Acoustic

Voices 1

The Only Way Is Up

DAVE MOHAN *

She (Dodie Acoustic Cover)

Gaelic language version of the original song. With many thanks to Eileen Coyle (Irish Gaeilge vocals) & Ciara Hall (translator):

The isle of Inishmore and the other Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland hold a mythic significance within Ireland’s cultural heritage (it’s where the great Irish playwright Synge, amongst others, went to immerse himself in the Irish language and its creative spirit). This tribute is something of a dreamscape inspired by the strength of the Celtic soul and the majesty of the scenery. The imagery and poetry are intended as a general homage (the visual images are taken from a wide range of locations both within Ireland and further afield – they’re intended to conjure up something of the haunting grandeur of the west of Ireland rather than being a literal representation). The themes embodied - exile, love/longing and the dream of redemption - are elemental within Irish poetry and song. If this little offering adds anything to enhance the special place which Ireland holds in many of our hearts (or soothe, even for a moment, any of its wounds) it will have fulfilled it’s goal.

Lyric Vid link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdFp6Drq9JA

Inishmore (Gaelic version)

The beauty and ferocity of the North Cornish coast.  

With stunning lead vocals by Amanda Sanderson.

Listen to Amanda's great album on Bandcamp, 'Spirits Of The Witchwood'
amandasanderson.bandcamp.com/album/spir…-witchwood

St Enodoc

Shimmering shallow sands reflect the sculptured skies
Mirrored moments mask the monumental storrs
Fresh gusts rock the steady metered gait
A hurried pace to beat the tidal time

Over peninsular then climb the weaving steps
Clamber over to handpick the secret path
Cross the grassy landing as the next
Bay reveals its face the livid sudden shine

As Enodoc herself would say, it takes more than sinking dunes to make a saint.

The salty foam projects over our heads away
Mixing with the farms beyond the dry stone walls
While before the ghosts of grey approached
Now the sun scintillates under the frame

There is no map needed here
Just keep the sea to the right
Just don’t lose sight

The ruined lighthouse on the top comes into view 
This phantom figure hails the battleship behind
Draws toward us and with brooding threat
How we anticipate the pricking strikes of rain

Guest: the classical guitar and electric guitar solo on this song were played by Steve Pumphrey.

Saint Enodoc

Many thanks for the many positive responses regarding the original version of this song. This revised and updated version is in keeping with the free spirit of the original.

If I could live this life again
With every tear I'd share your pain
With every breath I'd make you see
You always were the best of me...

For those who may have encountered angels unawares, for whom life can never be the same again. A tribute to those who, in troubled times, have given their all for others, despite the cost. 

And most of all, for Felix... one of a kind you'll always be.

"The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone." - George Eliot

Lyric Vid link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRtPwq0uySI

Broken Angel (Re-Vox Version)

Written by Frank Loesser and made famous by Danny Kaye in 1952.

The inchworm in my piece is sleepy and somewhat contemplative.  Don't  hold it against him; he can't help it.

Lyrics:
Two and two are four
Four and four are eight
Eight and eight are sixteen
Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two

Inch worm, inch worm
Measuring the marigolds
You and your arithmetic
You'll probably go far

Inch worm, inch worm
Measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are

Inchworm

Here is another little R&B tune.
Vocals, piano strings -Annette
Stay well out there
Thank you for all of your plays and shares!!!

Lumiere 2AM

Lumiere 2 AM

Impromptu 2021/12/29

impromptu 2021/12/29

No Heroes

A vocal duet reworking of my Time and Tides original. I felt the spirit of the song is perhaps even more apt for the present than when first conceived.  If you’ve learned to value those close to you a bit more in these troubled times; or known something of the enduring loss of so many - this one’s for you! Of love and loss:

You're in the rain
You're in the air I breathe in
You're in this fire inside my brain
You're here again
In every silent moment
That's when I hear you call my name...

Lyric Vid link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OXJnkeLp-4

Time and Tides (Re-Vox Version)

SEEING RED

Keep Calm And Carry On

Keep Calm And Carry On © The Counteracts

- A musical offering for cello & piano - 
where words fail, let music be a prayer 

"for peace comes dropping slow,
dropping from the veils of the morning
to… the deep heart’s core" (W B Yeats)

[CAOINEADH: from the old Gaelic for crying or to lament]

Many thanks to all who contributed to this one, not least Andy Walter for adding his usual magic and mastering down at Abbey Road Studios.

Lyric Vid link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MhnsDoYHFE

Caoineadh for Ukraine

Seldom does a day go by but I return, at some stage, to Bach. I recall the magic of first hearing the D minor Chaconne, the glorious opening mvt of Cantata 140, the slow mvt of the double violin concerto... the opening Arioso of Cantata BWV 156, to which I owe the inspiration for this particular little offering.

I've never subscribed to the notion that Bach's music is more cerebral, less emotionally charged than the music of later generations. Despite its transformation into a contemporary love song I'll be delighted if something of the romance and warmth of Bach's original shines through here. The final section of the song resorts to a simple vocalise elaboration of the Arioso melody. A heartfelt tribute to the composer who, more than any other, set me on a musical journey (from classical roots to folk, rock, jazz, fusion... and back) that still, so many years later, feels like it's only just begun.

A very special vote of thanks to the many others who've contributed to this recording, including:
Carolina de la Muela (vocals); Nicholas Ojeda (Dble Bass). Strings - Nightsongs Studio Strings. And not least, to Simon Gibson down at Abbey Road Studios for his customary prowess in the final mastering.

Lyric Vid link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOD8gMqJoKg

Arioso in Red

Kimi Ga Yo #2

Several Layers Of Dreaming

THIS IS THE MOMENT  Lillithe & Paploviante
Backing Track Hot Sand II : Paploviante
https://soundcloud.com/paploviante-and-friends/hot-sand-soundtrack-without-vocals
Vocal:  www.Ghosthack.de
Demetri and Emily
Lillithe: adding Horns, Trumpet, Flute, Tabular Bell, Tamburin, Conga, Vocals

This Is The Moment Lillithe & Paploviante

Planetarium

Dreams

Here is a song I wrote by myself called 'Unlearn You' about letting go of someone you once loved.

Unlearn You (Nelsen)

Song I wrote inspired by long-distance relationships :)

Home To You LIVE Rec

01 - Native Instruments - Noire Pure - Sparkling Chords
02 - Spitfire Audio - Albion - NEO - Brunel Loops - Light Above The Cloud
03 - Spitfire Audio - Aperture Strings - Refractions - Tremolo
04 - Spitfire Audio - Fragile String Evolutions - A Fragile Start
05 - Sonuscore - The Orchestra Complete - Violin 1 Staccato - Violin2 Staccato - Viola Staccato - Cello Staccato -Double Bass Staccato
06 - Soundiron - Voices of Rapture - Soprano Phrases French
07 - UVI - FALCON - VOKLM - Angelique
08 - UVI - FALCON - VOKLM - Spectrally Distant
09 - UVI - FALCON - World Suite - Celtic Twelve Strings
10 - UVI - World Suite - Bagpipes

Fragile Tales [Part 1]

Heavy is about feeling uncertain, ungrounded and overwhelmed but knowing these feelings will come and go and you can get through this.

Heavy

memento

The isle of Inishmore and the other Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland hold a mythic significance within Ireland’s cultural heritage (it’s where the great Irish playwright Synge, amongst others, went to immerse himself in the Irish language and its creative spirit). This tribute is something of a dreamscape inspired by the strength of the Celtic soul and the majesty of the scenery. The themes embodied - exile, love/longing and the dream of redemption - are elemental within Irish poetry and song. If this little offering adds anything to enhance the special place which Ireland holds in many of our hearts (or soothe, even for a moment, any of its wounds) it will have fulfilled it’s goal.          

Lyric Vid link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIDCC6J1fdg

Inishmore

For my Friend (Improvisation)

Sometimes introspective; always driven by a wider social conscience and a sense of human fragility. Touching on topics that tear at the heart of the human condition (loneliness, love and loss, homelessness/poverty, social exclusion).  And, there again, what’s a songsmith if not a conjurer of dreams? Dreams to lift us, if but for a moment, above the dull vicissitudes of life. Dreams of a world reimagined, that brave souls will always aspire to whatever the cost (Martin Luther King Jr...). A glimmer of unfeigned empathy. A glimpse of sunshine after rain. Music offered as a little healing for troubled times; a solace for the soul; a little heartfelt scattering of dreams - tread softly! 'Our life is no dream; but it ought to become one, and perhaps will' (Novalis)

Broken Angel (Re-Vox Version)

Dave Mohan