Dare has decided to write sleeve notes for the Noctorum albums, reminisces of the how, why, when, and where of the four albums we made together under the Noctorum moniker. You can find the story of the first album Sparks Lane on the Noctorum website now and mine when Olivia gets two moments in the same teardrop. Having known each other since when we were kids it was about time that Dare and I had a band together. He had worked on most of my solo projects and the ex-band’s Sometime Anywhere (1994). We figure we might have known each other for nearly sixty years and that’s because our parents knew each other through work. We never went to the same primary school or secondary modern (or grammar school in Dare’s case) but the music connection kept us together as it often does. Check out Sparks Lane and there will be more sleeve notes coming. (By the way, there is no apostrophe in ‘Sparks’.)

The Sparks Lane Sleeve Notes

Although we made it to bed slightly earlier (5 AM), we had to be up at 11 AM to go and view a potential place for the In Deep Music Archive. We always thought the dream could be possible if we could just start with premises that were big enough to hold it all in a central location at a reasonable price. But of course, we also have to get it here first and import taxes are one issue we have to deal with. We are in the process of talking to the mayor’s assistant about it being brought into Porto as a cultural event – but you know all this, I’ve spoken about it many times. As we have to move from our place and we are now back in Porto, we are more actively trying to find somewhere for us to build The Archive and renovate a space whilst camping under dust sheets in the corner. Will keep you posted on the progress of this viewing, but presuming we can get the support, there’s definite potential here to finally house the collection in the centre of a city for all to see (and hear).

We also had to go to Tubitek today to pick up the records that I’ve been ordering whilst we were away. All new releases that I didn’t need to buy in America and carry back – First Aid Kit, Alvvays (it has a song on it called Tom Verlaine), The Unthanks, Rumer, The Chameleons reissues (even though I have the original albums that I bought when they came out). José and Rui were there, Jorge’s day off. José has been keeping a very thorough list of records I want and he has managed to find most of them. It was a struggle with the Mars Volta reissues but I managed to find two more in Cologne and two in New York. You have to order these records as soon as they are announced otherwise you simply cannot find them anymore, even the reissues. I’m still looking for the debut Aldous Harding album. The Archive needs to be fed or it isn’t an archive.

We popped into the music store to say hello to Carlos and Vitor and headed back up the hill to the last three weeks of our home. I still hope to go to the same bakery, phone shop, computer store, and pool despite it being in a different part of town to our potential new place. If we get this new place, we will not have a kitchen or a shower so the gym and pool will be oft visited, not that it wasn’t before.

At home, I listened to songs, Indiana Brian’s latest mix for a song, NJ Brian’s latest demo, Atlanta Craig’s latest vocal, Space Summit Jed’s latest arrangement for a piece we have been working on and Arktik Lake’s final mixes, music pours out of the walls.

Music today was Tom Verlaine’s last vocal record release of new material, Songs and Other Things (2006), released simultaneously on Thrill Jockey with the instrumental, Around (2006). Enjoy, RIP Tom.

Music Of The Daze