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Hi Everyone,
The acoustic version of ‘Wolves’ is now streaming on all online platforms.
The acoustic version is how the track was originally composed. A brooding folk ballad inspired by some nordic flavours. The version is a one take recording with the synth added later for some extra atmosphere.
Last year I was also invited to Sofar Sounds in Leipzig and we captured the song live and acoustic. You can watch that video below…
Musky x
Artwork: ANDREAS TEICHMANN
LYRICS
down in the garden in the old village square
down amongst the thistles and the homeless at prayer
the wolves tread lightly, the wolves tread fair
as the snow falls…
and out across the plains where the Jylland winds blow
oh out across the plains where the low shrubs a-grow
can you hear the girl singing of the deer and the doe?
she sings for the springtime…
Oh
down in the garden in the old village square
the men they smoke and the men they swear
they cock their crooked guns in the cold frigid air
their stomach’s hungry…
and out across the plains comes a thunderous roar!
the wood huts they tremble and the sleet starts to pour
can you hear the wolves a howling’, can you hear the girl cry?
as the sky turns crimson red
Ooh
BACKSTORY (As told by Joseph)
Let me tell you a little bit about the song. ‘Wolves’ was inspired by an article I read about a pack of wolves coming back to Denmark after an absence of sightings over the last 200 years. This was in 2017 I think. You can google it. I was looking for ideas based around the North Sea theme at the time and this seemed to tie in perfectly.
I imagined the character in the EP ending up very drunk in a little village in Denmark, facedown in the snow, after certain destructive events. The song was kind of formed as a sort of dreamscape for this character to fall into before the redemptive events of the ‘Kraken’ song, which was the last single the band and I released at the beginning of the year.
Originally the song as a very slow atmospheric beast. I was listening to Trevor Morris (the guy who did the score for the Vikings TV show) and came up with something kind of similar on the guitar. I also wanted to create a sort of chant that could be replicated on stage, a sort of prayer, but also have the ability to move into a viking war cry if it must.
When I sat down with Eric and showed him the track. He automatically saw this driving viking side of things and said that the song needed more push. I didn’t think so. But he insisted, and I am glad he did, his electric part becomes a spine to the song.
At the time however, I was hesitant to work further on the band version. When we finally made it to the studio with Felix and Micha, we hadn’t really practiced the song. But they pushed for it and we had the time, so I thought why not! I could always come back and do the acoustic version without trouble (And I have but more on that later).
In the studio, Eric played the riff. I asked Micha to create some sort of war drum percussion thing, and Felix eased on the bass. He also added this dramatic piano thing that you can hear best at the beginning of the song.
Since we were on that road, I insisted that we continue the viking sentiment and add some hectic backing vocals, we layered over 50 different mic tracks to create our Norse choir. When Felix and Micha went home, I added a little banjo, and when I was in Australia I worked with my old pal Jake (Who recorded the Seven Long Years EP) and we worked with Helen on Cello for some extra oomph.
And there you have it.
I should also mention that the song also had a different name, originally the track was going to be called ‘Wolves In The Garden.’ When we recorded the track, in the Watt & Sound Studio next the the North Sea, Eric suggested in passing that I shorten the name to Wolves - keep it simple. So I did.
Musky x
PHOTO: STUDIO RAUSCH
This spring I will be touring across Europe for a series of small acoustic shows. I will also be busking on the street in various locations. I am hoping to see some new faces and also some old friends…
05.05 HAMBURG - Sängerknaben & Sirenen
06.05 HAMBURG - Bring Your Own Song Night
08.05 LEIPZIG - Dr. Hops
10.05 PRAGUE - Café Club Míšeňská
21.05 VIENNA - Polkadot
24.05 BUDAPEST - Montazs Art Cafe
25.05 BUDAPEST - Garden Wonder
28.05 NUREMBERG - Ludwigs
03.06 BERLIN - Bar Bobu
06.06 HAMBURG - Tazzi PIZZA
See you all soon.
Love,
Musky x
ARTWORK: ANDREAS TEICHMANN
Greetings friends,
The band and I are happy to announce the release of our new single Kraken!
‘Kraken’ is the first single from a new Musketeer EP entitled ‘The North Sea’.
LYRICS
Rising up from the deep
Rising up from my sleep
I’ve had enough of this slumbering green
And I am reaching out for the skies
I am reaching out with open arms
The seas will part and the seas they will fall!
swallowed up
swallowed whole
into the maw
Well I’m boiling up in my veins
I’m boiling up in my beating heart
I’m hungry for the blood of loveless man
swallowed up
swallowed whole
into the maw
°
The only monster is man
Let me tell you how the song came together.
The Text
This song was the last track that I wrote for 'The North Sea' EP. I wanted to write an uplifting, sort of redemptive song for all the terrible things that occurred throughout the EP. - You will see this at the shows or when the EP comes out ;) - I imagined the character falling into a deep sleep and personifying the gigantic squid itself.
I ended up reading over a bunch of older text that came across the Kraken. A large part of the myth comes from old Nordic texts written in the middle ages. But I think the idea of a Leviathan goes back to something biblical. I recall the book of Job. The Lockness Monster is probably as old as time too! The mystery of the deep sea has been hanging about sailors for a long time. In the end I scribbled something down and then it found its way into the laptop.
The Music
I remember sitting in a community studio in Stockholm that my friend Frida (I Wish I Was A Fish) was recording in and asking her about some typical Scandinavian chords. I wanted to recreate something along the lines of the Anna Von Hausswolff's 'Stranger'. I also happened to be in the Tallest Man on Earth's tuning for his song 'Rivers.' (The D string & the G tuned down half a tone.) Anyway I ended up strumming these two beautiful chords which I have no idea what the names are, but you can see me rolling the acoustic version here:
The Band Arrangement
We ended up recording this track, and the others on the EP in the dead of winter, at a little school house next the The North Sea. It is called Watt n' Sound Studios. We had already worked on the track before we got there. I didn't really have an idea of what the song needed to sound like except that it needed to sound like the thunders of the deep. Eric (E-Guitar) and Micha (Drums) worked on the sweet drum pattern and Felix (Bass) and I played along. Eric added his electric later, and we layered the track as we played it live.
Later in the mixing room. The track needed to be cut down. We had a 6 minute version with a long solo and an extra outro line. This sounded awesome live. But the recorded performance didn’t feel like it pushed all the way through to the end. Eric and I ended up cutting it down to the 4 minutes it is now.
Later we sent it of to master at Metropolis London. Thank you John!
FUN FACTs:
- The track was supposed to be out earlier. But we missed a couple of little click sounds in the mix. So we had to run it through the master again.
& that is pretty much it.
We you enjoy it, and hope you can share and add it to your playlists!
Big love.
Musky. x
PHOTO: MICHAEL RADEMACHER
Greetings friends in Deutschland!
To celebrate the release of our new single 'Kraken', the band and I will be playing a series of full band release concerts in Germany to showcase the track.
‘Kraken’ is the first single from our second studio EP entitled ‘The North Sea’. Due for release in 2019. The single will be released worldwide on the 11th of January.
The song is inspired by old norse folk tales & various fictional works such as James Taylor’s ’20,000 Leagues Under The Sea’. 'Kraken' is a howling testament to the beauty of nature and the mysterious terrors of the deep sea.
Kraken was recorded in 2018 at Watt n' Sound Studios 5km from the North Sea. The single was mixed by Eric Timmann at Off Ya Tree Studios, Hamburg. Mastered by John Davis at Metropolis London.
Love,
Musk n’ The Lads x
DATES
15.01 LEIPZIG Horns Erben
17.01 BERLIN Barkett
31.01 HAMBURG Hafenklang
