In many ways this album is a test, an experiment and a reason to have some fun, but in a serious way. At the start of 2017 I had been listening to a podcast called Spacepod, presented by a NASA scientist and focusing on short interviews with a range of interesting and amazing people she works with. I’ve always been fascinated by the challenges of space and the amazing technology we have developed to explore the universe. I still remember Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin stepping on the moon and continue to be in total awe of their person achievement and those of the tens of thousands who made it happen. Landing rovers and flying cameras to the distant reaches of the solar system is science fiction come true.
Over the millennia how many humans have stared up at the night sky and just wondered what it’s all about? How many, how far, where did it (or we) come from? We’ve had plenty of theories over that time, many of them passed down as cultural legend, but the rise of science and technology, against the forces that would have suppressed those radical, dangerous and contrary views, has allowed us to reach further than ever with the promise of even deeper understanding to come.
Between 1914 and 1916 English composer Gustav Holst wrote his famous Planets Suite with each movement corresponding to an astrological character. Notable by its absence, and of course consistent with the theme, is Earth. The music on this album is takes an astronomical perspective and therefore includes Earth, but in keeping with Holst each piece draws inspiration from the character of the planet. My characters are drawn principally from the physical attributes of the planet, although references to their Greek or Roman naming origins inevitably creep in. The core device for defining character is in the introduction, my planets and moons tell their own story - this was a fun approach which I found worked well to distil differences between them.
As a fan of concept albums from the seventies, this is unapologetically one! The music is rather eclectic and provided an opportunity to stretch my composition wings and try a range of styles and instruments that would not normally be in my musical palette. This was a challenging and interesting part of the project and ticked some boxes for me. The day I finished Venus I felt like I’d written a classical masterpiece – unlikely, but still a significant result for me. Like many concept albums this one is designed to be played end to end for the experience, although you don’t have to. The first time I listened that way, having written it song by song, I felt a sense of journey and achievement. The broad song structure is narrative, instrumental and (optional) moon. Each of the moons are sung, for variation and also for narrative.
The production of this album has followed the same process as my prior album Second Earth. As a non-singing, non-drumming, limited guitar, keyboard player I’ve relied on the talents of others to translate my ideas for the various parts into real instruments. They are many and listed in the credits.
I hope you enjoy listening as much as I have composing and producing.
Ian
Over the millennia how many humans have stared up at the night sky and just wondered what it’s all about? How many, how far, where did it (or we) come from? We’ve had plenty of theories over that time, many of them passed down as cultural legend, but the rise of science and technology, against the forces that would have suppressed those radical, dangerous and contrary views, has allowed us to reach further than ever with the promise of even deeper understanding to come.
Between 1914 and 1916 English composer Gustav Holst wrote his famous Planets Suite with each movement corresponding to an astrological character. Notable by its absence, and of course consistent with the theme, is Earth. The music on this album is takes an astronomical perspective and therefore includes Earth, but in keeping with Holst each piece draws inspiration from the character of the planet. My characters are drawn principally from the physical attributes of the planet, although references to their Greek or Roman naming origins inevitably creep in. The core device for defining character is in the introduction, my planets and moons tell their own story - this was a fun approach which I found worked well to distil differences between them.
As a fan of concept albums from the seventies, this is unapologetically one! The music is rather eclectic and provided an opportunity to stretch my composition wings and try a range of styles and instruments that would not normally be in my musical palette. This was a challenging and interesting part of the project and ticked some boxes for me. The day I finished Venus I felt like I’d written a classical masterpiece – unlikely, but still a significant result for me. Like many concept albums this one is designed to be played end to end for the experience, although you don’t have to. The first time I listened that way, having written it song by song, I felt a sense of journey and achievement. The broad song structure is narrative, instrumental and (optional) moon. Each of the moons are sung, for variation and also for narrative.
The production of this album has followed the same process as my prior album Second Earth. As a non-singing, non-drumming, limited guitar, keyboard player I’ve relied on the talents of others to translate my ideas for the various parts into real instruments. They are many and listed in the credits.
I hope you enjoy listening as much as I have composing and producing.
Ian