Update...2 Down, 6 to Go

It is a great feeling to have two new songs completed and out there for all to hear. I am happy with the positive feedback I've received on "Never And Forever" and "Come And Gone". People seem to be enjoying them. If you are one of those people, please don't hesitate to share with friends. I would like as many people as possible to hear this music.

I know I've mentioned "So Far Gone" a few times before. Well, it is almost completed and ready to debut. This is the song that I feel people will connect with the most. I mentioned in my last post that the song sounds a bit "samey"...meaning that it was interesting and beautiful but it kind of repeats itself and goes on without any real changes...not necessarily a bad thing, but could get monotonous. I've made some changes that I feel have taken this song to the next level. It has gone from being merely pretty great to mesmerizing and heart-rending...and it was all done with the addition of one simple guitar figure that embellishes the chorus.

I know what I like in music and this is it. And can't speak for the rest of you, but this new part completely makes this song into greatness for me personally. I hope when you hear it that it makes you feel the same way. I hesitate sometimes to talk up my own work because music is so subjective and I don't want to build too much expectation for what is essentially a very simple song. I'd rather just release it and have others talk it up for me ;-) . Of course that's not going to happen if something is not genuinely great. Anyway, I will upload it for all to hear once I get the mix sounding exactly as it should. Probably over the weekend.

As for the rest of the songs, they are in various stages of completion. "You Can Never Go Home" is probably the most complete, while "This Time" has not even been fully written yet (hence no lyrics online).

If you're reading this, thanks for paying attention. I'm grateful that people enjoy what I do.

James

Progress on "So Far Gone"

Been working on finishing track #2 from Never And Forever, titled "So Far Gone"...(not to be confused with "Come And Gone"). Added some additional harmony vocals for the verses. The mix is sounding really nice. Great song, but a bit samey. Needs some kind of catchy, standout guitar performance for the chorus, as well as a short solo and outro. I have a few ideas in my head but I am curious to see what happens once I plug in and start recording. The songs is actually quite passable as it is...but "good enough" is not good enough this time. We're going for greatness here. We'll see how that turns out.

Too busy tonight to get any recording done...but soon enough.

New Song - "Come And Gone"

In my last post I mentioned that I would have the title track online soon. That was the plan...and it is still very close to completion. But yesterday I decided to work on "Come And Gone" instead.

"Come And Gone" has been all but finished for over a month now, but there were a few problems that I didn't know if I could fix without re-recording some parts. Low and behold, with maybe an hour or so of mixing, I was able to fix everything that had been bugging me. I was so excited that it was finished that I immediately posted it.

Title track "Never And Forever" is still in need of a couple of backing vocal tracks. It is very good as it stands, but I need it to sound like I hear it in my head before it can go out to the world. It may take a few more days before I can get the recording done. Look for it to be out soon.

Never And Forever...It's About Time

If you follow my Facebook fan page you may have noticed a while back that I posted the Never And Forever artwork. It is a an image of a clock face that I found while searching the internet for ideas on how to visually represent the concept of "time". I was subsequently able to contact the photographer and receive permission to use the image for my album art. I have not altered the color at all. That is exactly as the original. My wife says it's a bit too much green, but I really like it. And so a special thanks goes out to photographer Katherine Gray, wherever and whoever she may be.

Over the past months, I've recognized a theme running through all of these songs...that being the passage of time...how it changes situations, individuals...for the better or for the worse. How it continues on and we are powerless to stop it, nor can we turn it back. Each of these songs deals with this subject in a different way. The past, regrets, things left undone, things that should have been left undone, things to do differently in the future...all of these ideas are touched upon through various stories and experiences both personal and/or observed in the lives of others.

I have re-designed my bandcamp page and created a page for the new album. There is no audio up just yet, but you can read through the lyrics if you're into that sort of thing. I hope to have the opening title track up in the coming days. It is very nearly finished, as are several other songs. Stay tuned for more info and audio as it becomes available.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, while your on my page, why not go and download the rest of my music in preparation for this new release. They are free if you want them to be, or you can pay what you want. I am completely fine with either amount.

Thanks for listening,

James

New Sounds from New Songs

I've decided that even though a song is not "finished" I can still let you listen to parts of it. I've isolated several pieces of "Never And Forever" and uploaded them for your curiosity and pleasure.

NAF Pre-Verse Sounds by James Gillice

NAF Outro Guitar by James Gillice

NAF Slide Solo by James Gillice

IMO...

My opinion on my latest project...

Work is progressing at a steady rate on LP4 (a.k.a. "Never And Forever"). There are 2 aspects of this album that have me really excited.

1. The songs. I really feel like this is a strong collection of songs. Each one offers something special. They are very emotionally personal but touch on many universal themes that I think people will relate to.
2. The album itself. This collection of songs works well together. There are similar themes, moods, and styles throughout. Whereas on "Making It Right Again" (LP2) and "Never And Forever" (LP3) you had a wide variety of song types and moods and feelings, "Never And Forever" picks a single mood and works within slight variations on it. Also the production styles of each song are similar, creating a unified and coherent work. There is also a continuous narrative that progresses a storyline throughout. While it falls shy of the "concept album" title and all the baggage that goes with that, there is a story that is being told here. It starts a little dark and tragic and slowly works through the tragedy and all that is entailed in that and finds some hope and resolution by the end of it. This is supposed to be an uplifting album, but you will have to listen to it all the way through to get that from it.

So those are my thoughts and feelings at this point. The most frustrating aspect (as always) is getting the mixes sounding just right. No matter how good a song may be, if the mix is bad then it will drive me crazy.

Here is the supposed tracklist again. Only 8 tracks. Short and sweet. The first 4 track are pretty much set in stone. The back half could change a bit depending on how "This Time" and "Save My Soul" turn out when finished. Thematically, "This Time" might be a better closer, while musically "Time Takes Time" is better. I think when all is said and done the answers will be obvious. But for now...

1. Never And Forever
2. So Far Gone
3. Come And Gone
4. You Can't Go Home
5. Save My Soul
6. Anything At All
7. This Time
8. Time Takes Time

"Never And Forever"...

...is the working title for my next musical project. It's coming along much faster than I could have hoped. A little bit darker, a little more mellow, a little more moody and emotionally engaging, and easily some of the best music I've ever created. This 7 or 8 track album is going to be very consistent in mood and texture. Hopefully it will play out like a nice little journey of sorts for the listener. It will be a great little album to sit down and listen to as one entire piece of work. I can't wait to release it to the world. It is definitely a step in a slightly new direction. That direction being mainly up, top bigger and better things.

Here are the tracks that are slated for inclusion along with a brief description:

Never And Forever - Fast with a driving beat and a fantastic chord progression. No real chorus. Doesn't really need one.

So Far Gone - New sounds and textures. Slightly reminiscent of "This Moment". A little darker maybe, and yet it has a bubbly light quality to it as well. This would be the single.

Come And Gone - Quite epic in both sound and sadness. Built around a steady and beautiful guitar figure that builds upon itself. Crescendos quite nicely into the bridge before stripping it back down to the lone guitar before one short final burst at the end.

You Can't Go Home - A simple acoustic folksy number? At first it might seem so. By the end it gets quite dramatic and beautiful.

Save My Soul - This is the song that is the LEAST complete right now. Hard to know how this will sound when it is finished. A fantastic song structurally and lyrically. I can't imagine it NOT being excellent when finished.

Anything At All - A dark descending guitar introduces the verses and is repeated in the chorus. There is also a pre-chorus that picks up the pace and lightens things up a bit before going back into the guitar again. An intensely building outro changes the second half of the song completely. A string section spirals upwards continually and is joined by guitars that build to a glorious climax.

Time Takes Time - A perfectly mellow closer that ends the album on an uplifting note. A song of hope for the future. "I'll be just fine, but time takes time"

And there you have it..."Never And Forever"...coming soon to a computer near you.

Watch this space.