Galapagos

At last, here is the soundtrack that I've recorded for the BBC Talent competition. They did the video, I recorded the music. This file is quite compressed to make for a reasonable download - it is 3 minutes long. Please don't disribute it until the competition is over!

Galapagos Video 13MB

If you'd like to here the soundtrack in isolation, get the MP3 here:

Galapagos MP3

If you want to see it at maximum quality, download the video from the BBC and combine it with the MP3. I'd be very interested in any feedback, as this is the first time I've attempted an audio/visual composition.

Close to the Hedge

I love the summer, especially at the weekend when I can relax and enjoy the warm weather, rather than sweltering on trains with broken air conditioning. I stayed up far too late last night (Friday) working on a new noise fest, but it's in a form unfit for public consumption, so you will have to wait for that particular pleasure.

Instead I've decided to upload a track I recorded back in April. I'm not quite sure how you'd classify this one. It has a kind of d&b bass line, but features 12 string guitars and vocals that are heavily processed. This doesn't really qualify as the evil nasty side of the Squid, I'm saving that up for now.


The Place I Stand (mp3 3.6mb)

Rock Gardening 2

Still no song to post I'm afraid, although it is nearing completion. I've recorded a rough drum pattern, bass, two rhythm guitars and a lead guitar, and three vocalparts. It still needs a bit of tweaking, and a decent mixdown.

Boy the weather has been hot. I was hoping to continue to dig the second flowerbed, but it was far too hot for that kind of work. Instead we've planted out numerous seedlings into the existing bed. Wallflowers, nicotiana, dahlias, delphiniums, foxgloves and a lone gazania. I've also sown some Lady Bird poppy seeds that we got at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Here is a picture take of me with the one flowerbed that we have dug! It looks much fuller now that we've added the extra seedlings.















A friend has kindly offered to help me render my entry for the soundtrack competition in a form suitable for streaming or download, so hopefully I'll be able to link to it here soon.

Rock Gardening

After a couple of very photo-heavy blogs, this one is going to veer towards the textual. I was hoping to give you a look at my attempt at a soundtrack for a BBC competition. I spent a few hours over the weekend trying to get a reasonable copy of it at a fairly high compression rate, in order to make it easy to download. Unfortunately my lack of experience with digital video meant that I was unable to do this. I'll try to work something out, but for now you'll have to do without.

This last few days have been mostly spent working in the garden, making the most of the good weather we've been having. I've completed (in so far as these things are ever complete) work on the left-hand garden border, and it's looking pretty good considering it hasn't had a chance to settle in yet. I also started work on the right-hand border - digging a small plot just big enough for the kids to have a little patch each, as their seedlings were beginning to get a little pot-bound.

Between us we've now planted a fair few of our wallflowers, dahlias and gazanias, and also a few delphiniums. I also bought a couple of plants from the garden centre - two gorgeous ornamental grasses and a lovely salvia.

I spent a happy half hour pricking out nicotiana seedlings as well, re-using the pots from the flowers we had planted out earlier. We had also purchased a couple of metal frames for supporting our tomato plants, which I have now put in place. I love working in the new greenhouse - it makes me feel like a proper gardener!

Music-wise, the soundtrack is pretty much complete now, although I may spend a little more time on the mix before I enter it for the competition. I have also been working on a new song, which is sounding a bit more nasty and rock-based than the previous couple. It still needs a bit more work before I can post it up here though.

Gardening, sunshine, loud music - it's been a good couple of days!