some words in my head and some tea

Just above this entry are some new recordings i made in my kitchen today.

Okay so the last little while i have been slack with recordings and writing - i guess sometimes it has been a bit hard to focus. But it is finally Spring for real this time and the sun is out everyone has got that optimism that feeds on the promise of an encroaching summer. In two recent conversations i shared my conviction that the promise is more valuable than the season delivered. It is the fantasy of parties, swimming in the ocean and being able to go out with less clothes on... the idea that certain types of music will sound better because it is hot and we can feel the sun on our shoulders. Summer, in my experience, doesn't often live up to the fun filled sand sprinkled fantasy. I think maybe we all had one really great summer at one point and that when the jasmine blooms we all delve into the future with a smile on our face cos we think of that glimmering, delicious time. Maybe we pick and choose from a highlight reel of memories, piecing together a perfect summer and then imagining that they're all like that and that there is no reason why the next one shouldn't be. Winter has been a long time, and i guess the cold will do strange things to the dreamer's mind.
In anticipation of the new heat, i've been revisiting some old friends - the Boredoms, ooioo, Brian Eno - and some new friends - Deerhunter and Boris. Lots of great Japanese stuff. I am really very much in love with music at the moment - and without giving much time given to dreaming of being a rock star one day, my focus has been on my singing.
The recordings are just of me singing some stuff, one old Tom Waits song, while doing mundane stuff in the kitchen. You can tell when i sort of lose focus, but its all there.

I was a bit self conscious about singing while my folks are home - as i used to be scared of singing when my housemates were home when i lived in North Fitz. But with the early mornings to myself, it has been easier to make time. And i'm not so worried about other people hearing me anymore. With a bit of confidence in my ability now, i have started listening to certain musicians and trying to identify what it is that they do and what it is that i do or don't quite do and how the gaps can be bridged. With so many recorded voices being treated (and i am thankful for this as i revel in the soup of halucinatory spaces a treated voice can muster) it can be a bit hard sometimes. I keep going back to classic singers like Elvis, Gil Scott-Heron, Sinatra, Cash, Waits, etc. They're all kind of completely diferent, but most of this indy rock contemprary stuff (which i like a lot of) relies heavily on a droning, detached vocal that sort of peeps and slides between the guitars. I guess i just gotta learn where it all fits and what it sounds like, and keep exploring and trying different stuff.

Am i repeating myself? Even thought is a drone.

Ben