The Birth of Stalisfield Day 4

After yesterday's sucesses it was much more of a work man like day for the Balustrade boys today. Having sorted three of the six songs needed to complete the mighty Stalisfield we needed to nail another 2 songs today before daring to attack the most tricky song of the lot (The Mourning Song) on Day 5.

As was mentioned on Day 2, recording has proved a wierd and very different way of playing that has taken some getting used to. The first battle is simply playing in time with a time signature. Until you sit down and try and play along with a metronome or click track you don't actually realise how in or out of time you play. Bashing out songs with only 2 guitars and 2 vocals you don't really notice whether the songs are in time with anything other than yourself. You can slow down or speed up according to how the other person is playing. Yet when it comes to recording you actually have to maintain some kind of beat - especially if you then want to add drum tracks or any kind of musical loop over the top.

Working out track orders and good working practice has also been a challenge. Where to start, guitars and vocals or simply a bass line or drum track? But as things have progressed we seem to have cracked most of these early problems and the creative process has begun to get easier and easier (touch wood!). It's still very wierd playing parts in isolation to the songs though and even wierder hearing your own voice on tape!

Day 4 was brought to you by tea, McVities cookies, a severe haircut, Tom Waits' Nighthawks, jazzy basslines and a sense of inevitable sporting disapointment!