the things you’ve seen

spent sunday at the university recording with ana roman on a lovely upright piano.  exactly what was needed.  got two more tracks down so i only have 3 to really get started and then all tracks will be in various states of disrepair for me to work on throughout the year.  my friends from around the globe are kindly lending their talents to the album so there is already cello from the czech republic and i’m expecting guitar from france and vocals/cello from berlin in the near future.  which is magic.  i am also expecting vocals from belgium and possibly some dark, atmospheric magic from sweden.  so it really is becoming a very world wide record.  may have to approach my friends in canada, england and the usa as well.  who knows.  it’s a great feeling though.

stumbled upon a very old song i’m planning on re-working for the record.  wrote it over 8 years ago.  dates back to when i lived in dundee actually.  feel like it deserves a make over.  so we shall see.  changed the words.  found a poem by robert graves and played with the words to form the lyrics of the song.  think it will work well.  have a good idea of how it should sound.

also found these words i wrote.  think i might try and turn them into a song sometime soon:

i can feel your skin

crawling across the floor

scratching at the door frame

searching for an answer

and my eyes

burning red like candles

flickering with doubt

it takes all our strength

to find an answer

 

but the wounds still remain

 

i can never find

errors in the you i know

but errors in the me

i know you love and still

my skin

burning red like fire

quivering with doubt

it takes all my strength

just to slow love

edinburgh university

going to be recording this time next sunday.  will make sure to take some pics of the session and post them here.  must remember this!

morning sun

it’s been a while since i posted here.  been busy with various musical bits and pieces.  sometimes life gets in the way too.  things are progressing with the record.  laid down some scratchy rough guide vocals and sent some tunes to my friends and accomplices scattered around the world.  bit by bit this record is going to come together.  slowly, yes.  but it will come together in a way that is exciting to me.  it’s a very different approach to anything i’ve ever done before but it feels right.  feels like the right way to do things.  involving these people who have become so important to me as friends, musicians, inspiration is something that just fits.  i don’t know.  i’ve not even met some of these people in person.  some i have only had flitting contact with other than by e-mail.  and yet, it feels like a group of people passionate about being part of something musical and wonderful.  and it feels so good to share with them and have them share back.  this process will result in a record that is wide in its artistic background.  diverse in its approach to each track.  and will all be pulled together in the end by myself and my good friend matt.  i have most of the tracks written.  a few more to finish.   i hope, like my most recent song states that it won’t come undone, in the morning sun.  i hope that come this time next year it has been released in to the wider world and these tracks that have been born in my head will have a chance to grow.  thanks to the brilliance of others.  and then we will all have this one record that ties us together.  no matter what happens.  it’s a nice feeling.

hiding in ditches

things have progressed a little kays wise.  tokyo, a track i wrote before we recorded ‘be still this gentle morning’ has been recorded  and reworked.  the wonderful guy gelem has added strings to the track which sounds amazing.  this means that the main bones of ‘all these moments die’, ‘tokyo’ and ‘hiding in ditches’ are now done.  my determination to ensure that the record is not dominated by piano lead tracks means that there is a lot of work to do on the other tracks.  but that’s exciting.  hopefully will have a session at edinburgh university this coming sunday, which should see at least two tracks recorded properly on organ and if i can get matt to record the bones of another few on piano then we can strip the piano out and change it to guitar and other instruments at our leisure.  so yeah, all systems go on the new kays record.  plus, i had some lovely folk get in touch with me for an interview.  been a while since anyone really cared about what i did, so was nice to be asked some questions and to know there is still interest in what i do and the kays in particular.

on that note a track from the second album entitled ‘hiding in ditches’ will be available from the mini50 bandcamp page on Friday 16^th march for one day only.  it will be there and then gone.  so grab a listen while you can.

in other news, the graveyard tapes record is very close to being finished and should be mastered soon too.  it’s good to have that done.  something very positive musically for me personally.  been a great experience working with matt.  so having him on board to mix the kays record makes perfect sense to me.  also going to be getting some hiva oa help and caught in the wake forever help also so that’s good.  lots to work on and develop, so it’s nice to do it with people who I respect the most musically.

you with your eyes wide shut

been a weird christmas and new year.  first one without my dad.  spent it at home with the family.  missed my dad greatly.  sat at the piano for a while but nothing really happened.  still, the tunes are there for ‘always, already’ or at least they are starting to take shape.  slowly yes.  but shape all the same.  been listening to some amazing records of late.  daniel thomas freeman, the haxan cloak, clem leek, nils frahm.  just a few of the great records.  really inspiring.  start final work on the debut graveyard tapes record when matt gets back from australia and i cannot wait.  that really has taken shape over the last few months.  we’re in the final stretch now.  just need a solid week of hard work i reckon and we’ll be there.  have a label lined up for that one too which is great news.  hopefully people will sit up and take notice.  it’s the best thing i’ve ever done or been involved in.  matt is a genius and i think together we’ve come up with something very diverse and fresh.  i guess time will tell.  kays recording should begin late 2012 i hope. plenty time to firm up the record.  and then of course there is glacis.  need to get my finger out on that front.  all go go go in 2012.

i’ve been hiding in ditches

sunday recording session at edinburgh university music department with matthew.  was a mixture.  mainly piano for graveyard tapes stuff but i also managed to get down two of the new kays tracks.  was awesome to get to play a real baby grand.  very confined space to work in, especially when there are four of you there.  but it was pretty amazing and i think everything came off sounding great.  with graveyard tapes having secured label interest, i guess it’s now all about finding a home for the kays record.  well, first of all it’s about recording the album properly.  but fingers crossed.  that really was an excellent sunday of recording.  i could spend all day doing that.  i really could.

 

landings

i really do worry about what I will do with this record.  or indeed any record.  graveyard tapes, glacis, the kays.  it doesn’t really matter who the record is by i have no idea how i am going to get them released and my music heard by the right people or find a home for the music that means so much to me.  i guess mini50 is as good a place as anywhere else.  but i fear that if i were to do that then i wouldn’t be able to release music by others.  which would be a pain.  i guess i just don’t know where to start looking for a home for the kays.  the other stuff is easier.  but i just don’t know who cares about the kays.  if anyone.  so why would a label.  why would anyone want to take my music, spend money and produce a physical product?

at a time where vinyl doesn’t seem to be selling – despite claims that it’s in fashion – that cds seem to be selling less and less and tapes are still a little bit of a ‘i want to look hip/retro’ kind of novelty i am not sure why anyone would want to spend money on me or my music.

sounds glum i guess.