johnny9fingers: (Default)
As the mixes have been getting to a more complete stage (awful construction that - complete shouldn't take a modifier) I've been thinking about the music I'm listening to.
Some of the songs are just beautiful fragments of melody and harmony wrapped about an extraordinarily articulate artist baring his soul. Some are the songwriting equivalent of Haiku. Some are Sonnets, and Some... 
The arrangements are sparse, and in general acoustic. Even in Jacques Brel or Scott Walker I've never heard so melancholy a sound as Dave's Accordian. (As an aside, when a drummer plays keyboards and accordian, you just know this ain't an ordinary band.)
I'm going to ask Pod (Karl) to show me around the mandolin - next on my buying list, or if not next, pretty high up the order.
Some of these are the slowest songs I've ever heard.
It is a melancholy (that word again) album that's strangely uplifting.
Much of it is lyrically quixotic: balancing squalor and humanity; lust, love, and morality.
Steve's doing a damn fine job on these mixes.
There are no explosions, no distortion pedals, no special effects (some nice reverbs). It was just recorded with good mics and pre-amps in a good space with a good vibe (in general - though there was some production friction earlier, but when isn't there?)

This music bleeds humanity, my dears, and I am smit.
johnny9fingers: (Default)
Lyndon has promised a track from the album to for preview, if that's the word. He'll allow me to put it on LJ. When it comes through I'll post it and you can all give me your comments if you want.
I worry that I'm too close to the whole process to judge accurately, but I'm an old cynical studio dog: it really takes something for me to get this enthused.
I have a feeling I'll dine out on this for years to come - It's unreal in its brilliance, passion, and restraint.
johnny9fingers: (Default)

I am listening to the rough mixes of one of the best albums I've heard.
Of the 24 songs Songdog have recorded they'll only have space for 14. This might be a crime against the art of songwriting.
Of course, no-one else will ever listen to it: but this album (when it comes out) should propel these guys into the stratosphere. Comparisons are often odious...nevertheless if you think of the best and most humane albums from songwriters of whom you know, this album (as and when) should be in your top twenty.
Aside of shouting it from the rooftops, I don't know what else to do.
When one stumbles upon great art one has certain duties.
The first is dissemination, and this I must do.

johnny9fingers: (Default)
Ah. There have been some developments.
Steve has agreed to mix the tracks and pass them to Nick (the producer) for approval, in the old fashioned way. Steve's a very good mixing engineer, but now the pressure's on him, poor bunny. A position exposed to a huge amount of scrutiny, and one he didn't expect. I remain confident that he'll get the best from the tracks.
In the middle of all this kerfuffle I had a 'phone call from a New York based company asking if we had any time today for one of their artists. I had to explain that we were booked out for the next week, and couldn't help. I didn't even find out who the artist was. Bright man, Ninefingers.
Oh well.

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June 2021

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