There's something Bowie-esque in this song? I love the guitar!

A playlist full of tracks created by the writers, musicians and producers of our music community, "The MusiCollective" - this is the May 2023 edition!

A huge congratulations to everyone involved in this. We have a mix of complete recording newbies, seasoned pros and everything in between. All as incredible as each other.

The MusiCollective is a community of people that get behind each others' projects, for example by helping with songwriting, arrangements, recording and production. It is a continuation of TGS Records (@tgs-records) which started as a lockdown project and has been snowballing new members in ever since. If you'd like to join us, get in touch by emailing themusicollective21@gmail.com or filling in this short form: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQL…wform?usp=sf_link

TMC Records - May 2023 playlist

One of the songs that came out of my 1-month songwriting challenge to write a verse or chorus a day (the lyrics are from days 22-25). I'd been binge-listening to "Champagne Problems" by Taylor Swift and wanted to write a simple 4-chord song with a kind of sentimental vibe.

This is part of my second "album", https://soundcloud.com/jenni-grossmann/sets/when-the-curtain-falls

Verse 1
I remember a time when a flick of your wrist could make all clouds drift away
But now the sun’s been hiding out for days
The truth of the matter is
Maybe it’s better this way
What do you say

Chorus x 2
It was all fun and games until it wasn’t
We hit the bottom of the barrel and you know it’s
Never gonna be the same
Why don’t we call it a day / Yea, let's just call it a day

Verse 2
I remember a time when a word from your lips could let the world slip back into place
But now I haven’t heard from you for days
And the truth of the matter is maybe it’s better this way
What do you say?

Chorus x 2
It was all fun and games until it wasn’t
We hit the bottom of the barrel and you know it’s
Never gonna be the same
Why don’t we call it a day / Yea, let's just call it a day

Verse 3
I remember a time when the touch of your hand could wipe all my fears away
But now you don’t understand anything and I think
The truth of the matter is maybe it’s better this way
What do you say?

Chorus x 2
It was all fun and games until it wasn’t
We hit the bottom of the barrel and you know it’s
Never gonna be the same
Why don’t we call it a day / Yea, let's just call it a day

When The Curtain Falls

Fun And Games

Escape

A song about the tragicomic side of somewhat circular romance. I started this a while ago and finally finished it the other week as part of a self-imposed songwriting challenge, and then threw everything at it that I had in the folk department, including an out-of-key tin whistle.

This is part of my second "album", https://soundcloud.com/jenni-grossmann/sets/when-the-curtain-falls

Verse 1
The spark at the start
Is my favourite part
Once the fire is growing
And the flames brightly glowing 
I stare at the ember and I try to remember
The state of the art but I’m lost in the dark
In the end it is always the same 
The flames turn to ashes and here comes the rain

Chorus
So I like this guy, but this guy likes that girl
And that girl likes that guy,
But that guy likes me,
But I’m too blind to see
What kind of sick joke is this honestly?

Verse 2
The attraction is there,
Rainbows and butterflies everywhere
We’re playing ping pong with glances
While weighing up chances
You kick off with some banter
Crap, you probably meant her
Not me, you never do
Cos I’m nothing to you,
In the end the rainbow is just rain,
And my bubbles of hope just get flushed down the drain.

Chorus
So I like this guy, but this guy likes that girl
And that girl likes that guy,
But that guy likes me,
But I’m too blind to see
What kind of sick joke is this honestly?

Bridge
And every bloody time I think I might
Finally be pulling ahead in the race
And I wanna open the door
But it’s not long before
The tailwind turns to slam it back in my face.

Chorus
So I like this guy, but this guy likes that girl
And that girl likes that guy,
But that guy likes me,
But we’re all too blind to see
What kind of sick joke is this honestly?

Outro
In the end it is all just a game,
It started out great, but now it’s shit, what a shame.

The Spark

Buttercup blues

This is the third of our five Christmas covers recorded collaboratively with the musicians of The MusiCollective (TMC) as part of this year’s festive song advent calendar. We’re well into December now, so to crank up the Christmas mood we’re releasing a new track every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and the final one on Christmas Day. We got 38 people on this track spanning all levels of singing and recording experience, brought together by the powers of BandLab, relentless nudging (sorry!) and the mixing magic of our Christmas elves. Very special shoutout to Elliot who has taken the sound quality of this one to the next level with his production skills – not an easy task given the large number of contributions to fit in. The result was well worth the effort – well done, everyone, and Happy Xmas (soon to come anyway)! 

Oh, and full disclosure: we’ve taken the liberty to rewrite the “The yellow and red ones” line, which seemed a bit outdated, to a possibly less racially loaded and more inclusive “For all of the colours” (beautifully sung by Lucy). And while we’re at it – if you cannot hear yourself distinctively on the track, trust that you are in there and blending nicely into the choir Dolby surround sound – we’ll make sure you get a solo line on one of the other tracks if you haven’t already had one 😊

There's also a festive music video to go with this where you can see everyone's faces fly and bounce around on the screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaGpyW1K2ak&list=PLd8JtUs4dXc5DdwlHiBl_o_8I3ThtWeTn&index=4

Here’s our singers and the rough time stamps when they come in / are most audible:
0:01 – Lucia (@missluciesblues), Pete (@user-340515103)
0:03 – Pete (@user-340515103)
0:13 – Jon (@user-855543074)
0:22 – Lucia (@missluciesblues), David P
0:31 – Alex D, Sophia (@user-898796305)
0:42 – Mark (@user-927129270), Tomás (@tomas_romeiro), Sharon, José, Sonia
1:01 – Chloe (@kloee-b)
1:03 – (War is Over) Sayanti (@gsayanti), Mark (@user-927129270), Jean (@user-449069773)
1:11 – Jenni (@jenni-grossmann), Alex D
1:21 – Sinéad (@sinead-davoren), David P
1:23 – (War is Over) Brittney (@pisgah-official), Jean (@user-449069773), Ilana (@ilana-529025203)?
1:30 – Lucy (@lucoline), Alex D
1:40 – Sam (@sam-robinson-885906690), José, Andrew T (@dusty-cornishman and @someone_else_ahead), Sharon
2:00 – Elliot (@user-560151090), Jenni (@jenni-grossmann)
2:02 – (War is Over) Doug (@doru_uk and @someone_else_ahead), Sandrine, Ilana (@ilana-529025203)
2:10 – Michael W, May
2:20 – Ash (@ashish-matthew), May
2:22 – (War is Over) Naresh (@nareshtatu), Jenni (@jenni-grossmann), Jean (@user-449069773)
2:29 – Thierry, Maggie
2:40 – José, Richard S (@user-141402509), Nick (@eleanor-collides), Ilana (@ilana-529025203)
3:00 – Delta (@deltaoconnor), Theyab, Tomás (@tomas_romeiro), Brian, Jean (@user-449069773)
3:20 – Will, Sharon, Maggie
3:39 – “Happy Christmas” from everyone in various languages
3:58 – Harvey ("Bah Humbug")

Production & mixing: Elliot, Doug
Bass: Kerry
Drum track and string section: James
Piano, guitar, violin, guide tracks: Jenni

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (John & Yoko) - TMC cover 2021

A someone theatrical song about mistakes, regret and the simultaneous shame and temptation / relief of sharing those feelings with someone else. Or the darkness within. Or something like that anyway. 

It's not actually based on any one specific personal experience, more on that sensation of realising that you haven't been entirely morally flawless in your actions - I wrote the choruses 1-2 years ago and only added the verses much later when I realised it doesn't have to be based on my own life but could also be about a fictional situation or relationship. So it turned into a duet - many thanks to @doru_uk for joining me on this one!

This is part of my second "album", https://soundcloud.com/jenni-grossmann/sets/when-the-curtain-falls

Verse 1
You’re turning your head
Cos I’ve gone and let you down … again.
I know you’re closing your eyes
You’re wondering how many times
we can go round until/before you’re reaching the end.

Pre-chorus
I wanna take your hand so you don’t/before you slip away, 
and let you open up that dark side of me, maybe you’d understand, 
and show me that dark side of you, if you dig deep enough 
maybe you and I are the same.

Chorus 1
Welcome to my gallery of shame
Where all the low lights of my life I’ve tried to bury deep inside are on eternal display.
So stay with me, they’re gonna come back to life
And they will haunt me when you’re gone and I am left here on my own and I can’t hide from the scorn in their eyes.

Verse 2
I’m closing my eyes
You churn out beautiful alibis - again.
You know I could pretend it’s alright
But all the secrets and lies make every crack that opens harder to mend.

Pre-chorus
But then you take my hand, before I slip away, and I fall into that dark side of you, somehow I understand, you crawl into that dark side of me, if we dig deep enough we’ll never come back out of this hole.

Chorus
Welcome to my horror show
Where all the things that I regret the things I never should’ve said are always with me when the curtain falls.
And here comes my parade of mistakes
They’re dancing up and down the stage and singing right into my face
My bittersweet serenade of disgrace.

Bridge
I try to pull you up - I can’t help dragging you down
Into this hall of mirrors on the walls all around.
If we could both stop our spiralling into the ground, one of these corridors could be the way out.

Chorus
Welcome to my gallery of shame
Where all the low lights of my life I’ve tried to bury deep inside are on eternal display.
So stay with me, they’re gonna come back to life
And they will haunt me when you’re gone and I am left here on my own and I can’t hide from the scorn in their eyes.

Welcome to my horror show
Where all the things that I regret the things I never should’ve said are always with me when the curtain falls
And here comes my parade of mistakes
They’re dancing up and down the stage and singing right into my face.

Gallery Of Shame (feat. Doru)

This Moment
Words, Music, Performance & Production by Ell Freeman 2022

I wake 
In this moment
I live
In this moment 
I see
Where I’m going 
I know 
I’ll be with you there again

I breath
In this moment 
I dream
In this moment
I see
All I need…

Chorus
Only the connection
I just feel 
The connection
I only feel 
The connection
To all that’s real

No pain
In this moment
No fear
In this moment
I see
Where I’m going
And I know 
I’ll be there with you again

No past
In this moment
No plan
In this moment
I see
All I need…

Chorus
Only the connection
I just feel 
The connection
I only feel 
The connection
To all that’s real

This Moment

A song about the agony of deciding whether to settle down or not and society's expectations around that.

Verse 1
Everyone knows better than me
What I should be wanting out of life and… what I need
To live happily
For eternity

Verse 2
Maybe one day I’ll stop settling up and settle down 
And maybe you’re the one that’s still around
When it comes to that
Would you wanna bet?

Chorus
Well I’m not scared enough of ending up alone - just yet
Still think I’m better off being on my own - I bet
you think there must be something wrong with me, I get it
I know you’re probably right and not the first one who said it
Maybe one day I’m grey and old and full of regret
But that’s a long way down the road and I’m not there just yet

Verse 3
Everyone seems to be looking for love
That special someone Disney made us all dream of
From our early days
Like there’s no other way

Verse 4 
Maybe I’m just cynical and secretly crave
That smiling knight in shining armour, so handsome and brave 
Enough to take my hand
And finally understand

Chorus
Well I’m not scared enough of ending up alone - just yet
Still think I’m better off being on my own - I bet
you think there must be something wrong with me, I get it
I know you’re probably right and not the first one who said it
Maybe one day I’m grey and old and full of regret
But that’s a long way down the road and I’m not there just yet

Bridge
At 25, there was still so much life
Ahead, at 29, we all still had plenty of time
At 33, I still wanted nothing but to be free
While half my friends had disappeared into their families
At 34 I wonder if the door’s still open
Or/and if a part of me is actually hoping 
For something I never thought I wanted
And if I don’t get it I’ll forever be haunted
Or if do, I’ll wake up from someone else’s dream
To find a fairytale you’re trapped in is nightmarish scene

Verse 5
Everyone wants someone to hold
If I search long enough I’ll find a fitting nut for this bolt 
Or some other cliché
Will take my breath away

Verse 6
But maybe there’s more than one way to live your life
And maybe mine doesn’t involve two kids and a guy
Or maybe I’ll look back (one day)
On what I could have had…

Chorus
Well I’m not scared enough of ending up alone - just yet
Still think I’m better off being on my own - I bet
you think there must be something wrong with me, I get it
I know you’re probably right and not the first one who said it
Maybe one day I’m grey and old and full of regret
But that’s a long way down the road and I’m not there just yet...

Not There Just Yet (demo)

a song about unrequited love and teenage crushes

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Waking up in my hotel room
200 miles back to you
My head feels like porcelain
Keep me for best put me back when you're through

But I believe in possibilities
Just hope that my aim is true

I'm taking my time
I'm protecting what's mine
And what's left of my fragile heart
I'm leaving no trace
And I'm keeping the faith
Before this pulls me apart

Pulls apart
Pulls apart

Staring across this ballroom
300 miles over to you
Giving up to start again
I'll wait for my flowers to bloom

But I believe in possibilities
Just hope that my aim is true

I'm taking my time
I'm protecting what's mine
And what's left of my fragile heart
I'm leaving no trace
And I'm keeping the faith
Before this pulls me apart

Pulls apart
Pulls apart

Porcelain (feat. Cecilee)

Kids

Here is the 4th demo of songs that I've written in my weekly songwriting group. The prompt for this was "submission" and the song is called "A Life That I Love". This one felt special :)

photo by Jenn Seguinot (Thru Jenn’s Frames Photography)

A Life That I Love

Here is my submission 
For a life that I love
I’ve been looking for permission 
Is this how I get some? 

I wrote up all the reasons 
That I could find
Documented all the seasons 
Of my life

And I’ll be waiting by my mail box
Every night
For an unmarked envelope that tells me 
What you decide 

About my life
I want to be extraordinary in 
My life
And enjoy the ordinary 
It’s my life 

I did a meditation 
Last Saturday
It asked if I were dying  
What would I change 

I though of all the things to list
I couldn’t decide 
I saw a cup of tea and 
A sun setting bright 

So I’ll be sitting in my garden
Every day 
While the steam is rising and the air is sweet 
And my thoughts will stray to

My life
I want to be extraordinary in 
My life
And enjoy the ordinary 
It’s my life

A Life That I Love (demo)

Seen from Above

Darkness 9.9

Chorus

And you knew there were no roads only a maze
Of all that you were not and could and should have been
They looked for you in the café, cemetery and church
They could not find you and we still have not found you yet

Verse 1

Death is forever and we sing to you with words
That moan and remember
A sad breeze
(Viento del oeste)

Verse 2

Let it be known that you have never truly died
You are the west wind
The shadow of our tears
(Sombra de lagrimas)

Verse 3

We have a thirst for newborn souls and laughter
Thirsty for new songs
That go to the soul
(Conciencia profunda)

Prechorus 1

Behind your eyes
Hermetic song
Breaks open seedlings
(Almanecer de flores)

Chorus repeat

Solo

Verse 4

You said things that go away never return
We respectfully disagree
Sing your restless wait
(Deseo anhelo)

Prechorus 2

Light that blinds
Arc of cry
Impossible to silence

Chorus repeat

Viento del Oeste

A collection of songs recorded at Silver Pine Studios with Eric Molyneux and Rachel Smith. Most of the songs feature the cigar box guitars made by OddBox Guitars

Cry For The Horses

Acoustic guitar track from Lucoline, Lucy Butler's new project (the singer from Sheabou)

Time can heal a hundred wounds

The MusiCollective is a community of musicians that get behind each others' projects, for example by helping with songwriting, arrangements, recording and production. It is a continuation of TGS Records (https://soundcloud.com/tgs-records) which started as a lockdown project and has been snowballing new members in ever since. If you'd like to join us, get in touch by emailing themusicollective21@gmail.com or filling in this short form: https://forms.gle/yhyjNKzWGidVCZgN9

Out of my head :: my soundtrack.

www.stonyhills.band

This Moment

ell freeman

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Lucia Mameli

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