It’s long bugged me that there’s been a lack of a proper vocal on my tracks.
Sure, I’ve had a couple of added bits and pieces (notably Lake Song), but nothing really where a human vocal is the lead. Whilst this isn’t a huge issue - I am after all producing tracks which are instrumental in nature - I come from a more ‘song’ background, so I’m keen to have vocals on these tracks in some format.
Luckily, whilst ruminating on this in the background, a new plugin popped up from The Crow Hill Company featuring a fantastic array of playable vocal samples via the pipes of Dot Allison (solo artist, plus Paul Weller, Massive Attack and many more). It’s hugely controllable, does unexpected things in a good way - and lots of fun - and I had a new track put together pretty quickly, even without knowing how to use it 100%.
The result is ‘Balancing in Tornados’. Another Substack first for you.
Once I started layering sounds and vocals, adding sleepy guitars and string textures it became something which gave me the vibe of The Cocteau Twins (raise your late Boomer / Gen X hands if you remember them…). Alternatively, I suppose a sort of Americana Shoegaze. I shall name this genre, and take it.
I was keen on not making it too ‘tight’ or polished. If you heard the isolated tracks there were a few slow off-beat notes, a few fret noises and some things that could be edited out, but it felt right that it sounded, and was, authentically live.
Fun bonus fact: The ‘drums’ you’re hearing are nothing of the sort. It’s samples of me walking across the snow in Sweden in January that I tweaked and turned into percussion.
Now, the video. I knew I wanted something a little out there. A bit of a contrast with the music, which in isolation suggests frozen tundra and Icelandic fields. In a fit of contrariness, I went somewhere hot and Italian instead with a story of a pretty Zen tightrope walker preparing for a standard evening show. A bit of internet sleuthing reveals this to be a fella called Andrea Loreni, who’s famous for having made Italy’s highest ever city tight rope walk.
I humbly apologise for any clammy hands that may be caused by the viewing of this video, but hope you enjoy it - and more importantly - the new track.
As ever, let me know what you think with a comment, a share or indeed a subscription.
Balancing in Tornados.