01 Year Dot (1:05)
Lyrics & Info
An approximation of the noises I hear in my head when I'm sitting in silence and buzzing with ideas. Radio chatter, random thoughts, transmissions, questions, messages, answers, Jupiter's hum, Strummer's dead, my Bro' calls in from the next life, Stuart Adamson laughs his approval. Who am I? You don't know me. You've never seen me before. Do you believe in ghosts?
02 Line Test (3:20) Lyrics & Info
Studio relocated to the farm. Better test the lines. Recorded the acoustic guitar with no click track and no script. Drums added later. Made in a matter of days when rough 'n' ready came to town, not long after they knocked my birth place down.
03 Thousand Yard Smile (3:09) Lyrics & Info
The oldest of the brood. Used to be called 'Mildew'. Drums bashed out in a candlelit metal box. Hadn't played for ages. My ears agreed. Rusty and rustic rambling about the one that never quite got away.
04 Jaunting (2:20) Lyrics & Info
One day we'll get a visit from the people of the future to warn us about their past. And we might not listen. Ever get the feeling you're being watched?
05 On My Phone (3:04) Lyrics & Info
There was a rat outside. It's all true. There still is but it's a different one, I think. Much travelled song with no particular abode. So many people out there at the push of a button. Roy dropped in and played his cornet without a capo. Trooper! My crooner moment. Easier listening.
06 Comfortable Silence (4:14) Lyrics & Info
Two-four to the floor. One day I woke up and realised that I quite liked the quiet life. The quest began and here's the soundtrack. Owes a debt to Steve Mack and the lads in That Petrol Emotion. Thanks for the funky chops fellas.
07 One Life (4:49) Lyrics & Info
Written in one improvised take at Dan Russell's place on a cold winter's eve. Lovingly re-crafted later at the farm with no major changes. Virtually a one-take vocal. Francis Pryor from Time Team speaks at the end as the afterlife beckons the departed. Peace, finally.
08 In England (4:37) Lyrics & Info
I landed at Stansted on a misty, murky Sunday evening in August in the rain. Never have I seen such a welcome and beautiful sight as that damp and grey/green countryside. Home. The heart is here for a lifetime. The soul will be here forever.
09 Rising Tide (2:58) Lyrics & Info
Motivation? Check. Navigation? Check. Bastardised riff from Mission Impossible? Check! My personal mission (and I chose to accept it) was a Mission Possible, thanks to two friendly people who appeared by my side at 36,000 feet and convinced me to carry on making music. Thank you. You know who you are, my Celtic friends. I took your advice and didn't give up.
10 Desperation (3:27) Lyrics & Info
Lean times in the house of love. An earlier tune from the Dark Autumn. This is where I finally got to play bass while I played the drums as well (in a virtual sense). I need another three of me to form a band. But I'm in charge OK?!
11 Take Yer Time (3:35) Lyrics & Info
Normally I remove songs like this at the eleventh hour. This time I didn't. Missed a big chance a while ago but the brakes were dodgy and I failed to notice. Life ain't a race unless you're a greyhound or a rally driver. I'll be in trap 7 nursing my wounds.
12 False Lights At Low Tide (3:20) Lyrics & Info
I've spent a lot of time visiting graveyards since 2006. The words on the tombstones have played on my mind. A field of strangers under the ground. We know their names but not their faces. Sometimes folks are lured to their graves by other people who believe profit is of greater good than life itself. The Wreckers will be found out.
13 Claptrapdoor (4:59) Lyrics & Info
Actor or reactor? Friend or familiar stranger? How much do you really know? And what price freedom? Dense layers of mystery abound. A disappearing act. No curtain call. What ever happened to...?
I recorded the lead vocal sat on the sofa while watching Mythbusters with the sound turned down. It was sunny outside.
14 Tranquility Base (2:40) Lyrics & Info
My Grandparent's old clock. Westminster chimes. Placed a microphone inside and hand-operated the hammers. A rhythm soon developed and for five trance-like minutes I played a timepiece. Layers of E-Bow glued it all together. Even a stopped clock plays a tune once in a while...
An approximation of the noises I hear in my head when I'm sitting in silence and buzzing with ideas. Radio chatter, random thoughts, transmissions, questions, messages, answers, Jupiter's hum, Strummer's dead, my Bro' calls in from the next life, Stuart Adamson laughs his approval. Who am I? You don't know me. You've never seen me before. Do you believe in ghosts?
02 Line Test (3:20) Lyrics & Info
Studio relocated to the farm. Better test the lines. Recorded the acoustic guitar with no click track and no script. Drums added later. Made in a matter of days when rough 'n' ready came to town, not long after they knocked my birth place down.
03 Thousand Yard Smile (3:09) Lyrics & Info
The oldest of the brood. Used to be called 'Mildew'. Drums bashed out in a candlelit metal box. Hadn't played for ages. My ears agreed. Rusty and rustic rambling about the one that never quite got away.
04 Jaunting (2:20) Lyrics & Info
One day we'll get a visit from the people of the future to warn us about their past. And we might not listen. Ever get the feeling you're being watched?
05 On My Phone (3:04) Lyrics & Info
There was a rat outside. It's all true. There still is but it's a different one, I think. Much travelled song with no particular abode. So many people out there at the push of a button. Roy dropped in and played his cornet without a capo. Trooper! My crooner moment. Easier listening.
06 Comfortable Silence (4:14) Lyrics & Info
Two-four to the floor. One day I woke up and realised that I quite liked the quiet life. The quest began and here's the soundtrack. Owes a debt to Steve Mack and the lads in That Petrol Emotion. Thanks for the funky chops fellas.
07 One Life (4:49) Lyrics & Info
Written in one improvised take at Dan Russell's place on a cold winter's eve. Lovingly re-crafted later at the farm with no major changes. Virtually a one-take vocal. Francis Pryor from Time Team speaks at the end as the afterlife beckons the departed. Peace, finally.
08 In England (4:37) Lyrics & Info
I landed at Stansted on a misty, murky Sunday evening in August in the rain. Never have I seen such a welcome and beautiful sight as that damp and grey/green countryside. Home. The heart is here for a lifetime. The soul will be here forever.
09 Rising Tide (2:58) Lyrics & Info
Motivation? Check. Navigation? Check. Bastardised riff from Mission Impossible? Check! My personal mission (and I chose to accept it) was a Mission Possible, thanks to two friendly people who appeared by my side at 36,000 feet and convinced me to carry on making music. Thank you. You know who you are, my Celtic friends. I took your advice and didn't give up.
10 Desperation (3:27) Lyrics & Info
Lean times in the house of love. An earlier tune from the Dark Autumn. This is where I finally got to play bass while I played the drums as well (in a virtual sense). I need another three of me to form a band. But I'm in charge OK?!
11 Take Yer Time (3:35) Lyrics & Info
Normally I remove songs like this at the eleventh hour. This time I didn't. Missed a big chance a while ago but the brakes were dodgy and I failed to notice. Life ain't a race unless you're a greyhound or a rally driver. I'll be in trap 7 nursing my wounds.
12 False Lights At Low Tide (3:20) Lyrics & Info
I've spent a lot of time visiting graveyards since 2006. The words on the tombstones have played on my mind. A field of strangers under the ground. We know their names but not their faces. Sometimes folks are lured to their graves by other people who believe profit is of greater good than life itself. The Wreckers will be found out.
13 Claptrapdoor (4:59) Lyrics & Info
Actor or reactor? Friend or familiar stranger? How much do you really know? And what price freedom? Dense layers of mystery abound. A disappearing act. No curtain call. What ever happened to...?
I recorded the lead vocal sat on the sofa while watching Mythbusters with the sound turned down. It was sunny outside.
14 Tranquility Base (2:40) Lyrics & Info
My Grandparent's old clock. Westminster chimes. Placed a microphone inside and hand-operated the hammers. A rhythm soon developed and for five trance-like minutes I played a timepiece. Layers of E-Bow glued it all together. Even a stopped clock plays a tune once in a while...
Ghosting - The Author's Thoughts
I'd been plodding away with an ill-fated double album called Keep The Peace since Summer 2006. It was not going to plan. After attempting to finish it in February 2007 I decided to shelve the project and 'retire' from music. My beloved Nan had died the previous October and I wasn't really firing on all cylinders. Then, whilst in Slovenia, I received the news from home that my Brother had died suddenly. Music once again became my solace. I began writing and recording a new batch of songs - Ghosting.
I guess this is my rough and ready album/project. Having been a bit guilty in the recent past of over-stepping my songs - far too much fiddling around after the song has been recorded - this time around I kept it simple. It's nice to have everything regimented and precise, but it's also a bit soul-destroying, song-wise. It makes the track sound lifeless.
So the drum kit was recorded in a shipping container with a single mic - noisy but vibrant! Most of the vocals got recorded in an airing cupboard with a basic EV mic, not the nice shiny studio condensing mic I've used for the last three projects. The guitars are loose, occasionally out of tune and often pick-up in tempo for no reason... who actually cares?!
The percussion is crunky, backing vocals appear almost at random, lead vocals sometimes dive beneath the mix then re-emerge louder than they should be. The whole lot was garnished with snippets of keyboards and a sprinkling of 'found sounds' liberated from the telly and YouTube.
The cover photography was taken by myself near Chewton Keynsham at 10pm on a cold and wintery February night. It was only an after-thought to wander into the long-exposure shot with my ciggie burning. A happy accident, which I repeated. A Barn Owl flew inches above my head just after I bagged the images.
When it came to pushing the finished project, I decided not to go down the conventional route of mailing CDs to record labels. I've got one too many letters proclaiming "I don't hear a single". Initially, I 'gave away' Ghosting as a free download; a limited-time offer which lasted for nine years. Now the album is available on all the usual digital outlets. You can find the links on the home page.
I guess this is my rough and ready album/project. Having been a bit guilty in the recent past of over-stepping my songs - far too much fiddling around after the song has been recorded - this time around I kept it simple. It's nice to have everything regimented and precise, but it's also a bit soul-destroying, song-wise. It makes the track sound lifeless.
So the drum kit was recorded in a shipping container with a single mic - noisy but vibrant! Most of the vocals got recorded in an airing cupboard with a basic EV mic, not the nice shiny studio condensing mic I've used for the last three projects. The guitars are loose, occasionally out of tune and often pick-up in tempo for no reason... who actually cares?!
The percussion is crunky, backing vocals appear almost at random, lead vocals sometimes dive beneath the mix then re-emerge louder than they should be. The whole lot was garnished with snippets of keyboards and a sprinkling of 'found sounds' liberated from the telly and YouTube.
The cover photography was taken by myself near Chewton Keynsham at 10pm on a cold and wintery February night. It was only an after-thought to wander into the long-exposure shot with my ciggie burning. A happy accident, which I repeated. A Barn Owl flew inches above my head just after I bagged the images.
When it came to pushing the finished project, I decided not to go down the conventional route of mailing CDs to record labels. I've got one too many letters proclaiming "I don't hear a single". Initially, I 'gave away' Ghosting as a free download; a limited-time offer which lasted for nine years. Now the album is available on all the usual digital outlets. You can find the links on the home page.
Ghosting - Session Notes
[1] 20th Sep - 5th Oct 2007 (Willsbridge)
The first 'burst' of activity took place at Willsbridge in September 2007. My Brother had recently passed away and I saw fit to demo a handful of ideas that I'd played into my phone during 2007. The songs started during this session were: Desperation, Thousand Yard Smile, Jaunting, On My Phone and Rising Tide.
[2] 2nd - 6th Apr 2008 (Woodstream)
I spent a week house-sitting for friends at Stockwood Vale. As I'd done in the past, I relocated my recording kit to the farmhouse and worked on music into the small hours. Having not recorded a note for half a year I decided to make sure the equipment was working properly, resulting in a brand new song called Line Test. I set up my battered old drum kit in a nearby shipping container and by candlelight hammered out a rhythm track by playing along to my ipod. I also commenced working on One Life and In England, both of which were originally busked/written at Dan Russell's place back in October 2007.
[3] 11th Apr - 3rd Jun 2008 (Keynsham)
Another move saw me based in a small-but-comfy flat in my 'Homeland' of Keynsham. Here I relaxed into recording, adding layers to the tracks and distilling the lyrics. These sessions produced Take Yer Time and Claptrapdoor (both based on minimal acoustic demos from October 2007), along with Comfortable Silence and False Lights At Low Tide, both of which were written in the studio. My old mate Roy Harrill dropped by to add his cornet playing skills to On My Phone, and I managed to integrate more and more of my rusty drumming. The session ended when I decided to move house once again.
[4] 7th Nov - 31st Dec 2008 (Near The River)
The final fling. After a 5-month music break I reluctantly set about finishing the songs. Enthusiasm was not great to begin with but within a week I was up to full power and getting things done. December was a non-stop music marathon with last-minute lyrics and changes happening all over the place. I composed the 'bookends' Year Dot and Tranquility Base during these sessions, and worked on all the other songs extensively. The main work was done here.
I had originally planned to complete the entire project by 16th December 2008, but missed by a fortnight. The second deadline of New Year's Eve was hit by default - I'd only just finished the final track when I decided to mess with one of the 'finished' songs. The laptop froze and died and that was that. I managed to salvage the files and complete the mixes on my PC by 8th January 2009.
Ultimately, this ramshackle, boneshaking, rickshaw of a musical project gave me closure on a very dark - but creative - chapter of my life. If you like it, please spread the word. Thanks for reading.
The first 'burst' of activity took place at Willsbridge in September 2007. My Brother had recently passed away and I saw fit to demo a handful of ideas that I'd played into my phone during 2007. The songs started during this session were: Desperation, Thousand Yard Smile, Jaunting, On My Phone and Rising Tide.
[2] 2nd - 6th Apr 2008 (Woodstream)
I spent a week house-sitting for friends at Stockwood Vale. As I'd done in the past, I relocated my recording kit to the farmhouse and worked on music into the small hours. Having not recorded a note for half a year I decided to make sure the equipment was working properly, resulting in a brand new song called Line Test. I set up my battered old drum kit in a nearby shipping container and by candlelight hammered out a rhythm track by playing along to my ipod. I also commenced working on One Life and In England, both of which were originally busked/written at Dan Russell's place back in October 2007.
[3] 11th Apr - 3rd Jun 2008 (Keynsham)
Another move saw me based in a small-but-comfy flat in my 'Homeland' of Keynsham. Here I relaxed into recording, adding layers to the tracks and distilling the lyrics. These sessions produced Take Yer Time and Claptrapdoor (both based on minimal acoustic demos from October 2007), along with Comfortable Silence and False Lights At Low Tide, both of which were written in the studio. My old mate Roy Harrill dropped by to add his cornet playing skills to On My Phone, and I managed to integrate more and more of my rusty drumming. The session ended when I decided to move house once again.
[4] 7th Nov - 31st Dec 2008 (Near The River)
The final fling. After a 5-month music break I reluctantly set about finishing the songs. Enthusiasm was not great to begin with but within a week I was up to full power and getting things done. December was a non-stop music marathon with last-minute lyrics and changes happening all over the place. I composed the 'bookends' Year Dot and Tranquility Base during these sessions, and worked on all the other songs extensively. The main work was done here.
I had originally planned to complete the entire project by 16th December 2008, but missed by a fortnight. The second deadline of New Year's Eve was hit by default - I'd only just finished the final track when I decided to mess with one of the 'finished' songs. The laptop froze and died and that was that. I managed to salvage the files and complete the mixes on my PC by 8th January 2009.
Ultimately, this ramshackle, boneshaking, rickshaw of a musical project gave me closure on a very dark - but creative - chapter of my life. If you like it, please spread the word. Thanks for reading.
