Now that's what I call Balustrade

After what seems like months of graft, The Rockhall Files is finally complete! (I say months, it's actually only been a few weeks and this ranks as being on of the easiest recording sessions we have had so far. It even sounds remarkably impressive, even if we do say so ourselves. )

As 10.00 came and went on this past Monday, we were able to export the finished versions to iTunes, upload them to my swanky new iPod Classic and plug it into the hi-fi. An eager silence filled the room as the first complete listen through of The Rockhall Files was initiated and the good news was... it wasn't awful!

In fact it was pretty darn good. A real genre defying, melting pot of musical influences and funky drumloops. There are pianos, kazoos, recorders, accordians, laser guns and even the odd guitar or two! All in all it is probably the best music we have recorded so far and we can't wait to hear what the fans think!

My current fave song is probably Snow In Mexico with it's Automatic For The People-era REM sound. Although I am also loving Mojave Streamline with it's Maximo Park meets Belle and Sebastian keyboard vibe. And then who can forget Pitchfoork Rebellion with it's strange medieval-ness and historically accurate lyrics or Fear of Falling which is the closest to being a 'proper' Balustrade song. There's also Rain Brigade (which we thought would be the best song on the EP, but has actually been usurped by the other songs) and El Cartino's Blues #7 - which is possibly the bleakest song we have ever recorded and will have Carter's friends and family adding the Samaritans to his speed dial as soon as they hear it!.

Now all we have to do is craft our album artwork and it will be well and truly ready for distribution. So fear not Strade fans, you will be getting your September dose of Balustrade action very soon and then we have to get started rehearsing for our gig in November!!

Beef up the bass with some overdrive you tart!

Some notes from the pen of Matt C

Just a quick little blog this evening to keep you all informed on how the recording process is going for the mighty-fine new Balustrade EP wot we av decided to call The Rockhall Files. Following a sweaty evening of mixing, remixing and mixing once more for luck, we have now completely finished, ticked off and generally put to bed three of the tracks for the EP. Rain Brigade, Fear Of Falling and The Snow In Mexico have all been beefed up and given the special Balustrade pixie dust treatment. And we like them. Work continues on the other three tracks - El Cartino's Blues #5, Mojave Streamline and The Pitchfork Rebellion, but I for one am confident that by this time next week it's just the artwork that we're squabbling over.

It had always been our intention to finish four tracks tonight, but when we got round to Mojave Streamline there was a nasty surprise waiting for us - we had totally forgotten to record a proper vocal track, instead making do with a very ropey demo track that had more noise disturbance than your average family from the sink estate. We'd recorded it on Lexington's venerable (by which I mean really really really old) eMac which has seen better days and is wheezier than Darth Vader in a particularly dusty antique shop. Hence, the vocal line is filled with all kinds of scratched, splutters and rasps emanating from the poor old machine. So that has to wait for next week.

Sorry that this particular installment wasn't as wryly amusing, witty or whimsical as usual, but I really can't be bothered tonight. I'd got better things to do with my time - like write a new song. I have decided to take a leaf out of The Klaxons - recent Mercury Music Prize winners (and rightly so, if you ask me) and name a song after a J.G.Ballard novel - their album Myths Of The Near Future is names after one, so if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me. Right now it's a toss up between Vermilion Sands (which is a bit too Mercury Rev), The Kindness of Women (which I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to write) and Rushing to Paradise - which I think would be yet another song about travelling to Twerton Park... So get yourself a Facebook account, fins The Official Balustrade Fanclub, join up, and tell us what you think. Nice things only, please!! Oh, and send us some weird stuff too. Random lines that we'll try to incorporate into the song...

Oh, one more thing... Balustrade will be playing a few live open-mic nights at a Porter near you in October... more details once we've planned it a bit better, but it'd be cool to get people along - and tell us what songs you want to hear live!

That'll do now. I'm rambling.

Why do tigers sometimes get lost?

Because the jungleismassive!!

In the spirit of all things Bristol and early 90s, we decided to experiment with the sound of the Rockhall Files this week and ended up coming up with, what can only be described as, alt.westcountry drum 'n' bass. With this new sound still lingering in our ears, Carts has gone off to Knowle to get his teeth painted gold and try to become the new Tricky. So in the meantime, why not check out this freakish abomination of musical mischief by clicking HERE

The Rockhall Tapes

It's been a quiet week in the world of Balustrade as Carter is off helpng his folks move house. As such I have been able to spend the evening out in the Rockhall Cottages Estate, enjoying the late summer sun, rather than couped up inside working on the EP.

Speaking of which, work has continued apace this week with Mojave Streamline (now back to it's old title) coming along well, while another new-ish song, Room Full Of Paintings is getting a final polish. It's beginning to develop a slightly strange vibe to it. It's part Spainish, Ibiza chill-out anthem. Part Grade One guitar piece played by a pre-teen with his fingers glued together. Either way, it's coming together and may well end up part of an early draft of the EP.

In other news, Alt.WestCountry is about to undergo the remix treatment thanks to mysterious Chinese Funk DJ, Daddy Vegas. A big Balustrade fan, this elusive Oriental master of the decks has decided he would like to give the 'Strade a dose of his signature sound - the monkey funk - and so we'll keep you posted as to how this progresses.

Last but by no means least, if you haven't joined the Balustrade Fan CLub on Facebook yet, then what's stopping you?! There's exclusive 'Strade news on there as well as the oppurtunity to discuss the greatness of Balustrade with other 'Strade fans, and if that doesn't make you want to join up then nothing will!

Flange Yer Claps

Another Monday, another couple of hours hard slog in the studio for Lex and I this evening. I’d spent the previous week laying sown some guitar bits and jazzy drums to a track called Fear of Falling for the new EP and then this evening Lex, crazed with some kind of potato-induced high bellowed “We needs them handy-claps on there ‘ere song, and we needs to run’em threw me flanger…” I grinned and nodded and we did what he suggested. For the results, well, you’ll have to wait until The Rockhall Files (the new name for the EP/mini-album) hits the streets.
In other news this week, Balustrade has been watching England being outclassed at cricket; listened to some very bad music by people who should know better; and that’s about it. Life here in Baaaaath is of a leisurely pace, and so not much happens from week to week. To be honest, it’s a bit of a high-point if a light bulb goes at the moment. But I’ve got a couple of news songs brewing (one might be called The End Of The Line, the other probably won’t be) but that really is it for now. This is general Carter, signing off on behalf of Balustrade. Keep reading the blog, keep visiting the facebook fanclub, and keep doing whatever you do that you like doing.

Fools with kazoos

With Rain Brigade taking shape nicely, recording continued apace this week on the 'Fall Is Not a Season' EP. However, roving once again that the 'Strade are nothing, if not, consumate multi-instrumentalists, Carter came armed with a secret weapon - kazoos!! Just what our new, Belle and Sebastian meets Snow Patrol meets some-dodgy-covers-band-from-an-O'Neals sound needs! Look out Spinto Band, Balustrade are coming to claim your crown as kings of the kazoo!

Fall Is Not A Season (it's Autumn for people who don't know better)

And with that we can exclusively reveal the title of the new Balustrade EP!

You may have noticed things have been a bit quiet on the blog front the last few weeks, but Carter and I have actually been quite busy doing non-Baluistrade things (shocking, I know!). As many of you may know I've been doing a Film Studies A-Level this year and so I had revision to do (the joys of French new wave - just a load of twaddly nonsense if you ask me!). Meanwhile, Carter has been completing his scrapbook entitled, 'Champions: The Bath City 2006/7 season' and so has not been able to play his guitar for the last two weeks as he had picture of Scotty Partridge and Jimm Rollo prit-sticked to his fingers. However, those have been washed away, we've wrestled the safety scissors and glitter away from him and work has begun in earnest on the next Balustrade masterpiece, tentatively scheduled for an Autumn release.

Current tracklisting is looking like it will be as follows;

1. Rain Brigade - our homage to the mighty Gary Lightbody and co.
2. Mojave Sunset - an oldie that has been tweaked and sped up to give it a Belle and Sebastian vibe
3. Fear of Falling - A new Carter song that has an air of Malcy about it.
4. Snow in Mexico - A remant from the Tuesday night singing group which has been resurrected despite Carter asserting that it was 'a load of old sh**e' for the last 6 months.

This of course may all change in the coming weeks and months, but for now, that is what your next Balustrade CD will look like. Keep those fingers crossed 'Strade fans!