Guitar and harmonica join forces in search of something new.

JUST ENJOY YOURSELF

What better way to start the album off than with one of the most important positive messages? It's all too easy to get caught up in the difficulties and dramas of life. Sometimes there's no choice, some of it we bring on ourselves but we can only take so much for so long. Sooner or later we've all got to set aside some time to simply enjoy ourselves; in the end, that's what we are here for. You are probably thinking “what does he know? He's just a musician,” but sit and think about it for a while and you'll realise I'm right. Musically this one is inspired by the energy of good old-fashioned rock and roll. I love the rhythm guitar sound on the break parts; I'm not sure how I found it and will probably never nail it down again, but that's OK; it's been captured here. The verses and choruses are pretty much bouncing off the walls... And the first solo you hear on the album is played on the bass, why not eh?

BLUE STORM

This one gets its name from the somewhat thunderous kick drum on the intro sections before the verses. 'Blue Storm' leans more towards the heavy blues side of things; there's definitely a darker tone throughout, at least in terms of atmosphere. Things really open up sonically for the bridge sections and there's a whole new width and clarity to the sound. Talking of width; for this album I finally decided against double-tracking the chorus melodies. This gave me the ultimate freedom to use spontaneous vibrato and string bends, along with melodic improvisation when the feeling took hold. In my opinion, it's all the better for it and I would highly recommend this approach if you are going for that more natural sound. Thanks to the oddity of the bass solo on the first track, this is the first tune to have a nice intense guitar solo.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

I really had to trick myself to get through this. The next chapter of the album is dedicated to my Grandma, who made it to the astonishingly grand old age of 102. Thankfully she had a great Christmas and even saw the beginning of 2018 before we lost her in late January. Grandma often talked about a 'haunting' improvisation she overheard yours truly and my guitar playing pal Jim playing many years ago when we were kids. I knew I wanted to record an improvisation for the album, and if I was going to dedicate a piece of music to her, this was the way it had to be done. The aim was to capture that laid-back feeling of just two guitars, no drums, bass or anything else. I endeavoured to create a piece of music she would have enjoyed if she were around to listen and I really hope I succeeded. So, what did I mean earlier by 'tricking myself?' In order to reduce the pressure and strain of writing for a family member, I tried to tell myself this was just a nice improvised ballad that stood on its own like any other piece of music. Somehow this worked, but I knew deep down from about halfway through I was now writing it for her. Although my self-trickery was a way of making it to the end, I actually knew I was doing it... Aren't humans weird? Thanks for the memories, Grandma.

MAKING TIME

In the nine years I've been making instrumental music the focus has been on multiple guitars, bass, and drums, but the second ballad of the album introduces a new instrument; the harmonica! Not only that, it also dominates the tune and really establishes itself as a vital addition to the album. My approach to the instrument is different from many others; I don't use it to play 12 bar blues or country music; I want to play ballads, rock and pop music with it. I am still a beginner so my playing is pretty basic, but that meant my focus was on pure melody rather than trying to prove something. I've always gone for the best musical result over flash anyway, especially in recent years, but with a brand-new instrument like this, I couldn't rely on the experience and bag of tricks I've spent 21 years (and counting) developing on guitar. On the subject of guitar, there's plenty of that in here too. This is the only track to feature acoustic rhythm guitar to support the harmonica parts and guitar solo. The solo itself was recorded on an Epiphone ES 339. as much as I loved it, I eventually sold it to buy a guitar I'll mention later; one that played a hugely important role in this album and the vast majority of my playing since. This track continues the theme of the album opener but from a different angle. The message here is the importance of setting aside some time to chill out and recharge; something we all need, no matter how busy we feel.

I'VE GOT ALL DAY

Next up, a curious mixture of rock, jazz and pop. I like the fact that the rhythm guitar in the intros and verses have a little riff of their own built in. It's always cool to get the chance to play melodies inside a chord sequence, so I feel compelled to take the opportunities when they are presented. Unusually, this song was written as a potential soundtrack for a 'Life is Strange' (a famous independent video game) YouTube video I was planning to make. In the end, it didn't fit the feel of the game; the music was simply too positive. I'm not particularly good at writing to a brief; I can only really write what has to come out. Unless you ask me to write an instrumental rock piece with free reign, I'm not much use! In hindsight, I'm glad it didn't sit properly with the video, as it's far better suited to the space it occupies here. I really like the atmosphere of this one, and the strength of composition makes it one of two title tracks.

GAME OF CHANCE

Another of my favourites, I came up with the bass riff some time ago. I was excited because it finally gave me the chance to write a tune inspired by 60s pop. There's nothing quite like early pop music and this is the only time I've written anything with that kind of feel to it. I had a good time with the verse improvisations and the guitar tone is really nice too. The tone on the chorus melody is just right as well. The harmonica makes its second appearance for the solo in the middle of the song before handing back the heavy duties to the guitar. The harmonica is a difficult thing for me to record and I was in two minds whether to convert it into a guitar solo after the fact, but thanks to the encouragement of a good friend of mine it kept its place. The structure changed a few times before the start of recording; the song needed a bit of time to figure out what it wanted to be. In the end, I think this was the right way to go.

SOME STORIES TO TELL

It's time for the second title track; a concept I've never tried before. While ‘Game of Chance’ was all about 60s pop, this one tries its hand at a modern instrumental pop approach. Being a rocker by nature I am surprised that the three pop tracks written for this release are my favourites. It certainly wasn't an attempt to sound 'commercial'; instrumental music (apart from electronic dance) hasn't been in vogue for decades. As ever I simply wrote what I felt and let it carry me along. I'm very fond of this one; that switch from the softer half-time to the power of the double-time has a real feel-good factor to it. 'Some Stories to Tell' is so focused on melody that it doesn't even make space for a solo; that spot is taken by the reoccurring riff that first appears in the intro. The title comes from a realisation I had about the messages carried by instrumentals; although there is no language barrier, it's virtually impossible to get a story across unless the title and the music are very vivid. For that reason, I usually focus on making the best possible music over narrative (unless there's a personal touch like the tune I improvised for Grandma). Then it struck me what was going on, at least in my opinion anyway. When people listen to instrumental music, they either pick up on the atmosphere or they imagine a story in their head. That's how I often pick titles for my music; by listening to the finished version and waiting for the interpretation in my mind's eye. Since we all imagine different scenarios, what I'm actually doing is providing a soundtrack for you to craft your own individual story. Take the opening track as an example; 'Just Enjoy Yourself' could mean anything to anyone, but the music is there to bring the story out.

ANONYMOUS ROADS

So far, we've had rock 'n roll, heavy blues, ballads, jazz/rock and pop. If like me you are left to your own devices with no one to curb your inner creative madness, the next obvious step is punk with a harmonica! I imagined this one as a good road-trip tune. The title comes from personal experience; thanks to a quirk of memory and an impressive lack of concentration I have terrible retention for directions of any kind. The only way this could improve would be to travel to every regular destination a couple of times for about fifty days in a row. As you can imagine, it's simply not going to happen. It does make life that bit more interesting though. So, as much as I love being in the passenger seat for the occasional road-trip, I have absolutely no idea what's going on. Anyway, we all need a good mystery and this is one of mine. In its original form ‘Anonymous roads’ was mostly carried by harmonica, but in the final version I ended up paraphrasing many of the harmonica parts on guitar, which was definitely the better choice. I've had the chorus melody kicking around for a while; I knew it could work but it had to wait for the right tune to come along. This one happened to be just that. The solo is actually a call-and-response between guitar and harmonica. This was also a nice opportunity for the harmonica to shine on its last appearance on the album.

OFFENSIVE CHARM

Next, it's time for the rock songs! 'Offensive Charm' is a dark, moody thing with an awesome sounding snare drum. This was quite difficult to mix; heavy overdriven guitars against another set of heavy overdriven guitars is not much fun from an engineering perspective. Although I've done a lot of that in the past, this was my first time dealing with it on the new album and I'd almost forgotten how much gets lost in the background. Part of the problem was my insistence on using very thick guitar sounds in both the rhythm and lead parts. Eventually, I found a good compromise and it ended up sounding rather nice. I really like the 70s rock vibe coming from this one; it's right up my street in that sense. Unusually there are two solos this time. I had to use a different rig for the wah-wah solo as increasing back trouble over the last year made it far too painful to sit in an unsupported chair to use my traditional wah pedal. So, Blackstar HT-1R and Boss auto-wah to the rescue, replacing my much-loved Vox Tonelab LE for that little section.

RED LIGHT SYNDROME

It's about time I was honest about this. Red light syndrome is something that gets to a lot of musicians, myself included. You might already know the feeling; you can play something fine over and over again without mistakes, but the pressure of the record light all of a sudden makes it very hard to get through a take without tripping up. Obviously, if you are very confident and not prone to worrying about things, this won't affect you at all, but for many of us, it's a big hindrance. Every now and again I can do things in one take but for the most part, sessions take hours and it's just something I've learned to deal with over the years. If you have the same problem, remember it's an anxiety thing and in no way a reflection of your capabilities as a musician, it's simply a reflection of how you are under pressure, and there's no shame in that. These days I find gigs much more pleasant due to the amount of preparation that goes into them, there's some tension there, but it's mostly manageable tension. The problem with the studio is, I don't want to be over prepared, I want to sound a bit surprised by what's happening and leave room for some extra spontaneity. Interestingly, being over prepared for a gig doesn't actually reduce that extra spontaneity because there will always be a point where you get too caught up in things or lose concentration, meaning you have to improvise something on the spot to keep the ball rolling. There's another major difference too; on stage, I'm looking for the absolute best performance I can manage on that particular day, in the studio I'm looking for the absolute best version of one song, and it's simply got to be great, so imagine the pressure there! Musically this one is a mixture of funk rock and sci-fi, with a really weird over the top fuzz octave solo at the end, just to keep it nice and creepy! This is also the final appearance of the ES 339, heard here on rhythm guitar duties and the aforementioned solo.

CIRCADIAN

The final pop tune on the album. I've been trying to get this going for a while and it finally turned out really cool in the end. There's a heavy emphasis on the enjoyment of improvisation this time, but I also really like the multi-part chorus melody, which took time to come out of its shell. I got something really summery out of it in the end, despite recording it in gloomy October; the power of music, eh? The title comes from the body clock term 'circadian rhythm' which I thought was a really cool sounding expression. I've also been looking into it a little bit as I have an amazing knack of lying awake most nights rather than sleeping. Unsurprisingly that got me thinking again; "does this song represent how I feel when I get into my proper circadian rhythm?" I quite like the randomness of the solo break; a little bit of minor key tension between the smiles is always an interesting emotional shift. Some of that awkwardness is nicely softened by the way the chorus and solo fit together by happy accident. The second part of the solo goes back into happy mode, which leaves a positive impression in your memory as it fades out.

STILL DREAMING?

Accidentally continuing the theme of sleep into the closing track, this time we make it all the way to the land of nod, Hurray! 'Still Dreaming' is a mix of ballad and power ballad. As with many tracks on the album, the star guitar here is my beloved Ibanez PGM80P. Looking at the specification of the guitar I was intrigued by the fact that so much of it was new to me, and of course, I trusted Paul Gilbert to design a good guitar (it was made for him in celebration of his long relationship with Ibanez). It's not often a guitar turns up at the door and exceeds my expectations, but once I got it set up to my requirements, I realised I'd got myself an absolute gem! Nothing I've played feels quite like it and it's a shame it's only a limited run. Limited run guitars in some ways annoy me, because if something is good, then as many people as possible should have a chance to at least try it out. I can't grumble though, it's my favourite guitar in the world. Equally important to the sound of the album is another Ibanez, my trusty JS1200 (a superseded Joe Satriani model I've had for ten years). Sometimes it's backing up the PGM, sometimes it's in front of it, and of course there are tracks where they individually take on all of the guitar duties themselves. You may be thinking "is it wise to use signature guitars when you are pushing for originality?" The short answer is; if the specification and feel is right, yes. If you have your own ideas about tone, you will always sound like... You. A Paul Gilbert guitar makes me sound like Joe Saunders and you can probably guess what a Joe Satriani guitar makes me sound like. On top of that, there's no getting away from your individual playing style; the way you bend strings or use vibrato, your general feel and touch on the instrument... That's like a musical fingerprint. Anyway, let's get back to the song. The chorus, solo and lydian outro are pretty intense sections here. On the subject of the solo, it's not a perfect performance, but it's really purposeful and full of feeling. I'd go as far as to say it's my favourite freestyle moment of the whole release. There was no question of any other song closing the album; the aforementioned lydian outro felt like the perfect conclusion to this new musical adventure.

A different kind of acoustic experience, welcome to my bravest album yet! This release is dedicated to Granny (1921-2017).

THOUGHTS OF ADVENTURE

If I was going to choose a track to introduce the album in a rather forward, but perfectly friendly fashion, it would have to be this one. First impressions would suggest that 'Thoughts of Adventure' is an enthusiastic, energetic tune, but it also has a sense of calm and even a slight edge of anticipation at times. Knowing this was going to be an honest acoustic album, I made sure I spent time getting the guitar sound right at source, in other words, the raw character of the tone was decided before I started the album, and not influenced by studio trickery. Ideally, the compression and reverb added afterwards should serve only to even out the volume and add a small amount of ambient space to the recording.

A MOMENT ALONE

For an electric player like myself, the thought of growing up and making an acoustic album is intimidating enough, but things get even braver on tracks like this. Gordon Giltrap was the first solo acoustic guy I heard. I've seen him live a couple of times and it was always impressive how players like that carry a show on their own. Many years later I stumbled across the YouTube channel for the unfortunately named 'CandyRat Records.' They had a lot of modern acoustic players, slapping and banging their guitars as if they were percussion instruments. The tipping point for me came a few years later, with the discovery of Tommy Emmanuel. An hour watching him was enough for me to realise it was time for me to look into this. I was never going to approach it in the style of the chaps I just mentioned... I'm just not wired to compose that way, but I knew if I could relearn how to play guitar in open tunings, I might be on to something. I'm new to this approach, but I was well aware of one thing; if the writing is strong enough, that should be more than enough to overtake my lack of technical experience as a solo player. Hopefully I succeeded, but you can be the judge of that. I love a bit of nostalgia, and this song helps me imagine someone having a quiet reminisce all to themselves.

THE HAND THAT FEEDS

I've spent most of my life living by the old maxim: 'don't bite the hand that feeds' and it's always made perfect sense to me because it's disrespectful to behave in any other way. Unfortunately, we tend to use the expression in a somewhat negative way, hence why I chose a fairly dramatic tune to attach the name to. I'm happy with the way the guitars mesh with each other here; the verse melody seems to cut through so well this time around, thus giving me the rare chance to have it further back in the mix. One of the questions you have to ask yourself during composing is “how many times should I repeat the chorus?” There is often a fine line between too little and plain boring, but this time I had the good fortune of a melody that was so long it almost takes up the whole sequence by itself. In fact, I only get a chance to repeat the very beginning again before the verse shows up. It's nice when this kind of opportunity comes around; they are difficult to write but add so much more depth at the same time.

ONE FOR THE FEARLESS

If memory serves, this was the last track to be recorded for 'Picture of Intrigue.' It was a tricky one to name; the verse sounds like a driving song, the chorus is more adrenal and exciting, helped by that beautiful lydian melody, and the solo has a sense of jeopardy running through it. In the end I finally found a title that struck the right balance for all these different things. The drums are gloriously straight ahead when they need to be; there's something about those heavy hitting rock grooves that is tricky to upstage in the right environment. There are some exciting flourishes to balance things out though. I managed to further enhance that lydian melody I was talking about earlier with some octave double tracking, which was a lot more effective than I was expecting. It really saved a good melody from getting boring through repetition (the opposite problem to the previous song). It was one of those situations when you know it needs to repeat a certain number of times, but a helping hand is required in the process. Luckily it did the trick and actually made the whole sequence that much more interesting.

SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS

The title for this one has been kicking around for years; it's been waiting for its moment and I'm glad it's finally found the right home on the second solo track of the album. Rather than lean on an open tuning, I thought it would be more of a challenge to stick with standard tuning this time. Technically speaking, my playing here is still just as simple as 'A Moment Alone,' but the risk of hitting an inappropriate string was much higher this time, and I had the additional complication of trying to pull a chorus melody out of a simple set of chord strums. I'll admit that it was annoyingly difficult to record, but if it works out in the end, who cares? Insanity was only temporary in this case. The general mood here is pretty upbeat, especially that sliding break riff, but the chorus goes somewhere deeper, really taking advantage of the harmony hiding inside those chords. It's strange that a sequence you could easily use to back up a singer can work just as well in its own right as a strong instrumental melody.

A THORNY SUBJECT

Strap yourself in and get ready for that bass drum, because it's something else! This one, as the title suggests, is an edgy little monster from start to finish. Listen closer though and you'll hear an element of thrill seeking in there too, so perhaps when you are done playing this song after an awkward conversation around the dinner table, play it again and imagine yourself flying a fighter jet or a rocket... Or Concorde, why not? Never say I don't give you value! The guitar sounds strike me as particularly special this time, the same applies to the bass too, which also gets its own little spot with the hi hats keeping the groove in check. The chorus has an interesting darkness to it, almost sci-fi in character. The whole track also sounds a little bit deeper than usual, as the guitar and bass tuning is dropped a semitone. This might not sound like much, but it has quite an effect on the sound and feel of the instruments. The drum recording also has a completely different timbre to any other track on the album, allowing the guitars a chance to have their own space without losing the power of the drums.

LAY BACK

To the trained ear, this one probably sounds pretty easy, but factor in the solo nature of the track and a big dose of red light syndrome, and you've got yourself a headache. I'm in standard tuning again, which adds a compositional challenge of its own, but I'm happy I managed to make it sound big without the help of open tunings. Music of this type is often arpeggio based (in other words, take a chord, separate the individual notes and make a melody out of it). My favourite one here is found in the bridge just after the strummed chord, but the track is full of different arpeggios. The chorus provided the same challenge faced in 'Swings and Roundabouts;’ finding the melody inside a set of strummed chords and spelling it out for the listener. If you get it wrong, it sounds like you are just playing chords with nothing else on top to provide extra substance. This is one of my favourites in the quartet of solo pieces, although the thought of playing it live makes me uncomfortable! Structurally, it sounds like there is more going on than there actually is. I think it originally had a break section, but it's one of those songs that needed to be simplified to flow properly.

DANCERS IN FLIGHT

I love the drum track here, even the bass drum introduction is perfect. This tune took it's time to develop, I'd recorded two or three other complete tracks in between working on 'Dancers in Flight.' You'll notice almost straight away that the bass has a lot to say here and the guitar tones sound incredible this time. Unusually, the chorus melody isn't double tracked. This is out of necessity more than anything as I wanted to improvise the second half of it on every repeat. That way you get a nice written melody, followed by an off the cuff response. It's an interesting method of keeping things surprising until you get to know all the variations over time. The break and solo parts are probably my favourite moments on the whole album, mostly because of the chords rather than the solo itself. Just when you are expecting the verse part to return, it changes to a dark, minor key while keeping hold of the original rhythmic pattern. It's a really effective transition and I'm glad it worked!

(NOT SO) HIDDEN AGENDA

I've noticed an interesting change in recent years. In the past, when somebody wanted something from you, they would work up to it very slowly and carefully; maybe hours or days would pass before they finally admitted it. These days things are very different; many people will get to the point in a matter of minutes, while others have their agenda almost written on their face from the start. Being an old-fashioned type, I find this approach pretty irritating. As soon as I came up with the title, I knew I had an almost perfect soundtrack; the guitars are suitably moody and anxious and the bass has a bit of an atmosphere too; tuning it down to drop D helps more than you'd think, especially on the lead up to the chorus where you hear the effect at its fullest. The riff at the end is pretty interesting too, and completely out of my usual style. Mind you, that could be said of this entire album!

LIGHTS COME OUT AT NIGHT

The shortest track on the album is going to need the longest explanation. In an era of instant gratification, concept albums are understandably few and far between. During the writing of this song, I set myself a brand-new challenge “what about a concept song?” The original plan was to write a four-minute piece with two distinct halves (one solo acoustic and one improvisation with drums, bass and rhythm guitar). I've heard a few bands try this kind of thing. It can work, but not all the time; every now and again I'll listen to a song and think “I really like it... Until it changes personality and goes somewhere else entirely.” So, my mission was to find the best of both worlds. I decided to record the song as two separate tracks, with no pause in between and no cross fading. That way, if you want to listen to the whole thing, it meshes perfectly side by side... But the individual tracks can also work as two separate songs if you wish. I've done my best to cover every possible angle, so I hope you approve. 'Lights Come Out at Night' was actually due to be the album title, but I quickly realised I needed to change it. Keen to use the name somehow, this was the perfect place for it. This first half of the concept song was also my first experience using a tuning called 'double drop D.' I thought it sounded pretty interesting, so I played around with it for a while and wrote the final solo track on the album. I really like the chorus melody on this one; I wrote it years ago, but the song it was originally attached to wasn't good enough. Thankfully the melody flashed up in my mind when experimenting with this new tuning and it was an obvious fit straight away.

MORE TO SAY

Because I'd avoided calling these concept tracks part one and two, I needed to make it a bit obvious that they are one long song, So I took the chorus arpeggio from 'Lights Come Out at Night' turned it into a strummed chord sequence and used that as my basis to improvise over. As ever, the lead guitar and bass sound great. It's quite cool to close an album with a brand-new approach. My first attempt at linking them together didn't really work as planned and I was pretty worried that I'd wasted a week or more of writing, recording and mixing. Thankfully, with a bit of panic and experimentation, my original idea eventually came to light and the result was a positive one.

A deep and intriguing rock adventure.

LOADED QUESTION

I could write a chapter on the journey from tribulation to eventual triumph that occurred during the recording of the album opener; mercifully, I'll spare you the long story. It's fair to say this one put me in my place pretty much from the start of recording; I even spent a day wondering if I had lost it out of nowhere. I had worked on ‘Loaded Question’ for some time prior to recording and there was a clear plan in mind; this was to be a heavily atmospheric rock tune loosely inspired by Led Zeppelin. I had big expectations and made the mistake of putting too much pressure on myself. The result was that I struggled for hours on all the improvised parts until I eventually got the kind of takes worthy of a tune like this. Once everything was together it was clear that the struggles were worth it; the drum arrangement was just right and the performance itself was stellar; it actually sounds like it was recorded especially for this track, which is incredible when you consider these are drum loops. I played around with some new guitar sounds, which worked especially well in the chorus and the sci-fi sounding solo. This is undoubtedly the most difficult recording I've ever made, but I couldn't be happier with the end result. Hopefully you will be too.

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

The aim here was to do the exact opposite of ‘Loaded Question;’ keep it simple, light-hearted, no heavy atmosphere, just feel-good fun. When you are setting guitar tones for each song, there's no way of knowing if you've got it exactly how you intended until it's fully mixed and mastered. I'm really happy with the tone used on the solo; I always wonder why I can't get the ideal sound every time, but I feel grateful on the occasions it turns out exactly right. The solo itself is full of energy and power, helped by really good drum accompaniment. Talking of drums there are a couple of cool moments where the loops sync up nicely with the phrases I'm playing, again almost as though they were purpose built for the song; another one of those lucky moments. I really enjoyed the writing and recording of the chorus melody because it was one of those rare times where I could play the rhythm and lead simultaneously; that can be handy from an engineering perspective too because you don't need additional tracks of rhythm guitar, leaving the mix less cluttered in the process. ‘Happy-Go-Lucky' was a vitally important track for me; after the confidence issues suffered throughout the recording of the opening tune, this one reassured me that I hadn't lost it and I could finally relax about the future.

PROPAGANDA

Time for a bit of punk! I really like the sound of the rhythm guitars and drums on this one; there's a real aggression to them that suits the demands of the track perfectly. The verse melody was unplanned until the day of recording; the idea was to do an interesting improvisation instead, but as I was experimenting, I came up with a riff which I felt would work much better, and of course a good soaking of wah never does any harm! One of the stand out moments here is the break section that brings everything back under control without losing the momentum and excitement. This then leads onto a two-part solo; part one borrows the same chord sequence as the break, while part two uses the chorus sequence and full-on rock drums. I was careful to adjust my playing to ensure different levels of intensity for each one, leaving the craziest shredding for the latter part.

FROWN UPSIDE DOWN

I was so impressed with the drum sound on ‘Propaganda’ that I used the same kit for ‘Frown Upside Down,’ but in an entirely different style. There is more of a 60s sense of style to this one, including a great Motown groove in the chorus. This song has taken an unusual path since its inception, and ended up right back where it started. The rough recording made on my phone was of the exact style you hear on the final version, but for some reason I put it on hold and forgot about it... Until I was making a series of demos of the Digitech Drop pedal. Looking for ideas, I eventually came across those rough recordings and felt I could make a heavy rock song out of it! It did have some interesting moments and it almost ended up on the album, but I was never really satisfied with it. After being abandoned yet again, it waited patiently on my phone until I got round to it once more. I had absolutely no idea if it was going to work in its original form, but I had a feeling it might. To my great relief, not only did it work, but the end result is even better than I had hoped. The way everything fits together is quite special; the lead guitar sounds great with the drums and bass and I'm glad I gave it a third chance!

CANON AND LORE

It's difficult to pin down a style for 'Canon and Lore,' my guess is electric folk of some description, but I'd like to hear your take on it. This one stands out as the only improvisation on the album, and was initially carried by two instruments; acoustic rhythm guitar and electric lead. I sat and thought for a while about adding bass and drums part way through the song, intrigued to hear whether they would make a worthwhile difference, and it turns out they do! Just to keep you guessing, I chose an unusual spot to bring them in. Interestingly their presence seems to change the mood from slightly sombre to bouncy and bright. Dropping the extra instruments out for the conclusion gives the track a clear beginning, middle and end, therefore making the title seem appropriate.

MISADVENTURE

The Bass sets the tone for our second trip into punk land accompanied by some raw sounding drums. This one is full power from start to finish, with a slightly brash guitar sound in comparison to the rest of the album which seems to suit the mood. Even the break section leading onto the solo keeps the pace up, while the drums get a tad excited underneath. I managed by happy accident to get some additional punch in the chorus at the end of each repeat, thanks to a quirk in the melody. I wasn't sure about it for a while as I felt it sounded a bit '80s video game' but it gradually grew on me and earned its place next to the rest of the songs. The solo is really short and surprisingly understated considering the genre but that's all the part of keeping things interesting and varied, which is something I always aim to achieve.

UNEASY

I've always referred to this tune as 'the creepy one'. I wrote all the bass parts while getting acquainted with a new amp I had ordered for my gigs in a vocal project, coincidently headed by Katie Wainwright; the very person who took the awesome photo you see on this album. Alarm bells rang in my head and I realised I had a potentially interesting song to work on. I was initially keen to have no rhythm guitar at all but there was something lacking in the chorus. This was beginning to get to me, especially since I thought the recording was finished and was already starting the mixing stage. I had a hunch that some additional acoustic rhythm guitar would fill the gap, which in the end proved to be very effective. It's mixed quite low, but there's just the right amount to provide the substance that was previously missing and give the track a bit of a lift. Although ‘Uneasy’ is meant to be a bit edgy and awkward, I did wonder whether it was a bit too weird for its own good. After deliberating with myself the decision was made to go with it, for one simple reason; the audience I'm aiming for don't always want safe, generic music. Let's be honest, there are plenty of people making that very successfully, so I choose to be unusual and maybe even challenge people a tiny bit.

COMEDY OF ERRORS

Some rather enthusiastic drumming sets the next song in motion, followed immediately by an interesting but melodic chorus riff. I did think about adding rhythm guitar but it just cluttered up the mix, so I held it back for the verses and solo. The solo itself takes the song somewhere else for a while, offering a little bit of light relief with some funky rhythm guitar backing it up, before the intensity builds back up with another verse. As with the previous song the bass has quite a big responsibility here, especially on the chorus, but it also gets a chance to play around on the solo for some additional fun.

AT LONG LAST

This one has a bit of a back story to it; the plan was to include it on the previous album 'Dorian's Mystery' but at the time I was struggling to find the appropriate drums, and also couldn't find a tempo to suit the entirety of the track. Luckily, I had the presence of mind not to delete the early demo recording that lurked on my phone, and I inevitably came across it again. I still felt just as strongly about it as I did the first time and decided it wasn't going to be wasted again. Still struggling to find the right drums I realised I was going to need two different kits and two different tempos, otherwise the song was never going to work. With year-long drum problems now solved, I realised it was finally time to record this pesky little ballad. In the end it all came together with very little difficulty; I thought the tempo change would be problematic, it wasn’t, I thought the drum kit switching around would be annoying, it wasn't! Interestingly I managed to find a chord shape for the verse that let me play two chords in one without moving my left hand. This wasn't intentional, just something I discovered during composing. As easy as it sounds, holding your hand in one position for multiple takes was... Certainly a new experience! Considering the compromises and restrictions faced during recording, it couldn't really have turned out any better, so needless to say I'm really happy it's finally made it onto an album... At long last!

HYPERBOLE

This was actually the last tune to be recorded for ‘Loaded Question,’ and it's turned out to be one of my favourites. I'm really chuffed with all the different guitar sounds here; there's a real girth to them, but also a smoothness at the same time. For reasons I wish I could understand, 'Hyperbole' seems to stand out a bit as my favourite sounding recording on the album; it must be something to do with the way the guitar tones were set and how the frequencies mesh with the other instruments. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful! Originally, I wanted a different drum groove for the chorus, but I didn't want to lose the sound of that specific kit. In the end I decided to use another groove and adjust my rhythmic approach to suit. Although I was reluctant to start with, it was definitely the right decision as it throws a curve ball and adds a great contrast to the song. I had planned to harmonise the whole chorus melody, but much to my disappointment it didn't work at all well. In the end I went for a partial harmony followed by octave unison, which seemed really effective. I hope you enjoy it! The track goes full circle for the outro, with the addition of another live ending, just for kicks!

MOMENT OF REFLECTION

The album closes with a fairly intense ballad, written to make you feel hopeful rather than down. You have to be really careful with the guitar sound and your sense of touch on tunes like this and I hope I struck a good balance there. I'm very pleased with the chorus melody, but I did give myself some trouble when the time came to record the bass part; I had tried a strange technique which mixes half a chord with another, which worked nicely when playing melodies. The trouble is, it was a nightmare to find bass notes that actually fit half of them; in fact, the last chord in the sequence was impossible to play a specific root note over, so I had to improvise some sort of bass melody that would work with the guitars! The break sections are really important for the track; they offer some effective breathing space that allows the rhythm guitar to take its own understated little solo spot before everything kicks in again. For the solo I decided it was best to go for feeling rather than any sort of perfection. You can probably hear the cogs going round as I pause on occasion to get my bearings. I believe the restraint on these kinds of solos is the right way to go, hopefully you concur. I toyed the idea of putting ‘Hyperbole’ last, but I felt ‘Moment of Reflection’ would be the better choice, with fading rhythm guitars bringing the album to an appropriately atmospheric conclusion.

A dynamic and sonically diverse album featuring rock, ballads, blues and improvisation, with a bigger acoustic presence than before.

COVER OF DARKNESS

My fifth album is introduced by a huge stomping riff, achieved with a mixture of imagination and technology. For quite a while I've been trying to write a tune with a cool low octave melody, and it turns out they are a bit of an enigma for me, but hopefully I've achieved that now with the opening track. The verses go in a slightly funkier direction, allowing a bit of time to breathe before smashing into the heavy chorus. In a sense, ‘Cover of Darkness’ is a subtle statement of intent, if there is such a thing; multiple guitar tones, heavily riff based, but also plenty of room to improvise. The drum track is also working hard behind the scenes, shifting and changing without ever causing distraction and even adding a touch of double kick during the solo!

THAT LOST FEELING

Written during a period of uncertainty, I dreamt up the verse melody while staring out a window at my garden. Without a guitar in sight the tune was already taking shape. I usually avoid composing in times of stress, but I could hear potential so I made this one the exception. The eventual guitar tones you hear were made with my new Blackstar HT-1R; the amp I chose for my new sound. No pedals were used, just the speaker emulator on the amp and an Ibanez JS1200. A more hopeful chorus melody followed, which returns after the solo. I decided to take a chance with the drums; although they are acoustic kit loops, in isolation I felt they sounded too much like a drum machine. Thankfully once everything was recorded, they sounded really good, with a great snare and deep thumping kick drum.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

After a couple of years trying to find the right way of recording my live pedal board, it was time to make my most diverse sounding album yet. I noticed another change during the recording of this one; the general style and structure was different. Maybe it's only little things, but the difference was clear to me. A friend of mine summed up the album by saying there was more light and shade, and I think that really started here. I used an electronic harmoniser for the second half of the call and response on the chorus, which was really effective. Talking of the chorus, it sounds big! The Blackstar thrives when double tracking rhythm guitar and the bass part makes it sound bigger still. The harmoniser returns for the solo but it's not used anywhere else during the track. Despite all my new sound options I've been careful to use them in moderation, which is generally the best way when you are trying to prioritise music above all else.

BLUES NIGHT

Having relied heavily on my JS1200 for most of the electric guitar parts, it became clear very quickly that this tune requires something else, so it was time to bring in the Epiphone Nighthawk. I also felt my new Blackstar tone would be inappropriate this time, so I went back to my trusty Vox Tonelab LE which has served me well since my debut album. The combination sounds beautiful, especially with the extra width on the chorus, and that wonderful springy vibrato you can achieve on the Nighthawk works a treat for a blues track. This was probably one of the most difficult to record; you will always find you work better with some tempos than others, and this one was very tough for me to get right. I knew I wanted ‘Blues Night’ on the album, so I made sure I overcame my difficulties. I hope you enjoy the end result.

WAITING

Unlike every other track, the first acoustic tune wasn't recorded in 2014. For some time, I've been trying to get this onto an album, but small niggling issues were holding it back. Having heard it again while going through past demos I decided it was time to do something about it. Luckily, I still had a copy of the original studio files, So I patiently corrected some issues with the drum track and changed the intro. Recording it again was out of the question, as there were lots of special moments in there that weren't going to happen again. It's a quirky, rough-edged performance, but I knew the importance of hanging onto the original feel and atmosphere. I always look forward to hearing the final master of an acoustic recording because they invariably sound fantastic.

SCARLET STAR

My friend Ben was with me during the earliest experiment with a new distortion pedal that I'd hoped would better suit my requirements. It passed with flying colours in every environment I tested it in, which was confirmed by the look on Ben's face, and the look I imagine was on my face too. Clearly having too much fun, I played what would eventually turn out to be the opening chords of ‘Scarlet Star.’ It sounded cool but I didn't think any more about it. However, Ben had other ideas and said it should be part of a song. There's an interesting collection of distortion tones here; the verse is lo-fi with subtle low octave aggression, the chorus is wide and bright with beautiful double tracked electronic harmonies and the solo sound is just idyllic; smooth, aggressive, but devoid of any unwanted fizz. This is another track with a more exciting structure than the norm; it wasn't planned to have the drums drop out for the acoustic bridge section, but it really helps the chorus make a strong impression.

MYTH HUNTER

It's hard to believe listening to it now, but originally, I wanted totally different drum grooves for this song. I spent ages going through my collection of loops, but sometimes you just can't have exactly what you need when working this way... Or at least that's what I thought. When the recording had finished, I realised that this new drum track was actually better after all! Playing acoustic can often feel like a different instrument compared to electric but I was pleasantly surprised by the experience during recording, suddenly it didn't feel like a fight and I could play how I wanted (for the most part) without adapting to the limitations. ‘Myth Hunter’ has a really nice feel to it, and as always, my acoustic sounds stunning.

AND RELAX

I was a bit concerned that my new Blackstar sound would be a bit uncompromising against acoustic rhythm guitar, but there was nothing to worry about; they meshed together very nicely. The verse needed to be approached differently compared to the other tracks; the improvised melody had to pick its moments carefully and respectfully to avoid interrupting important parts of the rhythm guitar, and the chorus is actually merged with the very end part of the verse. The solo is a mix of steady and fast playing, but I wanted to make sure there was a good sense of touch and feel to both those extremes. The bass parts are prominent on this track, and even add some extra value to the chorus.

JUST DRIVING

Sometimes I need to throw away the traditional rules of verse and chorus and just jam using the random button in my brain. Obviously, you still need a solid, consistent rhythm section, but you get total freedom to layer what you want over the top. The drums are a vital part of what makes this giant improvisation work; even the simple build-up of the kick drum groove sets off something prime-evil that makes us want to head-bang, jump up and down, dance or whatever you fancy in that moment. When the drums kicked in at full force, I was inspired to create an equally exciting improvisation; it's a little raw, but hopefully all the better for it. You may notice that my sound is bigger and brighter on ‘Just Driving;’ this is because I decided to keep the variety up by switching back to my Vox Tonelab LE. This was the very machine that allowed me to shape my signature sound many years ago.

SPACE RACER

There's a real angst and energy to this one which is magnified in the bass part. Guitar sounds are kept basic, except for the solo, which makes use of that low octave. The effect is mixed very low this time but hopefully you will notice it in some shape or form. The chorus is interesting because I was convinced it would have to be half the length, but it's funny how some melodies allow you to repeat them without getting irritating; luckily this was one of them. I wanted to keep the drums simple in the verses, but allow them some fun in the chorus and solo. It's a cool sounding kit too, with a lot of natural room reverb in there to make it feel thunderous. I managed to overdub a tiny bit of whammy bar fun and games; the technique has a few different names, including 'Satch Scream' and 'Dime Squeal', but in reality, we all know the whole thing was popularised by Jimi Hendrix. It happened by happy accident; I was waiting to start a take and I often do silly things while the track is running that you never get to hear. I went for it and it was perfectly in tune with the first two notes of the final chorus, so this time my larking about is forever imprinted into the recording.

BATTLE

Back with my old Vox tone for the remainder of the album, this one has quite an attitude and brashness bubbling all the way through. The groove is slow, relentless and powerful, plus there's a couple of crafty stop/start moments designed to catch you out. I wanted freedom to play around with the chorus, so ‘Battle’ features the only chorus melody in five years not to be double tracked. Assuming it would inevitably lack some width and clarity, I was wrong, it's just different. The wah tone in the verse is really cutting, as is the fuzz pedal which helps the chorus have a sound of its own. As for the solo... If I ever needed to give an example of my favourite lead guitar tone in the world, it's been captured right here on this recording. Careful not to ruin it with an inappropriately timed fade out, I actually shaped it myself for the first time rather than using the pre-set approach.

DORIAN'S MYSTERY

The closing track took me by complete surprise in more ways than one. Right from the start it was due to be another improvisation. Whereas ‘Just Driving’ worked surprisingly well with this approach, ‘Dorian's Mystery’ was rather high maintenance by comparison. The nature of the rhythm guitars meant that a straight jam simply wasn't going to work. With the plan now thrown out the window I knew I had dropped myself in it; I needed written melodies for the verse and chorus. As the old cliché goes, 'necessity is the mother of invention;' I tried the slow methodical approach, then the instinctive approach... And somehow ended up with a title track! I've learned by now to let a song take its natural path. Your own composition can actually start leading you and taking control of itself; probably in the way a character of a book would do for its author.

A multi-faceted instrumental album with a slight prog rock edge.

THRILL RIDE

The opening track wastes no time in getting to the point; an almost live sounding drummer's intro leads instantly into the melody. From there the momentum doesn't let up; the verse is half improvised and half written while the chorus is set in stone, accompanied by hyperactive drums. Experimenting with different guitar tones led to a surprisingly vintage sounding recording; almost as if it was recorded in the 70s but cleaner. The solo shows off the amazing high note range of the Gibson SG; you can hit notes that would be rather uncomfortable on many other guitars. Naturally I like to take advantage of that when the chance arrives!

THE SOUND OF DREAMS

The SG is back again, this time showing its softer side to great effect. Performing ballads for a recording or on stage is probably the hardest thing for an instrumentalist and I'm sure it won't get any easier. They are so touch sensitive; pick too hard in the wrong place and the feel of it is ruined, but judge it right and you will be rewarded with a performance that does the tune justice. The funky Hendrix style section later on allowed me to dig in a bit and go for a more aggressive feel. The solo continues this approach before the track switches back to the delicate approach for the lo-fi wah wah call and response between the left and right speakers. The bass has a lot to say, picking its moments carefully throughout.

CHATTY SCAT

This one was recorded for a laugh in 2007 and stayed hiding on my computer for years, until my uncle asked me why I hadn't put it on any albums. The wonderful thing about recordings like this is that there is no restraint, no voice in your head telling you not to do that, simply because it wasn't planned for public release. The freedom I had is pretty clear as soon as the lead parts kick in and good times ensued with the Ibanez JS1200 and its whammy bar system! The most unusual thing about this tune is the talk box simulator; unlike a genuine talk box it works by mimicking vowels and allows you to choose different options. I had plenty of fun with that! ‘Chatty Scat’ is essentially a giant improvisation with a few varied sections along the way, but I tried to come up with little riffs for the make shift chorus and outro. I hope this one puts a smile on your face!

QUESTIONS

Sticking with the Ibanez for this one, ‘Questions’ is both a ballad and a rock tune at different times. The verses are very much ballad, while the chorus and break sections are full on rock. This allows for some interesting sound and style shifts between sections. The wah effect on the chorus helps with the dark nature of the melody, and the return of the fuzz octave pedal for the solo is always a good thing! The bass is a particular star here; never getting in the way but adding something a little bit extra again. On the right tune, that little bit extra can make an important difference.

PULSE

Relying mainly on one guitar, bass and drums, the Epiphone Nighthawk's extra chunky sound on the low strings seemed the ideal way to fill out the mix. It would be easy to say that the main chorus melody is the centre of attention here, but in reality, all three sections are almost as important as each other. Understandably the harmonised section needs an extra layer of guitar, but the tune still thrives on its bare bones attitude. This allows the bass to take a more prominent position in the mix, which is a nice opportunity to take when the time comes.

KEEP UP!

I seem to remember this being the most challenging track to record. Having done the demo a couple of years back and being disappointed, ‘Keep Up!’ was destined to be another track never to see the light of day, sulking on my studio computer. I could hear that it had potential that simply wasn’t being realised, so I decided to give it another chance. I re-recorded everything again from scratch, tweaked the drum track and the whole thing suddenly worked a treat. It was still mighty tough though, both mentally and physically, but it shows that I don't often write music I find easy to play. Switching back to the Ibanez gave me a nice bright sound and a bit more confidence that this version would be less of a wrestling match. Despite the difficulties this track has ended up as one of my favourites and I'm pleased to include the best take on ‘Solutions of Synergy.’

DOWN TIME

It's time to relax for the next couple of minutes. I wanted to do more improvising on this album and I'm pretty happy with the way ‘Down Time’ turned out. Being a ballad, it was important to choose the right guitar sound and judge that touch sensitivity. The Ibanez was key to achieving that sound. In terms of note choice, improvisations are quite exciting as not even the player knows what is about to happen. Keen to try out different sounds, I managed to sneak in another little nod to Hendrix for a few seconds near the end, helped by the mysterious univibe effect he made famous amongst us electric guitarists a few decades ago. My favourite drum kit makes its first appearance of the album here, providing just the right tone for this track. Combining a ballad with an improvisation can really put the pressure on, but I hope you enjoy the end result.

HIGH FLYING

Time to get the acoustic out for another improvisation. This one is much quicker but still very atmospheric and that mighty guitar gave me a lovely recording, as it always seems to do. The slightly deeper tuning that I use here was originally to make soloing more comfortable on big heavy acoustic strings. In the end though I realised that I preferred the sound of it and have stuck with it ever since (on acoustic at least). To make the backing track less predictable I thought it would be interesting to have a break section, experimenting with some reverb half way through which was far more effective than I expected on both speakers and headphones.

NIGHTHAWK

You can probably work out which guitar was used for this one! ‘Nighthawk’ was recorded in 2011, with a couple of tweaks made to the mix in 2013 and I'm happy that it has finally made its way onto an album. Too many things went right in that recording, so I had no intention of recording it again from scratch and losing the magic. It is probably one of the strongest tracks on the album, with an atmospheric verse, a fat sounding chorus and a couple of surprises. The tune was actually due to be part of an album called ‘Lydian's Mystery’ which was sadly shelved. Knowing it wouldn't fit neatly on ‘The Maxim List’, it found the ideal home on Solutions of Synergy, and quite right too!

STAYING THE COURSE

Back with the Ibanez for the remainder of the album, the chord sequences for this track had been sitting on my phone as a rough recording for over a year before I decided to put the pieces together. I'm glad I did because although I wasn't sure about it for some time it's turned out very well. The chorus is rather dramatic, as is the solo. Talking of the solo I think it might be my favourite on the album, not necessarily because of the note choices but the whole atmosphere and the way it all fits together. The title explains my mindset for these solo projects; stay the course, keep it up and ignore the people that tell me to put lyrics on these instrumentals!

LONG JOURNEY

Having enjoyed my experience with the univibe effect earlier in the album, I thought it would be interesting to use it for a different kind of intro before the drums kick in. It pops up again later for the solo as well. ‘Long Journey’ has an interesting groove to it; my favourite drum kit returns and does a mighty job of accompanying my every move. If it was up to me, everything I record would have that kit on it, but that simply can't happen, at least not yet! The guitar tones are mostly low gain overdrive until the univibe has its second go during the solo, where the gain is more intense. This tune has a very positive attitude all the way through; no complex story, no darkness, just fun!

UNTIL NEXT TIME

The album closes with an improvisation consisting of the acoustic in the background and the Ibanez at the front; pretty minimal! This relaxed ballad was originally double the length, but I carefully cut it down to size to include the best bits and add fades. The usual challenges associated with ballads and improvisations were present again, but this time I didn't have to think about drums and bass, which was another interesting thing to try. I hope you approve!

Change is afoot as heavy blues, funk rock and punk mix with ballads.

BLUES OF STEEL

Inspired by some of the amazing guitarists that can play an instrumental on their lonesome, I thought it would be something new, challenging and fun to try out. I set myself the task of composing music that allowed me to play simple melodies while still leaning on the chords as I went. The acoustic recorded so wonderfully that I didn't even need my trusty reverb, which was a pleasant surprise! So, there you have it, a double tracked acoustic guitar, simple riffs and some harmonies, with nothing else to hide behind.

NEW ROADS

Some almost tribal drums kick off this blues rock song. There's a really solid, stomping groove in the verses, and a funky chorus melody that is played in unison with the bass. This one gives the first hint of my new softer lead guitar sound. I was keen that a large majority of the album would be a departure from the aggressive guitar tone used on my rockier releases. Backing the gain off really allowed for a different kind of expression and feel to come through, which at times was very revealing. As for the solo, well I won't give that away! The title pretty much sums up this album, and ‘New Roads’ was very close to becoming the title track.

NO WORRIES

It was important to allow this song to take its time; unravelling slowly and patiently into each verse. A hard-hitting drum sound provides an interesting but somehow appropriate contrast to the steady nature of the composition. The bass takes on the very important task of providing the nuances that the song couldn't do without, and it worked a treat in the end. The lead sound in the chorus was a balancing act between too soft and too aggressive, I hope I got the judgement right. I felt the solo might benefit from a calmer approach, and the drums have a lot to do keeping things in control.

THE MAXIM LIST

I watch and listen to a lot of interviews with very clever and deep musicians, and every now and again a word catches my attention that I've never heard before. In this case, the word ‘maxims’ popped up. I looked it up and eventually made a fairly catchy song name, which ended up stealing title track status from 'New Roads.' It took a while to get the rhythm guitar tone right but a mixture of imagination and some special tricks got me there in the end. Those in the know might think I'm using a Strat or Telecaster but actually it was neither, so I'll leave you guessing! This one has a very big, atmospheric chorus and the lead guitar sound is more reminiscent of my older style tone, especially in the wah wah solo.

STRANGE DAYS

Very thick sounding wah wah starts things off, but it's used in a different way to the brash solo sound of the previous track. Once the song gets into its stride things get deep, hopeful and maybe slightly dark all at the same time. This is another track with a Strat style twang, and I couldn't have asked for a more idyllic sound to compliment the composition. Returning to the softer signature sound of the album means that more subtleties and dynamics are apparent, which can only enhance the feel a song like ‘Strange Days.’

RISK AND REWARD

Written as a jarring contrast to the laid-back tracks, this one is pure reckless, obnoxious fun! Okay, the verse may sound a bit stern, but the wacky chorus and hyperactive breakdown remind you that this is not a song to be taken seriously; it's a head banging, bouncy three and a half minutes of light relief. It was nice to throw away my self-imposed new rules for a couple of days, crank up the gain and just let go. There is no solo on ‘Risk and Reward;’ this gives space for the breakdown riff to make a second appearance at the end of the song.

OUT OF NOWHERE

This is a song of three different concepts; a written acoustic solo, distorted electric improvisation, and a harmonised chorus riff. Luckily it turned out nicely and it was interesting to play with a new kind of song structure. since this album is predominately calm, I felt the need to play with the format a bit to keep the variation, and it is probably thanks to the pacing of those three sections that the song doesn't feel four and a half minutes long. At least not to me anyway! The acoustic sounds really interesting on its little solo spot, at times almost like a mandolin on the really high notes.

MOMENTUM

Next, we head in more of a funk rock direction. This is another song without the need for a designated solo; since the verses are fairly long improvisations a solo would have been far less effective than usual. Although that is true for this particular song, it's certainly not a rule, since every composition has its own individual path to follow. the structure is pretty straight forward this time, the only twist being halfway through the verses where it almost sounds like a false ending, which I thought would be an interesting touch. The chorus itself is a heavy, energetic riff that may be the most powerful sounding on the album.

INTENSITY

The penultimate track earns its name for two reasons; the deep, melancholy verses and choruses, and the hard rock breakdown and solo. The ballad sections have a really deep, delicate touch to them, which is something I'm especially pleased about. The heavier parts however take a rather different route, including an undisciplined solo with a touch of whammy lunacy. This provides a contrast that works surprisingly well in its own way. Thanks to Beta Monkey Music I found drum parts that achieve the happy medium this song requires; in fact, they can take the credit for every drum track on the album; I just chose and arranged the loops.

MY MIND'S EYE

The final track takes advantage of a combination of a great acoustic sound, a wonderful smooth lead guitar sound and my favourite drum kit. I'm also very pleased with the chorus melody and the way it turned out on the recording. I've often described this snare drum sound as 'the most sophisticated piece of tin you'll ever hear.' This of course I mean in the nicest way possible, because it really works for me and has popped up at some point on all three of my albums. The relationship between the different instruments seemed to mesh really well, and I'd ear marked this tune to close the album as soon as the final mix was complete.

Eclectic rock of the instrumental kind; fans of guitar music should feel right at home.

MODUS OPERANDI

I first heard the phrase 'Modus Operandi' when watching a favourite singer of mine being interviewed on TV. The interviewer was asking the usual questions about song writing and album making and said; "so I suppose that was your modus operandi?" By the magic of the interweb I discovered it was a Latin phrase meaning 'a person's preferred method of operating. I thought it would make a great title since playing upbeat instrumental rock is the way I like to do things. It is the opening track on the album as I felt it would be a positive way to start things off. The verse melody was the result of an inspiring jam session, and it steadily grew into a riff-based rock track with an atmospheric chorus.

STEALTH

This is an unapologetic hard rock stomper of a tune. The atmosphere this time is rather more edgy, with heavy riffs followed by a full attack wah wah solo. The idea for the verse melody goes back to a song I was working on in 2007 which I accidentally stumbled across recently; the chorus and solo was re-written, and once it was all pieced together it seemed to fit in well for this album. I felt this track, with an almost anxious sound to it, was a good candidate for a title like Stealth; since it could represent the tension of a spy trying to keep hidden from view.

EASY DOES IT

This is a song of three very different sides. Its funky and rocky, with a big chorus adding to the depth, while the two solos stick to the rock side of things. The structure is quite complicated, which helps to keep things fresh and surprising, and the drum track is one of the best on the album. This track also required a few different guitar sounds, probably six altogether; bouncing from clean to various different levels of overdrive. Some changes are subtle while others are far more obvious! The bass has a special part to play as well, adding some interesting touches to the verses while the guitar riff is plodding away.

GROOVY TRAIN

It may be one of the shorter tracks but the relentless momentum means there is still fair bit going on here. The strange (almost robotic) guitar sound you hear for most of the track is from a fuzz octave pedal, which is the perfect effect for the verse rhythm, the chorus riff and the solo. This song just won't do without that sound. The chorus melody is one of my favourites on this album and the drum track benefits from its simplicity this time around. I felt the drums sounded like an old steam train; this painted a picture in my head of a multi coloured cartoon steam train chugging around a modern city, no rails, just driving with great confidence next to the cars. It just goes to show that delving deep into the imagination can bring out the most bizarre ideas and in this case that is exactly what happened!

DIRTY RED BOX

Excited by the arrival of a new distortion pedal a few years back, I decided to write a tune with it. This one is quite dark and eerie for the most part, due to some strange chord sequences that required equally strange melodies. Things brighten up when the solo comes along before crashing back into the chorus at the end. The sound on the intro is actually a wah wah pedal, even though it sounds more like a synthesizer. Sometimes you can get the most unusual sounds from the gear you've had for years, simply by changing the order it sits in the effects chain. wah's are a classic example of this. The title is a light hearted attempt at explaining that the distortion pedal inspired the track; dirt is guitarist slang for distortion, it's... Red, and box is another slang word for effects pedal.

SINGING SUN

I found this title on a list I'd put together a while back with various ideas for song names, and I started to think how I could write an instrumental that would make people think of the sun and summer. It was the first time I'd been inspired by a title, rather than the inspiration just falling out of the sky in the wonderful way it usually does for me. So, after some serious thought and a good few weeks I finally came up with chords and riffs that I thought fit the image in my head. The solo takes a different route, adding some interesting contrasts in atmosphere and approach. Overdrive and distortion are avoided here, further increasing the diversity of the album.

DANGER COLOURS

Another change of approach here; ragged over driven bass kicks things off while the wah wah is used in two different ways this time; in the rhythm of the verse and then at the front of the breakdown riff. The verse represents the danger side of things, while the chorus sounds more hopeful and uplifting. To shake things up even more the bass gets its own solo spot with just the drum track to back it up. The lead guitar sound has also changed a bit, there is a slight chorus effect layered onto my usual high gain sound, it manifests itself as an atmospheric embellishment rather than an obvious change, but is a nice addition none the less.

CONFUSED

The acoustic returns to rhythm duties for the first time since the opening track, and keeps things simple. A single chord sequence drives the rhythm of the entire track, allowing the expression of the lead guitar to come through. This is a thoughtful ballad consisting of carefully improvised verses and a big chorus. The bass is quietly enhancing things in the background and a special drum track adds more magic to a delicate and reflective composition. It's all about feel with ballads like this, playing as naturally as possible, keeping the emotion and allowing for the odd quirk here and there. The guitar sound in the chorus is just perfect for the track, providing the smoothness and width required to make it work.

MASTER OF CHROME

This rather odd title was inspired by my favourite guitar amplifier, with a huge chrome grill, which I used to make the demo of this song. Ironically by the time I recorded the album version, the amp was no more! This is perhaps a bit of an oddball track, with an atmospheric verse followed by some very unusual chord sequences and an eerie chorus. The solo is also quite tense, but the combination of all this, along with a good groove makes for an interesting tune. The bass really has something to say here and gets very much involved with the verses and choruses.

DEEP IN A DAYDREAM

The second deep ballad of the album required some different guitar sounds; starting off with a much more pronounced chorus effect than previously used, followed by a lead sound with far less intensity than normal. The delicate verse improvisations required extra concentration and I decided to put myself in the zone to help me put some real emotion into it. I continued this approach right until the last note of the solo. All this is accompanied by a very minimal drum track, putting the focus on the most important groove elements to begin with and gradually increasing intensity in the choruses and solo. Unusually the song barely uses the snare drum at all.

A PARALLEL THOUGHT

The title for the closing track was inspired by a chapter of a book which did its best to explain the many different theories behind parallel universes. I found the thought of several different versions of you and I acting out all the alternatives of every decision we ever made, and leading entirely different lives fascinating. But I also found it frightening. Full of inspiration, I decided to write a song that represented both my excitement and my fear of this idea. An alternative tuning (drop D) was used throughout the rhythm section, which lent itself well to both the excited wonder in the verse and the intensity of the bridge, chorus and solo sections.

A rock guitar album focusing on the positive side of life.

SOUNDS LIKE FIRE

The creation of the opening tune was kick started in an unusual way; I was looking through my collection of drum loops and I came across the opening drum groove you hear in the track. I thought to myself: “if I don’t write something around this I will be missing out.” No more encouragement required, I got writing and the result was a fairly complex rock tune full of bouncing, relentless energy, which also has one of the best drum tracks on the album.

MY IDEA OF FUN

A very upbeat and simple tune; this one is in your face from start to finish. The riff you hear at the start is the focus of the track and it returns again for the choruses. After the complex structure of the previous track, the approach here was entirely the opposite; there is more of a sunny punk sound this time. The fast tempo and heavy drums add to the momentum of a track that could be used as a soundtrack to your hobbies.

KEEPING THE FEELING

Musicians often talk about feel, and with a softer track like this it is important to keep a sense of feeling and emotion in your playing. I spent a long time recording this one to try and make sure the atmosphere was right for the song; I was particularly conscious of this during the chorus and solo and there is a degree of restraint there. The title is basically my aim for the song, to keep the feeling, but what does that mean? Well, that’s a hard one to explain but I hope you can hear it.

A THING OF MADNESS

For this one I was thinking: “what if I use shuffle drums (the kind you hear in blues and rock n roll) for a hard rock song?” There is a lot of wah wah in this one which helps emphasise the bridge and chorus melodies and the result is a full attack rock track, the heaviest on the album. Even with all the attitude needed for this kind of track, the melodies and beat are still the priority so once again they take the focus here.

TIGER MOTH

There are a few changes of atmosphere on this album, and this is the biggest change of the lot. ‘Tiger Moth’ is a dreamy acoustic tune. Whether electric or acoustic; guitars are beautiful, quirky sounding instruments and I was glad it recorded the way it did. This helped me get the melody across in exactly the way I wanted. Effects take a back seat here; to me acoustic guitars are at their best when they sound natural. The only effect here is a very minimal (almost unnoticeable) amount of reverb to add ambiance.

DIMENSION MAN

The title for this one came from a vocal song I wrote that never got used, about a rather bemused man who hops between different dimensions and has no idea why or how he is doing it. The verses sound somewhat dramatic in this one and the chorus is probably my favourite on the album; atmospheric and with that sci-fi edge to it. In my mind’s eye, it’s the kind of melody you could fly through space with but you can use it to picture whatever you like, that’s the beauty of instrumental music.

CRUNCH

The chorus and solo of this one has probably my favourite overdrive tone on the whole record. The verses have a charm of their own too, with that lovely fuzz octave effect that creates a particularly cool atmosphere when playing the higher notes. Another special drum track accompanies this one; which is especially effective on the solo and the outro sections.

ON THE EDGE

I decided to dedicate this one to my biggest hero, the late Colin McRae. He is probably the most popular rally driver in the history of the sport because of his flat-out attitude and wild, exciting driving. Whenever I try and write something about someone important to me, I am never satisfied; this means the song never gets finished, so I felt a dedication was the best way to go. It’s the kind of thing I imagined could be used on a rally video clip; something about the energy and atmosphere made me think of Colin. I hope you enjoy it.

FREESTYLE

As the title suggests, this is a big jam! There is no chorus melody, just pure improvisation. This is a big departure from the rest of the album; the rhythm section is made up purely of drums and bass guitar. Even the recording and mixing techniques are different compared to the rest of the tracks, as there is a lot more emphasis on what the bass is doing. I wasn’t entirely sure if a raw jam would fit in with a record full of written melodies, but I’m happy to say I was wrong and it worked out pretty cool in the end!

ECSTATIC!

The closing track on the album explains the feeling I got when I came up with the intro for a song that I was particularly excited about. Later on, though I realised it sounded a bit like another track I wrote; so, with the title already in my mind I started again and set about putting it to music. Parts of this tune demonstrate how you can use bits and pieces of the blues approach while still sounding positive and happy. It sounds like there is a lot going on here, but in the end it’s a bouncy straight forward rocker!