Long overdue remix of The Ruby Suns' should have been a hit "In Real Life," from "Christopher," out now on Lil' Chief/Sub Pop/Memphis Industries.

Featuring Tom Watson on smooth guitar. 

The Ruby Suns – "In Real Life" (Lawrence Arabia Remix)

Recorded approximately April 2002(?) on Anna Coddington's digital eight track at Aidee, Paul and Kip's flat in Mount Albert. Even though I was just learning how to do this at the time (i.e. write/record/arrange music)this was a bit of a breakthrough and actually bloody exciting for 20 year old me. The Brunettes recorded a version of it, and this version was released on a little EP of demos that I pressed up and gave to friends and sold at shows, by The Reduction Agents – "3 Tales of Woe, Urban Decay and Stress-Related Back Pain."

You Beautiful Militant

In preparation for the upcoming "perform my albums in full" shows, I've been dissecting old session files to try and recapture whatever the hell was going on when I recorded the songs in the first place. This is the last couple of minutes of "The Joke Is In Your Hand" stripped back in an ad hoc "Classic Albums" type style.

The Joke Ending

Basic tracks recorded during "The Sparrow" recording sessions, with more recent production and mixing touches by Ryan McPhun (The Ruby Suns). Released as part of Beck's New New Zealand Music album on May 1 2014. With Elroy Finn on drums and Connan Mockasin on bass. Kindly mastered by Bevan Smith. Available for download via iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/his-parents-jeep-single/id872252459?uo=4&at=10lrHH

His Parents' Jeep

I have almost no recollection of creating this piece of music. All I know is it is dated 27 June 2006. I think it might have involved a Crumar string synthesizer and a Roland Space Echo.

Merry Little Whitsunday

Theme Music for RNZ National Checkpoint 2016-22

Checkpoint Theme

Part of a string arrangement for a song off my new album.

Mouth String Arrangement

Just found the original live take of Dream Teacher, recorded November 2007 in a bomb shelter in Stockholm by Niek Meul and Robert Hefter.

Dream Teacher sans overdubs

A new edit of "Sex Meat" from the "What We Do In The Shadows" soundtrack.

Sex Meat

The genesis of this escapes me, but it was entitled "June 17" in a folder called "June Demos" from 2009. The presence of trombone, Juno and a Crumar string synth indicates that it must have been recorded at Ryan McPhun's (The Ruby Suns)studio, which also probably sub-consciously or consciously influenced its kind of Ruby Suns-ish-ness. It was quite an uncanny feeling hearing this today and having no memory of the circumstances of its making.

June 17 2009

Apple Pie Bed Demo

Quick mix of Lawrence Arabia and Carnivorous Plant Society performing the first piece of an original live film score for the 1928 silent film "Lonesome" at the New Zealand International Film Festival. Recorded 9 August 2015 at the Paramount Theatre in Wellington.

FOH and recording by Matt Coplon.

Rough mix by James Milne.

Lonesome (1. The City Wakes)

Act Jingle

Score from unreleased film "Songs For A Dead Dog," recorded November 2, 2006.

Burial (from "Songs For A Dead Dog")

In 2006, my dear friend Norman Engel and I conceived of an idea of tapping the popera market with an album of Christmas favourites. Alcohol and some degree of hubris were involved. We began recording an album entitled "Norman Angel – Christmas Angel," which we obviously thought was hilarious, but which we secretly hoped would exploit people's sentimental taste and sell truckloads of copies in the suburbs. Some of Norman's other close friends invested money in the project, and we set to finishing off the record and unleashing it on an unsuspecting, Yuletide popera-hungry public. Unfortunately, due in no small part to my own youthful inexperience and incompetence, I made what might charitably be called an undercooked record of maudlin schmaltz, and consequently got too close to Christmas 2006 without finding the necessary distribution network to adequately market it to the rest homes where it might have been a festive smash. Norman and our friends who invested in the project were left with a mountain of compact discs, and all of our parents and grandparents received copies of "Norman Angel – Christmas Angel" under the tree that year. 

Amid the other songs, which Norman and I were discussing on the phone the other day as being "disastrous," (and which I take full responsibility for), one song stood out as having some actual life and inspiration within it – and, as Norman says in this video, was "completely different to anything else we've done" – "Jingling Christmas Eve." It's a jaunty song I wrote, inspired by a friend's Christmas Eve one night stand. It's got at least one appalling double entendre in it. 

It's $2 (or higher if you wish) to get a copy – the second dollar, and every dollar you may choose to give above that, will go to the Christchurch City Mission, towards helping provide some Christmas cheer for those in need.
Get it here – https://lawrencearabia.bandcamp.com/track/jingling-christmas-eve

Norman Angel – Jingling Christmas Eve (2016 Mix)

Early demo for the Uncle Bertie's Botanarium season 2 grand finale.

You Can't Destroy Pleasure (Demo)

Version of "The Mystery Lair" recorded by Matthew Crawley in the crypt of Basilique St Eutrope, Saintes, France. June 22, 2008.


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