[Guest Column] Lail Arad :: Young & Breaking #1

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Happy Bank Holiday. I have to admit I don’t feel a huge amount of difference between workdays and weekends. It’s a funny old job I’ve chosen. Is it a job? Well if it is I just got promoted – guest blogger on The Line Of Best Fit – woohoo!

When I wrote the line in the song ‘Everyone Is Moving To Berlin’ which goes “I’ve discovered it’s the bloggers who can kiss,” I didn’t think I would be writing a blog myself… otherwise that would be a bit weird. I also didn’t know that the blogger in question would really be moving to Berlin a few months later… that was a bit weird! But increasingly I’m finding that songs outlive their original references and welcome new contexts… maybe that’s the point.

Anyway, I am here as a blogger. A word which (I just checked) originates from ‘weblog’… to keep a log… shouldn’t be too hard for an obsessive diary-keeper like me. I was told I should give insight into my life as “a young, breaking musician.” Well ‘young’ is a relative term… Lady Gaga is younger than me. Laura Marling is 6 years younger than me! But I guess at 26 with the first of my friends married and pregnant, I’m a baby in comparison. As for ‘breaking’, that only makes me think of breaking-up and broken-hearts… my predicament this week!

The last year was made of distinct phases. The signing-contracts-looking-for-a-producer-this-is-never-going-to-happen Boring phase. The oh-my-god-im-in-the-studio-how-the-hell-do-we-turn-these-little-songs-into-an-album Exciting phase. And the my-album-is-finished-I-wish-people-could-hear-it-right-now-but-apparently-a-lot-has-to-happen-first Patience phase. I’m still in that one! Watch this space every other week to see who runs out of patience first, me or the industry… or you!

Strangely, the more things roll forward, I’m finding myself having to do a lot of retrospective thinking. Who are your main influences? How did you get into music? How was the recording process? I never really verbalised or considered these things before. ‘Your songs are very funny, was this intentional?’ Erm… are you laughing at me or with me?! Makes me realise I didn’t have time (or desire?) to stop and think for a while.

Actually to be honest I have a bit too much time to think right now. I got used to the no social life hours of the recording. Now I’m out and about and getting heartbroken and all sorts of dangerous things that can happen when you’re not in a studio all day everyday. But I guess the outside world is food for new songs! I had felt a bit stuck writing-wise, nothing like a few tears to get you back in the zone… But its not only that – I was on such a lockdown with the album – when it was sealed it took me time to open up again.

And now I’m a bit too aware of the process of making an album! Before I just wrote songs. And when it was time to record I picked the ones I thought were the best and killed off the others. Now when I start writing I’m thinking about all the directions the song can take, how it will fit with other tracks, which musicians could add to it.. I’m far less innocent and far more critical! But anyway, you don’t even know the first album so why the hell am I talking about this!?

I promise to stick to the subject next time. What is the subject again? Oh yeah, young and breaking. I promise to be younger and even more heartbroken next time.

The spell-check doesn’t recognise the word ‘blogger’.

Lail x