Write
up: (written September 2007)
Whilst recording the album 'Hunting for fairies again' I realised
that I didn't actually enjoy the process of recording. It all seemed
too 'under the microscope' and far removed from live performance and
the spirit that the songs were written in. So I wasn't in a hurry
to record again, but then two things happened to bring about a new
album. Firstly, I had bought a portable mini-disc recorder and a plate
mic., and secondly we were moving around a lot, house-sitting for
friends and family as we didn't have our own place. During this time
I was enjoying sitting quietly in people houses playing to myself
at night, and suddenly realised that this was what I wanted to capture,
and how I wanted to record the next album. Whilst recording Hunting
for fairies again, I had been mucking around with the plate mic Blu-Tacked
to the body of the guitar and had liked the way When Mary comes in'
had a raw sound and ambient noises, and so used that version on the
album. Now I used the same technique to record the whole of the new
album. Where ever we were staying, when I sat down to play, I would
Blu- Tack on and see what happened. Although the end result is definitley
low fi, it was a much more enjoyable way to record, and captured the
songs in the same spirit in which they were written.
It's a very dark album, which lots of silence and probably only one
and a bit happy songs out of ten! The album title reflects this, but
also offers some hompe, as 11.59 is the minute before midnight; the
darkest time, but on the verge of a new day.
The cover photo was taken in very low light in our friends Bella and
Robert's old house and includes their spaniel MCaig in the foreground,
curled up in her bed.
Songs:
Am I just wasting my time.
I still love this song, the only regret being that I don't perform
in venues quiet enough to play it! It's a song about standing on the
threshold of a new relationship and hoping that this time it's going
to work. Like all the songs on this album, it's very sparse and simple,
and I like it all the more for that. It gets to the point.
World away.
Talking
of sparse...A song of longing and regret over distance and separation.
Dreams.
A song of lust. I always imagine Winchester Cathedral grounds on a
sunny day, with sunbathing people, and picnics and summer dresses...
even though though the lyrics tell us that it's winter.
Petersfield.
This one was recorded within hours of being written, and hasn't been
played since. That's not because I don't like it, in fact I think
it's one of the highlights of the album. It's just a lack of opportunity
and practice.
Carnival.
A song about being drunk and in love. This one is still a favourite
in the set and goes down really well at gigs.
This is where I’ll
be.
I wrote this song after a trip to America, where we
stayed with my partner's relations and generally had a really relaxing
time. I think it's a happy song, at least that's what I was thinking
I should write at the time, as I 've always had well meaning people
tell me that I write too many sad songs. Actually this is one of those
songs where, even though you wrote it, you can't really tell where
it came from.
Do you believe in fairy
tales?
This song quickly established itself as a firm favourite. It's still
in the set and still goes down well. It's about dreams and dreaming.
For a while I stopped singing it with all the right words, as I wasn't
sure that I did believe in fairy tales, but it's back to normal now.
About this time of day.
Although it doesn't get aired very often now due to audience noise,
this is the song out of all of mine that is guaranteed to bring at
least one person in the audience to the point of tears. Thats not
why I sing it of course, but its gratifying to know that people feel
the songs and can get caught up in them.
Dead roses.
This is a tongue in cheek look at the nature of certainty, and black
and white thinking. It is slightly rude, and only usually gets an
airing when I think people aren't listening. It's amusing to see people
stop their conversation and say "did he sing what I think he
did?"
Night rhythm.
This was a complete
accident. I was trying to record a song, and kept cocking it up. After
one take, I was tapping on the body of the guitar whilst thinking
what to do, and got into the rhythm, after I'd enjoyed drumming for
a while stopped, and only then realised that the mini-disc was still
recording.
This album marks
a really productive time for me. In the space of a few months I wrote
a lot of songs, finished this album, wrote a novel, and cracked making
fire by friction! Mentally, being positive was a bit of a struggle,
but I still had the confidence to do all of the above.
