really wanted to revisit and build a full song around, with my own unique lyrics. That idea turned into this catchy dark track with a returning vocalist that I think just nails the vibe. Is scaredy-catty even a real word? Who knows, but I hope you all like it!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-scaredy-catty-lyrics?bagon=1Scaredy CattyCjbeards2023-08-31 | ...Cjbeards - Bad DeedsCjbeards2023-08-04 | Sometimes instead of starting a song completely from scratch I’ll play around in one of my past project files with some of the instruments and sounds I like. Eventually at a certain point the song will take a turn and introduce either a new element or combination of those past sounds, turning it into its own thing. That was the case with this song after messing around in the “Sticks And Stones” project file for some time and stumbling across some wildly panned strings. Hope you all like a bit of a return to the dark side!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-bad-deeds-lyrics?bagon=1Bad DeedsCjbeards2023-08-04 | ...Cjbeards - I See FireCjbeards2023-07-13 | I’ve long been a big fan of The Lord of the Rings and subsequently The Hobbit, and the Ed Sheeran song “I See Fire” that plays at the end of the second Hobbit movie always felt so moving and powerful to me. One day after listening to it again I was inspired to stack a slice of my style onto the song. This one’s definitely pretty different from my usual sound and still keeps some elements of the original tune in there, but I think (hope) if you listen till the very end you won’t be disappointed.
▶ Acoustic guitar played by Gabriele Cento gabrielecento.comI See FireCjbeards2023-07-13 | ...Cjbeards - Swimming With SharksCjbeards2023-06-21 | When going back through some of my older songs I remembered the down pitching string melody from “Nothing Without You” I really liked, and when playing around with it some more, that string melody turned into a wild electric guitar melody. After adding some gnarly basses, percussion, an awesome singer, and even some lion growls if you can spot them, the result turned into this somewhat alternative/rock style song. I also loved this singer’s voice and you will for sure be hearing him in an interesting darker tone in the future. Hope you all like it!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-swimming-with-sharks-lyrics?bagon=1Swimming With Sharks 🦈Cjbeards2023-06-21 | ...Cjbeards - Hand That Feeds YaCjbeards2023-06-02 | It has been a little while since I’ve made a vocal song with a drop that didn’t have a vocal focus (and a while since I’ve brought back a dancy feel), so I figured it was time. I might also be listening a bit too much to the SALT playlist on Spotify with all these edgy lyrics…, but even so I hope you all like how this one turned out, see ya at the next one!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-hand-that-feeds-ya-lyrics?bagon=1Hand That Feeds YaCjbeards2023-06-02 | ...Cjbeards - Kill This LoveCjbeards2023-05-12 | A while back I was watching a trailer for the movie “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” and towards the end heard “Kill This Love” by Blackpink. I had heard the song before but for some reason after hearing the chorus in the trailer I was inspired to put my own spin on it. I also decided to do something a bit different with this cover and change the korean lyrics of the original to be entirely in english. Lastly I ended up revamping one of my previous songs to make this one, I wonder if you can tell which one :).
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-kill-this-love-lyrics?bagon=1BLACKPINK Meets Dark TrapCjbeards2023-05-12 | ...Cjbeards - Trick Or TraitorCjbeards2023-04-21 | I couldn’t leave you all hanging on my last short instrumental, so two weeks later here we are! You might be able to tell from the lyrics I made this song around Halloween time, and had quite a bit of fun experimenting with some gnarly bass sounds. I’ll be back soon!
▶ Lyrics: genius.com/Cjbeards-trick-or-traitor-lyrics?bagon=1Trick Or Traitor 😈Cjbeards2023-04-21 | ...Cjbeards - From The ShadowsCjbeards2023-04-07 | Surprisingly I struggled quite a bit to finish this song. Once the intro orchestral part was made (0:00 - 1:08) I had no idea where to take it. After experimenting with some heavy percussion and a double time arpeggio of the intro strings however, the pieces started to connect. This also turned out to be the first instrumental song I’ve done in over a year, with a few more coming down the pipeline. Hope y’all like it!