I decided to release some music today. I hadn’t planned for it, with any kind of marketing strategy or such. I just felt that the 4th of November felt like a good date, and I didn’t see the point in waiting much longer.
In the blurb that accompanies the album, I mentioned a desire to retire the ‘gingerjamesfair’ moniker. I felt this most keenly at the end of grief jars enigma and specifically sung about it on the last track, Final Song. I decided not to go in the same direction with Humdiggity. The most obvious change is the absence of lyrics, but also the structure of the songwriting was completely different. I used the Stylophone series of instruments to build up ideas based around certain BPMs, working out beats, then bass, then some melodies and frilly sounds. Then began a process of editing and mixing the different elements together, removing lots and mixing other parts. I actually did a different project first, using just mobile phone apps (which I’ll come to later), but this felt like the right project to release first, for a couple of reasons. One, it follows on more naturally from Final Song on grief jars enigma. That has a stylophone solo, so there’s a sonic connection. Both projects are rooted in analogue processes and tools. Two, I feel the phone project follows on stylistically from the end of this album, despite being produced first. Perhaps this is absolute nonsense, and it makes no difference in the ears of an uninterested listener.
What comes next is uncertain. I have lots of guitar demos, but also a desire to do something MIDI with classical structure and sounds. I’ll see what direction appeals the most at each stage, perhaps try working on them in tandem. One thing is certain, changing the songwriting process for this project made me feel creatively excited again.
