It looks like 2014 might be a busy year for Franklin and Franklin-related releases.
The good news about the Songs project is I’ve been re-listening to the tracks and readying them for release – which will be a download only release via Bandcamp/iTunes etc. The bad news is I can’t think of a good title for it! So I’m putting it out to you, “The People” in the hope someone may come up with something killer. All suggestions warmly considered! As soon as that is worked out and some nice artwork created it will probably appear as two sets of 18 songs.
In other news there are plans afoot for a new vinyl/CD release called White Horses which, as you might imagine, will be a kind of companion piece to last year’s Black Horses. Consisting of some recent sessions and recordings that, when listened to as a whole, seemed to sit together nicely as an album in its own right with a similar vibe to last year’s collection. It features some covers, some re-workings of older Bolts of Melody material, a new track created out of guitar tracks I recently recorded for Ringo Deathstarr and another featuring contributions from members of spaghetti-psyche pioneers Spindrift.
Also on the vinyl front, 2014 should see a debut release in that format for the 2007 debut AF album Bolts of Melody which only appeared on CD back in the day. This will feature new sleeve notes and an as-yet-undecided exclusive bonus track from around the same time and it will certainly be fab to see that album sleeve in its full, album-sized glory, plus I’m sure the album will sound nice and warm with a needle attached too.
And last but not least, work continues on a new Swervedriver record and the band will be entering a studio in London shortly to continue the work started during downtime on the recent Australian tour. The tunes, sounds and grooves are all shining up nicely and although there is no timescale set in stone as yet as to when something will be in your hands and available to be fired up on your stereo systems with the windows thrown open, be sure to know there will eventually be a tangible response to the question ‘How long is a piece of string?’
Many thanks to y’all for your continued support and enthusiasm and have a great day!
Cheers