Monsters, Whores and More


Fledderjohn is the performing name of a gentleman named Michael Heath. A couple of years ago, back when my songwriting blog was trying to be a podcast, I made use of a wonderful song of his to illustrate some songwriting point or other. I lost the recording of that podcast when moving server a few months ago, so I can’t share that with you.

I can however, share his new album. Monsters, Whores and More is a wonderful set of songs. I don’t know if he had steampunk in mind when he created it, but with that airship on the cover, the gloriously fragile acoustic folk sound, lines like ‘Bumble bees and beagles, Mr Darwin help me please’ and songs about adventure on the high-seas, I’m going to declare it a steampunk(ish) masterpiece.

Particular favourites of mine are the opening track Tiny Boat, Fiddler’s Field and Evolution Song, but the whole album is a sublime slice of nautical songwriting that deserves to be on your music player of choice.

<a href="http://fledderjohn.bandcamp.com/album/monsters-whores-and-more">Tiny boat by Fledderjohn</a>

New songs

Hello you!

A couple of new songs:

Ratcatcher

Ratcatcher – A steampunk song that makes use of Victorian slang to warn of a scary, inhuman steam-powered robot policeman.

Papercut – A song that happened by accident because of a loop I had from another piece. I think it’s about living in a police state, but just because I wrote the lyrics doesn’t mean I have to understand them.

Sepia Chord’s Song of the Day

On Tuesday, Mechanism was Sepiachord’s Song of the Day.

Isn’t that nice?

PS. I’m currently working on a 9 minute long song with the working title of ‘The Trial of the Infamous Seven-Bells John’.

It’s about a murder on a steam locomotive and the subsequent trial of the titular rogue.

I am serious.

Songs on Youtube

I’ve been gradually putting things up on youtube. Here’s a photo montage thing to go with the instrumental track ‘Two’ from Spinning the Compass, and a copy of The Man Who Learnt To Fly, which can be downloaded by members of the mailing list.


And here’s how you join the mailing list:


Myspace music player
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Top Hat!

Today, I took delivery of a top hat. Why? Well, I’ve recorded a steampunk album, so I should have some steampunk pictures.

These aren’t them, these are just a couple of snaps to see how the top hat looks.

Look, it’s a top hat!


More on the Chord Progression Twitter Made

So as well as my own attempt to record a song using Matt Steven’s ‘Chord Progression Twitter Made’ there several other, very different pieces using the same ideas.

There’s Alun Vaughun’s Untaxed Hat:

An Untaxed Hat by AlunVaughan

(Which, as well as being a great piece of music, makes me want to explore soundcloud a bit more)

And Canary on a Wheel by Vonaxenburg

<a href="http://music.vonaxenbourg.net/track/canary-on-a-color-wheel">Canary on a Color Wheel by vonaxenbourg</a>

My own small attempt: Last Sunlight.

<a href="http://tomslatter.bandcamp.com/track/last-sunlight">Last Sunlight by Tom Slatter</a>