It’s my great pleasure to announce a new release of ours, which is a Split EP with Madison-based Pushmi-Pullyu, called “Together”. It’s a strictly limited-edition CD (only 100 copies world-wide), and will be followed by an even more limited edition cassette run to be released soon after in the States.

“Together” is released on mam!records (also based in Madison, WI), and focuses on the more ambient / shoegaze side of The Enright House and Pushmi-Pullyu.

Track Listing:

Pushmi-Pullyu
01 Darkwave = MC Squared (EH Cover)
02 Manderly (He Walks, Lonely)
03 Where The Sidewalk Ends

The Enright House
04 Distance
05 Death And Unexploded Dreams (Alpha)

You can preview some of the tracks on our respective myspace pages, as well:
www.myspace.com/theenrighthouse and
www.myspace.com/pushmipullyumusic.

The CD comes packaged in a nifty, shrink-wrapped cardboard wallet, and will mostly only be sold on tour. Only a select handful of CDs are available from the mam!records online store. So, if you want to own a copy of this limited-edition CD, then act quickly, as they will sell out in no time! Furthermore, the EP and shipping (domestic + international!) are only priced to recoup costs, not to make a big profit, so if you like our music please help us finance more projects like this and support our efforts by purchasing a copy for yourself.

All apologies for having neglected my blogging duties over the last month or two. I only have ten days left in New Zealand before I head over to the States. The US tour is shaping up nicely – though, admittedly, I have been a bit slow to book in the final 5-6 dates (I’m aiming for a total of roughly 20 shows). My main focus, aside from some wonderful developments in my personal life, has been to finish the recording of the new album.

Although I won’t get it all done in time, I’m still incredibly pleased with the progress we’ve made over the last two months. Pretty much all of the instrumental parts to the twelve songs are now tracked, and what is left to do now is record vocals, mix the album, and get it mastered in the States. Even lyric writing, which traditionally takes me the longest, has been going far better than I had anticipated, with the majority of lyrics being near completion.

My good friend, Rob!

Contrary to A Maze and Amazement, I’ve decided this time around, to get a few more people involved in the making of the forthcoming record (which, as of writing, is still without a title). Most importantly, I opted to enlist the help of my friend Rob for tracking purposes. Although I have been recording all of the synth and drum machines at home, I wanted to get some outside help in recording guitars and live drums.

As the recordings progressed, Rob and I decided to organize some live brass for the album, as well. So this week we enlisted the help of Scott Taitoko (a stunning jazz trombonist) and David Cox (Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s principal horn player).

Rob’s sweet 80’s drum kit.

Now, truth be told, I was a bit nervous at first, as I had to prepare proper scores for both of them to sight-read, and I haven’t written anything for horn or trombone since my composition days at university. Safe to say, I was a tad out of practice! However, as unsteady as my footing was, I enjoyed feeling like a music student again, trying my hand at composing music for all these wonderful and unique instruments.

Writing for trained musicians is a marvelous experience under almost any circumstances, but Scott’s and David’s sessions just utterly exceeded all of my expectations.

Scott and David, in short, were utter professionals. Both sight-read extremely well, they were utterly focused and very positive throughout their sessions, they took direction well, and, most importantly, delivered powerful musical performances that will play an indispensable role on this album.

In addition to recording Brass, Rob and I decided that a handful of songs could stand to benefit from some strategically placed live drumming. Consequently, Rob asked his old friend, Steve, to lay down a few drum tracks. Both, Rob and Steve, used to play together in a band called Throw, and Steve, like Scott and David, totally delivered in his session. We got some fabulous snare and cymbal work to add color and realism to what are mainly electronic drums on this album.

Rob’s friend, Steve, laying down tracks for a new song called “Afterthoughts”.

Last, but not least, I was really happy to get Evan to contribute some of his mad-scientist-synth-skills for the new record. Having proven to be such a strong and creative musician over the last two years of playing together, I was very keen to get Evan more involved in the actual studio work, as well.

So, in conclusion, Rob, Evan, Scott, David and Steve, have all done a fantastic job – thank you! – and I can’t wait to start mixing the new album in February and March, and see how it all turns out. Exciting!

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for coming out to see our last two Christchurch shows! Both, Evan and I, had a wonderful time performing our new set for all of you.

So, as a way of saying thank you, I thought it might be nice to share a live recording of a new song with you, called Elektra. The version available for download here was recorded live to two-track on Thursday at our Dux De Lux show. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Like the recent Remixes and Collaborations album, our Acoustic EP, too, is now finally available as a free download at bandcamp.mu:

You can choose to download the album in whatever format you like, such as MP3 (128k, 320k, V0, V2), AAC (high or low quality), Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, or the iPod compatible Apple Lossless format. And, to top it all off, the artwork, too, is included.

Now, I’m not expecting there to be a mad rush on the album or anything, as it was never intended to be more than a spontaneous and fun exploration of my songs in acoustic dress, but still… I was always really glad we recorded the album when I was still playing my music with a band, as there was just something totally magical about the four of us being in this massive gymnasium together.

No rehearsals, no overdubs, no isolation booths, no release schedules, no pressure of any kind… just a big room and four guys sitting around in a circle and playing to each other, with only a handful of sparkly microphones casually listening in.

Whatever the limitations of such adventures might generally be, we felt uninhibited and free and joyfully creative on that day. Maybe it was just the warmth and sunshine of the afternoon, or perhaps just the simple quietude of acoustic instruments, but the recordings sound to me like the music is just drenched in the dusty sunshine and benevolent atmosphere of that late summer sunday.

So please, have a listen and, if you want to be part of our musical adventure, please support us by telling as many other people about its existence as you can.

Just a quick note about a new internet release that you can download for free and in various formats (mp3, aac, ogg vorbis, flac and apple lossless) here:

It’s a wee humble release that features collaborations between The Enright House and Misfit Mod, The Enright House and Coterie (Off Loving Memories), as well as remixes by, or of, The Enright House, A Flight To Blackout, Coterie, and Fiveandahalfminutes.

Here’s the track-listing:

1. 3. (A Remix By The Enright House Of Fiveandahalfminutes)
2. Driving (The Enright House / Misfit Mod)
3. Unfolding in Limelight (Off Loving Memories)
4. Exit Right (Off Loving Memories)
5. No Idea Environment (Off Loving Memories)
6. Fly Your Arc (A Remix By The Enright House Of A Flight To Blackout)
7. Darkwave = MC Squared (A Coterie Remix Of The Enright House)

Make sure you check out all of the lovely and talented musicians to whom you owe these songs:

Misfit Mod (www.myspace.com/misfitmod)

A Flight To Blackout (www.myspace.com/aflighttoblackout)

Fiveandahalfminutes (www.myspace.com/fiveandahalfminutes)

Coterie (www.myspace.com/c0t3rie)

So yeah… I really hope you find some tracks on it that you enjoy!

…and, if you do, I would be really grateful to you if you could help me spread the word about its existence. Given that neither myself nor any of the other artists are making any money off of this release, we also can’t really afford to advertise it being there, so any help you can offer (posting it to your profile, emailing your friends, blogging about, sharing it, copying it, performing rain dances, what have you… :P) would be really sweet of you! :)

Thanks!

“The truth of the matter is that my current life-style is unsustainable. It’s unhealthy, full of distractions, and unwholesome. My flat has been a shambles for almost a year now. It is cluttered. It is dark. It is cold. It is damp. And I literally feel like I have been slowly wasting away in it. I need to get out of there. Fast.”

As many of you already know, I am moving back to the States in January. The main reason for that being that I miss the mid-west, I miss my friends, I miss being around my mother, and I’m really excited to tour The Enright House throughout the US and, later in the year, Europe, as well.

Going back oversees after living in New Zealand for almost five years will be good for my soul, I think. As much as I love certain aspects of New Zealand, I love the wider world even more, and to have spent a good half of my twenties in a small and remote country, too far away from my friends and family, has been a significant contributor to my ongoing struggles with depression.

Not everything about my time here, however, has been bad…

I’ve learned a lot by tutoring three years worth of philosophy and art theory to university undergraduates, The Enright House came into being during my time here, I made new friends, learned a lot about being a DIY musician, fell in and out of love, rediscovered my life’s calling, and managed to grow a few years older, and perhaps grow a bit wiser, even.

But it’s not time to say good-bye quite yet. The truth is that having four more months before moving is a blessing, for I have much I want to accomplish before I jump back into the world:

1) Complete the new record

I have pretty much all new songs demoed at the time of writing this, and the material has me immensely excited. The songs and sounds of this album are digging deeper into my heart and mind than anything I have done previously. The record feels even more uniquely my own than the last, more authentic, earthier, in many ways simpler and more focused.

The last record faced the unenviable challenge of unifying a set of songs that were written years apart from each other. The result was a diverse record – one that I am proud of – but it was ultimately also a record with many loose ends. It was – I think it is fair to say – a record that succeeded as best as it could have, given the circumstances, at documenting my struggle of searching for my own artistic voice. At times it came very close; but there are also times when, in hindsight, it probably fell somewhat short of that intention.

I now have four months to refine lyrics, complete the recordings, and work out the track order, and I am quite certain that I can make this happen between now and my departure.

2) Shifting flats, shifting life-styles

Within the next two weeks I am moving from my inner-city apartment out to my father’s home in the country. Dad is away, and so I have accepted his generous offer to stay in his beautiful apartment, in order to save money for my journey oversees (rent, power, phone, etc. will be free).

But money is hardly the main reason for moving. The truth of the matter is that my current life-style is unsustainable. It’s unhealthy, full of distractions, and unwholesome. My flat has been a shambles for almost a year now. It is cluttered. It is dark. It is cold. It is damp. And I literally feel like I have been slowly wasting away in it. I need to get out of there. Fast.

Dad’s flat is clean, spacious, modern, has a stunning view over the Canterbury plains and the distant mountains. I will be living in close proximity to my father’s side of the family, and although we are not as close as I would like, I feel comforted by the thought of becoming part of a stable and welcoming family environment.

Furthermore, it is an ideal space to record my new album. There is a nice grand piano close at hand, and, most importantly, it is quiet there, and reassuringly peaceful. No TV, no internet, no cafes, no pool halls, no events that are “not to be missed”. Here, in short, the noise of the world fades from a roar into a silent fizz. Here I can cope, here I can find myself, here I can excavate my latent optimism.

3) Practice, practice, practice

Once I’ve settled over to the States it will be time to tour relentlessly. Now is the time to grow my live-set from something interesting, into something extraordinary. It will take time; four months will not suffice, a year will not suffice, maybe not even a lifetime, but I have to make a start, and four months of isolation are as good an opportunity as any to take some more determined steps towards becoming a more complete performer.

4) Plan, organize, connect

My remaining college fund is humble, at best. Whatever money I can make by selling my personal belongings and saving on living costs, will no doubt be swallowed up by the costs of building a new life oversees. The emerging reality of the next 12 months is one in which every day, every week, every penny, will have to pull its full weight.

I plan to tour the mid-west, west-coast, and Canada in April/May with Misfit Mod. Then I would like to shack up with Mary in New York for 4-6 weeks and play weekly shows in NYC and the surrounding areas. If I have any money left by that time (roughly July), I will head over to Germany around the third quarter of 2009, and play some shows in and around the country I grew up in.

From this point on things are still looking very vague. There is always the possibility of coming back to New Zealand for a bit, crashing my friend Rob’s place in Japan for a few weeks, if, that is, he will still be living there by that time. Maybe all the money will run out and I will need to find a job. Who knows. I’m just not prepared to contemplate that with any seriousness as of yet.

Right now all I want to do is get out of here with an album tucked under my belt, and travel and play for as long as I can, before I go broke. My uttermost hope is that after working as hard as possible on The Enright House, that maybe I can generate enough of a trickling income from my music to sustain a modest life for a few years. I have to believe that I can do it. If other people can, then so can I. It’s just a matter of dedication and hard work.

If I fail, so I tell myself, it will be my own fault. It will not be the fault of chance, of bad timing, of “the industry”, of the nature of the world, or of the monsters in the closet. It will be my own fault for not having worked harder, for not having wanted it enough, for not having had the courage to put everything on the line when the going got tough.