16/5/05
TJ: As I write this I know that Marcus is working away in the studio, making good things sound better. This is a delicate time, knowing when to stop, understanding when a thing is finished. It’s easy to put too much paint on the canvas. Once we are happy with mixes I’ll mither (in headphones) for hours, agonising over running orders or listening for digital clicks and imperfections. This period is always stressful for me, and dishonours Marcus as a craftsman. I know that, but can’t help myself. It’s a hoop of fire that I need to put myself through, part of giving the songs their best chance, part of the letting go. Marcus humours me (I once dragged him off a jet with a panic phone call about phantom buzzes and bumps) talks me down and calmly fixes things. Then comes the joy of knowing it’s done; the best that we can do. We’ve taken stock, cleared the decks, and can now invest anew. We’ll get to touch the artwork, organise a playback for family and friends, open a bottle of red, and start making plans for the next album.

MC: Well mixing has indeed started, it’s going to be a great album, but then again I am somewhat biased. I know this is a stressful time for Trev but it does get easier with each album, so it won’t be as bad as he thinks.This is a very intense phase for me as I'm hearing the songs everyday and listening to mixes on different systems, etc, so I will be glad when it’s done and I can have a break while the artwork gets done.My favorite part is when the finished CD is unpacked from the first boxes and we sit down and listen. It's usually been a month or so since I've heard anything, so I've detached myself from the actual process and can appreciate it from a different perspective, one of knowing that it’s finished now and nothing can be changed, warts and all!!

24/5/06
TJ: Marcus’s Dad died today. I note it because it puts my mumblings on mortality into perspective, and made me focus on the ideas within 'Glow'. Why Glow? Whether half remembered or best forgotten, memories are filtered, to bathe the past in a nostalgic half light, or to simply soften the blows. We glance at the future from the corner of our eye - it almost seems rude to stare - but by squinting at our dreams, do we make it easier to oversee our disappointments? We could turn the lights down, and open a bottle to take the edge off, but does that dull ambition, and scare our angels away? These words are rooted in immaturity. The boy is father of the man, the haze of a childhood that can never be reclaimed, is where we all start and end.

“Childlike, I danced in a dream:
Blessings emblazoned that day;
Everything glowed with a gleam;
Yet we were looking away!”

Thomas Hardy

Life, always life” said Carver. Marcus moves one step up the ladder, and will become wiser and sadder, but I know that his Dad’s passing will make him want to squeeze more out of his days. I hope he agrees that we dedicate this album to his pater, Reg.

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