EP · 2014

The Quiet Hands

Six songs about hands that mend, wheels that turn and daughters who grow up faster than the music.

Tracks

1. What the Quiet Hands Gave MeA song for the people who mend your coats and never mention it. I sang it close to the microphone so it would sound like thanks.neoclassical, chamber ballad4:11
2. Walk Her Slowly Down the AisleI wrote this the week my daughter got engaged, with the weight of a sleeping child still in my arms. It is the hardest one on the record to sing straight.neoclassical, wedding ballad3:56
3. The First Road Without Anyone Beside MeThe first drive alone is a small orchestral event in any family. The horn lifts at the second verse, just like the clutch.neoclassical, film score3:37
4. The L-Plates in the DrawerI found them in a kitchen drawer, two red letters, creased and soft. I kept the arrangement as light as paper.neoclassical, pastoral3:48
5. The Road Shimmers Like a Held BreathA hot road, a dead radio and nothing to do but remember. The strings shimmer more than they play.neoclassical, ambient orchestral3:54
6. The Ferry Bell Rings Through the WhiteFog over a harbour, and a bell that sounds like someone calling you home. We used a real ship's bell for the toll.neoclassical, nocturne2:40

Liner notes

I wrote this one in a rented room above a music shop while my own daughter was learning to drive. We kept it small on purpose, a string quartet, one horn and a piano with a loose pedal. It is the record where I finally said thank you to the people who never asked for it. I recorded the vocals late in the evening, in one take where I could, so you can hear me trying not to wobble.

Leopold Marsh