Album cover art

Although the title kind of got leaked a few months back when I posted the pic of the Angry Bird glaring at the rough mix CD, the final title was still up in the air.  I'd tossed around a couple of them but thought that this was a better summation of everything that had happened over the last couple of years.

THE LINE represents a lot of things but it's mostly about the things that have forced their way into my life and over the proverbial "line".  There was actually a song called "The Line" on the album at one time but it evolved and changed into another song on the album which is entitled "Last Goodbye".  Here is the track listing for the album which will be released in December.  No actual date yet, but look for it in that month.

Happy?
Colours of Night
When I Was A Boy
Dream of You
This Time
Never Again Will I
Falling Away
Remember
The Line Across Hope
Last Goodbye

Final Lineup Complete!

Okay.  Did a final lineup mastering to CD and on my Mac at 1411 kbps and am just living with these mixes for now.  I can already hear a few things that I'm going to have to fix or redo but it's good to have most, if not all, of the recording completed and out of the way.  I did write and record one more song that I'm thinking may end up being a part of the line up as opposed to being relegated to a hidden track or a b-side.  Haven't really decided what the first single is going to be so I'm going to consult a few people to see what they think.

I'm working on getting things set up with CD Baby in order to get the album up on iTunes as well as a physical release but that will be done within the next few months or so then the album should be good to go in December.  I'm thinking of recording a few Christmas songs to throw on board as a bonus too, but only for download and not on the album proper.

The other thing that has me excited about this project is that it's got a "normal" run time, roughly 40 minutes so it's not like RENDER in pushing the 70 minute mark which is just way too long.  That run time works for RENDER because it dealt with so many different energies and went to so many different places but with the new album, the energies are definitely coming from a similar place so it doesn't need to be as long.  Like I had said, I've managed the art of the 3-4 minute pop song and also, yes, these can all be categorized, if you must, as pop.

Right now I'm trying to get things like artwork and the PDF booklet together so that's occupying a lot of my non-studio time.  There have been other things that have been taking precedence lately: My Uncle Gordon just passed away two days ago so I've been in a very dark and sad place these past few days.  However, I didn't let it overwhelm me too long and I  got my act together this morning in order to do some digital editing and fixing so that I could get the CD ready for me and the others I've chosen to let have a listen.

Till later,
Harry

And now the moral dilemma...

How does one go about updating their sound without appearing as if they've sold out?  That's been on my mind with this new album.  I'm very close to finishing it up so that it can be out for Christmas but I'm just a little concerned that some might see it as me trying to appeal to a demographic that I've never given a second thought about previously.  That's not to say that the songs are bright, poppy confections but the overall tone and sound production is something that most people don't connect with me.  Maybe it's a good thing as this may surprise a few people and show that I'm more than just doom and gloom, although there is a fair share of that this time around as well.  Ultimately, it'll all be clear in a few months.

Harry

MY NEW LOCATION

Greetings from Jupiter's Moon Io.  It's so lovely up here and I can actually see the edge of the universe from my new home in Targa 16 (that's the housing area I live in).  The air is a bit thin but for the most part it could be worse; at least the allergies are no longer an issue.

The gang from Saturn came by yesterday and we caught a movie together (JAWS vs RAMBO).  It's amazing what can be accomplished today with 3 billion dollars, shitty writing and a 12-year-old boy’s penchant for masturbation. The score by Hans Zimmer's clone 214 was all right, but nothing like his original person used to write.  What's more, the shark still looks fake.

Wearing my standard issue single zipper black jumpsuit with two drink dispensers and moist towelettes.

Okay, enough of this nonsense...

Still writing and recording and hoping for an end to this ordeal soon but I don't want to finish it angrily since that aspect of things will haunt me for a long time so I've got to be certain that I've made the best chicken salad from the chicken shit I've been handed...not a reflection on the song quality or subject matter, just some recent events that have been bugging the fuck out of me!

Oh, better go now, Mongo is here from Elysia 12 (just down the block and to the left of the movie implant house).

Love you and wish you were here!

Harry :-)

Okay, Houston! We no longer have a problem!

The album is up and available for download so go git it!  There is also a PDF with lyrics and photos available to download along with the album.  Thank you to the wonderful folks at Noise Trade who helped me figure out the problem.  What a great support team they have.  I sent an email around 3:30 and they got back to me at 4:14!  That's how to do it baby! :-)

Whose album is this anyway?

The last time I actually recorded an album's worth of material was in 2002 so although I was aching to put RENDER out on Noise Trade I decided to cancel my account there because I started having issues with the uploading process.  I kept getting an error message which told me that I could only upload mp3 files, well, duh, that's what I was doing.  So after the better part of a half hour trying to get one song to upload I decided that if I can't upload the album in it's entirety I'm not uploading any of it.  I hope they get that glitch figured out, so no album release for now.

Forward to now, 2011, recording is still an on-going headache and I feel fucked because it really shouldn't be so I'm just taking my time until I feel more inspired.  There's a lot of shit going on in my "real-life" that recording is the last thing on my mind as of late so...although I'll continue working on it, I'll be doing it only when I feel like it.

Peace out!
Har

Last EP Download

Well, one more single from the RENDER sessions is up for download.  IWALANI was written for my mum, who passed away in 2001.  Originally written in 1996 for a Hawaii radio competition it was re-written at the time of her death and subsequently recorded a few months later.  In going through the hard disk masters I found several alternate versions of this song and was surprised to find each one was different from the other.  One was closer in spirit and arrangement to the original 1996 version but runs a full two minutes longer than the finished version.  In 2001/2002 I was all about editing myself and felt that a six and half minute version was just a bit too much so it was canned.  Another version features a similar backing track but different vocals.

IWALANI: In Hawaiian it means "heavenly bird" and it was my mother's Hawaiian name.  The message of the song is clear.  There are tons of vocals on this track (at one point the backup vocals were doubled and tracked 12 times to create harmonic layers which you can hear clearly towards the end of the song.  The single edit was done for radio and was created on my computer utilising edits and bits from a rough mix that was done early in the game.  I've included both the complete version and a dance remix.  The remix features a saxophone which was part of the original arrangement from 1996 but omitted when the tone of the song changed from a jazz vibe to a tropical setting.  It was also on one of the unused versions but for some reason was deleted from the master.  I remember having to sync the keyboard to move the sax solo to the dance mix.  There are a few vocal parts that were added to the end of the song since it ran a bit longer than the regular version.

SOME WONDERFUL DREAM:  This song was written for the album RENDER but was omitted at the last moment because I didn't want the album to be completely about my mum's death.  I didn't want people to say, "Okay, we get it, you miss her!"  Also, because it really was of an MOR (Middle of the Road) pop vibe it didn't fit in with the alternative flavour of the album.  The backup vocals were tricky and a BITCH to record.  Doubling each voice track helped to thicken things up but it took a while to get them down and it was tricky mixing it all, ensuring that all four harmony parts would be heard.  This song says everything I felt about how my mum affected not only my life, but the lives of my entire family.

THE BOY WHO WILL NOT STOP: Written and recorded towards the end of the project it's the one song that has live vocals and piano.  Both were recorded directly to disk without any edits and the only overdubs are the keyboard overlays which I added later.  In transferring this version I discovered that I had edited out an impromptu vocal jam session tag which ended the song originally.  It just featured me doing a little bit of Bobby McFerrin type scatting and improvising.  Although it still exists on the original master, this version is missing it.  Nothing revelatory but it was fun.  Sorry, it got left off here though.

DANCE ME TO THE END OF THE WORLD:  This is the original full-length version of the track that was available on the previous EP.  It was recorded shortly before 9/11 and in the very early days of the album recording session.  It was originally intended for the album but ultimately did not make it.

That's all for now.  The album will be up for download soon.  Till then, see ya!

Love,
Harry