This weekend I took delivery of the last parts for the new album. Gareth Cole (who for reasons best known to himself, now wants to be known as ‘G-Wrath’. Whatever, Gazza) has done a blinding job with the lead guitar work on my new song ‘Drop Dead’. So good in fact that I’ve put a version of the whole song in the bandcamp subscribers only post.

Click here for instructions on how to hear it!

My brief was that he should listen to a few Bowie songs, especially some of the lead work on Heathen. Of course, G-Wrath mostly ignored this but nevertheless turned out  a lead part that fits the song perfectly.

What I like about this sort of collaboration is that it turns up parts I would never play. With my lead guitar parts I have always deliberately tried not to sound like a rock guitar player. My approach is that what I can do well is pick the notes you’re not expecting. So I’ll do that. Gareth here is turning out the kind of legato rock ballad playing that I just can’t naturally do. And it works really well.

In other news – I’ve mostly been mixing. I’ve learned a lot about how to do this over the last year. My Rubble and Dust/Run double ‘A-side’ single was an attempt to mix something a bit more rocky, whereas Spirit Box was a real learning curve in terms of recording and mixing my own vocals.

With Rubble and Dust I wasn’t entirely happy with the mixing of the vocals. I think I also fell into the very easy trap of piling too many layers on top of each other. Not that it’s a bad recording. It’s not. Have a listen here.

But those are all lessons for album 6 and it is sounding really rather good.

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Reminder! My next gig is a the first proper full band Tom Slatter gig. It will be good!

28th March in London.

Tickets can be purchased here!