More about the Songdog album: as yet untitled.

[johnny9fingers]

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.

Comments

[ankh156.livejournal.com]

Id like to hear some of that stuff, can you send me some mp3s ?

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

I hope Lyndon will give me an mp3 to post here soon. As for the rest, well that's down to 'One Little Indian', and Derek Birkett. (I doubt I could blag more than one number this far before release.)

I hear ya...

[ankh156.livejournal.com]

Still makes me curious tho'.

With recommendations like you're making, I'll probably just go out and buy it.

[ankh156.livejournal.com]

PS : I hankering after mandolin. I sold my last and regretted it instantly - it was a Harmony. Now I've found a Stagg for €132 - pickup, knobs and all.

I'll crack one day.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Pod used two. A Godin, which is electro-acoustic, and pretty damn good, and (of all makes) a Dean, which should have been a nightmare of Heavy Metal design but was actually very good indeed and quite traditional looking as well.

[thaliastrel.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that sounds real good. Accordian? I'm there.

[e-compass-rosa.livejournal.com]

I'm smit too, so I'll be looking forward to meeting the music some day.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

As soon as Milady.

[winterlion.livejournal.com]

That sounds wonderful. I'd love to hear some of their music. Only time... :)