EP · 2019

Friday Night at the Corner Counter

Six small-town songs about counters, shoes, post rounds and the neighbours who fill them.

Tracks

1. Friday Night at the Corner CounterFriday at half past six, and the whole street drifts in for bread and gossip. I let the brass band take the verse.orchestral pop, brass band3:54
2. Brass Bands in the Bus LaneAn umbrella parade down a wet pavement, and a march I could not resist. The tuba is doing its very best.cinematic pop, brass band2:35
3. The Deckhand Knows Every Wave by NameThirty years of ropes and rust, and a man who knows the sea by first name. I gave him a gentle roll in the rhythm.orchestral pop, sea shanty3:44
4. The Cobbler Mends the Dancing ShoesA pair of silver shoes on a cobbler's bench, waiting for Saturday. The clarinet taps along.neoclassical, light orchestral3:33
5. The Postman Whistles Up the HillThe postman whistles up the hill and the whole lane hears him coming. The only truly playful tune I have ever finished.cinematic pop, light orchestral3:41
6. The Night Clerk Counts the StarsNight shifts in a small hotel, counting keys and stars. We ended the EP on a hush, as the evening should.neoclassical, nocturne4:07

Liner notes

After the big records I wanted something you could hum on the way to the shop. These six were cut live in the room, brass band and all, with the doors open to the street so the pavement could join in. I grew up between a corner shop and a colliery band, and this is the closest I have come to writing both at once. There is not a swelling chorus on it that I could not whistle.

Leopold Marsh