[Wicked deeds]

The Witching Hour

In my absence, I walked along the cliff-tops of the Seven Sisters in the Southeast of England.  Though the day was beautiful and the wind warm, I was invited to dwell upon events, people and places that I have known and will perhaps never see again.  It was as if the Seven Sisters, like witches conjuring their mayhem, had planted such thoughts.   

The Witching Hour

or in French, as  I now spend more time learning this language than I devote to writing music. L'heure Des Sorciéres.  @Kafla, thank you for singing the beautiful backing vocals. Your friend Paul.

https://soundcloud.com/wicked-deeds/lheure-des-sorcieres


The Witching Hour

12 years counting, it could be 5 or 4.
I doubt that I will never be at home behind the door.

Unimportant words.
To think that you would listen is clearly, quite absurd.

So I stand upon these rocky shores, firing signals into space;
A musical lament called SOS.
I do confess, there is a loneliness within.
Let the witching hour begin.

12 years counting, the numbers are quite blurred.
The screams that break the silence of the night time can be heard.

Unimportant words.
To think that you would listen is clearly, quite absurd.

So I stand upon these rocky shores, firing signals into space;
A musical lament called SOS.
I do confess, there is a loneliness within.
Let the witching hour begin.
Let the witching hour begin

I walked along the cliff-tops,
the wind around me whispering your names.
The mischief of The Seven Sisters,
beautiful, yet  hell-bent on their games.

Let the witching hour begin.
Let the witching hour begin.

Written by Paul Vasey

https://soundcloud.com/wicked-deeds/lheure-des-sorcieres

[shadowfax]

Very atmospheric song, thought the witching hour thing could've been used more as a sort of chorus but you only used it towards the end.. lyrics are quite special..nice one mate.
robot 22 is pretty good also ..

[ChrisPrice]

I really like this. Great lyric and some excellent vocals. The arrangement is really cool too. Excellent production. No crits from me at all - a most enjoyable track

[Skub]

Yo Paul.

Lots to dig here in this lovely,polished little gem.

Super funky/keys sounds and that lonesome slide/dobro recurring here and there.

The tinkling,involving soundtrack weaves it's way around the soft vocals and the compelling lyrics.

Lovingly crafted is an apt description,nothing careless,nor anything left as a 'that'll do rightly'.

[PaulyX]

Yeah, really nice.  I liked the abrupt start, and that slidey guitar sound, plus the tinkling effect that comes after the "witching hour" lines.  The lyrics are quite cryptic, I like them a lot - lots of poetic imagery, especially the "signals into space" line. (I was a bit confused by the first 2 lines though - is it 12 or 5 or 4? and should it be "I doubt that I will ever" rather than "never"? but maybe I'm misunderstanding them).  Kafla's BVs fit in really well too... it is an interesting effect when the deeper voice is the backing vocal (often it is voices in a higher register providing the BVs, right?) so I found that a really nice and slightly unusual touch - your voices gel really well together.  Great one to return with Paul.

[Philipp]

Superb production and really good mix! Very clear! I like the melancholy yet somehow powerful mood it sets. I was living in Brighton for a few years which came to an unfortunate end. The seven sisters were my go to freetime destination along with Devils dyke. The song somehow brought these feelings I had back then up again.

Well done!

[Wicked deeds]

@Philipp,  many thanks for your comments about this song. I'm originally from the Northeast of England but moved to the Southeast more than 2 years ago. I really should have done that in the early 90's when my passion for writing and performing peaked. I would have loved to have gigged here and especially in Brighton. The Sisters is a beautiful location. It's so easy to lose yourself in your thoughts, don't you think? I once visited Devil's Dyke some years ago and conclude that this is a similar place that encourages reflection.

Wicked

Hey @PaulyX, it's always a pleasure to hear from you.
The lyric about "firing signals into space" was a gift. I was working at my DAW with a very clear idea about the song that I wished to write. There was a magazine on the table with a photograph of a woman standing on a rocky outlet, the vast ocean in front of her and the beautiful sky stretching above, seemingly going on forever.  That's when I thought about the activity of writing and concluded that I often write from a troubled place, "firing signals into space". Essentially, it's a "musical lament, called SOS." The confusion re “12 years counting, it could be 5 or 4" is revisited with the declaratiin "12 years counting, the numbers are quite blurred, " and is a reference to a painful life event that happened some years ago. It seems such a long time ago.  To recall the exact number of years, would also be a painful experience and so I presented the number  and phrase "12 years counting." In reality, "it could be and is closer to 5 or 4." You're right about "I doubt that I will ever be" I actually sing this but it's a typo. Many thanks for the detailed listen my friend.

Wicked

@Skub, my friend, it's great for me that you have highlighted, the attention to detail. As always, it's a labour of love. I hope you are happy and keeping well.

Paul


Hey @ChrisPrice, big thank you for listening. I'm delighted that you enjoyed doing so.

Wicked

@shadowfax, thanks for noticing the lyrics  which are easily overlooked in any musical project. It's great to see you writing and presenting music on the forum.

Wicked Deeds

[CaliaMoko]

Ooo, eerie and unnerving. I just finished reading a murder mystery in which Duluth, Minnesota was an important part and the "rocky shores" line seemed to belong to the book. All the rocky shoreline of Lake Superior in and near Duluth, you know. But that's off-topic, sorry. The instrumentation was really cool. Good one!

[Wicked deeds]

@CaliaMoko,  thank you Vicki!

Wicked

[MonnoDB]

Great song @Wicked deeds - really fab lyrics.. intriguing, always a good think. Arrangement and production top class…. As I would expect of course and @kafla ’s BVs work so well with your vox.

Only crit for me was I thought the bells were a tad loud. But I seem alone in that so you should probably ignore me!!

K

[pompeyjazz]

Ah Oui ! C'est bien @Wicked deeds Some lovely imagery here in your lyrics. The Seven Sisters is pretty stunning for sure. Like some of those slide ? guitar licks you threw in here. It's a beautiful song and it's so good to see you back on the forum Paul

[Wicked deeds]

@pompeyjazz,

Big thanks John    I really like this song but strangely enough, it's as if it has brought the worst kind of luck. 🙄 I often write what I call 'partner' songs. Next up is its stable mate, 'The Sadness of Belonging.'

Paul

[Maya Clars]

Cool intro in Michael Jackson's style. 
Interesting guitar sound in background of the main melody.
Melodic song with pleasant vocals sounds so good!

Maya