Tag Archives: pieces of darkness

#1 – Pieces of Darkness Are Pieces of Gold

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Anneli Rydahl

Title: Pieces of Darkness Are Pieces of Gold
Lyrics: Lyrisk
Genre: Ambient pop/rock
Release: 8/1 2012
Buy: CDbaby, iTunes, eMusic

Pieces of Darkness Are Pieces of Gold by Enchanted Duo

My songs usually belong to a sad category – not pressing, not tearful – just a thoughtful sadness. I suppose I like sad. “It’s happy for deep people.” (Sally Sparrow from Doctor Who, third season, the Blink episode). Don’t know about deep necessarily, but it’s happy for thoughtful people.
Sometimes (or quite often, actually) I envy people who can make happy music. The kind of music that makes you want to throw your cloth and shoes and dance through your flat stark naked. Anyway, I don’t make music like that.

It’s like sad music speaks to me. I just know how it’s going to be before I do it (pouting base, melancholic piano, weeping angel choirs – life doesn’t get better than that…) I know what it feels like. So, I guess I’ll never make happy music, unless it’s sad music pretending to be happy or happy music pretending to be sad which doesn’t really make it happy in the first place…

Then came “Pieces of Darkness” which nails it down completely. No thought or song has ever come out clearer, for me anyway. “Pieces of Darkness are Pieces of Gold” or as the Doctor Who team puts it “It’s happy for deep people”. But my “Pieces of Darkness” evolved long before I heard that phrase (I just couldn’t help smiling when I heard their version). It’s one of those songs I’ve played 150 times or more before facing the studio. And it’s one of those times it sort of grew and exceeded my expectations.

Pictures from Grövelsjön where we recorded the dripping water.

I took a brake from the song for a couple of years and it’s not until now that Nicko and I finally added his vocals, the electric guitar and some “real” drums. The “old” drums are quite fun if you care to examine them. In the background is the dripping from the ceiling in a Lapp cot from Dalarna (Grövelsjön to be exact, don’t have the coordinates though, downer if you expected that kind of exactness). On top of the dripping I’ve recorded a bracelet, finger cymbals, claves, a triangle and some vocal s and sh sounds. A whole new audience appeared – turns out my cats love the drums (I secretly suspect the s and sh sounds). They come running as soon as I play it. I also went to see a girlfriend and her cats seemed almost as interested. I must from now on keep in mind to satisfy my cat audience too – who would have thought it?

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Art works that doesn’t work

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Anneli Rydahl

Releasing a song isn’t only about composing the song, rehearsing and recording the song, arranging it, mixing it and… done? Nope, it doesn’t quite stop there. Back in the days it was all about creating and selling records (well, for some it still is… but we independent artists try to keep pace with development). As many of you have noticed the way we buy and appreciate music has altered radically with the web, mp3 players and the new generation of mobile phones with services like iTunes and Spotify.

When it comes to art works it’s no longer about developing it for that one record with 12 or 15 songs. Now you create the art works for each song. I have to admit I kind of like that. It means that you can match the feeling and the atmosphere of the song in your art works design. Lovely! But you have no idea how difficult!

There’s a new song coming up any day now from Enchanted Duo and why not take a look at the way to the right art works? (I wrote the song some years back and started on it then, but haven’t finished it until now. That’s why you see my name on some of the first art works…)

1. Cheap Bollywood with a cat?

What was I going for again? Cheap Bollywood with a cat? I swear it was not nearly as colourfull when I put it together in my mind. Then I was going for something a bit more spiritual, darker and with a touch of mother Mary.
This… well, disaster!

2. Flowers are pretty, but it’s not Mozart…

It’s beautiful of course, but what are you thinking? Ah, it must be some classical music! Mozart, Bach or Vivaldi? Sorry, no, not quite…

3. It is beautiful, but I kind of think of Celine Dion

I really like this piece of art works and in a way it really does reflect the spirit of the music for which it was made.
It’s just that it reminds me of the art works for Celine Dion’s “The Color Of My Love”. Cute, but I don’t like to be a copy cat…

4. Nature again… softy soft soft… aaand lame…

You know, I tried to spice it up with the transparent faces (which just makes it look even more B), but it just doesn’t gives the edge that I was looking for. I thought the sprakling ice drops would illustrate the pieces of gold, but frakly it’s just boring.

5. Funny, why not go for something funny instead?

I can’t help loving this one, even if it’s not the art works for this song. In any case it got some of my dry and twisted humor and I smile when I look at the butterfly toungs!
Maybe on the right track, but still a bit off! Let’s do one more!

6. And then, bingo! Dark, creative and it leaves you wondering

Had I known from the start I only had to draw a few lines I could have just done that…
The song is creatively arranged and with the darkness present in lyrics, music and melody. The art works reflects this in a neat and simple way. I love it!

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