These words (Latin for ‘Behold the man’) come from a tragic moment in Jesus’ biography. In painters’ renderings of the moment, Pilate’s hands are often open towards Jesus, directing our eyes to Him, as if to say: “what has he done? What have we done?”
Of the bird called carduelis carduelis, there are hundreds of very clear appearances in religious and secular art - if you fancy some better-researched renaissance info, Herbert Friedmann has the book for you, called The Symbolic Goldfinch. But I didn’t know about any of this when I wrote a poem, years ago, one morning.
At last, a seven-song mini-album which you can listen to with your ears! Right here. This weekend it's exclusively on Bandcamp, where you can hear the songs in their entirety, download them in whichever format you like, and see the full lyrics and credits. As I'm still rather tired and beatific like a student after an all-nighter,… Continue reading Flora & Fauna Side A – hear it today!
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...
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.
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.
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
Featuring my Bristol Bucket List, Gerard Manley Hopkins and a brand spanking new song of mine.
It’s a kaleidoscope of widescreen keyboards, arpeggiators and drums, into which axewoman Jenn Wasner injects high-voltage bliss at perfectly judged moments. Several points on the album made me inwardly conclude 'ah, this is what music should be'.
As fuzz, distortion and stacked harmonies recur, you can tell Middle Kids are throwing everything into their debut.
Culture Me Up 