Swan Dive

Creatively, I feel like I’ve hit the ground running in the new year. My friend David Mead and I have
already written a handful of songs for a new project that may become his next album, or maybe even a
musical theater piece. Not sure yet. Basically, each song is a character study of a particular tenant in
an apartment complex. More specifically, it’s inspired by the apartment complex where David is
currently living. It’s been fun and freeing to write for characters as opposed to making more songs in the
first person. For example, there’s a song called “No One Rocks In This Town Anymore,” from the viewpoint of
a guy who’s kind of a relic of the 80s hair metal scene, and he’s hanging on tight to that identity. It’s funny and
kind of sad at the same time.

Meanwhile, my brother is mastering the new Swan Dive album. We finally got the sequence worked out, and now
are honing in on a title. More details soon . . .

“Last Train Home,” which I co-wrote with David Mead, is Song Of The Day on NPR. Listen here:

Last Train Home

The song will also be featured on the ABC show Private Practice on January 29th.

Now that we’ve mixed the new album it’s time for the mysterious process of sequencing, or
putting the songs in the magic order. It’s kind of an old-fashioned notion, sequencing. My guess is that nowadays, most people
listen to random playlists rather than whole albums from start to finish. Even I do that a lot. But I still enjoy taking
the journey laid out by a well-sequenced album, whether it’s Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely or Paul
McCartney & Wings’ Band On The Run or Feist’s Let It Die.

Finding the right sequence is like solving a puzzle. Lots of elements to consider from one song to the next – tempo, key, mood, fadeouts, lyrical content, etc. It usually takes a lot of experimenting and listening until the whole thing plays back just right. So that’s what Molly and I are doing for the next week and a half.

Oh, we’ve got to come up with a good album title too!