Thursday 25 December 2014

WE ARE THE WOODEN HOUSES - THE WITCH BOX





TOR46.

Released December 2014
















Disc One: "Midnight"

01. Midnight
02. Face to the Sun
03. Hideout
04. Sunday Song
05. I Saw You Through the Window
06. Now I Know















Disc Two: "Tseraken"

01. Tsanterak
02. Katie's Chinese Bunker















Disc Three: "Spleen"

01. Spleen I & II
02. Spleen III & IV


In early 2013, Alastair and I started recording tracks for what would become 'The Witch Box'. We had no real concept or theme, so we began archiving the tracks, keeping safe finished mixes in a folder labelled 'The Witch Project'. The thinking was that a theme would emerge or inspiration would run dry, then we would compile what we had; but neither really happened.

The music over these three discs represents a years worth of writing and recording activity. It's not even all contained here; some tracks found their way onto the last record by The Dead West ('Cold Bound Heart' and 'Your Love is Like a Grizzly Bear'), a couple onto the next Wooden Houses album ('The Headland of the Demon Haunted Castle') and other projects were also being simultaneously being recorded ('Improvisations' and 'The Love of Ruins'). Songs, jams, field recordings, primitive guitar tunes, experiments...

Once we felt we should compile what we had, we realised there was too much material for one disc, and that some of the songs sat together nicely, others did not.

The solution was to have all of this music packaged together, but separated onto themed discs with a more digestible running time.

'Midnight' has six songs, five of them with a vocal (Marc Gillen and Sarah Ruddy provided lyrics). These songs are more traditional in structure, although it's still strung out, heavy, downer psych folk.

'Tseraken' has two 'songs', both long, exploratory instrumentals. Both are studies of texture within sound and are a bit of a departure sonically. Loop based, Eastern inspired progressive alternative.

'Spleen' sees a continuation of music begun in 'The Litanies of Satan', set to the reading of the poetry of Charles Baudelaire. This time, longer poems were chosen and the music more closely shaped with the words.

The artwork for the box was designed by Hudson Gardner, the 'Tseraken' sleeve and disc was designed by Sissi, and Alastair provided art for 'Midnight' and 'Spleen'.

This set can be taken whole, or as three separate entities. They all come from the same place, they just go in different directions; it depends where you want to go.

Free download and extremely limited box set available from Bandcamp.

 - Stephen.


Tuesday 28 October 2014

THE NIGHTOWL SINGS - ERUPT / A TREE WITH ROOTS























TOR45. Released October 2014.


Behold! A single! These two tracks were knocked out during the recording sessions for the new Nightowl Sings L.P.

The A-Side is two and a half minutes of noisy garage rock with raga instrumental break, the B-Side is lazy stoner early nineties alt. folk. Banjo and fuzz bass for flavour. Enjoy!

- Stephen.

 

Wednesday 24 September 2014

WE ARE THE WOODEN HOUSES - IMPROVISATIONS























TOR44. Released September 2014.

The first finished We Are The Wooden Houses project of several started this year.

In 2005, I attended and performed at a wake for a friend of a friend. At the wake, my friend was presented with a guitar that belonged to the deceased. Perhaps unprepared for the heaviness,  I was given the guitar to look after. He left the county shortly after and the guitar resided in my attic for nearly ten years. On the 18th of April this year, I decided to retrieve the guitar from my attic, clean it up and re-string it. Once I had done this, I had it connected through several effects boxes and amped up. Instead of playing the instrument, I allowed it to build up noise through resonance and feedback and recorded the sound.


The result of this guitar 'séance' is 'Improvisation II'. The next day, out of the blue and having not spoke for months, my friend called and asked if he could collect the guitar.

The other recording was the first piece of music I made after a rather heavy personal episode. 'Improvisation I' was recorded on the 19th of August this year.

Both pieces of music explore my interest in sound, feeling and the seemingly endless way in which music can be made on electric guitars.

Both tracks were reviewed months later, as Alastair and I decided what to do with our ever growing stash of music. We decided to work on these two tracks quickly, re-structuring and re-mixing. Only using sounds recorded at the original improvised sessions, both these tracks were re-composed into something new.

- Stephen.


 

Saturday 13 September 2014

THE DEAD WEST - THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING























TOR43. Released September 2014


“The Year of Magical Thinking”: a book by Joan Didion, which is an account of the year following the death of her husband, the novelist, screenwriter and literary critic John Gregory Dunne. Didion started writing the book on October 4 2004 and completed it on December 31 2004, a year and a day after Dunne’s death. Their daughter, Quintana, was hospitalised just before her father died and Didion was also caring for her throughout this period (Quintana died in 2005, before the book was published). Didion deals powerfully with grief, illness and loss and documents the process of coping when your life is turned upside down. It is also about coming to terms with such experiences and figuring out what it all might mean.

‘Magical Thinking’: a theory that attributes causal relationships between actions and events which cannot be justified by reason and observation. It posits the idea that people can affect their lives and avoid bad things happening by performing particular actions or rituals. This theory relates to religion, folklore and superstition as well as to clinical psychology.

“The Year of Magical Thinking”: the third album proper (and second double album) by cult beat combo, The Dead West. It was recorded and mixed from early October 2013 to mid-September 2014 - an almost twelve month period during which the band experienced change, loss and much soul-searching, both within the group and in their personal lives outside it. It has been a very strange and demanding time indeed and the 22 tracks which have resulted will most likely reflect this, though exactly how is hard to say at the present time. It is probably the most varied collection of songs the band has yet produced. It may also be the strongest. It’s certainly been a bugger to get into any kind of reasonable shape, if indeed it is.

So, the period has ended and the album is finished. What it all means is open to interpretation.

It’s yours now – make your own mind up.


- David Thompson.


Tuesday 15 April 2014

THE NIGHTOWL SINGS - ALL HAIL THE TOWN TO TOWN TROUBADOUR






















Americana meets Post Rock with Folk and sadcore vibe.

Marc Gillen - Vocals, Guitars, Bass & Piano.

With

Stephen Alexander Benson - Guitars, drones, Violin, Piano, Bass & Drums.
Alastair Popple - Looping, Breakdown & Reconstruction.
David Thompson - Electric Guitar.

Produced by Marc, Alastair & Stephen.

Recorded at home September 2013 - January 2014.

Artwork by Ellie Hoskins.

TOR42.


Or download here :

http://www.mediafire.com/download/xiu8rqrxn38uwuz/The_Nightowl_Sings_-_All_Hail_the_Town_to_Town_Troubadour.zip

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Treehouse-Orchestra-Recordings/455368527890493