Al Stravinsky
Filter
Away, be a stranger Away, be a stranger
...meanwhile, on Earth, things aren't quite going as planned... God: 'I know what to do! I'll send my amazing, wise, brilliant, beloved son for them to berate, abuse and crucify. That'll show 'em!'
12/13/2007 Folk Rock
Break these chains Break these chains
A song about breaking free from whatever it is that keeps us down; be it physical or mental subjugation, an addiction, a fear, an illness or disability, or simply a state of mind. It's in the style of a rock/Evangelical song.
8/15/2007 Folk Rock
Hammer and nail Hammer and nail
'Negative friendship', if there is such a thing, is the subject of this outpouring. It's essentially me and my guitar. I wanted to do something quick, something silly, but something musically, vocally and lyrically demanding...
7/26/2007 Folk Rock
A child is gone A child is gone
The tragic story of a white middle-class couple and their abducted child caused a frenzy of media activity recently in the UK.
6/14/2007 Acoustic General
Sixty-second song Sixty-second song
It lasts a minute and says all I wanted to say. It's made of bass, piano, metronome, strings, vibes playing 'Westminster chimes', choir, synth and vocals; took me about 360 minutes to go full circle, from first thought to finished mix.
5/1/2008 Folk Rock
Shallow water Shallow water
I saw the line from the chorus in a book of Zen wisdom I picked up on holiday. My computer broke down when I got back and so I had several weeks to form the song in my head...
8/15/2007 Folk Rock
Hope Hope
Hope is a song about finding your way when you thought there was no way through, or no route back. It could be about God but could equally relate to a woman, a man, an ambition: anything that gives you a reason to get up the next morning.
3/28/2007 Christian Pop
Big Girl Big Girl
I wrote the biggest part of this 30 years ago about a girl in the pub I frequented; I would have asked her out but I heard some guys making unkind remarks about her weight and I just didn't have the bottle after that. Shame on me, for she was lovely
2/2/2007 Folk Rock
You make You make
This song is about creation and inspiration. Apart from 2 acoustic guitar tracks, the music is totally sequenced in Reason with lots of percussion, fretless bass, guitars, piano, violins and cellos. There are 8 backing vocals and a single lead vocal.
2/8/2007 Folk Rock
Wake up God! Wake up God!
I wrote this in December 2004 driving home from a gig, contemplating the state of the world, like you do, and I've just got round to finishing it off. The chords wrote themselves and the tune was just as I first heard it.
1/12/2007 Folk Rock
Lift Lift
A song about a lift (elevator). We can choose to get in or not but don't forget: what goes up must come down. The music is totally sequenced using Reason, with its great modules and powerful automation capabilities, plus lots of vocal harmonies.
1/10/2007 Dance-Pop
Subway song Subway song
A song sung live in a subway... you might care to stop, listen and throw a coin or two as you hurry by. I wrote and recorded the best part of this (acoustic guitar - capo 6th fret - and vocals) in 2 hours on 19th December 2006.
4/13/2008 Folk Rock
You would never believe You would never believe
Is it really 'better to have loved and lost...'? This song was inspired by the accompanying picture by Kurt Bujack (used by permission), a wonderfully talented artist and musician. See (and hear) more of his work at http://myspace.com/life9music
6/23/2007 Folk Rock
Are you there? Are you there?
With the advent of the internet and sites such as Soundclick and Myspace there are many more opportunities for us to 'meet' and 'get to know' people from all over the planet. In this new world we can be whatever we want to be... and so can they..
11/30/2006 Smooth R&B
Mirror/Since you asked Mirror/Since you asked
I've applied the fairy-story magic-mirror principle to a tale of modern love, turning two songs into one. 'Mirror', a folky ballad, tells the story of a relationship over a number of years; 'Since you asked' is the mirror's stark point of view.
12/28/2006 Folk Rock
From the sky From the sky
This song, written in March 2005 but finished in September 2006, is about having an alien to bring up, take care of, and learn from. They don't half change your perspective, aliens...
1/12/2007 Dance-Pop
This old shirt This old shirt
Sometimes an inanimate object takes on more importance than its face value would suggest. Even an old, threadbare T shirt might have bitter-sweet indispensible memories for its owner...
12/28/2006 Indie Pop
Falling apart Falling apart
Maybe it's my age or simply the company I keep, but I do seem to lose a little bit of me somewhere everyday these days, and once lost they are gone forever: I'm terminally depleting. The song has Beatle influences I suppose...
9/13/2006 Folk Rock
Sitting on the sofa with you Sitting on the sofa with you
If you ever had a friend that you fancied and you ended up at your place at the end of an evening out together, chatting, CDs playing, then this particular cup of coffee may taste familiar...
7/30/2006 Pop Rock
Keep the love in your eyes Keep the love in your eyes
This is a jazzy, latin-influenced love song - yet another one that came to me virtually intact while I was struggling with something else...
7/21/2006 Latin Jazz
