To beat ticket touts we are selling 4 tix at face value to my sold out NYE show on Ebay HERE

I usually post some kind of end of year list of music, films, people, things that I’ve loved.   This year, there were so many great moments in music I thought I’d just focus on them and write a few words about five key albums that blew me away.  See if you agree, disagree or if you haven’t had a chance to check them out hopefully fall in love with them the way I did.

 

MIIKE SNOW – MIIKE SNOW

 

 

Just the most refreshingly unique take on pop music to happen since, well Mylo in my opinion.    Absolutely love lead singer Andrew Wyatt’s voice and have been a fan of Bloodshy and Avant (Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg) since back in the day.

Considering their pop pedigree it’s so subversive that they’re responsible for such a cool record that the critics are lapping up.  It’s a deep, lush, emotional and dark journey of an album and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

 

http://www.myspace.com/miikesnow

 

LADY GA GA – THE FAME MONSTER

 

 

 

More than a few bonus tracks added on to her hugely successful ‘The Fame’ album – this E.P of 8 songs is actually better than the album it accompanies.  It’s like a darker more adrenaline charged version of ‘The Fame’ and has not left my iPod playlist since it came out.  In particular ‘Monster’ thrills me and ‘Speechless’ kills me.

Her entire career spans these two songs.  Brilliant.

 

http://www.myspace.com/ladygaga

 

BIFFY CLYRO – ONLY REVOLUTIONS

 

 

Bands reach this moment where the loyal fan base and the mainstream collide.  U2 did it with The Joshua Tree and recently Kings of Leon had their moment with ‘Only by the Night’.   Biffy Clyro have been a left of the centre massive success to those in the know for a few albums but this one suddenly lurched into my view and has had me paying attention.  Big melodies, simple words with big ideas and a big big voice.

Great sounding record from a fantastic band.

 

P.S I know the cover I’ve posted is for the single, ‘The Captain’ and not the album cover.. but I love it!

 

http://www.myspace.com/biffyclyro

 

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE – LUNGS

 

The closest we’ve come to a Kate Bush since Kate.  And not simply because she wears floaty clothes and is ‘quirky’.  She’s a genuine artist with a unique vocal identity that is uncompromised.  In that love or hate way.  I adore the producer Paul Epsworth and their work together on this record is up there with some of my favorite productions in the last 20 years.  Evokes the mood of Kate Bush’s ‘The Red Shoes’ or dare I say it Peter Gabriel’s ‘Us’.  Atmospheric, magic and ethereal but with teeth.

 

http://www.myspace.com/florenceandthemachine

 

LILY ALLEN – IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU

 

           

 

I love it when I underestimate an artist and they stick the middle finger up to my perception of them by going away and coming back  with something so far ahead of where they left off you have no choice but to bow down and say ‘wow’.

Lyrically and stylistically light years ahead of her contemporaries.  The concepts of love and disillusionment would be heavy duty for someone twice her age.  There’s the sonic soundscape which is, again, in a world of its own thanks to Greg Kurstin.   Nothing else sounded like this on the radio nor did it sound one bit like her last release.  Could have been career suicide and yet it was career defining.  Amazing.

 

http://www.myspace.com/lilymusic

 

Other notable moments in music were singles.  I loved everything the Black Eyed Peas did – all of Fred Falke’s remixes and the Freemason’s remix of Whitney Houston’s ‘Million Dollar Bill’.   The song that I became obsessed with in the last few weeks is Alica Keys ‘Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart’.  I hope it becomes a massive smash hit in 2010.

 

Moments in film for me included ‘Let the Right One In’ and ‘Where the Wild Things Are’.   Both for similar reasons.

I have loved 2009.  It’s been a year of complete reinvention for me and I can’t wait for 2010 to begin the big reveal.

 

In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful holiday period and ace New Year.

 

See you soon!

xD

 

 

In 1987 a 15 year old version of myself screamed his lungs as Michael Jackson sizzled and popped his way, seemingly on thin air, accross the floor of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.   He wore a shiny silver stage costume with black buckles on the shoulder and I swear I was so close I can still remember his perfume. 



It's 22 years later and today I woke up and dubbed it 'Michael Jackson Day'.   I'd booked tickets to go see his 'This Is It' movie and visit the exhibition of his costumes and memorabilia at the 02 Arena in London.

I had mixed feelings about the film prior to going in.   I'd heard all the hype from the advertising machine and I'd heard the conspiracy theories from those who felt the film was cashing in.   But somewhere in the middle I guess the chance to see my childhood hero on the big screen and on the precipice of a triumphant return was the feeling that trumped them all.   Truth be told, even when tickets went on sale for the original concert that never was to be, I was skeptical.  I'd seen M.J live many times, but the last time was in NYC in 2001 and he was clearly struggling.

I didn't blame him - what was left after the trials and tribulations of the child abuse accusations was a frail man, unsure of himself and gun shy in a spot light of humiliation and degradation.  He seemed as though his spirit had been broken, that he'd become  overwhelmed by the vultures and the fame monster.

That was a few days before September 11 2001. 
I remember the show so clearly, not only because of its proximity to such a tragic date in history - but because I had seen my hero fall to the ground.  After the concert
I had the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong, and I changed my plans dramatically to leave NYC earlier than planned.  I was supposed to come home on September 11 (on a flight that would eventually, sadly, perish) and instead I chose to come home a few days earlier.

When I woke up on September 11 the world would never be the same.
For Michael Jackson, I guess this was true in a way none of us could have imagined back then.

Fast forward to recent times, and Michael had survived round 2 of scandal and accusation.
Only this time, perhaps only barely.  We all know the story so I don't have to repeat it here.  But the memory is one of a man on the run.  From us.  From Them.  From himself.  Less than half the man he used to be, seemingly stripped of his accolades and certainly his dignity.   

Let me back it up by saying, M.J is and was my hero growing up.   I didn't have a positive male role model in my life - and when I was teased at school for being a 'faggot' or 'queer' I looked up to this man who seemed to be both male and female to me.  Strength and sensitivity.  Subtlety and electric shock force in one.  And when the world called him strange, I just saw myself reflected back.   I saw a spirit that could not be broken.  When I first saw him in concert, I think I've mentioned before, I suddenly knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  This feeling was the polar opposite of how I'd felt in New York in 2001. 

So the idea of seeing M.J on stage again in 2009 - in a show that many suggested was a 'have to' instead of a 'want to' situation - I wasn't eager to bear witness.
Not because I didn't love Michael or appreciate his talent.  I think it's because (and I'm ashamed to admit) I didn't really really think he could pull it off.  And I wanted to remember Michael as the hero who inspired me.  And not as the man the world turned him in to.
 
2 months before the 'This Is It' tour was due to open I got into a major Michael phase.  I was ravenous about the 'Bad' tour (the first one I ever saw) and his costumes back then. Especially that silver shirt.   I began frantically seraching for rare concert footage and listening to his albums daily.  So much so that my other half thought I was losing it.

At the last minute, like most people, I bought a golden ticket to his show.

And a few weeks later, Michael had died.

Tonight, I've seen the film which is essentially a document of the rehearsal and almost dress rehearsal of what Michael's farewell performances were going to be.   And I was filled with awe and sadness.

Awe in the scale, scope and ambition of the stage show.
Awe of Michael's spirit and talent - still present even in rehearsal mode.
But incredibly sad that he was robbed the opportunity to do these shows that would have reclaimed his dignity once and for all.

Like most people, I guess I had underestimated him.
If you believe the hype, he was barely present at rehearsals.  He was ill (he did seem dramatically under weight) and 'out of it'.    But what I saw, was a 50 year old man remembering his magic.   I saw glimpses of brilliance and the possibility of a reclamation of respect from his peers and critics alike. 

Walking through the halls of memorabilia afterwards, I found myself again filled with sadness and gratitude.   So glad that the positive things about him seem to be the ones that linger.   So sad that the silver shirt that I had reached out for in hysteria, separated by a crash barrier and layers of security, lasers and fog - was now inches from my hands.  Not even behind glass.   There.  Touchable.  Real. 

I don't know what the lesson in any of this is.
I know the shock for me was seeing something so untouchable, so superhuman, appear to tangiable and, dare I say it, mortal.
But perhaps the biggest thought I'm left with is the need to appreciate things in the moment - and celebrate the blessings we're given when we have them.  
Becuase as I watched the film the thought that kept playing over in my head was 'if only we had him for a little while longer.  If only more people could have seen this'.

But that's the thing with 'if only'....

Macmillan are a fantastic charity that work tirelessly with families and those battling cancer to provide care, support and dignity to all affected.  They have launched a celebrity shoe auction and I have provided a pair of my own shoes, autographed, to help raise money for this worthwhile charity.

Originally written on 18 July 2009 for member's of 'Delicacy' Darren's official fan club at www.darrenhayes.com

So much has happened since the last time I blogged I don’t quite know what to fill you in on.  You see I try to be more cryptic with twitter and myspace.  So although I’ve been filling you in on tid bits I haven’t really being entirely honest.  Hehe. Where do I start?  Well, once again, this album is being recorded in a very different manner in which my last one was.  I’d say it’s more like ‘The Tension and The Spark’ in it’s execution in that there really aren’t demos as such as rough versions that continue to be worked on.

Last album, I really wasn’t sure of the sound until I’d written ‘How To Build A Time Machine’ and then I went back on the many songs I had written as demos and transformed them in the studio mostly with Shave.

This time, I’ve been sure of the direction from the start – and have been delegating my time in the studio to either ‘my’ album or ‘others’.  Occasionally a song I have written for someone else ends up becoming ‘mine’ (mwhahahah) probably by a case of self sabotage more than anything else.  I write a song at the request of a label or for the intention of submitting it to an artist but fall in love with it in the process and then cross my fingers hoping it won’t get selected.  A few times that has happened I can look back and see ‘wow – I was really writing that for me!’.

Specifically one of my favorite songs so far in the pile for consideration for my record is one written with the Swedish songwriter.  The minute we wrote it I felt a bit of sadness because I felt I’d stumbled upon the sound of my new direction and yet we had agreed to give it away.  The short story is that it was eventually not chosen to be recorded by the BIG RECORD COMPANY ARTIST and I got my greedy hands back on it.  But either way, that song inspired the sound that would continue on many more songs I’ve ear marked as possibilities for my record.

How am I choosing?  Simply based on the theme and visual landscape I’ve had in my head all along.   I’ve mentioned before I’ve had a working title and a ton of images and writing on my laptop for a year now.   So that helps me zero in on the character of the songs.  Occasionally my two worlds collide but in general I’m able to tell immediately if a song is more ‘me’ than someone else and I work accordingly.

So there’s been more writing with the Swedes.  Nothing I’d put on my record yet.  But I worked with Brian West of Track and Field fame (google it) and wrote a song I’ll code name ‘E’ which was instantly a keeper for me.  We worked in the Sony ATV building in the West End for a few days and it was so fun to pop out into Golden Square and grab a coffee and walk about soaking in the energy of London and then zip back upstairs to a private studio and create some magic.

More recently Robert Conley came back to London for the second trip to my studio to work on songs for the album.
We had a brilliant strike rate this trip.  We wrote a song I’ll code name ‘W’ and it’s a killer.  Big drums and frenetic sound.  Lots of energy and exactly what I think has been missing from the songs.  Then we wrote a heartbreaker if I say so myself.  I’ll code name it ‘L’.  I think it’s ‘that’ song on the record that many people can relate to.   It’s quite sad but universally so and came from a very raw place.  I said to Richard tonight that I was glad I had a home for such emotions because they are heavy to hold on to without support.  Fingers crossed it makes it on the album.

Next week Justin Shave arrives to do 2 weeks here – really just polishing up and transforming some songs I’ve ear marked and hopefully writing some more.

In the mean time, here’s some outside of the studio ramblings.   I’ve been cooking so much this year.  Richard has been quite busy with music videos.  He just did a new one for a little indie band and it was 3 weeks of post.  So I was cooking virtually every night and loving it.  For those who don’t believe I can make my way around a BBQ I took a pic of my skills at a party recently.   Also there’s a shot of my mic stand and vocal set up in the attic studio.  What else is there?  Oh a pic of me staring at the camera in the Sony ATV studio kitchen when I was working with Brian West.  And finally a picture of my biggest fan who was giving me love eyes from the couch hoping I’d take him for a walk.

I’ll write a new blog when Justin is here.  In the meantime join up to U Stream.  I’m thinking of posting some vids of my time with Justin if I can get my shiz together in time.   I just registered an account and it’s http://www.ustream.tv/DarrenHayes
I’ll give plenty of notice when I’m going to jump on.. but thought you should know soon!

Big love
D

I had a question posed to me on the forum over at my fanclub @  darrenhayes.com and I thought I'd post it and my response here.

I just finished a brand new video blog about making my new album.  It includes such thrilling moments as me making a cup of tea and banging on a paint tin. ;)

Originally written on 05 June 2009 for member's of 'Delicacy' Darren's official fan club at www.darrenhayes.com

As I type this, it’s Thursday night and I’ve just had what I call ‘Happy Love Day’ which is my way of describing a ‘date day’ with my lovely.   It was much needed because I’ve had 2 weeks straight of working hard on music and my brain is mush.   Nothing like some McLovin’ to make things better.   We love what we do and work so hard that it’s easy to take time together for granted.  So I sort of insist on some one on one time out of the house just to make us feel like a couple.

Right – so it’s been a lot of hard work.
To go back to a couple of weeks ago, I did a charity performance for the songwriter Rick Nowels at Home House in London.  It was for an organization, which raises money to allow children from economically, challenged backgrounds to have access to a basketball team with equipment, coaches and uniforms.   I did it for Rick simply because he asked and it was a delightful night, the highlight being seeing Belinda Carlisle perform her laundry lists of hits.  Loved it.  But it left me rather exhausted.

What many people probably don’t realize about me is that I have a love hate relationship with singing.   I love it for all the obvious reasons, but I’m always terribly nervous before I sing and then physically exhausted afterwards.  Combine that with the fact that I don’t have the most robust voice – in spite of taking care of it.  So I’m very susceptible to throat infections and general fatigue.    Which means my life is often in slavery to singing – not drinking alcohol (or rarely) – not drinking caffeine and mostly not using my voice unnecessarily (not going out to loud restaurants or bars, even not laughing loudly or screaming with joy).
Then there’s the constant water need.  Over 2 litres a day.  Preferably 3 or 4!  So it is an ordeal to say the least lol.

And I’m always knackered after a gig, as I was the day after this one and the day that Robert Conley arrived from Australia to work with me on writing and recording songs for my album.    But I guess it put me in a cool headspace.

At first we were both quite nervous.    We hadn’t written a thing together since writing ‘How to Build a Time Machine’ really.    And in that time Robert had seriously developed as a major songwriter in Australia being signed to Sony/ATV publishing and co writing the most played song on Australian radio of this year (Axle Whitehead’s ‘I don’t do surprises’).  He’d become more accomplished and the dynamic has definitely changed.  But for the better I would say.

He’s got a great sense of what is and what is not appropriate at radio which although is never my consideration, it’s nice to hear someone’s take on whether or not something is necessary or not.  And I like that aspect to the songwriting at the moment.  It balances out my desire to just go off on a zillion tangents.   But the tangents are still there.  I can’t help it!

The first song we worked on was a track I’ll call ‘N’.  It is a turbulent song about, well I won’t tell you what yet.   But I will say the entire album is about relationships and it’s very much first person and not metaphorical in the way my last album was.   So that song was written and recorded (in sort of 60% quality) in 2 days.

The next song we started to work on I’ll call ‘S’ and we had a basic production and melody sorted out and then something bizarre happened.   Our session was harpooned by an urgent request by a publisher and Syco, the Simon Cowell label, for me to attend a song writing camp to write tracks for the big 3 records they have coming out this year.   As I’ve probably explained, I’ve been doing work for this label a bit this year – and it’s a fun opportunity and one that doesn’t come along often so I had to do it.  But it was strange ripping myself out of ‘album’ mode and back into someone else’s.  But I’m sort of used to that on this record and in fact it’s what I’ve liked about it because I’m slowing building the house and I get to go off and garner new perspectives and bring back bits and pieces I like to the table.

Anyhoo – there were some amazing writers there.   Each day I worked for at least 16 hours and it was truly exhausting.   By the 3rd day I was ruined and came back to work with Rob and could hardly sing.
So for the next few days I was writing my melodies by whistling instead of singing, and then eventually playing them note-by-note on the piano which I rarely do. 

But once again, really nice happy accident because the guitar sessions that Steve Young did, only really had simple melodies to bounce off and it made for a really lean and tight use of arrangement.   You could clearly hear what did and what did not support the melody.

Anyway to regress, the song ‘S’ is the song about messing things up in a major way.  It is dramatic and sweeping and I can imagine the album opening with it.  I’ll never over explain these songs as I always want your own interpretations – but there are many layers to these songs.   Sometimes I think people might listen and think ‘oh my god Darren’s relationship is breaking down’.  Because many of the songs discuss friction and yearning and loss.  But that’s obviously not the case at all.  I’m using the songs to vent about everyone and everything but using love songs as the medium.   I think songs about relationships and love are what define me – and the language through which most of my therapy is done.   So on this record, I’d day that’s what I mean about ‘return to form’ or ‘pop’.    It’s about universal themes. 

On to the subject of ‘Pop with a capital P’ I want to stop saying that about this record because you might be expecting me to make a sugary pop record and it couldn’t be further from that.   It’s more ‘Bat For Lashes’ than it is ‘Lady Ga Ga’.  It’s pop in terms of melody and accessibility but it’s definitely deep and layered and interesting.

Right, on to the 3rd song.  It’s a song I started writing with Steve Young when he played me a chord progression he’d written.    I had tears in my eyes when I first heard it over 6 months ago and I’ve been promising him ever since that I’d write a song to it.   Robert and I took Steve’s chords and turned them into verses, then he and I wrote a chorus progression and added that to the song.   The result is probably the album title track (but honestly you never know – with at least a year away from release and more songwriting planned I have no idea what will and wont’ make the final cut).   But I can say it’s exactly how I hoped it would be – and is full of e-bow guitar.   Just gorgeous. 

Right now I’m taking a week off from everything and next week am doing some writing for more ‘other people’.   I won’t be working on my album again until Shave gets here in July.   So I’ll update more about the progress when he touches down.
There are 11 finished songs in the can now – with another 3 planned to be finished in July and then more writing planned after.   The goal is still 20 songs so choose a definitive album from.   Wish me luck!

xxD