When the SEA EP project was finished, James asked me what my favourite of the four tracks was; my answer was “well, I love them all. They are all so different and each has a unique feel to them, but if pushed, I’d say track 4, ‘Sea’, was my favourite”, and James replied, “Yes mine too!”
We love them all, but this is our favourite track. James and I both share the same influences and likes musically, and this poem by cummings allows us to indulge in our love of songs that build musically as they progress, starting from minimal beginnings and ending in huge swathes of musical satisfaction.
The original cummings poem is titled AMORES III, again from ‘Tulips and Chimneys’ and more commonly known as ‘as is the sea marvelous’.
I really felt the intense passion that cummings portrays, the words “Stars flutter into dust” and “your soul upon my lips” are really strong timeless words that can only serve a love song ballad. So, I instantly knew that this was always going to be a strong ballad. When looking at lyrics that are already written, I look for the shape of the song and the strength of the words - which lines hold the key to a song and which phrases are powerful ear candy for the prominent chorus/hook lines. These words, mentioned above, although written many years ago, would not be out of place in today’s charts.
So, how to turn words into music? Again, by just reading the words, melodies and chords sprung into my mind as I sat down with my acoustic guitar. The song structure was in place really quickly, and the challenge with this song was to build the track so that it mimics the beauty and power of sea: in any moment, a calm and still presence (the start of the song), but at any moment with the changes in weather, a powerful destructive energy, roaring away as stars flutter into dust and true love endures ever lasting.
James and I spoke about the concept and James went away and built the song you hear by incorporating nautical sounds and, a highlight for me personally, his wonderful backing vocals that make one feel the struggling sailors battling the waves as the storm gets bigger and the song progresses. Another highlight of this song is the sound design my friend and collaborator Frank Kozlowski arranged, giving the song depth.
‘Sea’ is a very passionate song, one which I hope cummings would have approved.
Being our favourite song, James and I chose ‘Sea’ as the title for the EP. My sister is a very talented artist based in Ilfracombe, Devon, England, so it was a natural move to ask her to contribute an original piece of art as the album cover. Both James and I were thrilled at the results and listening to the EP whilst looking at the album cover, the image seems to fit perfectly, from the energy and aggression of ‘Mirror’ to the powerful climax of ‘Sea’ the image works impeccably, we feel.
As with previous songs, I mixed ‘Sea’ and James mastered the track at his mastering studio which is ‘RedShiftMastering’.