When I think about what my favourite films are of the last twenty years, a lot of them are not in my first language. Parasite (Korean), Pan’s Labyrinth (Spanish), Amelie (French), Shadow (Chinese), The Lives of Others (German) and Let the Right One in (Swedish) are a few examples.
When I recommend these films to people, a common question is ‘are there subtitles’ and it is also equally common to see these films written off because they have to deal with subtitles.
To me, that would be a shame because within the world of cinema is a plethora of amazing films with much to offer.
Similarly, there are music listeners out there who will only listen to the same music records and will not embrace anything new.
If that is what makes you happy then that is fine but it is worth being aware of the parameters you set for yourself.
Especially in an on demand culture where everything is at our fingertips. It might be worth jumping outside of our comfort zone and giving something different a chance.
When I think retrospectively about the music I have made, I feel that each individual track has it’s own particular story.
‘High Rise’ from the new Kinky Wizzards album originated from a riff I wrote when I was 14. It took over a decade for me to apply it to a finished composition. On the other hand, the occasional idea can be materialised and finalised in a single day. Some tracks to which I composed just music all of a sudden work with pre-existing lyrics that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
There is a wonderful fluidity about creativity. More often than not though, I am dancing with gut instinct, educated guesses and trial and error (with a lot of errors) before I can with true conviction, tell myself that I am getting somewhere.
Without acceptance of the fact that we will make mistakes and things may or may not work, we would not be anywhere near as creative.
Primary school children are the best at doing this. As the late Sir Ken Robinson said, they are willing to give things a shot without ego getting in the way. As we get older, we are conditioned into avoiding mistakes and ultimately, I think that this is the biggest mistake we can make.
The western world over the last five years has gone through a bruising period of division and much of the blame can be put down to the way social media works.
Much like the news, it appears that a lot of the things that cause the most response and reaction is outrage and anger. Thus what is amplified is a downward spiral of disinformation and hatred.
I think the social media companies can do much more to tackle this, and whilst we agitate for those changes, it is worth reflecting on how we as individuals can adopt a way to online interaction that is more responsible.
Lefties, Right wing, Snowflake, Gammon, Woke – all of these terms achieve essentially nothing in developing a productive conversation that promotes respectful debate. It becomes a battle of ‘us and them’. You look beyond your feed and in reality, it’s easy to realise that we (as in humans) share a lot more in common.
Even if viewpoints are polar opposite – the approach of ‘we’ or ‘us’ is a much better way to come to an understanding with what our values and desires are, and explore the possibilities available to us.
It is much better to emphasise and treat each other with respect and dignity than point fingers.
For the best part of three months from March to May 2020, I, along with many residents, spent most of my time in my apartment in Dubai in isolation.
To pass the time, I kept fit doing mat exercises, I read, I wrote music, learnt new recipes and thankfully had a job that kept me busy. I also rewatched all of ‘Breaking Bad’.
Looking back at how challenging it was to be alone in that situation, I am glad that I found the resilience to respond well enough and cope with the situation.
Nevertheless, since the easing of restrictions and moving back to the U.K. I have gone for a walk almost every single day and cherish it more than I ever have done.
There has always been a cathartic quality to taking a walk and my curiosity led to me find out more about the benefits of walking. It is of no surprise that many great composers and entrepreneurs had walking in their daily routines. Steve Jobs was known to have ‘walking meetings’.
Besides the physical benefits of walking, there has also been developments in research that show that walking in fact enhances our cognitive capabilities and makes us more creative as well. (Here is a very detailed study on it https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xlm-a0036577.pdf)
I can vouch for this, I find myself thinking with more clarity when I go walking and some of my most lucid creative ideas can occur amidst the temporal movement of putting one front in front of the other.
So for those of you reading this, I challenge you to get a daily walk into your routine, even if it as short as ten minutes. You may be surprised of the possibilities that come from it.
Today is the four year anniversary of ‘Melodies for Maladies’. This record was a hugely ambitious undertaking that was physically, emotionally and mentally draining.
The concept of the album as explicitly titled, was about external and internal maladies based around five characters. The characters lead towards themes which explore the media’s weaponisation of reality, predicting the end of the world in order to profiteer from it, a leader’s decision to go into war and the consequences of that, depression, anxiety, and surviving and eventually reviving oneself from tragedy by finding meaning. (Nice and light!)
The result musically is a progressive metal album that is an hour long (including a 23 minute long 2 part piece!) and draws particular influence from King Crimson, Rush, Steven Wilson, Dream Theater and Tool.
The technical and emotional demands of this record made me feel at times like I would never complete it. Four years on, I’m glad to say it’s been listened to and I’ve sold CDs around the world and am grateful to everyone who has given it a spin. The collaboration of hugely talented people meant that this record was possible so it’s worth listing them and expressing my gratitude here.
Alex Broben – Bass guitar
Aled Lloyd – Drums Andrew Bishop – Engineer/Co-Producer
Emma Davidson – Additional vocals
Theo Travis – Soprano Saxophone and Flute solos in Introspect Part 2
Stephen Preston – Piano solo on Introspect part 2
Rob Kidd – Mixing
Mike Hillier – Mastering
Colin Elgie – Artwork
Dale Johnson – Album layout and design
Bethan Miller – Photography
If you’ve yet to come across this album and grande concept progressive metal is your thing then ‘melodies for maladies’ was made for you. I also have physical CDs available to order on Bandcamp and do enjoy a walk to the post office to send them off.
Here is a video of Aled performing drums for the final take for ‘Exiles’. The last song from my debut album ‘Between a Disillusion and Resolution’.
I can ask a lot of a drummer from a technical point of view and whilst Aled nails that aspect for me, his full sense of musicality is on full display with this particular track.
You can hear the rest of the album on Spotify, Apple and other streaming services.
Half Notion was written back in 2014/2015 not long after I had left university.
The lyrics were amongst the easiest for me to write and were inspired by a quote that just had so much relatable truth in it, it stopped me in my tracks.
I always say, when you’re young and unsuccessful, you don’t have the money, and if you’re not careful, when you’re old and successful, you don’t have the passion. To be put in either of those two positions is a tragedy. I think one of the toughest times in any man’s life is his twenties, because in your twenties you’re fiercely screaming who you are, but you have only half a notion of who you are. Then as you grow older, you whisper who you are, but people are closer to you, and they listen. By that time, you have half a notion, a quarter of a notion, of who you are. I think the tragedy is when you finally have all the people that you need surrounding you, and you have nothing left to say.”
This quote is from acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro from the beautiful coffee table book ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ and this is just one example of the wisdom this gentleman shares in his work. Watch a live interview of him talk about one of his latest masterpieces, ‘The Shape of Water’ and he will put a smile on your face!
Admittedly, I was in a position when I left university and finished education with flying colours yet for the first time in my life, I had no clear sense of direction of how to go about doing things. Not to say I did not have a vision, I am extraordinary lucky to have found something that I have been passionate about since the age of 8 but my ambitions lacked the resources and I felt pretty lost. I know for a fact that plenty of people end up in that boat, probably much more so than those that find their feet straight away.
As I had done during school and university, I wanted to prove myself in the real world as a person and musician, with no real idea as to how to that exactly and subsequently, my perception of the way things were going were that it was all painfully slow and extremely frustrating, so much to the point it was anxiety inducing.
The record that I had in production during this time was Eden Shadow ‘Melodies for Maladies’ but there were so many hurdles involved in making this stupidly ambitious record, it came to a point where I thought I was never going to be able to release another album ever again.
I wrote Half Notion to express that frustration, but at the same time I was looking for the wisdom amidst it all and in retrospect, it was simpler than my emotions at the time made it out to be.
I was in my early twenties and you know absolutely sod all in your early twenties!
I was caught up in half notions.
‘Half Notion’ is about accepting the fact that it is okay to only have a fraction of a notion about who you are, and learning to temper that alongside your ambitions, passion and desire for success.
It’s easier said than done, especially in a world where the media obsessed with age, people lie about being younger and youth talent in the industry is propelled at such a speed that they end falling as fast as they rise (with sometimes devastating consequences). As Del Toro says, success has it’s own downfalls as well and learning to love the journey is key, and making music as a solo artist and with Kinky Wizzards has never been more positive. I look forward to a time when we can take it all live again.
I still only have a half notion.
To finish, here is another quote from Del Toro about the same topic:
“The most desperate time is when you’re in your 20s,” said del Toro. “You feel like you’re too late, that you’ve wasted your life. Then when you’re 30 you realize, ‘No, I was just obscenely young, and it was the best time ever: anything was possible!‘
My album is now available to stream and buy on Bandcamp.
Whilst streaming is the norm, Bandcamp is by far the most effective way for me to make back money I spend on making a record so support through this medium is always greatly appreciated!
Whilst physical copies are currently in medium term planning, anyone who purchases a digital copy via Bandcamp, will be noted down for a discount for future physical releases.
In addition to the album, you will also have in your download package, all of the artwork as well as photos taken from the studio session.
My debut solo album ‘Between a Disillusion and Resolution’ is out now!
After spending the last three years writing, recording and painstakingly agonising over the post-production of this record, I am really pleased to be now be able to share it with you.
The album is also available on many other streaming platforms.
A huge thanks to the following talented people involved with making this record.
Andrew Bishop – Co producer, recording and mixing engineer
Ben Elliott – Bass Guitar
Aled Lloyd – Drums
Jiffy Griffiths – Percussion
Emma Davidson – Vocals
Darlee Urbiztondo – Artwork
Bethan Miller – Photography
Steve Kitch- Mastering Engineer
Additionally I would like to thank:
Will and Jane Mackie and Rob Reed – For the mentoring and moral support! George Soriano – For his generosity with additional gear. My family for their moral support and the help with transport!
The album was written over the course of what was a very interesting period of time for me. As a result, a lot of the album was written in Dubai and subsequently recorded in Wales.
I will be sharing the stories that inspired each of the songs over the coming days.
For those of who do enjoy this record, please feel free to share it with someone else you think will also enjoy it. It would be greatly appreciated.
Stay safe during this strange and unprecedented time,
Ryan Mark Elliott Music 