Hugh MacDiarmid, Stevie Smith, Philip Larkin, Robert Frost, Robert Graves, RS Thomas, Andrew Young.
Hayao Miyazaki, Michael Haneke.
'Pillows & Prayers', Johnny Marr, Ivor Cutler, Jake Thackray, Neil Hannon, Momus, Ennio Morricone, Leonard Cohen, Robert Wyatt, Brian Wilson, Sufjan Stevens, Hank Williams Sr., Matt McGinn.
Sounds Like
Naive, Lo-fi, acoustic songs of love, loss and regret.
Outsider Music.
'Pillows & Prayers', Marine Girls, Hamish Imlach, Field Mice, Iron And Wine, él Records, Belle & Sebastian, The Lilac Time, Jim O'Rourke, The Langley Schools Music Project.
Sighrens started as a musical project conceived by two long-time friends. We wanted to try to express the feelings and ideas associated with loss, regret, loneliness, times lost and regained, childhood memories, failed dreams and new hopes.
We decided the best way to do that was through the medium of our naive and under-produced but heartfelt songs. The songs are performed using traditional acoustic intruments such as guitar, mandolin, egg-shaker and glockenspiel. They are written and recorded quite quickly at home in the traditional lo-fi way to capture the raw feel.
The songs are mainly our own compositions with one or two exceptions. The lyrics can be found in our Blog section, and upon the Myspace Music Player.
All of the songs on the Myspace Player are freely available to download as this project is our little attempt to kick out against the over-commercialisation and over-production of modern music.
We hope you like them and if not we hope you at least appreciate our honest endeavour.
If you're not a member of Myspace and you want to get in touch with us, then contact us at sighrens@hotmail.com.
Rather improbably, and despite the lack of public clamour, we have collected the songs from our first year in myspace and produced our first CD-R, named 'aon'. The tracklisting is:
1. 'the last of the lights'
2. 'life is hard (it is a mineral)'
3. 'janet & moira'
4. 'the most sorrowful clique at the dance'
5. 'barbaraville'
6. 'slap him handsome'
7. 'when will I be loved?'
8. 'after the dust has settled'
9. 'together'
10. 'how I lived to tell the tale'
11. 'breathe'
12. 'we are sighrens'
To download it for free 'click here'(all songs are 320kbps quality) or you can get in touch via myspace or at the e-mail address above to find out about obtaining the 'personal' version with hand-made cover and label.
If you want to hear any of the tracks from 'aon' which have been removed from this page, then you can listen to them on our last.fm page. To go there 'click here'
~Sighrens~
Thanks. I wrote the lyrics for that one myself. It was one of a bunch of vignettes I wrote a while back for spoken word tracks. So far I've got this one, "Lisa's Dream", and another track called "Sandy" that someone's supposed to be working on.
entre sillas fotocopiadoras mesas largas con conversaciones dormidas un teléfono que ronronea asaltando oídos voy del Mal metafísico hacia El Quijote
Río callo gozo en los dedos de la locura
Mis ojos huelen a líneas desempolvando siglos Si estoy sola principio y fin vienen a la agenda intacta silencio al silencio alguien llega se sienta frente al amante (que soy yo) ahora en este instante en que brotan las metáforas ahuyentando el cansancio el aburrimiento la ociosidad de dormir y ver televisión
Si estoy sola repartiré las angustias y sonreiré ligero … si es posible edificaré un futuro mitad felicidad mitad pasado demolido en el tiempo
Si estoy sola seguiré recorriendo caminos sin rumbo fijo donde me lleve el viento donde se detengan mis pasos donde estén las manos extendida hacia el infinito implorando ayuda y dando GRACIAS.
~~~
If I'm alone
among chairs copy machines long tables with sleeping conversations a telephone that rumbles assaulting ears I go from El mal metafísico to El Quijote
I laugh I quiet down I have fun on the fingers of craziness
My eyes smell like lines dusting centuries If I'm alone beginning and end come to the intact agenda silence to silence someone arrives sits down facing the lover (who is me) now in this instant in which metaphors burst forth driving away fatigue boredom the laziness of sleeping and watching television
If I'm alone I'll divvy up the anxieties and I'll smile lightly... if possible I'll construct a future half happiness half past demolished in time
If I'm alone I'll keep wandering paths going nowhere in particular where the wind would take me where my steps would linger where my hands would extend towards the infinite begging for help and giving THANKS.
Because those lovely voices in your "Call Me" were the first to make it to my brain today. Congratulations on becoming one of the voices in Myrcenary's head. ~
Yes, the yanks put in some really pants-wetting performances for us soccer nerds. I was watching US v Brasil @ Kell's Irish pub in downtown Portland, and the place was packed with blissed out supporters. Second half, well, you know....
Following Murray v. Roddick via text commentary right now. Can your lad fist pump his way into the final?
HellooOo! Your photographs. So lovely. I am somewhat obsessed with anchors & am smitten with the shot of the large one (for lack of a better word for... giant). Thanks for so much goodness. More later, I owe you an actual note.
ah its spectacular yeah. I was up there right at the end of last year, so it was all cold and icy - but beautiful. We did an epic drive from Inverness to Applecross. Where abouts are you based?
cool! thanks for the kind words. I love the cover of call me. while I was listening to your music I thought about recommending you to visit Just the Architect until I saw your top friends! =) <3 Dune
In the words of OMC, how bizarre. And in the words of CFB, thank you. (Whenever we see the name Vivien we're reminded of the auntie from Fresh Prince. We're so uncultured.)
Thanks Griff! I was wondering whether i went a bit overboard on guitar overdubs for that one but it worked somehow. I'm glad i finished that one...i really like the lyrics...i just had to work out the last few lines.
Oh and you've done a Blondie cover! 'Tis marvellous! The percussion is ~sigrens~ through and through, i love the vocals, the harmonica solo is very special and...oh...i still want a glockenspiel!!
Hi Griff, thanks for the kind words you left about 'On the Moon'. I wrote that one when I was at uni 5 years ago. It took a hell of a long time to get to that finished version. There's no 12-string on it, btw, just my regular acoustic.
I really like your Blondie cover, especially you did it in a way that still sounds like Sighrens. Lovely stuff.
Online Now!
