"At Home With...(songs for solitude)"
Every week a new artist is invited to share two unreleased songs with the world in lockdown.
For the sixth round, we present the earworm drones from James A. McDermid.
/ / /
WHILE THE SUN DROWSILY BLINKS: "The name of this piece is taken from the Robert Graves poem, 'To Walk on Hills'. It's a simple and very visual poem; equally connecting with my own love of long walks. It's something that I miss during these difficult times under a lockdown. Graves' poem references the sound of pine trees in the wind, hilltop views of the sea and villages, foaming waters, and the fall of dusk. I absolutely relate to how primitive Graves describes these moments: "The heart records the journey as memorable indeed; head reserves opinion, confused by the wind". 'While the Sun Drowsily Blinks' was written in an attempt to capture both what Graves had clearly experienced (and inspired in me), as well as my own melancholic yearning for the opportunity to wander my local woodland again."
HOPELESS AND CHIMERICAL: "The piece 'Hopeless and Chimerical' has taken many forms but I happened to finish it just as the world was learning what Covid-19 was; I was also reading at the time 'The Great God Pan' by Arthur Machen, which is where the track title is lifted from. The book is a warped shape-shifting masterpiece of gothic horror - absolutely frightening and often uncomfortable to process. Listening to the track several weeks later, I can really hear what I was feeling; between the connection of the ever-building news about the raging spread of infections of the coronavirus, and the madness of the book. My own affinity for solitude and isolation anyway - before it was enforced - was something, as a musician, I cherished. Now that I have no choice but to stay at home, I absolutely miss the wear and tear of everyday life. This optionless immutable daily life, of sorts, feeds into the title of the track."
credits
released May 1, 2020
Written and recorded by James Alexander McDermid.
Mastered by Angel Marcloid.
Cover art by Bruno Coelho.
** If you like it, please consider making a donation. **
All proceeds from this release will be rounded up and doubled, by James, before being donated to North Bristol Foodbank, which is part of The Trussell Trust.
supported by 20 fans who also own “At Home With...(songs for solitude) Vol. 06”
This album doesn't cease to fill me with joy and bliss.
It turned out to be one of the most listened to of my year 2021 - mostly late in the evening, but also as a comfort and companion during office work hours.
frl. 3ux
Made over the course of four dark months, Reece Thomas’s new record features synth compositions that are both beautiful & unsettling. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 30, 2022