After a 17-year hiatus, the long-awaited Love, Loss & Side-Tales of Recovery, follow-up to 2008’s Crossroads, Middletown, is finally here. Much has changed for Polair since his London-based album in 2008. The sentiment of "Settle Down" from Crossroads, Middletown now seems prophetic, as he has found love, started a family, and relocated to the South of France. Fabien Polair returns in strong form, with renewed inspiration drawn from life's lessons ("One day you fall, the next you float") and a newfound serenity ("And I feel I'm finally home").

Strange Times

ocean

Untukmu, Dewi Hatiku

Wispwalker’s Lament

Hey Theresa

Wally

Feels Like Tonight

Parachute

050 Flor das Aguas

Stains

(written sometime around 2014 by k. hilbert & k. hennen)

as far as i know all things lead to an end
but before it's time to leave, give me two names and an ampersand
and ooooooooohh, give me a heart
and then for heaven's sake the world may break apart
may break apart

let's go to the woods all dressed up in white
whispered magic poems enlightening the night
hey!

let's sing in the woods
let's go to the woods
let's dance in the woods
let's go to the woods

let's hold each other's hands, catch the light and keep it
in a far off place so sacred it's secret
let's go down the the river, let the water carve our names
a little pleasant shiver as our hearts burst into flames
our hearts burst into flames

as far as i know all things lead to an end
but before the curtain call
if just, if just, if just for a second
give me a glimpse of beauty
and give me eternal youth
and then for heaven's sake all hell may break loose
it may break loose

let's sing in the woods
let's go to the woods
let's dance in the woods
let's go to the woods

when the sun goes down again
our paths lead into town again
the both of us will frown again
i never wanna frown again
i never, never, never
i never, never, never
i never wanna frown again
let's stay in the woods
let's stay in the woods
let's stay in the woods
let's stay in the woods
let's stay in the woods
let's stay in the woods

Note:

I was never a musician.

Just because I could strum a guitar in a rudimentary way didn’t make me a musician. No more than hammering a nail into a wall makes you a carpenter. Still, the picture you hang might look beautiful.

Between the age of 16 and 28, I wrote songs – sometimes alone, sometimes with friends or in bands. I was always by far the least talented musician in the rehearsal room. The songs I had in my head always sounded very different from the demos I managed to record: bad sound quality, off-key vocals, no sense of rhythm. But they existed.

And over the years, whenever I was feeling low, I would listen to those old recordings and think:
"At least I created something." Then I started stumbling upon AI-generated songs on YouTube –
"New Nirvana Track", "The Beatles sing Wonderwall" and so on. 

I completely understand those who see this as the death of music and creativity – as a kind of cheat code. But for me, it felt like an opportunity: to finally hear my unfinished songs the way they always sounded in my head, where they lived rent-free for a very long time.

These 15 songs are far from perfect. And I’d never claim they are on the same level as what real artists create. But: Every word, every chord is mine. (Some of them written with the help of friends.) AI was a tool – not a ghostwriter. It gave form to songs that have been haunting me for over two decades.

You’ll probably hear some of my musical influences clearly. Maybe this is all just a strange form of comfort. If someone else finds something in it – that’s great. And if not, well... at least now I know which songs I’ll listen to the next time I’m not okay, to remind myself: "At least I created something."

Let's Go To The Woods

ocean

🐕‍🦺mint-choco vampire.