Man Of The People

The LENINGRAD experiment paid off last night in a quick late night vocal session at the Birdcage. It took some tweaking of the words, but we got it down and it was relatively painless. I did several tracks including a falsetto Bee Gee's impersonation. The Disco era begins (ummmm, no). Anyway, we're happy with what we got down and we're down to just Mr. Saintface, who we have finally been able to schedule to come in early next week to do his final vocals.

We're still in the process of getting the album's centerpiece, THEME FROM PROPAGANDA, together. It's the album's dance track and we've got live drums recorded as well as some improvised and rambling vocals that I kinda did on the spot a little ways back. The track is really best suited for Ash's talents. He's edited and arranged it from the start and I personally would like to see his sensibilities applied to this song in order to take it to the next step. We'll see how this plays out. I spent part of my day getting Ash up to speed on some recent mixes and boy did he love Peter's vocals on CLEAN UP. I think you all will too.

In other news, a long gestating project I've been pushing, plotting and planning for over the past year and a half took a very big step yesterday. It's going to be a slow and painful process (as it has been just to get to this point), but in the end should be worth it. This will cure a few people's machine rock itches in 2005, I hope.

Meanwhile, I am digging the sound of SOLARIZED, the new album from former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, who also just made a cameo in the recent HARRY POTTER movie. SOLARIZED is is 4th solo record and is a romantic, laid back affair, with great uses of synth and horns (Courtesy I think of Groove Armada). While his peers have moved into mansions and lost touch with thier roots, Brown remains a man of the people. He never loses his cred and in this day and age, he comes across more genuine than ever before. This album takes full advantage of his Mancunian voice and I'm always impressed that he's never sold out by re-creating the Roses or gone straight rock. Each of his albums has a unique identity, yet they are all unique to him. SOLARIZED is the sound of a man comfortable with his legacy and yet still challenged by it, and that's saying a lot. On paper, it would seem his collaboration with Noel Gallagher on the excellent single KEEP WHAT YA GOT is an excuse to get Ian back into the hearts of the "kids", but he is so real and honest that it actually gives Noel the rub he's needed since Oasis' debacle at Glastonbury this summer. Ian Brown recently told the NME he is for the people, and thats no joke.

F