the jealous sea, please HOLD.

we apologise for the lack of entries as of late.  it's been almost a month since our last entry--one day shy, in fact.  we've been tied up in excessive melodrama & unnecessary red tape.  it has changed the way that we will do business from now on.  it's sad that you can't do things in good faith anymore, but when it all comes down to it you've got to look out for yourself/yourselves. not everyone out there is trustworthy. [they might dissolve your original agreement at the drop of a hat.  even though it is NOT the right thing to do.  even if it is NOT the mature thing to do.  even if it is BAD business practise.] 

this is where we are.  our single release is being delayed.  the recording sessions that we did are being held [from us] by the "studio" that we recorded them at.  [shakes head]  

think of it in terms of john lennon vs phil spector.  

ps : don't worry.  we'll find a way.  just think good thoughts.  and keep the faith...      

singled OUT.

we are in the home stretch as far as recording "sunshine," "a boy, a girl & a rendez-vous" & "going, going, gone" are concerned. the tracking is complete--now we're wrestling with the mixing stage. which is not an easy feat.  we should be sick of the songs at this point as we've eaten, slept & breathed them.  haha.  

strangely enough, we aren't.  :)

all [3] three songs sound great, though it looks like only [2] two made the cut for the cloudberry records 7". ["going, going, gone" will find a home on a future release. it's too good not to.] and due to time constraints "sunshine" would need half a minute shaved off [ie, the infamous "single edit"] in order to fit on one side. i think that editing would take away from the overall feel of the song, which i'm unwilling to do. not to worry. if roque gives it the green light, a fully realised version of "the games we play" & a newly recorded studio version of "moving targets [eventually get hit]" will occupy the b side [or double a side, as it should be].

so, perhaps [3] three songs will spin at 45 revolutions per minute. keep your fingers crossed...

all sold OUT!

i just took a quick glance at the cloudberry records myspace page & saw something that i needed to confirm on their official website. and it's true. our "[i won't] hold my breath" single is completely SOLD OUT! i'm both sad & excited. for the same reason. it's a small victory. but a victory nonetheless. [small referring to the size of the cdr--not the impact of roque's label. hehe.]


ps : i've got the stone's song [of the same name] stuck in my head now. not a bad thing, of course. as it's one of my favourites.

vinyl heaven & HTM[HEL]L.

in the grand tradition of trying new things, i've decided to have a go at web design. or as i'm referring to it--web de-SIGH-n. haha. granted, it's supposed to be click here/code here/save changes & you're done, but i'm finding it to be more complicated than i'd like it to be. a LOT more complicated. it's a good thing that i like minimalism. check out my masterwork [in progress.]

www.freewebs.com/thejealoussea

be sure to sign the guestbook. and if you're a code junkie & know how to get things done, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me some helpful tips/shortcuts. i'd be forever grateful. :)

taylor & i had the pleasure of meeting mike turner from happy happy birthday to me records [or HHBTM as the kids like to call it] earlier this week. we just happened to be in athens, GA [inside/out] & stopped into wuxtry records to do some major damage to our checking accounts. lo & behold--who should be behind the counter but mike t! he's a super nice guy with conversational skills that match ours.

here's a transcribed portion of the conversation [from memory] :

me : hey taylor! they have the summer cats cloudberry 7"!

taylor : really?!

mike : yeah, i ordered that one in. cloudberry's a great label.

me : we actually put out a cd-r single last november with roque. cloudberry 057, in fact.

mike : really? which band?

me/taylor : we're the jealous sea.

mike : oh, wow! i tried to get you guys to play athens POPFEST this year!

me : yeah. i wish we could, but we're only a [2] two piece right now.

mike : there's always next year...

next year, indeed! please keep us in mind, mike! :)

ps : i ended up picking up said cloudberry records summer cats single, along with the HHBTM tullycraft/the smittens split 7", kyra's marieke 7" & the paul weller dual 12" live album catch flame! taylor made out like a bandit with my bloody valentine's loveless on vinyl. we do love a good record store!

sound & VISION.

let me say firstly--mark freeth from the hi-life companion is an invaluable member of the indiepop scene. not only does he help create great music [which is so catchy i can hardly contain my enthusiasm] but he also helps create/maintain that great sense of community in this brilliant, ever-growing genre. i can't say enough good things! [THLC's "the girl in the gorilla suit" made a surprise appearance on BBC radio 6 recently. congrats!] speaking of which, be sure to purchase their album once it hits the shelves. it won't be long--yeah, yeah. ['til it belongs to you.] he let us know that we were featured on the tuesday 24 june 2008 humans beware podcast # 36.

here is what bruce dale [humans beware] had to say about "the games we play."

"the jealous sea song is i believe a demo version of a track they've got coming out on the infamous haymarket records comp which has been promised for years now but is possibly gonna make it out no the apple orchard cd is out, and there seems to be some talk the band will also be releasing on a 7" soon [my main suspect for that is a cloudberry 7" but don't quote me on that...just a suspicion!!]"

i'm not sure if it's actually going to be on the haymarket compilation or if it's an independent filipino indie pop online compilation spearheaded by dale marquez. either way, dale's involved. so be on the lookout for that.

the above images are from a photo shoot that taylor & i did on sunday. just us, my trusty canon powershot a620 & a tripod by the bay front in good ol' downtown pensacola, FL. it was such a nice, sunny day out that we felt inspired enough to squint our way through a few self-timed shots. we'll try to make it a habit to take photos as much as possible from now on. it's fun. and we're easy on the eyes. hehe.

the [3] three songs for the upcoming single are sounding great! just a few more tracks to lay down, the always "fun" mixing/mastering session & it should be good to go. judging from the rough mixes you won't be disappointed. i know we're not...

ANTHOLOGY?

if you're a completist, like we are, then you'll be happy to know that we've just posted all of our [released] catalogue of demos for your listening pleasure. [yes, the versions WITH the drums] heck, you'll be happy even if you're NOT a completist! haha. we even included an [as of yet] unreleased demo for "the games we play." for good measure, of course. i suppose the momentum of working on new material is partly responsible. so, we thought it a good idea to share the l-o-v-e. now, help us keep the momentum going...

time won't let ME/makin' TIME.

wow, it's been a month since our last entry! and believe me, it's been an extremely busy month. taylor & i have been juggling/multi-tasking a lot.

we recorded a new song ["the games we play"] to contribute to dale marquez & co.'s online compilation. hopefully that'll be up & downloadable soon. inbetween everything else, we're working on [3] three new songs for another cloudberry records single ["sunshine," "a boy, a girl & a rendez-vous" & "going, going, gone"] to be released sometime during the summer/fall. we'll have to double check with roque on that one. haha. and we're thinking of recording a few EPs or a full length [or maybe both?] by the end of the summer. you'll know as soon as we do. :)