There are definitely recurring themes in my songwriting. I tell stories, I sing about murder, about steampunk monsters and body horror, about being at a distance from the real world.

Dreams and nightmares turn up more than once. Here are three examples.

Three Rows of Teeth

This is song is all about dream logic. We start off riding in a hot air balloon, which is then torn to pieces by some horrific sky creature with three rows of teeth. We tumble down to the ground only to be confronted by more monsters. This second set of monsters are evil living church steeples with spindly legs and gaping maws.

It is a strange song, even I am prepared to admit. But one with a great riff in the middle.

Spinning the Compass

The title track from my first solo album is similarly dream-like. Inspired by the Alfred Bester novel, The Demolished Man, this song is from the point of view of a person who finds their world vanishing and shrinking around them, until the very physics of the world shrinks and vanishes and stops making sense. It’s about being unsettled, feeling as if the world simply doesn’t make sense any more.

These Tiny Things Are Haunting Me

This is a fun little song about the tiny monsters that dance about at night, nibbling at your toes and haunting your dreams. The same monsters might be about to return on my next album…

My new album (out soon, I promise!) will continue the theme of nightmare songs.

None of these by the way, are actually based on real dreams. I very rarely remember dreams, but I do know that like lots of people I do have really weird dreams. Most of these songs have lyrics that turned up while I was very awake, most often while playing with various word randomisation techniques. The oddest ideas can occur in the most normal circumstances.

Thanks for listening!