Eastern Crossing

“Eastern Crossing” is the second part of a larger work that’s inspired by the similarities in traditional music; from the south-east of Europe and all the way through the northern countries.

As always, the song are recorded with real instruments, but its extra fun when the instrumentation requires more “unconventional” instruments, such as sitars and orchestral percussion (like timpani and huge drums).

But the most ambitious part of the recording surfaced when I decided to record the whole string arrangement by myself.

The string section contains 49 cellos, 4 upright basses and a couple of violins (with 2 to 4 microphones per instrument, it became a pretty large mix). Fortunately it wasn’t necessary to edit these tracks too much.

I also wanted the strings to sound a bit like they do on old eastern recordings that I have in my collection). Meaning, not too sterile or “classical” in sound.

Quadral

The song "Quadral" is the first part in a suite of songs that "lingers" in eastern music.

By that, I mean music from East-Europe and Asia.

Over the years I find it more and more jaw-dropping; how similar these traditional music forms are to each-other and to our western music as well.

Kinda obvious of course, but the more I listen, more pieces falls into place in an infinitely big and detailed picture.

It was fun to record these songs, as it gave me an excuse to pick up some of my favourite instruments. Like the sitar, eastern strings, flutes and even, applying Estonian choir elements.

The production was mostly improvised (over the song structure), so I have many versions which are pretty different, in both speed, statement and “ethnicity”.

The Feeling Stronger Than Hate

“The Feeling Stronger Than Hate” is one of the songs that was supposed to be released on the album “The Creature With One Trillion Eyes”. The album was even printed, but never released.

There were many reasons for this. One of them was that I wasn’t satisfied with the cover-art printing job, the mastering, the print material, glue in the sleeve, even the compact disk itself looked underwhelming. Makes me sound like an idiot, but really, this is nothing new in the music business, quite common actually.

After a few rounds with the manufacturers, and a couple of reprints, the album was put on hold. And after a while I had moved on and laid new plans, started on a new album, and new songs.

This song is one of a few in this project that has a guitar lead thats not recorded through a real amplifier. But through a cheap analog amp simulator called a VOX plug. It was purchased for a few bucks at the now legendary West LA Music Store.

But bullshit aside, the composition is part of a huge branch in my artistic life, those of you that has followed this project, have probably understood this by now, and can draw lines straight through me and my entire life. Life is like a tree, with roots, even  longer than the branches. 

Zephyrs

Zephyrs is one of the earlier songs in this 5-year-long album.

I wrote most of it when I was 12-13 years old. I’d already wasted several years producing piles of cassette tapes with tracks, and I considered this song as a side project. A simple, mild, but playful tune.

At the time (obviously), I was heavily into to folk music.

Everything from Norwegian, British, American to Russian.

Eastern and western, northern and southern, old and new, rural and urban.

Still are.

A version of the song was performed with my band “Woo” between 1994 and 1996.

Life Was

“Life was once a road,

then hope lied.”

I wrote this song in my late teens. At the time I was very ambitious, and also a victim of thinking too much. I still am.

A blessing and a curse, that I would not have been without. But having just a fraction of this trait would be great, and do me very good.

I mostly remember rehearsing the song with my band “Woo”,

We intended to perform it live (of course), but that never happened. We split up soon after.

But it’s exciting to witness these old ghosts, come alive again, here in the studio.

Though it’s been a reoccurring experience for some time now.

All of this is soon coming to an end.

As were now in the last year of this project!

After that I will only think forward.

Or maybe just be present in the moment.

Maybe not think at all

And I’ll smile

And laugh

All the way to the Spotify bank..

Set In Bone

I started on “Set In Bone” around the same time that I composed “I Went” and “River”.

That doesn’t say much really.

Nothing, when I think about it.

As so many songs are composed at the same time (“Haunted”, “Needle Take Me Home” plus many more, comes to mind).

Describing the timeline of the art is like describing the timeline of an explosion.

It’s almost like I’m working in parallel worlds, with different timelines and directions. In music, and in general.

It feels like the memory of my life comes from alternate realities, where very different events form their own subjective timelines, though they might have happened exactly at the same time.

Also, closely knitted events that even form a simple storyline, might in reality have happened far far apart, both in time and space.

Anyway,

all the best for all your realities.

I’ll stop to bore them now.

I'm Still Here

«I’m Still Here» is an experimental song that we used to jam on, in a different time and in a different world.

The floating intro (and ending) is from another song (actually), called “Spawn”

“Spawn”, composed some years after, was the overture to what was supposed to be my first solo album, “Evolver”.

“Evolver” was a collection (of electro-pop-rock songs) spiced with extraterrestrial themes that weaved in and out between the songs, forming a parallel statement, almost a parallel record.

After a while, the concept became so full with songs, that it could easily have been 3 different albums. And so, when I released the first EP promoting the upcoming album, it contained the last 5 songs that I had worked on, and that was that.

So much for grand visions. We needed to play concerts and promote, dabbling around in the studio wasn’t going to help us with that.