I wrote this last year after an enforced absence from work. I discovered a really nice piano loop that I then chopped around by changing the key and adding some different melodies. This in turn sparked a chord sequence for the chorus and the…

I've recently been in the car listening to a TIDAL suggested playlist which contained a lot of 80s stuff by Nik Kershaw, Tears For Fears, the Duranies etc and had an enlightening moment…. If you’re not a pro then stop trying to play like one…

Featuring three multi-tracked pianos, this has got an 80s vibe to it at the beginning - kind of Ultravox meets Jean Michel Jarre until the drums, bass and guitars kick in. The drums are a hybrid of AI and my own rhythms/fills which I think lock…

This one was conceived at the same time as 'Joyful Calm' and shares some common themes in terms of mood but the ending is much less upbeat and a bit 'dark and brooding'.

An ironic title (and to a large extent the upbeat feel of the melody) as life was not aligned with joyful calm when I wrote it. However, I'm proud of this; it's not complicated and doesn't overstay its welcome. First of my songs to feature AI piano!

A strange one in terms of the fact that musically and lyrically it's not aligned at all; the melodies and chord progressions are quite upbeat whereas the lyrics... aren't! It's the first time in a very long while that I've added lead and backing…

No loops...no samples... just a melody rolling around my head. I wanted to create a really retro bass tone on this so I used my Frankenbass Precision - recently fettled with upgraded pickups, flat wound strings and a high mass bridge. It sounds…

This is a really old idea exhumed from the hard drive - it's so old I don't own either of the basses played on this anymore! The guitar riff was born from an Apple loop that I twisted around and is one of those that sounds like the 80s again…

Two things triggered the genesis of this one - firstly an enforced absence from work due to a nasty medical 'thing'... and discovering a really nice piano loop that I then chopped around by changing the key and adding some different melodies…

Really simple tune built around a heavily modified Apple Loop. Reminds me in places of Simple Minds; the guitar could be developed and with a decent vocalist there's an opportunity for some sing-along stuff - The bass is my short scale Fender Mustang

The 'Aigh-deees'.... lots of poppin' bass and hummable keyboard melodies.. I s'pose at least I've moved on from the 70s..

A very melancholy feel to this one; It started life in February 2023 but I left it 5 months and came back to it - sometimes it works better that way. It's crying out for some awesome vocals (any takers?!)

Was going to add vocals to this but there ended up being too much going on so I left it as an instrumental; I do seem to love an arpeggiator!

This came together really quickly, both musically and lyrically. The chord sequence for the verse was hammered out on the keyboard and the words fitted around the melody. This came about during the 40 ish day reign of 'Lettuce Liz' and is…

I had to take a week off work having contracted Bell's Palsy - half of my face was (and still is currently) paralysed - hence having the time to do it & the working title! Lots of Ample Guitar Les Paul electric and Martin acoustic plug-ins…

This one started with the guitar riff. In hindsight, it sounds a bit like Whiskey in the Jar by Thin Lizzy but not close enough so I think I've got away with it! The guitar sounds are from the M guitar plug-ins: Les Paul and Martin acoustic…

I had no melodies or bass lines in my head when I started this one; I just chose a random loop from Apple, put it into a Roland Jupiter 8 and changed the key it was in. It reminds me in parts of a cross between 'Steel River' by Chris Rea and…

An example of 'less is more' - not something normally attributed to my musical sketches! It's very melancholy but benefited from me upping the tempo a bit from its original guise and adding the 'marching drums' bit at the end. Up until that point…

Back in 1985 I was in a band at school - at that time I didn't play an instrument; I was the singer (!) This track was entitled 'Dreaming In Colour' (the music written by band members Giles Hancock and Tim Finch) and I thought it would be fun…

Well, my entry for RPM 2022 went from LP to (a very short) 4 song EP but this track I think has bags of potential. It was a discarded idea from a few years ago that was lurking in my 'half-baked' Logic folder but something in it ignited my creative…