Shifting Mirrors Teaser: The Big Fade Away Part VIII – None The Wiser

And then she runs off, inexplicably feigning innocence while proclaiming it wasn’t going to work because of you…

None The Wiser ( previously known as ‘Well Thought Through’) was a track that didn’t exist until the rewriting of ‘Shifting Mirrors began. The original piece that sat in place of this piece was an odd instrumental with some choir-like vocals on top, but the original demo was so awful I scrapped the idea entirely and originally planned to have nothing there and just kick in the next part. But the song became quite disjointed after that, as now the ending didn’t seem to fit.

I was quite frustrated and ended up having to cool this by playing some guitar in the garden, where I ended up playing the tune on my 12-string. Absolutely fell in love with it, but originally planned to play this as a separate song at first. However, after having a few listens to the quick demo I made after I had gone over ‘The Big Fade Away’ this idea seemed to work better as it fitted the song a whole lot more than anticipated. The lyric delved into the frustrations of my then ex leaving me when I least expected it, along with the fact that she made it seem as if everything was my fault, whereas I have always been taught that where two lovers argue, two are to be blamed…
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None The Wiser ( R.d.G)

No matter how many years
You keep playing on my fears
As all the things you had to say
Have never really gone away

Was it your way of saying sorry
That things were just not meant to be
Like a lifeboat on an endless sea
You swam to shore and forgot about me

(Chorus)
Could have listened
Could have stayed at bay
Could have talked things over
Could have walked away
But I am not to blame
For the things you did to me
You left me none the wiser
When you ran off to be free

Turn and run
But I have so much left to say
A smoking gun
as I saw you turn and run away
You were the one
or so I thought just yesterday

( Instrumental)

( Chorus)

Shifting Mirrors Teaser: The Big Fade Away Part VI – Shadowplay

Time to dance around the hot coals, time to avoid the urgent phonecalls in the middle of the night, the emotional backlash feared to jump out at you at every corner where you two could meet again…

Shadowplay (previously known as ‘Shady Images’) started life as a 4/4 instrumental track, but eventually found itself being reshaped into quite a quirky track, sporting a 7/8 synth lead section with a ‘bridge’ in 9/8. Quite a proggy tune, it was shelved at the time as I felt it didn’t do much but later revisited when I recorded a track called ‘Symbols’, where the 7/8 lead synth is now used as the ending section. It proved that the piece was still good and I enjoyed recording it immensely 🙂

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Shifting Mirrors Teaser: The Big Fade Away Part VII – Falter

And finally, you break. You give in to the pain. You lose even though you have already lost her before. And everything starts to make sense when you least expect it…

The bittersweet moment when you realise the whole affair was going to collapse, is also one of release in a certain way. Doesn’t make it easier though. Falter ( previously known as ‘Sentimental’) was intended as an instrumental piece, but in the end I ended up writing the lyrics and cut half of the song off as it didn’t add anything to the structure. Right now, it’s a stripped bare emotional melody of a piano accompanied by acoustic guitar, before the song ventures back into the leitmotif of The Big Fade Away.

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Falter ( R.d.G)

I thought I knew heartbreak
Thought I knew the deal
But now I’m wide awake
in a moment so surreal

Shaped like a crashing wave
with the intention to alter
your sudden resignation
Something I cannot counter
You’ve made me fade, fall and falter…

Shifting Mirrors Teaser: The Big Fade Away part V: Fall

Flashbacks aren’t something I enjoy a lot, as they tend to take me back to moments I would rather forget and move on from. Fall ( previously known under the working title of ‘The Drop’) is about how two souls met and connected. Albeit a short lyric ( and not to mention a short song), it fits the mood of the flashback perfectly, allowing a momentary glimpse into my personal life before fading out entirely into the next track.

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Fall ( R.d.G)

Sultry voice and pretty eyes
keep staring into darkened skies
Thrashing loud whilst now at large
he prays in silence for her to charge

Making moves, placing their piece
A nod, a wink, a slow release
There’s so much here for her to take
All the memories they’ll never shake

A mind on fire, his thoughts astray
Refusal won’t turn him away
Hands entwined, spirits uptight
there’ll be no sleep in here tonight

( Solo)

Flashing lights, the cracks resound
The foundations of life on unsolid ground

No solution will be found…

Shifting Mirrors teaser: The Big Fade Away part IV: Panic Light

The first instrumental in the lot of pieces, Panic Light ( original working title: Rabbit in your Headlights) originally consisted of a simple melody being repeated over a 6/8 time signature. When I reviewed the demo’s after all that time, I noticed it didn’t do anything for me. It had a promise though, so I ended up rewriting the piece with a 7/8 time signature and a lot more instrumentation backing the whole piece up, featuring several solo’s including a synth solo! It now also fits perfectly with Part V – Fall. Couldn’t be happier with it 🙂

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Shifting Mirrors Teaser: The Big Fade Away Part III – Passing Strangers (Further Away)

After the agony comes the inevitable glance back over one’s shoulder, along with the realisation that this whole ordeal has just started…

Passing Strangers (Further Away) (previously known as ‘A Face I Used To Know’) is the only piece in this song that wasn’t heavily rewritten. In fact, only two sentences were slightly changed to fit the music better. Musically, it revolves around a piano piece with some gentle warmpad sounds in the background, before the whole band is brought in during the chorus. The ending is somewhat abrupt, where the piano is faded out over a heavy reverb before heading into the next piece.

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III: Passing Strangers ( Further Away) ( R.d.G)

Walking away
Shield is getting thin
Our eyes astray
Signalling the pain within

Now there’s nothing left to see
but the image of you walking right past me

( Chorus)
I thought we were so close
But now we’re just further away

Was this love our mirror confrontation
Where you saw me standing
But I just wasn’t the one
Doesn’t really matter
Now we’re passing strangers
Your touch at bay, your love denied
you make me run away and hide…