Thursday, September 17, 2015
Burn It Clean Lyrics
THE NIGHT IS STILL
I'M ON THE HILL
I'VE GOT THE WILL
I'VE GOT THE MEANS
THE MOON IS PURE
LIKE A WOMAN'S TEAR
IT'S THE ONLY CURE
FOR WHAT I'VE SEEN
BURN IT CLEAN
I STAND TO THE SKY
I WON'T ASK WHY
WE LIVE AND WE DIE
IT'S ALL A DREAM
BURN IT CLEAN
I'LL TAKE THE VOW
TO LIVE FOR NOW
THE GODS WILL ALLOW
ALL MY EXTREMES
BURN IT CLEAN
2015 boguesongs bmi
Burn It Clean
Our story begins with two ex-pats in Denmark chatting over coffee.
One of them is Dave Harding, who has played bass guitar with American band Richmond Fontaine. The other, Dan Tilbury, has played drums with British bands Redlands Palomino Company and The Snakes.
The two had met casually in the past when their bands had teamed up for gigs in the UK. Through coincidence they found out that they were both newly relocated to Denmark, missing their homelands and their bands.
Dave and Dan would meet up at Dan's house in Valby to drink coffee and talk. On one occasion Dan suggested that Dave bring along a guitar.
So at their next meet up, Dave arrived with his guitar and a notebook full of the new songs that he had been writing since his move to Denmark. The two of them repaired to Dan's tiny upstairs spare room, where Dan kept his Gretsch drum kit. They began playing and quickly found a groove.
Over the next several months they would work on Dave's songs, pounding them into finished form. They also played some gigs as a duo around Copenhagen, which helped to cement their commitment and sound.
Eventually the time came to take the act into a proper studio to record the songs that they had been whipping into shape.
On the suggestion of Carl Coleman of Sink Ships, Dave contacted Peter Iversen at Viktoria Recording Studios in Copenhagen. Dave felt a rapport with Peter, and it was decided to record with him.
The basic tracks were recorded at the initial sessions. Brian Della Valle (Of a Valley, Sink Ships) was enlisted to play bass. The trio (Dan on drums, Brian on bass, Dave on guitar and vocals) recorded the bulk of the songs live in the studio over a two day period. Dave and Dan also recorded several songs as a duo, with guitar and drums.
Now it was time to fill out the tracks, adding other instruments.
Dave: "My original idea was to bring someone in to play lead guitar. On my first two albums (Across The Road, You Came Through) I had Scott Hampton play lead guitar, and I love his playing. But I wanted to use someone in Denmark whom I could spend some time with working on the parts. My problem was I didn't know many musicians in Copenhagen, so I was at somewhat of a loss."
Co-producer Peter Iversen had a simpler idea.
"Peter said 'Why don't you play lead guitar?' I was hesitant, as I don't really consider myself a lead guitarist. But then we figured why not give it a shot and see how it goes."
The first song up was "The Two Sisters". "I took two passes at the lead guitar part, and got a pretty good take. I thought, 'Wow this is kind of fun'! I ended up playing all of the lead and slide guitar on the record."
The next addition was the background vocals of Fredrik Eckhoff (Halasan Bazar).
Dave: "Fred came in and had some great ideas for harmonies. He really took a couple of the songs up a notch or two."
Fredrik also added some subtle keyboard parts to a couple of songs, including the haunting piano on "Shelter Lake".
With the recording done, Dave and Peter began mixing the album. But then two events happened which would prove to be beneficial late additions to the album.
Dave: "I was happy with how the record sounded, but I had that sense that there was something else that was needed."
That first 'something else' came in the form of Hannah Elton-Wall. Hannah, the lead singer in Redlands Palomino Company, had heard rough mixes of the album while Dan Tilbury was in England playing some live dates with their band Redlands Palomino Company.
Hannah was particularly taken by the song "The Two Sisters", and asked if she could add a harmony vocal to the song. After a very enthusiastic 'yes' from Denmark, Hannah recorded several vocal takes at her home studio in the Forest of Dean, with her husband and bandmate Alex Elton-Wall handling the production chores.
When Dave and Peter heard Hannah's vocals back in the studio in Copenhagen they were so taken by her performance that they decided to make her vocal part the lead vocal part, with Dave adding vocals on the chorus. Her vocals match the feel of the song perfectly.
Hannah also added backing vocals to the song "Under the Nordic Moon", which did not make the final cut for the album.
The second late addition was the pedal steel guitar of Paul Brainard. Dave has known Paul since their days together in Richmond Fontaine. When Dave mentioned that he was working on a record, Paul asked if he wanted any pedal steel guitar on the record.
Dave: "I was flabbergasted. That was so cool. Paul totally offered to do it. I hadn't even thought about pedal steel for the album. But his sound really enriches the album and adds depth to the songs. Paul is such a great musician. He actually sent us many different takes and ideas to choose from. It was a treat to listen through them all and hear all the wonderful stuff that he came up with."
Paul's pedal steel can be heard on the songs "Burn It Clean", "Time and Pain" and "Shelter Lake".
With the mixing now completed, Dave now focused on the artwork for the album.
Dave: "I never look forward to picking out artwork. It's not really my expertise. But they say that sometimes the best things are right in front of you. You just have to be able to see them. That was certainly the case in this instance. We have a painting by my son Frederik which hangs over our dining table. I see it every time I sit down to eat, write, etc. I love the painting. So I decided to use it for the album cover. I also knew that I could probably use it for cheap. Maybe when the artist gets older he will charge me a proper fee for the use of his painting!"
The artwork was completed with the help of graphic designer Knud Milo.
Dave: "I'm really happy with this album. I was in a very creative space while writing and recording it. I spent a lot of time working on the lyrics, making sure they said what I wanted to get across. And Peter forced me to focus more on my singing in the studio, which I think comes through on the record. Everything seemed to fall in place, and I got to work with so many cool musicians.
This album really means a lot to me. It was written after moving to a new land, having to say goodbye to many people and places I love. It's about the fear of starting something new, of letting go of the past. Something we can all relate to, I think.
And to have a great soul like Dan Tilbury along for the ride was incredible. Dan's skills as a musician and arranger were invaluable, and so central to this record. It couldn't have been made without him."
One of them is Dave Harding, who has played bass guitar with American band Richmond Fontaine. The other, Dan Tilbury, has played drums with British bands Redlands Palomino Company and The Snakes.
The two had met casually in the past when their bands had teamed up for gigs in the UK. Through coincidence they found out that they were both newly relocated to Denmark, missing their homelands and their bands.
Dave and Dan would meet up at Dan's house in Valby to drink coffee and talk. On one occasion Dan suggested that Dave bring along a guitar.
So at their next meet up, Dave arrived with his guitar and a notebook full of the new songs that he had been writing since his move to Denmark. The two of them repaired to Dan's tiny upstairs spare room, where Dan kept his Gretsch drum kit. They began playing and quickly found a groove.
Over the next several months they would work on Dave's songs, pounding them into finished form. They also played some gigs as a duo around Copenhagen, which helped to cement their commitment and sound.
Eventually the time came to take the act into a proper studio to record the songs that they had been whipping into shape.
On the suggestion of Carl Coleman of Sink Ships, Dave contacted Peter Iversen at Viktoria Recording Studios in Copenhagen. Dave felt a rapport with Peter, and it was decided to record with him.
The basic tracks were recorded at the initial sessions. Brian Della Valle (Of a Valley, Sink Ships) was enlisted to play bass. The trio (Dan on drums, Brian on bass, Dave on guitar and vocals) recorded the bulk of the songs live in the studio over a two day period. Dave and Dan also recorded several songs as a duo, with guitar and drums.
Now it was time to fill out the tracks, adding other instruments.
Dave: "My original idea was to bring someone in to play lead guitar. On my first two albums (Across The Road, You Came Through) I had Scott Hampton play lead guitar, and I love his playing. But I wanted to use someone in Denmark whom I could spend some time with working on the parts. My problem was I didn't know many musicians in Copenhagen, so I was at somewhat of a loss."
Co-producer Peter Iversen had a simpler idea.
"Peter said 'Why don't you play lead guitar?' I was hesitant, as I don't really consider myself a lead guitarist. But then we figured why not give it a shot and see how it goes."
The first song up was "The Two Sisters". "I took two passes at the lead guitar part, and got a pretty good take. I thought, 'Wow this is kind of fun'! I ended up playing all of the lead and slide guitar on the record."
The next addition was the background vocals of Fredrik Eckhoff (Halasan Bazar).
Dave: "Fred came in and had some great ideas for harmonies. He really took a couple of the songs up a notch or two."
Fredrik also added some subtle keyboard parts to a couple of songs, including the haunting piano on "Shelter Lake".
With the recording done, Dave and Peter began mixing the album. But then two events happened which would prove to be beneficial late additions to the album.
Dave: "I was happy with how the record sounded, but I had that sense that there was something else that was needed."
That first 'something else' came in the form of Hannah Elton-Wall. Hannah, the lead singer in Redlands Palomino Company, had heard rough mixes of the album while Dan Tilbury was in England playing some live dates with their band Redlands Palomino Company.
Hannah was particularly taken by the song "The Two Sisters", and asked if she could add a harmony vocal to the song. After a very enthusiastic 'yes' from Denmark, Hannah recorded several vocal takes at her home studio in the Forest of Dean, with her husband and bandmate Alex Elton-Wall handling the production chores.
When Dave and Peter heard Hannah's vocals back in the studio in Copenhagen they were so taken by her performance that they decided to make her vocal part the lead vocal part, with Dave adding vocals on the chorus. Her vocals match the feel of the song perfectly.
Hannah also added backing vocals to the song "Under the Nordic Moon", which did not make the final cut for the album.
The second late addition was the pedal steel guitar of Paul Brainard. Dave has known Paul since their days together in Richmond Fontaine. When Dave mentioned that he was working on a record, Paul asked if he wanted any pedal steel guitar on the record.
Dave: "I was flabbergasted. That was so cool. Paul totally offered to do it. I hadn't even thought about pedal steel for the album. But his sound really enriches the album and adds depth to the songs. Paul is such a great musician. He actually sent us many different takes and ideas to choose from. It was a treat to listen through them all and hear all the wonderful stuff that he came up with."
Paul's pedal steel can be heard on the songs "Burn It Clean", "Time and Pain" and "Shelter Lake".
With the mixing now completed, Dave now focused on the artwork for the album.
Dave: "I never look forward to picking out artwork. It's not really my expertise. But they say that sometimes the best things are right in front of you. You just have to be able to see them. That was certainly the case in this instance. We have a painting by my son Frederik which hangs over our dining table. I see it every time I sit down to eat, write, etc. I love the painting. So I decided to use it for the album cover. I also knew that I could probably use it for cheap. Maybe when the artist gets older he will charge me a proper fee for the use of his painting!"
The artwork was completed with the help of graphic designer Knud Milo.
Dave: "I'm really happy with this album. I was in a very creative space while writing and recording it. I spent a lot of time working on the lyrics, making sure they said what I wanted to get across. And Peter forced me to focus more on my singing in the studio, which I think comes through on the record. Everything seemed to fall in place, and I got to work with so many cool musicians.
This album really means a lot to me. It was written after moving to a new land, having to say goodbye to many people and places I love. It's about the fear of starting something new, of letting go of the past. Something we can all relate to, I think.
And to have a great soul like Dan Tilbury along for the ride was incredible. Dan's skills as a musician and arranger were invaluable, and so central to this record. It couldn't have been made without him."
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