Singer/lyricist/poet sought for new project, collaborating with established electronic/experimental musician in Edinburgh
Under the name Belvedere Mountain Express, I have previously released two full-length CD albums on my own Pigeonhouse label. Apart from the vocals, the sound sources are all electronic, being a mixture of both melodic and noisy synthesiser sounds, and samples taken variously from the environment and from obscure foreign films. The vocalist/lyricist with whom I collaborated on that project has now moved on to other things in life, so I am now seeking somebody new, for what may well develop into a rather different project.
On the two CDs, there were only vocals on about a quarter of the tracks, but ideally I would like to use vocals much more widely in the future. I also feel ready to make music which is just a little bit more ‘listener-friendly’, lending itself better to vocals, unlike much of the existing Belvedere Mountain Express material. The songs should remain rhapsodic in structure, though, rather than following a traditional pop/rock structure, and I would expect the sound sources to be broadly similar to those used so far.
I am not necessarily looking for an experienced singer. You may in fact regard yourself primarily as as writer of poetry or lyrics, but if you believe you can sing too, and would like to try out an unusual musical collaboration, please have a listen and consider getting in touch. I could provide the melody lines and you would only need to provide the words and voice.
Alternatively, you may already have experience of singing with a band and be looking for a new project. Although I still want to do all the actual music and production, I am happy for the vocalist to decide where on each track to sing and to come up with the melody lines. In fact this is how I worked with my previous collaborator.
On balance, I think I still prefer female vocals, and generally imagine a female voice on my tracks, but would happily work with a male singer if the right one came along. Since I am over thirty, I envisage any potential collaborator to be at least over twenty-five, if not over thirty, but this is by no means a requirement.
Before you get in touch, please visit the Belvedere Mountain Express MySpace page, and also listen to the one-minute samples of the album tracks which can be found under the ‘listen’ tab of the Belvedere Mountain Express web site, to see whether you like the music.
Then, please listen to the following musical ‘fragments’:
If you like them and think you might be able to put words to two or three of them, either with your own melody or with a little help from me, then please do get in touch.
The current working ‘band name’ for the new project is Parker Swells, although I’m open to better suggestions, and would even continue to use the name Belvedere Mountain Express if it seemed appropriate.
I live close to the centre of Edinburgh, so I would really like to collaborate with somebody who lives within easy travelling distance of Edinburgh, if not in the city itself. Also it is very important that you actually have time to devote to recording and trying out ideas with me. I am keen to get some songs finished during the coming weeks and months, by meeting quite frequently for recording sessions. I record everything at home on my Apple Mac.
If you are interested in collaborating with me, please send an email message to info(@)parkerswells.co.uk or just reply to my Gumtree ad.
Thank you for listening …
Howard of Belvedere Mountain Express
Edinburgh, Scotland
June 2008