I saw a production of Hamlet the other day – it was magnificence on a stage. Kid you not.
I came home from said production and this is the song that it begat (and erupted). The chords are something I have been toying with – a classic old-school bluesy thing, really – but it came over so slow and dark and beckoning, it just fell straight into the incredible vibe of the play. Continue reading
This is one the simplest songs I’ve put out, I reckon.
It’s a little acoustic number with a nice groovin’ guitar part that, essentially, just rolls and repeats and builds for the entire song. Turns out it works! So there you go. Simplicity.
I think a few people will really dig this one, just for that sweet rhythmic feel that keeps at you the whole way. I’m bopping along to it myself.
Whack it on and just roll with it
Now I don’t wanna say a whole lot of too much about this one, except…
Woohoo Dance! Pop! Motherflippin’ glory!
(Also – fark me Batman, this week is song number forty. For ye of little faith, I say… YAWP!)
Now my friends, get thy boogie on. Sing it. Dance it. Cheese it up. Love it.
A simple love song. Piano, voice, a hint of strings is all. (All you need, right John?)
Some things in this world are simple, or at least can be, and I think we’re lucky when they are. We should lap up the luck when it comes. Continue reading
Mmmm the gorgeous scent of nostalgia fills the air.
That’s how I feel about this one – part psychedelia, part mid-tempo swoon, part 70s tight pants/falsetto crooning.
It just sounds nostalgic and warmly heady to me (not that I was alive in the 70s, but I can dig it). Continue reading
This week is oh so different to last week – from a little live one-take acoustic bad boy to a groovin’, slidin’, old-school bluesy beast of a brew. Ah, variety.
It’s also fairly rockin’ for the 52 Songs project, as this is generally the place for songs that don’t fit the band’s style, but I think it’s still different enough from Stray Birds to get a guernsey. Continue reading
I recorded this live. One take, voice and guitar together. Just me. Live.
And I like it with its foibles and its cracks – surely they’re akin to its heart and soul.
It’s a song of passion. One of those ones where it goes from soft and gentle to letting it rip. Continue reading
This is quite a heartfelt song. Not in a lovey way, but in a looking-into-yourself way.
I began writing it in the last week, and it’s bubbled along in my brain over a few days.
It’s about that feeling that you’ve got to be able to find something you can grasp out of things that go wrong, something worthwhile, even in the face of defeat. When you believe in something, when you try your heart out. Even when you don’t win. Continue reading
I really like this song for the uplifting ending, and the way that it sweeps in after wistful verses and choruses, all tinged with a bit of fey hindsight. It’s quite lovely in that way, methinks. Continue reading
This week is a nice chunk of poppy rock, a bit closer to what Stray Birds would normally put out, actually. But not quite. The band rocks well harder.
The song came together on an acoustic guitar, and it still works well as a big strumming singalong kinda thing cos it’s a lot of fun to play and sing – it just flows around like a pop song should, but with some balls to it. Some meat! You can really belt it out. Continue reading