As weird as it seems to be announcing the release of one record whilst having worked on a totally different one for the past few weeks, that’s the way it goes in the life-cycle of things.
This is an awesome split EP of the 8-bit inspired chiptune electronic variety, with The Wet Dreams taking the first half of the record; myself the second. We took a basic melody for one of the tracks, and wrote our own versions (tracks 3 and 4) which made it all the more interesting.
Click through to the music page for the relevant links and all that.
For those of you not so enamoured with the chiptune side of things, watch this space – there’s other creations in the works.
It’s funny how you can release music all day every day, but have people only listen when you make a video and stick it on Youtube. As a result of the ‘be suspicious…’ video a pile of people have commented on it in real life. I’ve gotten used to only those directly involved in the whole musical world knowing about the whole bowtie project and interacting with it, so it’s strange to have it bleed out into other areas. It’s something I’m not sure I’m entirely comfortable with, as as soon as that happens, inherently all of the criticisms and harsh scrutiny come along for the ride as well. I’m not entirely sure that it’s what any of this was designed for, so who knows how it’ll unfold or what it’ll withstand. It seems a stupid thing to say when writing on a public blog about songs posted on public sharing sites, but I’m sure there are those of you out there that will understand and see through the seeming duplicity.
Contemplations aside, the collaborative idea is beginning to take some sort of semi-tangible shape in the form of actual, proper recorded songs from all the bits and pieces that I’ve been sent so far. The first full track is almost finished, and has some awesome drums from Ally Craig of Bug Prentice, and nice synthy electronic blips from the legendary Does It Offend You Yeah?
I’ve realised that the whole thing is going to be a big mish-mash of different genres and feels, with each track totally different to the others… I hope that the bowtie can bring some sort of common thread to the whole thing. That’ll be the challenge.
Introducing Pulco
Sticking to the same subject, I’m really chuffed to announce that the wonderful Pulco is sending stuff over for inclusion. Since coming up with the whole thing, I’ve wanted to get him on board. He’s a perfect fit – recording things DIY on a whole host of strange and wonderful everyday household items and keyboards.
His own latest album is out this very month of June, so check out the link above, and get a flavour of what’s possibly to come by watching the awesome video below.
Those times where you desperately don’t want to sleep even though your body’s crying out for it, and you simply want to create… to write or sing, or strum, or pluck, or do something… but you can’t cos everyone’s asleep. One of those times where you feel like you could just speak to a long lost friend and have all and every issue fixed without actually saying a word. One of those times where time and work and money and the past and present all seem to collide into one big nothingness. That’s just now.
I had a big interview a few weeks ago. They saw the music and photos and other stuff I do and after saying how it was a good thing, went on to ask what I saw my career as… when really it seems like the question was actually about dedication and commitment to a single purpose; to check you aren’t going to run away halfway through a lifetime deal for some other ‘fleeting’ dream. There seems to be no middle ground because nobody lets there be one.
More importantly, it’s amazing how a musical saw can sound so wonderful one minute, and so awful and out of tune when played with headphones on. Clearly there’s a dark art to be mastered.
At what point do you take a collection of songs that are independent of each other, written over months and changes in preference, and meld them into some sort of coherent ‘album’ form?
Or do you have to bother?
Regardless, it’s now a new year, and here’s a song that was technically all recorded in 2010, but for argument’s sake, since it was finished today, it counts as the first of 2011.
It has been a day of difficulty, but not for the reasons I first envisaged this morning.
Instead of the possible social awkwardness that may have unfolded, (and how I wish it had!) I was instead granted the scenario of losing my keys on public transport.
Well, I assume it was on public transport.
Who knows.
Maybe some nice person will hand them in and I won’t need to fork out some ridiculous amount to some car sales-people.. or I could always learn to hot wire?
The best way to deal with such situations is to have a chippy, a large glass of single malt, and throw a ton of instruments into the one song.
unexpectedbowtie 