A Dark Murmuration of Strings, by Emily Barker with Carducci String Quartet

A Dark Murmuration of Strings

by Emily Barker with Carducci String Quartet

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1.	Sonogram (String Quartet Version) 04:15	lyrics	buy track
I woke up and forgot the myths That bind our past to this That lead us blindly To circle in slow motion Time is my decaying note Once sung, once left your throat No other offering Worth more than this gift One foot behind the other, never looking back Echoes on a sonogram Smarter than we hope we think Bring bodies close to the brink Wear different costumes Tell the same old stories Helpless in the wake of time Vaulting from earth to sky We’re cells and water Like every living thing One foot behind the other, never looking back Echoes on a sonogram I woke up and forgot the myths That bind our past to this That lead us blindly To circle in slow motion
2.	Any More Goodbyes (String Quartet Version) 03:17	lyrics	buy track
Be as the blue Back of the sea Swallow my skin Come drown with me Be as the stars Sweeter than tears Sugar my lips Fall through the years Listen to me I’ll listen to you We can figure out What we should do For deep is the cold Water below Gather me in Don’t let me go Who ever thought this summer’s day would end? Holding on to the last rays of light What more can I do to keep from losing you? I’m not ready for any more goodbyes Be as the blood Red in my veins For love is fragile Love is brave Love is everything I’m scared to lose: The sea, the stars, My life with you Who ever thought this summer’s day would end? Holding on to the last rays of light What more can I do to keep from losing you? I’m not ready for any more goodbyes I’m not ready for any more goodbyes No more goodbyes No more goodbyes Be as the blue Back of the sea Swallow my skin Come drown with me
3.	The Woman Who Planted Trees (String Quartet Version) 03:52	lyrics	buy track
I can tell my age By the height of trees By the years they’ve stood Growing over me When I was a girl You planted seeds And cast your love Forever over me When the land was dry No food to eat When the soil was sick And the river weak You took a spade Bare hands, bare feet And sowed your love Roots down deep In the cool, dark shade Leaves sing your name Wild green tongues glisten in the glade Your branches warp, my fingers weft Weave me through this gift you left From a prison cell You dreamt of trees Blood dried black Upon your cheek You didn’t know Around the world People listened People learned Water returned Soil healed Hope restored with every yield Trees grew high Bones grew strong Enough for everyone In the cool, dark shade Leaves sing your name Wild green tongues glisten in the glade Your branches warp, my fingers weft Weave me through this gift you left I can tell my age By the height of trees By the years they’ve stood Growing over me
4.	Home (String Quartet Version) 04:43	info	buy track

about

Write > Record>Release>Tour>Repeat

This is the usual cycle of making and releasing a record that I have come to love and live by. When the pandemic hit, I was just about to hit the green light on ‘Release’. We stayed home and questioned whether releasing an album was possible without the 'Tour' step. I did go ahead and release A Dark Murmuration of Words, but without performing the songs in front of people, it took a long time to get around to the idea of moving on despite ‘Write’ being a logical way to spend the time at home. I just couldn’t move on. So I didn’t.

What I did do was to record alternative versions with Lukas Drinkwater at Polyphonic studios with a poem called ‘Murmuration Songs’ woven through (that album’s called ‘Flight Path Rhymes’), a livestream version at Brunel Goods Shed in Stroud with my band (now available as ‘Live at Brunel Goods Shed’), solo versions in a room at the Science & Arts Centre in Stroud to send to various online festivals...

...AND I performed a few of the songs live at The Cavern in Exeter (no crowd) to help raise money for ‘Music Feeds’ – an event to combat food poverty in the UK. The special thing about that performance (apart from it raising £1Million for the charity) was that composer, Joe Duddell (Elbow, Richard Hawley, New Order) arranged a score for Carducci String Quartet (one of the finest in the UK), to accompany all the artists.

The songs I chose for the performance were three from A Dark Murmuration of Words: 'Sonogram', 'Any More Goodbyes' and 'The Woman Who Planted Trees', along with one of my oldest songs, 'Home'. As well as the outstanding string players, Lukas accompanied me on guitar and double bass and brought his typical brilliance.

Thank you to Lukas Drinkwater for mixing the songs and to Ian Stephenson for mastering them. Thank you to the awesome Carducci String Quartet and to Joe Duddell for his gorgeous arrangements. And thank you to Gill Ellis for inviting me to be a part of Music Feeds.

I decided to name this EP ‘A Dark Murmuration of Strings’ - finally bringing a close to the strangest of album cycles for me. I hope you enjoy listening.

Emily x

credits

released June 2, 2023

Strings arranged by Joe Duddell
Produced by Emily Barker
Recorded by Luke Robinson
Mixed by Lukas Drinkwater
Mastered by Ian Stephenson

Recorded at The Cavern, Exeter, January 2021

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about

Emily Barker UK

Emily Barker is the award-winning songwriter and performer of the theme to BBC TV’s Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh. Her music is an indie blend of influences from alt-country to folk via 60s pop, with comparisons ranging from PJ Harvey to Joni Mitchell. ... more

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BCFriday 40: Emily Barker, “Fragile as Humans” Listening Party

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