This song got it’s start in 2006. It is currently slated to be track 2 on “Hindsight”.
(The following was originally posted in a track by track breakdown on the Reinvision Substack page on Jan, 3 2023. Original post here Look Around You – Substack Track Breakdown Entry)
Background
This song was written in late 2006, with initial recordings starting December 1, 2006. There were a few things going on with me at this time that are reflected in this song.
Personally, mentally and emotionally, I was dealing with a simultaneous heartbreak and loss of a close friendship that had occurred earlier in the year. It still weighed on me, and at this point I had moved from a place of sadness and depression, to more of a bouncing back and forth between emotions as I would replay the events and try to make sense of it all. In a way it was like a pinball machine in my head and heart, and I was flip flopping a lot mentally and emotionally reflecting on everything that happened. This came out in the form of a song full of unpredictability and changes, but all of it tinged with a bit of anger, heaviness, and frustration. So yeah, the song is a little nutso, because that accurately captures how I was feeling at that time.
At the same time, this was one of the first tracks I was specifically working with drum programming software instead of a drum machine. I was trying out the drum software BFD at the time. As such, this gave me freedom to be able to be more creative and crazy with things like tempos and time signatures. So my gut wanted me to write a technical complicated song, and this was giving me the means to be able to do exactly that.
I remember at the time I was putting it together I was kind of consulting with James with what kind of drum parts could be conceivably played by a human. But once the track was done, and I presented it to Mikey and James, there was a collective sort of “Why would you do this to us?” We did play through the song fairly regularly however, enough so that we had it in the arsenal when Angel was filling in for us on bass in 2007. As a matter of fact to this day, Angel still says the bass line in the middle section is one of his favorite things to play. With all of the other things out there at his disposal, I take that as a huge compliment. But it never quite achieved the comfort level of “we got this” that some of our other songs achieved. (Under The Knife, as well as some of Mikey’s songs did accomplished this)
In terms of construction and parts, as I put it together, I realized there was really no good place for a guitar solo. So in lieu of that, I came up with an initial riff for the break that was as tough to play as many solos that are out there. The idea of a hyper-speed riff like that matched the mindfuck-ness of the song perfectly. (stabs of 16th note septuplets at 162bpm in the rhythm guitar part, for the record)
Trivia: Upon tearing apart and dissecting the tempo track for the live drum tracking in 2022, it was the first time I had to chart out the timing and tempo changes. I knew there were a lot. As it turns out, there are 14 time signature changes, and 6 tempo changes, resulting in 18 distinct tempo or timing events. Here is the breakout:
(This is why Mikey and James were like “WTF Jake?!”)
For those who may question why I have “8/8 (4/4)”, those sections are in 4/4 ultimately, but it’s a lot easier to hear tempo changes when there are more clicks, and it’s less jarring when a 7/8 or 9/8 pops in and doubles up the clicks out of nowhere.
In terms of technicality for the tracks on this album, this one is the elephant in the room for sure. While it may not be as complex as Dream Theater’s “Dance Of Eternity”, it’s up there! 
DemosFor posterity, here is my “original” demo, in my files as “Mix 1” on Dec 2, 2006, so you can hear where this song started from, what the BFD drums sounded like, and what I presented to Mikey and James at the time:
Moving along, for your listening (dis)pleasure, here is a rough run through of the song with James, Mikey, and myself from Jan 15, 2007. Keep in mind this was recorded with a single overhead mic in a room (i.e., not great quality), there is no bass, and since we were still learning the song. I actually pieced this together omitting two full stops, but it’s all from the same run through of the song. You’ll hear the arrangement is intact, and there is good energy, but that it is definitely pushing the limit of all of our ability:
The meat and potatoes of that original 2006 demo became the basis for the 2022 demo version I have currently. So those late 2006 guitar and bass tracks have carried over in terms of performance. Like Under The Knife, I refreshed the drum sound, using Reason instead of BFD, in 2012.
In 2022, I did some quick re-EQing of mostly guitars, primarily to make the demo sound usable for re-tracking. As of late 2022, the drums for this one are currently in progress of being tracked by Paul Simmons. Once they are tracked, I will be re-recording guitars and bass. I am not sure if I will add in any keyboards at this time, but I haven’t ruled it out.
Also as of late 2022, this is slated to be track 2 on the upcoming album “Hindsight”.
Lyrics
When I first wrote the music for this song, I initially wrote lyrics for it soon after, while it was still fresh. I remember the lyrics being pretty spot on for what I was trying to express at the time. And I’m generally pretty organized about keeping things like that filed where I can locate them, etc. However in 2022 as I started to gather the “Hindsight” songs together, I just couldn’t find these lyrics. I checked all of the potential places that I could have had them, yet nothing. This was disappointing to me, and I hunted for quite a bit, but then I just resolved myself to the fact that I’d have to rewrite them. While I may no longer be in the headspace that inspired the original lyrics, I remember what it was like. So I took it upon myself to kind of mentally transport myself back to that time, and rewrite a new set of lyrics. These were written on Aug 27, 2022.
That all said, I’m actually quite happy with how well the rewrite went, and I think these may even exceed how good my original lyrics were. At any rate, they capture what I wanted to be told, and as always, depending on how vocal tracking goes, may be slightly modified upon recording.
Look Around You – Lyrics:
There she was, in a world crashing down around her
All the pain and fear so real, with no escape
There I was, I found you before you slipped away
Day by day we’d find the path we need to take
I tried to help you see the light, yet you chose the darkness
You say that no one really cares, Look Around You
I gave you everything I had, but you looked the other way
You say there’s nothing there for you, Look Around You
You told me I may be the one, just not right now
We need to give it time, we will know somehow
Her:
“There’s someone I want you to meet
He has it all, with the world at his feet”
Him:
“Is this really what you want? I can see right through him”
Her:
“I know how it seems, but I won’t have to worry anymore”
Him:
“You’ll end up in tears, much worse than the start, do you want to take that chance?”
Her:
“I don’t have a choice, this is the way to get all I’ve wished for”
He never helped you see the light, yet you chose his darkness
You know he doesn’t really care, Look Around You
I gave you everything I had, yet you ran the other way
Before you push it all away, Look Around… You?
Break – Insanity
When it falls, I won’t be there to pick you up this time
You will realize just what you threw away
I have learned to guard myself, I won’t get hurt like this again
Your world of silence speaks all you need to say
When you’re forced to see the light, and you choose the darkness
There will be no one who cares, Look Around You
You’ll give everything you have, and they will look the other way
There will be nothing left for you, Look Around You
Links
Here are some links to hear the 2022 demo of “Look Around You”: