4th Album BREAKING AWAY out TODAY!

23/01/2012.

Breaking Away Cover Medium Res1 300x300 <em><BIG>4th Album BREAKING AWAY out TODAY!</BIG></em>

Hi everyone! At times it felt this day would never come but it has and I’m so excited to at last share this music with you. I want to thank everyone who has been involved in the making of this album for all your help and support. At times it was a very difficult process but everything came together in the end and I’m really proud to send this off into the world.

A special thanks to everyone at Openroom Studios where 70% of the album was tracked. A huge thank you to Matthew Fink who came later on board for production, mixing and mastering. Without him this would have been a much different sounding album and I’m amazed to see how much he has learned and improved as a producer over the past 6 years. Also a special thanks to James N. Brown for permission to use his epic photograph of Space Shuttle Endeavour blasting off from Kennedy Space Station  on March 11th 2008. Most importantly a big thanks to my parents without whose help I could not have done this and to Linda Thompson for her incredible work and patience with me to get this album out there.

You can buy the album from the  following online stores (E Music , Look & Listen and many more will become live later during the day. Also look out for it soon on Spotify) :

For further information, queries or opinions contact us. Last week I explained how some of the songs from the album were written and recorded – you can check it out here.

It might be a while before another Sick-Leaves album is released again, so enjoy it and thank you for all your support. Without you there is no point to all of this.

Rock’n'Roll.

e

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3 Days to release : Song By Song / BREAKING AWAY

20/01/2012.

4. Breaking Away

Funk meets the blues. Escapism.

I played around with the chorus’ chords for ages before I decided to use it for this song. I wanted to do a song where the chords would carry the song, instead of a riff or melody line.

The first mixes were done with funk in mind but the whole thing just didn’t sound right, so we decided for everything to be re-recorded at Sting Studios. It’s the first time I’ve ever done this, due to the costs involved, but the lesson is to rather get the source right than try and fix something that’s wrong. The drums were also changed to the pattern of the demo and suddenly everything fell into place.

I absolutely love the rhythm guitars’ tone in combination with the bass on this track. I used two Peavey Classic 30′s for the recording…one cranked to the max and the other at 4 with a bit of reverb. Bass, guitars and the drums took only an evening to record.

It took me quite a while to figure out the vocal phrasing for the chorus, as there are a million different ways you can sing it, but we finally settled on the album’s version. Over the years you become accustomed to a lot of things, which is quite sad and human nature, but when we recorded the drums at Sting and had everything going through the monitors at jet-engine-loud level, a tingle went down my spine and I felt, for a moment, the same way I felt when I discovered for the first time the power of an electric guitar.


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4 Days to release : Song By Song / FANNING THE FLAMES

19/01/2012.

3. Fanning The Flames

Good day lovers of rock’n'roll! What do we have on the menu today? Light and shade, soft and loud. This is my second favourite song of the new album and was inspired by the chorus’ chord progression; which came to me and made its unexpected appearance while I was teaching someone something or the other on guitar.

Lyrically it is inspired by 9/11. I saw a website that had a camera mounted in the exact same place at the top of where the new World Trade Centre’s highest building is going to be. It was a 360 degree photo in all directions, so you could turn it downwards and see what the jumpers of 9/11 saw just before they left the tower. It was quite eary and very unnerving to see that first hand and imagining myself to stand, or be, in that same position.

This wasn’t the easiest song to mix due to the amount of guitars, but Matthew did a stellar job in my opinion. May we never witness again in our lifetime another 9/11.



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5 Days to release : Song By Song / I KNOW YOUR NAME

18/01/2012.

2. I Know Your Name

I dont know if the one chord song is possible or even exists, but I always wanted to do a two chord rock song and this is how I Know Yor Name came about. I tinkered around with 2 chords, the word “assume” came up while I was singing gibberish over those chords and suddenly I only needed a chorus.

In a way this is the most revealing song I’ve ever written and I’ll leave it at that. I must retain some mystery. All I will say is that I was born in the same year as that famous Smashing Pumpkins song…

The original rhythm guitars that were tracked for I Know Your Name wasn’t that great, so I redid them with Matthew Fink and suddenly the whole thing lifted off. The opening bass line is quite quirky and it was Darryl Torr’s brilliant idea to repeat it at the end. When I took the demos to him before we started recording I wasn’t that convinced by the song, but now it is definitely one of my favourites off the album. Another  studio technique Matthew and I revisited after Tunnel Vision was the reverse piano swell you can hear just before each chorus. Genius.

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6 Days to release : Song By Song / THE OTHER WAY

17/01/2012.

Seeing as the new album is released next Monday, the 23rd, I thought to retrace my steps a bit and give you some insight into the making of Breaking Away.

Everyday a song off the album will be available for streaming at the bottom of the post.

1. The Other Way

This song takes its influences from a lot of artists, with the most prominent being a Michael Stipe type of vocal delivery in the verses, a Stone Roses call and answer bridge, an AC/DC guitar solo and a Bruce Springsteen over the top finale.

After Last Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy I really wanted to do something energetic and epic and there was no where else to put it on the album but right upfront. When I wrote the album I was into repetitive melody lines that works over a set of chords; very much like Coffee Break from Tunnel Vision. In the studio we tracked the main guitar riff and there were about 10 overdubs with different tones. Normally this isn’t good practice, but when we threw them all together in the mix it weirdly started to sound like Scottish Bagpipes. The magic of recording… It was also very important to me that the emphasis would stay on the drive of the guitars and I’m quite proud of the synth-like guitar line in the verses.

I love the lyric “The end runs in before it’s over”. A contradiction, but so many people die or lose their lives before it’s their time to go. The song is also about making U-turns once you hit a dead end and finding something better by going in the opposite direction.

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My top 7 albums of 2011

14/12/2011.

It’s that time of the year again where we are inundated with endless lists of what was hot and what was not during the year that was 2011. I’ll add to the clutter and put in my two cents worth of what were  the best 7 album releases for me. Why 7 you ask? No particular reason. These are the 7 albums that I listened to repeatedly and that I did and can not tire of.

7. The Kills / Blood Pressures

a thekills <strong><em><BIG>My top 7 albums of 2011</BIG></em></strong>

Another gem from the band who does cool effortlessly. Alison Mosshart did have quite a bit of success with Jack White in Dead Weather, but for me she’s at her best in The Kills. Jamie Hince keeps on to wrangle new sounds out of his guitar and their songwriting is getting better as the years pass by.

Stand out track : The Last Goodbye


6. Arctic Monkeys / Suck It And See

a arcticmonkeys <strong><em><BIG>My top 7 albums of 2011</BIG></em></strong>

I must admit that I have never really been able to get into The Arctic Monkeys until Suck It And See. From the opening chords of She’s Thunderstorms to the beautiful That’s Where You’re Wrong, the whole album is just glorious experiment in perfect pop/rock songwriting. Sure, the previous albums had “clever” lyrics but seemed a bit same-y. Not so here. The album has tons of melodic hooks and their use of tremelo on the guitar is a masterstroke. A classic that will still sound fresh 30 years from now.

Stand out track : The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala

5. Noel Gallagher / Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

a noelgallagher <strong><em><BIG>My top 7 albums of 2011</BIG></em></strong>

After the Oasis fall out in 2009 there has been a lot of anticipation as to what Noel Gallagher would come up with and NGHFB is definitely a fine moment and start to his solo career. Where later Oasis albums lacked quality control due to the additional songwriters, this is truly a fantastic return to form for Noel. With the monumental Everybody’s On The Run,  Definitely Maybe-ish If I Had A Gun and the dance inspired AKA…What A Life, there are enough brilliant moments here that makes me very excited for his next offering next year. Let the good times roll…

Stand out track : If I Had A Gun

4. Florence & The Machine / Ceremonials

a ceremonials <strong><em><BIG>My top 7 albums of 2011</BIG></em></strong>

There must have been a lot of pressure on Florence Welch to improve on her debut album, Lungs, but it seems she adhered to the principle of if you can’t make it better than make it at least bigger. This is an epic album, so much more dark and dense than the previous effort, if that is possible. When she sings “It’s always darkest before the dawn“, you can’t help but feel a tingle down your spine. The production is also of the highest order. Now wouldn’t it be a treat to see her in South Africa some time soon…

Stand out track : Shake It Out

3. Anna Calvi / Anna Calvi

a annacalvi <strong><em><BIG>My top 7 albums of 2011</BIG></em></strong>

This is why I love music. Up until a few months ago I have never heard of an artist called Anna Calvi. A friend of mine recommended the album and I had a listen to hear what all the fuss was about. I was blown away. It was a sound so fresh and original that it has changed my view and thoughts on how I see my own musical future.  She has the looks, she can write a tune and she can definitely play the guitar. The way to the top lies wide open and beckoning for Anna Calvi.

Stand out track : Desire

2. The Black Keys / El Camino

a elcamino <strong><em><BIG>My top 7 albums of 2011</BIG></em></strong>

Sneaking in quite late in the year with their second offering in as many years, this dirty rock’n'roll duo seems to have no shortage of ideas. In recent years their sound has changed quite a bit with the addition of bass and keys on their recording and live set, but personally I think it is for the best. It has opened up so many new songwriting possiblities for them, with a good example being a song like Sister. This album has more variety than Brothers and is also a lot more fun. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney for the win.

Stand out track : Gold On The Ceiling

1. PJ Harvey / Let England Shake

a letenglandshake <strong><em><BIG>My top 7 albums of 2011</BIG></em></strong>

Inspired by World War I, this is as dark and gruesome as you get coated with beautiful melodies and upbeat music. The album breaks all the rules regarding structure or set patterns and it is a masterstroke. I don’t know in what creative space PJ Harvey was when she wrote this, but not many artists even come close to reaching this level in their life time. Who said music is only about love and relationships?

Stand out track : The Words That Maketh Murder

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