Release Day: The Haunting
Today, as a fast follow to my release of The River, I am releasing a track called The Haunting. Like The River, I had released a work-in-progress demo of the song much earlier.
This one plays on memories of a village primary school, and the leap to living in London as a student when I first discovered proper recording studio life. There are ghosts everywhere - "Duppy business", as Groucho used to say.
I will update the listen links below as they come:
When I released the work-in-progress, I noted down some thoughts about how it was coming together:
Two decisions unlocked the composition for me as I was working:
1) Replacing the bass guitar with double bass. My hands aren’t fully up to it (you can hear them getting tired 😅) but it brought a huge amount of physicality that wasn’t there before.
2) Sitting with one of the changes for a while, eventually finding a line that hung perfectly inside the harmony. Rhodes first, but then doubled it (many times…) with the mellowest trumpet playing I could muster.
A while ago on Threads, I threatened to leave a Morris tune in one of my songs one day. Even though the track is in 7/4, I played one over the bridge on electric guitar, and never got around to taking it out.
The outro also features the most free improvisation I've been brave enough to release up until now. I'm actually really happy with it, and will probably include more as I keep recording.
Selected Rejections for The Haunting
"Quite a bit to chew off on the Haunting, a kind of waltz of a progression and lead by a singer who has an unusual style to his proclamations. Felt to me like we were in softly experimental territory that has both soul and lounge effects and with vestiges of funk thrown in for good measure too. It makes for an intriguing kind of listen"
"It sounds moody and somber, I'm enjoying the work around the melody and instrumentation, the bass line feels captivating and offers a cool groove, the guitars are warm and bright and the textures feel intricate and effortless, creating a soundscape that feels as laidback as lively."
"Enjoying the broad and immersive nature of this one, gives it a cool flow throughout."
"I like the general musical direction. Almost sounds like goth-tinged Caged the Elephant. This was good"
"A mysterious blend of atmospheric folk and indie rock with some awesome production and jazzy led instrumentation. Really well made and there are some hypnotic qualities and flourishes"
"I loved the hypnotic vocals, the part starting at 1:56, and the combination of keys and piano starting at 3:06"
"The track is certainly well recorded and mixed, showcasing good production quality. I found the adventurous, experimental vibe quite refreshing and the poem itself is both relatable and thoughtfully crafted. The friendly timbre of your voice adds a lovely touch to the overall experience, and those alt rock elements are very engaging, especially the bass!"
"The track sounds mysterious. Atmospheric rhythm section. Passionate vocal performance."
“It's a very bold production and I really appreciate that, the really intense double bass line and the crazy instrumentation through out the production is well done.”
“Pretty nice flow to the drums in this one and your production feels pretty high quality and pleasing throughout.”
“Enjoyed the somewhat relaxing vibe of the track here too and the pretty bright and skilful feel of the guitar playing.”
“This song was a fun listen, the 7/4 rhythm was cool and I really liked the guitar solo and the kinda jazzy piano outro.”
“The harmonies were interesting for sure, with a retro-psychedelic feel overall.”
"Lush guitar/keys sound. Nice thick rhythm section. Good noir cinematic flavor."
"A nice bumping, almost Afro groove, with some cool playing and production and a nicely executed arrangement - I liked the distorted guitar build and piano breakdown at the end"
"The atmospheric vibe here I really liked, and I thought this was pleasantly eerie."