‘Tom Slatter is a quintessentially British eccentric with a quirky imagination who has produced some of the most innovative progressive music in recent years.’ – Prog Magazine
The fan page isn’t much to look at yet, but it does contain a lot of music. Here’s the text from that page:
This page will contain all the content that only mailing list subscribers can get their hands on. At the moment, that means my album Spinning the Compass, the bonus track The Man Who Learnt To Fly and the singles Last Sunlight, DeadPuppyRecycling, Papercut, Ratcatcher, Lines in the Dirt, Seven Curses and Structures of Glass
To get the password, join the mailing list by putting your email in the box over to the right.
Seven Curses and Lines in the Dirt are two new songs that share a steampunky/Victorian Explorer/ancient civilizations theme. They will be emailed free to members of my mailing list in the next week or so, but they’re are available now to listen to and download for any price you want (including free). Just click the buttons above.
This began life as a layered guitar piece using various minimalist ostinato ideas. I decided to try reversing it and adding a few processes. I prefer it this way round to going forwards.
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.
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.
Mr. Slatter’s music evokes images of ill-lit workshops, dark libraries in mansions where spirits are contacted, cabaret in run-down theaters and the taste of absinthe.
How’s that for a quote? Read the rest by clicking here.
Via Steampunk Magazine, I have discovered the work of Lisa Black who has created a series of ‘fixed’ animals – stuffed dead ones she’s added to and modified.
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.
