Tomorrow’s the big day my friends; we’ve got It Should Have Been Tomorrow dropping this Friday, and Phil from Love, Burns has been sharing his thoughts all week long; don’t forget to buy the album in your preferred format from ATH/KUS/Jigsaw. Here we have some thoughts on “A Gate and the Ghost:”
“Franoise Hardys recording of La maison o j’ai grandi is all over this song. The tune and lyrics are my own, of course, but I wanted the song to have a gradual build up, something Hardy does on her recording. Its one of the few songs where I was quite specific with Hampus and, especially Kyle, as to what I wanted in the arrangement. Start off with the acoustic, drums, bass, then the keys come, and then electric rhythm, guitar solo, harmonies all going off. Gary Olson does all of the harmonies on the LP, btw. Im a big Franoise Hardy fan, like a lot of indie pop types. Charles Blackwell did the arrangement for La maison Mat Patalano did a lovely promo to go with Gate and the Ghost that features two years old me, filmed by my Grandad. The LP sleeve pictures were taken around the same time, by my Dad. Thats me and my Mum on the sleeve. We’re somewhere near Ballykinler, in Northern Ireland. Gate and the Ghost is about returning home (as is the Hardy song). And theres a building in it. Its no Cattle and Cain, but I think its the best song Ive written. I know for a fact that Lloyd Cole and Tracyanne Campbell like it. They said so on Twitter! I use my 1965 Burns Nu-Sonic this song, because that guitar has a fantastic tremolo. Its my Pale Lights guitar, and this is its guest appearance for Love, Burns.”
