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

“Museum of Lovers” is an alt-pop instrumental that’s impossible not to like.

The song is glorious and uplifting with ringing guitars, warm synth strings, chiming keyboards, bubbly bass, jangling tambourine and commanding drums. 

While original, like any song, there are influences.

See what you hear. Some include R.E.M., Stone Roses, The Who, The New Pornographers, The Smiths and Johnny Marr.

And you wouldn’t be wrong to hear some Rush at their poppiest with echoes of “The Spirit of Radio” in the airy, plucked guitar.

The song’s hallmark arpeggio guitar opens “Museum of Lovers” and continues throughout.

A drum buildup then brings in a complement of lead and rhythm guitar, bass, full drums and tambourine before being joined by synth strings on the prechorus.

The chorus is pure power pop, with a three-chord stomp reminiscent of The Who.

“Museum of Lovers” is built around three repeated verses that add new arrangement each time.

The first verse is a standard four-piece sound with rhythm and lead guitars playing off each other atop bass and drums.

The second verse adds a lush synth string melody that soars over the rising chord progression.

The bridge features a chiming keyboard contrasted with an intensifying string melody.

Tambourine plays a key role on the bridge, increasing in tempo to help build the section’s climax before returning to the chorus.

To build anticipation for the final verse and triumphant ending chorus, everything stops for a drum break and fill recalling The Beatles or Oasis.

The final verse is pure joy with an endearing keyboard lead that hands off to powerful melodic guitar lead on the prechorus through the ending chorus.

“Museum of Lovers” marks a return to working with my cousin, drummer and longtime musical partner Matt Jones after a brief break. 

His drumming is always great, but on “Museum of Lovers” he delivers one of his best performances yet.

The song is near midtempo and ballad-like in parts. But, rather than going light on drums, “Museum of Lovers” benefits from strong, steady drumming interspersed with big rolling fills, all high up in the mix.

You wouldn’t know by listening, but Matt actually delivered this amazing performance while sick as a dog with a stomach bug. Whatever it was, it worked.

The song’s distinctive sound comes from a guitar chord progression that utilizes open high strings. 

As a music geek, my Instagram feed is filled with music stuff, including guitar tips and tricks and one that gave birth to “Museum of Lovers.”

The song came together quickly in April and May.

Like others on this SoundCloud, the song was recorded using a Spire Studio device with Matt and me trading files between Southern and Northern California.

While recorded apart, “Museum of Lovers” was one of those songs that brings back memories of Matt and me effortlessly playing together in garages and bedrooms when we were kids.

“Museum of Lovers” was mastered and finalized, with a lot of precise mixing, in Adobe Audition.

The title is a borrowed phrase from No Doubt’s song “Bathwater.”

“Museum of Lovers” came together around the time of Coachella, where No Doubt reunited for the first time in nearly a decade.

The reunion was a major cultural phenomenon for Anaheim, where I work as head of communications for the city.

Like others, I enjoyed seeing the band reunite and got caught up in the excitement around their Coachella shows.

“Bathwater,” which mixes ska, power pop and a campy, cabaret chorus, details insecurity about dating someone attractive and promiscuous.

It starts with the line: “You and your museum of lovers, the precious collection you've housed in your covers.”

The phrase stuck. Used here, it is meant to be evocative, dreamy and passionate.

The song’s art is a picture taken by me in Paris. It’s of the "Umbrella Sky Project," a public art display of 800 colorful umbrellas above a shopping arcade.

May 12, 2024

Museum of Lovers

“Rock Candy” is a raucous, guitar-driven instrumental that recalls glam rock, power pop, alt-rock and even some classic rock.

The song is an indulgent but interesting 5 minutes long and is made up of diverse parts, buildups, breakdowns and varying guitar work.

There’s a mix of influences: the glam rock of Sweet and Slade; the transitional power pop of Cheap Trick; nods to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones; and, as always, the guitar stylings of Johnny Marr, an ever-present inspiration for me.

The opening verse, repeated throughout the song, is a driving guitar chord riff that starts the song like a freight train. To ease in, a subtle synth intro was added as a runway.

The verse gives way to a bombastic, building chorus that evokes part of “Birthday” by The Beatles or many Rolling Stones songs.

After the first chorus, the song goes into the first of two bridges (or parts that differ and break from the verse and chorus).

The first bridge, coming earlier than typical in a song, features a rockabilly-style guitar over soulful organ.

After another round of verse and chorus, “Rock Candy” breaks down with a second bridge — a slower, dreamy interlude of soaring, echoing guitars. 

From there, the song returns for a final verse and chorus, including an heavier outro version of the verse to end it.

As you’ll see on this Soundcloud, songs are all over the place, mixing tempos, style and genres. 

My last song, “Social Credit,” was an entirely different dive into slower dream pop. That makes “Rock Candy” an abrupt change of pace but consistent with the exploration of different styles on this account and even some prior harder, faster songs here.

Songs on this Soundcloud are a mix of new, current compositions and songs form my youth redone in a more polished way here. 

“Rock Candy” is an entirely new song developed over recent months.

The song is designed to sound like a band playing together but actually is made up of several studio tracks, some short bits just for specific sections.

“Rock Candy” was recorded on a Spire Studio device using a Fender Stratocaster, Yamaha YPT-300 keyboard, a drum beat from the Quick Drummer app and cymbals added from GarageBand. Synth parts are also from GarageBand. 

The song was mastered in Adobe Audition.

The title and artwork seek to capture the overall feel and glam influences of the song.

Dec. 23, 2025

Rock Candy

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.

Rock Candy

Mike Lyster

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