I was walking straight and tall
Like someone with nothing and no one to carry
- A woman without a burden -
Till my feet got me to the sea

I let myself in and it 
dutifully, voraciously, swallowed me
Then spat me out like a bad taste
Been pretty bitter lately

We played this game for a while 
Till I washed up on the shore
smooth as driftwood and 
barely wiser than before

Sometimes you need to be 
tossed around 
so you can feel the new sound
rising 
Climbing you like ivy...
Been pretty bitter lately

bitterlately

This one towards the more miserable end of the pioneer spectrum. However, it is near dawn in the imaginary camp, and the settlers have a pretty good idea that tomorrow is not going to be pleasant. 

Written by Gavin Pearce

Vocals - Veronica Thompson
Vocals, guitar and percussion - Gavin Pearce
String Quartet - 'ShowStrings'
Violin 1 - Lizzie Ball
Violin 2 - Shlomy Dobrinsky
Viola - Meghan Cassidy
Cello - Gabriella Swallow

Recorded at Reservoir Studios - by Chris Clarke

Photo by Karla Da Silva

Lyrics:

And we’ll leave no trace, no trace at all
The flowers will grow and the petals will fall
On the ground where I kissed you
And where you first called my name

And I’ll burn my diary and letters you sent
And there’ll be no record of the days we spent
Or the hours that we stole
Or what they once meant to us then

And the moon and the stars will keep silent
They won’t tell a soul
And you’ll slip through my arms for the last time
And no one will know
That we were together, at all

Leave No Trace

Released November 29, 2023
Vocals, guitar, harmonium, singing bowls and percussion by Amy Dawn
Cello and clarinets by Jamie Wilson
Bass guitar by Nicholas Bowen
Produced by Nicholas Bowen at Quay West Studios

Purple Flowers

The Glow

A song I made myself!

Lyrics:
Hands made of ochre
Painting all over
Scriptures of colour
Making me smoulder

All through these late nights
Late nights
Late nights
Late nights in love

Mexican summer
Burning hot lover
A means to discover
The beauty and wonder

In his deep black eyes
Black eyes
Black eyes
Black eyes in love

Teotihuacan
Teotihuacana
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacana

A dahlia sunset
Lighting up our bed
With petals of blood red
Nothing’s to be said

All though these late night
Late nights
Late nights
Late nights in love

With hands of sienna
He traced my embers
Loving and tender
I still remember

The depths of his black eyes
Black eyes
Black eyes
Black eyes in love

Teotihuacan
Teotihuacana
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacana

Teotihuacan
Teotihuacana
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacana

Teotihuacan

"Last night I made that same old mistake / My love needed me but I hid away"

Oh Morning Sun

An attempt at 3/4 time -- and alliteration!

Moonlight At Midnight

Oh beautiful morning, will you endure
The coming darkness, the closing door?
Will you hide away, return no more?

I beg you, I implore you, beseech you
Don't stay away

We need your smile, your sunlit rays
The kiss that sets our hearts ablaze
The gentle promise of better days

I beg you, I urge you, I pray you
Won't hide
I beg you, I plead with you, I beseech you
Don't stay away

Oh golden morning, my heart is full
I hope you linger, hold back the cold
And the coming dark night of the soul
Now don't you go!

I beg you, I urge you, I pray you
Won't hide
I beg you, I plead with you, I beseech you
Don't hide away
I beg you, I implore you, call out to you
Don't stay away

With a tip-of-the-hat to Chris Brain and his tune, "Golden days"

Image by Jake Givens

Oh Golden Morning

Eu - Mariana Froes

Drunk, Again

The idea of these songs is a rag-tag bunch of settlers in 1820 or thereabouts, corralling their carts for the night and singing songs. A few have guitars, a consumptive child plays violin, and someone else has an early version of garageband. They are sitting around the fire, ever more drunk and maudlin. The next day they're butchered to a man, by Apaches or some stray pack of soldiers on the escape from a Cormac McCarthy book. 

The grand plan is for other people to sing and play on these songs, to stealthily build some of them up to full orchestra and choir. Some songs seem to work recorded drunkenly with one guitar, whereas others seem to ache for sweeping strings and four part harmonies, like Gustav Mahler with a cowboy hat on.

Louise Riley, Veronica Thompson, Rasp Thorne and Shimrit Elisar have been the first to come wandering in barefoot and wild-eyed out of the vast imaginary emptiness and stand close to the fire for a couple of songs apiece. There is also some beautiful fiddle on a few tracks, played by Sophie Loyer. Nicola Cunningham sang and played glockenspiel at a recent live show. Sarah Gill has played most impressive cello on some of the songs.

Photo by Karla Da Silva

Leave No Trace

The Wolfe Sisters