EP
The Gear
Short and sweet, The Gear’s new EP, imaginatively titled EP, rocks out from another time. A time when radio was filled with three and a half minute treasures and life was less complicated. I got in touch with the band to get comments on this little jewel.
I've Got Trouble
I've Got Trouble, the first song on the EP came about very quickly. The first time I ever played the first three chords of what subsequently became the song; I had the first two lines written. It was a very enjoyable song to write and I think it shows. The record captures the kind of vibe I always intended the song to have from the outset and is the most distinct example of what The Gear do best. I think some of the inspiration for this song came from listening to 60's band, The Small Faces, and the idea of writing the lyrics in a kind of 'confession- like' manner. Like all the songs on the EP, I've Got Trouble was recorded as a band. The main track was done in only two takes.
Eight Arms To Hold You
This song came to me melody first but the title was one I had in my back pocket for a long time. The story goes that it was the title The Beatles originally had for their second film Help! and I thought, “Well no one else has stole it!” It was perfectly fitting for this tune and though it may seem lucky that I had the title handed to me, the rest of the lyrics I wrote convey an interesting picture, being that they're equally quirky in a Beatle-esque sort of way.
Always Changin'
Always Changin' is a favourite of mine, and is a song that I’ve had for a while now. When I originally played it live, it was a track I would play acoustically because the sentiment would get lost otherwise. Over time it has evolved and the instrumentation around the song has finally found its place. Because it is a rock/ballad, by their nature you do have to show an amount of discipline to keep them special when playing them live, and I think the recording turned out exactly how it should of. The song, simply put is a message to a friend but if you listen to it closer, it isn't that simple. I still get surprised that the line; “It's time to get on with your life/ drink lots of booze and womanize” means so much to people. It always is the line people pick up on. All the songs on the EP are very lyrically driven, but this one seems to appeal to listeners most.
Faces At Me
This is the most recently written song on the EP. Being so, I think it shows a transition and development from the structure of a lot of my previous songs. It was mainly inspired by my move from my hometown of Adelaide to Melbourne in the middle of 2004. For the first time I was writing in a new environment, and the song expresses some of the hope and fear I was feeling in a new city. It feels different to the other songs in the juxtaposition of how it is structured; it's very upbeat but maybe set to more mellow music it could have the impression of sounding like a fairly unhappy song.
Thanks guys.
Rob Hudson
To sample a track from The Gear use this link
www.musicbiz.com.au