Cypress Tree

Heaven

Written and recorded 7th/8th November 2015

Cypress tree
I lie beneath
Alone we both must stand

Clinging to
The barren ground
In an unforgiving land

Minaret
Of evergreen
Symbolize my plight

Silent and 
So solitary
As migrant birds take flight

Cypress tree
I lie beneath
Alone we both must stand

Minaret
Of evergreen
Alone you understand



Photograph by Niall Geoghegan - cheers Niall! :o) 

Caledonia Son
Look how far you've come
Now your journey's done

Caledonia Son
I know where you're from
Where you once belonged

Where the west wind blows
And where rainbows form
'cross a waterfall

Summer peaks of snow
From where river's are born
And the night skies glow

Caledonia Son
Look how far you've come
Now your journey's done

Please remember me
Til we meet again
Caledonia Son

Caledonia Son

For my family

Written and recorded February-March 2016

Artwork adapted from a copyright-free image from NASA/ESA
Source: http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/html/heic0516b.html
Author credits: NASA, ESA and G. Bacon (STScI)

SIRIUS

Sirius
Dog Star
Distant Sun

Our light
White fire
Sacred one

By night
Your light
Never fades from sight

Our love
Our lives
All my years of yearning

In dark times
Starlight
Comforts, guides, inspires

Our home
I hope
Though my world is burning... 

Sirius
Dog Star
Distant Sun

Our light
White fire
Though my world is burning... 

Bright fire
Light of fire
Fire of life
Like the fire that burns in me
While my world is burning...
Sirius	Distant Sun
Sirius	Distant Sun
Sirius	Distant Sun

Sirius

In July 2005, our normal day in London was interrupted by a news bulletin on the radio. It became apparent that London had been attacked by terrorists. A few days later, a friend of mine reported that his friend Liz had been tragically killed. This song is a tribute to all of those who lost their lives in the London attacks and in many subsequent attacks on innocent people since then. 

Photography by Lloyd Ramos - used with kind permission. Please check out his work here...
http://www.lloydramos.com/ - https://www.instagram.com/lloydramos/ - https://twitter.com/Lloyd_Ramos

She was a city girl
North London citizen
She loved, she let in love
She was magnificent
She cared, she really tried
And she was innocent...

And all that she was
And all that we loved
I'll remember that way

I heard the bulletin
Some kind of incident
Then it was obvious
This was no accident

And all that she was
And all that we loved
Was taken that day

Written and recorded in April 2016




Download Free or Buy

Innocent

A wee song I've had on my iPod my months but never got round to recording it properly - decided to abandon the idea of putting a drum track over it and stuck with just my acoustic guitar and a piano track, and a few layers of vocals.

Photography by Ferdinand Studio
https://unsplash.com/@ferdinandstudio
Used under Creative Commons license

Bye Bye Peggy Sue

Piano improvisation by @peterkappus
Lyrics and vocals by @atlascedar

The lyric was inspired by my trip to New York City in September 2015, where I visited One World Trade Center shortly after the anniversary of my cousin Richard's passing, on the day after what would have been his 41st birthday. It was an overwhelmingly emotional experience for me - seeing Manhattan for the first time, standing in the rebuilt World Trade Center and remembering my cousin five years on since his passing. I had a single malt whisky in memory of Richard and a Hudson Baby Bourbon for the great city of New York.

I heard Peter's fantastic piano improvisation for the first time yesterday and immediately felt the need to compose a short lyric and vocal parts to go with it. For some reason the music instantly brought back memories of the day I spent in the new WTC, paying my respects to the victims of 9/11 and honouring the memory of my cousin. 

You can check out the original piano improv here: https://soundcloud.com/peterkappus/one-minute-piano-improvisation-sep-28-2014a

Lyric:

September
I can not hold back my tears anymore
I'll remember you
On this beautiful morning

As the tower came into view
Like a mirror in the blue
Reflecting only you


In memory of Richard

September (Peter Kappus & Atlas Cedar)

For Melissa, Mark & Edgar

Recorded 17th January 2017

i don't believe in faith
i don't believe in god
i believe in you
and the two of us

i don't believe in hate
i don't believe in hell
i believe that heaven 
is being in love with you...

living without a prayer
loving you

i believe in hope
and i believe in good
i believe in us
and i trust in you

i believe in love
and i believe in truth
all i know right now
my only truth is you

Living Without A Prayer

This song is a homage to a tune I co-wrote with my good friend Mark Francis (@saintjudesinfirmary)called 'Summer Fair' back in 1993, where Mark improvised lyrics based on a poem from the book 'Crome Yellow' by Aldous Huxley. 

Written and recorded March 2017

Fortunes are told
and fortunes unfold
tall barley grows
the silver and gold

oh my son
i'm going home
where that is
i wish i knew
when i reap the seed i've sewn
i will turn to
dust and bone

crome yellow
like corn in a row
the harvest is sewn
with silver and gold

help me son
i'm growing old
i would change things
if i could
i shall reap the seed i've sewed
i will turn to
crome yellow

in brilliant sun
a warm river runs
my life unfolds
in silver and gold

listen son
i don't have long
if you do
the things i've done
you will reap the seed i've sewn
you will turn to
crome yellow

Chrome Yellow

Crome Yellow

all these years
and i can't face another one alone
just a simple twist of fate
our promised land denied

i've always known
things would never be the same
no-one left to play the game
now i long for yesterday

it's just another one
a journey 'round the sun
it's not so wonderful alone

i have changed
i don't think it's for the better
i am so much older
and nothing makes no sense no more
now i need saving
from myself

For Richard

Photo by Will van Wingerden on Unsplash.com

Around The Sun

'Alba' has a triple meaning - firstly, it's the Gaelic word for Scotland; secondly, it is apparently the name of a kind of love poem about secret lovers who must part company before they are discovered, and so that's what this song is about. Thirdly, it also happens to be the name of someone I used to work with in California, though I would hasten to add that this song is not about her!

The song started off life as a simple two-track improvisation called 'Our Love', and this version is as close to that original improv as I could make it. It's a two-track guitar piece, with one piece played in the chord of D on the 2nd fret, and the other is played in G on the 9th fret, with corresponding piano parts added.

I recorded the song previously and posted it here on SoundCloud as 'Orion', but I was never happy with how different it was to the stripped down 'acoustic' original, hence I set about re-recording it - about 2 years after I originally wrote it.

Lyrics:

alba
one night of heaven
until the dawn
alba
our love
is secret
so let it go on

alba
our love's 
forbidden
i'll lie
with you

our love
is sacred
so let it go on

our love
could last a life time
our love
was it ever enough
alba?

alba
we come together
in love once more
alba
i'll always love you
my sacred truth
alba

alba
our love's forever
i love you
but i can't face a lifetime
without you

Credits:
Written and performed by Atlas Cedar; recorded 26-27th June 2017
Artwork created from Creative Commons license photographs:
Main photo: freestocks.org (https://unsplash.com/photos/rNPfyRYqjHY)
Background: Kelly Sikkema (https://unsplash.com/photos/X7dy114KWs4)

For Megan

Alba

This song is about the constancy of music in my life and the fact that no matter what is happening or how I feel, I am always lifted by listening to or creating music. This song is the only one I've ever recorded that uses all four of my 'guitars': my trusty acoustic on which I write 99% of my material, my even older but recently refurbished electric guitar, my newly acquired bass and finally my 8-string bouzouki. Inspired by the amazing @greenwood-burns to record more with my acoustic instruments, the title of song is a tongue-in-cheek nod to being addicted to checking one's SoundCloud statistics - and to celebrate just passing 60,000 plays! Please share if you enjoyed the track, cheers, Chris

Lyrics:

if i'm lower
i'll climb higher
come what may 
i'll play my song

when  i'm weaker
i'll get stronger
come what may
i'll play my song

as times get tougher
i'll work harder
when i'm done
i'll play my song

from caledonia
to california
where i'm home
i'll play my song

after winter
comes the summer
rain or sun
i'll play my song

if i'm alone i'll
come and see ya
and if you want
i'll play my song

Credits:
Written and performed by Chris Syme 
Recorded 20-29th June 2017
Cover photo: by Matheus Ferrero (https://unsplash.com/@matheusferrero)

Play My Song

Words and Music by Atlas Cedar (c) 2018

Photo by https://unsplash.com/@drskdr

Loved In Return

Inspired by my recent trip to Japan, the Gion district of Kyoto is one of the most amazing places I've ever had the chance to visit.

Photography by Sorasak at Unsplash.com
https://unsplash.com/@boontohhgraphy
Used under Creative Commons license

Lyrics:

sunlight failing
my heart is sailing

on the streets of gion
i met you

dream on
dreamer

my life's
clearer

on the streets of gion
i need someone  like you
in my life

Gion

The working title of this song was 'Libya' and I wrote it shortly after watching a harrowing documentary on the plight of migrants trapped there. The whole song only took about 8 hours to write, record and mix - compared to most of my other tracks these days, that's incredibly short - however it is always much, much easier to finish a song if I have a pre-conceived and clear idea of what the lyric and music is about, and in this case it was straightforward. Thanks for listening and please share if you like it!

Photography by Kylo
https://unsplash.com/@kylo8
Used under Creative Commons license

Lyric:

land
light
crossing
so that i might live
somewhere

drifting
blind
leaving
so that i might live
somewhere
clinging
so that we might live
anywhere

believe in
somewhere i might live
out there

dying
so that we might live
somewhere

Night Crossing

Hi, I'm Chris and I am a research scientist by day and a songwriter in my spare time. I joined SC in 2013 and I mainly record acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies, but also like playing electric guitar, bass, keyboards and using drum loops.

My musical influences include Syd Barrett, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon, and increasingly fellow SoundClouders; My favourite bands include Yes, Supertramp, Pink Floyd, Rush and Steely Dan, and I also listen a lot to The Beatles, Elton John, The Who, Van Morrison, Genesis, King Crimson,  Jethro Tull, Sparks, Stevie Wonder, The Grateful Dead to name but a few...

Anyway, please feel free to get in touch - I can make any tracks (in whole or in part) available if you want them for collaborative reasons, or if you just want them for your mp3 collection :)
