TAPE HISS AND SPARKLE
Tape Hiss and Sparkle, as the name suggests is all about the grime and shine of lo-fi home recordings. Songwriter, Simon Tamblyn gets lyrical inspiration from his life in his hometown, Cape Town. All tracks are free for download.
Posts
September 27, 01:22 AM
So, famed local producer, Dirk Hugo, has been working on mixing two tracks that the whole Tape Hiss and Sparkle band recorded with Michael Rodgers Rodger and Jason Dionysopolous at the SAE Institute a few weeks back. We recorded Middlesex (from For You In Your Cubicle) and My Buddhist Cheshire Cat (some of you will know this song from Disc Ten or from live shows).
The songs sound great! We had a great time in a proper studio and Dirk's doing a great job of mixing.
So this is what I'll be releasing soon, The Middlesex Single.
1. Middlesex
2. Middlesex (For You In Your Cubicle 2010 version)
3. Middlesex (Disc One 2009 Version)
4. My Buddhist Cheshire Cat
5. My Buddhist Cheshire Cat (Disc Ten 2010 version)
I'll be posting some artwork soon too!
S
The songs sound great! We had a great time in a proper studio and Dirk's doing a great job of mixing.
So this is what I'll be releasing soon, The Middlesex Single.
1. Middlesex
2. Middlesex (For You In Your Cubicle 2010 version)
3. Middlesex (Disc One 2009 Version)
4. My Buddhist Cheshire Cat
5. My Buddhist Cheshire Cat (Disc Ten 2010 version)
I'll be posting some artwork soon too!
S
September 12, 08:52 AM
I cycle almost everywhere I go. And I don't own a car. In a city like Cape Town, I'm lucky enough to let this fact not completely cripple my ability to travel in and around the city.
The city recently opened new cycling lanes in town and the surrounding suburbs (I've been using them and they're very scenic and a great way to get to know your neighbourhood), and there's now a bicycle map you can purchase to find cycling lanes around the city. Can't wait to get my copy and take my bike out for a spin!
The city recently opened new cycling lanes in town and the surrounding suburbs (I've been using them and they're very scenic and a great way to get to know your neighbourhood), and there's now a bicycle map you can purchase to find cycling lanes around the city. Can't wait to get my copy and take my bike out for a spin!
September 07, 07:50 AM
So I've started building my own flat top acoustic guitar. I've been practising on some pine blanks over the last few months and this past weekend I started on my first proper East Indian Rosewood neck, it's slow and difficult work, but incredibly rewarding. And I really don't want to waste any Rosewood either, so I'm being extra careful.
When I finish something substantial I'll post some pics, it's going to be rad!
S
When I finish something substantial I'll post some pics, it's going to be rad!
S
September 05, 08:24 AM
It sounds a lot more impressive than what it is I guess, but A Touch Of Madness in Observatory has asked me to play there every second Sunday, which I think is pretty damn cool! I love that restaurant, and I especially love the acoustics in the front room.
There are a few acts that play there quite regularly - there's the Irish band and of course Blacksmith - who are very impressive!
I've played two shows there so far and they've been pretty entertaining... for me. Although they've followed a format of paying at the door and then sitting and enjoying a more showcase orientated set, the sets that I'll be doing from now on will be a bit more relaxed - hopefully people will be as attentive - and there might be a hat passed around for 'entertainment tithes'.
The show last night with Matthew Gair was really awesome and very well attended - thanks to EVERYONE who came through to ignore Monday with us! I played some new songs and cracked out the dad jokes. Matthew - the soundwizard he is - managed to record the evening's performances and there's a video or two of a few songs that I'll be posting later.
I'll be posting when my first show at A Touch Of Madness will take place, and in summer I will be moving to the front stoep outside to entertain the street. This will be a really fun and new challenge for me as a performer and I am very excited about it.
Watch this space for further updates.
S
There are a few acts that play there quite regularly - there's the Irish band and of course Blacksmith - who are very impressive!
I've played two shows there so far and they've been pretty entertaining... for me. Although they've followed a format of paying at the door and then sitting and enjoying a more showcase orientated set, the sets that I'll be doing from now on will be a bit more relaxed - hopefully people will be as attentive - and there might be a hat passed around for 'entertainment tithes'.
The show last night with Matthew Gair was really awesome and very well attended - thanks to EVERYONE who came through to ignore Monday with us! I played some new songs and cracked out the dad jokes. Matthew - the soundwizard he is - managed to record the evening's performances and there's a video or two of a few songs that I'll be posting later.
I'll be posting when my first show at A Touch Of Madness will take place, and in summer I will be moving to the front stoep outside to entertain the street. This will be a really fun and new challenge for me as a performer and I am very excited about it.
Watch this space for further updates.
S
September 02, 02:20 AM
September 02, 03:02 AM
The Hidden Year Disc One - I thought you might like to know...
Heart
In Cape Town trains you often get street preachers babbling and proselytizing, in 2008 and 2009 I managed to record two of these preachers without their knowledge... those are the voices you hear at the end of Heart off The Hidden Year Disc One.
A Hole For A Memory
"Rhodes, the 'Nek and the M3" in A Hole For A Memory refers to - in my opinion - Cape Town's most scenic motorway, the M3 and two other scenic routes - Rhodes Drives and Constantia Nek - running along our sleeping giant, Table Mountain.
A lot of mountains are refered to as 'sleeping giants', but Table Mountain is sometimes refered to as a 'sleeping giant' because of a Xhosa story. Djobela - the Earth Goddess turned giants into mountains to protect the world. And the biggest giant was – Umlindi Welingizunu - Table Mountain - the Watcher of the South.
Perfect Mimicry
The track Perfect Mimicry is a stream of consciousness poem I wrote after reading excerpts of Henry Thoreau's book Walden, a book about self-reliant living.
The Patterns In Jade
The Patterns In Jade's song title comes from 70's pop-philosopher, Alan Watts' description of Taoism's idea (or was it Zen Buddhism's) around organic order. The anglicised Mandarin is Rin Rin - or translated, apparently - The Patterns In Jade. Also, this song is based around a melody played on a Sansa, or a thumb-piano, a proudly African instrument.
Treehouse
This song is about Kommietjie, a small village close to the Cape Point where I stayed for a few years when I was a kid.
Black Fax
A black fax is a form of corporate sabotage. One can fax through a taped together cycle of solid black paper to make the receiver run out of toner.
A Vein-like Brocade/Alkali
AVB is a song I wrote in 2005 when I was in The Sleepers but we never managed to finish it. And Alkali is also a rough demo that I wrote during my time with The Sleepers, although it went under the title Alkaline Womb.
August 26, 08:32 AM
So I haven't written an entry in quite a while... mainly because blogger was acting up badly. But also because I've been busy.
Dates!
I've also been busy rigging up some dates from now to the end of the year. If you read my previous blog entry you'll see that I am resolute on gigging on a more regular basis, full band or not. I'll be entertaining you in and around Cape Town, and I will hopefully be able to go up to Gauteng at the beginning of next year.
Two Three of these dates are already confirmed:
Dates!
I've also been busy rigging up some dates from now to the end of the year. If you read my previous blog entry you'll see that I am resolute on gigging on a more regular basis, full band or not. I'll be entertaining you in and around Cape Town, and I will hopefully be able to go up to Gauteng at the beginning of next year.
- UPDATE! I'm playing at Touch of Madness on the
6th4th of September (it's a Sunday!) with Matthew Gair, make it! - 25th September at Jolly Roger in Plumstead with Kevin Rule
- 6th December at The Waiting Room with Ian Watson and Andy Lund (full Tape Hiss and Sparkle band!)
I'm organising three more dates, one (or two) of them will be at the wonderfully self-described Victorian quaffery, A Touch Of Madness in Observatory. I've played one show there already and it's sans-sound system, which is quite refreshing. It's a very intimate experience and I had a ton of fun playing there a few weeks ago, so please check back to see when I'm playing there again, it's well worth making it. Plus they make a mean Falafel!
Luthery!
I've also been learning how to make my own acoustic guitar, something I'm finding tremendously exciting. Having had sufficient practice making a neck out of a pine blank over the last six weeks I'm about to go get two balusters of Indian Rosewood and start on my first proper neck. Hold thumbs! (cos they'll be bleeding!)
Next album and Live Recordings!
Because I can't really stop myself (and because I really enjoy it) I've started work on another album. But it's slow going, I want these songs to marinade for a little while, so you'll probably only hear them next year, or if you come to shows.
Also, I have recorded a few shows so far and will record a few more and will have a few songs that I'll release as live versions at the end of the year as a sort of Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza/Yuletide/Birthday present to you all. It'll be like my bootleg gift to you!
Website!
Tapehissandsparkle.com will be available in some shape or form before the end of the year. It's been a long time coming and I will hopefully be able to host Tape Hiss and Sparkle's entire discography on there, so you can peruse at your leisure. I'll also be posting some other interesting tidbits on the site, like pictures of my artwork and examples of some poetry.
Website!
Tapehissandsparkle.com will be available in some shape or form before the end of the year. It's been a long time coming and I will hopefully be able to host Tape Hiss and Sparkle's entire discography on there, so you can peruse at your leisure. I'll also be posting some other interesting tidbits on the site, like pictures of my artwork and examples of some poetry.
The entire blog will most probably be moved to the website too, so Blogger please hold out until then!
Studio!
The four of us, Linda, Philip and Chris were all involved in some sound engineering students' project over the last two months. Students, Jason and Michael, from the SAE Institute in Cape Town, provided us with some awesome studio time and helped us lay down a full studio version of Middlesex and My Buddhist Cheshire Cat. They will go far, by far the best student project I've ever been involved in... they even made us sandwiches!
Studio!
The four of us, Linda, Philip and Chris were all involved in some sound engineering students' project over the last two months. Students, Jason and Michael, from the SAE Institute in Cape Town, provided us with some awesome studio time and helped us lay down a full studio version of Middlesex and My Buddhist Cheshire Cat. They will go far, by far the best student project I've ever been involved in... they even made us sandwiches!
Videos from our time in studio will be posted soon, so be sure to keep a look out. Also, the songs themselves will be made available at some point, maybe on a 7" vinyl release if I can find a pressing plant that won't demand my first born as payment.
Forward!
Lastly, I'd like to just say thank you to everyone who has been listening to Tape Hiss and Sparkle, it's been a great journey up until now and I'm very optimistic about the future! Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions or would like to give me feedback or whatever, I'm always happy to hear from people.
Forward!
Lastly, I'd like to just say thank you to everyone who has been listening to Tape Hiss and Sparkle, it's been a great journey up until now and I'm very optimistic about the future! Please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions or would like to give me feedback or whatever, I'm always happy to hear from people.
Simon
July 17, 12:05 PM
So, as much as I have been writing and recording a lot of music this year, I have also been weary of re-entering any strict schedule of gigging in and around Cape Town.
Most of this apprehension is based around the reception I believe I'll get in certain places (sometimes this is imagined, so I know I'm wrong there) and a lot of it has to do with having to deal with an uninterested venues or bad/expensive sound. I'm going to leave this debate about bad venues and the cascading effect it has on the entire band culture in Cape Town in a later post. I think it deserves to be dissected and really looked at.
But the other reason that I wasn't gigging was because I thought people weren't really listening; or rather, they weren't being truthful when they expressed their appreciation for the music I've been making over the last 2 years. Over the last few days this feeling increased until I went to a show at the new Zula (bad sound, or rather bad acoustics, I know Vlam is an incredibly capable engineer, so there must have been something else wrong... again leaving that for a later post though) where Coal, Black Moscow and Dustland Express were playing. I was quite overwhelmed with how many people mentioned the recent releases and which songs they liked.
So, with this in mind, I would like to say that I am firstly, incredibly thankful for your praise and support. Incredibly so. Secondly, I am deeply honoured to have touched the hearts of the handful people who have followed me around for the better part of my 7 year career as a singer and songwriter.
And I would like to say that I will be diving back into the gigging scene. I want to make sure that I progress as a performer and not become this socially awkward, neurotic music programmer living in my ivory tower. I want to grab my guitar and wow you in whatever room I am allowed to sing in. Obviously due to the music I'll be sticking to the smaller venues, but I'll be out there, plying my trade.
so... thank you again.
also, in other news, there will be a website up by the end of the year.
simon
TH&S
June 29, 12:24 PM
I was asked to play at the book launch for the young adult's novel, Deadlands, a book written by Lily Herne, which is a nom de plume for mother and daughter super author team, Sarah and Savannah Lotz. There were pretzels, so I was happy.
The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic Cape Town and it's great to imagine the city transformed into this hellish terrain full of roaming undead. The story is cool too, and features a very strong-willed Lele trying to juggle being a teenager and just plain surviving.
But this is by no means a book review, if you see Deadlands on the shelf (and there are many shelves I've seen it on, being a new shiny Penguin book), it's a very entertaining read, even for someone who's all growed up... like... um... me?
I'm also looking forward to the next book in the series!
The launch was not the first though, there had been a launch in Canal Walk a few weeks ago. In which a track from my previous band, The Sleepers was used for a promo to the book. Which you can watch below... great video!
Here's also a transcript of Sam Wilson's hilarious little skit before Savannah Lotz was interviewed by Lauren Beukes.
Simon
The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic Cape Town and it's great to imagine the city transformed into this hellish terrain full of roaming undead. The story is cool too, and features a very strong-willed Lele trying to juggle being a teenager and just plain surviving.
But this is by no means a book review, if you see Deadlands on the shelf (and there are many shelves I've seen it on, being a new shiny Penguin book), it's a very entertaining read, even for someone who's all growed up... like... um... me?
I'm also looking forward to the next book in the series!
The launch was not the first though, there had been a launch in Canal Walk a few weeks ago. In which a track from my previous band, The Sleepers was used for a promo to the book. Which you can watch below... great video!
Here's also a transcript of Sam Wilson's hilarious little skit before Savannah Lotz was interviewed by Lauren Beukes.
Simon
June 07, 05:42 AM
When I was a kid, I remember the Truth and Reconciliation Commission being televised almost every day of the week for quite a few years. Unfortunately - or most probably fortunately - playing outside and climbing trees completely trumped watching the then-Bishop Desmond Tutu cry while listening to the confessions of murderers and arsonists; people who were the pawns of the forces who tore our country apart.
But over the last week I've been reading transcripts from those hearings. And I've come to realise that the TRC is still the beating broken heart of our country.
It is my strong opinion - just like every citizen of the world needs to know what happened in the Holocaust - that every citizen of the world needs to, at the very least, glance through these transcripts.
You can find them here.
But over the last week I've been reading transcripts from those hearings. And I've come to realise that the TRC is still the beating broken heart of our country.
It is my strong opinion - just like every citizen of the world needs to know what happened in the Holocaust - that every citizen of the world needs to, at the very least, glance through these transcripts.
You can find them here.
June 03, 04:44 AM
i'm in this mood again
coarse winds through the streets
the squeal of a slowing train and my tired words that never meet
i tie my shoelaces tight
behind the figs i see
our table's lain in clouds
our giant's sleeping
i think back to a memory
through fog, driving
Rhodes, the 'Nek and the M3
running around in the mist
over a broken limb of a tree
over the river ford
with the water rushing down to me
our table's lain in clouds
our giant's sleeping
i think back to a memory
through fog, driving
Rhodes, the 'Nek and the M3
grey clouds hanging above the rocks
come back to me
coarse winds through the streets
the squeal of a slowing train and my tired words that never meet
i tie my shoelaces tight
behind the figs i see
our table's lain in clouds
our giant's sleeping
i think back to a memory
through fog, driving
Rhodes, the 'Nek and the M3
running around in the mist
over a broken limb of a tree
over the river ford
with the water rushing down to me
our table's lain in clouds
our giant's sleeping
i think back to a memory
through fog, driving
Rhodes, the 'Nek and the M3
grey clouds hanging above the rocks
come back to me
May 19, 01:09 PM
So, it's been a mad few weeks, here on this side. I'm trying to get everything in gear for launching The Hidden Year. Trying to find out where to print cd's, meeting with venues, looking for interesting and safe places to play... etcetera! You'll obviously be able to download the album in it's entirety on soundcloud, but I have to have some hard copies for a launch.
Yesterday was our country's fourth democratic local elections. Voting always fills me with pride. South Africa's democracy is only 17 years old, and it's going strong, there's a few kinks we've got to iron out here and there, but overall it's good.
I just started painting again too, and this time the bug has bit me. I'll be posting some pics in the coming weeks, will hopefully be able to organise/join an exhibition somewhere in the city.
I leave you with voter-tagged thumbs.
Yesterday was our country's fourth democratic local elections. Voting always fills me with pride. South Africa's democracy is only 17 years old, and it's going strong, there's a few kinks we've got to iron out here and there, but overall it's good.
I just started painting again too, and this time the bug has bit me. I'll be posting some pics in the coming weeks, will hopefully be able to organise/join an exhibition somewhere in the city.
April 19, 12:56 PM
So The Hidden Year is finished. All tracks are done. Just a few more mixing and compression sessions and I'll have the finished product. And as luck would have it, I now have a pretty bad case of the flu and a pinched nerve in my knee. The resulting pain from my knee is sending me through the roof, but there are always painkillers. I mean, what else are willow trees good for right?
I've created events pages on Facebook for the downloading of Disc One and Disc Two and will update some extra info on their pages so check it out. It's a staggered release, so Disc One will be released on the first of June and Disc Two on the first of July.
I hope you're going to enjoy it. I'm very proud of it, as a rule I try and push myself harder to be a better musician, lyricist and mixer than what I've done in the past and I feel that has happened. My study over the past few weeks has turned into a mess of cables, papers, boxes and gear: a makeshift retracting mic stand, an antique autoharp, thumbpiano, shakers, guitars. So soon I will have to have a big cleanup.
I hope The Hidden Year will depict for you the inspirations that made these songs. There's a lot of Cape Town and South Africa in this album, and I hope that comes across. I drew on a lot of the places I grew up in, worked in and visited in the last year and a bit. This album is for everyone in South Africa and for everyone outside it too.
| The Hidden Year - Disc Two |
| The Hidden Year - Disc One |
Spread and share the music with as many people as possible.
simon.
April 08, 06:08 AM
As some of you who follow Tape Hiss and Sparkle on Facebook might know, I started recording a new album a few weeks ago. I've been lucky enough to have saved up some cash to do a bit of a hardware upgrade (I got myself a Cakewalk UA 25 EX soundcard, very robust and easy to use) so the next release will be of a better quality than my previous recordings. It's still firmly in the realms of lo-fi, all this means is I won't have to play my guitar angled awkwardly towards my eMac anymore, which was not so kind on my back and - obviously - my playing.
This next release is going to be a double disc release, entitled "The Hidden Year". I'll release the song names as a little taste of what's to come soon.
The album will contain 10 songs on each disc, and I'm hoping to release the first disc in June and the second in July. I'll be doing more artwork on this album than I have on the others and will hopefully be able to print some nice covers and packaging. I will also be able to mail the album as a .zip file to those of you far away from Cape Town, complete with all artwork, so if you would like to have the album land in your inbox, then drop me a mail at simontamblyn at yahoo dot com and I'll add you to the list.
For listeners outside South Africa, I have yet to figure out a reliable and secure way of delivering physical copies of albums to your shores (if you know of one please let me know!) but for now please take the music and pass it on.
Lastly, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has supported Tape Hiss and Sparkle up until now, it's been really fun and made all the hard work worthwhile.
If you are reading and listening to TH&S and you're feeling generous and would like to contribute some green supreme, there is a donate button on the sidebar of this blog that will direct you to a Paypal form. Your support is really appreciated.
This next release is going to be a double disc release, entitled "The Hidden Year". I'll release the song names as a little taste of what's to come soon.
The album will contain 10 songs on each disc, and I'm hoping to release the first disc in June and the second in July. I'll be doing more artwork on this album than I have on the others and will hopefully be able to print some nice covers and packaging. I will also be able to mail the album as a .zip file to those of you far away from Cape Town, complete with all artwork, so if you would like to have the album land in your inbox, then drop me a mail at simontamblyn at yahoo dot com and I'll add you to the list.
For listeners outside South Africa, I have yet to figure out a reliable and secure way of delivering physical copies of albums to your shores (if you know of one please let me know!) but for now please take the music and pass it on.
Lastly, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has supported Tape Hiss and Sparkle up until now, it's been really fun and made all the hard work worthwhile.
If you are reading and listening to TH&S and you're feeling generous and would like to contribute some green supreme, there is a donate button on the sidebar of this blog that will direct you to a Paypal form. Your support is really appreciated.
April 01, 03:42 AM
I, Simon, - eaerth father - would like to announce that I plan on scrapping the upcomng album's tracks to replace them with songs dedicated to worshipping our sky fathers in the Horse Nebula.
i Denounce ALL the earhtly realms and posssessions, all my wealth accumulated and fileth I have gorged upon, and will strt work on my new TRUE music as of today.
I will pray for your SOULS and bt i KNOWe that you all will not surnvive.
Simon Earht FATHER Tamblyn
i Denounce ALL the earhtly realms and posssessions, all my wealth accumulated and fileth I have gorged upon, and will strt work on my new TRUE music as of today.
I will pray for your SOULS and bt i KNOWe that you all will not surnvive.
Simon Earht FATHER Tamblyn
March 31, 02:15 AM
Here are the mp3's of our first radio interview ever, download and listen! But mind the crackle, it is RADIO afterall ;)
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 01 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 02 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 03 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 04 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour - Interstellar Cape Robin by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour - A Hole For A Memory by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 05 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 01 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 02 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 03 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 04 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour - Interstellar Cape Robin by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour - A Hole For A Memory by tapehiss-and-sparkle
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Unhappy Hour Interview 05 by tapehiss-and-sparkle
March 23, 09:53 AM
I realised I hadn't posted this video on my blog yet. Oop.
I made this video about a year ago, an update on the old Middlesex video on Youtube. Prelinger Archives are to be thanked for the vintage footage.
Enjoy!
I made this video about a year ago, an update on the old Middlesex video on Youtube. Prelinger Archives are to be thanked for the vintage footage.
Enjoy!
Middlesex from Tape Hiss and Sparkle on Vimeo.
March 22, 06:17 AM
The music industry has changed on every single level over the last fifteen years. We all know this. The advent of mp3's and iPods and Web 2.0 etc. has changed everything. As an independent artist like myself, I am overwhelmed with the choice of tools at my disposal on the Internet. And I know that you reading this probably are overwhelmed too with the amount of artists you can listen to. I know I am!
Paradoxically, change is the only constant; and with my proverbial toe in the water, I can feel currents pulling and rushing in all directions. So that age-old interviewers' question of "where do see yourself in five years?" cannot be answered. There is no business model extrapolations, no definite career futures. I can only speak for myself when I say that, I make music because I like it and want you to listen to it at least once.
As an artist my only key to survival right now is to participate. That involves a lot of hard work, but it's also exciting! And I'd like to think that if someone takes nothing else from this music that I make, they can at least say that I have worked hard. Because, it‘s all there for you to see and listen to. That is all I can do. I want you to hear my music, because I believe it will bring you elation or solace. Take it, pass it on.
Ok.
Back to work.
simon.
March 08, 02:08 PM
March 07, 02:06 PM
the streets here are a maze at night
darkness moves through season to season
keep breathing
i move your lips to form some words
apologise
please believe me
asphalt, grit and power lines
try and take in all you've been seeing
we're changing
but every word i spoke to mend you
every hand put out to fix you
just made it even worse
dug up from the earth
purposeless
wide-eyed you say
your love is pure
light-finder you aren't anymore
white for your dress
brown for your door
green for your eyes
that don't see anymore
i'm not the circuit you are
the prince of cursing and black bags
lives and sleeps outside that window
screams at who knows
our dreams here are a mess at night
and some people think they are evil
ghosts and demons
darkness moves through season to season
keep breathing
i move your lips to form some words
apologise
please believe me
asphalt, grit and power lines
try and take in all you've been seeing
we're changing
but every word i spoke to mend you
every hand put out to fix you
just made it even worse
dug up from the earth
purposeless
wide-eyed you say
your love is pure
light-finder you aren't anymore
white for your dress
brown for your door
green for your eyes
that don't see anymore
i'm not the circuit you are
the prince of cursing and black bags
lives and sleeps outside that window
screams at who knows
our dreams here are a mess at night
and some people think they are evil
ghosts and demons
March 03, 09:23 AM
So I've been recording some twenty one new songs at home (duh) for Tape Hiss and Sparkle's next release. And I backed up my recording files yesterday. And for some weird reason, it was a pretty tense 40 minutes. Probably because Phil and Linda were urging me to, but also I think it's because I'm prouder of what I've been working on in this next release. I'm prouder of the fidelity. I got some new headphones, with a 20Hz boost and am saving up for a soundcard, and have been working to a click in some songs and programmed drums in others.
Secondly, we're playing on the 29th of March at The Waiting Room with St Saviour. There'll be copies of Visitors and Lunasola EP's and For You In Your Cubicle available. So swing on in, it'll be fun.
s
Secondly, we're playing on the 29th of March at The Waiting Room with St Saviour. There'll be copies of Visitors and Lunasola EP's and For You In Your Cubicle available. So swing on in, it'll be fun.
s
February 15, 11:45 AM
I thought it would be a shame not to give an outline of Tape Hiss and Sparkle's releases. Just so that you - and me! - have a strong linear and visual sense of what I've produced over the last two years. A timeline discography if you will. My musical history.
I started with the first of what would be ten consecutive 6-track "discs" released every month starting in July 2009, these releases were still released under my name, and the releases themselves were called Tape Hiss and Sparkle. Somewhere in the middle I made the transition to drop my name and use THandS as the name. Whether this was a concsious decision I can't even remember.
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc One
1. Nineteen
2. Middlesex
3. Grixelda
4. Red Wine
5. Your Name Means Cradle
6. We Are The Key
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Two
1. Our Vodka Winter
2. The Gasping After Baptism
3. Comet
4. Evelyn, My Friend
5. The Throat (Part One)
6. Tumbleway
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Three
1. Icarus
2. We Are Family
3. Warm Link
4. Let Me Get By
5. The Throat (Part Two)
6. Rust From A Cross Nail
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Four
1. Echohunter
2. Fantastic
3. Stolen
4. Airports
5. Sympathies Escape
6. Young Man's Trouble
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Five
1. July 2003
2. Taxidermy Scares The Children
3. Tigeress
4. In The Folds
5. Cemetery Trees
6. The Tsar Is Coming
Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Six
1. October 2009
2. Treehouse
3. Interstellar Cape Robin
4. Knocking Knees
5. Like Some Slow Vines
6. The Drunk
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Disc Seven
1. A Song For Regret
2. Melodrama
3. All Our Houses
4. Champagne and Italian Cars
5. Shut Up, Go Away
6. Aeroplane
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Disc Eight
1. The Struggling Valve We Share
2. Smoke
3. A V Of Swans
4. The Crows
5. Epoh
6. October Rat
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Disc Nine
1. The Darting Finch
2. Vert
3. Die Bron
4. Whitney Houston
5. We Are Not Criminals
6. Pick Out The Thorn
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Disc Ten
1. For My Ears, Your Breath
During the releases of these ten discs, I released two EP's, January 2010 Singles and The Daggerpoint's Lattice. The first contained an exclusive track and the second contained 2 exclusive tracks. Each disc sold was numbered, and if I recall correctly, there was only 32 copies of January 2010 Singles and 28 of The Daggerpoint's Lattice produced.
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - January Singles 2010
1. Middlesex
2.Tumbleway
3.The Throat (Part One)
4.Airports
5.Tigeress
6.Knocking Knees
7. Smile and Bleed (2003)
This EP sold out at the first Tape Hiss and Sparkle live show at a Wednesday night at Mercury Lounge in - you guessed it - January of 2010. I know, I'm hilarious. We opened for We Set Sail; back when they could still fit on a small stage. It also has the song Smile and Bleed (emo title, I know) that I wrote and recorded when I was 20 years old; back when the lo-fi bug bit me.
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Daggerpoint's Lattice
1. Tigeress
2. Interstellar Cape Robin
3. The Struggling Valve We Share
4. Astounding Magnitude
5. All Our Houses
6. Dana Scully
7. Aeroplane
This EP didn't sell as well (I blame the recession) but I launched at a cool show at the (now closed) Tabula Rasa Theatre, which was actually a laundromat during the day and converted into a hall that hosted live music shows in the evening, through the work of skilled hands of Mr Keevy and co. from Yawazzi productions.
After Disc Ten (and the two EPs), I felt that the discs didn't really have as much of an impact anymore. To myself and to listeners. I felt the repetition of writing 6 songs every month "loosened my writing muscles" in the beginning, but started to hamper my songwriting towards the end. So I decided to start working on a full album, with the focus being on better production and songwriting. So in mid 2010 I released...
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - For You In Your Cubicle
1. Middlesex
2. Blonde Jazz Singer
3. Interstellar Cape Robin
4. Good Riddance
5. We Are The Key
6. Icarus
7. Pins In A Ballgown
8. Mother City
9. Comet
10. Escape From A Cubicle
Five of these songs were songs that I had mined from the first 10 month disc period. The rest were all new. In a way I kind of consider this album my first release.
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Lunasola
1. Luna
2. Sola
I recorded these brother and sister songs in a day and I enjoyed them so much that I released them the following week.
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Visitors
1. Visitors (The Lucida)
2. Brother Of Mine, Sister I Am
3. Vodka Winter
4. I'm Not The Circuit, You Are
5. Visitors (Punch The Wheel)
6. Airports
I experimented with two renditions of the same song on this EP. Also, Visitors (Punch The Wheel) is my second, but more solid foray into an electronic sound.
And there you have it, that is Tape Hiss and Sparkle up to now. A few people purchased data discs of mp3's of all the material last year, so if you're interested in purchasing the entire discography, feel free to mail me at simontamblyn at yahoo dot com.
My next planned release is possibly for the end of this year. At the moment I'm amassing enough material for two discs; so this could translate into either two releases or one release with two discs. But I'm sure the more appropriate option will become clearer towards the end of recording.
I hope you've had as much fun listening as I have had making all this noise. Thanks so much for all the support, and spreading my music. Give it to everyone you know, I believe there's something in there that everyone can feel.
simon.
I started with the first of what would be ten consecutive 6-track "discs" released every month starting in July 2009, these releases were still released under my name, and the releases themselves were called Tape Hiss and Sparkle. Somewhere in the middle I made the transition to drop my name and use THandS as the name. Whether this was a concsious decision I can't even remember.
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc One
1. Nineteen
2. Middlesex
3. Grixelda
4. Red Wine
5. Your Name Means Cradle
6. We Are The Key
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Two
1. Our Vodka Winter
2. The Gasping After Baptism
3. Comet
4. Evelyn, My Friend
5. The Throat (Part One)
6. Tumbleway
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Three
1. Icarus
2. We Are Family
3. Warm Link
4. Let Me Get By
5. The Throat (Part Two)
6. Rust From A Cross Nail
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Four
1. Echohunter
2. Fantastic
3. Stolen
4. Airports
5. Sympathies Escape
6. Young Man's Trouble
Simon Tamblyn - Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Five
1. July 2003
2. Taxidermy Scares The Children
3. Tigeress
4. In The Folds
5. Cemetery Trees
6. The Tsar Is Coming
Tape Hiss and Sparkle Disc Six
1. October 2009
2. Treehouse
3. Interstellar Cape Robin
4. Knocking Knees
5. Like Some Slow Vines
6. The Drunk
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Disc Seven
1. A Song For Regret
2. Melodrama
3. All Our Houses
4. Champagne and Italian Cars
5. Shut Up, Go Away
6. Aeroplane
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Disc Eight
1. The Struggling Valve We Share
2. Smoke
3. A V Of Swans
4. The Crows
5. Epoh
6. October Rat
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Disc Nine
1. The Darting Finch
2. Vert
3. Die Bron
4. Whitney Houston
5. We Are Not Criminals
6. Pick Out The Thorn
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Disc Ten
1. For My Ears, Your Breath
2. Hymn For Eros
3. Meow
4. My Buddhist Cheshire Cat
5. Pretoria
6. Two Geese Flying, Almost Touching
During the releases of these ten discs, I released two EP's, January 2010 Singles and The Daggerpoint's Lattice. The first contained an exclusive track and the second contained 2 exclusive tracks. Each disc sold was numbered, and if I recall correctly, there was only 32 copies of January 2010 Singles and 28 of The Daggerpoint's Lattice produced.
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - January Singles 2010
1. Middlesex
2.Tumbleway
3.The Throat (Part One)
4.Airports
5.Tigeress
6.Knocking Knees
7. Smile and Bleed (2003)
This EP sold out at the first Tape Hiss and Sparkle live show at a Wednesday night at Mercury Lounge in - you guessed it - January of 2010. I know, I'm hilarious. We opened for We Set Sail; back when they could still fit on a small stage. It also has the song Smile and Bleed (emo title, I know) that I wrote and recorded when I was 20 years old; back when the lo-fi bug bit me.
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - The Daggerpoint's Lattice
1. Tigeress
2. Interstellar Cape Robin
3. The Struggling Valve We Share
4. Astounding Magnitude
5. All Our Houses
6. Dana Scully
7. Aeroplane
This EP didn't sell as well (I blame the recession) but I launched at a cool show at the (now closed) Tabula Rasa Theatre, which was actually a laundromat during the day and converted into a hall that hosted live music shows in the evening, through the work of skilled hands of Mr Keevy and co. from Yawazzi productions.
After Disc Ten (and the two EPs), I felt that the discs didn't really have as much of an impact anymore. To myself and to listeners. I felt the repetition of writing 6 songs every month "loosened my writing muscles" in the beginning, but started to hamper my songwriting towards the end. So I decided to start working on a full album, with the focus being on better production and songwriting. So in mid 2010 I released...
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - For You In Your Cubicle
1. Middlesex
2. Blonde Jazz Singer
3. Interstellar Cape Robin
4. Good Riddance
5. We Are The Key
6. Icarus
7. Pins In A Ballgown
8. Mother City
9. Comet
10. Escape From A Cubicle
Five of these songs were songs that I had mined from the first 10 month disc period. The rest were all new. In a way I kind of consider this album my first release.
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Lunasola
1. Luna
2. Sola
I recorded these brother and sister songs in a day and I enjoyed them so much that I released them the following week.
Tape Hiss and Sparkle - Visitors
1. Visitors (The Lucida)
2. Brother Of Mine, Sister I Am
3. Vodka Winter
4. I'm Not The Circuit, You Are
5. Visitors (Punch The Wheel)
6. Airports
I experimented with two renditions of the same song on this EP. Also, Visitors (Punch The Wheel) is my second, but more solid foray into an electronic sound.
And there you have it, that is Tape Hiss and Sparkle up to now. A few people purchased data discs of mp3's of all the material last year, so if you're interested in purchasing the entire discography, feel free to mail me at simontamblyn at yahoo dot com.
My next planned release is possibly for the end of this year. At the moment I'm amassing enough material for two discs; so this could translate into either two releases or one release with two discs. But I'm sure the more appropriate option will become clearer towards the end of recording.
I hope you've had as much fun listening as I have had making all this noise. Thanks so much for all the support, and spreading my music. Give it to everyone you know, I believe there's something in there that everyone can feel.
simon.
Sets
Rollingstone SA's Sune Lotter says about the single, The Fountain of Love, "(The) instrumental arrangement, performed entirely by vocalist Simon Tamblyn himself, paves the way for haunting vocals and marrow-churning lyrics against an Afro-Eastern musical landscape. Grounded percussion foils the emotional lyrics, and makes the song feel authentic and real."
YourLMG's Angela Weickl says about Paperhawk, "Tamblyn's unmistakable voice spins tales that flutter between child-like naivete and wisdom beyond his years."
Produced by Nicolai Roos. Songs performed by Simon Tamblyn.
If you would like to show your support please consider contributing and carrying Tape Hiss and Sparkle on the crowdfunding platform Airborne at www.airborne.com/tapehissandsparkle. Rather than make one large payment, you can make a very small contribution to my career every month.
Thank you so much for listening.
Simon.
-TH&S-
YourLMG's Angela Weickl says about Paperhawk, "Tamblyn's unmistakable voice spins tales that flutter between child-like naivete and wisdom beyond his years."
Produced by Nicolai Roos. Songs performed by Simon Tamblyn.
If you would like to show your support please consider contributing and carrying Tape Hiss and Sparkle on the crowdfunding platform Airborne at www.airborne.com/tapehissandsparkle. Rather than make one large payment, you can make a very small contribution to my career every month.
Thank you so much for listening.
Simon.
-TH&S-
11 tracks (38:49)
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01 Paperhawk543 plays
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02 The Fountain of Love594 plays
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03 Fingers Crossed323 plays
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04 Hibiscus228 plays
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05 Marina176 plays
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06 My Mouth Belongs To You234 plays
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07 Evelyn, My Friend180 plays
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08 Knocking Knees176 plays
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09 Open Flame152 plays
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10 Automobile149 plays
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11 Franschhoek174 plays
Tracks
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Forever Echo72 plays
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Home (Single - 10MB)87 plays
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11 Franschhoek174 plays
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10 Automobile149 plays
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09 Open Flame152 plays
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08 Knocking Knees176 plays
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07 Evelyn, My Friend180 plays
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06 My Mouth Belongs To You234 plays
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05 Marina176 plays
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04 Hibiscus228 plays
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03 Fingers Crossed323 plays
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02 The Fountain of Love594 plays
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01 Paperhawk543 plays
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The Fountain of Love258 plays
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02 The Fountain of Love29 plays
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Recent tracks
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05 Your Name Means Cradle by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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04 Red Wine by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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03 Grixelda by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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02 Middlesex by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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01 Nineteen by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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05 Astounding Magnitude by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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06 Dana Scully by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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Dirty The Saint - Bitter Nail Memories (Beautiful) by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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Dirty The Saint - Bitter Nail Memories (The Cross Is Hidden) by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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05 The Throat (part two) by {'mbid': '1bd54375-02a6-464e-b5b0-67afc5521df7', '#text': 'Tape Hiss and Sparkle'}2 years ago
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