31st January 2004

I linked a few of the Purlieu videos to EBB today, just for some comments, but also asking if people want to help out. I’m doing a 5 minute promo video for the album, and have tons of raw video footage, but have no way of actually making a video for it… if anybody thinks they’d like to give it a go, there’s only a copy of Purlieu in it for you, but the thread’s here. Thanks mucho.

Not been concentrating on music much for a few days… found myself a girlfriend, Lucy, so I’ve not been travelling through dark, destructive urban soundscapes of late. Mind you, I’ve suddenly got back into FSOL and Orbital, so maybe inspiration lies ahead.

11th January 2004

Was listening to the So Far So Good album, ‘Autumn’, today. Well, I still am. I might reissue it at some point. It just seems kind of… odd. The feelings in the songs are no longer painful, but are past, and I’m not sure if I want them listed as present .Maybe if I do another album, I’ll put Autumn back out then as ‘back catalogue’. The problem with putting written feelings and emotions into music is that, unlike moods and atmospheres, they date. Whilst I can look back at my old Second Thought material and cringe because of the production, the content can still be good and remade. These old songs have emotions and memories tied to them that I don’t think they’ll ever be rid of, which makes it all so much harder to keep listening…

My favourite tracks still are Lessons You’ll End Up Learning Despite the Best of Your Knowledge, England; Sydney 3PM and Wreathed, which are probably the strongest in terms ofperformance, production and songwriting. None hold too painful memories, either. Ah, who knows. I’m sure I’ll do something with it in the future.

My current mood has put me in a creative mood for once. I think I’m going to sit on it for a while, but I felt like writing something yesterday, for the first time in ages. I’m not sure what I’d do, but it’s an idea I might work on more. I’m trying to pace myself with the music, though. I only want to finish Water or Jazz and the next Second Thought album by the end of the year. More time spent on perfecting these rather than fucking around with loads of half-finished stuff will hopefully lead to something good. I don’t want a collection of sketches like Twenty-four again.

I’m thinking of doing a bit more photography for the new album. This time last year I was out and about all over the place taking shots for Purlieu. I’ve already done a few; Greg’s part of town is a wonderful housing estate next to an industrial estate. Some graffiti photos have been taken already. Not sure what else, but there’s a lot I can take, no doubt. It’s something to keep me occupied, and should hopefully lead to some inspiration.

10th January 2004

What’s going on with my music? Purlieu is ever closing in. Hopefully looking at sometime within the next couple of weeks to get it off for manufacture, now things are tidying themselves up in the US, meaning a February/March release, but don’t hold me to that.

Work has begun on the next album, interestingly enough. I’m going with a complete contrast to Purlieu, in theme. From a place that doesn’t exist, of trees, meadows and eerie desolation to a busy, rough, noisy inhabited place – I’m thinking maybe a town or city, perhaps. I’ve been collecting samples, and have a hell of a lot of tracks begun. I think it’s going to be a bit less ambient than Purlieu, a bit harsher sounding, but I’m not going with a full on IDM breakbeat onslaught… still some of the ambient and slightly classical-esque ideas I used on Purlieu. Generally, the overall tone will be different – instead of the eerily tranquil and disturbing, it will be more… perhaps melancholy and a touch distressed… very much like you’re caught up in the complete chaos of a city. It’s an idea I’ve been playing with for a long time now, I’ve always wanted to do an album with this sort of theme. I’m thinking of restructuring a couple of ideas from some unreleased remixes I did, and I’ve got a great track emerging from the remains of ‘Birmingham City Skyline on a Hazy September Morning’, from back in the day. [-second thought-] has produced a hell of a lot of good tracks in the long run.

I’m also messing around with the idea of jazzy stuff. I wrote a few ideas on the piano at college, and found two tracks that worked together purely by accident. I’m really hoping that’ll be on the album, too. I think 2T will be at work on this album, too. The way the 2T project is heading at the moment – Maching, for example – is beginning to be more Second Thought than 2T. I think I’m going to take the IDM bits and incorporate them into Second Thought. Either way, that’s what the distant future holds. I’m not even considering finishing the record before the coming winter, so don’t hold your breath.

In the slightly more seeable future, there’s the AmbientLive show, which I can assure is going ahead, at some point. I’ve still not actually finalised the setlist – I’m thinking of taking the new breakbeat reworking of First Understanding out, as it is an ambient show, after all. What to replace it with is the hard thing – there’s not much from ‘Purlieu’ in the set, but I’ve exhausted all the easily reproducable tracks from that, so I’m thinking maybe an unreleased track. I’ve not tried a final mixdown of ‘Borderline’, which will hopefully be the opening track on the next album, so I don’t know how that would sound. It’s a possibility. Otherwise, there are a couple of other ideas that aren’t finished, but could be played as sketches. I’m not sure how work arrangements will suit Greg for playing, but if he can make it, there’ll be live guitar from him on a couple of tracks. I also have a sample for closing the show to get for that, so it’s certainly not complete. As soon as I get a date forthat, I’ll spread the word.

Listening to some live FSOL stuff. Man, I’d love to create this sort of soundscape. Even though I come from a similar standpointwhen it comes to creating albums, I’ve never been able to create something as… alive as Dougans and Cobain ever managed. I am constantly amazed by their music. To make an album with as much atmosphere and presence as Lifeforms is a fantasy of mine, and one I don’t think I’ll ever really fullfill.

Been picking up the guitar a lot of late. I don’t know if this will give more guitar on the Second Thought stuff, or lead me back to being a singer/songwriter type again. I think the recent happiness of mood might help me out in that department. I could do with writing some songs, even be they cheesy love songs.

The future’s bright, the future’s storange.