So, the CD went for production yesterday and we are uploading songs now for all the online services. We think the CD is looking lovely with a nice Digipack case and a 16 page booklet all in color with all the lyrics and additional pictures. If you still are one of those who like to own CDs we think it’s something well worth to wait for and own.
The center spread (below) is collection of pictures of all the singers who we worked with on this album. We are still amazed on their effort and all the stellar performances they brought with them, and they really really made this collection of songs into some even better than we thought was possible.
So now the wait has begun, to get the CD from the factory and then start to release them on the world. We hope you will like, and maybe even love, what we have done.
Like we promised yesterday, we’re showing you a song from the album today. It’s called “Say You Will” and is the last track on the album, with Pär Enqvist on lead vocals. I have written the music and Niklas Aurgrunn the lyrics. I will get back to the origins of the song in a blog post later on. Here it is, enjoy /Pär
A couple of weeks ago, Lasse and I made the final song mixes for the album. For the first time we could listen to all the songs that will be on the album all together. We started playing with the track order for the album and soon agreed on how to present the songs. Although we felt pleased with the result, the real sensation of completion wasn’t there. It felt more of some kind of anti-climax.
Yesterday Lasse went to Thomas Eberger Stockholm Mastering to make the final touches to the sound of the songs, and of course to adjust them so they will sound well together as an album. Later in the evening he received the files and sent them to me. We talked on the phone about the mastering session and the result, we hung up and I started listening to the album. And then it happened.
What came out of the speakers was something different than the child I hade left with Lasse two weeks ago. A mature sound of an album, with punch, warmth and gravity, where the songs popped out of the speakers and warmed my heart. Finally I got a feeling of completion, of having accomplished something great, a piece of art, together with my friend Lasse, and of course all our wonderful collaborators who’s singin on the album. I felt proud, grateful for being part of it and felt so eager to show you and the rest of the world what we have. The moment i was hoping for, and I will save it for myself as a highlight of the Bus Stop Dreams-story.
Yesterday they glued everything together, with adjustments in frequencies and volumes as before, but one thing that certainly also added something extra to the entire sound, was that Thomas at Stockholm Mastering recorded everything on a tape-recorder. The type of tape-recorder they used way back when, before the age of computer recordings. This added something subtle but still clear to my ears; an analogue vibe that roughed up the edges and made the songs sing.
The album is completed musically, but of course, there are things left to do, before we can release it. As we have told you before, we will release it both digitally and as a CD-album, so Lasse is working with the design of the cover and booklet, while I am texting all the lyrics and info. After that is ready we’ll have it manufactured and set a date for the release.
We do want to show you something before this, so we thought that we would show you the last song on the album tomorrow, “Say You Will”. You’ll get to hear a new song and also get a sense of the vibe from the album. We’ll post it here and on Facebook and send it out to our mailing list as a download, which you can join for free if you like. Well, see you tomorrow then. 🙂 /Pär
Tonight our new song “Diamond In the Sky” will premiere on The Justin Wayne Show. The show is sent live at 8 pm GMT (3 pm PST, 21.00 CET) and is available afterwards as a downloadable podcast.
You’ve heard the song before in a pre-mixed version, but this the final mix that, in a month or so, will be available on our new album “Don’t Forget to Breathe”.
The last song that was finished for the album was the song “Say You Will”, where we recorded the lead vocals with Pär Enqvist a couple of weeks ago. I’ve put together a video from the session where you get a glimpse of the new song and also can see Pär Enqvist teaching us how to move on a Swedish dance floor. /Pär
On Thursday we start mixing the last four songs for the album. It will be four focused days, on for each song. So now we are trying to get the last overdubs in place. A guitar lick here and a tambourine there. Fix a missed bass note in the intro and cymbal buildup in the outro. Well you get the picture I guess.
Like I promised yesterday, here’s a preview of the new song “Diamond In the Sky”. Like in “No Summer Without You”, Sonja Hewer is the lead singer again. The song is written by Piper McKinnon, Canada.
Like with the previews we’ve shown you before, this song is still in progress, so the album version will change a bit. Hope you like it. /Pär
As you may have noticed both Lasse and I have had some time away from the computer during summer. It’s been an intense year since we released our first single “The Kiss” almost a year ago, so it felt good to gather new energy away from computer screens. Now we’re up and running again and back on the road to our first full-length album.
And that album is not far away now. A new song, “Say You Will”, is in the works and today Pär Enqvist is recording vocals to the song in the studio with Lasse behind the wheels and knobs. So I’m sitting here 600 kilometers away, extremely curious of the results, which I hope I will get a taste of later tonight.
A new song preview coming up
But I’m not idle. Meanwhile I’m preparing a preview of a song that we’d like to show you in advance. It’s a song written by the Canadian singer/songwriter Piper McKinnon with lead vocals by Sonja Hewer, and tomorrow afternoon we’ll show you the song here and on our Facebook page.
It’s good to be back. We’re very grateful for all the support you have given us, and I long for getting back to all the action we’ve had with our audience this year. Check out the song tomorrow and tell us what you think about it.
Yesterday we were notified that our songs had been added to the playlists on Sound Machine Radio, a web radio station with listeners from all over the world. They have quite a variety of music and a nice mix of well-known music and newer indie artists like ourselves.
What’s even better is that the listeners can choose to affect to playlists by choosing from their music database. If you feel the desperate need to hear more of Bus Stop Dreams, you can request our songs here, and they will be played within short. The radio channel is also available on Sony PSP/PS3, Wii and on Itunes.
In Galicia, Spain, we found the beautiful María Silva, a listener and a Bus Stop Dreamer. We asked her some questions to get know her a little better:
Bus Stop Dreams: Hi María. Where do you come from and where do you live today?
María: In a very green region, surrounded by the sea, where there are soft mountains, beaches with white sand and fantastic food. I was born in and still lives in Galicia (Spain).
BSD: And what do you work with?
María: I’m a chemist, working in a laboratory focused on environmental control.
BSD: Besides work, is there anything special you are passionate about or care for?
María: I dedicate a part of my life to music. I am a member of a Galician traditional music group called Tanxedoras. Tanxedoras is a project that was born in 2003 through the initiative from five women, passionate about our music roots. We want to contribute and ensure that we don’t lose the musical legacy from our ancestors.
We travel through the villages in Galicia searching for traditional songs and dances the grandparents still remember. Then we sing the songs accompanied by percussion and other traditional instruments, like the gaita, mantaining the songs’ integrity and passing them on to future generations. In fact, we are recording our second album now, which will be released within short.
BSD: What a fantastic idea and project! I took the liberty to add a video I found where you perform:
BSD: Do you have your own site where we can follow your project?
María: Yes. We invite you to learn more about our music on www.tanxedoras.net. Regrettably the page isn’t available in English at the moment, but when we present the second album we will renew the site and solve this inconvenience. So, keep an eye on us!
BSD: I gather that you have a big music interest overall. What kind of music do you listen to?
María: I like many musical styles, from bossa nova to rock. I follow bands like Wilco, Ben Harper, Rufus Wainwright, Kings of Convenience, Glen Hansard, The Shins… Since the nineties I’m in love with two voices: Eddie Vedder and Caetano Veloso. They are part of the soundtrack of my life. And, like the good romantic I am, I’m excited by the new interpreters of Portuguese fado: Ana Moura, Deolinda, Mariza, António Zambujo, Katia Guerreiro…
BSD: Do you have a favourite among Bus Stop Dreams’ songs so far?
María: All of them are fantastic, but if I have to choose one I’ll go with The Big One.
BSD: Can you recommend a book to Bus Stop Dreams’ listeners?
María: Blindness by Jose Saramago
BSD: And finally, if you would select one album to recommend, which one would it be?
María: “Sky blue sky” by Wilco. And if you let me recommend another one…the upcoming album by Tanxedoras 😉
BSD: Thank you so much María. Be sure to let us know when the new album is ready.
