We (thankfully) are coming close to the end of our album making process now. Our good friend Richard recorded the strings last weekend and they sound only lovely (layers and layers and more layers). Thanks to the 3epkano ladies, Fintan and Elaine (who jumped in at the very last second to save us from stressdeath). This weekend we are travelling to Kilkenny to record 22 women hushing Tim’s words which will be something special.
All that said this ‘thing’ we are making is taking shape and will soon be completed, big drinks on that day. I think we are all getting the itch from not playing live so there is planning going on for 2010, oh 2010 how great you are. So until then here’s some songs for you to listen to that are nice
This will be a quick wee blog as this month hasn’t been insanely exciting (at least not in the sense that we could write about). We’re in the initial mixing stage which is both daunting & exciting. Kinda miss playing live…actually no kinda about it but in the New Year we will be out & about somewhat freshfaced (almost literally). We’re up to our eyes in sheet music as we have the sessions for strings, brass & choir coming up. Then we can hear completed songs, oh yes.
So yes thats about it….Elis is going to see Spandau Ballet tomorrow night so we can’t mix….dunno how to react to that statement.
So we have returned and I suppose there is need to blog about these adventures just gone (though they will be presented in one jumbled block as I forgot to take a day by day account)
We begin by battling Aer Lingus’ new ‘oh you’re musicians??! cough it up bitchs!!’ policy. We kinda won… On to Heathrow where by we see both members of Sparks sitting having tea (this town aint bigggenuforthebothus). On our flight to Montreal randomly was our other Voices friend Emiliana Torrini (though she doesnt recognise us as our last encounter involved so much booze she sang happy birthday to me 4 months off the mark). Understandable.
We get to thee might hotel2tango and spend our first day bouncing electronics to thee mighty 2″ tape. More importantly we test out dozens of the nicest/oldest amps & organs we’ve ever seen (ones dating back to the 40’s). We meet Efrim and Radwan who’ll be recording us- nice fellows. I fall in love with an amp made by a guy from the h2t building..its called ‘the tubby’.
The next part is a bit of a blur of many days stuck together- wakeup- breakfast involving eggs- studio-play with dog-petro canada for 1.5 litre bottles of beer-mangle cat -sleep. Mangle cat I should mention was a neigbourhood cat who visited out hotel room every single night without fail- despite her name she was in fact very clean. To explain the dogs – most people who work in h2t and that building in general own big friendly dogs and bring them to work. Emma (efrim’s) and Gus (howard’s) being my favourites. Howard recorded us for one of the days- nice chap.
For each of the 11 songs we end up tracking new parts seem to appear on the day thanks to the mass of lovely gear around us. 4 of us in a glass room banging pockets of change and stamping- theremins- evil looking church organs to an honest banjo. Leave the studio each day with the catch phrase ‘wow….that sounds better than i’d hoped’.Our new friend Amy comes down and has a bit of a sing though forgets her sunglasses after.
On one of a thousand smoke breaks I hear a random sound of someone playing scales on a tuba from a building across the parking lot….‘is that a practise space over there efrim?’‘nah thats some guy on the railroad tracks the sound is bouncing off the walls’. Now we figured out Efrim’s sense of humour only a few days previous so I didnt believe a word he said….until he ushered me across the street to the train tracks where sure enough some guy is sitting 1 metre from the tracks (in a bush) practising a tuba with a sheet music stand in front of him. Turns out he’s done this almost every day the last few years…pesky landlords hate brass it seems. Efrim also had me convinced for a good 5 seconds that he was speaking to me (inside my head) 2 octaves down- scary studio trickery.
Towards the end of the session our beloved Davey arrives alongside Elaine our Torontonian harpist friend. This is good because we now go out at night and have food and drink…something we forgot to do the 1st ten days. Track the last 3 songs with Dave which I suppose is a nice way for him to finish up with us…we saved the best song for last too. Oh the noise! Elaine adds wonderful harp to 3 songs (she also punchs me in the stomach in a bar at which point I learn she’s well trained in martial arts- never put a girl in a mock headlock without research first folks). Finally master the art of making espressos on the gaggia (directly above this is a portrait of a young man and a dog painted by a hungarian woman…now I dont know if she meant to but she painted conor ‘villager’ o’brien’s exact face..spooky).
We get 4 hours to see some of Montreal before our flight home..turns out its a gorgeous place (we also learn water filtering plants cannot filter out female hormones…theres a fact for ya). We get on the plane (minus dave, elaine and frankie) and start the long winded journey home (or jetlag birthday in my case).
I’m forgetting about a thousand stories but that’ll do for now… pictures en route and we filmed a lot so some form of mini-making of due.
In summary: we’re happy with the album and Canada in general
This is montage our friend Roisin did last year of us for the ‘Haunt me’ launch.
http://www.vimeo.com/1149622
Its a sloppy/early version of an upcoming track. 2 Weeks until Montreal. Good Lord where does the time go? We’ll be bringing some hi-def cameras to film & photograph our album making for a future documentary of sorts. Speaking of which a few of our songs were used in a independant Irish feature film called ‘Memoria’ , interesting to see!
With the album process beginning in a couple of weeks I have decided I’m gonna use this here medium. So what’s new then?
Well we went to Canada, we will be returning to Canada for album recording and David will be moving to Canada. Canada. This is sad news on the band front but joyeous news for him and his wife (exciting times no?)
We have selected the songs for the album- they sound much more settled and maybe even more subtle than the eps (not much loud rock in there anyways- subtle sweet subtle). More than likely it will not have a long post-rockesque title either (‘The whitened
new tape echo
ghost of St Augusta like the mist of your morning eyes”) or some shite like that.
But yes we’re very excited to beging commiting to tape (literally…fuck digital). Might get some ‘fuck digital’ tshirts made up hrmmm.
Michael Jackson has passed…I don’t get why the jokes come flying out the day someone like him dies- true he has an odd/sad life but its a bit much. Tim’s first hero it seems (thats where he got his moves)
but yes much work to be done in 6 weeks, anyone know where i can buy a nagra on the fairly cheap??
Yes indeed, after much hoping and praying, we’ve gotten the nod to play at Electric Picnic. The lineup is looking increasingly more brillianter this year, so I/we are uber-chuffed to be playing! Thanks Jeebus.
So see you down the front for Sigur Ros, Elbow, Grinderman, Goldfrapp, George Clinton and Hayseed Dixie.
I believe we’re playing about 4pm on the Crosby stage. (Named after that well known all round family entertainer, Bill.) So yes, that’s all on the horizon. Have I mentioned how much we’re looking forward to it…….?
In other gig news, we’re playing the Kilkenny arts festival on Sunday week (10th Aug) in Cleere’s. Last time some of us played in KK (in a different incarnation) was one of the most over the top enthusiastic responses to a gig I’ve ever seen, so let’s hope that happy-juice is still in the water down in the south east and they like our new stuff too…..
We’re heading in to record Blood Branches on Monday. Here’s hoping it turns out as well on vinyl as it is in all of our heads. I’ll be playing a beeyouteefull Steinway grand on it though, so that’s surely a good start!
New songs are also churning away. Blips, fuzz organ and strings all present and correct. Should be airing them in the not too distant future. Also plans are afoot to get us playing a few more gigs around and about the country before the year is out, so more on that shortly…..
In the meantime, have a nice long weekend and don’t forget your brolly…..
so just recovered from the whole oxegen thing. It very much made up for certain tranmissionless woes. The four of us headed down on Friday for kicks, it very different to the last time i was there (2002??! We arrived to watch the Sugababes which to be completely fair were very good, caught dEUS who were off their faces (complete with a bass player who had no eyes) but they were great, shite sound at battles so we left, brief stint in the dance tent (airport hanger) and attempted the stupidest sober dances known to man. Went to Aphex which was total shit- we all love love love Richard D James but he just played shite dance/club music, its a sorry state of affair when sugababes are more watchable than aphex. Saw Cat Power and Interpol- both great,
Saturday was mammoth 10 hour practise with full crew- Dave’s siblings Emma and Fintan (the former you shall see more of in our live sets)- Frankie and Slipdraft sporting their new invention, a glowing cube of 3d visual amazement. Patent pending.
Sunday, group photo, pack the van, blare mansun and head to Kildare. There’s no one on during the day so just relax until the set (second desserts at artist catering, not wise). Out stage/tent is pretty cool and big. We play the set which was great fun (albeit with monitor problems, cue angry Dave), debut ‘Blood Branches’ which gets a cheered welcome. Do an interview with a bloody face. Then run down to RATM to get our minds blown, not too shabby,
Oh and Tim had some 12 year old farm boy try start a fight with him, it was very funny (probably a fuckin hoosiers fan)
Elis got repeatedly stared at by Paddy Casey for no reason
* The brothers repeatedly singing ‘eastenders’ theme as we landed
* Bringing a stupid amount of equipment on a busy tube
* Elis insisting on giving directions to places he clearly didn’t know
* A pidgeon shitting on me outside the venue (“stagger lee!!!!”)
We met up with Guy and George from Iambic2 which was nice to finally meet in person. Not long now until Transmission and the Oxegen straight after (we’re now on the Sunday just before the Kaiser Chiefs, poor guys won’t be able to match out extreme ascending pre-chorus shouts). Then its recording for our next release thingy. I’ll leave you with Frankie:
So this is what the whole “blogging” thing is about then, eh? Eh?
(This is Dave by the way. Brian is too busy discovering new exciting applications on his new macbook to be doing something quite so mundane and dreary as typing.)
So the ep is out tomorrow, on the anniversary or thereabouts of the first release. Pretty darn looking forward to it actually. We’ll have a discography ‘n shi’.
What a nice word – discography.
And gig is on Saturday – oddly enough, our first headline in about 10 months – our only scheduled Dublin date. So come one come all and bring your free-thinking grannies. They might “dig it” or whatever you kids say these days. So that’d be in Whelums, 10 bob, with an interestingly re-arranged 3epkano in support. We’ll have a bunch of new versions of some of our old crowd pleasers on display, some having undergone quite the overhaul.
We sound like the lightning seeds now dontcha know….
Right, enough rambling. I’d best be off and email some people who are long overdue an email or two.
Go on, buy our record (Haunt me when I’m drowsy). You’ll be a better person for it. Pinky swear.
