Smith, Darden - Field of Crows
“These songs mostly came together in the last year and were highly colored by the war in Iraq, the ‘04 election, and the Tsunami in Southeast Asia. It always strikes me that in times like these, with all the craziness in the world, all the personal loss and tragedy, hope holds a high value. It means something when there seems to be so little of it. Supply and demand. These days as well, it’s obvious the world is pretty small and we’re all joined. We need each other for the place to keep working, on a personal level and for the big picture. We crave connection. It calms us and can drive us mad at the same time. The songs on FIELD OF CROWS‚ are about connection and hope-finding it, holding it, losing it, and the never ending desire for more.
The recording of FIELD OF CROWS‚ was very different from my last three records. I’d been listening to alot of old records, HARVEST‚ THE PRETENDER, and Nick Drake’s FIVE LEAVES LEFT, in particular. They felt very open, relaxed, and human. So, as opposed to cutting basics and then doing the overdubs over several months in my home studio, we recorded very fast. All the musicians were in the same room together, looking each other in the eye as the song was recorded. The way we worked was that everyone could have input on arrangements. Everyone played their ideas first before Stewart Lerman (co-producer) and I said much to them about what we were looking for. In this way, we ran the risk of a better idea, something we didn’t come up with, getting on the record. This happened so many times it‚ is hard to list them here. It’s an example of where collaboration and trust can lead to a better end. The majority of the work was done over 5 days in early May of 2005 in New York City. This is the 6th record I’ve recorded there.
I love the energy of the city and the ability to step outside the studio and completely clear my head at the end of the
day. I’m also grateful for the collaboration Stewart Lerman, whose studio we used to record and mix. This is our 5th record working together, and it’s a true partnership on the music and approach." -Darden Smith
The recording of FIELD OF CROWS‚ was very different from my last three records. I’d been listening to alot of old records, HARVEST‚ THE PRETENDER, and Nick Drake’s FIVE LEAVES LEFT, in particular. They felt very open, relaxed, and human. So, as opposed to cutting basics and then doing the overdubs over several months in my home studio, we recorded very fast. All the musicians were in the same room together, looking each other in the eye as the song was recorded. The way we worked was that everyone could have input on arrangements. Everyone played their ideas first before Stewart Lerman (co-producer) and I said much to them about what we were looking for. In this way, we ran the risk of a better idea, something we didn’t come up with, getting on the record. This happened so many times it‚ is hard to list them here. It’s an example of where collaboration and trust can lead to a better end. The majority of the work was done over 5 days in early May of 2005 in New York City. This is the 6th record I’ve recorded there.
I love the energy of the city and the ability to step outside the studio and completely clear my head at the end of the
day. I’m also grateful for the collaboration Stewart Lerman, whose studio we used to record and mix. This is our 5th record working together, and it’s a true partnership on the music and approach." -Darden Smith
Skrivet av Håkan Olsson
