A compilation of some of our favourite tracks since our inception in 2009.  Have we missed anything? 

www.secondlanguagemusic.com

Second Language Music 2009 - 2024 (work in progress)

From the album, 'Pilgrim Chants & Pastoral Trails' out now on Second Language Music : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/SL024.html

Sharron Kraus - Winding Road

From the album, 'I Lived In Trees,' out now on Second Language Music : 
http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/


Mark Fry/The A Lords - Ruins Of Stone

Adieu À L'Écurie - D.Rothon

From the album, 'Public Flowers,' out now on Second Language Music  : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/


Robin Saville - In Konik Mokkin

From 'Music & Migration III' : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/SL025.html

Now deleted.  

Lisa Knapp - Fine Horseman

From the album, 'Sir Oliffe Leigh & Other Ghosts,' out now on Second Language Music : www.secondlanguagemusic.com

Oliver Cherer - Millions

Future Conditional - Demolitions(feat. Bobby Wratten & Beth Arzy)

From the album 'Silver Servants,' out now.  
www.secondlanguagemusic.com

A CROW WILL REMEMBER YOUR FACE
(English/Johnson/Kraus/Palmer/Tcherneyan)
 
Glen Johnson - voice/Oliver Cherer - backing vocals/Sharron Kraus - keyboards, recorder, dulcimer, backing vocals/Katie English - flute/Jerome Tcherneyan - percussion, glockenspiel/Nick Palmer - piano/Zizi Kanaan - backing vocals/Aine O'Dwyer - backing vocals

"a pin-tail duck, he does not give a fuck but a crow will remember your face..."


Silver Servants - A Crow Will Remember Your Face

Cédric Pin/Glen Johnson - Prick

From the album, 'Models,' out now on Second Language Music.  www.secondlanguagemusic.com

There's not just a brutalism about Cumbernauld, the Scottish "new town" in North Lanarkshire, developed ostensibly to catch the population overspill from neighbouring Glasgow in the 1950's but also a melancholy, almost tangible banalism.  According to brothers Phillip and Peter Walker, collectively operating under the moniker of P60, the lack of any discernible activity, cultural or otherwise, has resulted in a "blank society" which practically revels in its stagnance.  "If you Google images on Cumbernauld," says Phillip, you'll notice a distinct dearth of people in the photos.  Everyone just stays at home watching tv." But look very closely and you'll notice that something is happening behind the concrete 
and steel facade.  
 “We got into this by default," says Peter. “Our uncle Jim, died about 5 years ago and they found all these old synths and stuff in his attic which obviously, he’d never used. Some of them were wrapped up in bin liners and bits of carpet so the rain wouldn’t get at them.  Nobody wanted them so at first I thought let's just stick them on eBay or something."
Phillip, however, had other ideas. “I used to be in a band (the equally reclusive Glasgow post-punk outfit, Knives Replace Air) which was all guitars but I knew we could do something if we applied ourselves. It’s taken 2 years to actually start making tunes we’re happy with.  Before, it was just press a key, twist some knobs and see what comes out.  We’re still not exactly Depeche Mode.”  
It’s this rudimental, even naïve approach to their somewhat rusty analogue palette that makes P60 stand out.  As Phil says, “Most people with a few synths and a drum-machine would go, ‘Let’s make dance music’ but between us, we literally have no interest in club culture.  We’re much more interested in the voice of the instruments." 
But why P60?  “Both our names start with P obviously but in one of the binbags with all these synths was a little black box held together with duct tape and someone’s Dymo’ed ‘P60’ on it.  There’s an input and an output and we’ve had it apart but we’ve still got no idea what it does!  It’s literally a little black box that does nothing.  It seemed very apt.  We aren't going to play live or have our photos taken.  We want to stay anonymous.  In the current celeb-obsessed climate, that's about as punk as I can imagine.”  

P60 'Models' comes in a semi-transparent glassine envelope with postcard, sanding disc, tachograph, hand-stamped litmus paper and electrical resistor.  Limited edition of 300 copies.  This is SL031.



P60 - Broken And Unbroken

From the album, 'The Burning Skull,' by Cédric Pin and Glen Johnson, out July 27th 2018 on Second Language Music.  Order from Bandcamp : https://cedricpinglenjohnson.bandcamp.com/album/the-burning-skull-craquelure-ep

Painting/image by Cédric Pin.

Cédric Pin/Glen Johnson - It Was Not Meant To Be

From the forthcoming album, 'I Feel Nothing Most Days,' out 26th April 2019 on Second Language Music.  Pre-order here : https://olivercherer.bandcamp.com/

Oliver Cherer - Weight Of The Water

Klima : Things Get Better With Time

From the album, 'Yclypt,' out now on Second Language Music : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/

Richard Moult -  Song For Mourie

From the album, 'I Hunt Alone,' out now on Second Language Music : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/SL020.html



Directorsound - I Hunt Alone

From the album, 'Ombilical,' out now on Second Language Music.  More info : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/

All music - Glen Johnson except trumpet - Oliver Cherer

Textile Ranch - 'How I Sit At The Piano'

Franck Alba - Frédéric

From 'Heart Machinery - A Piano Magic Retrospective, 2001 - 2008'
Buy/info : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/SL021.html

Piano Magic - Giant Mirror To Light Up Village

From the album, 'Anything bright or startling?' out now : http://www.secondlanguagemusic.com/SL022.html


Áine O Dwyer - Falcon

This one has been a long time coming.  In 2014, debut album in the can, Silver Servants, a loose collective of Second Language artists, commenced work on a Winter-themed recording.  For one reason or another, what was meant to be one, gapless sonic tapestry, never made it to full fruition but you can hear the fruits it did produce, here on ‘Drifts & Flurries.’  With the creative success of the ‘Avenue With Trees’ album, we decided to take those Silver Servants tracks as a starting point for a new compilation, inviting old ghosts and new friends to contribute.

Mark Brend aka Ghostwriter, was one of the very first artists to release something on Second Language – ‘The Continuing Adventures Of The Strange Sound Association album,’ came out in 2010, when we were less than a year old.  His specially-commissioned work here forms pillars throughout this record, accompanied by Katie English (Isnaj Dui, Littlebow, Silver Servants).  The Declining Winter featured on our first ‘Music & Migration’ compilation from the same year.  Here, in true ‘Servants style, they collaborate with Clay Pipe fellow, David Rothon and Glen Johnson, a Servant, himself.

ISAN first featured on a Second Language compilation in 2011, if only for a minute (‘Minute Papillon’).  You can also find them on our second ‘Music & Migration’ compilation and the duo’s Robin Saville released his solo album, ‘Public Flowers,’ on the label in 2013.

Oliver Cherer (in his Dollboy guise) was also an early 2L attendee.  He’s omnipresent here, voicing Ghostwriter tracks, moonlighting as a Silver Servant and offering an icy take on Nico’s ‘Frozen Warnings.’  Newer to our fold are the London-based Japanese composer, Yumi Mashiki and Paul Tornbohm’s Alter Later project, voiced here (on a splendid Yazoo cover) by Amanda Butterworth of Mücha.  The French field recordist, Marc Namblard, exposes the secret sounds of frozen lakes, Scot electronicists P60 team up with Finnish guitarist, J. Luneburg for a secular dance and Sea Glass, formed from the ribs of The Leaf Library and Firestations, take on Movietone’s ‘Blank Like Snow.’ David Rothon offers a beautiful paean to the Welsh hill and battleground, Bryn Glas.  

‘Drifts & Flurries’ includes a bonus disc, ‘The Frosted Pane,’ by Johnson and the Bulgarian violist, Raisa Zapryanova.

This is SL042.

www.secondlanguagemusic.com

Sea Glass -  Blank Like Snow

Independent record label based in London.  2009 - present day.