“We just finished week one of recording the new Paul Kelly record – working title Spring and Fall,” writes Dan Kelly from South Gippsland in south-east Victoria.

The pair are working on Kelly’s 26th studio album – the follow-up to 2007’s Stolen Apples – with Greg Walker from Machine Translations, who’s engineering, as well as playing double bass and other assorted stringed instruments. Next week, they’re off to Head Gap in Melbourne for some sessions with guest musicians, before Dan Kelly jets off to London to mix his new record with producer/collaborator Aaron Cupples (The Drones). Working title: “Dan Kelly's Dream Band – Coastal Chill Vol 4.”

Here’s a rundown of week one:

We're in a big hall in South Gippsland among rolling green hills and cows n stuff. It's cold as a motherfucker. Damp too. The countryside is not unlike the background to Tiny Wings with a little bit of remnant bush here and there to remind you this was once an intense mega forest with the biggest trees in the world. Still beautiful though. Like northern New South Wales without the Camphor trees and not many hippies or tourists either.

We're just down the road from Aaron Cupples’ family sheep farm in Mirboo North where [Dan Kelly’s second album] Drowning in the Fountain of Youth was mixed in 2005/2006. The approach here couldn't be more different. So far we're doing all live takes with vocals until we get the right one, leaving a bit of spill between the instruments, using high strung guitars and dobros, a smattering of my [Gibson] SG etc.

Hopefully it's gonna sound like [Van Morrison’s] Veedon Fleece, perhaps a little starker in places. That would certainly make me happy. It sounds a little informal in a good way. A song cycle seems to be the plan but you'll have to ask the boss about that.

Next week we move to Head Gap to add Melbourne guests. Give it a little city thing to balance out the sheep farming vibe. My friend Lewis [Boyes] has lot of cool gear at Head Gap so It may end up sounding like [Ariel Pink’s] Haunted Graffiti by Tuesday. Pete and Dan Luscombe are coming in on drums and piano for a couple of songs. And we're excited about getting Laura Jean in on vocals and hopefully Vika and Linda too. Also we're gonna put some strings on this one. We're looking to get a kind of dry Melody Nelson-style approach, or maybe Veedon Fleece again. Love that record. Makes Astral Weeks sound like The Wiggles.

We start every day with a swim at Leongatha pool. The locals are excited to have a Michael Hutchence impersonator and Maester Pycelle in the house, I think. I got a free snake the other day from the canteen.

(Photo by Kate Seabrook)

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