The album opener is ‘Kingfishers Catch Fire’, a song I've been trying to harness for years. Though it got a 2020 update, the lyric was mostly written in 2014, whirling out of me with caffeinated ease in a single session...
In which my post-sleep brain comes to life in the company of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's genius; we consider the internal monologue of St Cecilia; and my new music project is announced.
For Flora & Fauna, I’ve been recording demo’s at home, to flesh out or re-draft later. Often it’s like a body having all its cells regenerated – every original recorded element, or cell, gets replaced by a better take or better idea, but overall it’s still the same beast. This one went through sooo much re-drafting.
Remember when songs were sung? Actual air, from actual lungs?
I've been taking audio recordings of the sea, of rivers, creating software instruments out of samples I made in a forest and just loving how the growing world (plant life, recently fledged birds, amphibians) has given me therapy while the human world has been rather locked down.
How do you feel about cultural comfort food? About the ‘guilty pleasure’? As they’re commonly used, the terms connote a certain uncoolness, that the culture isn’t ‘difficult’ or capable of providing long-term sustenance. Have you been consuming more of such things in 2020?
Back once again! Thanks for caring enough about what I'm up to to give me your valuable reading minutes. This post will have a new song from me, inspired by a study of apocalyptic literature (FUN!) and making a rookie error identifying some wildlife in Devon. But that's to come - first, something you might've… Continue reading Her Likeness Appeared at Dawn, And By Dawn Had Vanished
“It is so like meTo dream of better places” I’ve been doing a strange kind of hibernating – the kind that happens in the full flush of springtime. It began when nuthatches were building their nests, under that canopy of trees near my home. We discovered new walking routes then, every possible walk within thirty… Continue reading To Dream of Better Places
While we're staying in, many of us will be enjoying the fruits of creative people's labours. Let's support them directly via Bandcamp, and more...
There are new beginnings everywhere I look. Friends are wearing signs of the fatigue and joy of being new parents; Ireland’s getting a new government; and my near-future neighbours will be dolphins.
Think of the places you've lived in your life. Time spent anywhere is always limited, but now I'm aware of just how limited that time is. Here are some priorities I've made (& ignored)...
