Regulation and Classification

I've been sitting on this one for a while, and I don't know why.

My album Regulation and Classification. Download or cassette :)

[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=2702979182 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false]

[www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uw-Ph8cNbM)

Regulation & Classification

I am absolutely delighted to be release #36 on Toneburst. https://toneburst.bandcamp.com/album/regulation-and-classification

The effort and talent brought to this by Phil & Barry at Toneburst humbles me and gives me immense encouragement.

For those who get the cassette version, you are in for a real treat. It's a small item of desire. It's the real deal. It's handmade but not homemade. It's something else. I still can't believe it.

Here's a promo/teaser video:
https://youtu.be/7uw-Ph8cNbM

Somewhere online is a full video created for the track Midnight Freighter but it's a hidden easter egg that you'll have to find yourselves.

#RegulationAndClassification #BandcampFriday
https://instagram.com/p/CjYEz7wrIQ1/

New release on Toneburst coming v.soon!

I'm very excited to reveal that I have a piece appearing on the upcoming Toneburst release Tying Up Loose Ends. I'll update with a release date when I have it!

The sailors make fast the loose ends to ensure the boat is shipshape.

"Tying Up Loose Ends" is a nautically themed project split into 2 segments.
The first, titled "Noise Forecast", is heavily inspired by BBC shipping forecasts, the rhythm of their delivery and the alien yet comprehensible language used within them. The compositional framework for this part of the project is a text-based score which was written in a way that aimed to allow each participant a unique translation. To further contrast the finished pieces, careful attention is made in approaching different artists with varying sonic palettes.

The score for this first installment of the project reads as follows:

"Culport;
Southern Bleakness. 8
Phront - Lofty, Stressure: NIL.
Bromide Sprinkles - Occasional.
Eudaimonia - Swindling, Tempestuous Nodes.
Torrential Data, Deluges: 37, Clustered.
Drainage: In Toto, Preparation Timely."

The second project segment, titled "Flotsam, Jetsam, Lagan & Derelict", is an exploration of how new life can be given to short pieces of sound that perhaps could get lost somewhere in a timeline. To achieve this, audio is salvaged from one person and recycled by another, although organised in such a way that 'who is collaborating with who' remains unknown. Artist and equipment information are intentionally removed as to hopefully have no influence over the finished works.

Guidelines for FJL&D are:
"SALVAGE
You have received some salvaged audio from another participant involved. Use these sounds as a starting point.
RECYCLE
Please use both files, although they don’t have to be used in their entirety. One shot or single cycle samples are fine. You are free to edit & treat these in any way you see fit. Chop, Sample, Granularize & Mangle. Unrecognisable is good. Additional instrumentation is allowed and encouraged. This is not a remix project.
COLLABORATION
Audio discovered amongst your posts has been shared with another participant to carry out the same process."

Loose Ends #1 is focused around the fictional land, and surrounding coast, of "Culport".

The tracklisting is as follows;
NOISE FORECAST
1. Claude & Ola - Culport
2. Sw1n Hunter - FOAM_DRIFT(2vids)
3. Shane Latimer - Deluges: Clustered
4. Una Lee - 1 fib or no
5. BJC - Torrential Data v4_2
6. Scy1e - Racing the dawn
7. Mysterioso - Unapproved Beliefs
8. Vivienne Griffin - The Fake Haven
9. Hadi Bastani - nines am(o)ur ai

FLOTSAM, JETSAM, LAGAN & DERELICT
1. T.Jervell - Fanfare of Spring (Initials M.C.)
2. sweetearthflying - prismatic wounds
3. Sqrtsigil - nontitle
4. Morn Valley - Solar Transmission
5. Expanding Foam - saxa vord
6. Wimming Spools - flotsum & jetsum
7. Disxiple 113 - fiesta, forever
8. Subfusc - Batons
With some sprinkles of sea sounds recorded by Matilde Meireles, Lisbon, 2020.

A final chapter for the year of song.

So here it is, the final installment. The closing chapter of a year-long work. This album is the fourth phase, the Autumn section, from August to October 2016.
 
I'm quite satisfied with this collection; I came up with some songs that are amongst the strongest I've written but there're also some experimental tracks that may not be easy listening.
Of the four albums in this cycle, this one has perhaps the fewest unsuccessful pieces and includes the project's finale song Trenton, New Jersey, of which I'm very proud. Guest vocals on that track from Martin Byrne.

Bonus tracks galore!!

The 2018 re-record, remix & remaster of The Grunderhunter!!
Experimental soundworlds The Skittering and Handmade Arpeggio!
And from WeeklyBeats2016, the Lovecraft inspired They Return to Claim What is Theirs and instrumental guitar piece Loaded Dice!

[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=4170525892 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false]

Summer released

Hey people! I’ve released the third album my Song a Week for a Year series, this one entitled Summer.  It’s a quarterly theme!

You can click below and listen for free!

https://mysterioso.bandcamp.com/album/song-a-week-for-a-year-summer

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2070432213 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Album number TWO!

Well friends I’ve finished compiling all the details and here it is, the second part of my Year of Songs project. This album covers the period from the 31st of January until the 24th of April 2016. It has some successes, like Blind (Instrumental) and Quenelles, a Trio (this is possibly my favourite from the whole year), but also has the first couple of proper failures where I was reaching for something that I genuinely could not achieve at the time. Still - it was a learning experience!

It’s available to buy or to stream for free over on Bandcamp! SAWFAY II - Spring

Happy listening and have a great weekend!

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2298479951 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Buy My Album

I’ve released an album, it’s the first of four that I’ll be kicking out into the world over the next two months.  This one is Part I - Winter.

[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=4166866910 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false]

A limited edition release, by A.R.C..

Hey there dear readers,
We released our first recording a couple of weeks ago to celebrate our 5th anniversary as an ensemble.
Free to listen to online, and also available as a very limited edition cassette with individual three-colour hand-printed lino-cut inlay.
[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=2923463692 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false]

It looks like we might just make it to the end.

I am 48 weeks deep in 52 week project in which I write, record and release a song each week for a year. The realisation hit me just a couple of hours ago that I only have 4 more songs to create before I’ve completed the project.

Wow. I feel like I’ve only just started, like I’m barely half-way.

Here is a link to the entire playlist:

https://soundcloud.com/mysterioso/sets/song-a-week-for-a-year

History Shows Again and Again...

I’ve been lax in showing off my current crop of ridiculous songs. Here’s the latest three, two of which appear to be part of a larger work.

Eyes Like Walls: soundcloud.com/mysterios…

Their Plan for Us: soundcloud.com/mysterios…

The Click and Rattle of the Abacus: soundcloud.com/mysterios…

New Musicks

It’s been a while since I did much to publicise my work, but I’m here today to remedy that. In the last nine weeks I’ve released nine more pieces of work, some of which I’ve pushed off into the world with those little shivers I only get when what I’ve created seems somehow more than the sum of its parts.

These are my current favourites: soundcloud.com/mysterios… soundcloud.com/mysterios… soundcloud.com/mysterios… soundcloud.com/mysterios… soundcloud.com/mysterios…

And here is a playlist for the Great Song A Week For A Year Playlist so far: soundcloud.com/mysterios…

That's the Message

My current project, a Song A Week For A Year number 24 - ‘That’s the Message’ on #SoundCloud soundcloud.com/mysterios… This piece started off inspired by Black Heart Procession, but then traveled through Gravenhurst and latter day Nick Cave. Once again, it’s a bit dark. I started work on the lyrics before I’d completed all the instrumental parts and for once I had the time to come up with a text I’m happy with. The downside of this being that I ran out of time to work on the drum programming. Swings and roundabouts! Becca Allen joined in on backing vocals and autoharp.

Here is the continuing playlist for the project so far: soundcloud.com/mysterios…

More Music for the Select Few

I haven’t been the best at publicising so as a summary here’s a playlist of the project so far:

soundcloud.com/mysterios…

This is the Great Void

I decided to play around with a couple of synths, a bit of MIDI, a handmade BEW pedal and see what happened. This is the result. In the process I taught myself a couple of new things about recording too. I got to the end of the lyrics and realised I really ought to have rewritten the first verse but time was not on my side. So have at thee. Guest vocals by Becca Allen.

soundcloud.com/mysterios…

Deliberate Affectation

Entry number 4 in the ongoing compendium is a lovely floaty piece of acoustic art-pop. Should I feel a bit self-conscious in calling it art-pop? Nope! No prizes for guessing my references for the voice parts.

soundcloud.com/mysterios…

Buffalo God

SAWFAY number 3. I tried to use as few guitars and as many basses as possible and this is the result. I’m quite enjoying only using acoustic guitars in these compositions, especially for the lead or harmonic sections. I’m still a bit shy about singing though.

soundcloud.com/mysterios…

Look Around You

OK, 2nd week.  I completely forgot to post this here at the time -the 7th of November.

Initially I had a problem with my mix, the whole piece was overdriven once I’d exported it from my DAW. Eventually I discovered that somehow SoundForge is boosting the gain of everything it opens, even the preview feature in the File Open dialog. This piece is perhaps a wee homage to both Tortoise and David Bedford.

soundcloud.com/mysterios…

An Introduction

So I think I’m going to do a thing.  Like really commit to something. I’m gonna make a piece of music once a week for the next 53 weeks.

This is my first piece. I’m keeping it rough and ready. This is only the beginning. soundcloud.com/mysterios…

Drum loops from Siggi Baldursson.

Meaty glorious guitar solo in the coda by Stevie McKnight: steven-mcknight1 Other guitars & percussion by me.

Spookii

I thought I’d lost this forever. This is a different version and it’s really badly mixed, but I’m glad I found it.

[soundcloud url=“https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/152370655” params=“auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=“100%” height=“450” iframe=“true” /]

We all have our demons

Hilariously it’s only taken me fourteen years to get this recording this far.  Maybe it’ll take less to actually complete it.

[soundcloud url=“https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/148069423” params=“auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=“100%” height=“450” iframe=“true” /]

A.R.C. Live At Last

A.R.C. Live At Last

Barry, Saul and I are making our live début as ARC at long last.  Well that’s what I thought until last night at this event when Saul reminded me that we’d played one of Barry’s Listen… nights in the Menagerie a couple of years back. But still, that was a long time ago and we’ve changed our approach and our aesthetic quite a bit since then so I’m still thinking of this in terms of début.

ARC are an improvising trio based around drums, double bass, bass guitar and handmade electronics.

[soundcloud url=“https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/77135501” params=“auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=“100%” height=“450” iframe=“true” /]

We’ve played in public two three times before. The first second time was as a three-piece to demonstrate the work of ceramicist Andrew Cooke: Here’s some YouTube footage of that event. Not a full ARC gig, as we were there to explore the instruments Andrew had made.

The second third time was just Saul and I, performing at an art happening (it really was) called Fresh Meat in the Crescent Arts Centre. Barry was performing at a festival in Brazil at the time but he was there in spirit in the guise of a light-controlled synth right at the front of the stage. So, again, not a full ARC gig.

This time though, we’ll be kicking it old-school.  Barry will be providing instructional/motivational projections and video and we’ll be accompanied by Martin Byrne, one of Belfast’s more prolific sonic artists.

So yeah, roll up roll up for ARCLight at OpenSourceNI, 3-5 Commercial Court, Belfast from 2-3pm on Sunday 4th of May 2014.

A Curious Case

I’ve spent an afternoon relearning a short piece I wrote three or four years ago. I came up with it the usual way, a chord pattern turns up under my fingers, then a second chord that I like, then a kept poking until I find a complete set. A bit like collecting bubblegum stickers for a sticker album. I recorded a quick and dirty sketch mainly to work out some harmonies but ended up with synth backing instead. We used it as one of the pieces we performed with Shane & Terry until that fell apart, but I’ve hardly even thought about the piece since then. Relistening to it last night I was a little irked at the sloppiness of the playing but mostly I was confounded by how obtuse I’d been in my note choice. I know my ear is a bit rusty and this just underscored that rust before going back over each letter with a biro. I was deliberate in using chord fragments that don’t play to the usual major or minor & root configurations, and I think this piece is better for it even if the hand positions, the changes and the rhythm of it are awkward to play convincingly.

I tried to rerecord of to a click track once and failed completely, so I may try it again. If I can ever play it right.

Addendum

Further to last, I have remedied my computing woes. Results at this link: soundcloud.com/mysterios…

Audial Imaging

I followed a link from a friend (I think maybe Adam) and let http://spectrogr.am/ do its merry work on one of my pieces, a remix collaboration with Barry Cullen.

[caption id=“attachment_1350” align=“alignnone” width=“300”]created by http://spectrogr.am created by http://spectrogr.am[/caption]

The result is very satisfying. The twin demon/alien figures on either side, the inverted goat’s head at the top.  Satisfying.

Try it out here: http://spectrogr.am/mysterioso/audiopaint-remix-1-master-wav. You need a SoundCloud account, and I think the spectrogr.am service may not work in Chrome.

some rumblings no jungles involved

[soundcloud]api.soundcloud.com/tracks/69…[/soundcloud]

Some rumblings. No jungles involved.