”It’s an album to turn to when you need comfort, which we all do through these weird times we’re living in.” (For Folk's Sake)
"'I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot' is a brave album. It’s dark, but then without dark we wouldn’t have any light. And beyond the darkness, the songs, arrangements and performance are quite superb." Paul Kerr, Blabber'n'Smoke
One of our favourite albums of 2020 was released by Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke. “I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot” is a piece of beauty and full of intriguing and honest lyrics. Alec’s song “Never The End Of The World” is a perfect example for the greatness in his songwriting.
Alec Bowman_Clarke about “Never The End Of The World”:
“'Never the End of the World' was the closing song on my last album. It's a lyric I'm very proud of, one that came all in one go out of the endless blue, and did exactly what I wanted it to do. The guitar is simple & the melody basic, but people often pick it out as a song they like and there is no greater prize, for me, as a writer, than that.”
This new live version for Static Roots Festival’s “stay safe sessions” comes at a time when Alec’s new EP has been announced and he has some new songs soon to be released. Alec: “It's in a different key and played on Josienne Clarke’'s cheap Danelectro baritone guitar, a sparse, slow version for a new time, always & forever, it's never the end.”
"Never The End Of The World" - lyrics
“If you’re free to leave, it's easy to stay
But it's not always simple to do
Show off your weaknesses, misunderstand
& be the worst version of you
A leaf from a tree in the autumn will fall
Like a feather, floats to the floor
Be a new one next year, we grow strong over here
So hold on, you’ll be back for more
It’s never the end of the world
It just stops for a minute while you unfurl
It goes on without you, whatever you do
So, stand up for something, all the way through
Take a leaf from my story
Don’t disappear ‘till its time
I used to be sad, and then I forgot
I remember who’s on my side
They say that you’re larger than life
So, you live like maybe it’s true
But don’t take it from me, wait & you’ll see
Life is much larger than you
It’s never the end of the world
It just stops for a minute while you unfurl
It goes on without you, whatever you do
So, stand up for something, all the way through”
We put together the “stay safe sessions” series not only to present great music and amazing talents, but also to support the musicians during these difficult times. If you would like to support the artist, please PayPal to:
About Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke
The fact that filmmaker Alec Bowman_Clarke is also a talented musician & photographer means his cinematography has naturally inherited a poetic gaze, which ensures it lingers long in the memory. Whether it’s the hypnotic red glow of a nocturnal bonfire burning in Salt House’s Mountain of Gold music video or the surreal, Twin Peaks-esque small town dread that underpins short film Overheads, Alec’s work is driven by conjuring up something wondrous from every day rural settings.
A disciple of visionary auteurs like Lynne Ramsey, Michel Gondry, Stanley Kubrick and Spike Jonze, Alec cut his teeth directing music videos. Working with legendary British label Rough Trade Records, his direction on British indie singer Josienne Clarke’s If I Didn’t Mind and Throwing Love videos is Keats romanticism distorted via arresting lo-fi visuals. These are music videos which turn countryside strolls and paddling in the low tide into other worldly experiences; the work of someone who knows how to elevate the British countryside into something surreal.
Stay Safe!
Credits
executive producer: Dietmar Leibecke, https://staticrootsfestival.com
intro/post production: Frank Koch, http://studio-koch.de
intro riff: Rookie - Sunglasses, https://rookietheband.bandcamp.com/track/sunglasses
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read more about the “stay safe sessions” project here...