“The Making Of An Album” β Q&A
What goes into making an album?
Today, we answer all your questions about what goes into the creation of an album. Having recently released our 11th record of 12 new original songs, we thought now might be a good time to go over the questions you have been submitting on the topic.
Some of the questions were more specifically about the album WHY? so we kept those aside as we are also planning on making a deep dive Q&A about the album soon. You can submit all your Q’s about it HERE. Ask us about specific songs, lyrics, the album cover, studio stories background info, etc. etc. π
But today we’re answering those questions that were more on the general topic of “making an album”.
We hope you enjoy this insight into what goes on leading up to a new release and thank everyone who submitted a question.
Stay groovy,
Mona & Lisa
This is a lovely piece. What is interesting is how you talk about the MLT as not being ‘native speakers’ and this might compromise your work. Your diction is absolutely spot on.
A person born in India who had to learn English when he came to the UK is Cliff Richard. Diction he learned, and in interviews he attributes it to part of his success and really other than Elvis and the Beatles nobody has been more successful in this country.
You can always hear the words when the MLT sing as you can with Cliff. This is so impressive
‘Why’ is a fantastic album and thank you for sharing the creative process
What a joy to watch your happy smiling faces.
How I enjoy these chats! It’s clear that you have a great understanding and masterful skill in making an album, like Jung said, so many parallels with The Beatles. George was known for doing many harmony tracks and then cutting back.
I’m glad you’re focusing on new music, and not redoing the old ones. First, we’re always looking forward to new music and also I think songs have their timing and are part of the energy/alchemy/chemistry of the time their born, even if they end up being classics, going beyond their time, I think songs benefit from the right timing. Which also means that difficult decision of when to stop tweaking and letting it go.
I was laughing at the compression explanations, because I always think of a wave form of a compressed song as a “sausage” and one not compressed as a “kebab”. I’m weird, I know.
Night Owls, yes, normally I work best at night, too, but it’s been getting to an extreme, so I’ve been trying to keep daylight hours too, as some of these short days my sleep schedule been so off that I didn’t get to see any daylight at all.
Thank you!
As a German living in Canada, I’m actually unsure if your songs bear any accent of an “Γsi” (that’s an endearing German Term for Austrians).
Whilst for the most part your singing-English is pristine and close to perfect, you do sometimes show some diversion in the way you sing your “aaa” sounds… eg. your song-pronunciation of words such as “heart” or “are” sounds almost Australian, which I’m not sure, you picked up in Australia or is due to Austrians having a tendency to drag out the vowels of many German words. Could be either π
Anyways, compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger, your “wΓΆrk” is pretty much accent free π
ο»Ώ
I love your parallels with the Beatles creative process, and just like them you are going in the studio and creating music with all kinds of innovative effects and instruments not limiting yourself, not worried about whether they can be performed live or not. The music and creativity is more important. If the Beatles had not focused on the studio like they did, the music landscape would be so much less right now, and love that you have the same philosophy to your music and creativity. You are creating complex symphonic masterpieces just like the Beatles. WHY? is such a complex breathtaking work of art masterpiece.
Thank you for this great video, Team MLT
This is a great video presentation, loaded with good information and it’s good to hear snippets from The Future. I really like Mona and Lisa’s writing style, their original melody lines, and particularly in this video hearing the isolated vocals track for Why? is special.
I’ve been listening to this song over and over again and really noticed the vocal excellence, the clean harmony, and overall writing with this song, Why?
The MonaLisa Twins is just a good, all around musical group or maybe better stated, the MLTs have their act together.
I honestly get a lot out of hearing their original songs and always have. Not unlike The Beatles, the MonaLisa Twins’s chemistry is present. You can hear it. This group has it together.
Very informative video with some great questions! Thanks for taking two of mine (not saying they were the great ones, of course). The bit about layering vocals reminded me both of how “Why?” has a full vocal sound but doesn’t lose the texture of the individual voices, unlike, say, some Mamas and Papas, which can be a bit too homogenous for my tastes; and how “Raise Your Head” has some “aaaahhh” filling out the background that I’d never noticed until watching the video. The new album is full of little embellishments, it’s a voyage of musical discovery to listen intently with headphones.
Getting a couple of questions answered I feel almost like I’ve arrived as an MLT Club member! Groovy!
Very enjoyable Q&A. As many have already posted, I just like listening to the ladies talk.
It’s been a little over a week since I’ve received the 3 albums of original music in cd form, and I’ve listened to all about a dozen times. So am now familiar as individual works, rather than random songs on Youtube. The MLT sound has been tweaked/expanded since “When Were Together”, but there are a handful of tunes (“Nothing is in Vain”, “Any Other Day”, “Close To You”, etc) that would fit comfortably on any of the records.
I think most artists realize the necessity of not making the same album over and over again. And the dedicated fan is usually willing to stick with them, as long as the sound doesn’t stray too far from what drew them to the music in the first place. I’m old school, so still think all ya really need is 2 guitars, bass & drums. That’s what brought be to the MLT, watching those live band performances, mostly from the Cavern Club. And probably not surprising that “When Were Together” (and even more stripped down “Duo Sessions”) probably registers strongest with me. Regardless of song style, there’s always those sublime vocals to appreciate. So I’m in for the long haul, and will anxiously follow them on their melodious musical journey.
Thanks for sharing. I love your music and wish you all the best with your new album. At the risk of being slammed, I have to offer this advise from an old University of Texas football coach, Darrell Royal. “Dance with the one who brung you.” What made me set up and take notice of you was your covers of old Beatles tunes. The harmonies, the guitars were awesome. Then you covered more British Invasion stars equally as well. Keep on keeping on. Give us the new, but also give us the old covers. Love ya.
Thanks so much for putting this together. It is always fun learning what lengths you go to find just the right sound. Nowadays it is easy to find any sound effect you can think of on line. But you liked the sound of a particular carousel at a particular amusement park, soβ¦I love the fact that you made your own water bubbles effect. Did you know that David Gilmour used his wah-wah pedal to make the seagull sounds on Pink Floydβs epic βEchoesβ?
Apparently someone accidentally plugged his pedal in backwards at a gig and it made that sound. He later made very good use of that technique.
I love your method of throwing everything in and then peeling bits back to reveal your masterpiece hidden underneath. I think Gilmour once said the rests are just as important as the notes. (paraphrasing) I thought of that when you discussed the gap length between each song. I fear I may become obsessed with that little nugget as I listen to Why? or any album, for that matter. One, two, three. Wait that one wasnβt three seconds?
I am picturing you following Neve around like a documentary crew waiting for that happy chirp she made the other day. Then she finally does it and you forget to hit record. It is frustrating when actors refuse to perform.
These Q&Aβs are great.Question after question, Iβd love you even more πΆ
Marlo & JP
in case anyone else caught it, I am choosing not say my name as spelled.
Hello Ladies
A very interesting Q And A today.
I see Mona had the need for that fresh air that Lisa can’t get to. (Mona sitting taller) π€£ π Lisa you forgot your cushions. π π€£ π
Did Neve help mix and choose the order of songs on Why? As part of her agreement to appear on the album? I know she insisted on a solo on her song. (The end)
The little touches on each song is all a part of the MonaLisa Twins Magic that you have with each detail on all your work. It was wonderful to hear some of the things each member of Team MLT does.
Maybe one day you can (if you don’t mind) go into a little detail what each one does.
Thanks again Ladies for a very entertaining video.
Best
Rick Ross
Really enjoyed that.
Another very informative and interesting Q&A session! I always learn something in these sessions.
I had to laugh a bit when you mentioned the mispronunciation of “egomaniacal”. I’ve mispronounced that word before, and I’ll I bet I screw up English pronunciations as often as you might. English is a terrible language to learn, and most of us who grew up with it are still trying to learn it. The “H” in herb is silent in America and pronounced in British. We put “I before E except after C” but just try to make that work in reality. Yet somehow, it’s people who speak English as a first language that seem more often to be monolingual. And … many English words are becoming immersed in other languages, and perhaps one day all languages will be just as bad.
Thank you for this “themed” Q&A. Now I know why it takes so long to get to the finished product. Kudos to Rudy (how fortunate you are to have a father who is also an exceptional producer). Actually kudos to the MLT team. I believe you guys are the best thing going on YouTube. I look forward tot he next Duo Sessions. Stay groovy. Peace Be.
You covered lots of things I didn’t know and I found them all really interesting. The whole topic of mixing could justify a video in itself.
Thx again for an excellent Q&A!!
Fascinating! As far as the term “filler” goes, with respect to anything MLT has ever done, simply does not exist. Concept, writing, arranging, performance and production is always a profound exercise in attention to detail and genius. How they can do this and remain such charming and lovable people is astounding. It’s such a joy and privilege getting to hear you share the thoughts and feelings behind your creations.
I usually wind up writing these comments as though I were addressing Mona and Lisa directly when, in fact, they’re general observations for everyone and Mona and Lisa probably won’t even actually read them. So just substitute “they” as appropriate… π
I’m always blown away by your mastery of English. Asking native speakers to check it is a good idea, but keep in mind that there are very few native English speakers that know the first thing about speaking English and know about as much about grammar as particle physics. To quote Henry Higgins, “There even are places where English completely disappears; in America they haven’t used it for years.” As ones who actually have had to study it, you speak English far better than most. One thing that is never taught in school (at least in the US) is our own dang language. Nevertheless, one thing that stands out to me every time I hear it is in Janitor Joe, where “why would he risk to get fired” should be “why would he risk getting fired.” But in general, not only are your rare imperfections excusable, they’re often even quite cute, especially in the early stuff (your Alone example is a good one) where your simple bravery not only in performing songs in what was still a pretty foreign language, but doing it in its native country is downright astonishing.
One aspect that got touched on is the song ordering, spacing, etc. There is such an art to that which is largely entirely unknown or forgotten in today’s Spotify landscape, where people listen to songs, not albums. An album makes an overall statement and leaves one in a certain state after listening, and that is largely shaped by those things that make an album more than just a random collection of songs. The same way a well-designed photo or scrapbooking album tells much more of a story than just a stack of prints. Imagine listening to The Wall (Pink Floyd) or Abbey Road on shuffle. Preposterous!
I really enjoyed the way questions that sprang to my mind as I watched this video wound up getting answered a minute later. I was wondering if you ever cut songs or set them aside for later because they just didn’t fit the album. Sometimes you can pile up enough of those (works the same with poems) until you discover serendipitously that many of them all have something in common and rather organically belong together on their own album, which can sometimes feel like a drastic departure from the “normal” sound.
Thanks to everyone who asked such great questions!
I don’t think I’ve come across any English issues in the song lyrics, maybe in the very early days maybe but the care Mona and Lisa take to ensure things are as good and accurate as possible is always impressive and greatly valued. I also admire the track order on Why? as I don’t think it could be better and agree that is an art. Even Sgt Pepper originally had a different order for side 1 before the final release.
Greetings,
A member asked if the Twins ever, or would ever, use a “filler” song to complete an album. Of course, they said no. It got me thinking of other artists albums of the past.
First of all, an album does not necessarily need to have 10 or 12 songs. There have been LP’s with varying number of songs.
Have any of you ever purchased an album with one or maybe two hit songs that you liked, only to find that the rest of the songs on the LP were pretty bad?
I always think back to a band called T. Rex. They had a mega hit record called Bang a Gong (Get It On). In 1972, it reached #1 in the UK and Top 10 in the US.
Besides buying the single 45 rpm record, I bought the album – Electric Warrior.
One of the tracks had the same exact melody as Bang a Gong, with different lyrics.
I forced myself to listen to all the tracks, just for the sake of it, but it was torture lol. I never played it again. I didn’t think it would grow on me.
And just a side note, T. Rex actually kept changing Labels and was with 8 different Labels, at one time or another – why?
I think the Beatles spoiled me by having albums with so many great songs on each.
I believe that Mona & Lisa are trying to do the same. They strive for perfection and have fun doing it. Great work.
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Take good care.
Bobby S.
Thank you!
Wow I never realized I was listening to over 30 instances of each of you when hearing your songs π
Don’t think I could cope with 30 Mona and Lisa’s!
I think you’re alone in that sentiment!πππ€
A very informative Q&A for sure. A lot of interesting questions and in depth answers. I learned a lot about your recording process. Maybe a video showing a step by step process of a studio recording would be interesting. Maybe not. Lol. What do you think? I just want to thank you for all your hard work and all you do for us. I can’t wait for the new Duo Sessions. Peace and Love.
Great video Ladies! I learned quite a bit today. Especially all the thought and work that goes into an album. Iβm sure there are some of us who think it just all comes together somewhat easy when you have a gift, but you explained how there is a lot to consider and do to make the magic.
I always enjoy the q+a videoβs.
Great set of questions which got extensive answers as usual. Love that you have bits of songs still to be developed that we will hear one day. Imagine if you had planned a double album, but I think it was wise to get it out there last year as so much time had passed which now gives you a clean slate again! But of course the music never stops!
That was most fascinating, educational, interesting , all intertwining …. Thoroughly enjoyed, learned …. Fab Qs asked, stuff I would have asked too …but those folks submitted, beat me to the punch ….lol…
I love how you explained in layman’s terms in a sort of visual way that I could grasp the knowledge/concepts of replies to the Qs submitted/chosen for this particular Q & A segment ….Thankyou for this….My New Thing(s) Learned For Today … πππ€π»π
That was a fun Q&A girls. So I had a question come to mind while I was watching this one. Obviously both of you, and your dad and step mom all hear the songs as they progress, however, do you have any close trusted friends that you ask to listed to something when it is finished just to get that “first impression” reaction from them? If so, how have you made changes to any songs based off that advice?
Thanks Mona and Lisa for another awesome Q and A. I just love listening to you both talk about your music and craft, it is so inspiring to learn about how you do your magic. This is how amazing creativity happens! Keep doing what you are doing, your natural progression in your music, and never repeating yourself has led you to create this amazing masterpiece, known as “WHY?”, and amazing and greater things I know are on the horizon from you both. What you both do is very, very special that can only happen naturally, in your own time, on your own terms, loving it. β¨πΆππβ€
Mona and Lisa thank you so much for this Video of Making an Album. This is another reason why we are so glad you did not go with a Major Record Label, this is so cool seeing you in charge of your music and how it is handled, so no one is pushing you to create you music and how to handle it. Just so refreshing to me. Love how you go thru and explain how you go about making music to creating it and the process. As one can see it is a very long journey and so much thought and love is put into it and with Pa Rudi and Michaela helping, it is all good. With each album you both get better in song writing and creativity to me and your voices and talent gets better and better as you go along. But your talents have always been off the charts to me and thought man they can’t get any better but you do! So love you both and please keep it coming and can’t wait till next Friday.
God bless you both
Hugs and Love from Bill and Maddie Isenberg Huge Fans from Pittsburgh PA USA
Mona, Lisa thanks for answering our questions. I think I get an idea how the creation of an album works, however no idea how to do it myself. Luckely you know so we now have 3 original albums with 35 different, non boring, songs.
Love the Q & A video. Don’t worry, I found no “filler” like material on any of your albums. I was actually thinking about Paul MacCartney’s first album which had the song Junk (which you did a wonderful job on) and at the end he had Sing Along Junk which was just the backing track. Seemed like filler to me. I remain in awe of your talent and energy. Hugs!
Michael, do you remember a song from the 60’s called “They’re Coming To Take Me Away”. It was a crazy novelty song but somehow I remember the B side was the same song only it was recorded in reverse. Crazy they couldn’t fill 2 sides of a 45. Lol
It was my theme song!
Lol, I think my theme song is Nowhere Man.
Thank you for the Q and A video. It is interesting to learn about the process…and the growth of both of you throughout your album making process. All of us appreciate and enjoy the finished product, but the process indicates the focuses from detailed, specific tasks to the experimentation of the creative process.
In addition to the great results of your collaborative work, it is cool to see the areas in which each of you handle. Mona, your explanation about the bar codes was great…it shows that you have a strong mind for the business of the music. Lisa, your detailed artistic efforts on the album covers shows that this is an additional individual strength of yours (we learned that in the making of the “Why?” cover).
Always knew that the order of an album was important…”Make Show” is perfect because it tackles an important issue to you…”Pretty Little Thing” is a “Your Majesty” type ending that is a breath of fresh air after the intensity of “Why?”. What I didn’t know that the timing between tracks was considered so heavily. Never crossed my mind. Great stuff!
“When We’re Together”, “Orange”, and “Why?” is a musical scrapbook of your journey. All three albums are perfect for that particular time in your lives. Many thanks for sharing your musical journey with us. Can’t wait for the new Duo Sessions, but don’t work too hard. We will be here when your next musical endeavor is ready to share with us!
Love these Friday videos! Always get my weekend off to a great start.
I played Why?(the entire album)for friends,and get nothing but Rave reviews from all.
Can’t wait to see and, hear what you Lovely Ladies have coming our way this year.
Love & Hugs to All π β€
ο»ΏTom