|
BIRD IN BUSH ROAD
Album by Otis Mace
This song is about.... Bird In Bush Road
takes it's named from a street in Peckham ,South East London, where Otis
Lived from 1998 to 2005. "In the winter of 2001, I worked briefly for
a huge toy store near my house, and walking to work each morning through
the chill murky London gloom, I'd look up to see a faded street sign attached
to a huge council block that reminded me of the old expression-" Bird
in the hand worth two in the bush". Some of the 11 tracks were recorded
in nearby Camberwell at the Swamp Studios,on evenings and weekends 2001
-03, and were released as limited run CD eps to sell at gigs.
Other tracks on the album were recorded in Auckland ,some live at Roasted
Addiquion Cafe in Kingsland and two at Halcrowe studios New north road
2006 and one by Greg Bryce at EKADEC where the album was mastered
and compiled.
A mixed bag of balladry and wry ,wistful humour, and song craft that
takes the listener from eccentric New Zealand character sketches ( Doctor
Death- a story full of bathos about a the past glories and present reminiscences
of a Big Time Wrestler) to a brave attempt at a Teen Angst anthem ( Mad
as a Balloon ) to whimsical pop odes like Serena Plus One ( a bubbly agriculture
student from Napier {or was it Hastings?} negotiates for a pass to the
next Exponents gig ) In the potted lament "Anita" the story is one of
small scale loss and resignation ....from a job .... in London. "Anita
surprised us all today by resigning She said she wanted to do this course
in designing"
There's a creepy acoustic character study "That Kind Of Attention" written
from the point of view of a character trapped in a comic strip- is he
superhero?,or psycho?
These eleven tracks are a distillation of a decade of Mace's inventive
and sometimes zany, stripped back song craft. The record features the
musicianship of Carmel Courtney, Dave Peachy and Billy Gibson
from Aotearoa, Tim Shireman ,(San Fransisco) and Rob Harris,Tone
McAdam (UK).
Praise from local icon, Don McGlashan; " ...your songs are great.
Really crafty,beguiling and utterly like no-one else. Excellent work."---
Best Otis Mace, Guitar Ace www.otismace.com
|
