If you like PURE JOY, don’t just tell Brian – tell others. Brian does not have music industry people promoting his music, so he needs to use word-of-mouth to reach a wider audience. Thank you!
If Brian’s 2020 album, Something For Everyone, had been a dare, PURE JOY is a double-dare. Having challenged himself to record a whole album (resulting in Something For Everyone, in 2020) Brian asked himself the question: can I make another album? And so began the musical adventure that ended up as PURE JOY.
The writing and recording of PURE JOY was helped by Covid-19 lockdowns, giving Brian the time to write and record in the spring of 2021 and also providing rich material for some of the lyrics.
The album is called PURE JOY for a reason. Brian decided to record material that just pleased himself and no one else. This meant that the writing and recording process was a literally a pure joy. Every track and every bit of every track is loved by Brian and laying down the music and vocals was so enjoyable.
This self-indulgent approach hasn’t meant that PURE JOY is some kind of hard-to-listen-to abstract/weird album. Brian likes enjoyable music that is pleasing on the ear and also beautiful melodies.
The idea Brian had out the outset was to use drum machines and beat boxes instead of acoustic drums and to have thrashy punky guitars. Some of the tracks follow this plan, such as IT AIN’T EASY and WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO SAY?, but Brian soon had other ideas, with the result that PURE JOY contains a lot of styles in its 10 tracks. Indeed, there’s a danger that someone put off by the dreamy creamy sound of opening track, HELLO, will give up and not skip to the more edgy post-punk guitar of the following track, IT AIN’T EASY. This is definitely an album to explore throughout. Listeners should not miss potential-single track, WE LIVE IN DYSTOPIA.
Two foundations of the to-be-recorded album were Brian’s purchase of a brand new Gibson SG Standard and learning to use the recording software properly.
Brian plays certain guitars as much for inspiration as for their sound. A Gibson SG is played by Bernard Sumner of New Order – one of Brian’s idols from a band that has been influential on his music. Reference needs also to be made to Justin Sullivan, of New Model Army, who also plays a cherry Gibson SG. Brian is a “secret” fan of NMA.
If Something For Everyone was about Brian taking singing lessons to find his own best voice, PURE JOY is about Brian using Logic Pro (the recording software that Brian uses) more proficiently. Learning to use the recording software well meant that the recording process was much quicker, which in itself led to more creativity and perhaps better results. Unlike Something for Everything, where there were something like 25 discarded ideas, there was not one surplus track in the recording of PURE JOY.
Brian broke new ground in the recording of PURE JOY, by including collaborators for the backing vocals on two of the tracks – Adam Clarkson of Nottingham band, Stuart Pearce, on WE LIVE IN DYSTOPIA, and an international array of singers on IT AIN’T EASY, between them hailing from Nova Scotia, Nigeria, New Jersey and the Isle of Wight!
Lyrically, PURE JOY openly expresses Brian’s poor mental health during Covid-19 lockdowns in several tracks. Indeed, the opening lines of the whole album – “Hello, is there anybody here? Is there anyone at home? Come and say hello” … “Hello, I could do with company, Someone to join me” is straight out of Brian’s feelings during lockdown alone in his apartment. BLISTERS IN MY HEAD is the best way that Brian can explain some of the darker moments of the impact of Covid-19.
A special mention must go to Chris, who mixed and mastered this album (and all my music from 2020). He did a fantastic job and deserves so much credit for how this albums sounds.
You can use this SmartLink for PURE JOY on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes store, Napster, Deezer, Pandora and Tidal.
Pure Joy – track-by-track
Hello
A dreamy number that is about lockdown loneliness and a cry out to interact with other people face-to-face. “Is there anybody here? Is there anyone at home?”
Brian: Alchemy, ES2, Drum Synth, Logic Sampler, Retro Synth, Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster, Taylor 514 CE, vocals
It Ain’t Easy
Life’s not easy, right? That’s what this track is about. Musically, we’re talking big beats, crunchy guitars and retro synth leads, so it’s typical for PURE JOY. However… a six-voice unison refrain and banging of pots and pans! Hmmmmmmm.
Brian: beats and loops, Logic Sampler, ES1, RetroSynth, Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster, pots and pans (and shoes), vocals
Harry Sprinks: backing vocals
Goldcuts: backing vocals
Tim daTailor: backing vocals
Shannon Ross: backing vocals
Red green yellow white orange blue
“Feeling like a colour, I’m feeling it in my head.” More lockdown weirdness mediated by, well, colours. Electronic sounds and messy beats.
Brian: Alchemy, Logic Sampler, Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster, vocals
Ronnie: beats
We live in dystopia
“We live in dystopia” sings Brian in a heartfelt message to the world. AI is redefining our lives, computers are manipulating us, we’re becoming like robots, and we can’t even tell what reality is anyone. Musically, we’re in post-punk territory … possibly.
Brian: Alchemy, ES1, Logic Sampler, Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster, vocals
Zak: Drums
Adam Clarkson: vocals
All of everything
A song with an unusual time signature and beautiful guitar sounds. Lyrically, it’s about ‘everything’ – contemplative about where Brian is now in his life, and the vastness and timelessness of the sea, sky, land, air, day, night, what is here and what is there. As I say, everything.
Brian: drum machine programming, Logic Sampler, Alchemy, Gibson SG, Taylor 514CE, vocals
Things on my mind
Now for something different! Pulsating retro synthesisers and a classic drum machine dominate Things on my mind, plus silky smooth electric guitar. The meaning of the track is simple and straightforward – having things on your mind in the middle of the night.
Brian: Ultrabeat, Alchemy, RetroSynth, Logic sampler, Fender Stratocaster, vocals
What to do? What to say?
In What to do? What to say? Brian pleases himself: lots of electric guitar and vintage synths over big beats, a proper chorus and a startling middle section, make this song a (hopefully) joyful journey. The lyrics are mainly post-Covid, returning to long-standing confusions and topical concerns about social media.
Brian: RetroSynth, Logic Sampler, organ, loops, Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster, Taylor 514 CE, vocals
Logan: Drums
It happens every day
A lone ‘garage band’ electric guitar starts It happens every day, to be joined by more thrashy guitar and a parade of electronic instrumentation that leads to an extended discordant outro. Lyrically, it’s a hotchpotch of thoughts and ideas.
Brian: RetroSynth, Logic Sampler, Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster, Taylor 514 CE, vocals
Logan/Brian: Ultrabeat
Zak: Hi-hats
Blisters in my head
More post punk / indie rock with Brian playing thrashy acoustic and electric guitar over big beats. Lyrically, this track is deep in Covid lock-down territory and its effects on Brian’s mental health. Apart from the title lyrics, we have “Coming up for air but I’m still drowning here.” “Lost inside a maze .. and there’s no way in and no way out.”
Brian: Ultrabeat, Logic Sampler, loops, Gibson SG, Taylor 514CE, vocals
Closing track (goodbye)
A song that is half mournful lament and half ‘thank you and goodbye.’ The mellotron and horns give this a sparse and gritty feel.
Brian: Mellotron, Logic Sampler, vocal