Myself and Pete, took a road trip to the Balckwater Estuary on 30th July, 2018. It was the first time we had been there together since 1981. The area was an important part of my growing up, my grandparents lived in Maldon for a number of years running the youth hostel in the 1950's and early 1960's, later they moved to Goldhanger and later still to Tollesbury. My grandfather started a sailing centre sometime in the 1950's and was awarded the Empire medal one year for doing something or other ... nobody is really quitye sure and my grandfather in his humility would reportedly just shrig his shoulders when asked about it.
Anyway, we mapped out an album whilst putting the finishing touches to "The Last Time We Did This", we had some specific ideas for the sound palette and where the inspiration for this particular album was coming from. In fact it had been something we had discussed many years earlier but never quite got around to it as other projects frequently took precedence.
The road trip was to get inspiration, discuss and develop the various ideas we had, do some field recordings capturing the atmosphere of the boatyards and sleepy salt marshes, take some pictures and some video footage.
The outline for "Goldhanger Creek" was created although it had a different title at the time and a different track listing as we sketched out the titles of the tracks, the sound we wanted and a few lyrics here and there.
One of the tracks morphed into what would be come a whole new album which at this time of writing is going to most likely appear at the beginning of 2021, another track became three tracks which kick started a whole new album ... probably will reach you sometime in 2021. Two more albums were born on the back of the sessions which are both being worked on and later 2021 not being an unrealistic expected target for release.
Out of Goldhanger Creek also came the current album "Tales From A Mariners Pen". Two of the tracks "Oyster Beds" & "Just A Whisper" were for a radio session but we liked them so much that we wanted to get them out quickly. "Shipwrecked And Stranded" we had worked on with the idea of it being for "Goldhanger Creek" but it just wasn't sitting right with us. The mid section was added and suddenly we had a great opener. "The Village Of Plough & Sail" had started as the first version 0f "Return To Tollesbury" but we felt it wasn't right until we revisited it in the light of the new sessions. "Visionaries, Netmenders & Stargazers" had a the nucleus of a great idea but had been marred by a vocal performance that just wasn't right. We revisited the track once we saw we had another album in the making and it just clicked. "Cabin Fever" was like a coda statement made up of edits, outtakes and some brilliant composition by Pete to pull it all together.
Two Headed Emperor are in a prolific period of creativity with next few albums mapped out and lot's of twists and turns along the way. The current crop were inspired by the roadtrip, have been moved along by lockdown and although there is still work to do to bring the rest of the current crop to fruition our heads and hearts are beginning to turn in a new direction.
"Tales From A Mariner's Pen" is our fourth album, we are heading out of this rather pastoral territory and into something a bit more urban. You might begin to get a few hints across the next couple of albums before it hits you hard. I hope that you will be ready.
Anyway, we mapped out an album whilst putting the finishing touches to "The Last Time We Did This", we had some specific ideas for the sound palette and where the inspiration for this particular album was coming from. In fact it had been something we had discussed many years earlier but never quite got around to it as other projects frequently took precedence.
The road trip was to get inspiration, discuss and develop the various ideas we had, do some field recordings capturing the atmosphere of the boatyards and sleepy salt marshes, take some pictures and some video footage.
The outline for "Goldhanger Creek" was created although it had a different title at the time and a different track listing as we sketched out the titles of the tracks, the sound we wanted and a few lyrics here and there.
One of the tracks morphed into what would be come a whole new album which at this time of writing is going to most likely appear at the beginning of 2021, another track became three tracks which kick started a whole new album ... probably will reach you sometime in 2021. Two more albums were born on the back of the sessions which are both being worked on and later 2021 not being an unrealistic expected target for release.
Out of Goldhanger Creek also came the current album "Tales From A Mariners Pen". Two of the tracks "Oyster Beds" & "Just A Whisper" were for a radio session but we liked them so much that we wanted to get them out quickly. "Shipwrecked And Stranded" we had worked on with the idea of it being for "Goldhanger Creek" but it just wasn't sitting right with us. The mid section was added and suddenly we had a great opener. "The Village Of Plough & Sail" had started as the first version 0f "Return To Tollesbury" but we felt it wasn't right until we revisited it in the light of the new sessions. "Visionaries, Netmenders & Stargazers" had a the nucleus of a great idea but had been marred by a vocal performance that just wasn't right. We revisited the track once we saw we had another album in the making and it just clicked. "Cabin Fever" was like a coda statement made up of edits, outtakes and some brilliant composition by Pete to pull it all together.
Two Headed Emperor are in a prolific period of creativity with next few albums mapped out and lot's of twists and turns along the way. The current crop were inspired by the roadtrip, have been moved along by lockdown and although there is still work to do to bring the rest of the current crop to fruition our heads and hearts are beginning to turn in a new direction.
"Tales From A Mariner's Pen" is our fourth album, we are heading out of this rather pastoral territory and into something a bit more urban. You might begin to get a few hints across the next couple of albums before it hits you hard. I hope that you will be ready.
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