I’m sorry Mr Dracula but it’s the bats…
22 May 2008 by garyL.
...well, they’re just everywhere. I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to give you my notice.
We are in the depths of Ireland living in a little house by a lake making guitar shaped noise by day and making guitar shaped pasta by night. As the sun goes down the bats come out. They swoop just outside the bay windows of the living room and we watch and ohh and ahh. Two nights ago tom closed the window after I joked about the potential chaos that would ensue if one flew through it. A Keystone Cops style flapping of wings and arms and shouting and bumping into each other no doubt. Well still with that ringing in my ears I when to my room turned on the light to find what?.... Yes, a bat. Although, at first, to the naked eye it was no more than a jet-black spasm of vibrating madness. My brain filled in the gaps pretty quickly though. I guess it goes through the list of things pretty fast. Crow? Too small. Small evil spirit? We’ll put that in the maybes. Bat? Oh yeah. There are three human reactions to a frenzied scene like that: panic or calm or violence. Now, I’m many things but I’m not violent. Only towards flies and wasps, they can fuck off. So that leaves calm or panic. Hmmm, well I tend to teeter on the side of panic at all times and this was no different. Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, bat! I proclaimed with manliness aplenty. The calm was introduced by our good friend, drum tech and general legend Graemo Hunter who, after getting the video camera, turned the lights off and let the wee fella chill right down. Chill he did and we next found him clinging to the towel hanging from my door shivering scared poor thing. A few slow movements and an open window later and he was out among his bat pals again chasing bastarding flies and what not. We have it on video. We’ll put it up on the site soon enough or save it for something else but you will see it and more besides. During our stay in that house by the lough in Co. Galway there were five bats flapping up the place. Ok, it might have been the same bat, he may well have lived in the house and it was him trying to get us to fuck but out he went each time. Graemo worked out an ingenious lights off, door open, door closed, lights on system that seemed to do the trick. If it weren’t for our Graeme we’d be covered in bats still. Clothed in them. Like the batsuit but made of live bats and no superhero within.
We’ve now moved away from the bats and frogs (oh there were frogs too, a stagnant swimming pool saw to that, frogs are marvellous, we made them ramps to get in and out of the receding water in the filthy pool) to right bang in the geographical centre of the island of Ireland to start the album. The first week is behind us and things are going great. Some loveliness is happening and it’s very exciting to hear songs I’ve been demoing over the last year or more spring to noise covered life.
Been listening to some great new things. Always excited by a new death cab record. The video for I will possess your heart is quite glorious too. A new album too from the weepies called hideaway is so very lovely yet again. I’m a sucker for their harmonies and some of you will recall me waxing my lyricals about them in previous posts. The second record by the shortwave set produced by dangermouse is a dazzling wee masterpiece too. Their first album the debt collection was good but didn’t really prepare me for how stunning replica sun machine would be, and is. Check these guys out too, jonquil. Start with parasols. A slow build but succulent payoff you could sink your teeth and ears into. http://www.myspace.com/jonquiluk
When I get the chance I’m mostly watching californication, 30 rock (funniest show since arrested development) and house. Oh and lost. Hating the wait week to week though. Give us it all at once please.
No movies as we’ve been too busy to get out to the cinema. I’m dying to see ironman, indy, caramel and in bruges and more. Off this weekend and may spend it doing just that and eating sacks of salty (is there any other kind!?) popcorn.
Reading the book thief (for my sins, I know everyone else is too but for once there is a reason for it as it is very very good) and nigel slater’s eating for england (for the sheer endulgant comfort of it. He is the best food writer in the UK I think. Prose as delicious as the food itself. And it's lathered in hot-buttered nostalgia too to boot)
Other things I be liking musicwise in no particular order:
Crystal castles, crystal castles
Bon iver, for emma, forever ago
Ladytron, velocifero
Noah and the whale, shape of my heart (single)
Sleeping states, there the open spaces
Operator please, yes yes vindictive
Portishead, third
And finally the incredible Flight Of The Conchords. Yes it’s very funny but check the production too. Better than most serious hip-hip and rock records. Off course the tv show is fantastic too. We’re all fans of that.
I hope y’all are well and i'll post again from the studio when i can. Gary.x
