You Jammy Bleeder!
Back in 2019, I was lucky to have the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time over in Adelaide as part of my job. I sorted out an AirBnb, the company paid for my wife to go with me and we went to live on the other side of the world for a bit. I worked with some great folk who became friends as well as colleagues, the job went really well and we simply had a wonderful time.
And, we fell in love with Adelaide. To a couple of parochial Brits, Adelaide had everything. Big enough to have a buzz in the city, small enough not to be intimidating. A fantastic cultural streak running though it, and surrounded by beaches on one side, and hills and mountains on the other - with everything in-between within driving distance. And Koalas. And Kangaroos. We adored it and cherish the time we were able to spend over there.
Have keyboard, will travel
Sarah had got me a little midi keyboards which I took and used my work laptop to set up a little mini studio in one of the bedrooms. It worked surprisingly well - and I wrote some decent stuff while out there. Including this:
https://soundcloud.com/gribbles/requiem-for-a-lost-people
I had taken a relatively new toy with me - a little Shure microphone that plugged into my iPhone that let me take better quality recordings than I could with the inbuilt mic. And so I set about recording various places we visited.
My intention always was to use the recordings in some sort of project - it may have taken me a couple of years, but I finally got round to it!
Australia EP #1 - Adelaide
There's four songs on the EP - but I still have some field recordings unused, and I really do think there's at least another EP's worth of tunes lurking. But that's future gribbles' challenge - for now, here's the tracks that make up this EP.
Flutebird
One of the abiding memories of out time in Australia will always be the wildlife. As well as the thrill of Koalas and Kangaroos in the wild, for me the humble Australian Magpie is be the one that I'll remember fondest. That beautiful fluting, carolling call accompanied pretty much every day. They were in the garden in the first house we stayed in in Largs Bay, and then visited the balcony daily in the house we stopped in in Eden Hills, overlooking the Watiparinga reserve - arguing with the parakeets over who had precedence in the queue for the seed bowl...
Is was the sound of our visit.
Light's Vision (Adelaide After K)
Imagine a Reggio/Fricke-esque slo-mo drone flight in and around the Adelaide CDB. Sunshine glinting off the office windows of Westpac House, crowds in Rundle Street, traffic on North Street, the Festival Hall, Karawirra Parri, the oval and up into the grand old houses in North Adelaide. Then up and out towards Port Adelaide, Semaphore, Largs and the sea.
Oh, for a budget (and some actual cinematic insight & talent!!! ;) )
Mind The Cat
I used to love my morning commute into central Adelaide from Largs. The station was just across the road from the house we were renting, and it was just so easy. I never tired of watching the journey through the window as the suburbs turned into the city.
The title is a nod to a field recording sample that never was. On one journey, a small boy was sat on his mothers lap watching the world out the window. After each stop, he's ask his mum why the man kept saying "Mind the cat..."
Jetty
For our first two visits we stopped in a house in Largs Bay, five minutes walk from the Jetty.
We simply adored it. Walks down to the beach after work, a cold beer in the Hotel and walking out on the jetty to watch the sunset. Breakfasts at Queenies at the weekend - simply the best breakfasts I've had anywhere.
Despite being very happy in Largs Bay, and these times being such a delight, it's hard not to be a bit sad looking back - we don't know if we'll ever get back.
So while I think this track captures the gentle calm of watching a sunset from Largs Bay Jetty, there's a melancholy that goes with it.
There you go - four new gribblytunes - I hope you like them. If you do, please do share them about on social media wherever you may hang out.
And feel free to check out my other stuff - you can find me in all the usual places...
Find gribblymusic & gribblystuff here --> https://flow.page/gribbles