2005-12-06

So many airports.

After so many flights, trains, cars, taxis, and more baggage lugging than ethics should allow, I'm finally back in the loving arms of the recording studio. It's nestled deep in Sweden's rural southern region�which means that the air stinks like cows and nature.

Things are going great in the studio. And to think I was so worried before I arrived! I was mostly worried about not having enough good songs to choose from. It turned out I had way more than enough, though. I brought 19 of my own and two songs by other writers.

We spent the first day listening to all the demos, taking notes, and prioritizing the songs. My concept for the album has been to capture the essence of funerals and how the recently departed use music to express themselves to the living. Sticking with the theme made it easier for Christoffer, my producer, and I to make song choices. There were some really catchy, strong pop songs that would've made the cut for my last record. But, they were too radio friendly, poppy, and straightforward for this one. We wanted more substance and depth in the songs�songs that would work better with the concept.

We got very little actual recording done that first day, but it was a day well spent. We'd created the skeleton of the album by midnight!

We finished early�just after 12�and I went back to the little cottage down the road to unpack my things and sleep. I did a lot of the unpacking, but very little of the sleeping. I don't think I fell asleep until six in the morning. I tried everything�stretching, meditation, sleeping pills, focused breathing. I even thought I might be really extreme and try reading a book, but the thought of it seemed just way too horrible.


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