Fuddland
Since sometime in early November I’ve been listening to Aqualung’s Still Life on practically a daily basis — it’s staggeringly beautiful in parts, and I’d say it was my top album of 2003 [narrowly beating Adam Masterson into second place]. So it’s quite a surprise to realise that before now I’d not checked out their official website.
There are plenty of the usual treats like audio samples and video clips, but I was particularly pleased to find the Making of Still Life section, mostly for the ‘track-by-track’ interview with Matt Hale, describing what influenced the creation of each song, and how they evolved from certain ideas or sounds.
You Turn Me Around
“I had this idea that it might be nice to try and work out a drum part that was like 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, but in 6/8.”
Seven Keys
“…we had this ‘vegas’ drum sound, and it started with a ridiculous drum fill. It felt like I should be coming up on a riser in a white suit with showgirls around me and golden confetti coming down…and a glitter ball…it was great…”
Extraordinary Thing
“I liked the idea of having real harpsichord, and I’d never played one — so I went to a strange but lovely man called Alexander who lives in Islington who has a front room full of harpsichords, and spent an afternoon recording this song. But in the end it turns out that a whole four-minute track of harpsichord starts to feel like someone’s banging you in the head with a screwdriver…”
Easier to Lie
“It just seemed to me to sound — this may be an odd thing to say — but it somehow sounds ‘important’. Not that I’m important or it’s an important song, just that it sounds as big and grand as the topic requires it to be.”
Brighter Than Sunshine
“What I wanted to capture is the idea that someone’s fallen in love, and they’re taken unawares by it, that they don’t expect it, that they weren’t looking for it; that they weren’t even interested in the idea, but suddenly it’s happened, and it’s amazing and they can’t believe it.
“I wanted that to be a surprised love song, to document the moment that you realise that it’s suddenly happening and it’s for real, and just as brilliant as it could possibly be. And even though you’re cynical, and remain a cynical, grown-up person, aware of the complexities of the world, you are nonetheless stupidly and madly in love. Sounds nice too.”
Sounds very nice.
