For Christmas this year I produced a CD. Contrary to my usual behaviour, I finished it in plenty of time and gifted it to multiple family members and friends. As an accompaniment (oh! the puns…) I have designed here, tasting notes for each song on the list.
You can listen to the tracks here: https://soundcloud.com/amber-pula/sets/playing-it-write
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1. Only Half Alone
This song was named in collaboration with Faith, one of my closest friends. It is intended to be mildly cheeky with mellow undertones. In fact…there are big things coming for this song, which I will not divulge just yet. Stay tuned.
2. Composer’s Block
It’s about exactly that. When you’d like to write, if not for the purpose of composing then to have something new to play, but you simply cannot seem to manage it. That’s why this song is jittery, and a little sporadic, but well structured nonetheless. When I wrote Composer’s Block, it was the first song I’d written in what seemed an age, in reality…approximately seven months.
3. Perhaps, I’m Russian
This is one of my personal favourites. It’s raucous and intense and elegant, (not unlike myself at times?). In addition to that, it is quite different from the lilting themes I often write and is an absolute ball to play.
4. Fair Wuorinen
Now, this is an interesting one. To me, it is a sailing song. Blowing winds, trouble on the horizon, plenty of rum and even more adventure. It’s named after the sail boat my Dad captains, which rests on my grandparents property on a street named Wuorinen. You’ve been given a Fair Wuorinen that we’re coming through, trouble and adventure are waiting for you!
5. Inspector Anonymous
I feel this title rather speaks for itself. Speedy and intricate this song reminds me of intensive detective work. It’s fun, quirky, and exciting to play.
6. Blowing Smoke
This name is rather a favourite of mine. Picture a gentleman’s club, cigars, bourbon/whiskey/scotch (take your pick), and perhaps one woman, who has the attention of them all. Blowing smoke from cigars, the evening is bound to be interesting.
7. Lost and Found
Ah, this one is dear to my heart. Recently, with work, we moved into a new studio space. As my Dad and I explored, we discovered an abandoned piano sitting broken in a corner. I have an irresistible urge to play every piano I clap eyes on and this one was no different. It was crooked, bent, missing keys, falling over. I expected very little of the sound. It was unexpectedly purely toned, with faults that only added to it’s beauty. I played and there was a rumble from within. I turned and said to Dad, “there is thunder in it.” And so, I have named him Zeus, and he sits happily in our new studio. I wrote this song on and for Zeus. He was lost, but has been found.
8. Two of Us
You would think this song title means something quite deep…sorry to disappoint. It really doesn’t. There are two themes in this song, hence, Two of Us. That being said. I adore the themes in this song, they took a while to come together, but the product of the two is lovely. This was the first song I ever played on Mason, and I suppose that makes it the song we fell in love to. It may deep after all.
9. Thank You For Your Service
I wrote this one for something inexplicably close to my heart. My shockingly deep interest in military psychology and PTSD stories leads me to read many books on said topic. This song is based on such a book, Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel. It wasn’t an uplifting read, but it was raw and real and it impacted me so much I wrote a song about it. I played this song at a concert once and I almost made myself cry. I find it to be deeply emotional and moving, especially when one knows the intention behind it.
10. War One
Again with the military theme. This was one of my earlier compositions, and I’ve held onto it quite closely. Though, I’ve forgotten it a fair few times, it always comes back to me in the end. I played this at my first concert, and it’s Faith’s favourite song, I swear the last time I remembered it, it was only because she was sitting there willing it to happen. A fun side note, I once got kicked off a grand piano in a mall in the Philippines (by a security guard) while playing this song, just getting to the climax too. Buzz kill!
11. Father Time
I like books. I wrote this song after being deeply moved by a book titled The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom. Father Time is the time keeper of the world, he invented time-telling and forever wished he hadn’t. While some may wish for less time, others are wishing for more. The book inspired me to remember that time is precious and living in the moment is crucial. How you spend your time is no small matter and doing what you love is of the utmost importance.
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Thank you for reading. Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year to you all!
Love from, Amber and Mason
*For those of you who would like to acquire a CD, I have a few left that are for sale for $15 each. Feel free to message me if you’d like one. They’ll probably sell out fast, considering there’s probably…two of them.*
ACP Music 