Group 2: Sonic Architecture and Production

Il lancio ufficiale di Sooner or Later Silver Screen Remix segna l’atto costitutivo dei blantyre

1. The single opens with a dynamic and hypnotic Celtic guitar riff. How did this guitar arrangement evolve from the initial idea to the climatic final section?

I am very glad to say that the riff came very easily to me as I had spent the entire previous day, and most of the previous week attending an Irish music festival in my hometown. The streets and pubs of Wexford were crammed with high calibre musicians and I found spending time in that environment musically exhilarating. 

So when I picked up my guitar to write music that evening the music flowed very naturally and the entire musical spine of the song was written in one evening. The lyrics took 2 years to finalise though!

1. This track marks another collaboration with Brendan Carthy of Orchard Studios. In what way did his drumming and production work help push the energetic drive of this song?

I feel that Brendan’s drumming contributed a lot to the drive and energy of the song. I particularly like his Tom Tom fills which greatly support the vocals. Brendan is a very easy musician to work with and his first take of the drum track was pretty much perfect. I am very fortunate to work with a musician of  his calibre.

1. In your tracks, you manage to balance the power of rock with the authenticity of folk. How did you approach the arrangements to ensure the rock intensity didn’t overpower the acoustic roots?

Thank you for making the observation as this is something that I think very carefully about. I lay down the acoustic tracks first as that represents the spine of the song and it is important that the sound is anchored in a traditional and acoustic bedrock. Once this is in place, I will then add the electric guitars to provide momentum and drive and to expand the sonic palette of the song.

1. Critics have described the end of the song as a “climactic gallop.” When you were in the studio, did you already intend to build up to such a liberating crescendo?

Yes very much so, as that was how the song emerged when it was written, so it was very important to me that the climax should come from an intense build up of music arising from the key riff. That said, I wanted to change the tone for the final notes of the song by adding a gentle acoustic ending!

1. The vocals in Splitting The Ash feel raw and passionate. What kind of vocal approach were you aiming for to match a lyric so closely tied to the natural elements?

I was keen for the vocals to sound passionate, inspired and committed, as they were the emotions I felt when the lyrics were written. I had to make a few attempts at the vocals to reach an appropriate intensity to match the underlying music but I am very happy how they turned out. 

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