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THE MAKING OF:
May 2002. Having recently moved from London to Malmö, I now had the luxury of being able to permanently set up all my musical equipment in the living room. This made things so much easier and through the summer months I started to write new songs on my old Yamaha PS 25 electric keyboard, which my mother gave me. It used to belong to her Irish father.
White Swans On The Water. July 2002. (A song about a walk down to the beach where white swans sail on the tideless water that seperates Malmö from Copenhagen. Also about the fact that swans keep the same partner for life, apparently). I put down the electric piano track first and then worked out the melodica part over the top. My drum kit was set up, so I started playing along to the song and it seemed to work nicely so I added what
was admittedly a somewhat muddy drum track using soft plastic hot rods. (Drums are very difficult to record at home you know). I had a bit of a throat problem at the time, so I just put down a rough guide vocal and replaced it with the proper vocal some weeks later.
There Are Grey Clouds In This Sky Too. July 2002. (A song about the new lease of life that the move to Sweden had given. Life seemed so much simpler all of a sudden, away from the stresses of London). Again I started with the electric keyboard track and then overdubbed the nylon acoustic guitar part and then did a much better drum track this time (using red plastic hot rods called Flares, which gave a much cleaner sound). Then I added the wooden xylophone (a bit too twee I know but I liked it at the time) and many days later I added the vocal and then the second vocal.
Floating On The Breeze. August 2002. (A song basically documenting all the sights and smells I took in walking around Malmö that summer. The lilac trees, the blossom, the swallows, the seagulls that fly up and down the street outside our flat). I started with the organ introduction (using the string sound) and then after many, many takes, I put two different violin parts over the top. Then I recorded the acoustic guitar and a rough vocal and went back and added the other organ parts and the final violin parts. I liked the weird sound of the organ against the violins fighting to hold their tuning. It took me ages to record this one chiefly due to my hilariously bad attempts at playing the violin, which still sounds a bit out of tune with itself. But it does have a charm to it. I think my fingers are just too big for such a dainty instrument. Much later I redid the vocal.
Cry Your Little Eyes Out. August 2002. (This song is about the realisation that because you have finally found the one you want for the rest of your life, you'll never get to experience another first kiss. I probably got this idea after watching that Friends episode with the same theme).
This is my favourite song of the sessions. I began with the picky acoustic guitar part and then fleshed it out with the pitter patter of the conga drums. Then I added the harmonica to the bridge. I added the vocal later and double tracked the vocal on the chorus. Finally I overdubbed the melodica solo onto the end, which was just one of those moments of pure genius!!.
The Silence Has Broken. October 2002. (This song is about being in a new country with a new language and being in a long term relationship that was working so well, that the possibilities seemed endless and the summer had ended but the good weather just kept on stretching on into the Autumn). This was the only song of the sessions that I wrote on guitar. I started the recording with the drum machine track and then overdubbed the acoustic guitar and added the ukulele to the intro and chorus. It became the pop song of the sessions and the obvious opener. After doing the vocal, I added a steel acoustic guitar part to the instrumental break (but it's only really appreciated if you listen to it whilst wearing headphones).
Blame It On The Language. October 2002. (A song about those needless little arguments and misunderstandings caused by the language barrier that exists between a couple from different countries). I put the piano track down first and then overdubbed the acoustic guitar and then the vocal. I felt it needed a lift after the first chorus so I added a simple keyboard run. Then after many takes, I finally nailed the two gorgeous violin parts! At this point I felt I had the six songs I needed for the mini album. It was done.
November 2002.
I did the final mixes to DAT in November and sent them off to Italy where it was mastered and then released at the end of February 2003.
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