confiding in the evening star (easter)

jacken elswyth has done some tracks for easter.

howard had posted up on soundcloud a mix of confiding in the evening star (since taken down) - a song written by howard, though horsemouth did suggest the title. this is probably the hardest track on the album to mix because there’s a lot going on (vocals, ukuleles, whistling, melodicas, various keyboards, lap steel guitars, acoustic guitars).

the track ends in an instrumental (and this works very well) but finding the best way through the verses, choruses and drops is a bit complicated.

horsemouth plays two tracks of lap steel guitar on it - one tuned daddad, one tuned dadf#ad, he doesn’t recall playing anything else on it (maybe there’s a track of acoustic in there to sweeten it up? yes there is, horsemouth remembers it now).

he texted howard to suggest taking out the lap steel in the second verse but now he thinks the thing to do would be to take out (or turn down) most of the early lap steel except in the second verse. he also thinks the initial keyboard is too loud (he just doesn’t like the sound of it really).

if he had his time over he would probably try moving the bits where confiding in the evening star is sung on to the section that comes after them (and he would probably do a better job of recording the lap steels, he did them in a hurry when he was grumpy and didn’t take enough time and care to make sure they fitted together well).

but that said the mix is actually pleasantly punchy. like horsemouth says it is a difficult one to get right and it has come together surprisingly well.

stop press: seems like they may have a violinist interested in playing on their stuff. more songs to go up on soundcloud later.