Nicktarist

Really? I'd love to give you my input. I'd recommend you show your band members bands like the Hot Snakes, the Obits or Sonic Youth (preferrably Goo or Daydream Nation)--as that is the sort of music you seem to be describing. Of course, that doesn't mean I imagine my own taste over what you hear. But, you can also fit your flute skills into the mesh if you remember bands like fleetwood mac or the remanifestation: Midlake. Even bands like King Crimson made a tasteful use of the flute in their music--although, you have to understand that their music could sometimes be pretentious (allot of progressive rock bands can be and are, but sadly miss the mark by a wide margin).

also remember that allot of times, the more words you have, the less melody you might end up with (and this isn't not always true). But, be aware that you may end up in more of a rap than anything else--especially because if the melody of your verse gets too complex, it can overshadow the entire purpose of the chorus.

my recommendation for vocals is based on what I normally do--I connect a chorus pedal and overdrive pedal to my mike for some slight effect (if you have a good chorus, it can give your voice a sort of...thickness that you can only achieve by a multylayered track). It can also be very cheesy if you set it too wide or fast. Overdrive is only for specific points in the song where I need more confidence when I sing--and for some odd reason, overdrive gives me confidence to do a couple more things than I wouldn't normally do.

I hope that helps you out a bit, else it might just be completely useless. xD I'm not going to extend my hand to help you yet as I am unsure of the nature of your music. I'd like to hear songs that you and your band write together.

peace,
-nick

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