The Nightowl Sings / Goatherder - What We See In Storms ​/ ​Future Goatherder

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings 2023

01 The Nightowl Sings - Footsteps Are Not Forever

02 The Nightowl Sings - Deep Country

03 The Nightowl Sings - Wynd

04 The Nightowl Sings - Ottor Furrows

05 The Nightowl Sings - It's Only Love, It's Only Everything

06 The Nightowl Sings - Wayward

07 Goatherder - 12 Apostles Stone Circle, Dumfries

08 Goatherder - Intensification 90

09 Goatherder - Forest Head

10 Goatherder - Sam's Chimes

11 Goatherder - Slow Education

The Nightowl Sings - 'What We See In Storms':

Marc Gillen - Acoustic and electric guitars, drum machine, bass, field recordings and samples, keyboards and vocals.

with

Stephen Benson - Guitar and mandolin on 'Wayward'.

Emily Ford - vocals on 'Wayward'.

Catherine Reding - violin and keyboards on 'Ottor Furrows'.

Voice of Tom Edmondson used in 'Footsteps are Not Forever'.

All songs written by Marc Gillen.

Recorded in our homes 2022-23.

Mixed and arranged by Alastair Popple at the Kitchen Sync.

Artwork by Emily Ford.

------------------------------

Goatherder - 'Future Goatherder':

Performance, mix and production by Stephen Benson.

'Apostles Stone Circle, Dumfries & Galloway' vocal by Camille Matton, recorded at Hayton Castle. Soundtrack to the film of the same name.

'Intensification 90' drums by Mike Taylor. Completed with found sound January 2023.

'Forest Head' Cmybalin and percussion recorded in Kielder Wood sound installation.

'Sam's Chimes' contains a sample from a live improvisation of Clyde Stubblefield. Piano improvised at The Sage, Gateshead. Field recordings from Carlisle cathedral. Assembled in Hebden Bridge.

'Slow Education' recorded live at Free Radicals, 'An Evening Of Experimental Music', 28th of January, 2022.

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp.

Artwork by Stephen Benson.

Mastered for vinyl by Jonathan Sharp. 

TOR092.

Free download and streaming and extremely limited lathe cut 12" transparent vinyl available from Bandcamp.

 

Messol featuring Amy Tweddle - Rome in Fall / Autodidact

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings 2023

01 Rome in Fall

02 Autodidact

First new release of 2023 from Cumbria label Treehouse Orchestra Recordings. This one is a collaboration between Marc Gillen (Brocken Spectre, The Nightowl Sings) and Amy Tweddle (We/Are/Quasars).

Marc Gillen - Drum machine, keyboards, samples and vocals.

Amy Tweddle - Guitar and vocals.

Mixed and arranged by Alastair Popple at the Kitchen Sync.

Recorded at home 2022-23.

Words by Marc Gillen.

Artwork by Stephen Benson.

'Rome In Fall' contains a modified extract from "Night on the Docks - Sax" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License - creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Film dialogue on 'Autodidact' from 'Human Desire' [Fritz Lang 1954).

TOR091.

Goatherder - The Hayton Tapes 2

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings TOR090.

01 Is there No One in Your World but You I

02 Is there No One in Your World but You II

Recorded, constructed and produced by Stephen Benson.

Live improvisations performed by Stephen Benson, Felicity Cromack,

Emily Ford, Stephanie Gardner, Camille Matton, Asha Nicholson,

Samantha Staniforth, Nick Taylor, Amy Tweddle and Stevie Westgarth.

Recorded at Hayton Castle, November 14th, 2021.

Collage mixed and assembled, Summer - Autumn 2022.

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp.

Artwork by Emily Ford.

Another one of my own releases now; live improvised jams recorded late night in a castle, then chopped up for a collage. These  recordings weave around a version of Charles Manson's 'Is there No One in Your World but You?', also recorded that evening.

Limited edition cassette and free download and streaming from our Bandcamp.

The Nightowl Sings - Test Card / Chicago Girls Dream Of Glasgow

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings 2022

01 Test Card

02 Chicago Girls Dream Of Glasgow

The newest release on our label is this single...

The Nightowl Sings is Marc Gillen - Guitars, keyboards, melodica, drum machine and vocals.

All words written by Marc Gillen.

Recorded at home summer 2022.

'Test Card' mixed, manipulated, arranged and produced by Alastair Popple.

'Chicago Girls Dream of Glasgow'  mixed, manipulated, arranged and produced by Stephen Benson.

Photography by Marc Gillen and artwork design by Stephen Benson.

TOR089.

Goatherder - Music For Promenades

 

TOR088. Released July 2022.

01 Sea Barn

02 Dubmill Point

03 Piano #1

04 Lapse

05 Music for Promenades

06 The Hayton Tapes (Vocal Drone)

07 Chichester House

08 W. Rag

09 New Years Day

10 Postmodern Grief Possibilities

Another release from the Cumbrian label of artists and friends. This time, it's my own music.

All music performed, recorded, edited and produced by Stephen Benson, October 2020 to October 2021.

Guitar, voice and effects on 'Music for Promenades' and piano on

'Postmodern Grief Possibilities' by Emily Ford.

Drums on 'Postmodern Grief Possibilities' by Steve Orchiton.

Voices on 'The Hayton Tapes' by Felicity Cromack, Emily Ford,

Stephanie Gardner, Gareth Hodgson, Ricardo Marzo, Camille Matton,

Asha Nicholson, Nick Taylor and Samantha Staniforth.

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp.

Cover art by Stephen Benson.

"Recorded during a pretty awful period...a collage of sounds and ideas that document that time. An avant-garde meditation on loss and grief." - Stephen.

Available for free streaming/download or as extremely limited vinyl pressing from Bandcamp.

The Nightowl Sings - These Dislocated Isles

 

TOR087. Released June 2022.

01 These Dislocated Isles (Part 1)

02 These Dislocated Isles (Part 2)

The latest release from Treehouse Orchestra Recordings.

Marc Gillen - Vocals, Drum Machine, Electric Guitars, Keyboards, sounds & samples.

All music and words written by Marc Gillen except ‘Lighthouse’ written by Marc Gillen and Alastair Popple. 

Version of ‘Lighthouse’ sample used prepared by Alastair Popple.

Recorded at home October 2021 to January 2022.

Mixed and edited by Stephen Benson.

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp.

Artwork and design by Emily Ford.

"These Dislocated Isles, and the lighthouse is broken. The last several years has been a heady trip, sometimes dark and long, sometimes baffling and strange, always surprising, always changing. Strange times indeed as I often hear people say. 

Lucky for me, I’m still here to hear them call out, still enjoying the glimpses of light and euphoria when they bolt from the earth and sky.

Feelings and events (personal and communal) have come and gone like quicksands on a ghost beach. Themes emerge and permeate in the ether.

Divorce, bouts of loneliness, falling madly in love and re-marrying, the joy of DIY and punk noise, depression (mostly of dear others) have all featured as constants in my mind casting a tangled web. STICKY.

Add to this constant social and political upheaval, Myopia (everywhere), attacks on the common good, serious illness, lucid dreaming, near death flirtations and explosions of art, song, love and future fever dreams and you have a cerebral headfuck.

This thirty-minute (or so…) TONE POEM (HA!) is a reflection on our personal and shared dislocations, mentally, physically, politically, socially, geographically, economically and spiritually. I pieced it together at the end of 2021 intending to perform it live. Alas, illness has prevented this as yet.

For now, here is A version of These Dislocated Isles for prosperity, bundled up inside tape and digital space, making little sense but holding onto something…. for something (people). 

Thanks for listening, everything is possible.

xx 

Whoever you are, no one belongs here more than you." - Marc

Free download and extremely limited cassette available from our Bandcamp.

Mystery Spring - This House Is On Fire

 

TOR086. 

01 Manuela

02 Ghost Ship

03 Rainmaker

04 Wish You Well

05 Cold Country

06 Black Dog Heal

07 Unbroken Light

08 Kiss For Kiss

Marc Gillen - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Piano, Melodica,

Drum Machine and Field Recordings.

Catherine Reding - Vocals, Violin, Bass and Keyboards.

Alastair Popple - Mixing and Additional Production.

All songs written by Marc Gillen.

Mixed and mastered at The Kitchen Sync by Alastair Popple.

Recorded at home May 2021 to April 2022.

Artwork by Stephen Benson, back cover photograph by Marc Gillen.

Extremely limited CD and free download available from Bandcamp.

Glücksfall - Carnival in Denton Holme

 

TOR08. Released March 2022.

01 Track One

02 Track Two

03 Track Three

04 Track Four

05 Track Five

06 Track Six

07 Track Seven

Glücksfall make their live return with 77 minutes of spontaneously composed noise recorded live at The Source Cafe, Carlisle 21/01/22.

Stephen Benson - Guitar

Asha Nicholson - Vocals

Adam Robson - Drums

Mike Roper - Bass

Jonathan Sharp - Synth & Electronics

Amy Tweddle - Guitar

Steve Wilson - Drums

with

Tom Hepburn - Drums

Jon Ny - Vocals

Dan Russell - Saxophone

David Thompson - Vocals

Loki Thompson - Violin & Synth

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp

Cover art by Stephen Benson

Free streaming and pay-what-you-can download from Bandcamp.

Video highlights reel available here.

Shelterland - At the Serpent Solstice

 

TOR084. Released February 2022.

01 A Crack in the Lake

02 Rites of Presage

03 The Scorpion and the Seahorse

04 The Girl and the Glass Ocean

05 The Prettiest Corpse

06 Shades from the Witching Well

07 Night Falls

08 Circle

09 The Lesley Experiment

10 Winter of the Red Queen

11 Parliament of Tears

12 Cadexe

13 The Leph

14 The Sun Chimes

15 The Sentinel and the Ferryman

16 Another Dawn

The players were:-

Al: atmospherics (3, 4, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16), bass (3, 15), cello (1, 3), chant (2), chimes (4, 16), choir (2), drill (3, 11), drones (1, 4, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16), drums (3, 9, 15), field recordings (2, 3, 8, 9, 15), fridge (2), glass (2, 3, 4), keys (4), organ (4, 15), percussion (3, 4, 11, 15, 16), piano (1, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15), shamisen (15), strings (4)

plus lephertronics on everything except (9), on which there are no lephertronics.

Ste: acoustic guitar (3, 4, 10, 14), bass guitar (3, 9, 13), field recordings (3, 5, 9, 15), mandolin (7), sitar (15)

Marc: acoustic guitar (2, 13), bass guitar (4, 6, 13, 14), inverted vocal (15)

Steve: Drums (3, 9, 15)

Brian: fuffing (15)

Catherine: violin (2, 7, 13, 14, 15)

Dave: vocals (10, 15, 16)

Tim: vocals (1)

Anna: spoken word (2, 4, 10, 11, 12)

and

Robin: flaneurettes (5, 6) - scannerdot.com/2020/04/the-birth-of-flaneur-electronique/

Free to use without copyright

"neatonk": "MISStereoPiano" (1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13) - freesound.org/people/neatonk/packs/9133/

"khunseng": "DR000723" (2) - freesound.org/s/112141/

"Satoration": "mass in croatian cathedral" (2) - freesound.org/s/54753/

"Kaiho": "Sitar long.aiff" (15) - freesound.org/s/37715/

All players performed by Shelterland; all music written by Shelterland

words on (11) adapted from «Людей теряют только раз» by Геннадий Шпаликов

Design & photography by Al

(except image #7 adapted from a photograph taken by Joy & Alf in Soweto, January 13th, 1976)

Box design by Al

Mixed at the Kitchen Sync between 2014 and 2022

freesound.org samples adapted and edited under Creative Commons Attribution license

Summary: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode)

© Shelterland, 2022 ℗ Treehouse Orchestra Recordings, 2022

Thanks for their (sometimes unwitting) involvement goes to Alastair Popple, Stephen Benson, Marc Gillen, Steve Orchiton, Catherine Reding, Dave Thompson, and Tim Popple.

Circle is for Anna, a friend in need.

Brian was a pheasant, by now long since lunch.

Also thanks to Robin Rimbaud for his free flaneur sample pack, and to the uploaders at freesound.org.

Handmade double CDR edition in engraved wooden box with photo booklet, plus USB drive containing the album in various digital formats, an 'Isolated Versions' edition of the album, and a bonus EP of exclusive tracks.

Streaming, download and limited edition box available from Bandcamp.

Twin Beaks - Mechanically Reclaimed Slaughterhouse Floor Scrapings

 

TOR083. Released January 2022.

01 Troll Hatchery, or the Cathedral of Diminishing Returns

02 Happy Drill Time

03 Masala Disaster

Another music project with my involvement...

In the Autumn of 2015, I was the bass player in Asian Babes and we were rehearsing for upcoming winter gigs. One particular rehearsal was nearly cancelled as Kate Thorburn (vocals) and Neil Armstrong (drums) couldn't attend. Myself and Bob Cuthbertson (guitar) decided to keep the slot and record some improvisations.

We produced over 2 hours of recordings using mainly synth and drums with some guitar and handed these over to Alastair Popple for remixing and recreating.

An initial idea was to have guest vocalists on each track, but only one of these came to fruition. Chili Nasti is a Ghanaian rapper and provides the vocals on 'Happy Drill Time'. This came about because the Asian Babes producers at Green Door Studios in Glasgow were running an exchange program with the ultimate aim of having a fully functioning recording studio built in Ghana. At this time, the studio was nearly complete and they were about to start recording tests. Chili Nasti was asked to come in to test microphones and recording in general. We requested that he do his vocal tests to a fixed tempo with the intention of using them on one of our tracks.

A few Bass guitar overdubs were scheduled, and recorded in November, but these morphed into its own track, 'Masala Disaster'.

Al worked away on these tracks and even provided rough mixes, but the project came to a halt to accommodate other projects, and within a couple of years was (nearly) forgotten.

At the very end of 2021, Al, in rescuing old music projects after a particularly drastic technological systems upgrade, recovered these tracks, blew off the dust, and produced new versions - this time complete - and presented them as a finished article.

I was happy to hear these live improvised recordings had been finally transformed into the bizarre, surreal, and unique music that is Twin Beaks, nearly 7 years after they were recorded. - Ste.

Improvised jams performed by Stephen Benson and Bob Cuthbertson at Scott's Self Storage on the 14th of October and at home on the 20th of November 2015. 

Mechanically reclaimed by Alastair Popple off and on between then and now.

Vocals on #2 by Chilli Nasti. Recorded at the Tafi Cultural Institute Studios, Tafi Atome, Ghana.

Photography by Stephen Benson, design by Alastair Popple.

Streaming, download and limited edition CD available from the Treehouse Orchestra Recordings Bandcamp.

Goatherder - The Hayton Tapes

 

TOR082. Released December 2021.

01 Goatherder & Asha Nicholson - Solo Wanderings #1

02 Goatherder - The Hayton Tapes Part 1

03 Goatherder & Asha Nicholson - Turn

04 Goatherder - The Hayton Tapes Part 2

05 Goatherder & Asha Nicholson - Solo Wanderings #2

Some more of my own music now...

'Solo Wandering' and 'Turn' performed by:

Stephen Benson - Effects & Piano.

Asha Nicholson - Piano, Voice & Effects.

Recorded live August 1st 2021. Mixed November 2021.

'The Hayton Tapes' live improvisation performed by:

Stephen Benson, Felicity Cromack, Emily Ford, Stephanie Gardner,

Gareth Hodgson, Ricardo Marzo, Camille Matton, Asha Nicholson,

Nick Taylor & Samantha Staniforth.

Recorded July 31st 2021. Mixed October 2021.

Cover illustration by Emily Ford, Photography by Stephen Benson.

Inbetween the lockdowns of 2020, I became a frequent visitor to Hayton Castle. The castle is a 14th or 15th century tower house; this was extended in the 16th and 17th centuries. It's occupants were artists, professionals and hippy types. 

The following year, an idea was formed about an evening of music performance, to be recorded, in one of the many rooms of the castle.

On the evening of July 31st 2021, several hours of jams and improvisations were recorded. Some were structured; to create a collage, contributors were given instruments (radio with effects, electric guitar with effects and trumpet and saxophone) and asked to make what sounds they could. These would be played alongside each other, but parts performed in isolation.

The majority of the evening was a series of live improvisations. I played electric guitar and effects with the rest of the performers used various drums, percussion and horns.

These recordings have been cut up and mixed together as 'The Hayton Tapes'.

The next morning was set aside for the second purpose of this weekend; to record myself and musical pal Asha Nicholson. In the same room, improvised piano and vocals were processed and effected live, with editing and mixing taking place in November.

Front cover llustration of Slag Bank by Emily Ford, from unused book cover.

Download, streaming and cassette version available from Bandcamp.

Nightjrrs / Heartwood / Goatherder - De​-​Cadere

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings TOR081. 2021.

01 De-Cadere Part One

02 De-Cadere Part Two

03 De-Cadere Part Three

04 De-Cadere Part Four

More music with my own involvement. Recorded and released this month.

Nightjrrs:

John Chambers - Guitars and vocals.

Andy Hopkins - Guitars and vocals.

Nicci Reed - Keyboards and vocals.

Heartwood:

Jonathan Sharp - Buchla Music Easel Command, Soma Labs Lyra 8 and Eowave Quadrantid Swarm.

Goatherder:

Stephen Benson - Guitars and drones.

Recorded live at Cakes and Ale, Carlisle, October 4th 2021.

Mastered by Jonathan Sharp.

Cover art by Stephen Benson.

The Proseed art group in Carlisle ran an Autumn exhibition entitled 'De-Cadere'. The exhibition opened at the Intro gallery and the after party was held at Cakes and Ale cafe. The cafe displayed selected art works and live music.

Heartwood is the slight pseudonym of The Heartwood Institute when improvising more experimental modular sets.

Nightjrrs performed music from their new album 'Interregnum'.

Heartwood joined Nightjrrs, along with Goatherder for a 45 minute improvisation to end the evening and the recording of that improvisation is presented here.

The Nightowl Sings - Slow Daze

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings 2021.

01 Percy

02 Weather Systems

03 I'll Take You to the Meadow, It's Nice There

04 Grow My Dears

05 Lighthouse

06 Lakes Ahoy

07 Close To Me

All tracks written by Marc Gillen, performed and arranged by Marc Gillen & Alastair Popple. 

Stephen Benson - Guitar on 'Weather Systems' and bass on 'Weather Systems', 'Lighthouse' and 'Close To Me'. Jacqueline Kumar - additional voice on 'I'll Take You to the Meadow, It's Nice There'.

Recorded at home by Marc Gillen October 2020 - April 2021.

Mixed and mastered by Alastair Popple at The Kitchen Sync October 2020 - April 2021.

Photography by Marc and design by Al.

Download also includes the promotional video for 'Close to Me' by Stephen Benson.

"Right about now, we’re gonna get to the old school beat of things. In an unexpected change of direction, Nightowl Sings has gone a bit techno trousers on us – at least for some of Slow Daze. Yes, he’s broken out the synth and drum machine on previous releases, but never to extent that he does on opening track “Percy”. With its undulating synth lines and pounding kick drum, this is Nightowl revealing the influence of Underworld on his work for probably the first time (if he’s doffed the cap before, he’s been a lot more subtle about it). If you’re going for a shift in direction, you may as well leap in with both feet and that’s exactly what happens with “Percy”. Expectations swept away, new scene set, all is well.

Although the direction is new, the approach to recording is as old school as you get. The Nightowl plays synths in the old analogue tradition of one finger at a time. No fancy sequencers were utilised here, just a bit of technical expertise from regular Nightowl collaborator Alastair Popple. For example, he takes the main bulk of “Percy”, whips out the digital razor blade and sticky tape and gives it an extra couple of minutes. Like the original recording techniques, you won’t notice, but it is worth acknowledging. There’s a counterpart to the opener in the shape of the gently lush ambient excursion, “Lakes Ahoy”, on the second side. That’s right, Slow Daze is the first TOR music to get a vinyl release, although it is an incredibly limited pressing. Hopefully, it will double as a pension fund when people realise what a musical treasure trove is buried in north Cumbria.

It’s not all epic electronic vistas, though. “Weather Systems” layers the jittery drum patterns into a ghost of a song. ‘Loving you is sweet,’ the Nightowl softly sings, and the trap is sprung. You’re hooked. The next two tracks have similarly haunting qualities: on “I’ll Take You To The Meadow, It’s Nice There”, it’s the overlaying of multiple voices flying across the stereo spectrum. The music that underpins it is frantic, busy, almost anxious. It’s curtailed before things get too out of hand: you won’t be sure if the invitation to the meadow is friendly or if there’s a shallow grave in the field with your name on it. Closing side one is the even more spectral “Grow My Dears”, which sounds as if it could float away on the breeze at any second.

The sequence of spookily, supernatural songs is completed by “Lighthouse”, a compelling instrumental that has more heft than initially apparent. Acting as a prelude to “Lakes Ahoy”, it’s the track that ties everything together, easing us from the vocal tracks back to the Nightowl not singing. That’s not the end of the story though, for “Close To Me” – ‘Don’t sell at any price,’ he croons, perhaps a warning to the handful that own the vinyl. It’s a positive way to end, listing the joys of discovering new things and casting out the old. This is a message that sums up the album as a whole: a new sound, a new life, and a new love to chase out the ghosts that have gone before. As the saying goes – there’s no school like the old school. Sometimes a moment to look back provides a fresh impetus to go forward. With Slow Daze, the Nightowl succeeds." - Jeremy Bye

Goatherder - Voices / Other Voices

 

TOR079. 2021.

01 Live Intro

02 Heavy Bangs #1 - The Chapel in the Woods

03 Grune Point (Soundtrack)

04 Heavy Bangs #2

05 Aira Force 3:33 (Soundtrack)

06 Pica Mast (Live)

07 Bells #1

08 Heavy Bangs #3 - Voices

09 Keyboard 6 (Soundtrack)

10 Open/Winter (Live)

11 SCOTCH 180 (Soundtrack)

12 Piece 238

13 Other Voices (Live)

14 Bells #2

15 Calm (Soundtrack)

One of my own again now; it's a collection of soundtracks, live performances and improvisations.

Tracks 1, 6, 10 & 13 recorded live at Warwick Bazaar Life Drawing, December 13th 2019.

Tracks 2, 4, 8 & 13 performed by Stephen Benson and Jill Wallace. Recorded at Kirriemuir Way, 2016.

Tracks 3, 5, 9 & 11 recorded at Gilnockie Holly Moor House, 2020.

Tracks 7, 12 & 14 recorded 2017-2018 at various locations.

Track 15 recorded at Warwick Bazaar, 2017.

'Other Voices (Live)' contains elements of 'The Drone of the Forest', performed by

Federico Falletti, Jessica Lowes, Lucy Matthews, David Thompson and Jill Wallace.

Brocken Spectre - Live Bootleg Cassette

 

TOR078. Released January 2021.

01 Drive-by Election

02 Beyond Nostalgia

03 Corkscrew

04 Stockholm Cancelled

05 We Vs. The Bastards

06 Art Defacer

07 Out Of Range

08 Unwound

09 UYA

10 Terror

11 Feature Length

12 Downtown Abstractions

13 Moscow

14 I Am Your Fuel

15 Colour Fucker

16 Ended Here

17 Fireworks Thrower

When Brocken Spectre reformed in April 2017 with Steve Orchiton on drums, we began rehearsing for live gigs immediately. In its previous incarnation, the band had only rehearsed to record, not once venturing out to play in front of a crowd.

We made our live debut a few months later, at a party for my birthday. Shortly after this, we were offered our first gig in front of a paying audience. Those first few gigs were nerve wracking affairs; getting used to a crowd, the variable on stage sound and the obligatory stage fright.

By mid 2018, we had several live performances under our collective belt and we received more offers on a regular basis, including festival appearances.

Our sound had really begun to develop too, songs with psychedelic touches or with melody at the forefront were swapped out for newer material featuring the live sound we now had; a band driven, violent, brutal sound. All members were contributing to the compositions and the dynamics and it was this sound that became our identity.

We enjoyed playing live and we were surprised to find how comfortable we had became on stage. It now felt like the natural home for the band.

We played our final gig (to date) on the 7th of December 2019, before the pandemic quashed our plans for more festival appearances and the offer of gigs around the country.

During the various lockdown periods of 2020, we managed a few rehearsals and even recorded a single ('Interference Overhead/Fireworks Thrower', which can be found here). However, we look forward to a time when we can play live again.

The concept behind this release was a stop gap until live music can resume again. It also provides a home to songs that have went unrecorded and other songs that rarely got an outing. It documents a period of the band that we all got a lot out of and hopefully gets across some of our visceral live sound. 

The material was recorded on a variety of devices and is of a distinctly lo-fi quality, this is reflected in the artwork, which is a homage to the live bootlegs so loved by myself and Marc. We would purchase bootlegs of our favourite artists from record fairs, markets and from the back pages of music publications. - Ste.

The line up for this album was Stephen Benson (Guitars, Vocals), Marc Gillen (Vocals, Guitars), Steve Orchiton (Drums) and Jill Wallace (Bass). The locations for the recordings were; The Brickyard, The Source, Warwick Bazaar, Fell Bar Penrith, Fell Bar Kendal, Solfest, Wild on the Wall Festival, Kendal Calling and The Fisher Street Festival.

Brocken Spectre - Interference Overhead / Fireworks Thrower

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings. TOR077. 2020.

01 Interference Overhead

02 Fireworks Thrower

Stephen Benson - Guitars & Bass.

Marc Gillen - Guitars & Vocals.

Steve Orchiton - Drums.

Recorded at Scott's Self Storage, September 2020.

Mixed and mastered by Jonathan Sharp, October 2020.

TOR077.

Messol featuring Eleanor Servanté - Battle of Black Beck / Faint Lines

 

Treehouse Orchestra Recordings TOR076. 2020.

01 Battle of Black Beck

02 Faint Lines

Marc Gillen: Guitars, keyboards and sounds.

with Eleanor Servanté: Vocals.

Words by Marc Gillen.

Recorded at home, August - September 2020.

Mixed and arranged by Alastair Popple at the Kitchen Sync.

Photography by Marc Gillen.

"Messol is a new project for me, the idea being I write a song, ask someone to sing it, use it as an A-side. Then I write a B-side, maybe an instrumental or a little experiment, then put it out as a single. Repeat and fade, maybe one day if I get a few done it will make for a cool wonky mixtape.

If I'm really lucky different singers will sing the songs and bring something to the words and melody that goes places I would not. A chance to see what opens up. It's always fascinating to hear someone sing your words, collaboration is a beautiful thing.

I am thrilled that Eleanor Servanté agreed to sing on these two tracks; after hearing the wonderful 'Distaff Lines', I knew I wanted Eleanor to sing 'Battle of Black Beck', which I wrote three years ago and it was going to be a Mystery Spring song, but it always seemed to slip away quietly. It was always the odd one out. Three years of roaming and now Eleanor has given it a home."

Goatherder - Isolation on the Solway Coast

TOR075. 2020.

01 Isolation on the Solway Coast

02 What Could've Been, Huh

03 Solway Television

All music performed and produced by Stephen Benson.

with

Emily Ford - Voice on 'Isolation on the Solway Coast'.

Francesca Bertoletti - Piano on 'What Could've Been Huh?'

Steve Orchiton - Drums on 'Solway Television'.

Recorded and produced March-June 2020.

When lockdown began on March 24th 2020, I decided that every evening I would walk the short distance from my home to a hill overlooking the Solway Coast and photograph the sunset. I wanted to document the passing of time in this strange period and also have something that gave me a routine. It was also a moment to myself in which I could just be quiet and watch the sea. I done this for 70 days, ending on June the 1st.

The track 'Isolation on the Solway Coast' is a direct consequence of that routine; the music moves as the Solway, calm and quiet. It slowly shifts from acoustic to electronic instruments to mark the change in life and feeling during this period. It was recorded, mixed and completed on the 10th of April.

I met Francesca Bertoletti in 2017. We worked together on a couple of photoshoots. Francesca is always a pleasure to work with; creative and always full of ideas. 

During our last session together, she played me a piano piece she was working on. There was no plan for it, so she generously gave it to me to do with what I liked. I spent a long time reconstructing and effecting the piece of music, it was useful for keeping my mind off other things. The entire track is made from the 30 seconds of audio Francesca recorded. 

Solway Television began as a concept after I read an article about regional programming. Border TV has been the programming provider for Cumbria and South West Scotland since this region first had its opportunity to have local television. There was another bidder for the contract; Solway Television. When Border TV was successful in its bid, Solway Television came to nothing. I wondered what a television broadcaster from my home of the west coast would be like; what programs, graphics and music it would produce. 

The basis of the track was someone remembering these programs, news articles, music, theme tunes, but obviously it never existed, so this is an abstract collage. The Covid 19 pandemic and other huge changes in my personal life also altered my memories of my own time; lockdown brought a huge existential crisis and nothing to do but think about it. 

As the original concept goes, an individual is looking back at this fictional television station, I am also looking back by including snippets of recordings I have made over the years. Field recordings, improvisations, jams and experiments have been chopped up and included. Also included are several short pieces of music made on a synthesizer that belongs to Marc. I had been displaced quickly and I didn't have my full and usual arrangement of instruments and recording equipment to hand. I did have this synth however. It is not in full working order, but the crackle and distortion from these sounds is all part of it. Finally, there are also manipulated and altered samples from sections of 'Programs for Schools'; television  made to be shown in school from around the time I was a young child in the early 1980's.

I edited and sequenced it in a way that couldn't make sense, also layering audio from disparate sources that don't belong together. I think this was a way of dealing with dementia in my immediate family and how memories must feel for them.

The photographs were the front cover image were generously donated by Melanie Plumley. Melanie worked as a sound engineer for Border Television in the 1970's and the pictures are of the sound desk she worked with.

Made at home.

The Nightowl Sings - Slow Cancellation E.P.

TOR074. June 2020.

01 Summer's Yawn

02 Angry Bees

03 Municipal Dreams

04 Stieg & Eva

05 Future Shock

Marc Gillen - Guitars, Keyboards, Samples, Percussion and Vocals.

with

Stephen Benson - Additional Guitar and Bass on 'Municipal Dreams' and 'Stieg & Eva'.

Recorded at home by Marc Gillen, April 2020.

Mixed and produced by Stephen Benson, April 2020.

Cover art by Marc Gillen.

"Rain is nowhere

Cloudless drift

Grass is barren brown

Quiet screams are made

But neighbours don't hear

At least the kale is doing well

Photos arrive

From a seaside town

Desolate and clear

Switch on the battered synths

And try to reclaim

Yesterday's joy

Time circles

Like a drunk vulture

No merry-go-round

Just back to the start again

Roll the dice

But someone stole my dreams today"

These songs were written and recorded during the first two weeks of lockdown. I had been reading Eva Gabrielsson's 'Stieg and Eva' as the dark curtain of lockdown descended and this proved to be a good catalyst for the E.P. The books tales of isolation, political upheaval and cultural butchery seemed apt. The music and lyrics for the E.P. came quickly and I was trying to play with different sounds and trying not to get hung up on the perfect take, just going with what felt right. Ste helped do the mixing and added a few overdubs. Its funny how difficult times have you looking for home; for me that's songwriting and TOR, and I'm glad this loose creative family is always a home I can rely on. - Marc.

Eleanor Servanté - Distaff Lines

TOR073. Released May 2020.

01 Bonny George Campbell

02 Matty Groves

03 The Lyke Wake Dirge

04 The Twa Corbies

05 Flash Company

06 The Maid of Culmore

07 Island Spinning Song

08 Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye

09 The Snows they Melt the Soonest

I first met Eleanor Servanté when she performed at Cakes & Ale cafe in Carlisle in 2017. I was taken aback by the purity of her voice, her knowledge of folk tradition and the origin of the songs she was performing as well her ability to sing the majority of these songs from memory. She sang acapella.

After the performance I approached Eleanor with the idea of recording her for a release on Treehouse. We recorded three sessions between 2018 and 2020 at Warwick Bazaar. I recorded and discussed ideas with Eleanor and Al mixed and produced. 

The artwork was also by Eleanor; a spinning wheel from the title of one of the songs. The 'distaff' of the title is a part of a spinning wheel, while the distaff line is the female lineage of a family.

Here are Eleanor's notes on the songs presented:

"The final song on this EP was once sung by a street singer in Newcastle, almost two hundred years ago. I have been singing - and collecting songs - for as long as I can remember, and it's tiny, vivid details like this which really capture my imagination. Folk songs were (and are!) formally performed, of course… However, especially before widespread recorded music, folk songs were sung by, well, the folk. Especially before music could be recorded and played back, if you wanted music then you had to make your own. So almost everybody would sing them. At their spinning wheels, on sailing ships, over cooking pots or tin baths, pretty much anywhere you can think of. And it's this idea of folk music that appeals most to me, and to which I kept returning over the course of this project. I sing these songs over my spinning wheel, in local pubs, walking the dog, at my sewing machine, passing the time at cold and windy bus stops… and now here, for you. And if ever you should find yourself humming one of these tunes to yourself, then I shall consider my work here complete.

‘Bonny George Campbell’

This beautiful Scottish lament was collected - along with many others - by Francis James Child during the 19th century, although it’s likely older still.

‘Matty Groves’

This song started out as an early 17th century broadside ballad - the earliest known variant appears in 1613 - and also the first narrative folk ballad I ever learned. Traditionally set in the North of England, it’s a delightfully melodramatic tale of adultery, epic sword fights… and impaling and pinning people to walls. Because this is a murder ballad, and apparently just stabbing them wouldn’t be nearly exciting enough.

‘The Lyke Wake Dirge’

'Lyke' is a very old word for 'corpse'; this funeral chant has its origins in medieval Yorkshire, though the tune we know today is Victorian (written by Sir Harold Boulton, in 'Songs of the North'). It would have been sung at the 'wake' or vigil over the body, and vividly describes the judgement of the dead. The instrument you hear is a rebec, an early ancestor of the violin; this particular one was handmade by my father for my 21st birthday.

'The Twa Corbies'

There's a lovely old English song called 'The Three Ravens' in which a knight gets himself killed (an unfortunate occupational hazard) and his hawk and his hounds keep vigil and his wife drags him off for burial before obediently keeling over and dying herself because that's what women do in these things… This Scottish variant is rather more brutal!

'Flash Company'/ 'The Yellow Handkerchief'

I've known this Victorian song since I was a child, but little me had no idea what the pretty words actually referred to. The Victorians' preferred euphemism was 'the great social evil'... Put it this way: traditionally, a yellow flag flown from the mast of a ship signalled that it was riddled with disease, and thus under quarantine.

'The Maid of Culmore'

This lovely Irish song is another of the many attributed only to our dear friend, 'trad.' The visceral, elemental imagery rather speaks for itself.

'Island Spinning Song'

Collected in the 1950s, this gorgeous working song was translated from Scottish Gaelic, and the chorus maintains echoes of the Gaelic Mouth Music tradition. Love divination was a surprisingly common pastime back in the day, and here the spinning wheel is equated with the figurative wheel of fate. The rhythm you hear in the record is my own spinning wheel; she's a traditional wheel, fully functional… and although she's already had a long life before coming to me, I'm fairly sure that this is her musical debut!

'Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye'

Written by Joseph B. Geoghegan and published in London in 1867, this variant on the arguably more famous 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home' was popular on both sides of the Atlantic during the latter part of the 19th century and beyond.

'The Snows They Melt The Soonest'

This was first recorded in the written tradition after being heard from a Newcastle street singer in 1821." - Eleanor Servanté.

As ever, free download available from our Bandcamp.