with all the lovely weather outside it’s hard
to sit in the studio making music, so I’ve been going out to the
Purbecks quite a bit or just ambling around the beach.

i watched this movie called The
Tournament, with starring roles from the likes of Robert
Carlyle and Ving Rhames. the plot was the standard “rich folk place
bets on people killing each other” format – but it was set in
Middlesbrough, amongst blissfully ignorant innocent bystanders, which
makes it a bit more interesting. the script was poor, though. obviously all the budget was spent on the actors and the stunts,
which included some epic free-running from Sebstien Foucah.

//www.youtube.com/embed/i8NDAxGsfK8

it seems the only place the producers
could let off big explosions was Bulgaria, rather than Teeside. the
continuity give-aways of “slightly incorrect” motorway signs and an
extremely rare 2007-plate Ford Sierra could be forgiven, though,
because the stunt work and FX were pretty good.

back to the music, though. i have been
listening to Dare, noting the raw simplicity of the synthesizers and the
restraint in production. instead of another track or effect, Oakey
will introduce some animated whammy or melody so the notes do the
talking from an uncoloured instrument. It works really well.

i also downloaded the chvrches album. this is great stuff and, unsurprisingly, i too now want to marry
Lauren Mayberry. perhaps I was sensitized by the bottle of Valencia I
was drinking during the listening experience (made from grapes picked
by moonlight, apparently), but the emotional power of the opener was
goose-pimpling. plus I hear she plays drums, and drums are cool.

Lauren’s captivating vocal of sugary tones and unique lyrical rhythm is blended with
distorted organs and a distinctive reverb that is definitely
reminiscent of dark, stony cathedrals or railway arches. there is an
ethereal and sensitive power to this electronica, so it’s right up
voxel records’ alley. the modern use of synths wallops into touch the
weedy wavetables of the 1990s, to which we were often bound (for
reasons of cost and availability) when i was involved in Glasgow
bands. the chvrches record brought back a lot of memories, but
primarily the importance of being part of a band. i like my solo
projects, for reasons of independence, but a proper band gives your
music a presence and integrity you don’t get from working alone.