I'll Never Understand the ELC is the debut EP from Pete Phillips. Inspired by people he's met, and some he hasn't, the record is nine solid songs and one introduction. The recording and writing process took three days and it's pretty obvious from the content. Says Pete of the record:
"I threw some rhymes together for some people that I know. Some of them live far away and I don't have any presents to get them, but I wanted them to know that I appreciate their existence. I could get a crappy gift they'll never use, but why bother? I think everybody wants to have a song with their name in it, so this is the best way to go. The only drawback is that they have no beats."
And that's where the common viewer comes in. Have spare time on your hands? Add some music to back up Pete's rip-roaring tunes. You may remember when Mike Venos made a song about scissors ("Scissors"). Inspired by the song, Pete had to get a version and add some beats behind it. The remix is posted at PetePhillipsOnline.com. As for his record, it's in your hands now.
"The flow's sort of weak, and I actually sing on one or two, which is pretty awful, but it's all about the love here. Oftentimes people don't tell you that you matter to them. This is my way to do that for just a few. I know some people will be mad that they don't have a song, but it's a creative process. The Cassie song is old, actually, recorded back around her birthday. The rest are all new. It's not to say that you don't matter if you don't have a song, it's just... well... as I was making it, the stuff got worse and worse. If you had a song, it'd probably suck a lot. So all my friends matter, and I appreciate them all. If I didn't, I wouldn't make the songs available to them."
And the title, what's that all about?
"It was a thought the morning I had when I knew I would finish up the record. The ELC is the elevator logic controller. It determines where to send an elevator based on what floors have buttons pushed. In my building, if one's on the first floor and one's on twelve, I gotta wait for the twelve. I didn't get that, so I just took it as a title. And when you think about it, I gotta appreciate those mysteries of life too. It gives me a minute to ponder some things rather than rushing off to work. You just gotta love it all."
You will most certainly love these nine songs and introduction. Sure, most topics are women, but it's not a romantic endeavor, so grab your headphones and plug in for an a cappella adventure. Available for quite a while in e-form, you can get it all by downloading each track at the top of this page. Enjoy, and have a happy holiday season.
--Barry Coen