It has been a busy six months for me, both personally and musically.
Certain family matters that arose in November meant that it was difficult to put all my efforts in to my love of music. But fortunately, my family and friends are resilient and through our collective love and support of one another, the matters are much more manageable these days. I am again able to focus a lot of time into making the music that I hope you will enjoy as well as being able to support those I love.
Regardless of the personal challenges, I have released two singles within the last six months; 'We Are Vicious' was released in November 2019 and 'Empirical' in March 2020 and both could be described as very different songs. I wanted to showcase a different side of my music making, leaning towards vocal heavy productions, as well as experimenting with different elements of sound design and overall production to give the listener a sense of variety when listening.
'We Are Vicious' is a song which takes influence from the darkness of the historic forms of treatment for mental health disorders - specifically the prefrontal lobotomy - in which the primary goal was to pacify a dangerous patient. The procedure could lead to death and was often followed by severe brain damage and suicidal tendencies. Hence the lyric "how many die to die another death", if the mental illness was not bad enough, the trauma of an often forced surgery could be insurmountable.
'Empirical' on the other hand, focuses on the power we can have over our destructive and often overwhelming thoughts. The lyrical content is simple but I wanted to sing about some of the simple phrases which have helped me through tumultuous times. "I am lost again, I am found again" describes the peaks and crests of the waves of our emotions which we all ride throughout life, from extreme euphoria and love to the pits of despair and fear. One of the many antidotes for the fear and unwanted emotions I have found is depicted in the main mantra of the song: "my mind is the sky and my thoughts are the clouds". It provides a different perspective to see our difficult thoughts and emotions, they are just passing and we are always in flow.
Please have a listen to these pieces of music and see what you can take from them. I hope they help you in some small way. Click the album art or links in the text above.
Currently, I am working on a new musical project with a very talented Cellist - Jake Kilkenborg - who lives in Vancouver. The physical distance is made so much easier these days by the great advances in technology and the songs we are making are proving to be some of the most inspired I have ever had the privilege to be a part of. Things are certainly moving in a very new and exciting musical direction.
To summarise, some things happen in life are out of our control, though what we can control is our response and reaction to them. I have discovered new areas of creativity and love within myself which are born of very difficult times. This theme of light coming from darkness also best describes my love of science and discovery - specifically of the physical sciences and psychology - which I feed daily with books and new experiences. It has never been so abundantly clear to me how much the parts of our lives - those of our choosing and those placed before us - constitute to our whole experience of Being and can come to define who we are; a small series of actions and reactions create a long lasting connection with our lives and the people in it.
Thank you for sharing this journey with me - click here to subscribe for direct emails with future blogs.
David John Brady