My view of weather is a bit strange, people tell me. I really like the rain. I have a bit of a fascination with it, actually (probably a lot of my songs involve discussion of rain). I do not particularly like warm, sunny weather. I’m not trying to be contrarian, I’ve just always thought rain was cozy and happy, ever since I was a little kid. 
 

       It is very rare that I sit down to write a song about a particular topic. It doesn’t really work for me. It is far more often that I’ll write a tune and words begin to feel comfortable over the melody. Then, I end up writing words to justify the sounds that I think are comfortable. In the process, the subconscious takes over, and whatever I must feel the need to express takes control of the song. It’s quite uncomplicated, though not necessarily easy. 
 

       Sometimes, a song comes together very quickly indeed. Such is the case with Backwards. Although it came together quickly and generally out of control, I find it coherent. And although I find it coherent, I also find it exceptionally sad and hollow. I think it’s a very desperate song. “If you show me a heart, and you paint me for a start, I won’t refuse” is, I think, a fairly low bar, though sort of romantic in a sense. The duet (with Leah Gerrietts) finds two people embarking in a relationship doomed to failure from the beginning. Both seem to be at wits end, but clinging to a bit of hope: “I got something left to lose”. There's a little more depth there. “Nothing left to lose” seemed too disparaging of the characters and, frankly, too cliched. This generally dark lyric is also superimposed over a lighthearted melodic and chordal structure.  I’ve always enjoyed songs that focus on that juxtaposition. I think I like it because it feels comforting to have a contrasting melancholy and joy. Probably because everything that is good seems to keep both sides of that coin intact. It feels a bit like being excited about the rain. 
 

Love,

NM