serpentine waltz - tara milton
It's been a long time, since I've made a record in earnest. That was never intended to be, after my last band The Nubiles split, I felt it was time for me to stand on my own two feet for a while; although as a musician and a song writer, I felt that I was only just getting started.
I made a silent pact to myself, that I should return to the world, and come what may, if I were any kind of writer, then surely life would provide all of the necessary ingredients for me to furnish my songs. Being alone and without a band for the first time since I was 15 years old, I fully expected to get lost, and that I did. In fact, it's true to say that my life skills were so far adrift, I was found floundering….. But still there's a unique excitement that comes with being lost.
In March 2002 I landed in Japan, pretty much penniless, or yen less if you prefer? For about 6 weeks I was as sick as a dog. A 'girlfriend' put me up for awhile. I can understand her frustration, sometimes she would chase me around her apartment with sharp implements, slashing at the Japanese shoji blinds, like a scene from The Shining. Gleefully, I was forced to consign to my perdition.
This collection of songs, 'Serpentine Waltz' represent to some extent me getting back on my feet over the years. I'd probably describe the songs as, 'Kitchen Sink Drama's' but with abstract twists and a late night vibe! I will generally tell my story through an emphatic third party. 'Waiting on a Post Card' tells the forlorn tale of the late great American folk singer Jackson C Frank who came to London in the early 60's. '2 Months Ago' is a stomping Northern Soul/blues. It deals with a jilted lover who feels his life and relationships are being sabotaged by an evil spirit. The title track, 'Serpentine Waltz' is set in apocalyptical London, the city is burning like Carthage and the songs protagonist escapes to the sanctuary of the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park. Gazing in to the water he see's the reflection of a beckoning and beautiful face. Maybe it's the ghost of Harriot Shelley, who drowned herself, when her wandering poet husband Percy Bysshe Shelley deserted her for Paris in 1816?
But it's certainly not all doom and gloom. There are joyful moments too! 'A Song to the Open Road' is a pure celebration of life. 'Cape Horn' and 'Treasure Hunters' sing of encountering joy in the simplest of domestic circumstances! A lovers laugh at a joke on the t.v, the sound of children's voices rolling off a street on a summers evening. My greatest wish is to leave the listener feeling uplifted and inspired, feeling like they can go int to the world and deal with anything it throws at them. Such is the authentic healing power of music!
These days i find myself back in London and driving a double decker bus for a living. It's been 3 years since I've returned from the Orient, and I'm still 'getting back on my feet'….. All of my spare cash has gone in to this project. The recording sessions have been exciting, there were trips in to the studio with the awesome guitarist Barrie Cadogan, (of Little Barrie) who has sessioned for a whole host of luminaries no less, Paul Weller and Edwyn Collins. There were brass sessions with Sean Read currently working with Dexy's and Chrissy Hyndes. And many other surprises too. I'm also pleased to announce that Sam williams has been on mixing and mastering duties.
