For a change: Relevance

Friday 7th May: 2:00pm

This is our 4th and last day in Leeders Farm studio and I thought that, as this blog was started as a way of killing time during recording, and that when I get back to my normal job these posts are going to have to become less frequent (although I still hope to continue!), it might be relevant to talk a little about the album that we are currently making.

"You Cannot Choose The Roads That Take You Home"

Our 2nd album, titled as above, should be available for insertion into your ears in September. Over the last 4 days all drum tracks have been done and Chase is currently doing as much bass as possible. Ade's parts, my parts, and whatever Chase doesn't get done today will all be done in our living room over the next month or so.

For a sneak preview which may well get me in trouble with NROne (our label), I have placed the likely front cover on the right hand side.

We are rather excited about this one. Personally, something that is a common theme running through many of the albums that I love is certain poetry, quality and relevance to the lyrics. At the risk of sticking my head up to get shot down, as a lyricist I'm getting closer to where I want to be than ever.

Also each of us now seem to know what we need to do to make a song work. Erm. I'm aware I'm just rambling now. But it's probably good for anyone who might be in a band who may be reading to know that we don't really know what we're doing.... But we seem to have learned how to fill the gaps left my each others' inadequacies. The fact that we know that we're never going to be the greatest musicians in the world means that we have to make sure that our songs are actually any bloody good. Lyrics, melody and structure...that's all we really care about. Like much of this blog, the preceding sentences probably don't make too much sense even to the other members of the band, but this is just how I see things.

Then again, a large percentage of one's understanding of the world is how we perceive the things we encounter in life and how we ("we" being a massive collective noun for the human race) deal with the challenges they present. Coincidentally, this is kind of what most Barlights songs are about.

In any case, we are very happy to be cracking on considering that in the first 3 months of the year we managed to have a drummer crack a rib and a bassist carve his arm open with a circular saw. In fact Chase's arm has become a bit of a viral hit. We've met people who've seen pictures of it prior to actually knowing who Chase is.

We don't have that photo of the arm close up but we have managed to get hold of this exclusive never-before-seen-picture of Chase immediately after the accident:

It might be prudent at this point to thank people who've helped us out this year. Michael Sheils who played drums during Nick's rib absence and Simon Holden (who's band, The Vegas Fame Index are rather good - check them out here) and Stevie Gedge. Both Mike and Stevie are part of the excellent Brownies, who I plugged yesterday.

Anyway, these posts will continue I hope. This is the last whilst we're in the studio, as I now actually have to do some piano takes. Yes. Visit here once or twice a week, and hopefully other Barlights will write down some stuff too.

Maybe see you out and about this weekend, if you're from this fine city.

tBl's.

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