This brings our week of comments to an end - hopefully you've enjoyed / endured / bothered reading the comments.
So, as you might have gathered by now, the new single is called The End. It will contain, among other delights, the brand new Ostkreuz remix of the track of the same name, and will be released very shortly.
The End was originally written in Spain, in summer 2004, but it seems to have somehow avoided having castanets in it. The other thing it doesn't have is very many words - in fact there are only 85 in total. Somehow, and rather astonishingly, despite this (or perhaps because of this) it's one of my favourite tracks on Dusk.
One of the comments we got back about the track seemed to suggest it sounded like Kraftwerk, which to be honest we could never really see, but it was rather flattering anyway. So we decided to try a Deutsche Mix approach, which wasn't entirely successful (it still sounds nothing like Kraftwerk), but it's a nice new approach nonetheless.
Although the single's called The End, that's only one of the tracks on there, but somehow this seemed to be the best name for it (even if it's a joke we seem to keep reusing!) News about exactly what the rest of the single entails will follow as soon as we've come to a final decision!
Hypernova are a synthpop duo from the UK, and here are some things which they have said:
Friday, December 21, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Hidden Context
Oh, the delicious irony.
Because of course, a "hidden context" is the one thing that this track doesn't have. Or, come to that, a hidden meaning, which might have been a better name for the track anyway.
Well, the slight lack of meaning aside, there are some quite fun lyrics on Hidden Context, which in some ways echo a number of tracks off our first couple of tracks. And we definitely owe a debt to Sparks for some of the inspiration.
Certainly, the whole thing was thrown together very quickly (well, relatively speaking - we're probably talking weeks rather than the usual months or years!) It's tempting to wonder how it ended up on the album, but if nothing else it provides some light relief between Signs of Life and Perfect Geometry.
Because of course, a "hidden context" is the one thing that this track doesn't have. Or, come to that, a hidden meaning, which might have been a better name for the track anyway.
Well, the slight lack of meaning aside, there are some quite fun lyrics on Hidden Context, which in some ways echo a number of tracks off our first couple of tracks. And we definitely owe a debt to Sparks for some of the inspiration.
Certainly, the whole thing was thrown together very quickly (well, relatively speaking - we're probably talking weeks rather than the usual months or years!) It's tempting to wonder how it ended up on the album, but if nothing else it provides some light relief between Signs of Life and Perfect Geometry.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
My Light
As far as I can remember, we never talked about putting My Light on the album, and I'm not entirely sure why not. Whether or not it would have worked is another question, but maybe we should have tried it just in case...
So when we were offered the chance to submit a track for the Electraparade compilation, we decided to go for this, because it was new; because we liked it; and because it didn't seem to have a place. And then we ended up putting it on the b-side to Consequences as well, and that was probably because we were a bit short on other completed tracks, although I don't really remember right now.
When we wrote it, it was another case of a line just dropping into my head (the bit about 'my light in the darkness'), which normally means I've accidentally stolen it off someone, although I think this was relatively original. Although I was very worried that it would end up being too soppy for a long time, but I think I rescued it in the end.
Perhaps more interestingly, the music is inspired by Hallowed Ground by Erasure. Which, when you consider that Empires b-side Fateful Hour was inspired by Imagination, means The Innocents has been responsible for a disproportionate amount of inspiration in recent years. Especially given that it's not even their best album.
So when we were offered the chance to submit a track for the Electraparade compilation, we decided to go for this, because it was new; because we liked it; and because it didn't seem to have a place. And then we ended up putting it on the b-side to Consequences as well, and that was probably because we were a bit short on other completed tracks, although I don't really remember right now.
When we wrote it, it was another case of a line just dropping into my head (the bit about 'my light in the darkness'), which normally means I've accidentally stolen it off someone, although I think this was relatively original. Although I was very worried that it would end up being too soppy for a long time, but I think I rescued it in the end.
Perhaps more interestingly, the music is inspired by Hallowed Ground by Erasure. Which, when you consider that Empires b-side Fateful Hour was inspired by Imagination, means The Innocents has been responsible for a disproportionate amount of inspiration in recent years. Especially given that it's not even their best album.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
In the Moonlight
If Dusk is our autumnal album, In the Moonlight is definitely the most autumnal track on it, and in a way defines the mood of the whole album.
For a long time, I kept a list of 'good titles' for inspiration (I suppose this habit stopped when I realised it was a bit silly to write a whole song around the title, although it means we now have the problem that we can never think of titles for songs). One of these was 'The Devil in Winter', and there were probably some others here as well.
From that blossomed a slightly confused track. I have a habit, or rather had a habit when I was writing the lyrics for Dusk in particular, of using the second verse to turn the song on its head, and this is an example of this. At the beginning the narrator is clearly having trouble understanding, but the blame is placed at the feet of the person the song is being sung to, whereas by the time the second verse comes around, the truth is starting to dawn. And I think by the last bridge, the explanation has been found.
It's always fascinated me that a song consists of maybe twenty or thirty lines, with no more than 150 or 200 words altogether, and yet somehow in that you have to try to find a way of telling a story. Well, unless you're just stringing random words together, of course. But that's a story for another day.
Sadly though, neither of us remembers an awful lot about writing it, so we haven't got much more to say here...
For a long time, I kept a list of 'good titles' for inspiration (I suppose this habit stopped when I realised it was a bit silly to write a whole song around the title, although it means we now have the problem that we can never think of titles for songs). One of these was 'The Devil in Winter', and there were probably some others here as well.
From that blossomed a slightly confused track. I have a habit, or rather had a habit when I was writing the lyrics for Dusk in particular, of using the second verse to turn the song on its head, and this is an example of this. At the beginning the narrator is clearly having trouble understanding, but the blame is placed at the feet of the person the song is being sung to, whereas by the time the second verse comes around, the truth is starting to dawn. And I think by the last bridge, the explanation has been found.
It's always fascinated me that a song consists of maybe twenty or thirty lines, with no more than 150 or 200 words altogether, and yet somehow in that you have to try to find a way of telling a story. Well, unless you're just stringing random words together, of course. But that's a story for another day.
Sadly though, neither of us remembers an awful lot about writing it, so we haven't got much more to say here...
Monday, December 17, 2007
I Have Never
The second track on Dusk is I Have Never, which has the unusual claim of being the only track we've ever written (as far as I can remember, anyway), where Simon has told me to write more lyrics. It started with two verses, and ended up with four. Does it feel too drawn out because of that? You decide...
Its other claim to fame is that it contains an entirely unintentional reference to Merry Christmas (War is Over). Can you guess what it is?
Anyway, obviously the name comes from the popular (?) drinking game of the same name, which is a very good tool for getting to know complete strangers very quickly, and in a very short space of time. Hence the introspective lyrics, which I'm probably being much too cagey about here.
And continuing the drinking theme, the sound of the song is built around samples from Absynth. The synth though, not the drink. Which makes you go mad, anyway.
Its other claim to fame is that it contains an entirely unintentional reference to Merry Christmas (War is Over). Can you guess what it is?
Anyway, obviously the name comes from the popular (?) drinking game of the same name, which is a very good tool for getting to know complete strangers very quickly, and in a very short space of time. Hence the introspective lyrics, which I'm probably being much too cagey about here.
And continuing the drinking theme, the sound of the song is built around samples from Absynth. The synth though, not the drink. Which makes you go mad, anyway.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Signs of Life
Signs of Life was actually a fairly late addition to the album. With a couple of exceptions discussed previously, we started writing tracks for what would eventually become Dusk in 2004, and somehow, due to other commitments, it ended up taking around two and a half years to complete.
By late 2005, most of the tracks were written, and in many cases already recorded in their final form, but for whatever reason we held back, making minor tweaks, until it eventually surfaced at the end of 2006. The proposed 2005 track listing wasn't even all that different: Hidden Context hadn't made it on, and Consequences hadn't been written yet, and a couple of more uptempo (and distinctly out of place) tracks were included instead: Running with the Wind and soon-to-be-released Heaven Only Knows. Apart from those, it was almost identical.
By that stage, Signs of Life was already complete (subject to a minor remix in late 2006), but it hadn't cemented itself as one of our favourites, and so was largely ignored. Which is ironic, given that it has since become one of my favourite tracks on the whole album. But at the last minute, we decided to remove The Healing, and put this on instead.
The track is actually mainly Simon's work, from, by his account, a stream of fairly meaningless random words. But for me it struck a chord - in autumn 2004, I moved to an anonymous northern city, and that seemed to me to be exactly what the song was about. There seems to be a strong feeling of claustrophobia, and of being lost in the crowds.
Our 2001 album Ephemeris included a track called Age of Ignorance, which is fairly similar in terms of mood and subject matter - although, given its era, it's probably a lot more pretentious. And many of the sounds on the final version are sampled from Simon's old Yamaha keyboard, which we used a lot on our late 1990s albums Prophecies and Odyssey, which all makes for a strong mix of past and present.
By late 2005, most of the tracks were written, and in many cases already recorded in their final form, but for whatever reason we held back, making minor tweaks, until it eventually surfaced at the end of 2006. The proposed 2005 track listing wasn't even all that different: Hidden Context hadn't made it on, and Consequences hadn't been written yet, and a couple of more uptempo (and distinctly out of place) tracks were included instead: Running with the Wind and soon-to-be-released Heaven Only Knows. Apart from those, it was almost identical.
By that stage, Signs of Life was already complete (subject to a minor remix in late 2006), but it hadn't cemented itself as one of our favourites, and so was largely ignored. Which is ironic, given that it has since become one of my favourite tracks on the whole album. But at the last minute, we decided to remove The Healing, and put this on instead.
The track is actually mainly Simon's work, from, by his account, a stream of fairly meaningless random words. But for me it struck a chord - in autumn 2004, I moved to an anonymous northern city, and that seemed to me to be exactly what the song was about. There seems to be a strong feeling of claustrophobia, and of being lost in the crowds.
Our 2001 album Ephemeris included a track called Age of Ignorance, which is fairly similar in terms of mood and subject matter - although, given its era, it's probably a lot more pretentious. And many of the sounds on the final version are sampled from Simon's old Yamaha keyboard, which we used a lot on our late 1990s albums Prophecies and Odyssey, which all makes for a strong mix of past and present.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Bulletproof
It's very nearly a year since Dusk was completed, and we're very close to finishing the project as a whole (an announcement about the final single will follow, hopefully in the next week or so, although we've not entirely decided what's going to be on it yet). However, the track-specific comments have ground to a halt somewhat, so I have formulated a cunning plan.
And it is this: every day for the next week, I shall add comments about another track. That will still leave us with a few more for the new year, but it will help clear the backlog, and it might help put somebody in the mood for the new single when it eventually surfaces. So, here goes...
Bulletproof was started in early 2004, not long after Empires was released. It was a track that we were both very fond of, so an obvious choice for the album. It is, however, another case of coming up with an idea for a song, and flogging it entirely to death by using the metaphor in every single line.
It's always reminded me a little bit of Depeche Mode in style. They probably wouldn't have gone quite so over the top, but top marks to Simon for avoiding using gunshot samples at any stage of the production.
The idea of remixing Bulletproof came about very simply: I was never happy with the mastering of the album version, and I wanted to have another go. In the end, I didn't: in the summer, Simon remixed it to create what would become the Kevlar mix instead.
At the same time, I'd been playing with some ideas for a remix which essentially borrowed the bass line from a certain successful 80s hit which should probably remain nameless. Unfortunately, this wasn't really going anywhere, so I passed it over to Simon, who carried out a very impressive rescue job, and created the Western mix.
And it is this: every day for the next week, I shall add comments about another track. That will still leave us with a few more for the new year, but it will help clear the backlog, and it might help put somebody in the mood for the new single when it eventually surfaces. So, here goes...
Bulletproof was started in early 2004, not long after Empires was released. It was a track that we were both very fond of, so an obvious choice for the album. It is, however, another case of coming up with an idea for a song, and flogging it entirely to death by using the metaphor in every single line.
It's always reminded me a little bit of Depeche Mode in style. They probably wouldn't have gone quite so over the top, but top marks to Simon for avoiding using gunshot samples at any stage of the production.
The idea of remixing Bulletproof came about very simply: I was never happy with the mastering of the album version, and I wanted to have another go. In the end, I didn't: in the summer, Simon remixed it to create what would become the Kevlar mix instead.
At the same time, I'd been playing with some ideas for a remix which essentially borrowed the bass line from a certain successful 80s hit which should probably remain nameless. Unfortunately, this wasn't really going anywhere, so I passed it over to Simon, who carried out a very impressive rescue job, and created the Western mix.
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