With chiming guitars, Irish bagpipes, violin and banjo, “Giant’s Causeway” is a celebration of Celtic alternative rock.
 
The instrumental song recalls Celtic alt-rock of the 1980s and bands and artists including U2, The Waterboys, The Pogues, Big Country, Sinead O’Conner and The Alarm, as well as later bands including The Cranberries and The Frames.

Specifically, “Giant’s Causeway” leans Irish, though there’s Scottish Celtic in there as well. It’s a mix that’s best pinned to Northern Ireland and its often rocky blend of two similar but subtly distinct cultures.

The “Giant’s Causeway” title — taking its name from a collection of seaside columns along the North Channel separating Northern Ireland from Scotland — is meant to capture the Irish and Scottish mix that makes up Celtic music and culture.

The Giant’s Causeway is a natural wonder made famous in the music world on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” record.

The legend of the Giant’s Causeway is classic Celtic folklore. The volcanic columns are said to be the remains of a causeway built by Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill, who was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner.

The song, in its own simple way, is also meant to show how the music and cultures of Irish Catholics and Scottish Protestants can harmoniously blend together and bridge differences. 

“Giant’s Causeway” starts with a driving, rising verse propelled by a 12-string acoustic guitar, a six-string acoustic and an electric guitar played through a chorus effect, getting that chiming sound common in the 1980s.

The verse builds and then gives way to a rich, welcoming electric guitar melody that recalls Big Country and Echo and the Bunneymen.

From there, the song moves to a vivid, dramatic chorus with a haunting, memorable violin melody that is both pretty and melancholic, in the Irish folk tradition of songs of longing and lament.

The verse returns for a second time with a keyboard-simulated dulcimer adding an electronic folk feel.

And a new addition: A banjo! For reals! My wife just graciously bought me a five-string banjo after I mentioned the song really called out for it.

I’m still learning to play it, but you’ll hear basic pluckin’ on the bridge and final chorus.

The song breaks down midway with 12- and six-string guitars playing a drone-like chord pattern of G major to a B minor with an added G played as an open string.

The acoustic guitars are joined by a droning bass guitar, banjo and a spirited electric guitar with hammer-ons and pull-offs for a folk sound.

Then comes a realistic keyboard simulation of Irish uilleann pipes, smaller than Scottish bagpipes with a distinct duck-call tone.

The bridge is full Irish folk song. To me, it evokes mental images of an Irish traveler caravan with people playing music around a campfire.

That transitions perfectly back into the violin chorus with the uilleann pipes continuing for dramatic effect.

The verse then repeats for a third time, with an enveloping, echoing, cathedral-like electric guitar.

The electric lead borrows inspiration from U2 and Big Country, which used chiming guitars run through effects to create Gaelic and Celtic sounds.

The passage is made up of three guitars playing the same part, each with different but complementing effects. The main guitar is played through a cavernous echo. The second is run through a modulating effect, while the third is a rotary or organ sound. 

The layering technique is borrowed from Robin Gutherie of Scotland’s Cocteau Twins, who used layered, processed guitars to create a wall of sound.

Drums are by my cousin and music partner Matt Jones. He recorded two different main drum parts and the booming Celtic drums on the bridge.

May 5, 2023

Giant's Causeway

“Retrograde” is an alt-rock instrumental that mixes jazzy, groovy verses with a lush, pretty prechorus and chorus, echoing a range of influences and a grab bag of sounds and styles.

The song builds on some familiar precursors, namely British alternative bands World Party, The The, The Style Council, James, The Lightning Seeds, Razorlight and Richard Ashcroft and The Verve (just to name a few!). There’s even some Carol King in there.

I’ve been listening to all the above recently and was inspired by the way they use piano in many songs.

“Retrograde” features a jazzy, even bluesy piano verse that gives way to a brighter, chiming piano melody on the chorus.

While piano is front and center, the song is actually built around jazzy guitar chords — A minor, G minor 9 and E minor and D with open strings thrown in — to get an airy, exotic feel.

When I first came up with the verse on guitar, it sounded a lot like the 1964 classic “Hanky Panky” by Tommy James and the Shondells. 

While that influence is still in there, the song went on to take a jazzier feel.

Guitar, piano and bass are the heart of “Retrograde.” Layered on those are moody, synth strings and a synth cello to add weight and tension to the verse.

As on most songs on this Soundcloud, drumming is by my cousin and music partner Matt Jones. He nails the dynamic range of the song and soars with some amazing, rolling Oasis-style fills throughout and particularly on the ending chorus ride out.

By our standards, the song is slower at 125 beats per minute. That really gives Matt some room for transitions and fills.

The song’s prechorus is a buildup with a tease of the actual chorus. In it, the tense and groovy verse starts to give way to lush, lofty and sweet passages, while still interspersing the main riff of the verse. 

Then the chorus finally arrives with a ringing acoustic guitar and a charming, memorable piano part.

As an instrumental, each verse is varied to keep the listener engaged. 

The first verse starts quietly with just piano, guitar, bass and strings with a hi-hat keeping the beat. 

Then a big fill ushers in full drumming, a cello and a segueway to the prechorus.

The second verse features a keyboard-simulated jazz flute lead (insert your “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” joke here!).

Following a bridge, breakdown and incredible drum fill by Matt, the third verse features an ultra cool sounding xylophone lead, also played on a keyboard.

The song ends with a trumpet playing a variation on the chorus melody.

“Retrograde” was recorded using a Spire Studio device and app with tracks then transferred to Adobe Audition for mixing and mastering.

Matt and I traded tracks back and forth between Southern California and Monterey.

The name “Retrograde” was picked largely because it sounds cool. It has astrological and astronomy meanings, but that wasn’t really the motivation.

Along with sounding cool, the title was picked for some of the song’s throwback feel to bands in the late 1980s, 1990s and even early 2000s.

The song art recalls the retro-cool cover cases for VHS videotapes from the 1980s and ’90s.

July 23, 2023

Retrograde

A cover version of "Dear Prudence" that draws on the Siouxsie and Banshees and Alanis Morsette versions as well as the original Beatles song. Features lead vocal plus several background vocals over dreamy instrumental and electronic drums.

Dear Prudence

Exploring sounds and styles in the love of great music — that's what I do.

I make music for fun, recording using guitar and keyboards and composing and arranging instrumentals.

My go-to is alternative, particularly British varieties, but I love many different styles and experiment with them. You'll hear mod-influenced Northern Soul, classic rock, 1970s glam and pre-punk, post-punk, punk, surf, cowboy country, synth pop and even a bit of House electronica and dance. More to come! All rights reserved.

Retrograde

Mike Lyster

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Matthew Jones

Matthew Jones

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