2020 will go down as a pivotal year for many reasons, however I’d like to showcase the action surrounding my album release under the banner of The Lost Highway and explain the creative process by discussing some of the themes of the album.
As an artist, we invariably know when the creative twitch begins, that hunger to express emotions, to build cities of sound and generally immerse ourselves in the writing process; this began in 2019 following a lap-top failure. Once my studio was fully functional, I leapt off the ground and started running with creative abandon, opening the door in order to take the first confident steps into the world of Mermaid Shangri-La:
Dolce Vita Waltz
When writing, I find that I either pour over a track for weeks upon weeks, or the magic instantly arrives - flowing like the great waterfalls of our lush green planet. In the instance of Dolce Vita Waltz, I immediately found the groove, building the layers seamlessly, with a clear picture in my mind of the direction I wanted this piece to take. A hedonistic stomper perfectly describes the opening track, full of energy and flair.
Strangely, once I completed the initial phase of the track, I knew the music was perfect and ready to go. I was so impressed and decided that this would be the opening piece for the album, it just fitted as a brilliant instrumental opener, setting the tone for the fresh and generally upbeat energy that was to follow. I often thought how lonely this song must be, waiting for the rest of the album to be conceived and joined together.
Dosimeter
I’ve always been obsessed with Chernobyl, and you can find many references to the disaster throughout my back catalogue. Yet, it was the terrific HBO/SKY Atlantic mini-series (Chernobyl), that planted the seeds for this particular track, deeply affecting me and stirring something creatively inside – urging me to move forward with a show-stopping piece of music that captured the essence of radiation, indexing its effects through a master of audio.
The driving rhythms were in place and the geiger-counter ticking along with heavily affected vocals provided an ominous soundscape. This piece took a long time to perfect, but I was delighted with the richness and scale of sound on what on the surface may not be traditionally construed as an epic production.
Neptune
Without doubt, the most upbeat and sunshine tracks that I’ve composed - by The Lost Highway standards anyway. Finding a sample of horns and looping can yield great rewards and allows you to build the track around that arrangement. Once I perfected the graceful chorus section, I instantly knew the impact this song would have. So much so, I didn’t want to cloud the chorus with front-of-the-house vocals – hence why I adopted a dreamlike effect lower down in the mix during production; and it worked a treat.
If I’ve ever written a song for summer, then this encapsulates that vision.
Finite Speed
I wrote this during the last quarter of the album, so my writing and production techniques were red-hot, so much so - you can feel the impact of my album experience on this track. Everything arrived instantly, therefore it was important for me to retain that immediacy, keep the lyrics uncomplicated, short, sharp and punchy in line with the linear values of the song.
It wasn’t until the guitars were added to the chorus section, that the song opened up like a searing dark flower and the melodies exploded into life.
Santa Carla
One of the earlier tracks and an early contender for album title. This one needed a lot of work and I found myself ripping out the chorus, primarily on the basis of the original melody not feeling strong enough - instead replaced in favor of a new construction that felt lilting yet dynamic and hit the senses in a more fluid way.
Thematically, Santa Carla places emphasis on the feelings of being untouchable, chasing the high when in fact your actions might not be having the same positive effects on others within your circle – deduce from that what you will.
Ocean Tides
Could this be the ballad of the record? it certainly started out that way. I’ve touched on water themes in previous work, however the indicator on this piece centers around life-force positivity and the order of not looking back. Another piece that became a labour of love, consistently trying to manage and coerce the narrative to fit the music, including bringing in my friend for additional guitar parts.
The results are astonishingly fresh and you can feel the attention to detail and strong production values within Ocean Tides - dialing down and taking you on a hypnagogic ocean journey.
Balshagray Boys
Where do I start with this? I was experimenting with 140 beats per minute tempo and stumbled across a bass and bass drum combination that produced a brilliant groove. From that point on I basically threw the kitchen sink at this with countless hours going towards the final mix.
As someone with a vested interest in politics, I was feeling some of the frustration surrounding my country (Scotland) not being independent; with powers in regards to changing that situation being reserved to London and the UK government. I felt angry that the people of Scotland and Scottish government were not being allowed the freedom to decide our own future, consequently being denied a referendum on shaping our constitutional values.
Naturally, my strong activist persona envelopes this song and the finished product encompasses that charged sense of frustration.
HyperFocus
A simple piece to bring a little calm into proceedings after the ferocity of the last track. There are a total of three separate vocal samples mixed together for the ambient effect on the chorus. I’ve always been a daydreamer and this music provides a glorious template for the dream-state I regularly find myself in. Yet when it comes to focusing, you don’t complete 9 albums without an element of hyper focus.
In terms of a light piece of social commentary, academia should garner respect, but so too the arts.
Spooky Cookies
Anyone who knows me is well aware of my sense of humour, general oddball personality and nonsense side to my character. I’ve always recognised that I’m a wee bit different to those around me, but it’s just who I am. So, I decided to indulge in a little playfulness to showcase that side of me with this song (in perhaps a similar vein to previously produced work such as Anouchka and Wild West).
I’ve been fascinated by the darkness that enriches childrens fairytales, so the music was purposely built with a Grimm's fairytale influence. Interestingly, the vocals were something I had pre-written on another song on my acoustic guitar. I realised the delicious words married well with spooky characteristics of this song - so the addition of the Hansel and Gretel reference on the chorus provided the perfect touch to conclude this hammer horror-esque feast.
There’s a lot to pick the bones out of, but I hope we all dive into my black swimming pool with this one.
Scotch Bonnet
One of the more synth-wave orientated tracks and one of the last to be written. There’s a lot to be said about leaving elements of your past behind, chasing spur of the moment ideals and falling in love with a new pursuit, maybe superficially. However, you are always aware of being chased by the hawk, with the hawk being something ingrained in you, a reminder of preconditioned programming.
However, the essence of who you are will drive the urge and this will always compel you to embrace the fire.
The Secret Cauldron
The opening lines of the closing track might signify a chapter closing, an esoteric journey. I’ve always been interested in transcending a feeling, an emotive state, going beyond what can be described in words - and music can be the ultimate transport mechanism to guide you.
This was the piece of music to close the record, a gorgeous journey within a journey left open principally for the listener to interpret their journey. If you are a keen listener, you may be able to detect some closing synth strings that borrow from the fundamental atmospheres of my early work – a nod to the richness of time.
Additionally, I'd like to thank those who helped to contribute to this amazing record - that includes Niall Stewart for additional guitar on Finite Speed, Ocean Tides and Balshagray Boys. Kerry Bews for her incredible cover art work and Mark Wright for title art as well as video work. Lastly, a big shout out to the fans! <3