manx celtic music and dance

The Isle & The Sea - new CD project by Nigel Brown

02 Nov 2012


The Isle & The Sea is a new music and art project from Nigel Brown. The music and art work produced has been inspired by the Isle of Man. The CD is instrumental, atmospheric and ambient and there’s a limited edition art print with the first 100 copies. At the moment you can buy it in Studio 42 in PSM (with the art prints), Shakti Man in Ramsey or Peter Norris Music in Douglas. Find out more on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Isle-The-Sea/114710455350895
 

Track by Track Review
Choughs Over Cregneash: This track was inspired by a walk around Cregneash last year and watching a flock of choughs doing their acrobatics over the fields. The display lasted for about 10 minutes and was the perfect finish to the ramble. The music attempts to capture the gliding and grace of the birds.  The best way to enjoy the tune is to go out for a wander past the Chasms and head on the track back to Cregneash. When you spot the choughs put the music on and watch the birds in action. Don’t forget to keep your wits about you on all coastal paths.

Field Song #1: This track was inspired by the Fairy Bridge in Kewaigue; the band Heron who recorded their records outside and listening to Pink Floyd’s Granchester Meadows. I particularly like the bird in the background, who decided to add some vocals to the song. It’s a laid back acoustic sound track to the Manx countryside.
Lament for A Whale: My Grandfather Hague told me that when he was a boy he walked from Port Erin to Langness to see the whale washed up on the beach. I believe the skeleton is now in the Manx Museum in Douglas. The music is intended to be a Celtic lament for this huge beast of the sea, punctuated with some harp which always reminds me of the ebb and flow of the waves.

Creaky Trees: I recorded this in a plantation and it took a while to find some suitably creaky trees. The idea first came to me after a walk through Ohio plantation on a wet and windy day last year. The place was suitably creepy and I pictured a music box playing in the background to add more atmosphere. The best way to enjoy this song is to listen to it in the woods at night, after watching a jumpy horror film.

Rain Raga: This is a short guitar track inspired by the kind of veil that comes over you on a grey and rainy day. The music tries to capture that mood where there is nothing on the TV; its grey, muggy and rainy and you don’t feel like venturing out. Probably the best way to enjoy this track is to play it in a conservatory on a rainy Sunday; the rain will then sound in Stereo.

Fleshwick Soundscape: This track is based around an outdoor recording of the Sea at Fleshwick on a particularly nice March day this year. The music is an attempt to improvise around the seascape and reflect the beauty of the waves. It can be best enjoyed by playing the song in your car from the parking area at Fleshwick. I would use the term parking area loosely as its more of a turning point for cars.

The Cat’s Whiskers: I originally was working on an acoustic blues piece when my cat knocked the recorder off the amp and wiped all I had recorded. being slightly angry I switched to electric guitar and re recorded the song and called it the Cat’s Whiskers in tribute to my cat’s help. Best listened to with a purring cat on your lap.

The Isle & The Sea: This was conceived during a walk around Scarlett last year, as a song about the sea and the land being lovers, meeting when the tides dictated. I started on some lyrics, but liked the tune so much I wanted to record it as a piece on its own. This is another track that might benefit from listening to during a coastal walk; stopping for a few minutes to watch the sea and land interacting.

Not a Breath of Wind: The track was written in my garden on a still sunny afternoon. It followed a night of rain/ wind and was conceived as being a thank you for bringing stillness after such a bad slot of weather. I added the bells as a sign that the land was ringing out the changes, telling people that the storm had passed. I think this is a track to listen to in a peaceful grove, garden etc. thinking of new beginnings and not dwelling on what’s been and gone.
 

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