Erik is currently working on his debut full length album, set for release in fall 2010.
An E.P. in anticipation of the album, Firelight, will be released in July 2010. A unique listening experience apart from the album, it includes intimate acoustic versions of two songs from his forthcoming album plus three exclusive tracks.
Listen to two songs from it below, along with commentary on the songs from Erik himself!
Firelight Eden burns
Through the night
I see past the firelight
There are many different, exciting ways to go at songwriting. You can try completely different instruments, experiment with time signatures, try new chord structures, use unique tunings, focus on rhythm, melody, dynamics, lyrics, and so much else.
Writing songs in new and different ways is a very exciting thing. This song was thrilling for me to write, as it was my first experience writing in the double-drop D tuning, as I call it (I’m not sure what it’s actually called – DADGBD).
Hearing the first strums in this tuning is far out. Letting my fingers play on the fretboard and experimenting with what unique and different sounds come out was a truly cool experience. Eventually the song’s main riff revealed itself to me, and I went from there.
The lyrics are, most simply, about the apocalypse. I’m still not exactly sure of their full meaning – the muses have a funny way of revealing, with time and interpretation, the true meaning beyond the words I’ve written – but the imagery invokes a broken world that’s nearing its end. It’s a warning – “when the levees broken/best learn how to swim/if you wanna gamble/better know you’ll win.”
Stay Inside
Somewhere on the mainline
The tracks were laid out wrong
The streets are filled with curses dressing as dreams
This song has one of the more substantial sets of lyrics that I’ve been blessed with receiving from the Spirit(s). Every time I play it, whether it’s on a recording, live, rehearsing, or otherwise, it means something different, and new meanings are constantly expressing themselves.
The song touches on life directions, laziness, motivation, seclusion, suburban sprawl, enjoyable weather, dissolution, and, of course, the apocalypse. Other interpretations welcome, of course. If not necessary.
I’ve always toyed with the tempo, ranging from brooding to slightly jaunty, but always matter-of-fact. Like the lyrics, the songs desire to express itself in different ways each time. The chord progression is interesting – with the melody it seems cohesive and occasionally catchy, but when broken down there isn’t really much structure to it. It’s a Syd Barrett type thing I suppose.
This song is something of a sister song to “Firelight” in that they are both somewhat apocalyptic, touching on the ultimate end. “It’s too late to be outside…”