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An album of new acoustic guitar music from Simon Nield, winner of the instrumental category of the 2002 National songwriting competition. Fuelled by the joy of playing, and shaped by travels in many musical worlds. Folk, rock, jazz, classical... one bloke's music. "Very nice set of guitar tunes, sometimes with mandolin, cello and so on, by Australian singer-songwriter. Ranging from flowing, lyrical tunes to complex polyrythms, this proves Nield doesn't have to sing to be impressive, and has a sense of unity throughout." (fROOTS magazine, July 2005) "Resonance stamps him as a player of genuine class and inventiveness" (Steve Barnes, Fairbridge Festival artistic director) |
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Tracks: 1 Shake a Leg 2 What Goes Around 3 What a Wonderful World* 4 Evolute 5 Barefoot Lunch 6 Filigree 7 Ocean Road 8 Visiting Hours 9 Kim's Kitchen 10 Small Bird 11 Haste and Regret 12 Gumboot Tango 13 Wide Open Sea 14 Mountaineering 15 Adrift 16 Ants 17 Restless 18 Sons de Carilhoes (Sounds of Bells)** 19 Resonance 20 Skating Away Total time 59:56. Apart from track 20, this is an instrumental album. All compositions by Simon Nield except: * What a Wonderful World, by Bob Thiele, David Weiss, and George Douglas ** Sons de Carilhoes, by Jaoa Texeira Guimares (Pernambuco). Instruments: Simon plays acoustic (steel string) guitar (all tracks except 18; tracks 2, 8 and 17 have multiple acoustic guitars), acoustic guitar with delay effect (4, 16), electric bass guitar (2, 17), melodica (8), ebow on acoustic guitar (17), classical guitar (18), and mandolin (8), and sings on Track 20. Cello on tracks 7 and 8 is played by Jennifer Tingley. Guitar tunings: EADGBE (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 20), DADGBE (9, 15, 18), DADGAD (3, 5, 6, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19), DADF#AD (7), CGCGCE (10, 13) Recorded by Simon Nield, mixed by Simon Nield and James Hewgill Mastered by James Hewgill TRACK NOTES Shake a Leg This developed as a sort of a nervous twitch. Emphasises all the incidental stuff (scrapes, clicks and other glitches) which you normally try to keep quiet (Standard tuning.) What Goes Around Began as a live piece, using a "looper" which records and plays back in real time, allowing layering of sounds like string washes, bass, and guitar-body percussion. When live looping, mistakes keep coming back to haunt you… what goes around comes around. (Standard tuning.) What a Wonderful World (By Bob Thiele, David Weiss, and George Douglas). This beautiful melody almost plays itself on a guitar tuned to DADGAD. I've changed the time signature and had fun with some of the chords. (DADGAD tuning). Evolute The original guitar sound is combined with the sound delayed by one bar. This gives a sense of the music evolving, as every bar meets its parent and then its offspring. (Standard tuning.) Barefoot Lunch A simple tune, which starts up, grooves along for a while and then stops. (DADGAD.) Filigree About the mysterious process which transmits the spark of joy in a human brain. (DADGAD) Ocean Road A journey down the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, the twelve apostles standing proud in the southern ocean, while from the back seat I heard "dad" for the first time. (DADF#AD tuning.) Visiting Hours A gentle, well mannered piece inspired by visits to my nan. (Standard tuning.) Kims Kitchen Kim lived upstairs. I'm sure her kitchen was a fun place, but I never got to see it. (DADGBE tuning). Small Bird (Fast Brain) It must be great to be a willy wagtail, tearing around catching bugs. This is as close as I get. (CGCGCE) Haste and Regret A frenetic scramble towards the inevitable tumbling crash, followed by a period of reflection, and then the cycle starts all over again. (DADGAD) Gumboot Tango An exuberant and slightly daggy tune which doesn't really have a lot to do with tango. (DADGAD). Wide Open Sea Creaking timbers, a steady breeze and a bit of rowdy shore leave. In open C tuning (boom boom!): CGCGCE. Mountaineering The title comes from the ascending/descending lines: There's always one more bloody hill to climb. (DADGAD) Adrift Rocking on a gentle swell. (DADGBE) Ants Another duet between a guitar and its immediate past (a delay effect). All those little legs! (Standard tuning.) Restless For the late, great composer Michael Hedges, who once said "I play the guitar because it lets me dream out loud". The second part evolved as a live looping piece (DADGAD). Sons de Carilhoes A cheerful Brazilian piece by Joao Pernambuco, played on a classical guitar. (DADGBE) Resonance An effort to play spaces as much as notes (DADGAD). Skating Away The only track with vocals. If we're lucky we are shaped by what we love. (Standard tuning.) _____________________________________________________________________ To purchase direct, send a cheque for $25 to: Simon Nield 72B Victoria Street Mosman Park WA 6012 (A receipt will accompany the CD. Don't forget to include your address!) ______________________________________________________________________ |