My latest EP, The Only Water Flowing is a collection of vocal tracks, each one a full song with lyrics and melodies and harmonies. It’s 5 tracks in total, and is my last release for 2021. And it’s me trying to get past my fear of putting myself and my creative work “out there” for people to hear. But also, it’s embracing the fact that no matter how hard I try, I cannot escape the 1980s.
Get Past the Fear, Life’s Too Short
I’ve been releasing instrumental electronic music for years. But never really had the guts to commit to songs with lyrics. The biggest obstacle for me hasn’t been technology, it’s a plain lack of self confidence in my own singing. I’m not a singer, I’m an instrumentalist. In fact, it may be more accurate to say I’m a better musical arranger than I am an instrumentalist.
But life is too short to worry about vocal imperfections. We can’t all be Christina Aguilera (thankfully), but why worry about it? There’s a space for every type of vocal delivery under the sun. And it’s high time to step out without fear. After all, who knows how long any of us has in this day and age? To die without letting others hear your songs would be a supreme waste of creative talent.
There is No Escape From the 1980s
In the past, whenever I’d have friends or family listen to a track I’d finished, their comment would inevitably be “It sounds like it comes from the ’80s!” And this would be for songs with lyrics, or instrumental downtempo tunes. For the life of me, it seemed like whatever I composed and arranged — whether it was house music, downtempo chillout, gospel music, or straight up pop — ended up sounding like a retro tune.
I chalk it up to my teenage years — learning guitar and piano while listening to Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Japan, Heaven 17, Human League, and Depeche Mode left a lasting impression. Every idea I come up with these days is a creative recycling of a musical phrase I’ve heard in the past. I try not to let it stop me. No worrying about whether something is “original enough” or “modern enough.” Just capture the idea, record it, finish it, release it. Never mind what it sounds like!
So this EP is me saying “I’m not fighting it. I’m rolling with it. I’m embracing my inner New Romantic.”
Even the EP’s Title Can’t Escape 1984
The title refers to tears in the desert, where the only water comes from your eyes. I picked the title because the first track “Desert Dancing” has a line that mentions this.
Only later on, while searching Spotify for “The only water flowing” did I realize it’s also the lyric from Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” that all-star Christmas recording from the UK that started the Live Aid charity movement for the Ethiopia famine victims.
So you see: I can’t escape regurgitating musical ideas from the 80s, even when I try writing an album title.
Download or Stream Everywhere
Something new for this album and for my tracks going forward: I released the EP using a distributor called Songflowr, which places the music everywhere that sells or streams digital music: Spotify, Tiktok, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and so much more.
But I’m still selling the tracks via Bandcamp, which is probably the most direct way you can support a musician these days. Streaming doesn’t pay the bills, unless you’re already Christina Aguilera with millions of fans. Nope, the best way to support a band is to buy their music directly from their website or off a platform like Bandcamp, which only takes a tiny cut for usage of their platform.
So happy listening.
And happy new year!
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