That dim, flickering light on the horizon? It’s not the Star of Bethlehem, a hovering UFO or a phantasmal freight train barreling toward you. It’s the light at the end of the RPM tunnel—and it draws nigh. Three weeks into the challenge, many participants are suffering from a multitude of classic RPM symptoms: severe fits of depression, nausea and anxiety. Such is the nature of trying to write and record 10 songs or 35 minutes of original music in one month. But others have found the creative sparks they need to get on the path to completion. And, best of all, everyone seems determined to see this thing through to the very end, no matter how stressful it becomes. Here is round three of our unedited blog snippets, pulled from the RPM Web site, www.rpmchallenge.com. Why finish your album? Because you can.

as of noon tomorrow, we’re exactly halfway through the month of february. the pressure is on, will the bilge rats crumble like coffee cake? or rise like a loaf of bread with double the yeast content? will my satchel of great similes ever run empty? only time will tell. —The Bilgerats, Kansas City, MO

We have struck Wednesday! You know, Wednesday. The day of the week where things come together after being tortured all Tuesday by your own creative insecurity. Suddenly i seem to be taking my time writing songs which are coming together wonderfully. The lyrics are flowing and it seems like i know exactly when to stop and leave it for another night. Things are coming together. It’s going to be an album with songs about different aspects of my personality, apparently. —Kurrel the Raven, Perth, Australia

Molasses. In February. In Alaska. I really have to pick up the pace if I’m to have any hope of finishing.  I think I’m just taking too long re-recording parts and obsessing about details.  I’m half deaf so I don’t know what I’m taking so much time tweaking stuff for anyway. —Late Night Laundry, Covina, CA

I picked the wrong month to stop sniffing glue … Even this blog seems to be working against me. It just feels like nothing is coming together this year. I had 10-11 sketches after the first few days, but precious few of them are actually turning into songs. The black dragon has taken hold...I’m losing focus...losing sight of the goal. —Alchemist Corpse Rite, Pasadena, CA

Too much going on this month, I think I’m gonna have a friggen heart attack... Joy to the world. —Unnameable Mourning, St. Paul, MN

I have to say that I am really having fun with this year’s RPM project. It’s been a while since I have undertaken such a intensive period of writing. I am pretty happy with the results. After writing so little and so sporadically since 2007’s RPM challenge ended it’s nice to know that I can still kick out an album’s worth of decent songs in a short amount of time. I plan to continue writing regularly after this year’s challenge ends. —Spooky Garcia, Detroit, MI

Anyone out there taking the 29th off to wrap up your stuff and stick the CD in the mail? I for one am, and I feel more than entitled, since getting a salary means I’m not getting paid for the 366th day of the year anyway. —Kemmler, Chicago, IL

I’m glad this isn’t a contest. Some of the songs are real good so I guess I shouldn’t worry about it. I was thinking about releasing this album, but I’ll probably just gut it for my other projects and rewrite the parts I shoulda spent more time on. I hope you guy like it better than me! —Goodtar Jones, LIttle Rock, AR

Guitar smashing never seemed so tempting. Grrrrr. fighting clicks and swing and looping. Makes me realize how much more skill I thought I had than I actually have. I remember fighting setup issues and weak chops and fragments of time too short to get any rhythm going last time. WTF! Relearning things each time I sit down to work on this stuff is pissing me off! —Thomas F, Des Plaines, IL

Why I haven’t done anything: i’m homeless and couch surfing and all my equipment is elsewhere. in the meantime, i’ve been vaccuuming up enough garbage to spread upon the soundscapaverse like chicken feed on the hood of a moving car. i’ll find the place soon, and maybe enough musics will sprout. —Old American, Brooklyn, NY

Nice break tonight from my stuff, I helped out fellow RPM’er extraordinaire Mick with a song of his. Which consisted of four minutes of me chanting along to his reference track. It’s going to be dropped in along with others that have provided the same and I’m interested to hear the end result. Last year, his album featured the dijideroo and this year he’s already shown more skill on a jaw harp than I knew you could do with the thing. Glad to help, since I got assistance from another RPM’er on one of my tunes, I figured I should do the same. —Broken Promise Keeper, Decatur, GA

Yeah, so we kind of ran into an issue last night. My bandmate Nathan’s computer crashed completely—it wouldn’t even turn on. He had just finished completing 2 songs the other night too, and of course they weren’t backed up....*sigh* You just don’t really think those things will happen, y’know, until they actually DO happen. I suppose I should probably back up my songs now incase my compuuer crashes... —Last Man Standing, Lafayette, IN

I swear I’m not suicidally depressed. People are going to hear this album, and think I’m suicidal or something. I swear that’s not the case. I just suck at writing love songs. —Alternate Modes of Underwater Consciousness, Wocester, MA


Am very very behind as I...oh who cares, we all have reasons not to finish. —Sister Savage, Bristol, UK


Who do I need to sleep with to get anyone to listen to my demos? Because I will do it. —angie fights crime, Kansas City, MO



My car’s broken, my apartment’s cold, my job sucks, I owe money to far too many people, the one girl I really like is friendly but obviously not interested in me, and every girl I meet is either married or out of my league (and usually both). I’m half-way done an album, but I’m kind of hitting a wall. I want to make music, but I also just want to crawl into a hole and hide from the world for a few months, and my “crawl into a hole” instincts are winning out. —Broken Robot Factory, Manchester, NH

I have (so far) done a pretty good job of just playing, singing or writing without stopping the creative process by thinking about it too much. The thinking certainly comes into play once the performance is tracked. Then I feel like it’s OK to work on the lyrics or redo this or that part, or maybe toss it and start something new. The trick for me is getting it down fast and fresh, then clean it up and leave it alone. —Teeny Tiny Desk Unit, Canooga Park, CA

i have a plan! day 12: still nothing! but! i came up with something! my record’s theme will be house chores. i am already working on the first song which is about mopping. only 17 days left so these will be quick and easy. no time for the intensity and seriousness. —kenoki, Gainsville, FL

I would kill a man for an external multi-track mixer. Just saying. —Nyarlathotep, Urbana, IL  

This place is kickass, and I’m excited to get started. I’ve never actually written a song that I’ve ever liked. I write it, I hate it, I revise it, I hate it more, and on and on until the death of the song. I’ve had some rough ideas in my head for months, but I’ve been scared to actually lay it down. So I just wanted to say, “hello” and “good luck” to everyone else who’s been hard at work for the last 11 days! Now, on to work. —Schrag, Wynnewood, PA