Ruthless Window by James Walsh
I have been living with friends by the sea in Kent for lockdown III, as my "looking after people's cats while they go on holiday" lifestyle does not work when people are not allowed to go on holiday.
These people have treated me with a lot of kindness, more than they will ever know. I have internalised a lot of terrible ideas and conclusions over the years, and one of them is that I am impossible to live with (unless you're a cat) and that absolutely no-one should be forced to spend any extended amount of time with me (unless you're a cat).
I don't think that now, and Ruth and Bill area a lot of the reason for that. They have (intentionally and perhaps accidentally) incorporated me into their routine, and for the first time in a while this has given my life a bit of structure (coffee! At the same time! Every! Day!) while I get on with various creative projects.
This album was an experiment, and as such it is very rough around the edges. The idea was to write one new song a day, in a stream-of-consciousness style. Most of the lyrics were improvised on the spot, with only a tiny modicum of editing. On a few occasions, the lyrics and melodies I sang for the very first time to whatever chords I had come up with are the ones that appear on the finished album. So please don't expect Kid A levels of production, but a lot of the fears, thoughts and hopes that have been rattling around my brain have been poured into these songs, unwittingly or otherwise.
I wouldn't usually ask for monies for my creative things. I've been doing a free sketch comedy podcast for a year, because my goodneses we all need something to laugh about at the moment. But doing a debut album felt different; also, I am unemployed. So any monies you may be willing to give me for my creative labour, I will be enormously appreciative.
Tracklist
| 1. | White Heat | 1:57 |
| 2. | Secret Dream Wife | 2:23 |
| 3. | Planned Catastrophe | 1:06 |
| 4. | Doomscrolling | 2:17 |
| 5. | All The Fish Are Now English | 1:53 |
| 6. | Dipping Your Back Wheel | 2:17 |
| 7. | Interlude (Summer 2020) | 1:57 |
| 8. | Rubble By The Stream | 1:18 |
| 9. | Oystercatcher Sunrise | 1:59 |
| 10. | Please Don't Be Cruel | 4:13 |
| 11. | This Can't Go On Forever | 4:19 |
Credits
All songs written, performed and recorded by James Walsh (not the one out of Starsailor).
Backing vocals on This Can't Go On Forever by Dr Ruth Martin. Cat noises on Oystercatcher Sunrise by Cleo Martin.
License
All rights reserved.
James wrote his first song in 2009, when his then partner bought him a ukulele for his 30th birthday. He wrote a song about Laika, the first dog in space, and then got distracted by other things. This is his first attempt to write a coherent album of songs, but now this particular monkey is off his back he hopes to write a second album before the year is out.