My first project after I bought music recording software was a group of songs that all had a pan pipe in them. I didn’t want it to sound like the South American CD’s you can buy in any seconds store but just wanted to use the pan pipe for the hell of it. The project then morphed into a journey through a day – from sunrise to sunset.
I re-worked it after the midi box I used to generate the sounds finally died so I substituted with the new sounds source and I fixed up a few of the songs.
- Sunrise – The alarm clock goes off and the new day starts. For a lot of people dawn is not their favourite part of the day so this songs is for all of the early birds. And yes, to recreate this song (and many other songs where I use an instrument powered by breath) the pan piper I need would have lungs the size of the ocean. Not a lot of time to breath 🙂
2. Communion – a little ditty I wrote after hearing Mike Oldfield do something like it. This will be a recurring theme because I source a lot of my ideas from others. Plagiarism? I’d like to think it more as a homage. Used to play this song at church when the communion went around hence it’s name.
3. A New Day, A New Life – the first single of the album if I can put it that way. Just like cricket your best one goes in at number 3. A song in 2 voices, one being a man saying he’s not good enough and the other is God responding saying how wonderfully loved that man is. In the end the voices combine as the man finally gets it.
4. Cry Of Our Hearts – the only lyrical song and it came about after a trip to the Blue Mountains. I stood up on the ridge looking down in the valleys and wondered if that’s where God would walk through when he needed a rest – back close to his original creation. Of course I know the theology is way off and I even allude to that saying that God is always there ready to hold us. Still it’s a nice image.
5. Festival Of The Sun – the party track. Not much else I can add to this to be honest except that I got to the end of the song and realised that I hadn’t included the pan pipe so I just added one burst after the song was over just so it could fit into the project.
6. The Little Something – actually a lyrical song I wrote years ago and just converted it into an instrumental. The opening riff is kind of like a Church song for those who are playing “Pick The Influence”.
7. Storm – OK, put your best headphones on, lie back and get comfy. Then, imagine a stinking hot, humid Sydney summers day. You’ve been to the beach, you’ve played a bit of backyard cricket, and maybe even mowed the lawn. You have a shower and grab a cold drink then sit on the balcony as the southerly storm rolls in cooling all off around you. You are content because you know that with that cooling breeze tonight you will be able to sleep.
8. Two Lives Worlds Apart – yeah this one is a bit out there. Starts off as a gentle piece on the guitar which a friend once told me she could listen to for ages. Well I tried to make it extend out longer but I got bored and decided to ramp things up. Became a battle between different ideologies.
9. Coming Home (inc Sunset Finale) – yes, this reeks of Mike Oldfield and Tubular Bells. Guilty as charged. But a lot of fun creating it. I do want to do a rework of it and instead of instrument introductions I wanted to rattle off towns in the Blue Mountains with the final one being Wentworth Falls. Don’t know why, just sounds like a fun idea.
Altamira Sound & Vision Productions 