A return to rock after five years... But not as we know it.

ON MY WAY BACK

Streaming Subconscious is the result of significant changes behind the scenes; (mostly) new guitars, new sounds from the ground up and a completely different mastering approach. All of these elements are reflected immediately on the album opener; guitar sounds vary throughout; rather lo-fi after the surprising, out-of-character intro, eventually becoming much brighter for the solo. It may sound like I have learned rudimentary Synth skills but I can promise you this is definitely not the case. The aforementioned intro was performed on guitar, but heavily processed through an octave generator with the guitar characteristics purposely removed for effect. One of the two instruments carried over from my past releases was the now legendary Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass I have been using since the beginning; fitting for an album released on the tenth anniversary of my debut.

RELENTLESS

I had assumed this album would build on the themes and sensibilities of my previous release; essentially becoming a natural sequel. I should have known myself better. By this point it had been five years since my last rock album and unbeknownst to me, my subconscious was pulling me back in that direction. Since 2018 I've been writing more impulsively and this was definitely a rock chorus. That continued into the solo and I felt rather than argue with it, just let it happen. The unique voice of my fixed-bridge Fender Mustang really cuts through the whole track, asserting its dominance on the album in the process. Far from being the millionth guitar to rip off the Stratocaster sound, it became my unlikely home studio ally for months on end.

SLOW GILBERT

After a couple of rather serious tunes, this one is unashamed, unfiltered fun. There is no deep meaning required here; just a friendly nod to Paul Gilbert; the man Joe Satriani calls 'the greatest electric guitarist in the world,' praise indeed coming from Joe! So why call it 'Slow Gilbert?' Well, I am not going to kid myself, am I? While he is gradually moving toward a fusion of blues and jazz in his awesome cool dad years, Paul will always be best known for outrageous shredding. The chorus melody, which kicks in straight away, sounded to me like something he might write. Unable to match the raw skill and speed of the man, I thought to myself “it's a bit like Paul, but... Slow.” I'd like to think that the title would appeal to his eccentric sense of humour. The big surprise comes from the break section, which also forms the basis of the solo and allows the bass and drums to have their moment. The previous track may have left some clues of a shift to rock music but this was the tune that sealed the deal.

DECADE ONE

The title may be a bit 'on the nose' but a tenth anniversary only happens once. I didn't want to lean on the lazy tropes associated with these things, like a remaster of 'Stamp a Smile on It!' or a retrospective compilation album. My style is more subtle than that. The idea of releasing an entirely new album on the same day as the aforementioned debut was far more engaging to me. While it would have been silly not to acknowledge the milestone, this approach demonstrates an urge to keep things new, while still respecting the efforts made at the very beginning. More than impressed with the budget-friendly Fender Mustang with no wiggle stick, I later picked up the Mustang 90, so called because it features rather unsightly P90 pickups as opposed to the traditional twangy version of the single coils. They may be an eye-sore on many guitars, but in 2019 they became my favourite sounding pickup thanks to Gibson's variant on my SG Special; a guitar that featured heavily on 'Slow Gilbert' along with the other Mustang. To be fair, P90s actually look quite cool on that particular SG. The rock impulses still prevail here, but in a heavier and arguably more traditional way. Both Mustang's work together perfectly; while they are based on the same template and therefore feel almost the same, they are designed to sound like total opposites. The 90 takes the lead with the thinner, snappier sounding version providing the necessary rhythm power. This polar-opposite approach allows the rhythm guitar to cut through much more than normal on both speakers and headphones.

NOW I NEED YOU

You would be forgiven for thinking the title for the first ballad on the album was in reference to a person. This would be a fair assumption but in reality, this is about my long and complex relationship with music. Many of us start playing guitar for the same reason; it sounds like fun, looks like fun and we want to demystify as much of it as our motivation allows. This way we get to play the music we like while feeling an important sense of achievement in the process. It either stays as an intriguing hobby, or it gradually becomes a lifestyle and almost defines you. I definitely occupy the latter category. I still do it because I enjoy it, but as soon as I developed acceptable skills and could pull music out of nowhere, that was it; it had taken me over for life. Even with all that said, for years I didn't feel like I relied solely on the guitar to feel that sense of accomplishment. By the time writing began for 'Streaming Subconscious' things had changed. Let me explain myself. To be totally honest I felt it was time to exit my tiny corner of the music industry after the release of the previous album. It turned out well but dragged on and on for two years, I'd fallen out with the studio process and mentally... I'd reached the finish line; I was finally done with instrumental music. Relieved but also terrified by my uncertain future, I abandoned the home studio for a year and continued gigging in covers bands. I purposely didn't allow myself to write for nine or ten months, but the lack of creativity caused its own problems. Although I had recovered from the difficulties of the previous album, I still wasn't at all settled and it was clear I had no idea what I wanted or, more importantly needed. Can you guess the rest? When my self-imposed twelve-month break was over, I began the tentative steps toward serious composition again, just to see if the slightest spark would show itself. If it didn't, so be it. Music started to come out fairly easily and I realised I had made a mistake; I should have probably allowed this to happen three months prior. I'd finally understood the two things I really needed; obviously I need the guitar but there's also a need to create. Over the ten years of doing this the composition process had itself become a lifestyle, almost as much as the guitar and I could finally relate to people who rely on music to feel accomplished in life.

PAPER TIGER

The heavy subject matter of the previous track is replaced with a purely musical focus this time, no mental tug-of-war or existential crisis typical of creative types. 'Paper Tiger' exists for the fun of it, which is often the point of picking up an instrument in the first place. This is essentially a blues rock affair signalling the return of the Ibanez PGM80P which shows off its mighty neck pickup for most of the track. I had been neglecting the PGM for the thick end of two years due to changes in the Blackfoot Daisy set list and my self-imposed lack of home studio activity and it felt like the right time to reconnect with such an important guitar. While the new guitars take up eighty percent of the album, the Ibanez more than proves its worth, so much so that, should my instrumental adventure continue, it will undoubtedly play a much bigger part.

MAZES OF THE MIND

I had mentioned in the beginning that there was a significant change in how I achieved the guitar and bass sounds this time around. This is largely due to a product called TH-U by Overloud; not to be confused with Yamaha's legendary practice amp/recording interface, the TH-R. With a bit of ingenuity and patience you can coax pretty much any sound from it and for 'Mazes of the Mind' I knew I was going to have to dig into the proverbial toolbox. It's important to note, this is precisely what these things are, tools to help you guide the music in the right direction, and it has become abundantly clear that emulators have come a very long way over the last few years, including these software variants. Opinion will always be divided between valve amp players and emulator users, but my attitude is very simple; if it makes the sound I want with the right emphasis, I'll take it and be on my merry way. My number one job as a musician is to serve the song and if you listen to my catalogue, you can be sure I'm keeping a careful ear on that. The audience at a gig or listening at home does not care about my ego. Thankfully, by the time I was making my first solo album I had already passed that 'look how fast I can play' phase and replaced that with actual music, only using speed sparingly if it added something worthwhile. Back to the toolbox approach, it took a while to nail on the sound for the chorus melody. The SG Special makes a return for the melody and solo to assist the mighty Mustang and after much tinkering and virtual re-amping the result was this massive, monstrous sounding musical statement. The melody itself has such a long sequence I had to practice for several days prior to recording to accommodate my very wobbly memory retention, but if it's worth doing, it's rarely easy. Things only get more intense for the solo; the dramatic stereo image adding to the sheer size of the sound.

CONSTERNATION

I was seeking out a synonym for trepidation, which is the feeling I get every time I record a ballad. To be fair I feel that when I record anything but it is amplified somewhat when the ballads inevitably come around. I landed on Consternation, which had a weightier feel to it. I've said it time and time again on these write-up's; I am in total agreement with Joe Satriani's assessment that ballads are the hardest thing for an instrumentalist. At least we've got one major advantage; the sheer expression the electric guitar is capable of. The subtleties which make or break a ballad really are endless on such a flexible and frankly imperfect instrument. Design tweaks have been steadily implemented in recent times from certain forward-thinking corners of the industry but even with all the improvements in the world, the guitar will remain as imperfect as the human playing it. This is both a musical blessing and a curse but it's our job to make the most of these idiosyncrasies and create something of meaning.

ROCK ENGINE

This is a celebration. When the P90 equipped Fender Mustang turned up I was so taken with it, I messaged an old friend of mine to say “this is even better than the other one, it's a rock engine!” The cogs started spinning and I thought, when I record a tune with it or about it, I've already got the title. It's such a thick sounding guitar and I often joke it sounds more like a Gibson than a Gibson does, in the same way that the PGM coil split sounds more like a Strat than a Strat does! It's important to note I have only had a chance to use the Mustang in a home studio environment through the TH-U, time will tell if it retains those characteristics on stage... But I'm hopeful. Regarding the track itself, I'm particularly happy with the opening riff, there's a really effective heaviness to it. I used an odd number of repeats to ensure it wouldn't lose its power through over exposure. Equally thick sounding are the drums, the whole kit is pretty much ideal for this track. If I had to describe the sheer might of it in one word, massive would probably sum it up.

THE FINAL ARBITER

I had been telling myself off throughout the making of the album for not doing enough improvising, so I thought I would finally address that here. There are riffs sneakily hiding inside a couple of the chord sequences but most of the lead parts are stream of consciousness. The main exception is the solo; unusually for me it was largely composed, developing more and more over multiple takes. It's impossible to remember now I've released ninety-nine pieces of music, but this may well be the only composed solo I've ever recorded. The biggest surprise for me, especially considering the loose jam nature of the rest of the tune was how much ground is covered; it really has places to go and wants you in the passenger seat for the entire trip. Certain timing elements were quite complicated and I had to trim the drums in some odd places to make it work as intended. On the subject of drums; I think they sound spectacular, so kudos to The Loop Loft for their engineering that day. In fact, they are responsible for each drum track on the album. All I had to do was spend a few hours each time arranging them. Another complication was the bass. It doesn't sound too tricky but I had real trouble settling on the rhythmic feel of the verse. It needed to shift and change throughout a lengthy sequence so I spent a little while teaching myself the idiosyncrasies, and then kept recording until I remembered them in the right order. For the majority of the album the bass guitar itself was recorded directly into the front of the interface with no processing. The TH-U stepped in if needed when the direct recording wasn't cutting it, in addition to its guitar duties. Another demonstration of the PGM in full flight, 'The Final Arbiter' also provides the perfect closer for the album; with a pseudo live ending and atmospheric reverb tail dissolving into silence.