NEW ALBUM BLOG

[Ean]

Day 16

Current mood: focused

Recording vocals all day. No repeated tuning needed save for my own internal pitching mechanism which has tightened with almost surreal professionalism over the years, I must say.

One of the more pleasant side effects of this singing lark is the ability to 'place' your voice in a comfortable place when pitching. This is something that Willie Dowling told me about about when I first started singing, and as he described the process of placing your voice somewhere within your throat where it feels most comfortable I remember looking at him almost impressed that he could speak Chinese, or much like a dog tries, with tilted head, to understand his master.


(the dogman singeth)

I used to dread recording vocals, but with Jacob at the helm I'm comforted by his thorough understanding of the instrument. He is also the fastest engineer I have ever met. Within one hour the lead vocal in performed, edited and laid down forever. His confidence in his abilities is hugely impressive. I've never enjoyed doing vocals as much as I'm enjoying these sessions.


(jacob, our boss)

The first song of the day, and indeed of the album, is Chutzpah 1, which is very short and very endearing. Everyone is having way too much fun doubling each others harmonies and trying to sound like little girls. Sometimes you have to marvel at how immature some grown men can be in their daily lives.


(martin in rare vocal mode)

Chutzpah 2 is up now. Man, this a funny song. It benefits from the down-tuning massively. Scott and I yell a verse that sounds like Slayer and early Anthrax meet NYC hardcore. Funny and awesome. Scott hates me pushing his vocal range way beyond where he'd comfortably hang out, but I have a funny feeling he actually loves being worked like a dog.


(scott shows off his shrek impersonation)

Either way, there is currently a studio in Denmark, far away from civilisation, where responsible adults are laughing like naughty school kids, and it feels damn good.
Such is often the life of The Wildhearts. There is fun everywhere, and so we maintain the search for this elusive elixir in our daily lives.



All in all this is a very colourful album that I feel thoroughly benefits from being written in New York. The lyrics remind me of the regular awesomeness that is the streets of NYC, that, when taken out of context seem alien and impossible to imagine not being part of a film set.


(a typically awesome nyc sight)

I miss being back home really badly. I watched a movie about New York last night, and instead of the streets looking like expensive 70's film stock they looked like a home movie. I guess that's what New York must seem like to New Yorkers. The place is in my bones now. Nowhere is like it. Nothing is like it. It's expensive, sure, but it's worth every single penny for the street theatre, the colour and the culture.



And with a sense of purpose and conviction I drive on through this album, inspired by that fair City, remembering the moment when I first came to New York, the moment I fell in love with it, and it with me, and look forward to being back there one day very soon.



Post your blog comments here.

[Ean]

Day 17

Furry Things, Suicide And Rubbish Fathers On My Mind

Current mood: confused

Amazing run this morning. My ipod really knew what it was doing. I wondered if it has some kind of knowledge of the structure of music, like that of itunes genius, but then it wouldn't make sense that shuffle predicts the next 10,000 songs in advance of you playing the first one. So, in that case, I guess it's just co-incidence. But there is no such thing as co-incidence.

Aaaaarrrggghhh.

When I was a kid all I wanted to know was how they cut a woman in two.

ALL I wanted to know.

Now that I've found that out (kind of, although it still doesn't make sense when her toes are wiggling across the other end of the studio...how do they do THAT? aaarrgggghhhh) all I wanna know is how your ipod knows what to play next.

If anyone has any idea then PLEASE put me out of my misery.

Or if anyone knows how those toes are wiggling on the other side of the studio, I'd like to learn that too please.

So, I'm getting warmed up for the most unpleasant part of the 4 mile journey. The first 5 minutes. I hate the first 5 minutes so the first song is very important. Recently my ipod likes to begin with strong female vocalists. I've been getting Tori Amos, Lucinda Williams, Sinead O Connor recently, so today it's Sheryl Crow's turn to guide me through the first, painful half mile. 'Soak Up The Sun' is a song I've feared for years, it was released right at the height of my addictions and reminds me of scoring, or at least it did until today. Another demon put to rest, and the run begins with a philosophical jog down memory lane.
Shonen Knife are up next, where I'm planted back in LA supporting the Darkness and talking to Dave Grohl, who had missed our set.
"It's a good thing I didn't miss your opening act when you played Brixton Academy", I said as we both agreed Shonen Knife were easily the better band of that evening.
I'm smiling when the awesome Crunchy start name checking The Wildhearts in Sorority Girl. Came as a bit of a shock too, and a wonderful surprise. And I'm still smiling when the awesomely drunk Nuclear Assault bring chaotic rock to my motion. The rock is maintained with Desperado, the band-that-shoulda-been featuring Dee Snider and Bernie Torme. Headed back but I can't see the house yet so I'm gonna need to keep the pace up. No problem, Pendulum provide some frantic beats that act like a push from behind.
Then a strange thing happens. Elton John's 'Daniel' comes on and completely throws me. Sends me back to my grandmas house when I was a little kid, drawing pictures of my favourite pop stars. That day I'd done Slade, Sweet, Elton John and little Jimmy Osmond. I'm wondering where my Mum and Dad are. Fighting somewhere, presumably. Dad would leave soon after that. Dad's that leave their kids, and don't stay in touch with them should be made to give their fucking balls back.
You don't need 'em, you sure ain't using them.
Fountains Of Wayne take me to my door, literally. As the last note fades I reach for the door handle.

Where on earth would we be without ipods?

And how does that toe wiggle so far away from her body?

I'm feeling happy. Last night was a very dark one. Scott was on an Elliott Smith trip last night. An amazing singer/songwriter, Smith cut his life short by running into a wall holding a kitchen knife against his chest.
His music and this awful image played tricks with the loneliness in my head, making me believe I wanted to die too.
And I do, I just have no intention of doing so.
I want to die like I want to smoke crack again.

Anyway, I need to find out how those toes are wiggling before I kill anyone, me included.

Took a walk around the animals last night. It's a grand world where humans and animals can mix without prejudice. They're happy here, certainly a lot happier than I am. Still, the album is sounding great, and that's all that matters right now. That and these guys.


(nothing, but nothing is cuter than a meerkat, although Bill Nighy doesn't inform you just how much they stink)


(this beast guards next doors territory with satanic efficiency, after getting so close I really should be dead)


(this beauty is actually called mustapha, no seriously)


(no pigs on the farm, but the horse certainly knows how to ham it up...ouch)


("ere, is that bloke taking pictures of me?")

So there you have it.
iPods are weird.
Dads should stay in touch with their kids.
Suicide sucks.
Animals are great.

And how DO they get those toes to wiggle at the other end of the studio?

Ginger

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[Ean]

Day 18

Glue Drying Around My Feet And Bees In My Veins

Current mood: melancholy

Woke up feeling oddly displaced. Stumbled around the studio. Drank some industrial strength coffee. Tried to skype someone, anyone. It's a beautiful day, the sun is pouring goodness on her audience, the songs are rockin', so why can't I get my engines going?
Decide to go for a run. The ipod shares my disembodiment and throws an all male set of confusion and incoherence together, which includes Mitch Hedberg, Paul Stanley, Mike Skinner and Andre 2000. Start to feel a little more alive once I get into the shower but still can't fight the impression that the earth has turned into glue during the night, and is tugging at every step that I make today.

Surely I can't be feeling melancholy because this is the last week and something deep within me is going to miss this place?!?!?!?

SURELY NOT.

Maybe I'm feeling that the 3 members of the band have bonded in a way that we never would have in different circumstances. With Ritch gone and no money around (and nothing to do), there are two lanes of progression on offer. Kill each other or bond. I'm very happy about the fact that we chose the latter.

Maybe we're making an album that we wouldn't have made without the work being held under a microscope born of gratitude for breaking the extreme isolation?

Maybe it's the smell of shit?

I like the smell of cowshit, I really do. And horseshit. Pigshit too, although it can be a little overpowering early in the morning too close to a fresh spreading. Then it smells a little like too much like human shit. Lying on top of the earth as it does, stinking, you can't blame the pigs, they have to eat as much crap as we do.
Horse and cows are like "fuck your leftovers man, give me some grass and make it fresh", pigs are like "I'll eat cows and horses, fuck it".

As you are what you eat, so you were what you shat.

If I'm coming back as an animal I'd like it to be a horse. Horses are cool as shit. Big, gentle, respected, and can kill you with a foot.
Nothing hates horses, man.

Actually I'd be happy to be a dog, or a bird, anything but a fucking human.

I don't understand humans. Friends who act like they're collecting people instead of loving them. People supposedly close to you who have no idea who the fuck you are. I guess it's more merciful to invent a personality for someone than to shave their current one to fit. And butterfly collectors aren't concerned with how pretty just a few could look on a wall. They don't care about the butterflies, they care about the pretty wings. They care about their own appreciation. Their own gratification. The butterfly has very little to do with the deal.

I seem to be thinking about other people way too much when I should be letting people walk their own path, and concentrating on walking my own.
Still, even Ghandi must've got frustrated at people occasionally.

Kim, the guy playing keys on the album, stayed with us last night and is back in the studio today, putting down strange noises and loops etc. I'm liking his involvement very much. For me it's way overdue for us to reinvent ourselves a little, and the strange sounds he's making sound every bit as exciting as a guitar solo or another hand-me-down chord progression.


(kim makes yet another crazy noise)


Maybe we should think about getting a keyboard player for our live shows? Stick him at the side with a mini bar set up so he doesn't get too bored during the old 'favourites'. It would be a little like a constantly whirring time machine, whipping you from 94 to present day. The effect slightly disorientating, yet depressingly familiar.

Little Sabina from next door has stepped in to provide vocals for a section of a song called You Are Proof That Not All Women Are Insane. It's a very cute part that I'm excited about you hearing. She's done a great job.


(little Sabina stands unimpressed by the rock n roll)


In fact everyone involved in this album has done a really great job. It's been a truly collective effort, like nothing I've ever been involved in before.

It's going to be a pleasure to work through this final week.

Ginger

Post your blog comments here.

[Ean]

Day 20

The Final Furlong

Current mood: adventurous

Tension rears its taunting, ugly little head as stress threatens to infect the final 5 days of recording.

Yesterday was a dead day (hence no blog) with no-one at the studio and very little to do.

Highpoints were very sparse, containing themselves within a few morsels of pleasure, like listening to Imani Coppola's 'Black & White', The Jayhawks 'The Sound Of Lies' and Little Hell's 'Demonic Advisory Centre' (all truly awesome listens), and Scott teaching me how to shotgun beer. I realised I'd never done it before, and thought it was a bit over rated, to be honest, although Scott and CJ went to bed laughing like air raid sirens.

Although my experience didn't scale the frat-boy thrills of my co-hosts I'm glad I didn't wake with the hangover they have today.

We're concentrating on finishing all the guitars today. And when I say concentrating, I mean tongue out and furrowed brow like a little kid determined to writing their name correctly for the first time.

'All That Zen' is up first. We have some basic backing tracks laid down, but it's lacking the groove that the song needs to breathe. Stripping down a song is quite a chore, but not as awful as trying to make slightly incorrect backing tracks work. Man, the time I've spent in my life working for hours with a guitar or bass track that is never going to work. Going back to scratch eventually saves you a big chunk of your life.

The camel got castrated yesterday. Poor guy was humping (sic) anything from bales of hay to the shetland pony it shares the enclosure with. Strange thing was I took an afternoon nap, right about the time when he was getting snipped, and had strange dream where an overzealous fan was violently grabbing my bollocks. Could get them to leave go. It was agony.

Wonder if the camel and I touched base somehow? I certainly felt for the poor guy the entire day.
Anyway, he's fine today. A little wobbly on his feet but in good spirits.

Getting excited about seeing my family again.
I allow myself the luxury of missing them for the first few days and last few days. Need to get into work mode between those periods. You can't make an album being constantly homesick. It's no good for morale and it's certainly no good for performance.
Only have to hold on until Friday when we will be reunited.
The sense that we are in a timeless void has vanished and has been replaced by an overwhelming sense of hope.

Working on a song now called 'Mazel Tov Cocktail', which has a very Stonesy feel to it, classic and timeless. At least I think so. Not sure the rest of the band are as into it as I am. That's what makes this album recording so unique to us, there are some songs I'm less fond of than others, as are there for everyone. Anyway, CJ thinks it sounds like Kings Of Leon, which is a good sign as he likes King Of Leon.
Me? I'm just glad I'm in a band that can sound like Primal Scream one second, Kings Of Leon another, and NYC hardcore the next. And still have time for some Dark Side Of The Moon hugeness, Pixies weirdness, and the occasional bit of Cheap Trick meets The Clash.

Who else sounds like that?

It might be that our style is too confusing for the average consumer, and that we will sacrifice commercial gain to remain thrilled in the music we record. Still, we wouldn't (couldn't) have it any other way.
To be hugely successful and have to pull yourself back from experimentation would be massively depressing.

Now if, on the other hand, we could have both, what a wonderful life that would be!

I think it's always wise to live the life you want to live. Or at least try your damnedest.
Ignore societal pressures and matters of the ego.
Be the person that you want to be, no matter how far away that seems, or how scary a move that would be.

Fear only regret not failure.

Who knows? It might all work out!

Ginger

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[Ean]

Day 22

I Guess One Man's Hell Is Another Man's Malmsteen

Current mood: rushed

Sorry there was no blog yesterday.

I spent 13 hours playing lead guitar/bits and suffered severe trauma as a result.

Not mere trauma like losing a leg or something menial like that, but SEVERE in CAPITAL letters, oh hang on, it just was.
I'm surprised they don't use the frequency that electric guitars make as a form of torture, in much the same as the Chinese water torture works. Me and Jacob were talking about this over a steak yesterday evening, and it's common that when you start lead guitars everyone wants to listen but gradually the room empties. Boredom eventually makes way for annoyance until a special kind of madness manifests and eventually everyone HATES lead guitar playing.

I understand that some people actually like to hear lead guitarists widdling in self flagellating onanism.
Ugh, I guess one man's Hell is another man's Malmsteen.

Anyway, all guitars are done now, thank Vai, and we're spending today doing lead vocals. We have a lot of songs already completed in the vocal dept, just ticking off numbers from the list.
Gonna be another full day of activity so this blog will be brief, but I promise to get together the mother of all blogs, with lot's of photo's of gear for the techies, and anecdotes surrounding the sprint to the finish as we clean up and head into the final straits of this album.

It's been a strange experience, and one I look forward to writing about later today when I lose my voice and am unable to sing anymore.
Which, quite frankly, can't come soon enough for me.

Nah, that's not strictly true. I'm actually enjoying the singing process on this album. Jacob is an amazing producer who effortlessly gets the best out of his subjects.

This is an awesome album and one that I really can't wait for you all to hear.

I know, I say that about all of them.

And I mean it.

Anyway, I'm off into the booth to bellow the new version of 'Zeen Requiem', which I know a lot of you are dying to hear. I'm glad we're bringing you this version. Dunno if it'll make the album. Maybe we'll just give it to you for being so patient and waiting to hear it for the last two years!

Right, gonna badger the guys into writing something today to give me a bit of a break, and I'll see you all on the other side of the recording session.

Red lorry, yellow lorry.

Gx


Monkey And The Neck Blog Off

Well we are getting close to the end now and I got to say I for one will not miss the farm, I need to get back to the city and people. This place has served it's purpose in giving us no distractions so that we could make the best album possible and I feel we have achieved our goal, as the album is sounding very exciting and fresh. We are working on vocals now and pulling a couple of late ones as we have to have everything finished by Friday. Friday will for me be the happiest day of the year so far as we will depart at 4 PM. I will look back one day and smile at our 25 days on the farm in Denmark but right now I just want to be in a clean house, sleep in a clean bed and be around my girlfriend and friends and not wake up in squalor. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed recording this album and being here has made me realize just how lucky I am. I have a good life in London and may be I was taking it all for granted but never again and I'm a member of a great band. I will miss all the animals here and our bike rides and there are some lovely folks here, very kind and friendly but home is where the heart is and come Saturday i will wake up with the biggest smile on my face and thank the lord that i'm back where i belong...

Monkey Boy


An Ode To Elephant Lager

Like a shinning beacon of hope in the cold sea, you've shown me the way Elephant Lager. When I felt beat down, your 7.2 %vol. strength picked me up again and made me go on. We laughed, we cried, we smashed the place up and for this I will forever be in your debt. Now that I return to the lesser Lagers of home I shall always remember our time. So as the sun sets in the east..or west..whatever, I bid you farewell dear friend. Keep the wind to your back and never lose your amber glow. I think everything is gonna be alright.....

Tattoo Neck


The Picture Slowly Fills In With Colour

Current mood: busy

Phew, just got done singing lead vocals on the track 'Vernix'. This is an amazing song with more twists and changes than anything we've ever recorded before. Singing lead vocals on this has been a real task and has subsequently blown my voice to smithereens, which gives me a chance to write to you sweet people, and get Scott and CJ in the vocal booth for some backing vocals.

Happy happy.

So, as we sprint towards the finishing line, with determination our guiding force, the thoughts going through my head are positive and warming. We've been here exactly 22 days and will complete 19 songs by the time we leave on Friday.

That's pretty good going in my book.

We've seen castrated camels, cycled to the edge of Denmark, drank with the awesome neighbours, ate fine cuisine courtesy of CJ, smelled the meerkats, stroked the kangaroos, ran for miles, pined for activity, starved, shotgunned, laughed, fished, got violently happy and gently crazy.
And in amongst this we've made probably the most ambitious album of our career.

With this in mind I declare that bands who complain about their lot are bands that deserve nothing more than an existence worthy of complaint.
We make our own luck, and if you're gonna blame anyone for the way your life is turning out then yours is an existence of cheap options and limited returns.

Forgive quickly.
Find something to be happy about with every angry thought.
Think about something or someone you love while you fall asleep.
Don't criticise.
Don't listen to crappy music.
Don't eat too much.
Don't eat too little.
Try to exercise a little just for the mind and read a good book.

Oh, and tell someone you love them every day.

So anyway, here are some pictures of the gear we've been using, for all your techies out there that dig this shit. Me? It's just a bunch o buttons, knobs and planks, but they make a grand sound, and no mistake.
There are a few guitars that we couldn't show pictures of because we're using them unlawfully. Like I said, planks, but someone else's planks, and they probably have a fondness for them. Probably shouldn't have licked them before putting them back in their cases. Probably shouldn't have shat in the cases either.
That's a lie.
We didn't shat in their cases. We left it in a paper bag next to the case.
See? We care.
Lots.


(scott's black bastard)


(cj's old faithful)


(some boxes that make solos sound awesome)


(the black beast that makes evil noises)


(the black beast's white sister, equally evil)


(a Neumann microphone that are apparently very expensive)


(the stacks that make the awesome noise we've been recording)


(our amazingly speedy leader and his computer screens)


(our laid back leader and a very large mixing desk)


(the racks of eternal suffering and power)


(a wonderful guitar)


(even this thing made it on a couple of tunes)

Gx

Post your blog comments here.

[Ean]

Day 23

The Penultimate Entry

Current mood: accomplished

And so, as we sprint towards to finishing line, confidence spilling from every orifice and exit, brimming with hope we see the metaphorical girl-with-flag waving at us in the distance.

Since the album's humble beginnings we've always believed this was going to be a good 'un, the band all reading from more or less the same page (at least in the same library), new management, a new agent, plans to open the group to new markets, etc etc etc...but this means nothing without a finished album that kicks butt.

As with any album there are dark periods during the second trimester when it looks unlikely to ever be finished, such is the workload, especially with an album as adventurous as this.

We've always been quite ambitious with our arrangements, but never have we utilised the use of so many different sounds.

And we've always given ourselves a lot more time to record.

This time, however, we did demo recordings of the songs to make sure everyone knew the parts, and boy did it work out.

A few songs ('Under The Waves', 'Shine' and 'The Only One') were written at the studio, and one track ('Mazel Tov Cocktail') was briefly rehearsed but never demo'd as Ritch and Scott hated it (it's actually turned out to be one of everyones favourites), but the majority of the songs were ready to go the day we set up gear in Denmark.

This is a process I would recommend any band employing as it saves a lot of time at the point where time is money, namely studio time.

Racing through the harmony vocals today makes me thankful that the time seems to have flown by. I'm also thankful that we have so many great singers in this band that, between them, can reach every note in the human male spectrum. There really are some astounding harmonies on this album.

Tomorrow I'll sign off and say goodbye, and probably miss getting to report on our little outing, but for now here's a run down of the songs.

• CHUTZPAH 1: First song on the album. A crazy little number that kicks in the whole shebang.
• ALL THAT ZEN: Grooving and anthemic.
• YOU TOOK THE SUNSHINE OUT OF NEW YORK: Very poppy and classic.
• TIM SMITH: The heaviest song of the collection.
• THE SNAKE, THE LION, THE MONKEY AND THE SPIDER: A crazy jungle stomper with some very twisted lyrics.
• THE ONLY ONE: A surprise addition from Scott. Very cool pop.
• UNDER THE WAVES: The controversial dance-based number.
• SOME DAYS JUST FUCKING SUCK: A great rock n roll track.
• ZEEN REQUIEM: We finally recorded this lost classic, properly.
• VERNIX: The most complicated song on the album, easily!
• THE JACKSON WHITES: A heavy and moody anthem.
• PEOPLE WHO DIED: A cover of the Jim Carroll classic.
• JOHN OF VIOLENCE: A stadium sized rocker.
• LOW ENERGY VORTEX: Another huge atmospheric song.
• PLASTIC JEEBUS: A stomping anthemic monster.
• MAZEL TOV COCKTAIL: Classic Stonesy vibe brought up to date.
• YOU ARE PROOF THAT NOT ALL WOMEN ARE INSANE: Up tempo punk number with classic Wildhearts dual vocals.
• SHINE: Another late addition that we hope to finish.
• CHUTZPAH 2: A massive, split personality song that is sure to finish off the album.

So there you have it.

Not all of these songs will make the final album. We're looking to keep it as short as we can, using only the tracks that have a natural feel together.

I have my opinion on which ones will make it and which ones won't, but not a living human being knows for sure. So from this point on we're all in the same darkened room together.

All I can tell you, for sure, is that this will prove to be a hugely enjoyable listening experience, and one that I really can't wait to hear your opinions on.

I have a feeling you're going to treasure this one.

We've had a blast making this album, and bollocks to anyone who says the album is dead.

We'll keep making them as long as you keep buying them.

Love

Gx

Post your blog comments here.

[Ean]

Day 24

Goodbye

Current mood: accomplished

And here it is, the final curtain and so I say etc etc.....you get the point.

Last blog, final day, album complete and another chapter begins.

It'll be possibly the most crucial time of our lives as a band. This album will either push us into working harder, capitalising on more opportunities and making a more stable future for ourselves, or it will set the band in a concrete stasis.

Don't worry, we'll always be around, we actually like each others company, and no matter what happens we'll always play live.

This album will merely make us work harder or force us to rest.

Me? I can't rest. I have no idea how to. I need to make music full time, play music full time, live music full time. For me there are no breaks. How do you take a break from the juke box inside your head?

So you'll be seeing a lot of me in The Wildhearts, or solo, or with other projects.

We're all very proud of the album we are currently listening through to, picking out any unfinished moments, taking notes for mixing ideas and generally patting each other on the back.

As the closing dramatics of Vernix jabs at our ego's and wrestles with our pride, the final feeling is ultimately one of humble gratitude.

We thank the wonderful Hoeiberg family for their wonderful hospitality and good company, and hope to see them again someday. Inga, keep eating that ice cream. Soeren, thank you for the beer and the bikes. Sabina you are a star.

And of course we need to thank the wonderful studio guys. Jacob you are amazing, Martin hope everything is okay now, Jeppe, hope your taste in music improves.

We can't say we're going to miss this place but we're certainly going to miss the creative process that has went on here, and one that wouldn't have been as fertile in a different environment.

Hopefully CHUTZPAH will be in your ears and hearts by August, and we'll be seeing you on tour around September. Bring a friend.

One final listen and then we're off to the airport, bound for babies, love and clean beds.

It's been a great ride. See you next time I've got something to write about.

Gx

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