Pieta

Liner Notes: What, Why? For the past 15 years or so, a remixed version of the Download song Base Metal has been played live by Dead Voices on Air. It has never been released. From now on, it will never be played live again. Instead, it is being released as a download only, as part of ‘Pieta’. Notes From ‘Song of the Week,’ Litany.net 2007 For me, Base Metal started life as a poem that I wrote in 1987 or thereabouts. I used to study for a while in York and often visited the Minster (one of Britain's historic city cathedrals). In 1984 the south transept of the building was reputedly hit by lightning and it caused a major fire that destroyed the wooden roof and caused great damage to a lot of the original features. Stained glass windows melted in the blaze. It was a national disaster. Miraculously, a series of large wooden sculptures by an artist called Fenwick Lawson survived the blaze. These pieces, the Pieta, are made of driftwood and represent the dying Christ figure, lying next to the Virgin Mary. I was very moved by these sculptures and wrote several poems based on the theme of the Mother-Son relationship. One of these was appropriated for Mothersonne from the album Furnace and another, as Base-Metal. As an adult, the figure of the Mother has resonated most strongly for me, when I have needed support or help in times of crisis. That was certainly the case when I wrote the poems. Additionally, my Father died when I was young. So, the prostrate Christ figure of the Pieta represented either myself or my Father. I used imagery inspired by the sculpture to explore the dynamics of the relationship with my Father and Mother. There are references to driftwood, the sea and base-metal (the pins holding the sculptures together and the nails driven into Christ's body). I also think that Dwayne's death cast such a major shroud over the time when TEOSP was recorded. Phil had left for India and there was a kind of network of past associates and friends involved with us at that time. We signed to Nettwerk, they felt like part of cEvin's family to me and Ken and Anthony became involved, both of whom were part of the Puppy family. Ken was an absolute joy to work with. He brought a kind of protestant work ethic to the sessions. He was brilliant at what he did and a genuinely lovely guy. I didn't know Anthony very well at that time but he was also great to work with. We recorded the vocals for Glassblower at Bryan Adam's house-studio together. I should add that TEOSP was essentially recorded in a month, we worked for 6 days a week. I would come to the studio after work. cEvin worked long-hours, only ever taking Sundays off. It's a myth to think that we sat back and chilled and jammed. Download was work orientated. I accidentally became a vocalist with Download. Maybe that's stretching things a bit. I used my voice to create sounds but Base Metal is one of the few Download tracks where I think you can clearly hear what I was saying. The poems were liberally cut-up both by myself when I performed them in the studio and then by cEvin and Ken when they were glued into the track. I like the fact that the words are not precious, that they can be cut and pasted by caring hands and made to work. The track name was suggested by Ken I think as he liked the words 'Base Metal.' I like the fact that the words mean different things to different people. I also like the Shakespearian reference, that wonderful speech from King Lear where he rails about base, bastard, bastardly and so forth. It just goes on and on. Vengeful, a man more sinned against than sinning. There is an in-joke referenced and that is the word 'Kill." We all loved playing with words, we would often have conversations that started with us saying words like 'flotsam," "jetsam." Kill was one of those words. It was a joke by the way. :‘jayawahan,’ means absolutely nothing: :Mothersonne:Base-­‐Metal: Musically, I have few memories of how the track was assembled. I believe the base track was laid down by cEvin. I think Ken added stuff. Ken certainly added the water sounds. I can remember cEvin recording the vocals. He used to give me directions and was a bit of a bugger for asking me to do retakes but you know, it always worked and he was usually spot on. I was lazy in the studio and got bored easily and probably used the 'first take is always the best take' as a limp excuse for wanting to dream and look out of the windows of the studio and watch the seaplanes buzz over Vancouver. One of the problems of writing something about music is that it can affect the listeners experience of it but the music is over 10 years old and I think there is historic value in reflection. I can't honestly say that what I have written is factual or accurate as time has an impact on my ability to recall details but I hope this has been of interest to some of you. My friends Darryl Neudorf and Sugarpill created a ‘remix’ of Base Metal that we used to perform on tour with Dead Voices On Air. I had mixed feelings about doing this but I did it because of the fact that I think it is a great song and because I felt so attached to it. I have never spoken about this in a public forum like this but five months ago my Mother died. I think this has spurred me to release these songs, finally. I don’t want to play them live anymore. When I release a piece of music I feel a sense of closure, as though the weight of ownership is no longer mine and my relationship with it changes. It’s gone. Base Metal is about my Mother and my Father, both of whom have now passed away. Every day brings with it challenges and since her passing, I feel an absence. More than that. I wonder if I will ever see those beautiful sculptures again? I heard they were taken down and I think may be in storage somewhere. But wherever they are, I know that the Mother will still looking at her Son. -------------- Incidental info: Comes with a 2 page digital booklet (pdf). One page contains two separate booklet pages. The bandcamp website states a projected release date of April 1, 2012, though this was uploaded in advanced for purchase. The liner notes are slightly edited from the original "Song Of The Week" notes. "Sprach" contains the same lyrics as found on the original "Base Metal" track from <a href=http://www.discogs.com/Download-The-Eyes-Of-Stanley-Pain/master/6560>The Eyes Of Stanley Pain</a>. "Mother And Son" contains the same lyrics as found on the "Mother Sonne" track from <a href=http://www.discogs.com/Download-Furnace-ReDux/master/6513>Furnace</a>.