CD- 1. I dreamt I was a hammer & everything was glass [19:45]
DVD- 1. I dreamt I was a hammer & everything was glass [19:47]
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Written around the same time as the sessions for ‘Electric Old Wire Noise’ but, due to time constraints, we couldn’t record it at the same time; thanks to line-up changes and other demands on our time, we’ve only just been able to record it properly. The title came from a very brief dream Nick had while half-awake one morning and, essentially, is the shortest description of that dream.
The music itself is an attempt to capture the knowledge that there are so many things wrong with the world, and that everyone has the ability to change those things; however, it might be that violence and destruction are the quickest routes to that change, and that route would defeat the entire point of effecting a change. It’s an attempt to capture the feeling of powerlessness at the cyclical nature of human politics that, while appearing to change, often means that the powerful remain in control. It’s a 20 minute song that brings each of the instruments in individually, moving through a number of minor key, atmospheric sections before settling into a heavy 7/4 beat. After a re-statement of one of the opening melodies on the violin, everything falls apart into sparse noise under a repeated string motif, before the 7/4 section comes back in with a vengeance, building up to a noisy, staccato ending.
A while ago, we were thinking of accompanying our shows with live film- it kind of fell out of favour as an idea, largely because we wanted the music to stand on its own. A lot of our music is quite complex, and densely orchestrated, and we hope it rewards close listening; a lot of the time, constant visual stimulus would only serve as a distraction, rather than an enhancement. Having said that, we were fortunate enough to find the amazing animator Gemma Burditt, who was enthusiastic about making an animated film to accompany this particular song; that film forms the DVD part of the release. From the song’s title, and from the feel of the music, Gemma took the idea of cyclical exchanges of power, and “eye-for-an-eye” exchanges, and created the film based around two co-exisiting races in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world. Since we’ve had nothing to do with the creation of the film, we can be totally objective in saying that the film is powerfully moving, and absolutely beautiful.
As ever, we’ve tried to make the packaging something quite special. The artwork has been all been printed by hand, using silk screens, a 50 year old letterpress machine (for the credits and card band on the outside), and an antique hot foil press (for the copper foiled lettering across the front). We take quite a lot of pride in the presentation of our CDs; in the current musical climate, if you’re asking someone to buy a physical copy of something, we think you really have to offer them something special.
We’ve performed the song live on Resonance FM; in fact, this was not only Rhiannon’s first gig with the band, but her first actual live performance as a musician. And the song opens with solo violin. Anyone for adrenaline…?
Personnel:
Rhiannon Armstrong – violin
Neil Walsh – viola
Nicole Robson – ‘cello
Nick Gill – electric guitar
Dave O’Brien – double bass
Martin Austwick – electric guitar
Ed Howard – drums
Animated film by Gemma Burditt
Engineered & produced by Ed (with slight help from Nick); recorded at Jamestown Studios, London and ADP Studios, East Sussex in 2008.