All songs recorded and mixed by Brian Campeau. Co-produced by Brian Campeau and Bronwyn Eather. Mastered by William Bowden. Songs written by Bronwyn Eather. This, her first full-length album, tracks Bronwyn’s transformation from acoustic folk (EP, 'On The Bones of Love') via her archtop electric guitar to a new and delightful space, driven by changing rhythms, coloured by tangy jazz chords and layered with steel, brass and strings. Once again Brian Campeau's magical touch is evident in the recording and mixing, as well as in the co-production with Bronwyn. Born in Tasmania, Bronwyn Eather (also Æather, both pronounced “ether”) came to Sydney to study acting, following almost a decade of pioneering work as a field linguist in Arnhem Land, in the remote north of Australia. Her emergence as a songwriter came as a welcome surprise, though her work has never strayed too far from a love of language and performance. She released her debut EP, ‘On The Bones of Love’ in 2015 and immediately afterwards started writing for this new release. CHRONOLOGY OF SONGS, in her own words: The death of my oldest childhood friend presented a tide of grief that brought with it the first of the new songs, which became the album’s title (also Tracks 3 & 9, ‘Against the Tide’). My transition from acoustic to archtop electric guitar revealed a wider range of chords, and with a subtle tremolo and sustain, my songs developed a characteristic and comforting ebb and flow. Doubting that I could continue to write songs while working full-time in a busy and noisy city, I took leave and travelled to an island in Greece, with the hope of writing more songs. Maybe enough for another EP? The quiet, calm isolation, sea air, the daily walking and swimming brought forth memories of the land I loved and had left behind. Within a month I had written four new songs, that formed a body of work on which to build. The first was a love song of longing and resignation, ‘How I Left You’ (Track 2). A desire to have loved ones close, alongside us, while also having the creative space to grow into our fullest selves. It was a familiar tension between love and freedom, one I had long ago identified with and heard in early Joni Mitchell songs. The second song to emerge on this odyssey was 'Crooked Tree' (Track 1), evoking the fierce and protective love I feel for Australia, that ancient bony continent, remnant of Gondwana. Playing with alternate guitar tunings, I remembered a poem, written years before, after a visit to the Central Desert of Australia. How could anyone love the crimson sunsets, paprika sands and violet skies without embracing the stark, hidden underbelly of this land? A kind of righteous pride and indignation emerged in ‘Crooked Tree’, expressing the hardship and beauty of this land and its people. ‘Stuck in Limbo’ (Track 5) emerged from a scribbled diary entry confessing unattainable love, yet still imagining all its possibilities. The song explores the tantalising space of a crush, with all the tenderness that romantic love brings, yet laced with the accompanying delusion that prevents our heart’s flight, as we promise ourselves, in vain, to move on and let go. In the final week on the Greek island another song about home emerged, a quirky piece, exploring the lack of quiet in the city. ‘High On Your Pony’ (Track 6) tells of the man who rode the footpaths of King Street, Newtown on his mobility scooter, blasting Elvis songs on high volume from his loud speakers. It explores the push and pull between him and me, the songwriter, simply trying to get a melody sorted in my head as I walk the streets of my neighbourhood. Returning to city life in Sydney ironically brought forth the composition ‘Firebird of Freedom’, an epic piece about the life and death of a Greek heroine, Laskarina Bouboulina, who had lived on the island where I had stayed. This is a separate release, but opened the door to some eastern scales and melodies that provide a different flavour to some of my new songs. ‘Rhyme and Reason’ (Track 7) emerged after musing on the muse, and realizing that at times I wonder if the spirit of my still-born twin sister might remain somewhere on the same plane as the muse, sprinkling insight and unexpected charm, waiting for the space to work together, to be together again. Joining a song circle with local songwriters brought the remaining tracks on the album. ‘Second Line’ (Track 4) is a fictional tale of the mother of the kingpin, recently deceased, and the spectacle of his New Orleans-style funeral. The story is told from the perspective of someone from the outer circle. The mother, as an older woman, is fierce, proud and strong, and emerges as the Queen of the Scene. Upon seeing a Reuters photograph of a bombed-out devastated city in northern Iraq or Syria, I recalled articles about the home-grown youth of western cities, sporting their jihadi cool in what they wore and the way they spoke. These same misguided youth became the fodder of war in the far-flung strongholds of fledgling caliphates. “This is their last stand. They all came to die” was the photo’s caption. All wars have their lions and lambs, and the greedy grow ever richer. ‘Syrian Winter’ (Track 7) is an anti-war song. Forever on the search for quiet spaces in vibrant Newtown, I encounter the solace of the local graveyard at sunset. There, in the context of a fictional romantic scene, I find freedom under the stars in the arms of huge Moreton Bay fig. ‘Into Eternity’ (Track 10) is a simple folk song returning to the theme of love and freedom. TRACK 1 ‘Crooked Tree’ Mark Fairhurst – Drums, Mike Rix – Bass, Paul Vassallo – Slide Guitar, Jy-Perry Banks – Pedal Steel, Dave Burgess – Electric Guitar, Bronwyn Eather – Electric Guitar, Nashville Guitar and Vocals TRACK 2 ‘How I Left You’ Mark Fairhurst – Drums, Mike Rix – Bass, Jy-Perry Banks – Pedal Steel, Daniel Pliner – Piano, Dave Burgess – Electric Guitar, Brian Campeau – Glockenspiel, Bronwyn Eather – Electric Guitar and Vocals TRACK 3 ‘Against The Tide’ Mark Fairhurst – Drums, Mike Rix – Bass, Daniel Pliner – Hammond Transistor Organ, Dave Burgess – Electric Guitar, Bronwyn Eather – Electric Guitar and Vocals TRACK 4 ‘Second Line’ Mark Fairhurst – Drums, Tambourine, Mike Rix – Double Bass, Kevin Barker – Trombone, Laura Corney – Saxophone, Ellen Kirkwood – Trumpet, Bronwyn Eather – Pipes, Spanners and Vocals TRACK 5 ‘Stuck In Limbo’ Mark Fairhurst – Drums, Mike Rix – Bass, Ruth Wells – Saxophone, Dave Burgess – Electric Guitar, Bronwyn Eather – Electric Guitar, Nashville Guitar and Vocals TRACK 6 ‘High On Your Pony’ Mark Fairhurst – Drums, Mike Rix – Bass, Paul Vassallo – Slide Guitar, Jy-Perry Banks – Pedal Steel, Dave Burgess – Electric Guitar, Bronwyn Eather – Electric Guitar, Nashville Guitar, Harmonica and Vocals TRACK 7 ‘Syrian Winter’ Mark Fairhurst – Drums, John Pye – Fretless Bass, Daniel Pliner – Hammond Transistor Organ, Bronwyn Eather – Electric Guitar and Vocals TRACK 8 ‘Rhyme and Reason’ Mary Rapp – Double Bass and Cello, Ellen Kirkwood – Trumpet, Bronwyn Eather – Electric Guitar and Vocals TRACK 9 ‘Against the Tide (Alternate version)’ Mary Rapp – Double Bass and Cello, Ellen Kirkwood – Trumpet, Bronwyn Eather – Electric Guitar and Vocals TRACK 10 ‘Into Eternity’ Phillippa Murphy-Haste – Clarinet, Bronwyn Eather – Acoustic Guitar and Vocals